Remote working and information governance: How FileTrail can help
With so many people working from home due to the global health crisis, IT, security and information governance teams are reevaluating ways to ensure that employees (and contractors) are following best practices in information handling. Many organizations have updated their information governance policies and delivered additional training to remote staff, and are implementing new systems to support more digital ways of working while enhancing security.
A Unified View
FileTrail GPS offers a unified view of where information resides across all information repositories — both physical and electronic — via a secure web-based interface, so that designated users can access the system regardless of where they are working. In addition to providing an advanced records management system (RMS), FileTrail GPS integrates with third-party document management systems (DMS), file shares, and other business applications where information assets are stored, allowing data to be managed “in situ.”
Matter-Centric Workspaces
Law firms using FileTrail enable client-matter teams to easily look up and find records via its matter-centric workspaces, simplifying the process of creating new records or requesting retrieval. Permission to access specific client-matter workspaces can be managed via integration with Intapp Walls. NetDocuments users also have the option of accessing FileTrail via an integrated tab within their NetDocuments system.
Dashboards and Reporting
Dashboards now available in FileTrail GPS 5.0 enable organizations to monitor key metrics and trends regarding their information assets. Using FileTrail GPS, the IT, IG and RM teams can generate customized reports showing how much data resides in different repositories, growth trends, and how much data will be due for disposition in the future, to inform budget projections for future storage and destruction costs. FileTrail can also be used to generate reports validating compliance with firm’s information governance policies, clients’ outside counsel guidelines (OCG), and relevant regulatory requirements.
Automated Workflows and Audit Trails
Automated workflows within FileTrail enable IG teams to assign the appropriate classification and retention policy to new documents based on pre-defined rules (rather than relying exclusively on individuals to classify new documents manually) — and send notifications to key stakeholders when records need to be reviewed and approved for disposition.
Unlike legacy RM systems, you no longer need to manually track retention deadlines, compile and print lists of records for review, and chase individual reviewers for approval — an inefficient process that has also become impractical now that far fewer people are in the office at any given time. FileTrail automatically captures a complete audit trail of all activity and approvals, and enables IG and RM teams to quickly identify the status of disposition workflows in progress (for both electronic and physical records).
Finally, by regularly disposing records in a timely manner, organizations can reduce ongoing storage costs; reduce security, data protection and litigation risks; and assure clients that their information will not be kept for longer than needed.
