Meeting retention guidelines for public records with electronic document management systems

Local authorities face substantial challenges in meeting their records management responsibilities cost-effectively. Switching to electronic records management helps local authority records managers manage records more effectively while reducing administration and storage costs.

The Records Management Society of Great Britain defines 11 broad areas of records within local authorities and lists over 200 different retention actions applying to a range of record types. With the generation of thousands of records annually, managing record lifecycles from declaration to disposition accounts for a significant proportion of total public spend.

Understanding local authority records retention needs

Consultants at Data Capture Solutions (DCS) are experienced in working alongside local authority records managers and archivists to identify areas where electronic records management solutions can deliver measurable cost savings. We have worked with over 50 local authorities, helping them reduce the cost of records management while improving their ability to comply with retention guidelines.

With electronic records management solutions from DCS you can benefit by:

• Automating the record declaration to disposition lifecycle to improve efficiency and reduce the administrative burden.
• Complying with document retention guidelines consistently and avoiding missed disposition deadlines.
• Maintaining tight control over access to sensitive information in a way which meets or exceeds Data Protection requirements.
• Being able to track the status of all records in the system at any point, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively.
• Ensuring resilient, cost-effective document storage with easy access to records retained for long periods.

DCS consultants can also advise on managing change when moving from paper to electronic records management. This will cover issues such as integration with existing systems and detailed process analysis, and aims to ensure you get the best return from a records management investment. Our solutions are built on web-based technology and are designed for compatibility with legacy and future IT systems.

DCS offers local authorities the choice between a hosted or installed records management solution to accommodate different business needs. Alternatively, authorities can also benefit from our completely outsourced records archiving and management services.

For friendly advice and more information about DCS records management solutions, please call one of our business consultants on 01753 616 720 or email your enquiry to info@dcs.co.uk.