The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lists a comprehensive records management plan as one of the three most critical components and recovery tools for your business to survive a disaster. However, many organizations tend to take the attitude of “I’ll deal with it when it happens”, which can be detrimental to the ability of your company to recover.
Why is records management such an integral part to business continuity?
The answer is simple: a company’s memory exists through the information it keeps.
Your business’ ability to quickly and accurately respond to customer, employee, or vendor requests requires more often than not, access to the information your organization holds. Without it, it wouldn’t be able to function effectively.
Employee Access
If your employees are working remote and are unable to access information to make a sale or help a customer, your business would find itself in trouble very quickly. This is where document scanning and the digital transformation of hard copy information can play an important role in your records management planning. Making sure employees have access to the information they need to perform their day to day tasks streamlines procedures and prevents requests from stakeholders not being answered.
Compliance
Understanding and identifying which information is vital to your organization’s core operations, and knowing who should have access to it, is a fundamental aspect of records management. With this understanding in hand, the records management team will be able to provide a secure environment for continued addition, access, and maintenance of the information your organization collects. Protecting and providing proper access is a key aspect of compliance and will help mitigate the risks of a breach.
What Part Do Hard Copy Documents Play?
During a disaster, employees could still be creating hard copy documents that need to be properly stored and destroyed if no longer needed. Members of an accounting team may be printing out invoices or a sales team member may need contact info of a potential client. Outlining procedures ahead of time provides the direction and security needed to make sure the information contained on any physical documents is protected and accessed only by those who should have access.
Disruption can come in different forms, and as unpredictable as it may be, a records management system will help ensure your business continues to operate efficiently and effectively. As unprecedented as these times are, our records management professionals can help your business navigate its records management needs and tailor a plan specific to your organization. Call 888-478-FILE to begin the conversation.