It’s a common mistake in records and information management (RIM) to put all your focus on creating your records retention schedule (RRS) and neglect what comes next: implementation. Lax planning, poor preparation, and a lack of oversight will frustrate even the best efforts in creating an RRS and expose your organization to unnecessary risks. Don’t…
Long gone are the days of intricate departmental records retention schedules—often very long, with duplicative record categories scattered across multiple business areas. Today, a simplified functional (or Big Bucket) records retention schedule (RRS) is the way to go and is now considered industry best practice. A 2018 multi-sectoral survey of practitioners confirmed that a simplified…
A records retention schedule (RRS) is truly the linchpin of a sound and legally defensible records management program. Each RRS must be designed to provide a balance between robust coverage of business operations on the one hand, and simplicity of use and administration on the other. A bottom-up approach that incorporates input from businesses and…
It’s no surprise that a global pandemic has created a lot of records, along with many questions surrounding these records. As organizations adapt to the new and constantly changing COVID-19 landscape, new processes and record outputs abound. We often get questions from our clients asking “is this a COVID-19 record?” and if yes, “how long…
The records and information management world has experienced a gradual yet seismic ideological shift in recent years. Long gone are the days of thinking solely in terms of HOW LONG MUST WE KEEP this information. Today, companies also think strategically, practically, and with privacy legal compliance in mind when it comes to managing their records…
A common question amongst our international clients is: “which jurisdictional law should our retention schedule follow?” From a records management perspective, the general rule of thumb is to focus on the “place of the regulated activity.” Applying this rule can be difficult, however, when there are regulated activities with legal and operational implications beyond the…
Along with the rest of the world, the pharmaceutical industry anxiously awaits the resolution of Brexit. Their nervous anticipation is for good reason; the past few years after the UK’s vote to leave the European Union have brought great uncertainty for EU licensed pharmaceutical companies with UK operations. Following the abrupt move of European Medicines…
Big Bucket records retention schedules (RRS) are common practice in the Records and Information Management (RIM) industry. The Big Bucket approach involves grouping records together based on similar business processes and events to the greatest extent possible. Routine records are classified separately. Implementing a Big Bucket approach means that duplication and overlapping between business areas…
Employees from Peacock Foods recently filed a class action suit against their employer. The group claims the company violated the Illinois Biometric Identifier Privacy Act. The employees say the company collected their fingerprints when they clocked in and out of work. They also claim the company didn’t follow the mandates meant to protect this information.…
Countries are continuing to escalate restrictions on storage location and transfers of data, with China being the most recent to follow suit. China broadened its cybersecurity initiatives significantly in 2016 with the release of the Cybersecurity Law (Law). Scheduled to come into effect June 1, 2017, the Law introduced many new requirements concerning the handling…