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Digital Decay

  Digital Decay.  Ever heard of it?  Regardless, you probably have (or will have) to deal with it in some form or another.  It’s easiest to understand with a simple example:

 

Remember the floppy disk?  What if you realized you had an old file saved on a floppy disk that you needed to access.  Could you do it?  Chances are, your computer doesn’t even have a floppy drive.  Even if it did, it probably doesn’t have the software installed to view it.

So, how do you combat digital decay?  Since technology is changing at an ever-increasing rate, digital decay is too.  As a result, it is something that requires continuous attention.  If you had saved that floppy file to a CD when you had a floppy disk drive, you may not have the same problem.  Plus, you could resave the file in a new, current format.    

Begin the process now of consistently backing up your data (preferably not on a floppy disk).  Options today include portable hard drives, thumb drives, CDs, DVDs, or even in the cloud.  It is often a good idea to have backups in more than one format (i.e. portable hard drive and the cloud).  Vigilance is the best defense against data loss and digital decay.  Have any of you had similar experiences?    

Records Management for Schools

The Typical Situation

Too often, School Districts waste money and fail at records management.  Many purchase a software or hardware solution from a copier company or reseller and think they have solved a problem. This approach is expensive, and usually ineffective.  Support staff is tasked with the ominous assignment of effectively classifying, scanning, and managing the data.   Since many records types need to be kept, a medium size District will need to scan hundreds of boxes of records.  All too often the project never gets off the ground, and the expensive up-front cost to purchase the software and hardware is wasted.

Other Districts do nothing.  Soon enough, records pile up and eventually become unmanageable.  Eventually the District or County Office runs out of space, fails to comply with a state mandate (often costing millions of dollars in a failed audit), or an employee is injured looking through vast amounts of disorganized boxes to find a single record.  Eventually, the cost of doing nothing becomes more expensive than effective records management.

The Best Approach

Identifying the best approach for records management requires focusing on three core elements:  1) Document Management: K-12 Records Retention Standards, 2) Affordable Technology, and 3) Scanning and Data Services.

 

1.) Document Management: K-12 Records Retention Standards

First, records need to be identified and classified as follows:

• Class 1—Permanent Records
• Class 2—Optional Records
• Class 3—Disposable Records

 This is the foundation for developing a records management system and ensuring that all guidelines are satisfied.

 

 2.) Affordable Technology

Minimizing the cost of technology is essential, especially up-front costs.  Records management shouldn't require a huge initial investment.  Further, technology should utilize non-proprietary solutions that afford greater flexibility and reduce on-going maintenance costs.  

 

3.) Scanning and Data Services

With very few exceptions, outsourcing the backlog scanning is more cost-effective for schools.  This should be where limited budgets are focused.  A process for capturing on-going records also needs to be identified that maintains consistency with other electronic forms of data.        

 

For more information about how SyTech utilizes this approach for Schools Records Management, please visit our website.