NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canon Business Process Services, Inc., a provider of managed services and technology is spotlighting solutions, best practices and insights based on the company’s research this week at the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) Annual Educational Conference and Exposition. The conference, one of the premier events for the legal management field, is taking place May 19—22 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“Records Managers Must Focus On Business Needs, Budgets, And Technology To Succeed”
The conference theme, “An Education & Networking Mosaic,” is focused on preparing ALA members for the future by offering actionable knowledge and opportunities to connect with fellow professionals. To support ALA’s emphasis on education, Canon experts are offering strategies on how law firms and corporate legal departments can more effectively manage legal documents, records and eDiscovery processes.
These strategies include adjusting records management programs in order to better manage digital information. A survey conducted last year by Forrester Research and the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) found that fewer than 10 percent of organizations admit to high levels of confidence in their approach to the governance of digital information.1
Many firms and in-house legal departments opt to work with an expert service provider to help ensure that they are effectively managing their records programs, particularly when a goal is to be selective in which records to digitize. Canon litigation support experts suggest three best practices that can help improve digital data governance:
Assess existing processes with a records needs assessment: Whether implemented internally or via a service provider, investing in an upfront assessment can reveal gaps in the current process; suggest corrective actions and help benchmark processes so they can be measured and improved on an ongoing basis.
Determine which documents to digitize: After clarifying vital documents and current record-keeping practices through an assessment, a good next step is to determine which documents to digitize and which to keep as paper. If a record is “inactive” (i.e. eligible for destruction within the next two years), there’s virtually no reason to commit unnecessary resources toward scanning it. Rather, keep it in its paper form.
Identify already-digitized documents: Firms and corporate legal departments that are overhauling their records programs often do not realize that many of their important documents have already been digitized and that there is no need to rescan them. The best practice here is to allocate time toward confirming which documents are already in electronic form. This can ultimately save valuable labor and storage costs.
At least 32 of the top 50 Am Law 200 firms, including four of the top 10 firms and eight of the top 20 firms, currently rely on Canon Business Process Services for document process outsourcing and litigation support services. To learn more about how effective approaches to records management and eDiscovery preparedness are critical to the success of law firms and in-house counsels, visit Canon Legal Solutions.
About Canon Business Process Services
Canon Business Process Services, Inc. is a leading provider of managed services and technology that enable organizations to improve operational efficiency while reducing risk and cost. Experts apply quality management principles and tools such as Six Sigma to advance performance to a higher level. The company offers services including BPO, accounts payable services, imaging, records and information management, print, mail and eDiscovery, and is an IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 Leader in 2014 for the eighth consecutive year. Based in New York City, Canon Business Process Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc. Learn more at www.cbps.canon.com or follow us on Twitter.
| 1. | Forrester Research and ARMA International, “Records Managers Must Focus On Business Needs, Budgets, And Technology To Succeed,” online survey, Q3 2013 |
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Contacts
Canon Business Process Services
Ken Neal, 212-502-2151
Fellow, Corporate Communications
kneal@cbps.canon.com