In the digital era, federal agencies are increasingly turning to cloud solutions for records management. This shift represents a significant departure from traditional, on-premises data storage, but it shouldn’t be surprising. “Cloud storage … can improve access to and sharing of records and data, increase security, increase potential for long-term preservation, take advantage of economies [...]

In the complex world of government records management, the ability to track who has accessed and what has happened to individual records is invaluable. An audit trail—a step-by-step record that chronicles the life cycle of a document or record, capturing every interaction and modification made to it—lets you do just that. Audit trails work by [...]

Disaster-proofing your records management program is critical to ensuring business continuity and records retention in the face of catastrophes and emergencies. Yet government agencies are typically unprepared in this area, with only ad hoc and piecemeal strategies that make the process of protecting records against disasters unnecessarily complicated and difficult. To be fair, this isn’t [...]

Sometimes, organizations are their own worst enemies when it comes to records management. We may want to blame overly complicated regulations (“it’s not our fault”) or underperforming employees (“it’s the workforce, not the organization!”), but sometimes the problems with records management actually do occur at the organization-level and must be addressed there. Generally speaking, these [...]

In an age where information flows endlessly through a proliferating number of digital platforms and systems, records management in federal government agencies is growing increasingly complex. Records are no longer confined to traditional documents; they now encompass a blend of media, data, and metadata. From emails and instant messaging to video conferencing and project management [...]

Most people tend to think about records management as a boring, tedious task. Not so! When records management goes wrong and important records turn up missing, headline-worthy scandals can ensue. As USA Today reports, “Biden and Trump documents expose wider problem: Missing classified records not uncommon.” It’s not just classified records, either. Even less sensitive [...]

What Is Era 2.0? The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had initiated efforts to modernize and upgrade its Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system to ERA 2.0. NARA uses ERA to preserve and manage U.S. Federal electronic records. In fact, since 2008, it has handled over 900 terabytes of electronic records! It’s also the system [...]

Ethical records management serves as the backbone of a reliable and, ultimately, trustable information system. By contrast, loss of trust can disrupt the flow of reliable and accurate information within an organization, compromise decision-making processes, and lead to legal implications and penalties. In the case of government agencies, loss of public trust can even erode [...]

Government agencies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to update records management processes. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), for example, has indicated interest in using AI systems to auto-fill metadata and to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. “The National Archives is excited about the use of AI/ML/RPA and [...]

Federal records managers must understand a huge range of laws governing records management in the federal government to ensure compliance, accountability, and the preservation of vital information. Understanding the complex legal framework prevents potential violations, protects sensitive data, and facilitates smooth responses to public inquiries or legal demands. It also fosters transparency, enhances organizational efficiency, [...]