Leading Expert Sees Opportunity in Age of Compliance Anxiety

New York, NY (December 11, 2007)—A recent survey of nearly 2,000 General Counsels, Chief Information Officers, and Records Management professionals from both public and private U.S. organizations indicates that although over 60% agree that improved electronic records management (ERM) is critical, 65% still do not have clear policies and programs in place. Post-Enron, organizations are struggling to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations that impact how ERM is handled. Compliance is the hot topic, and suddenly records managers and archivists are in the spotlight—but are they ready?

One of the foremost ERM authorities, Philip C. Bantin says, “Archivists and records managers bring specialized knowledge to the table—but that’s no longer enough. To be effective, records managers have to understand the technology, too.” In his new book, Understanding Data and Information Systems for Recordkeeping, which will be published by Neal-Schuman Publishers on January 11, 2008, Bantin offers the first non-technical guide to information systems and their role in ERM.

Armed with this knowledge, Bantin says, records managers can collaborate with IT colleagues to create effective, sustainable ERM systems. Without this essential background, he argues, IT will forge on ahead, the quality of recordkeeping will suffer, and records managers will become increasingly irrelevant to the process.

Bantin’s guide walks readers step-by-step through the fundamentals of common information systems, including relational databases, data warehouses, decision support systems, enterprise content and document management systems, and systems for e-mail. He shows how each captures, stores, and manages data and compares the functionality of each with the functional requirements and metadata specifications that are the hallmarks of good records management. Bantin also assesses the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system for recordkeeping (with a complete consideration of preservation, search, and retrieval mechanisms), and suggests modifications for improvement.

Throughout, Bantin attends closely to the legal, regulatory, and compliance concerns that are at the heart of organizations’ motivation to finally get ERM right. Says Series Editor Gregory Hunter in the book’s Foreword, “Understanding the legal system has become as important as understanding the information system itself.” In addition to offering synopses of key legislation and court decisions, Bantin gives guidance for ensuring that retention and disposal programs comply with legal requirements and outlines best practices for legal preparedness and risk management. A chapter specifically devoted to e-mail systems and their use in court cases will help organizations think through the enormous challenges of managing those records.

In addition to helping records and archives management professionals stay at the cutting edge of ERM practice, Understanding Data and Information Systems for Recordkeeping is also an ideal text for ERM courses and a useful overview for anyone involved in the process—from administration to IT, legal, audit, and compliance staff.

Understanding Data and Information Systems for Recordkeeping
The Archives and Record Manager’s Bookshelf Series, # 2
ISBN 978-1-55570-580-0.
2007. 8½ x11. 200 pp. $75.00.
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