Records management and Compliance with SharePoint

What is it?

Certain types of customer (e.g. Public Sector, Health, Financial Services) have a statutory duty to store electronic documentation with the same care as they would do paper records.

This requires specialist ‘records management’ software and appropriate configuration to comply with the appropriate rules.

Why do it?

To ensure electronic documents cannot be changed, and therefore act as a permanent record and so comply with regulations.

To be sure of keeping documentation for the requisite period of time, and having reminders at the appropriate time (say, after 7 years) about what records need reviewing – i.e. to be kept, or disposed of.

SharePoint offers lightweight records management, but is not generally accepted to comply with records management stipulations (e.g. those from The National Archive – formerly the Public Records Office).

What are the benefits?

Achieve compliance with regulations.

SharePoint can (and does) provide the interface / ‘front end’ to 3^rd-party systems, to provide an integrated and user-friendly solution. This minimises the effort involved in getting end users to adapt to the new system & ways of working.

Records management is often bundled with document management functionality to provide a robust and trustworthy way of maintaining electronic documents.

Track record

Information architecture and preparing procurement documentation for a further education college in the North East of England.

Formed and led a team on a large Fujitsu account to implement an electronic document & records management solution (EDRM), winning business approval to the roll-out.

Involvement in various EDRM bids, defining the business and technical solution.