ROT got you in a RUT? Get the Facts on Automatic Disposition at #ARMA04 by Carolyn Casey

A recent Cohasset survey we sponsored shows that only 9% of respondents have their content and document management solutions set up for automated disposition. Why is this number so low? Industry leaders from ARMA, Iron Mountain, AIIM and the Sedona Conference agree that best practices are to retain information for the right amount of time and to dispose of information in a timely manner. This also includes ROT (Redundant, Obsolete and Trivial) data. Better management of ROT helps reduce risk within the organization.

There are three major barriers to automatic disposition facing organizations: people, process, and technology. So what's the best way to overcome them? In a recent conversation with Susan Cisco, director at Gimmal, we talked about her upcoming session at ARMA, Setting the stage for automatic disposition. She offered some insight into what she will be covering at the session and how attendees can address these key barriers to disposition.

Barrier No. 1: People

Problem: Skepticism and trust are people issues. Early adopters of automated disposition have seen minimal success. Because of big data initiatives, many records managers are under the impression that they should keep everything because they can potentially extract value from the data.

Solution: Put governance in place. According to Cisco, the first priority should be setting up an information governance council, a cross-functional team that oversees standards development and minimizes conflicts. One has to identify, manage and train this group. Also, as a best practice, change management should be embedded into all program activity.

Barrier No. 2: Process

Problem: Historically, many companies sent boxes to offsite storage without proper indexing. These organizations have needed controls in place to avoid storing information forever. Those keeping records storage in-house could achieve cost savings with disposition strategies. Disposition has its issues, though: Records are often not being indexed properly, and there is a legacy of boxed records and a lack of clarity on how to dispose of them.

Solution: A process should be put in place that provides consistent rules for proper retention. The retention schedule, records and information policies and legal hold and release programs all need to be in place and approved. An information life cycle must address everything that is not a record. Only then can one address auto-disposition.

Barrier No. 3: Technology

Problem: According to Cisco, many electronic records systems do not have the functionality to properly apply retention and disposition. Optimists believe auto-classification can help, but it is expensive and training is required to automate the tools. Cisco said that it is a constant challenge to implement event-based retention records.

Solution: Leverage a Lean methodology so you do not have to tackle the whole thing all at once. Look at the organization as a whole when you are implementing automated disposition. Start small and pick one reasonable thing to dispose of. Experiment. Work with end users and the information technology department to get feedback. Do iterative designs or a pilot. When the organization is migrating to a new system, it is a good time to get involved. Cisco advises organizations not to tackle email or shared drives first. Figure out the small, better-organized systems first, then expand to other systems.

Learn more about automating disposition by attending Cisco's session at ARMA at 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 27.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/records-management-an...
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