Information Management

Information Management

In HUBRUMs information management policy, it is clearly laid out what kind of data should be kept, what kind should be deleted and establishes a sound, objective method to apply to company-wide data

The following is followed by HUBRUM information management policy.

1. Take Inventory.

   To establish a baseline, find out how much disk space is being used to back up and archive data, how many backup tapes are stored off-site, how much data each tape contains and how many paper files are stored on- and off-site. Once accounted for the amount of data the company has, take a sample of the files to get a rough idea of how much qualifies for transfer to a Safe Harbor folder—the area to keep electronic documents that meet the company’s criteria for retention—and how much can be deleted.

2. Identify the types of records that must be retained.

   We determine rules apply to your company. In general, records that should be retained fall within one of these four categories:

   • Marketing plans and materials
   • Customer service records
   • Purchasing records
   • Financial records

   Our retention criteria is to convene a committee of people throughout the organization. The criteria decided by this committee are then subject to final review by company leadership

3. Appoint records coordinators throughout the company.

   The actual implementation of the information management policy should is carried out by records coordinators at the department level and monitored by department heads. We keep ratio of coordinators to employees somewhere between 20:1 and 25:1. To ensure department heads aren’t overly accommodating on deciding what to keep, company leadership conduct periodic audits.

4. Institute a strict email retention policy.

   Many people treat their email as a “to do” list: letting their emails manage them, instead of managing their emails. To solve this problem, we have created an email policy that automatically deletes any email not moved to the Safe Harbor folder within a certain time frame (90 days is a good starting point)—no exceptions. This policy is also subject to audit.

5. Kick off and sustain your program with records retention week and periodic audits.

   Our business unit and departments handle a deadline for cleaning up their records, which culminates into a “Records Retention Week,” during which everyone goes through all data under their control—both electronic and paper files—and decides what to keep, archive and trash.

6. Prevent unauthorized data removal or archiving.

   We ensure that all data be saved on the company’s servers, not on individual desktop computers. To ensure that all data resides with the company’s servers, we provide a secure mobile access system that allows employees to access their data anywhere, anytime. USB ports, CD burners or any other data removal devices on any terminal are strictly prohibited.