Records Management: Federal IT: Budget Woes Stall Progress in Modernization of Government Records Management

Today is the signup deadline for Obamacare health plans that will begin New Year’s Day.  But another deadline is looming  in another part of the goverment, one that is due next week, December 31st:  the Presidential Directive on Managing Government Records.

As part of the multi-year federal records management initiative outlined in that directive, the first deadline calls for federal agencies to identify all permanent records that date back more than 30 years and to also report on future plans towards managing those records electronically.  But a survey by Meritalk/Iron Mountain found that only 54 percent of agencies are prepared to meet that deadline.

In addition, the Meritalk report found that:

• 70 percent of agencies report very little progress in the electronic management of email and permanent records — only 18 percent report having made significant progress
• 92 percent of agencies say that there is still much more work to be done in order to comply with the requirements set forth in the presidential directive

Agencies currently print all emails and other electronic files that are identified as records.  They do this because they worry that existing data formats won’t be in use over the course of the next 30 years even though the records must be retained over that period.  The presidential directive requires all agencies to begin managing and archiving email in electronic format by the end of 2016.

Wayne Rash, president of Wayne Rash & Associates, told Michael Steinhart that “the people running these IT shops know what they’re doing; they just don’t have enough money to get it done. The problem with spending cuts is that sometimes they cut funds that need to be spent,” he said.

Megan Kriebel, general manager of government services with Iron Mountain, said that “the presidential directive–in combination with sequestration, the ‘freeze-the-footprint’ mandate, FOIA, open government and other information-centric actions like the Open Data Policy–have federal agencies at an information management tipping point…  Agencies are trying to balance ever-expanding record volumes with flat or shrinking budgets, all while racing to meet mandates that require a fundamental shift in how they store, access and manage records and information.  Agencies can more easily meet the directive deadlines and find cost savings by carefully reviewing records management practices, engaging agency leaders and working with industry partners.”