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April 2011: In This Issue
- Your Storage Capacity with RM Best Practices »
- Retention Schedule Management Made Easy with TAB FusionRMS »
- What your Colleagues are Downloading »
Using space effectively—it’s a perennial problem for organisations everywhere, and records managers are always under pressure to cut down on their storage footprint. The good news is that by simply following records management best practices, you can reduce the square feet your records require. So if you need to free up space for revenue generating activities, you’ll want to download our free Space Planning Toolkit.
And for those of you looking for some help with implementing your retention schedule this month we take a look at TAB Fusion RMS’ retention module which makes managing your retention program simple and intuitive.
We value your feedback. If you have any questions, or want to discuss any of the issues raised in this newsletter, please get in touch.
 Thinking Beyond the Filing Cabinet
When records management professionals think of space saving, they typically think about shelving and file folders. And while that’ s effective, if you truly want to get the most out of your space you need to look beyond equipment and start applying RM best practices.
Because the reality is that just by managing your records properly helps you cut costs, decrease retrieval times and reduce the volume of your collections. This article takes a look at four records management practices and how you can apply them to your everyday operations to reduce your storage footprint.
1.0 Implement the Right Retention Schedule
A good retention schedule is your best friend when it comes to saving space. In fact, an effective retention program can help you reduce storage costs by one-third. How? Because your schedule details exactly what you need to keep and for how long, you are in a position to control the growth of your records collections. This way you ensure that you aren’t paying to store records you don’t need to keep.
2.0 Purge Non-Records
Industry estimates show that 50-70% of the records found in a typical collection don’t actually need to be retained. Non-records such as duplicates and out-dated drafts are a result of day-to-day business functions and take up valuable storage space. The key is to purge these documents and files in a systematic way that takes RM principles into account. That’s where our Datafile SMART service comes in. Our consultants work with your employees to determine what needs to go and coordinate the entire purging process. On average, the Datafile SMART program reduces document volume by 25%!
3.0 Use Off-Site Storage Facilities
Every organisation has material that has to be retained for business and regulatory purposes but that doesn’t need to be accessed on a regular basis. Off-site storage facilities provide a cheaper alternative for housing these kinds of records because they allow you to free up costly office space and still access and keep the documents you are required to.
4.0 Consider Digitisation and Imaging
Digitising and imaging your documents is a great way to save space and cut storage costs because, depending on your legal and regulatory requirements, you can often destroy the originals or store them in an off-site facility. Best of all, the imaged and indexed documents are instantly available to staff across your organisation and can be quickly and easily accessed when needed.
Get our Space Saving toolkit!
Want to learn more about how you can use your existing storage space to generate revenue and increase efficiency? Download our Space Planning Toolkit!
 Retention schedules—they’re an integral part of every records management program. But creating the right one for your organisation is just the beginning. In order to leverage the maximum potential of your retention program, you need to keep it up to date and apply it correctly. The key is to have a seamless and intuitive system that makes managing your records simple.
Our TAB FusionRMS helps you master the process by automatically applying your unique retention and disposal requirements to existing and future documents and files. This customisable solution can be programmed to handle both inactive and official retention.
With the TAB FusionRMS retention module you can:
- Apply retention and citation codes to records as they are added to the database
- Classify records by folder type
- Determine disposition requirements with detailed reports
- Receive email notifications letting you know when records have reached their destruction date
- Place permanent or temporary holds on individual documents and files
- Archive, destroy or purge records depending on your requirements
Don’t have a retention schedule in place? No problem! Our consultants can work with you to develop one that works for your organisation. Contact us today and find out how Datafile's FusionRMS can work for your records management program!
 Want to know what your colleagues are reading? These are some of our most popular recent downloads:
Want to get the most out of your information assets?
Imaging can have a huge positive impact on your records management program, from improving access and collaboration to saving you space. But to be successful, you have to get everything right from the start.
If you're considering document conversion, use our comprehensive toolkit to get the most from your project. Our tools will help you:
- Determine if imaging is right for your organisation
- Prepare your RM program for a document conversion
- Discover how Datafile helped convert a customer for future growth
- Learn how Datafile can help you get the benefits and avoid the pitfalls
Download this toolkit and get the tools you need to prepare for imaging and converting your physical records.
Conversion Readiness Assessment Tool
Many organisations are turning to electronic imaging to decrease their records storage expenses. But simply scanning your records doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to destroy all of the original documents. And on a more general level, for conversion to truly benefit your organisation, your existing RM program has to be able to support it.
Answering the following questions will help you:
- Ensure your imaged documents meet record-keeping requirements
- Evaluate how your existing RM program will support an imaging and retention program
- Understand which records, once scanned, can be destroyed and which must be retained
This is an invaluable resource for anyone who is thinking of enhancing their records management capabilities with an imaging program, and you can download it here.
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