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Government and business are in the middle of a fundamental change regarding how records - one of the most important assets of any organisation - are managed. To understand the significance of this change, both for the present and the future, we must first understand the foundation upon which we have historically relied.
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The Heritage - For centuries, records have been managed in the form of paper. And they
have been managed accordingly, that is in a media-centric way, using methods constrained by the physical limitations of paper. Their management was driven largely by need and space - the time period for retaining them was based on need, and the location for storing them was determined by the availability of space.
Records were kept where they were readily accessible for as long as space permitted. Over time, they typically were transferred to another location where there was more (usually less costly) space - where their continued accessibility could be ensured for as long as they were needed. This methodology provided the necessary controls to ensure both the authenticity
and availability of the records within its domain. And so, for as long as records have been created, media-centric records management practices successfully served the needs of government and business. |
The Future - Now consider the change from paper and media-centric records management, based on physical location controlled by humans, to the age of digital information and content-centric records management, where the management process is based on invisible logical locations controlled by computers.
This change is grounded in the radically different nature of electronic records. It
has resulted in exponentially greater complexity in the process of managing records
over their lifecycles. It has also created extraordinary new capabilities for improving that
process - achieving unprecedented levels of control, effectiveness, and automation.
Content-centric records management is a revolution in more than just a conceptual way.
It is revolutionary in every aspect of how records are managed: from identifying and
understanding new types of records... to where records are located and how they
are accessed... to dependence on technology... to higher performance
standards... to new skill sets required for records and IS/IT managers... to the
need for a cross-functional records management team... and so much more. |
