The luncheon was 700+ strong and the stories were heart wrenching.  How children can be abused and neglected is a delicate matter that needs hope.  The team at Alexander Children’s Home showed the kind of patience, love, and training that these children need to blossom into adults. 

To see the most inspiring story of the day click here:  http://www.thompsoncff.org/Video_2012.html

Thompson’s Child and Family Focus feels all children deserve their help.  Unfortunately, not all children get the help or love they deserve, damaging them during their critical formative years. Thompson Child & Family Focus exists for this very reason – we believe that hope and hard work can heal suffering children. We hope you’ve found your way here because you share our conviction.

Our work centers on the well-being of children and their families. Founded in 1886 as an orphanage, Thompson is a non-profit organization operating three distinct campuses, each providing comprehensive education, treatment, and care for children (birth to 18 years) in need.

The children we serve are fragile, bruised or broken. Our vision – our determination and our obligation – is to make them whole again. At Thompson, we do whatever it takes to help every child to feel safe, strong, happy, and loved.

Our mission…called to serve children and families through
healing, teaching, worship, and play.

How’s this for a cautionary tale?

A lawyer who represented a medical facility found out during cross-examination that his client had moved its important information into a cloud environment. So far, it sounds like a typical cloud migration.

But it was only later that the client learned the cloud provider was deleting all data every 60 days. Lacking the evidence that would have been in those records, the client had no choice but to settle the case.

John Facciola, a magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court, told that story while speaking at the FOSE Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C., on April 5.

“What terrifies me about the cloud is that people get into their heads that cloud has infinite capacity and we don’t need records management,” he said. “These days, that’s like not having a men’s room! How can you function?”

Facciola urged agency heads to think ahead before leaping to the cloud and offered tips on some key considerations. “Ask yourself some questions: Who in my agency is responsible for this? Who’s going to sign off? What is it going to say, for example, when we have a demand for information and the stuff is in the cloud? What happens if the cloud provider goes bankrupt? That’s always one of my favorite questions.”

Agencies should also carefully think through their security posture and ask what provisions exist to protect data, and who is responsible in the event of a breach, or “who indemnifies whom,” Facciola said.

FOSE, held April 3 to 5, is organized by 1105 Media, the parent company of Federal Computer Week.

Written by
Gordon Kelly

Gordon Kelly is a London based writer and journalist specializing in technology, music and film.

We’ve been talking about the paperless office for decades, so why is it still just a dream?

In 2012 the global demand for paper is expected to exceed 400 million tons for the first time. Before recycling this equates to 7.2 billion trees, after recycling it still tops four billion trees and eliminates an area the size of Croatia. Remarkably this landmark will be set against a background of flourishing digital media, economic downturn and increasing pressure to live in an environmentally friendly manner. It is a damning situation: try as we might, we just can’t break our addiction to paper.

Nearly 40 years ago this scenario was seemingly unimaginable. Speaking in Business Week in 1975 Vincent E. Giuliano of Arthur D. Little Inc, the world’s oldest management consultancy firm, predicted the use of paper would rapidly decline by 1980 “and by 1990, most record-handling will be electronic.” His comments came in an article entitled ‘The Office of the Future‘ under a subsection called ‘The Paperless Office’. It is thought to be the first time this ominous phrase was used.

A Changing Vision

The notion of ditching paper spread like wildfire and pouring petrol onto the flames was technology. The idea wasn’t new. As far back as 1945 American engineer Vannevar Bush theorised about the memex machine (a portmanteau of ‘memory’ and ‘index’), which individuals would use to store their books, records and communications. It would provide an “enlarged intimate supplement to one’s memory… a sort of mechanized private file and library. It would use microfilm storage, dry photography, and analog [sic] computing to give post war scholars access to a huge, indexed repository of knowledge-any section of which could be called up with a few keystrokes.”

Bush famously went much further in his essay ‘As We May Think‘, predicting the concept of the Internet, search and even Wikipedia:

“Wholly new forms of encyclopaedias will appear, ready made with a mesh of associative trails running through them, ready to be dropped into the memex and there amplified. The lawyer has at his touch the associated opinions and decisions of his whole experience, and of the experience of friends and authorities. The patent attorney has on call the millions of issued patents, with familiar trails to every point of his client’s interest. The physician, puzzled by a patient’s reactions, strikes the trail established in studying an earlier similar case, and runs rapidly through analogous case histories, with side references to the classics for the pertinent anatomy and histology. … The historian, with a vast chronological account of a people, parallels it with a skip trail, which stops only on the salient items, and can follow at any time contemporary trails, which lead him all over civilization at a particular epoch. There is a new profession of trail blazers, those who find delight in the task of establishing useful trails through the enormous mass of the common record. The inheritance from the master becomes, not only his additions to the world’s record, but for his disciples the entire scaffolding by which they were erected.”

Bush fed the appetite for technology and for the rest of the century technology drove forward as IBM, Apple and Microsoft went about turning science fiction into science fact. Having initially been ridiculed, Bill Gates’ radical statement that “Microsoft was founded with a vision of a computer on every desk, and in every home” actually underestimated demand. In the face of such overwhelming progress the printed page didn’t seem to stand a chance.

Misplaced Faith

The problem was, however, that throughout the digital revolution our consumption of paper not only grew, but exploded. Between 1980 and 2000 global paper consumption doubled and discord grew. 2001 saw the publication of influential MIT book The Myth of the Paperless Office and it became just the first of many. So what went wrong? All too easily the answer is put down to human nature: the idea that we could not accept change after centuries of paper use or an unbreakable dependence on secretaries, dictation and aversion to reading from a screen. In extreme circumstances the argument did (and still does) hold weight, but two far simpler and intertwined reasons had greater impact: computers were unreliable and printing became cheap.

Unreliability came in many forms. Documents were easier and faster to create digitally, but computers – particularly early computers – crashed, a lot. In addition many early ecosystems were incompatible, universal file formats were largely absent and there was a high rate of hardware obsolescence. All of which trained the user to believe that a document created digitally was not truly ‘backed up’ until it was safely printed out. Printer prices fell, document production went up and paper copies were widely distributed. Then along came the Internet, email and web pages and suddenly millions of other people’s communications, documents and web pages became additional printer fodder.

As such technology was actually driving the consumption of paper. Forest product industry analyst RISI reports that in 1975 as ‘The Paperless Office’ concept was being introduced the average US office worker used 62lbs of paper annually. By 1999 that figure had reached 143lbs. Perhaps worse still is the waste. Researchers at Xerox found that roughly half of all documents printed in a typical office are thrown away within 24 hours. The prevailing mentality: at least this disposal is by choice and not a result of the Blue Screen of Death.

Renewed Belief

The saying goes that when you hit rock bottom the only way is up and as it turns out rock bottom was actually in 1999. In 2000 American office worker’s use of paper evened out and since 2001 it has been in steady decline. But didn’t global demand for paper in 2012 just top 400 million tons? Yes but it comes down to an ever growing global population and paper use outside the office.

According to Finnish pulp and paper price indexing firm FOEX demand also stems from “seven to eight per cent GDP growth in China and India” while US and European demand is in decline. “European demand for the total of wood-containing paper grades showed a 6.9% decline compared to November 2010 figures” while “paper consumption and production continue to struggle in the industrialized world [and] the structural changes in the printing and writing paper sector risk gradually spreading also into the emerging economies.”

What changed? “The explanation seems to be sociological rather than technological,” argues The Economist. “A new generation of workers, who have grown up with e-mail, word processing and the Internet, feel less of a need to print documents out than their older colleagues did.”

It is a solid theory, but it does technology an injustice: attitudes also changed because technology improved. Reduced cost has helped hardware proliferate, platforms have become more reliable, document standards have been established and data back-up systems have simplified and dropped in price. Arguably off the back of these developments and the advent of widespread Internet access businesses have also become more global in approach and employ digital nomads which reduces the practicality of storing and sending physical documents.

“As with any type of change, there will always be an element of heel dragging,” says Phil Greenwood, sector director at document storage and management company Iron Mountain UK. “Every industry has a long-standing relationship with paper, so the offer of an alternative is often met with resistance. Paper is, after all, in our cultural DNA. However, a combination of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and technology savvy young managers coming into the workplace will drive cultural change and see greater take up of a blended paper-digital informational environment. Essentially, business will remain about getting more money out than you put in, and keeping up with technology, including digitisation, is becoming increasingly vital to not only survive, but to prosper.”

New Technology Driving Momentum

So are offices finally getting the message? It certainly seems so. HP estimates digital content will grow an incredible 10x by the end of 2012 and analogue to digital conversion will add 200 billion pages annually. By 2015 HP thinks one trillion pages will have been moved to digital. Inspiring this confidence is a wave of new technology including encryption, security verifications, digital signatures and Cloud based systems and disaster recovery. Meanwhile the growth of eBooks is hurting paperback sales, though admittedly this is largely outside the office space.

Certainly in best practice cases, a move towards paperless can have astounding results. Islington Council, London reports that within three years of switching to e-invoicing and B2B transactions using Basware software it was making annual savings of £176,000. It estimates a further £88,000 was saved due to a reduction in admin tasks and paper handling associated with the invoice process and together these two savings are equivalent to a headcount cost of 12 full time employees. Overall the council believes the amount of paper used by its finance team has dropped by 75 per cent.

Numerous similar stories exist. Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals service over 550,000 local residents and send out approximately 72,000 invoices per year. A switch to Perceptive Software, interestingly a Lexmark company, saw claims that the Hospitals are both more efficient and “almost entirely paperless”. Equally of note is it is a proactive move by Lexmark long term, which also commissioned a survey at the end of 2011 that found 73 per cent of respondents said they printed fewer emails than in 2010 and 53 per cent stated they had cut back on printing general business and marketing documents over the same period.

Furthermore there is a clear power shift towards companies driving paperless digital efficiency. Cloud backup and synchronisation service provider Dropbox turned down a ‘nine digit price’ from Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 2009 while it was still in its infancy. Faced with rejection “Jobs smiled warmly as he told them he was going after their market.” In 2011 Apple launched competing service iCloud. It was seen by many as a long awaited catch up given rivals Microsoft and Google already had Cloud sync competitors and last month Dropbox itself entered the mobile phone sector inking an agreement with smartphone maker HTC.

“The rise in use of mobile devices has made dealing with digital documents far more intuitive,” agrees Basware UK vice president Andrew Jesse. “Instead of printing off documents to share or take to meetings you can now carry devices smaller than a sheaf of paper containing infinitely more information with probably a higher level of security access. These devices can now be part of the process, allowing employees to take their ‘paperwork’ with them to work on when on the move.”

The Long Road Ahead

The problem for the paperless office is essentially one of patience: lampooned as a failure for nearly forty years, in reality even placing a timescale on such a transition misses the point. Paper consumption fails to tell the whole story when a skyrocketing global population recently passed seven billion and even cheap technology remains out of reach for the poorest countries with the highest birth rates (potentially devices like the Raspberry Pi could change this scenario). Similarly technological advancement has often been a case of two steps forward, one step back as new devices make paper less essential, but it becomes ever easier to print and from an ever greater number of devices.

Ultimately, however, the greatest blow dealt to concept of a paperless office was at its inception. What was lost in the bold and catchy subheading in Business Week’s 1975 article was the subtlety of the arguments, which actually followed. As its key proponent Giuliano only ever endorsed the concept of paper elimination in terms of record-handling, while all other quoted sources poured cold water on the idea and promoted office paper reduction. The most eloquent of these was George E Pake, then head of the famed Xerox Palo Alta Research Center (PARC).

“There is absolutely no question that there will be a revolution in the office over the next 20 years,” he argued. “[Technology] will change the office like the jet plane revolutionized travel and the way that TV has altered family life. I’ll be able to call up documents from my files on the screen, or by pressing a button. I can get my mail or any messages. I don’t know how much hard copy [printed paper] I’ll want in this world.”

Pake was a genius. Under his esteemed leadership PARC developed the modern PC, the graphical user interface, the mouse, Ethernet and the integrated circuit, which is seen in virtually all today’s electronic equipment. Vitally it also invented the laser printer that drove the heart of the Xerox business and gave Pake a unique perspective on the debate. As such his comments, while often misinterpreted as a prediction of the paperless office are actually just the opposite. Pake does not dismiss paper but rather expresses reservation at how prevalent it may remain despite the ever-increasing influence of technology. Pake died in 2004 and yet 37 years later his remains the most incisive and human comment on a journalist’s reductive “buzz phrase” that should never have made it past final edit…

TO: Heads of Federal agencies

SUBJECT:   Guidance on Managing Records in Cloud Computing Environments

EXPIRATION DATE: September 30, 2013
WRITTEN BY: David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States

1. What is the purpose of this bulletin?

This bulletin addresses records management considerations in cloud computing environments and is a formal articulation of NARA’s view of agencies’ records management responsibilities. As agencies are increasingly evaluating, piloting, and adopting these technologies, they must comply with all Federal records management laws, regulations, and policies.

2. How does this bulletin differ from “Frequently Asked Questions about Managing Federal Records in Cloud Computing Environments”?

NARA issued an FAQ in February 2010 to provide agencies with a basic overview of cloud computing. This bulletin expands on that discussion by including a more detailed definition, Federal agency examples of cloud computing, records management guidelines, and contract language to consider when procuring cloud computing services.

3. What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is a technology that allows users to access and use shared data and computing services via the Internet or a Virtual Private Network. It gives users access to resources without having to build infrastructure to support these resources within their own environments or networks.

General interpretations of cloud computing include “renting” storage space on another organization’s servers or hosting a suite of services. Other interpretations of cloud computing reference particular social media applications, cloud-based e-mail, and other types of Web applications. However, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been designated to develop standards and guidelines for the Federal cloud computing effort and to provide an authoritative definition.

NIST defines cloud computing as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” (NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Version 15, 10-07-2009) NIST has stated that the definition of Cloud Computing is evolving. The user should consult the most current definition available from NIST and other resources.
NIST also identifies five essential characteristics of cloud computing:

On-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service’s provider.

Broad network access. Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling. The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines.

Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured Service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.

(NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Version 15, 10-07-2009)

The terminology above is used in the IT community and by NIST to describe characteristics of cloud computing.

4. What are cloud computing service and deployment models?

Cloud computing service models refer to how an agency can adopt cloud computing. Currently NIST describes the models as follows:

Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.

Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).

Depending upon user needs, and other considerations, cloud computing services are typically deployed using one of the following four models as defined by NIST:

Private cloud. The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.

Community cloud. The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.

Public cloud. The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.

Hybrid cloud. The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).

(All definitions are from NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, Version 15, 10-07-2009)

Public and private clouds are terms used in the IT community and by NIST to describe various cloud configurations. These terms are not related to whether records in those clouds are publicly accessible. In addition, definitions do not preclude agency responsibilities to manage the records.

5. How are Federal agencies using cloud computing?

NARA interviewed agencies that are using cloud computing services to achieve benefits such as cost savings, accessibility, scalability, collaboration, and flexibility. All of the agencies interviewed recognize the challenge of managing data in the cloud. They have begun to address concerns around cloud computing environments such as privacy, security, and data ownership. However, the agencies stated that managing records in a cloud computing environment is a concern that they are only beginning to address.

In one example, an agency dealing with globally-dispersed employees needed a rapid solution for information sharing. Using a commercial contractor, the agency deployed a private cloud to share financial data, capture reports, provide world-wide access to information, and solve security challenges. In this instance, the agency used a separate commercial platform to prevent unauthorized users from using the application as a back door to access secure agency servers. The agency said the system meets all fiscal audit requirements, but also said it recognizes that records management requirements were not addressed, and no data is being deleted.

In another example, at least two units in the same agency built and offer cloud computing services as providers to other offices in different parts of the agency. Both units deal with classified information and need to retain control of these records within their organizations. They control the use of and access to the system. One of the units experienced an increase in the use of its collaboration software because customers no longer need to worry about software and hardware acquisition, updating software and operating systems, back-ups, and access/permissions control. Customers are responsible for the content and determining its record status and for managing records in the cloud.

In a final example, at least two other agencies offer cloud computing services both within the agency and to other agencies. One of these agencies is offering storage space over which the customer has complete configuration control. While still a pilot, it is anticipated that customers will be responsible for managing records stored in the cloud. The two agencies are considering “Terms of Service” agreements that would address records management requirements.

For more agency examples see the CIO Council’s report on the State of Public Sector Cloud Computing (pdf). For security issues with cloud computing see GAO’s report Federal Guidance Needed to Address Control Issues with Implementing Cloud Computing (pdf).

6. What are some of the records management challenges associated with cloud computing?

NARA recognizes that the service and deployment models affect how records may be created, used, and stored in cloud computing environments. The level of agency control over the design, implementation, and operations of a cloud computing environment containing Federal records may vary depending on service and deployment models. For example, in the case of IaaS and PaaS service models, the agency is more likely to maintain the records outside the cloud. In the SaaS service model, the agency may maintain records in contractor-provided clouds, and any negotiated contract language will need to address specific records management responsibilities. See Question 8 for a general clause that an agency can modify to fit the planned type of service.

NARA has identified several records management challenges with cloud computing environments:

Cloud applications may lack the capability to implement records disposition schedules, including the ability to transfer and permanently delete records or perform other records management functions. Therefore specific service and deployment models may not meet all of the records management requirements of 36 CFR Part 1236 (formerly 36 CFR part 1234). Examples of these requirements include:
Maintaining records in a way that maintains their functionality and integrity throughout the records’ full lifecycle
Maintaining links between the records and their metadata
Transfer of archival records to NARA or deletion of temporary records according to NARA-approved retention schedules.

Depending on the application, cloud service providers must be made aware of the record retention requirements governing a given body of Federal records stored in one or more cloud locations. Agencies need to be able to control any proposed deletion of records pursuant to existing authorities, wherever the records may be located in the providers’ cloud. Cloud service providers must also act to ensure that records are accessible so as to ensure agency responsiveness to discovery, or FOIA/Privacy Act, or other access requests.

Various cloud architectures lack formal technical standards governing how data are stored and manipulated in cloud environments. This threatens the long-term trustworthiness and sustainability of the data.

A lack of portability standards may result in difficulty removing records for recordkeeping requirements or complicate the transition to another environment. This could affect the ability of agencies to meet their recordkeeping responsibilities for temporary or historically valuable records being transferred to NARA.

Agencies and cloud service providers should anticipate how continued preservation and access issues will be resolved in a contingency where the cloud service provider’s business operations materially change (e.g., bankruptcy), or cease altogether.

7. How can agencies meet their records management responsibilities?

Federal agencies are responsible for managing their records in accordance with NARA statues including the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. Chapters 21, 29, 31,33) and NARA regulations (36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B). This is true regardless of which cloud service and deployment models are adopted. However, NARA recognizes that the differences between models affect how and by whom (agency/contractor) records management activities can be performed.

The following are guidelines for creating standards and policies for managing an agency’s records created, used, or stored in cloud computing environments:

Include the agency records management officer and/or staff in the planning, development, deployment, and use of cloud computing solutions.
Define which copy of records will be declared as the agency’s record copy and manage these in accordance with 36 CFR Part 1222. Remember, the value of records in the cloud may be greater than the value of any other set because of indexing or other reasons. In such instances, this added value may require designation of the copies as records.
Include instructions for determining if Federal records in a cloud environment are covered under an existing records retention schedule.
Include instructions on how all records will be captured, managed, retained, made available to authorized users, and retention periods applied.
Include instructions on conducting a records analysis, developing and submitting records retention schedules to NARA for unscheduled records in a cloud environment, These instructions should include scheduling system documentation, metadata, and related records.
Include instructions to periodically test transfers of Federal records to other environments, including agency servers, to ensure the records remain portable.
Include instructions on how data will be migrated to new formats, operating systems, etc., so that records are readable throughout their entire life cycles. Include in your migration planning provisions for transferring permanent records in the cloud to NARA. An agency choosing to pre-accession its permanent electronic records to NARA is no longer responsible for migration except to meet its business purposes.
Resolve portability and accessibility issues through good records management policies and other data governance practices. Data governance typically addresses interoperability of computing systems, portability of data (able to move from one system to another), and information security and access. However, such policies by themselves will not address an agency’s compliance with the Federal Records Act and NARA regulations.

8. What is an agency’s responsibility when dealing with contractors?

Ultimately, an agency maintains responsibility for managing its records whether they reside in a contracted environment or under agency physical custody (see 36 CFR Part 1222.32 (b)). When dealing with a contractor, an agency must include a records management clause in any contract or similar agreement. At a minimum, a records management clause ensures that the Federal agency and the contractor are aware of their statutory records management responsibilities.

The following is a general clause that an agency can modify to fit the planned type of service and specific agency records management needs:

Use of contractor’s site and services may require management of Federal records. If the contractor holds Federal records, the contractor must manage Federal records in accordance with all applicable records management laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), and regulations of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B). Managing the records includes, but is not limited to, secure storage, retrievability, and proper disposition of all federal records including transfer of permanently valuable records to NARA in a format and manner acceptable to NARA at the time of transfer. The agency also remains responsible under the laws and regulations cited above for ensuring that applicable records management laws and regulations are complied with through the life and termination of the contract.

If an agency decides to create or join a private or community cloud, it will still need to meet records management responsibilities. The agencies may describe these responsibilities in agreements among the participating offices or agencies. If a cloud provider ceases to provide services an agency must continue to meet its records management obligations. Agencies should plan for this contingency.

9. Where do I go for more information?

NARA’s National Records Management Program can provide assistance. See “List of NARA Contacts for Your Agency.” In addition, NARA maintains the Toolkit for Managing Electronic Records as a resource for agencies to share and access records management best practices.

Return on Investment (ROI) is at the heart of every significant business decision.

 In the simplest of terms it is a measure of what you get for what you give.

Research by Ohio State University found that 4 out of 5 buyers seek “value” before price. In other words, most people will give more to get more. “Value” includes Quality, Flexibility of the offering and Availability all as a function of Price. “Quality” means the product delivers what is required (or wanted) and does what is promised. Economists call this the “Law of Marginal Utility.” For the rest of us, it means what blows your hair back won’t necessarily interest the next guy.  When we talk about ROI, we have to keep it in the context of what is important to the buyer.

What are businesses requiring today?

 First, they want more customers and more sales. That is pretty well true no matter what the economic conditions are. Beyond that, however, is that business today is desperately seeking ways to engineer cost out of the business. Most of the improved earnings reports are the result of cost reductions. And while cost reduction began as a way to respond to the recession, evidence suggests that it is quickly becoming a permanent part of business culture.

With a paper-based invoice processing system the company incurs a significant “cost” in handling paper, but it is difficult to quantify the short-run cash savings. Creating a long-run “saving” by installing imaging, for example, doesn’t add value if I still have the floor space, the employees and all my other out-of-pocket expenses. The value may be intrinsic, but few businesses are investing today based upon intangible value. The CFO will say “Show me the money!”

FileBound offers a rare opportunity to eliminate work at a value-based price.  A major task in the AP department is entering data from paper invoices into the Accounting System. Typical information entered is a vendor name, purchase order number, invoice number, payment due date and general ledger account code (s) and total due. Because this information is normally put into the accounting system after all processing and approvals, other logging and data entry of the invoice typically takes place before the invoice is ready for entry to the accounting system.

With FileBound all of this changes. Invoices are scanned immediately upon arrival. The needed information is electronically picked up off the invoice and captured eliminating data entry and other manual tasks to a fraction of the time normally required. Routing and review of invoices is all handled electronically, eliminating hand routing and handling of the invoices. Finally, the scanned information is automatically imported into the general ledger accounting system and invoices can be paid without further data entry.

Best of all, not only is the work more efficient, much of the original work (key entering data) is gone forever. This provides the opportunity to either repurpose staff to cash-producing work (such as AR collections and sales proposal follow-ups) or eliminate head count. Either way, the business gets cash returns for the investment.

Added benefits include improved accuracy and reduced mailing expense. Errors in data entry create extra work and cost. With FileBound , that problem is gone forever because the information is picked up electronically from the invoice. Invoices received at field offices are now scanned eliminating mailing or courier expense.

High value for a low price with FileBound – an easy ROI!

Record Storage Systems can show you a demo of the FileBound document management system.  Call 704/588-2820 to schedule.

Reprinted:   January 30, 2012

Here are 8 ways in which “true” electronic forms can transform your business. This is especially important since according the Gartner, 85% of business processes rely on forms.

1 — Eliminate the Paper from the Beginning.

E-forms are more than just an electronic version of a paper form. They promptly capture, verify, approve and integrate data with the critical business systems used to run organizations.  When information is automatically captured and distributed without a paper form to begin with, business processes are streamlined, efficiency is improved, costs are cut and your organization becomes a little greener.

2 — Release the Information Needed to Run Your Business.

Most of the information needed to run your business is trapped on paper and paper equivalents such as Word® documents, PDF files and pre-printed forms.  By capturing and moving crucial information—previously trapped —into core business systems faster and more affordably, e-forms enable organizations to improve customer service, shorten cycle times and lower operating costs.

3 — Integrate Data with Core Business Systems Automatically.

Once submitted, data entered on an e-form can be saved to one or more business system databases automatically and seamlessly.  With two-way integration, an existing database can pre-fill a form, allowing for confirmation of information and elimination of user error.  Integration is secure and works within an organization’s IT architectural structure and standards. Data captured on e-forms are typically sent to HR, finance, customer support and custom applications. The e-forms themselves reside within an electronic content management system for secure storage, retrieval, distribution and management.

4 — Improve Data Accuracy.

Auto drop down lists and completion guides with field-specific instructions ensure data is captured accurately and completely. E-forms can auto-populate fields based on prior data entered and validate field-level data and form-level completeness before submission. Without the need for someone to manually enter data from a paper form into another system, data entry errors are eliminated and no data is lost in transcription.

5 — Kick off Automated Workflow.

Once submitted, e-forms can implement an automated workflow based on an organization’s business rules. Employee applications can be distributed to the appropriate individual in HR for review, sales orders can be sent to a manager for approval and then on to distribution for delivery, credit applications can be sent to the appropriate manager in the finance department for immediate review and approval. Automated workflow is seamless, quick and ensures accountability.

6 — Digitally Signed E-Forms are Legally Binding.

Digital signature technology allows users to sign an e-form without the need for distributed digital certificates or third party certificate authorities. Existing login ID/Passwords can be used for signing e-forms and built-in encryption tools allow for secure transmission of data.

7 — Easy to Design & Set Up.

E-forms are easy to design, create and publish with no programming skills required. Features such as drag and drop, pre-built field validation controls and group controls ensure sophisticated layouts with trouble-free design and implementation.  Existing paper forms and PDFs can be easily copied or customized so screens can have a familiar user interface to speed adoption.

8 — Realize a Quick ROI.

E-forms can deliver an ROI in as little as a few months, depending upon the number of forms processed monthly. Form completion costs, processing costs and correction costs are radically reduced. Paper related expenses, such as supplies, storage and transportation, are eliminated altogether.

Record Storage Systems provides E-Form implementation with FileBound Document Management Software.  Call 704/588-2820 today for simple instructions on ‘how to’ implement e-forms.

Ministries and public agencies have embarked on a journey towards paperless correspondence to increase transparency and accountability in their operations.

Public Service Minister Dalmas Otieno said the five-year plan would ensure communication within the government was completely computerised.

In line with the new move, about 560 record management officers are to be posted in registries of each ministry to transform flow of information from manual to digital.

At the same time, all past correspondence — circulars, memos or vouchers — are to be scanned and stored electronically for easier retrieval.

“The need for excellent record management practices is paramount as there is an increasing amount of information available today,” Mr Otieno said last week.

“This plan aims to modernise records management to enable the government to become more responsive to needs of citizens and deliver service more efficiently and effectively.”

Speaking in Nairobi, Mr Otieno noted that improving records management was also fundamental to the concept of democracy.

“Recorded information ensures the protection of human rights, the rule of law, fairness and equal treatment of citizens,” he said.

He noted that Kenyans expected the government to maintain reliable and accurate evidence of its decisions and actions.

“The strategy will ensure that government’s activities are documented and maintained, with officials getting the right information at the right time and at the least possible cost.”

Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura said the digitised system would enable his officers to perform their duties effectively.

“Kenya like other countries in Africa such as Ghana, Uganda and Zimbabwe among former British colonies, still operate a paper-based registry system,” Mr Muthaura said.

Jim McCarry - A four drawer filing cabinet from a Financial Adviser’s office, using a 50 page per minute scanner, will take between 20-24 hours. This includes document preparation (removing staples, paper clips, tags etc), scanning, quality checking, indexing and exporting to removable media.

Truth or myth, will there be a paperless office?

Richard Atkins• I believe many offices can use less paper than they do now for meeting handouts, presentations and reading material by better using screens/projectors in meetings and possibly e-ink devices for reviewing documents.
I do not yet see a replacement for the working/notes/dairy/scrap book most office people have. Mine is very important and digitising it would be combersome and reduce my freedom of movement, unless I used some sort of super light tablet PC with freehand notation.
I really do believe that paper less is the way forward, printing paper wastes time with printing/print preview, paper toners, re-filling printers. Paper also stacks up around desks generally creating a mess and prevents enforcing clear-desk policies and general productivity when hunting for paperwork that is otherwise instantly digitally searchable. Digital documentation also has the potential for rich metadata (when I last saw it, was sent it, wrote on it etc….) which is not captured on paper.

Jenny Savage – My 21 year old was amazed to learn I had a file drawer with paper files.  The next generation will make the paperless office a reality. 

Trying to validate stakeholder’s request to re-assemble, staple, and re-clip paper docs after scanning? What do you do? How have you dealt with this?

Some of our stakeholders want the disassemled docs to be scanned and then re-assembled to look exactly like they did prior to scanning. These docs may have stapled bundles within stapled bundles within clipped bundles. Currently, our scanning company inserts separator sheets between unstapled docs and leaves the sheets in the docs after scanning. The paper is returned to our archives

Stewart Stead• This solution to this is to, as the other comments explain, categorize the documents by tagging them for ‘deconstruction / reconstruction’. We used coloured markers that protruded from the edge of the document. These mark staples, paper clips, folders, string binds etc. One person would mark for deconstruction and take the document apart, another would scan and reconstruct, in a seamless production line style.

This type of work costs, and cost more than the cost to scan a single page. It is time consuming and takes a dedicated professional person to get it right.

I scanned legal documents that were managed under chain of custody and they had to be presented in court in the ‘original format’ after the digitization for OCR and digital storage purposes.

Document management software charges by the number of users – It’s too expensive by the user!

Is there another option?

FileBound Document Management system is unique in it’s licensing model.  One license applies to UNLIMITED users.  That means, everyone authorized to the system can have access on day one.  Radical.  Pricing is based on the amount of storage.  Storage volumes can be controlled by off-loading to DVD’s or harddrives after a couple of years.  Love It!

Record Storage Systems is a FileBound partner.  Contact Jenny Savage at 704/309-4410 for more information.

Law Technology News

October 24, 2011

It’s a different scale of records management: Electronic Records Archives, the U.S. government’s content management system with public accessibility, is on track to be used by 190 federal agencies by the end of 2012.

Large law firms and corporation counsel may possess huge document repositories, but they don’t compare to the federal system. “Today ERA is storing a collection of electronic records so vast that it can be hard to comprehend,” totalling more than 103 terabytes and constantly growing, said David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, at the ARMA conference this week in National Harbor, Md.

“Less than two decades ago we were storing less than 2,000 electronic data files,” but now the 2010 national census alone is 300 TB, Ferriero noted.

ERA, as of Sept. 30, concluded its development phase, and now IBM will supply maintenance, Ferriero said. “ERA will evolve as records change and new technology options become available to us,” he said. There will be a separate section of ERA for storing classified documents, Chief Records Officer Paul Wester added.

In addition, ERA will have an element that private businesses can emulate—the Citizen Archivist Dashboard, which is a way for end users to contribute, tag, and describe documents. Details will be announced Nov. 4, Ferriero wrote on his blog.

Meanwhile, a variety of software companies announced new products at the conference, designed to help with similar challenges on a corporate scale. Hewlett-Packard’s Autonomy subsidiary released Policy Authority, which consolidates record-keeping and access policies across content repositories. Another company well-known in the legal field, StoredIQ, introduced its RecordsIQ module—the software “provides in-place analysis and classification of data without requiring knowledge worker involvement,” company officials stated. Still another company, OpenText, upgraded its Social Communities framework to include customizable applications and integration with mainstream social networking sites.

Yet all three software firms were overshadowed by Microsoft’s elaboration of its SharePoint-based content management plans in conjunction with IronMountain and GimmalSoft—and that news itself became overshadowed the next day by Oracle acquiring Endeca Technologies in response to the HP-Autonomy deal. Information technology giant IBM, for its part, is likely to have information governance news next week at its Information OnDemand 2011 conference in Las Vegas.

Other announcements for dealing with the data deluge came from DocFinity, which added a records management module to its wider content/process-management system; Laserfiche, which introduced an Apple iPhone interface; and RSD, which upgraded its system to support documents from Iron Mountain and Microsoft SharePoint.

This article originally appeared in Law Technology News.

Sponsored by:  Aiim.org 

Can you work with less paper?  Let’s find out. 

Record Storage Systems, a local record center storing over 1 million cubic feet of paper records, says, “We Can Do It!”

Jenny Savage of Record Storage Systems states “We make our living off storing business records for our clients, but the time has come to go paperless!”  Record Storage Systems goals for October 27^th are

• Not print anything that is not necessary on Oct 27th.
• Instead of creating delivery tickets for signature, we will capture signatures electronically.
• Electronically transfer computer generated records to the e-file cabinet in our FileBound software for processing and future retrievals.

Check out AIIM’s video and learn more facts about World Paper Free Day http://www.aiim.org/events/paper-free-day

Cost Savings

• It costs $25,000 to fill a 4 drawer filing cabinet, $2,000 to maintain (futurelawoffice.com)
  Average cost of courier – $15
  15% of an organizations revenues are spent creating, managing & distributing documents
  60% of employee time is spent working with document

Legality of Digital Images

• Digital image copies, like all other types of copies, are acceptable in any legal or administrative proceeding regardless of whether the original is in existence or not …
  (The Legality of Digital Image Copies of Paper Records, Cohasset Associates)

Were you aware that…

• The amount of wood and paper thrown away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years?
• If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, this would save about 25 million trees a year?
• Recycled paper also takes 60-70% less energy to produce than paper from virgin pulp?
• On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 per ton to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 per ton to incinerate it?

(Source: http://www.opin.com/green/facts.php)

 Join us in reducing the use of paper, toner, and filing space around the world for a day!

Contact Information

Jenny Savage

Senior Account Executive

Record Storage System

www.RecordStorage.com

Direct:  704/309-4410

Email:  jsavage@RecordStorage.com

Main:  704/588-2820