April is Records & Information Management Month. This annual event is meant to help promote awareness and best practices in managing business records and information. For small businesses, Records & Information Management Month (RIMM) can be a reminder to improve their information management strategies, reduce risks and costs associated with mismanagement, and increase efficiency and productivity. Or, if your business doesn’t have a good information management plan, a time to start one.
Ways to Improve Your Information & Data Management
Every business is different and many industries have different requirements regarding how long data should be stored, and in some cases, how it should be safeguarded. If you don’t have a plan at all, here are five steps to take.
- Conduct a records inventory: Identifying all the types of records and information that the business generates, receives, and stores.
- Establish a records retention schedule: Creating a plan for how long different types of records should be kept and when (and how) they should be disposed of.
- Implement a document management system: Adopting a digital solution for storing, organizing, and retrieving business records and information.
- Back up data securely: Most businesses utilize cloud storage as data backup, however, not all those solutions are secure or truly data backup services.
- Train employees: Educating employees on best practices for managing records and information, including how to identify and classify different types of records, how to properly store and dispose of them, and how to access them when needed.
Why It’s So Important
Secured data practices offer many benefits. Some small businesses can improve their compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. All reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents. Many find that they increase their overall efficiency and productivity.
A Managed Service Provider Can Help
A managed service provider (MSP) can help a business with their record and information management in many ways. They provide a range of services and solutions. A few include improving the way the business creates, stores, organizes, and accesses its information. They offer secure data backup options as well. Many offer assistance in creating best practices for your employee handbook. Because they understand the importance of your data, they can help you with your network security by identifying vulnerabilities, and recommending security measures to protect against data breaches and other security incidents.
Trust Toucan Technology Group With Your Records & Information Management
When you partner with Toucan Technology Group, we will help you streamline your record and information management processes, reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents, and improve compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. We offer free consultations. Call us today to schedule yours at (317) 376-4874 or fill out our contact form.
