Managing Digital Records

Documents and data are routinely stored in shared drives, cloud platforms, collaboration tools and email systems. Over time, this can result in large volumes of information that are poorly organised, duplicated or no longer accurate. When information is difficult to locate or trust, staff efficiency suffers and decision‑making can be undermined. 

Managing digital information effectively is therefore not just a technical issue. It requires clear expectations, consistent behaviours and shared responsibility across the organisation. The following pages explain key aspects of good digital information management at a baseline level and what is expected of staff in day‑to‑day work. 

To achieve digital continuity, organisations must proactively manage the formats in which their digital information is stored. This often involves selecting standard, widely supported file formats for long-term preservation, regularly reviewing and updating storage media, and planning for periodic migrations of content to newer formats or systems as technology evolves. By doing so, organisations ensure that digital records can be opened, understood, and used whenever needed—whether for operational, legal, or historical purposes. 

Key strategies for digital continuity include identifying which records are essential for future use, monitoring the risk of format obsolescence, and establishing policies for format migration or conversion. Organisations should also maintain thorough documentation about the formats used and any conversion processes undertaken, so future users can interpret and access the original content accurately. 

Maintaining digital continuity not only protects against information loss but also supports compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, facilitates efficient information retrieval, and preserves the value of digital assets over time. By focusing on the readability and usability of digital formats, organisations can safeguard their digital content against the uncertainties of technological change. 

Without effective version control, multiple versions of the same document may circulate at the same time. Staff may unknowingly rely on outdated or incorrect  or misleading information, leading to errors, inconsistency and difficulty demonstrating accountability. 

Good practice includes using clear and consistent file naming, storing documents in shared locations rather than personal drives, and avoiding multiple copies labelled as ‘final’. Where systems provide built‑in version history, this should be used to track changes instead of creating separate files. 

Effective version control helps ensure confidence in organisational information, supports audit and assurance processes and reduces the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate records. 

Governance sets out expectations for where information should be stored, how folders and libraries should be structured and who is responsible for maintaining them. This helps ensure that information is stored consistently and remains easy to find. 

Access to shared areas should be controlled based on job role and business need. Permissions should be reviewed regularly to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, accidental deletion or inappropriate changes to information. 

Clear governance of cloud and shared drive environments reduces duplication, supports information security and ensures shared spaces remain reliable sources of organisational information. 

Colleagues in your organisation should be encouraged to create content in SharePoint or another electronic document records management systems and then only share it via email by a link so that key decisions and product is stored on the corporate record and available to all.  

Email should only be used where it is appropriate and there are no alternative, more collaborative tools available. Always follow organisational guidance where it exists on the use of email. 

Some emails are records because they provide evidence of decisions, approvals or actions. Others are routine or transitory and do not need to be kept once they have been read or acted upon. 

Good email management involves identifying emails that need to be retained and saving them into appropriate business systems or shared locations where they can be accessed and managed properly. This reduces reliance on personal inboxes and supports continuity when staff change roles or leave. 

Managing email effectively improves findability, supports compliance with data protection obligations and reduces the risk of important information being lost or overlooked. 

It is difficult to effectively govern email due to the mixed nature of the business classification of the content stored in an individual’s email account. Some jurisdictions and organisations have decided to manage email based on the role of the email account holder rather than the content – this is known as the Capstone approach. So for example, the majority of the organisation may have email subject to a two year retention but the senior management may have a much longer retention, or it is indefinite. This is because the senior management in the organisation are the decision makers and their email will have records of business transactions.   

IA is particularly important for records management because it provides the foundational structure that ensures information is not only stored securely but is also easily accessible and retrievable when needed. By establishing logical classifications and clear relationships between files and data, IA helps organisations avoid information silos and confusion, making it possible for employees and stakeholders to locate records efficiently. This, in turn, supports compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and helps maintain organisational integrity. 

The process of developing an effective IA involves several key activities. First, it is crucial to investigate user needs, current content, and the organisational context to form a comprehensive understanding of what is required. Analysing classifications, relationships, and user behaviours allows for the creation of models that reflect real-world usage patterns. The design phase incorporates metadata, structural hierarchies, and relationships to explain and organise information, while implementation ensures the IA is integrated into the target environment. Regular testing and refinement are essential to confirm that the IA meets both organisational and user requirements, and ongoing governance keeps the IA current, compliant and comprehensive. 

Committing to IA means making a deliberate choice to design an information environment that is flexible and responsive to change. Good design is based on accurate information and a deep understanding of user needs and behaviours. It is continually improved through feedback, testing and refinement, and governed to ensure it remains robust as the organisation evolves. In the fast-moving world of information management, a well-designed IA allows organisations to adapt swiftly and maintain control over their records, supporting both operational efficiency and compliance. 

It is important to be consistent with your IA and making sure that it is common across different technical assets such as systems and applications, particularly for similar business activities and processes.