Objective:

1) Generally speaking, unless the document management system has had specific, deliberate records management functionality designed in, it is not likely to meet the full requirements in this area. This additional functionality is needed to meet the records requirements of authenticity, integrity and retention of context. EDMS (Electronic Data Management Services) products will normally offer an “archiving” function, which describes a process whereby documents can be moved off-line onto less expensive storage media. This contrasts with an electronic records management application which will provide a function to ensure that records can be exported from the application to another platform whilst ensuring that the records are still properly classified and organized, and retain their features of integrity and authenticity. 

2) Records management incorporates capabilities to preserve the security, authenticity, integrity and permanent preservation of documents. The archival function within records management is concerned with “identifying, safeguarding and preserving archival records and ensuring that these are accessible and understandable”. Sophisticated electronic records management systems will therefore include not only functions necessary for document management, but also features supporting these longer-term perspectives. These include: the association of contextual and structural data within a document; the construction and management of audit trails; document version control; support for disposition scheduling; and maintenance of the relationships between records in files, file series, and the corporate filing plan. 

3) Traditionally, government organizations performed records management in response to statutory regulations and the need for audit, the requirement for public accountability and as protection from liability. The disciplines of records management grew from these business requirements; today, the capabilities of records management systems are being expanded to include electronic records within this framework, and many organizations now look at their records repositories as valuable corporate assets rather than as liabilities.

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