What Are The Components of a Corporate RIM (Records Information Management) Program

A comprehensive corporate program for systematic management of recorded information includes the following components:

• Written policy directives that define corporate records, emphasize their value as corporate assets, affirm corporate ownership of recorded information associated with a company's business operations, and articulate the purpose and scope RIM initiatives
• Standard operating procedures for storage, retrieval, dissemination, protection, preservation, and destruction of recorded information associated with all business operations
• Systematically developed retention guidelines that specify how long records are to be kept and fully address a company's legal, fiscal, regulatory, and administrative requirements, as determined through consultation and collaboration with corporate legal, tax and finance departments as well as knowledgeable personnel in other business units
• Procedures for the timely, secure destruction of corporate records when their prescribed retention periods elapse, including provisions for suspending the destruction of records if warranted by litigation
• Design and implementation of manual and computerized methods for convenient retrieval and dissemination of recorded information when needed
• Cost-effective arrangements for storing inactive records that need to be retained for legal, fiscal, regulatory, or administrative reasons
• Policies and procedures for identifying and protecting records deemed essential for continuity of mission-critical business operations
• Training plans and programs for company employees regarding the above