Meeting the challenges of digital recordkeeping

1. Meeting the challenges of digital recordkeeping Minimising risks and maximising benefits Kate Cumming State Records NSW

2. Something to keep in the back of your mind… • “Digital information lasts forever, or five years, whichever comes first.” • Jeff Rothenburg, Scientific American

3. Big picture risks in NSW government • lack of strategic vision • lack of long term vision • poor investment in information infrastructure • new technologies that make information management difficult • accumulating volumes and silos of information

4. The digital recordkeeping challenges 1. Identifying and managing records 2. Understanding business systems 3. Communicating requirements 4. Influencing new business environments

5. Challenge 1: Identifying records • sadly not a piece of paper anymore… • needs to be determined system by system, process by process • case studies: online training system, personnel system

6. Risks: From non-identification • lack of record capture • poor management • threats to data longevity • costs of data maintenance • ‘rapidly escalating out of sight’ • volume control • search, storage, preservation and management problems due to overwhelming volumes

7. Tips for meeting this challenge • prioritise • focus on high risk, significant business • know the recordkeeping requirements • focus on business needs • and augment with your recordkeeping knowledge • look for the easy way out • act now

8. most digital business systems are not designed to make and keep records dynamism vs redundancy short now vs long now specific examples: US Pacific Gas and Electric Company databases, geographic information systems Challenge 2: Understanding business systems

9. need to maintain: accessibility integrity accountability evidentiality useability longevity System functionality makes it a challenge to manage records well

10. Key risks with business systems • identifying them • locating system owners • system change • system integration and de-integration • protecting important stuff before it’s too late • legacy systems • non-standardisation • ‘commodification of information’

11. Tips for meeting this challenge • get involved • focus on information longevity • talk to users and understand the business • contribute to system design • contribute IM tools and skills • focus on system migration and decommissioning as high risk points • focus on what you know • use disposal as a tool • keep it simple

12. Challenge 3: Communicating requirements • the difficulty of “getting a seat at the grown-ups’ table”: • ARMA (US) survey (October 2011): records managers have little or no input into strategic planning • those who count don’t always want to hear from us: • no ‘one size’ fits all answers • solutions must be individually designed • State Records 2010 ICT survey: some barriers in communication between records and ICT staff

13. Risks: The perception of recordkeeping • it is seen as operational (which definitely components of it are) • but it is also highly strategic: • well designed recordkeeping enables organisational objectives to be achieved • non strategic approach creates risks • strategic vision necessary in times of change

14. Risks: Poor information practices • systems that don’t meet recordkeeping requirements continue to be implemented • significant records continue to be at risk • recordkeeping continues to be marginalised • users and clients suffer in short and long term • business suffers in short and long term

15. Tips for meeting this challenge • pick your battles • get involved • be persistent • focus on the business • involve the users • present solutions, not just problems • take it one system at a time

16. Challenge 4: Influencing new business environments • business is moving: • to wikis • to the cloud • to multiple business applications • and leaving large legacy system issues behind…

17. Risks: Limited recordkeeping functionality • Wikis • Gmail • Google Docs • Sharepoint • GREAT BUSINESS APPS • NONE NATIVELY KEEP RECORDS

18. Risks: Geocities example • web 2.0 data can just disappear… • the ownership of the data on social media sites often resides with the service provider, not the individual or the organisation

19. Risks: Cloud ‘not yet sufficiently mature’ • CIO of ANZ Bank, Anne Weatherston: • cloud can’t currently enable business integrations and data consistency ANZ requires

20. Risks: Collaborative workspaces are completely reliant on good information management frameworks • information needs to be created, well organised and classified so that it won’t be shared or used inappropriately • sharing of confidential marketing plans and budget documents via LinkedIn

21. Risks: Legacy systems • ongoing responsibility • lack of accessibility • volumes of data • cost of ongoing management • cost of any retrospective management solution • impact of admin change on legacy data…

22. Tips for meeting this challenge • promote importance of system configuration and user training • don’t let systems become legacy systems • metadata • become the metadata champion in your organisation • standardisation, integration and quality

23. Key tips for meeting all the challenges • act and act now • know what the business and the users want • know recordkeeping requirements • prioritise based on risk • engage • trust your skills

24. State Records’ Standard on digital recordkeeping • designed to facilitate recordkeeping in digital environment in order to: • mitigate risk • focus on high risk • ensure that critical business information is created and available as required

25. What does the Standard say? • know where your business is being performed • know what information you need to support business • not just what information you have • know how long this information needs to be kept • know whether your business systems can make and keep this information • if they can’t, develop alternate solutions: • system redesign • system workarounds • integration with records systems

26. “Do nothing, lose everything…” • be strategic with recordkeeping • design systems with recordkeeping capacities • build for both the short and long now • do it now

27. Future Proof blog http://futureproof.records.nsw.gov.au • for current information, case studies, discussions on digital recordkeeping issues • we really value comment, feedback, discussion!

28. Photo sources • Nothing lasts forever - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bixentro/4076703146/ • Tall building - http://www.flickr.com/photos/uggboy/4424044058/ • Danger to cyclists - http://www.flickr.com/photos/64498037@N00/3841613511/ • Letter - http://www.flickr.com/photos/aprilandrandy/29366804/ • This is important - http://www.flickr.com/photos/r_rose/110152340/ • This is very important - http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/290711738/ • Beware of safety - http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamtriggs/3846892124/ • Blue high risk sign - http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/5939827914/ • Post its - http://www.flickr.com/photos/upsu_alexh/423349247/ • Climber - http://www.flickr.com/photos/moogan/2628010999/ • Falling sign - http://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/3009412645/ • Toy soldier - http://www.flickr.com/photos/zryan/5924637958/ • Radiation risk - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredo/57971500/ • Geocities - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tantek/4784387654/ • Clouds - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2511369048/ • Bike jump - http://www.flickr.com/photos/teadrinkingtim/4670395304/ • Old PC - http://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/2849334538/ • Baked beans - http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianfuller/205402306/ • Blank can - http://www.flickr.com/photos/aliceskr/315475438/ • Keys - http://www.flickr.com/photos/practicalowl/248282683/ • Dangerous diamond - http://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnzlea/1677870357/ • Great gift - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmeidinger/3483485 /