Tomorrow we look at high-security data. Remember that if your vital records are encrypted, the master encryption keys themselves become critical records that must be governed. Losing the keys means permanently losing the records. 1. Where does your organization currently store its master encryption keys for long-term archives? 2. If your primary IT admin won the lottery today, could you still decrypt your ten-year-old financial records? Action Item: Verify with IT that encryption keys for vital records are backed up and accessible to authorized successors.

You cannot scale a program without setting aggressive new targets. Defining clear, measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Q3 ensures your records management initiatives continue to drive business value and reduce risk over the next 90 days. What specific metric—like gigabytes of ROT data deleted, or percentage of staff trained—will define your success next quarter? Action Item: Define your top 3 RIM Key Performance Indicators for Q3 and share them below.

Not all records are destined for the shredder; a small percentage hold permanent historical or archival value. Formally appraising and separating these historical records ensures the legacy, culture, and foundational decisions of your organization are preserved forever. 1. Has your organization explicitly defined the criteria for what makes a record "historically significant"? Action Item: Draft a simple definition of "Historical Records" (e.g., board minutes, founding charters) to be added to your retention policy.

Left unchecked, Microsoft 365 and SharePoint environments rapidly turn into unmanageable data swamps of abandoned sites and duplicated files. Implementing a strict provisioning process ensures that new sites are only created with baked-in retention rules and an assigned owner. Can any employee in your organization click "Create New Team" without administrative approval? Action Item: Implement a mandatory approval workflow for the creation of any new SharePoint site or Microsoft Team.

You cannot govern what you don't know exists. Preparing to build a comprehensive Information Asset Register (IAR) maps every single database, software application, and physical filing room across the entire enterprise. 1. Do you have a single, master spreadsheet that lists every software application your company currently pays for? Action Item: Draft the column headers for your new Information Asset Register (e.g., Asset Name, Owner, Data Type, Retention Rule).