Emerging Trends in Records Management Technology. Jessie Weston, CRA 2018 MISA Conference October 11-12, 2018

Transcription

1 Emerging Trends in Records Management Technology Jessie Weston, CRA 2018 MISA Conference October 11-12, 2018

2 The Paperless World Source: Le Trefle ad (2013)

3 Emerging Trends in Records Management Technology The digital records world Digital file preservation Auto classification

4 Records don t manage themselves

5 How we did things in the past

6 How we did things in the past File by one method Search for and retrieve by one method Manual disposal No backup No version control No audit trail Hard to collaborate Lots of duplicates Takes up physical space

7 How we do things now

8 How we do things now Assign multiple index values Search for and retrieve by multiple methods Disposal tools Backup Version control Audit trails Better collaboration Reduced duplicates All the space in the world

9 All the space in the world

10 All the space in the world

11 All the space in the world

12 All the space in the world Endless storage Cost money Increases risk More difficult to find what you re looking for

13 Digital File Preservation

14 The files are in the computer Source: Zoolander (2001)

15 Digital records When an organization chooses to use digital records, it takes on certain responsibilities. Good decisions will help maintain digital records in a usable form for their lifetime. Records, regardless of format, must be authentic, reliable, have integrity, and be usable.

16 Are digital records legal? The Michigan Records Reproduction Act of 2005 states that a record reproduced under this act shall have the same force and effect as a true paper copy of a record. Electronically born records are also legal. You don t have to print them out for them to be legal. Copies of records produced under the act shall have the same force and effect as an original for all legal purposes and is admissible in court, administrative proceedings, and elsewhere as evidence in the same manner as an original. Records must be reproduced following standards adopted by the state.

17 Converting record format Records converted using state standards can be destroyed once scanned Leave a quality assurance period for review of scanned image

18 Definitions Media is the device you store a record on CD, external drive, punch card Microfiche, microfilm roll, microfilm jacket Standards are the established requirements that establish uniform criteria, methods, processes and practices concerning a format Format is the way a record is stored Paper, microfilm digital (Word, PDF)

19 Media

20 Media

21 Media CD Rot

22 Media

23 Standards

24 Standards Why are standards important? Standards create consistency of purpose. Everyone is trying to create the same thing using the same method with the same end results. Using standards leads to results that are consistent, predictable, and desirable. ARMA International

25 State imaging standards The State imaging standards are designed to: Create consistent results Create usable images that take the least storage space possible Create images that are ideal for long-term preservation

26 State imaging standards Black and white only use color or grayscale if document cannot otherwise be interpreted Don t create documents that are partial black and white and partial color creates preservation problems TIFF ideal for long-term preservation DPI resolution

27 Common Misconceptions Scanning is free Storing images is cheaper than paper Scan everything and keep it forever

28 Format

29 Native formats The state standards for digital images only refers to images made from paper or microfilm. There is no state standard for electronically born records. Records Management Services recommends that electronically born records be retained in their native format. Saves metadata about the record Maintains as much functionality as possible

30 Types of digital records A digital record can be electronically born or can be an image created from paper or microfilm Electronically born records are originally created on a computer May never be printed Microsoft Word document, PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, etc. Databases Imaged digital records are created by converting paper or microfilm to digital in order to store on a computer TIFF, JPEG, PDF Can be made text-searchable

31 Native formats Paper, microfilm, and digital are all formats in which you can store a record. Digital format can be broken down into specific types: Microsoft Word, TIFF, PDF, JPEG, etc.

32 Native formats Digital formats can have different versions. Versions are not always compatible with each other.

33 Computers have changed over time Source: Friends (1995)

34 Long-term preservation of digital records What is long-term? Long-term means the life of the digital record is expected to be longer than the life of the digital format.

35 Long-term preservation of digital records What do you do with records that will outlive their format? Option 1: Convert the record to a new format as soon as it is inactive. This could be paper, microfilm, or a digital format with a longer anticipated life span, such as TIFF. Option 2: Leave the record in its native format until such time as that format is being retired. At that time, migrate to a different digital format.

36 Long-term preservation of digital records This method requires the organization to stay abreast of changes to digital formats. There are tools that can assist organizations in identifying and migrating records from digital formats that are becoming obsolete.

37 Long-term preservation of digital records State of Michigan Archives uses the Preservica software for digital records preservation Stores in native format with tools for migration as formats become obsolete

38 PDFs

39 PDFs PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format created and owned by Adobe. PDF is a common file format that can be read by most computers. PDF is a wrapper around another file format. Inside the wrapper the record could be a TIFF, a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet, a JPEG, or nearly any other kind of format. Multiple file formats can be inside a single PDF. The PDF is like a wrapped box turning many things into one package.

40 PDFs

41 PDF/A Designed to be as self-contained as possible. Will strip out certain elements, including audio and video content, Javascript, executable file launches, workbook formulas. Fonts will be embedded into the file. Goal is that the record will look exactly the same many years from now as it does today while not making the record dependent on outside tools and systems.

42 PDF/A PDF/A has not been adopted by the State of Michigan or the federal government. It does not guarantee compliance with SOM imaging standards.

43 What s the right answer? There is no single answer to how to preserve your long-term digital records. There is no guarantee that whatever format you choose will not have to be migrated to the computers of the future. Establishing decision-making practices for handling your digital records will serve your organization well regardless of what the future brings.

44 Auto Classification

45 Auto classification Auto classification tools can point at a records repository structured or unstructured and identify what records are by subject, security, or classification Users can then direct the auto classification tool to take action on groups of records delete them, move them, label them

46 Auto classification Why would I want auto classification? Unstructured data and no way to apply retention or classification Get rid of duplicates, outdated records, junk Identify records with a security risk

47 Rules-based vs. text-based Auto classification can be rules-based or text-based Rules based Duplicates Records not viewed or modified in a certain time frame Records created by certain people Records created a certain number of years ago Records with keywords in the name

48 Rules-based vs. text-based Auto classification can be rules-based or text-based Text-based Records with keyword in content Records using certain forms Records using certain patterns Social Security or credit card numbers

49 Rules-based vs. text-based Rules-based classification is easier, faster, less costly, and more accurate But it may not get you where you need to be with classification Text-based classification is more difficult, slower, more expensive, and requires more work for accuracy Uses machine learning Can go deeply into records and identify them

50 Machine learning Machine learning: The ability of a computer system to progressively and autonomously improve performance of a task based on feedback received

51 ROT: Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial The easiest thing auto classification can do for us is identify and delete our ROT Redundant Obsolete Trivial Unstructured data is 30 to 80 percent ROT

52 ROT: Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial

53 ROT: Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial

54 ROT: Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial

55 ROT: Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial Often just getting rid of your ROT can greatly reduce your storage and the costs and risks associated with it What s left are your actual records

56 Classifying records Simplify categories of classification It s much easier to get it right if you re moving records into six buckets than if you re moving them into 20 buckets Don t try to do everything at once Select a sub-set of data; prioritize what is high risk Involve the right parties in deciding how to classify IT, legal, records management, subject matter experts

57 Classifying records Accept that auto classification is going to get some things wrong. So do people!

58 Classifying records Decide what is acceptable The gold standard of auto classification is 80% Humans score 60% Six months of work for humans equals six weeks of work for auto classification

59 How it functions Typically billed by the terabyte One time cleanup or continual process

60 It s not free Fast, good, cheap you can have two of these

61 It s not free Fast, good, cheap you can have two of these

62 It s not free Fast, good, cheap you can have two of these

63 It s not free Fast, good, cheap you can have two of these

64 Conclusion

65 You can t hide from your records

66 We can help! Jessie Weston, Records Analyst Records Management Services 3400 N. Grand River Ave. Lansing, Michigan (517) Internet Intranet