Precast Inc. - July/August 2008 - (Page 45) Pelant & Associates LLC (www.bfpelantassoc.com) based in Bloomingdale, Ill., an organization’s most important asset is its people. Its second most important asset is information. “You can replace computers, but you can’t always replace the information that was stored on those computers,” he says. The first step an organization needs to take to protect records is to create a good records management program. This goes above and beyond the basics of just protecting specific critical records, though. It includes determining what records you need to maintain access to over time and when they can be destroyed. As such, you need to categorize your records, then regularly review them, refresh them and put new values on them in terms of their importance to you as that importance changes over time. “A lot of companies tend to store everything on site until they run out of room,” notes Pelant. “Boxes are crowding the aisleways and disrupting functionality. When it gets to this point, they find an off-site storage facility and start storing boxes there.” That, according to Pelant, is not a records management program. It’s simply a storage program. Pelant recommends looking at your operational dependency on the records you have. In other words, which ones do you need to access on a regular basis? These need to be stored safely on site. Other records – those that you don’t need on a regular basis – can be stored off site. “Many of these also need to be stored off site in order to provide a better level of protection than you can provide on site,” he explains. In making these decisions, determine what function the records play. Ask questions such as: Do we need access to the original records? Do we need access to just the content of the records? Can we get by with just a summary? For example, with contracts, do you actually need access to the original on site? Or can you store the original safely off site and use a scanned copy or a summary in the office if you need to see it once in awhile? In other words, Pelant suggests, provide offsite protection for originals, and then keep duplicates on site for day-to-day use. In creating a records management program, you need to designate a specific individual or team of individuals (such as a committee) to spearhead the effort, manage it and be responsible for it. Next, look at consequences. What happens if you don’t have timely access to the information? This is where you begin to look at things from a disaster perspective. For example, if your business experiences a fire and arson is suspected, even if your documents escape unscathed, your building may be closed down for a couple of weeks for an arson investigation. “During this time, you may not have access to documents that you need,” says Pelant. You may need some key pieces of information immediately following an event. One of these is the emergency procedures document (your disaster plan) that you want to follow in responding to the event. “If these response procedures are on your system but you have to restore your system in order to access these procedures, then it’s a little late,” he cautions. Whether you store records on site, off site or both, the key is organization. It is important to identify and label records based on the level of criticality to the organization. That way, if you have some advance notice of an impending disaster (such as a flood, tornado or hurricane), you can quickly determine which boxes to grab. “You don’t want to have to dig through 50 boxes to find the critical records you need,” says Pelant. While you can take steps to improve the safety and security of documents on site, don’t automatically assume that all offsite facilities are equally safe. “You need to conduct a risk assessment of each potential off-site storage location,” says Pelant. Some things to consider: • Will your records be available 24/7 if you need them? For example, if you operate seven days a week and sustain a “It was only because of the help of our suppliers and others we know in the business that we were able to re-create our accounts payable and invoices.” Hedley Blundon loss on a Saturday afternoon and your records are stored in a bank, you may not be able to access them until the following Monday. • Could your off-site storage facility be potentially hit by the same event that takes your facility down? Is it on the same power grid as your facility? For example, if you have a widespread power outage and can’t access electronic records, the off-site storage facility you selected may also have a power outage and you still will be unable to access your records. This actually happened to one company with which Pelant was familiar, and that company suffered a severe financial impact. • Is the facility located next to potential threats that could take it down? • In selecting an off-site facility, look at its safety and security programs. Focus on a facility that specializes in records protection. “You need temperature and humidity control to preserve records,” he says. “You don’t want a place that stores furniture.” Dealing with the aftermath of a fire – whether at your on-site storage area or at an off-site storage area – requires specific precautions, according to Pelant. “After a fire, even if records aren’t destroyed by the fire, they may be damaged by smoke and water,” he says. If these records are important, they need JULY/AUGUST 2008 | WWW.PRECAST.ORG 45 http://www.bfpelantassoc.com http://www.precast.org
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