What is Records Management? Back

Records Management (RM) is the control of records throughout their lifecycle. This includes creation, maintenance, use, storage, retrieval and disposal. Records include both paper and digital documents.

Records may be defined using four broad categories :

• External records
• Internal records
• Transaction records
• Reference records

The records lifecycle

The below diagram visually represents the ‘records cycle’:

What are the benefits of having a formal RM policy?

The benefits of a formal records management policy include:

• Increased speed of records access
• Unneeded documents efficiently archived/destroyed
• Ensure compliance with legal achieving requirements e.g. solicitors, accountants and schools
• Ensure compliance with Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Maintain the integrity and authenticity of records

Records Management and ISO

In the United Kingdom, Section 4 of ISO 15489-1:2001 defines records management as including:

• Setting policies and standards
• Assigning responsibilities and authorities
• Establishing and promulgating procedures and guidelines
• Providing a range of services relating to the management and use of records
• Designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records
• Integrating records management into business systems and processes

About Secure Storage Services

Based in Liverpool and Wirral, we provide document storage, scanning and shredding services nationwide.

Document storage and effective document management are increasingly becoming more important for businesses across the country. With the rental price of office spaces going up and data protection concerns increasing, high quality document management facilities are becoming more important to businesses in Liverpool and the surrounding areas.