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In this issue:
Dear Records Manager,
This month we've got some very useful information for you. There is another resource in our TAB Case Study series, which takes a look at how Pengrowth Corporation, a leading North American energy company, used the TAB SMART process to purge unnecessary records and materials in anticipation of a move.
We've also got an excellent piece from our own Bob Duncan on how to choose the right records management software and put it to work for your organization.
And for those of you who missed TAB's presentations at the recent ARMA conference, now you can get them to go! We've put three of our best presentations on the web, and they are now available for download as a podcast or pdf file.
We always interested in what our readers think, so if you have any feedback, please let us know!
Regards,
TAB
TAB Case Study: Pengrowth Corporation Gets TAB SMART for a Leaner Business
 For Pengrowth Corporation, a top North American energy trust company, rapid growth had tested the limits of their records management program, and they wanted to develop a new strategy. They partnered with TAB to create a comprehensive road map, identifying many RM priorities in the process. Because they were anticipating a move to new corporate headquarters, they decided that getting rid of non-essential materials and records was a good place to start and so they decided to implement the TAB SMART program.
Why TAB SMART?
The TAB SMART (Streamline. Manage. Access. Retain. Toss.) program was designed to help organizations reduce the amount of material they retain. Essentially the program involves taking employees through a process of reviewing their record and non-record material, determining what is not essential. This way non-essential materials, both paper and electronic, can be eliminated, reducing storage costs and streamlining information access and retrieval time.
This was perfect for Pengrowth and they recognized that implementing TAB Smart would have three major benefits:
- Allow them to retain only business critical material
- Help them identify opportunities to streamline
- Help raise profile of the internal records management team, showing how they can support Pengrowth's entire organization
To read the full case study on how TAB helped Pengrowth become a leaner business machine, click here.
Take Our Poll
RM Software: What is Right For You?
By Bob Duncan
 Compliance, litigation and electronic records are just some of the factors that have organizations scrambling to get their records management program in order. For many organizations, the answer is software. But choosing the right software solution can be a difficult and confusing process and our clients often want to know the best way to select a software solution.
One Part of a Larger Solution
The answer is to take a step back and recognize that software is simply a tool in your larger RM solution's arsenal. Simply buying and installing software won't make you compliant, but when used as part of a comprehensive RM program, it can help you get to compliance and much more. Only focusing on the electronic records can be limiting, because paper records continue to make up a large part of active file collections. So when you define how your records management software fits into the bigger records management picture, then you can make an informed decision that will be the right fit for your organization.
A Solid Foundation: Classification & Retention
Every good RM program must start with an effective classification system. Classification of business activities acts as a powerful tool to assist the conduct of business and in many of the processes involved in the management of records including:
- Providing linkages between individual records which accumulate to provide a continuous record of activity
- Ensuring records are named in a consistent manner over time
- Assisting in the retrieval of records relating to a particular function or activity
- Determining security protection and access appropriate for sets of records
- Allocating user permissions for access to, or action on, particular groups of records
- Distributing responsibility for management of particular sets of records
- Distributing records of action
- Determining appropriate retention periods and disposition actions for records
Classifications systems are established through a series of process steps that include interviewing business areas to establish and analyze business activities and records. Following the interviews, an assessment of the existing records is completed. Finally a classification reflecting the functions, activities and records that are created by those activities is completed. It is the classification system that provides the basis for compliance, risk management, retention periods, security safeguards and other related issues.
Once a classification system is in place, retention schedules must be applied to each activity and record type within your environment. Records retention establishes how long an organization needs to keep its records. It is based on operational business needs, legal, and regulatory requirements. Retention schedules specify how long records must be kept as they progress through their organizational life cycle, including whether records are ultimately destroyed or archived.
Enter RM Software
With the classification and retention systems built, the real work begins. Each document must be evaluated to determine whether it is evidence of business activity and who is responsible for storing and maintaining the record. The classification system is then applied to the record, assisting in its organization and determination of its retention characteristics.
How Does RM Software Help?
A good records management software solution incorporates your classification structure into the software. It uses the classification structure to apply retention rules and guidelines to records identified and stored within the database. As users store new content, classifications are selected and the software automatically links the retention rules to that particular piece of content. If retention rules change to a particular classification level, the designated user simply applies the new rule(s) to the classification level. Upon completing this process, the software will automatically update all records with the new change. This is an important consideration when selecting RM software as millions of records can be associated with a single retention rule change.
Software & Compliance: Managing the Lifecycle Process
Ultimately, building the classification system, applying retention and incorporating those principles into your RM software helps you to manage the record lifecycle process. RM software will trigger dates for records to go from active to inactive and from inactive to destruction. RM software logs all of these activities to transaction logs so you can review activity and demonstrate, in the case of an audit, that policies and procedures were consistently applied. In the event of litigation, during discovery, you can use the software to perform a search for content identified as required by a discovery motion. You must be able to place a "legal hold" on all of that content applicable to the discovery motion overriding the applied retention rules until the hold is removed. This protects you from further exposure by destroying documents that should be available by order.
Partner With Someone Who Knows RM
Part of the process in choosing software should be carefully selecting a provider with a comprehensive knowledge of records management and its application to RM software tools. Because the effective long-term use of your software is tied to having the right records management structure in place, working with someone who understands both records and software is critical. A company that only sells software but lacks knowledge of records management ultimately will be challenged in assisting you in applying the software to effectively manage your organization's governance requirements.
We Can Help
At TAB, we take a holistic approach to the RM software question. We think that the way to provide you with the best software choice is to first look at your entire records situation, paper and electronic, and from there determine how the software will fit into the organization, what the business issues are, which workflows need to be solved, and then customize a solution to fit your organizations requirements. Our FileTracker and Accutrac XE software are robust and flexible enough to deal with any records management issue, either paper or electronic, that your organization may have.
TAB Consulting
TAB's consulting group is skilled at building functional classification systems based upon ISO15489 standard and researching and applying retention to the classification. Once your RM software is purchased, our RM software business analysts effectively apply records management principles and processes in building file structures, naming conventions and applying retention effectively within RM Software.
If you would like to know about how TAB can help you get to compliance and be more efficient by deploying RM Software, please contact us.
Bob Duncan is VP Business Development for TAB, and has worked in the Records Management industry for almost three decades. Bob has extensive experience in the area of imaging having managed production environments imaging over 10,000 pages each month, sold and implemented Document Management Solutions and directed the scanning of over 5,000,000 pages of Land and Engineering records at client's sites. His expertise in imaging includes the industries highest level of certification, CDIA+. He is also certified by a major provider of Document Management Solutions.
ARMA Presentations Now Available for Download!
 At ARMA 2007 in Baltimore, attendees raved about TAB's in-booth presentations. If you couldn't make it to ARMA, or you want to share with your colleagues, these sessions are now available via the web to our dedicated OnRecord readers. The podcasts take a few seconds to load – please be patient.
Strength in Numbers - Strategies for Centralized Filing
Download Podcast | Download PDF
What You Need to Know About Email Records
Download Podcast | Download PDF
Taking Control of Your Information Assets
Download Podcast | Download PDF
Make RM Software Work for You
RM software has become a necessity in today's highly regulated business world. Compliance is the corporate "buzzword" to protect the business from increasing risk associated with litigation, audits and other influences. Without RM software the business is fighting a 21st century battle with centuries old techniques, weaponry and strategies. The enemy is the ever-growing volume of electronic content.
At TAB, we believe our File Tracker and Accutrac XE products, when used in conjunction with a strong and comprehensive RM program, are a critical part of getting you to compliance and keeping you there.
FileTracker
 TAB's FileTracker™ is an easy to use, Microsoft® Windows® based departmental software solution that enables you to organize, control and find physical files throughout your organization. Using barcode technology, FileTracker enables you to track file history, from creation through active use, to archival storage and eventually to properly scheduled destruction. The software comes complete with management and reporting functions.
Benefits
- Greater efficiency in tracking and managing physical files
- Helps to eliminate lost or missing files
- Improved organizational responsiveness
- Reduced labor and operational costs
- Better risk management and compliance
Accutrac XE
 Accutrac XE™, is an enterprise class RM solution, supporting compliance with flexible and scalable records management systems to help you manage physical and electronic records throughout their lifecycle. Unlimited level classification structure, easy to create and apply retention rules to the classification structure, email management and robust functionality is delivered through this solution designed to address an organizations RM needs.
Accutrac XE is built on an architecture with integration capabilities to client back-end systems or ECM solutions. It's highly configurable design makes Accutrac XE the right solution for most industry related applications. Accutrac XE is the right tool to assist an organization in furthering their compliance goals whether nationally or globally in scope.
Accutrac XE Features & Benefits
Retention
- Apply retention rules to all records
- Manage disposition/deletion projects
- Supports legal holds and vital records security
Robust administrative control and security
- User authentication
- Data filtering
- Usage monitoring
Reporting
- Facilitate ad-hoc reports
- Data sorting tools
- Data import and export
- Crystal Reports viewer
- Bulk edit functionality
Classification
- Flexible hierarchy
- Robust Indexing
- Unlimited item types
- Metadata
- Structured and unstructured data
- Desktop classification of electronic records, images and email
Tracking
- Labeling
- Barcodes
- Transmittal automation
- RFID wireless tracking
- Audit trails
Searching
- Advanced query and global search tools
- Item browse and filtering tools
- Windows-like hierarchy for ease of use
For more information on FileTracker, Accutrac XE, or any of our other excellent products, from file folders to high density cabinets, click here.
E-discovery: Be Proactive
The amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governing the discovery of electronic data has made ESI (Electronically Stored Information) a buzzword in meeting rooms across the continent. Most people are by now aware of the possibility of incurring cost and losing productivity should they become involved in an e-discovery scenario, but many are confused about what to do about it. The answer, according to this excellent article from NetworkWorld, is to get proactive about e-discovery.
Seven Ways to Reduce Email Archiving Risk
Want to know how to reduce the risk when archiving email? Then you have to read this excerpt from the Sept. 11 Wikibon.org Peer Incite Meeting, focused on issues surrounding an article titled "Architecting e-mail storage," by Wikibon community member and consultant Kashik Das. The meeting was a discussion of specific issues by four recognized subject-matter experts and Wikibon.org community members: Josh Krischer, David Floyer, Peter Burris and David Vellante, and it is brilliant. Check it out here.
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