Records management

Records management (RM), also known as the records and information management or RIM, is the professional practice of managing the records of an organization throughout their life cycle, from the time they are created to their eventual disposal. This includes identifying, classifying, storing, securing, retrieving, tracking and destroying or permanently preserving records.

The purpose of records management is part of an organization's broader function of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (or "GRC") and is primarily concerned with the managing the evidence of an organization's activities as well as the reduction or mitigation of risk associated with It.

An organization's records preserve its corporate memory. In determining how long to retain records, their capacity for re-use is important. Many are simply kept as evidence of a transaction. Others document what happened and why.

A record is something that represents proof of existence and that can be used to recreate or prove state of existence, regardless of medium or characteristics. A record is either created or received by an organization in pursuance of or in compliance with legal obligations, or in the transaction of business. Records can be either tangible objects, such as paper documents like birth certificates, driver's licenses, and physical medical x-rays, or digital information, such as electronic office documents, data in application databases, web site content, and electronic mail (email).