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Information Architecture

Richard Jeffrey-Cook

7th December 2018

IRMS Public Sector Meeting

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About usIn-Form Consult (IFC) is a leading independent information management consultancy that helps businesses transform enterprise-wide information into a powerful business asset. Our impartial solutions help you solve your information management needs whilst improving policies, processes, and procedures. Through consultancy, technology, training, and resourcing, we can help you reduce cost, minimise risk and increase the value of your information.

Our servicesIFC provides consulting expertise in the areas of information and records management, information governance, knowledge management, data management and enterprise solutions. We offer a wide range of bespoke consulting services including health checks, strategy development, process improvement and development, and technology selection and implementation; all of which are delivered to industry best practice for information and change management. Our consulting team are industry-leading experts and individually are specialists within public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Consultancy Resourcing Training Tools Support

Leading Independent Experts in Corporate informationand Records Management

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Introduction

▪ “Information architecture” is a poorly defined term

▪ “Enterprise architecture” is an understood concept in IT

Models such as ToGAF

▪ ISO DTR 21965

Records management in enterprise architecture

Goal to establish the Records Manager as a key stakeholder in Enterprise Architecture

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How can Information Architecture help?▪ Reduce the reliance on manual interventions in the

management of records▪ Reduce the number of records not created within the

business context▪ Reduce risk and compliance issues

Preserve the integrity of records▪ Particularly through the migration process

Apply retention policiesApply disposal policiesRecord the disposition of records

▪ Reduce the cost of managing records▪ Reduce reputational damage and legal costs

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Records Management Viewpoint

▪ Records management does not need to be treated as a separate architecture domain

What this means is that records must be scoped within their business context

Records management requirements are business requirements

▪ Records Managers need influence

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Business Context

▪ At the heart of records management is the “Business Work Process”

This creates “Business Transactions”

Associated with transactions are “Records”

Effectiveness of Records Management influences the Business Context▪ Records are authoritative evidence of business

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Architectural Principles - Motivation

1. Records characteristics are required to support authoritative evidence

2. Records management comprises the management of risks to records

3. Records management is integral to the business

4. Records require metadata

5. Records management requires appraisal

6. Records management requires disposition

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Linking to Other Standards▪ ISO 30300 Series: Management Systems for Records▪ ISO 15489▪ ISO 23081 – Metadata for records▪ ISO 18128 – Risk assessment for records, processes and

systems▪ ISO 22310 – Guidelines for stating records management

requirements in standards▪ ISO 13008 – Digital records conversion and migration process▪ ISO TR 13028 – Implementation guidelines for digitization of

records▪ ISO 16175 – Principles and functional requirements for

records in electronic office environments▪ ISO17068 – Trusted third party repository for digital records

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Let’s Get Practical - BCS

▪ An architecture will need some form of Business Classification SchemeAt it’s heart it is simply categorizing records

1. Provide context for records

2. Allow browsing for records

3. Organise filing structures

4. Apply retention and disposition policies to records

5. Apply security policies to records

▪ O365Site and library structure

Managed metadata

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Let’s Get Practical - Assets

▪ An architecture will need an up-to-date Information Asset Register

If you don’t know what you have, how can you manage it

▪ O365

Option to implement as a SharePoint list

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Let’s Get Practical - Metadata

▪ As a minimumNeed to classify information

Need trigger dates

▪ How much metadata you have may depend upon your technical architectureVirtually every system captures

▪ Date created

▪ Date last modified

▪ O365Consider custom dates

Inheritance of metadata

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Let’s Get Practical - Policy Framework

▪ Retention and Disposal Policies

▪ Retention and Disposal Schedules

▪ Access controls

▪ O365

Retention and Disposal▪ Information lifecycle management policies (SharePoint)

▪ Advanced data governance

Access ▪ Inherited through site and library structure

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What About the Future

▪ Will automated classification happen?

Can this take the drudgery out of Records Management?

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Any Questions?