How Should Government Agencies Prepare for NARA 2019 Mandate?

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As 2019 approaches, government agencies and offices have been taking significant action to ensure that all their permanent records are managed electronically. This is to meet the looming deadline set by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Managing Government Records Directive.

However, while the latest official reports indicate that 92% of agencies expect to be able to meet the deadline, not all are in the final stages of compliance, and experts don’t expect that every agency will be fully compliant by 2019.

Government agencies must establish systems and policies in place which will enable them to capture electronic records and store them in an accessible electronic format. But since most agencies are still relying on legacy systems and manual processes for record management, the risk of non-compliance in the government sector is extremely high once the 2019 NARA mandate comes into effect.

So, how can government agencies create a successful strategy for archiving all electronic records especially those that are transmitted through mobile devices?

Follow the Universal ERM Requirements

In order to help agencies transition seamlessly from print-and-file culture to electronic record management, NARA has developed what’s called Universal Electronic Records Management (ERM) Requirements.

The ERM requirements contain six sections based on the life cycle of electronic records management:

1. Capture – Refers to the idea of placing an object under records management control for disposition and access purposes. Objects are not necessarily moved from the system they reside in when they are captured.

2. Maintenance and Use – The process of managing records through their most active stage.   This includes ensuring records are migrated and transformed as systems change, so the records remain usable.

3. Disposal – The period when records have met their retention period and no longer have business value to the organization.  Records that meet these conditions are destroyed in accordance with their records retention schedule using methods such as those outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-88.

4. Transfer – Records that are identified as having historical value are permanent records.  These permanent records are kept by the agency for a period of time specified by their records retention schedule; the records are then legally transferred to NARA for permanent storage.

5. Metadata – Identifiers that describe the context, content, and structure of the records. Examples include author, document type, date, record category, file size, etc.

6. Reporting – Generating reports to allow for further analysis and to demonstrate effective controls and compliance. Reports may include search results, records eligible for disposition, audit logs, and other customized or ad hoc reports.

By understanding these requirements, government agencies can more easily identify and procure the appropriate archiving systems.

Use a Full-Featured Mobile Archiving Platform

To date, most agencies have implemented or at least established plans for implementing an email archiving platform. However, an archiving platform solely created for email does not include an effective strategy for all electronic records, such as text messages.

With a full-featured mobile archiving platform, government agencies will be able to archive not only work emails, but also capture text messages, chat logs, voice calls, video messages, IM’s, and other types of mobile communications.

With an enterprise mobile archiving platform, government agencies can achieve the following benefits:

  • Consolidate all electronic communication records into one searchable repository, thus satisfying the record management requirements of NARA 2019 mandate.
  • Handle newer types of unstructured data more effectively, e. social media posts, video content from mobile devices, and voice chats.
  • Ensure all electronic records are always readable and accessible since they are built on open standards and open source technology.
  • Enable their employees to use their mobile devices to work remotely and collaborate with each other – resulting in better work productivity and operational efficiency.
  • Create a comprehensive knowledgebase to facilitate big data analytics.

The TeleMessage Mobile Archiver effectively addresses compliance, regulatory, eDiscovery response requirements and reduces risk across a variety of industries. TeleMessage captures mobile content, including SMS, MMS, Calls and Chats from corporate or BYOD mobile phones. Messages are securely and reliably retained within TeleMessage servers or forwarded to an archiving data storage vendor of your choice.

Our mobile archiving products securely capture content from mobile carriers and mobile devices for a variety of ownership models (BYOD, CYOD and employer-issued). With our three archiving methods, you can always find the right tools or blend for your requirements:

We are your one-stop shop for international, cross-carrier mobile text archiving. Contact us today by calling +1 (978) 263-1015 or visit our website www.telemessage.com.

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