Archive Principles and Practice

WHY DO WE PRESERVE DOCUMENTS?

Preservation is the practical task that consists of keeping documents intact for
future use.
In preserving documents, we want to make and keep the information that they
contain available for the future.
There are many different reasons for preserving documents.
In the business community, documents are mainly preserved for legal reasons.
Documents are kept because we are required to do so by law or because we are
obliged to do so by virtue of a contract, or for the sake of their value as evidence.
No one can predict whether and when a dispute will arise about the legal rights that
he claims to have. Therefor it is important to preserve all documents that could
support these claims
For society in general, historical and scientific research are two additional reasons
for preserving documents.

Nearly every business, organization, company, charity, government department etc.

rely on their documents to store data and keep information readily available.
Organizations can create hundreds of thousands, even millions of documents every
year, all of which has to be filed, stored, indexed, accessible and protected.
It is becoming an increasingly large and arduous task for many if not most
companies.

Document management systems

A burning question persists, how much time do businesses spend handling,
processing, and searching for documents? A recent study revealed that 20% of the
average workday is devoted to unnecessary document handling.
And 50% of the time, a manual search will fail to turn up the needed document.

Today, paper is still the medium of choice for the preservation of documents.
Papers long life cycle and relatively simple storage methods do, indeed, make it
very suitable for the long-term preservation of many types of information.
Business used a manual filing system by hand the traditional way- using folders in a
cabinet.
This has disadvantages, a lot of storage space is needed to stock paper; which
imposes substantial costs on companies.

Moreover, retrieving information from paper archives is a labor-intensive and

therefor expensive endeavor.
Paper does not allow information to be processed rapidly and efficiently.

For these reasons more and more companies are looking to switch to an
electronic document management system to manage their documents

Document management system not only cuts paper, making good environmental
sense, it also makes good business sense, forming a convincing proposition for any
type of organization.
Some of the key benefits include:

 Reduce queue time Information can be routed electronically using

email or workflow eliminating mailing, printing and courier services.
Minimize duplication A single copy of a document can be made
available to all authorized users regardless of their location.
Reduce storage and retrieval expense A single repository reduces
the need to store multiple copies while standardized indexing and integration
with business applications allows users to instantly access needed
documents or other information.
Improve access to records and information Authorized users can
retrieve documents by department/application or entire business with a
single search query.
Automate business processes Workflow can be used to move
information from one step to another by mapping out all users and decision
makers throughout the organization. Business rules based routing can
automatically determine needed activity and manage documents such as
escalation points and exceptions. Integration with backend solutions can
allow data to automatically update business applications, create additional
documents or workflows, and communicate with all users.
Improve customer service Retained or in-process information can be
immediately accessed. Accessed information can be immediately viewed or
emailed to the customer from the desktop.
Improve regulatory compliance A complete audit trail of access and
activity (who, what, when and where). Compliance with Records Retention
Schedules can be automated and improved. Incoming documents can be
automatically classified and stored in the system.
Collaboration All users can access the system simultaneously,
scanning, indexing, storing, and retrieving documents in a central repository.
Increase information security Documents and information stored in
the CMS is protected from unauthorized access by stringent security
requirements. Redundancy provides vital records and disaster recovery
protections.

Types of Archived Documents

Inactive
Document
s
Medium
Active
Active
Document
Dcomuent
s
s

Document Classifications
Alphabetical Filing Colour by letter

This is the most popular way to file, mainly because people tend to be
comfortable thinking about names. The file name can be based on a client,
business name, surname, geographical or any other word based information.
By attaching color code labels with the first 2 or 3 letters (no more) of the file
name, you will create bands of colour. An index label should then also be
attached to the tab to display a full description of the file's name/contents.

Geographical Filing
Geographical filing systems operate generally by province or country, and
then alphabetically or numerically by account name or number. Reasons for
this type of filing can be several. Countries have different laws and licenses;
a commercial enterprise may have to consider these constraints as of
primary importance.

Chronological Filing
Chronological filing is the filing by date. Usually you will find this used for
bills of lading, copies of freight bills, cancelled cheques, also in some banks
or as a reserve file. It is normally used only where there is little or no
reference made to the record once the transaction is complete.

Classification By Subject
Main Level
Sub-Level
Routinely Visits
Reports

Visits

Official Visits Reports

Surprised Visits
Reports

Subject
Production line Visit
Rreport
Organization offices Visit
Rreport
Company A Visit report
........
........
Company Z Visit report
Department A Visit report
........
........
Department Z Visit report

Classification Geographically
Main Level

Sub-Level

Topic

Routinely Visits Rreport

Official Visits Rreport

Jeddah

Routinely Visits Rreport

Official Visits Rreport

Visits

Riyadh

Classification Chronologically
Main Level

Sub-Level

Topic

Jan Visits Rreport

Feb Visits Rreport

2011

Jan Visits Rreport

Feb Visits Rreport

Visits

2010

Classification By Type

Maps

Diagram and Drawings

Photos

Documents Coding
Colour Coding Filing System
Colour Coding segments the total volume of files into separate and easily
identifiable groups by colour. Therefore, by identifying one particular colour,
all the files within different colour groups are instantly eliminated from the
search.
An important added advantage is that a file from one group of files (or
colour) cannot accidentally be placed in the wrong group without an obvious
colour-clash occurring.

Numeric Coding Filing System

This is used when files are created in sequential or chronological order, As
each number is a unique code.
500

Agency Studies

510

Committee Assignments

510.1

Environmental Impact

510.2

Internal Automation

Classification By Subject
Main Level
Sub-Level
02-Routinely Visits
Reports

Visits 01

03-Official Visits
Reports

04-Surprised Visits
Reports

Subject
01/02/01 Production line Visit
Rreport
01/02/02 Organization offices
Visit Rreport
01/03/01 Company A Visit
report
........
........
03/99/01 Company Z Visit
report
01/04/01 Department A Visit
report
........
........
01/99/01 Department Z Visit
report

Indexing

Document Archiving and Preservation Basics

retain the necessary papers and documents.
Use appropriate containers and equipment.
Get rid of drafts.
File documents according to the original classification and coding.
Prepare necessary forms to control and manage the preservation process such as
the lists of file contents.
Number and size of documents must be appropriate to the container capacity.
Use indexes on the containers or the storing medium to facilitate document
retrieval.
Do not archive documents before it is completely done.

Day 2

The security and confidentiality of Documents

Traditional file organization has security advantages over electronic filing, but it also
has its disadvantages.

Electronic files are usually accessible on a network, which means it's possible for an
unauthorized person to gain access to electronic data over the Internet through
hacking methods.

Electronic data can also be damaged by software security problems like computer
viruses.

On the other hand, paper files can be lost in fires and floods,

Electronic data is easy to backup in multiple locations, reducing the potential for
permanent data loss.

Data Security Figures

Unauthorized application use: 70 percent of IT professionals believe the use of unauthorized

programs resulted in as many as half of their companies' data loss incidents.
Misuse of corporate computers: 44 percent of employees share work devices with others
without supervision.
Unauthorized physical and network access: 39 percent of IT professionals said they have
dealt with an employee accessing unauthorized parts of a company's network or facility.
Remote worker security: 46 percent of employees admitted to transferring files between work
and personal computers when working from home.
Misuse of passwords: 18 percent of employees share passwords with co-workers. That rate
jumps to 25 percent in China, India, and Italy.
78 percent of employees accessed personal email from business computers. This number is
approximately double the level of authorized use.
63 percent of employees admit to using a work computer for personal use every day, and 83
percent admit to using a work computer for personal use at least sometimes.
70 percent of IT professionals believe the use of unauthorized programs resulted in as many as
half of their companies' data loss incidents

Printer Threats

Printers face five main threats and vulnerabilities:

Document theft or snooping: A person can simply walk over to a printer and pick up a
document that belongs to someone else.
Unauthorized changes to settings: If your printer settings and controls aren't secure, someone
may mistakenly or intentionally alter and reroute print jobs, open saved copies of documents, or
reset the printer to its factory defaults, thereby wiping out all of your settings.