As summer approaches, it’s a great time to think about keeping your physical records cool and intact… literally. But it’s not just paper documents you need to protect from damage. Digital data also needs cooling and protection, especially as we enter the compute-intensive AI era.
And don’t forget about your own need to keep a cool head as you juggle the responsibilities of fending off cyberthreats, managing complex compliance rules, and solving storage and accessibility challenges as your organization’s records accumulate.
Sometimes it can feel like too much. We understand that. It’s why we wrote this article, which will show you how to keep your records cool, safe, and compliant—without causing you to have a meltdown.
It’s not your imagination—security and compliance demands really have increased exponentially. Today’s U.S.-based companies must now follow between 8,000 and 20,000 regulations governing data privacy, security, retention, customer notifications, and more. Firms with a global presence often have over 100,000 rules to manage in different locales.
As the hunger for data-driven applications grows, companies are collecting more and more information, all of which must be secured and brought into compliance. Nearly two-thirds of organizations are now managing a petabyte of data or more, and 41% have over 500 petabytes to deal with.
With the average cost of a data breach reaching $4.8 million, according to the 2024 IBM-Ponemon Institute Cost of a Data Breach report, few can afford to make a mistake, but it’s easier than ever to do. Hybrid work adds a host of disparate devices to manage, and hybrid storage complicates security and compliance oversight. Forty percent of data breaches involve data stored across multiple public clouds, private clouds, and on-premises databases. These breaches cost more than $5 million on average and take the longest to identify and contain, the Ponemon Institute found.
Just thinking about these stressful situations is almost enough to give you heat stroke. But by following the right management procedures, and shifting some of the heaviest burdens to technology, you can stay cool, calm, and collected while your records stay protected.
Join us as we break down the realities of AI, discuss practical steps to future-proof your governance strategies, and have some fun along the way. You’ll hear from experts who know exactly what’s happening (and not happening) in AI regulation,…
Whether your records are physical, digital, or a combination of the two, they need to be shielded from environmental harm.
Paper documents must be protected from heat and humidity to avoid degradation, ink fading, mold, and mildew. Be sure to use archival-quality materials for shelving and storage, and avoid direct exposure to sunlight. Pest control may also be necessary, especially in warmer climates. Additionally, storage of tapes, X-ray films, historical footage, photographs, and subsurface core samples require special handling and stricter climate control. To ensure their long-term preservation, storing them in a climate-controlled vault through an offsite storage provider is often the most reliable solution. Digital records require physical care too, as does the infrastructure supporting them. For on-premises storage, make sure the server room is cool and well-ventilated. Monitor temperature and humidity and keep fans as dust-free as possible. Make sure you have power supply backups for all your equipment.
Most cloud service providers use climate-controlled storage and monitor equipment digitally for signs of trouble. Additionally, many now offer extra space and special cooling regimens for energy-intensive AI computing equipment.
No matter what kind of records you have or where they’re stored, you should have a written data backup and disaster recovery plan, including emergency response protocols for cyberattacks and events like fire, flooding, earthquakes, tornadoes, or other calamities your area is prone to.
Auditors are aware that mistakes and technology breakdowns happen, but you can’t expect them to shrug their shoulders and offer sympathy. What you can do is demonstrate that you’ve made every effort to comply.
How do you do that?
Follow best practices, including designing defensible strategies, conducting mid-year compliance reviews, and partnering with the legal team to stay ahead of regulatory changes. And be sure to document everything you do.
Auditors also like to see clear, thorough policies for records classification and management throughout their lifecycle. Help them and yourself by using consistent naming conventions across departments and data storage locations, and spell out retention and disposal policies and access controls for each type of information.
One of the best ways to ensure security and compliance is to use AI tools. Tagging your records’ metadata with AI makes it much easier for people to organize and retrieve them.
Better yet, AI can automatically enforce security and access controls, saving you hours of manual labor and providing auditors with irrefutable evidence that your controls are working.
Nevertheless, cyberthreats and compliance rules change frequently, and while AI can prevent many incidents, it can’t do everything. As any security professional will tell you, humans are always the weakest link in the chain.
Just 18% of compliance leaders are relatively certain that employees are fulfilling their compliance obligations, according to Gartner. And one little mistake is all it takes to bring down the house. SIxty-eight percent of breaches result from non-malicious actions, such as internal errors or employees falling for phishing attempts.
That’s why smart data governance also means providing employee training, including guidance about countering the latest threats.
The risks of a “data meltdown” extend far beyond summer—they’re a year-round, full-time concern. The key to effective records management is staying proactive, adaptable, and cool under pressure.
Adopting AI technologies will make it easier for you to protect the growing volume of data you manage. By keeping up with technology, following best practices, and providing regular training, you will be well on your way toward establishing a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
To assess your records management strategy today and ensure that your data stays secure and accessible no matter the season, contact us to schedule a call.
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