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Stay on top of the changing information governance landscape with expertly written blogs and industry-driven webinars by Zasio experts. Our case studies show how we’ve served every industry from pharmaceutical to utilities.
Taming the Unstructured Data Beast with Object-Based Storage
In today’s world of ever-increasing big data, at least 80% (if not more) of it is unstructured. This data – which on a basic level includes any data (both textual and non-textual) lacking pre-defined or recognizable organization, structure or database containment – comes in many forms. From media files (such as audio, video, and photo), to website content, social media content, email and text messages, instant messages, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and beyond, we are surrounded by unstructured data. It permeates our daily lives, and most of our activities utilize or involve it to some extent. So, what should we...
Electronic Signatures and Digital Signatures. What’s the Difference?
Electronic signatures and digital signatures are often used interchangeably in conversations, but they carry significant legal, evidentiary, and practical differences within the context of records management.
Electronic signatures are any form of endorsement or assent captured electronically and adopted with the intent to sign a document. They can include printed facsimiles of ordinary signatures, typed signatures, automatic signatures appended to the bottom of an email, or even a simple typed letter “.”
Digital signatures are a specialized type of electronic signature. They use a cryptographic protocol which employs public and private encryption keys to numerically “sign” a document....
Laying the Proper Foundation for Master Data Management
Establishing a business case for a Master Data Management System (MDM) has become easier as more enterprises recognize the vast benefits of linking its critical data to a single reliable point of reference, which is typically referred to as a master file. With a centralized MDM, an enterprise can easily and consistently tap into its core data including employee, supplier and customer data, for analytics in support of advantageous and cost-saving business decisions. Formally, MDM is considered an endeavor involving both business and IT to ensure data uniformity, accuracy, accountability and stewardship. Difficulties initiating and maintaining a sustainable MDM are...
How Long Should You Keep Non-Hire Resumes, Applications and Other Related Records?
The employee hiring process inevitably involves the creation of many records involving applicants that are ultimately not selected for a position. The question then becomes how long should these records be kept now that the potential hire is no longer being considered by the company? Also, increasingly, to what extent are these records impacted by privacy laws concerned with personally identifiable information (PII)?
The reasons employers elect to keep non-hire records beyond the duration of the selection process are numerous:
- In case circumstances require them to revisit the applicant pool for one reason or another
- They may get mixed into...
The Panama Papers: Avoiding the Headlines
The recent leak of the Panama Papers and the ensuing scandal has exposed a host of clandestine financial activities implicating people and companies around the globe. Although the Panama Papers scandal represents the largest (11 million documents, 2.6 terabytes) and most geopolitically disruptive data leak to date, it is highly unlikely that it will be the last such mega-leak.
The Panama Papers scandal underscores the resources and dedication required to secure sensitive data from accidental or intentional exposure. Companies can take concrete steps to significantly reduce the risks of a data breach internally or with its partners and third party...
New Technology, Old Problems: Potential Pitfalls with Cloud Storage
I’ll admit it – Cloud is cool. Want to see my vacation pictures? I’ll send you a link. Maybe I want to listen to my CD collection while I’m staying at a hotel – it’s in the Cloud. New server? No problem – check back in 20 minutes. Just about everything related to IT can now be purchased “as a service” – software, platforms, infrastructure, storage, etc. Not only is it convenient, but also elastic. Most discussions about the Cloud center around security and costs, and rightly so, but this one does not.
Not so long ago a...
A Security Reminder for the Traveling Employee – Encryption May Result in Data Compromise
Often people carry a laptop or tablet when traveling for business with no thought to potential restrictions. However, where travel takes you out of country there are additional considerations when it comes to data management. Specifically, not all data are created equal.
There are different classes of data, from sensitive, confidential, restricted, public, and a variety of other designations dependent on the level of granularity adopted by a particular company. In most instances, utilizing encryption software on the device is standard practice to safeguard sensitive and confidential information. In fact, this is frequently a direct requirement for personal information and...
Dawning Digital Dark Age
The accelerating pace of technology continues to change the way we communicate and do business. Systems, software, and file formats are in a constant state of flux, rapidly altering how we create, use, and store our data and documents. But the emphasis today is on innovation and productivity, often without consideration for how information will be retained and preserved for use in the future. Some experts have even speculated at the possibility that, as a consequence of the rapid technological development, in the future we may inadvertently render huge quantities of legacy data unreadable, obscuring the past and clouding the...
Keeping Tax Records: Is Three Years Enough?
As tax day quickly approaches, the question might come up as to how long tax-related records should be kept. Your company might already have a records retention plan in place for its various records and data, based on legal requirements, common industry practice, or internal policy. Or perhaps, in the case of tax-related records, you follow the generally accepted and oft-quoted 3-year tax record retention period. While at first glance this may seem sufficient, are you also considering federal and state audit limitation periods? Depending on your current retention practice or policy, this could potentially impact the time you keep...
What does a Permanent Retention Period Really Mean?
ARMA (Association of Records Managers & Administrators) defines a permanent record as a “record that has been determined to have sufficient historical, administrative, legal, fiscal, or other value to warrant continuing preservation.” Continuing preservation implies that it extends for a long time, but just how long? Does retention end if the company goes bankrupt, or if the business unit owning/creating the record divests?
While counter-intuitive to the normal use of the word, the common Records Management understanding of a permanent retention period is normally framed in the context of a company’s existence. After all, what good are a...
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