New ISO management system standards for records facilitate transparency in corporate governance - Nov 20, 2011.
In the wake of recent failures in corporate governance, two new ISO standards will help organizations to disclose corporate information quickly and effectively. Increased pressure by industry regulators obliges companies to provide such information because irregularities in financial management, ethical dealings, disclosure, and transparency of decisions have become common.
ISO 30300:2011, Information and documentation - Management systems for records - Fundamentals and vocabulary, and ISO 30301:2011, Information and documentation - Management systems for records - Requirements, distil the expertise of experts drawn from 27 countries on five continents.
These standards have been developed to be compatible with and
complementary to other management system standards (MSSs) developed by ISO,
such as ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management),
and ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management).
ISO 30300 is the umbrella standard which includes the fundamentals and
vocabulary common to the whole series, while ISO 30301 specifies requirements
for an MSR (management system for records). Further standards in the ISO 30300
series are under development.
Judith Ellis and Carlota Bustelo, leaders of the working groups that
developed the standards, underline that, "The ISO 30300 series offers the
methodology for a systematic approach to the creation and management of
records, aligned with organizational objectives and strategies. Managing
records using an MSS supports cost-effective operational processes, such as
storage, information retrieval, information re-use, litigation and due
diligence."
The cost of developing an MSR depends on the scope of implementation
within each organization and is determined by business needs and an assessment
of risk, and can provide both short- and long-term returns on investment, as
well as cost avoidance.
Global factors drive organizations, both profit and non-profit,
commercial and government, large and small, to reduce their costs and increase
their responsiveness to the external environment by implementing an MSR. They
include:
- Intensified commercial competition
- Technological change leading to
e-commerce and e-government
- Speed of communications and dissemination
of information through the Internet
- Increasing complexity of the regulatory
environment – local, national and international
- Increased expectations of citizens that
organizations should operate in an accountable, transparent and socially
responsible manner
- Heightened risk from the external
environment including security threats and natural disasters.
Creation of records is integral to any organization’s activities,
processes and systems. An MSR enables business efficiency, accountability, risk
management and business continuity and empowers organizations to capitalize on
the value of their information resources as business, commercial and knowledge
assets. At the same time, an MSR contributes to the preservation of
organizational memory, in response to the challenges of the global and digital
environment.
Sectors towards which the new ISO standards are targeted include
governments, education, and manufacturing industry (especially pharmaceuticals
and mining). Companies involved in social responsibility programmes as well as
sectors with a strong need to demonstrate compliance, such as nuclear energy and
telecommunications, are particularly expected to benefit from effective
implementation.
Development of these new standards incorporates experience gained in
the implementation of ISO15489, Information and documentation - Records
management, published some 10 years ago.
ISO 30300:2011 and ISO30301:2011 were developed by ISO technical
committee ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation, subcommittee SC 11, Archives/records
management, and are available from ISO national member bodies (see list for contact details). They
may also be obtained directly from the ISO Central Secretariat, price is 86 and
106 Swiss francs, through the ISO Store or by contacting the Marketing,
Communication & Information department.
Source: www.iso.org
Nov 20, 2011.