Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) 2007 A.M.I.E.T.E Computer Science

Current problems in Records Management
As of 2005, records management has increased interest among corporations due to new compliance regulations and statutes. While government, legal, and healthcare entities have a strong, historical records management discipline, general record-keeping of corporate records has been poorly standardized and implemented. In addition, scandals such as the Enron/Andersen scandal, and more recently records-related mishaps at Morgan Stanley, have renewed interest in corporate records compliance, retention period requirements, litigation preparedness, and related problems. Statutes such as the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act have created new concerns among corporate "compliance officers" that outcome in more standardization of records management practices within an organization. Most of the 90s has seen discussions ranging from records managers and IT managers, and the emphasis has expanded to include the legal aspects, as it is now focussed on compliance and risk.
Privacy, data protection, and identity theft have become problems of interest for records managers. The role of the records manager to aid in the protection of an organization's records has often grown to include attention to these concerns. The need to ensure that certain info about individuals is not retained has brought greater focus to records retention schedules and records destruction.
The most significant problem is implementing the needed modifications to individual and corporate culture to derive the benefits to internal and external stakeholders. Records management is often seen as an unnecessary or low priority administrative task that can be performed at the least levels within an organisation. Publicised events have demonstrated that records management is in fact the responsibility of all individuals within an organisation and the corporate entity.
Related topics of current note include: info lifecycle management and enterprise content management.
Education and Certification
Records management, being a complex practice, involves many years of education and practice for full mastery. Many colleges and universities offer degree programs in library and info sciences. Furthermore, there are professional organizations such as the Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA) and the Institute of Certified Records Managers which provides a separate, non-degreed, professional certification for practitioners, the Certified Records Manager designation or CRM. Additional educational opportunities in the form of a certificate program are also available from AIIM International, ARMA, and from the Records Management Society in Great Britain and Ireland. Education and training courses and workshops on scientific and tech. records full lifecycle management and the Quality Electronic Records Practices Standards (Q-ERPS) are available from the Collaborative Electronic Notebook Systems Association (CENSA). The University of South Australia offers a Graduate Certificate, a Graduate Diploma, and an MSc in Business info Management and Library and info Management with a specialist stream in records management.
Electronic Records Management Systems
An electronic records management system (ERM) is a computer program (or set of programs) used to track and store records. The term is distinguished from imaging and document management systems that specialize in paper capture and document management respectively. ERM systems commonly give specialized security and auditing functionalities tailored to the needs of records managers.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has endorsed the U.S. Department of Defense as an "adequate and improper basis for addressing the basic challenges of managing records in the automated environment that increasingly characterizes the creation and use of records."[7][8] Records Management Vendors can be certified as compliant with the DoD 5015.2-STD after verification from the Joint Interoperability Test Command which builds test case procedures, writes detailed and summary final reports on 5015.2-certified products, and performs on-site inspection of software.[9]
The National Archives (UK) has published 2 sets of functional requirements to promote the development of the electronic records management software market (1999 and 2002).[10] It ran a program to evaluate products against the 2002 requirements. While these requirements were initially formulated in collaboration with central government, they have been taken up with enthusiasm by many parts of the wider public sector in the UK and in other parts of the world. The testing program has now closed; The National Archives is no longer accepting applications for testing. The National Archives 2002 requirements remain current.
The European Commission has published "MoReq," the Model Requirements for Electronic Records and Document Management in 2001.[11] Although not a formal standard, it is widely regarded and referred to as a standard.[citation needed] This was funded by the Commission’s IDA program, and was developed at the instigation of the DLM Forum. A major update of MoReq, known as MoReq2, was published in February 2008.[12] This too was initiated by the DLM Forum and funded by the European Commission, on this occasion by its IDABC program (the successor to IDA).[13] A software testing framework and an XML schema to accompany MoReq2 and a software compliance testing regime are under development; these are expected to be finalized during 2008.
The National Archives of Australia (NAA) published the Functional Specifications for Electronic Records Management Systems Software (ERMS)[14], and the associated Guidelines for Implementing the Functional Specifications for Electronic Records Management Systems Software, as exposure drafts in February 2006.[15]
Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Mahara O Te Kawanatanga) published a 'discretionary best practice' Electronic Recordkeeping Systems Standard (Standard 5) in June 2005,[16] issued under the authority of part 27 of the Public Records Act 2005.[17]
Commercial Records Centers
Commercial records centers are facilities which specialize in the storage of paper and electronic records for organizations. Commercial records centers give high density, secure storage for paper records and can give climate controlled storage for sensitive non-paper media. The trade organization for commercial records centers is PRISM International.

Earning:   Approval pending.