Simply put, an electronic records management (ERM) strategy is a set of guidelines that help dictate how your organization handles electronic documentation. ISO standard 15489: 1 : 2016 defines Records Management (RM) as the field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records. It will often involve protocols for things like:
- Your preferred management procedures and technologies
- Long-term and short-term storage policies
- Distinguishing what records are widely accessible and which need to remain private
- Creating retention schedules for archived information
- Determining who within the organization has access to which records
- Tracking record changes and creating an enforceable chain of custody for document handling
An ERM strategy will be unique to the scale and daily operations of your business. There are many things to consider beyond the above points. For example, compliance and security is a major concern for many industries. Reach out to DOMA if you are interested in a finding out more about how to improve your ERM strategy.