Business Insider recently highlighted 14 of Franklin’s lessons for getting what you want out of life. Taking a closer look, we realized that these same pieces of advice can be applied to data backup and recovery as you and your company can use them to kick-start a strategy.

Below are just a few of those lessons and how you can apply them to a data protection program.

Be Prepared

That’s some advice that all companies can live by when engaging in offsite tape storage and other means of backup. You should be looking at all threats to your enterprise’s data and crafting a protection program that addresses and works to prevent each one. As new issues arise, add their solutions to the plan.

Don’t Procrastinate

As they say, there’s no time like the present. The best time for you to initiate a backup and recovery program is long before an IT disaster strikes, certainly not after the damage is done. Waiting until it’s too late can have some serious implications for your company and operations in the form of data loss.

Know Yourself

How can you expect to prepare for and mitigate the risks of data loss if you don’t know what information you have stored? When developing a data protection program, run an audit of information produced and stored by the company, making sure to note the data that is most important or sensitive and should take priority.

Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes

This one can get dicey. Of course, you’ll want to avoid mistakes at all cost as the damage done by data loss can be immense. However, what really matters is that you learn from past mishaps and use that insight to prevent similar situations in the future. A real tragedy would be to suffer similar incidents two times or more. As they say, fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.

Don’t Fear Change

The enterprise sector is a volatile one, with changes cropping up all the time. Instead of shying away, however, your company should be focused on meeting new developments head on. Take the cloud, for example. Adoption seems inevitable, so why not add it into your backup and recovery strategy by pairing hosted technologies with tape storage use for a hybrid program?

Don’t Give Up

No one ever said that protecting data was a low-stress job. Threats and risks lurk around every corner, forcing the IT department and tech pros to be constantly on their toes to ensure that the information colleagues depend on is available as often as possible. That’s why you can never give up and must remain ever vigilant in fighting the good fight.

Keep Growing

As we said, enterprise data is always changing, and, for the most part, that means growing. As a result, your data protection practices must grow along with trends. A backup and recovery strategy is not a one-time deal where you can implement it once and forget about it. Constant tweaks and updates are needed to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

We can be certain that Franklin didn’t have the protection of information in mind when he came up with his life lessons, but by taking them into account you can be sure that data will be available when you need it.

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Today was office clean up day.  It is a day to clean out files, get rid of old electronics or e-waste and purge, purge, purge.  Hence then need to wear jeans.   We can also bring in documents from home.  Iron Mountain encourages employees to “practice what we preach” by allowing us to bring in sensitive personal documents to shred.

On the heels of tax day, I brought in all our old taxes to shred.  I also brought in my collection of financial statements, bills, medical reports and other documents with personal identifiable information.  I go so far as to shred all the solicitations that come in the mail.  When in doubt – shred all.  We have a home office shredder and it’s my husband’s job to shred.  But after the 3^rd paper jam and 10 minutes of cursing, I save it all for office clean up day.   One way to keep a marriage strong!

Along with shredding documents, our IT Department participates with a drop-off station for all kinds of decommissioned assets or e-waste.  They take the following:

• Power Packs, Network Cables, Wires, Cords, Mice
• DeskJet Printers
• Laptops
• Desktops
• CRT or Flat Screen Monitors
• Mobile Phones, Blackberry’s, Pagers, and other mobile devices
• Docking Stations
• Hard Drives
• Keyboards/Mouse

I have one file drawer that I call “technology.”  This is a collection of old electronics that I may need – one of these days.  Well, that day never did come, so I am getting rid of it all!  I filled a box with; 2 keyboards, 2 power adapters, 1 mouse (I upgraded to wireless), 1 docking station and various cables.  I followed the instructions and brought my box to the collection area.  As I exited the elevator, I was faced with a mountain of old, decommissioned assets – that we call e-waste.

How could one company collect so much e-waste?  With the growth of data and an ever increasing selection of technology to access and store that data – it should not be a surprise.  Your organization may have a similar mountain of e-waste.

IT Departments will continue to buy new technology but the issue lies in how they dispose of the old.  The EPA estimates that there is 2.37 million tons of e-waste ready for disposal and only 25% is recycled.  The rest sits in landfills.  Think about your company’s sustainability objectives and Corporate Social Responsibility initiates.  Then recycle responsibly.

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Like most technology junkies, my husband’s mantra is “the newer the better.”  Hence, the lines that wrap around the block to buy the latest iPhone or iPad.  Apple sold 3 million iPad 3’s during the launch weekend.  For some people, the iPad is more than a computer, more than a gadget — it’s a love affair.

So what happens to the iPad 1 and 2’s that have been replaced?   I bet that most get handed down to friends and family.  Better question, what happens to all the relic desktops or those old 8 pound laptops?  We have a few sitting in our attic — along with old printers, external drives and all kinds of electronic junk.  We keep them for two reasons.  First, the hard drives have personal information and need to be securely destroyed.   Second, we want to recycle responsibly and not just add to the already huge pile of electronic waste or e-waste that is overflowing landfills.

My attic is no different than the storerooms and closets of most IT Departments. As your organization upgrades to the “latest and greatest,” what happens to all the old? E-Waste is an issue across the globe and worth the time to investigate an environmentally safe alternative to landfills or incineration. E-Stewards Certified Recyclers will recycle electronics and reuse the materials.  It is kind of like milk bottles that end up as decks or Adirondack chairs.  I know I would feel better if my family’s old desktop was recycled and the material used in that new iPad.  I am sure that you would feel that same.  We’re not going to stop buying new electronics but we can stop dumping e-waste.

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• 2.9 million emails are sent every second
• 50 million tweets per day
• 20 hours of YouTube videos are uploaded every minute
• 1.3 exabytes of data sent and received by mobile internet users

With so much data being created, there is an equal explosion in devices to store and access that data — with 300 million computers and one billion cell phones produced every year. As IT Departments add newer and faster devices, there are plenty of old to discard. This old is electronic waste or what is commonly called e-waste. In 2011 the EPA reported that 2.31 million tons of e-waste was ready for destruction.

What does 2.31 million tons of e-waste look like? How many landfills are loaded with e-waste? How many tractor trailers does it take to move 2.31 million tons of old electronics? It was hard for me to imagine, until I read an article on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. With this milestone, both tragic and romantic stories are being retold in newspapers and magazines across the globe. My local paper had an entire section devoted to the facts from the night of April 14, 1912.

One interesting fact was the Titanic weighed 45,000 tons. So how many ships would equal the e-waste ready for destruction? I called my son, who is a pretty good math student, to grab his scientific calculator and help me out. The answer is 53. There are 53 piles, the size of a luxury ocean liner, loaded with old computers, printers, mobile phones, cables, servers and other relics. That is a lot of e-waste!

When you think about 53 giant piles, Iron Mountain and our customers are concerned about the impact on the environment. To mitigate risk and comply with federal and state regulations, hard drives need to be properly destroyed or shredded, then they can be responsibly recycled. Make the right choice with an e-Stewards recycler. e-Stewards recyclers are committed to the highest standard for environmentally and socially responsible management of e-waste. I am proud that my company has partnered with CloudBlue, a certified e-Stewards certified recycler.

To learn more, visit here.

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As federal agencies with dozens or even hundreds of satellite offices look to keep all collaborators on the same page, they may be wise to take a page out of corporate playbooks when putting thought into action.

A steep challenge

Any time an organization is asked to make a fundamental departure from the status quo, there are sure to be a number of hurdles that need to be crossed. The first is often a cultural one, as some employees may at first find it difficult to change long-held habits. With some offices staring down seemingly insurmountable workloads, it is understandable that they be hesitant to take additional time out to learn new processes and systems.

Another barrier to success surrounds the concept of diversity of information. Government offices are tasked with managing not just large, but also disparate data sets. The Department of Veterans Affairs, for example, handles records relating to everything from military service and medical histories to home loans and life insurance. Records managers must diligently identify and classify files on the basis of type, relevance, sensitivity and dozens of other factors.

Diversity also emerges in the form of organizational dispersion. Public sector operations are rarely contained within just one office, or even one agency. Organizations like the Federal Reserve Board, for example, have regional offices all across the country. Considering the sensitivity of the financial data being managed, the stakes of accidental miscommunications and systemic glitches are extremely high.

Many of these same challenges are mirrored in the everyday operations of private sector companies. With large, globalized corporations tasked with navigating the complexities of geographical dispersion, international rules and regulation and vast cultural differences, business executives must be thoughtful enough to understand relevant market developments and agile enough to change course and alter strategy on a moment’s notice. With that said, government agencies may be able to learn a few new tricks by observing how their corporate counterparts balance competing priorities and serve their various stakeholders.

Have a plan

In the business world, success does not occur by accident. Companies gather and integrate insight from multiple sources to understand the challenges facing them and respond with the most appropriate strategies. Having a comprehensive and well-rehearsed plan can make all the difference when it comes time to take action. These same principles can be applied to great effect in the public sector.

When faced with a challenge, business executives rely upon their teams to observe best practices in the marketplace and investigate all potential options before deciding on any one strategy. Whether it’s analyzing the actions of colleagues or competitors, or ranking vendor offerings, no stone is left unturned. In the realm of records management, this could mean poring over case studies of companies that have incorporated offsite record storage or discovering that a business partner has been keeping their archives at a reasonable volume through secure shredding.

Once a course of action has been identified, someone must be held accountable for seeing it through to completion. If all members understand exactly what is expected of them, teams can narrow their focus toward accomplishing that goal.

The long-term success of any project is also heavily reliant on visionary leadership. In the corporate world, department heads and company executives must be masterful communicators, setting the tone in the workplace and gaining consensus on the vision. To trigger the necessary shift in culture, for example, directors will have to lead by example and be a knowledgeable advocate for the changes underway.

In terms of government records management, this will mean educating staff as to the consequences of inaction as well as the benefits of innovation. Whereas the spector of noncompliance sanctions will be enough to galvanize support from some staff, the nobility of government transparency or the efficiency of new processes may be more motivating for others.

Surrounding yourself with the right people

Records managers must make an honest assessment of their agency’s strengths and weaknesses. With the wide range of responsibilities placed on their plates, it would be unreasonable to suggest that each area is receiving necessary attention and that all operational components have been optimized.

Although some fear that external contributors may only further complicate internal organizational structures, outside insight and even contracted services could be the crucial enablers that clear the path for government agencies facing challenging goals. The first level is seeking the advice of outside experts.

For example, the Department of Justice was recently awarded the dubious honor of being the least efficient federal agency in terms of responding to Freedom of Information Act requests. Instead of taking objection to the criticisms from the administrators of the George Washington University National Security Archives, creators of the award, the DoJ has been working hard to take constructive criticism into account and was recently able to report significant progress in reducing its FOIA processing backlog.

Aside from leveraging outsider perspectives, there is also reason to investigate contracted services. With logistical concerns such as staffing and real estate making it nearly impossible for some government offices to manage their growing document collections in-house, a number have already chosen to partner with an information management company capable of serving as a reliable intermediary.

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Watch the Webinar

What if you could respond to the new Presidential Memorandum on managing government records with increased confidence?

As part of this memorandum, your agency needs to assess its current state of paper and electronic records by creating a plan that details gaps in your existing document management plans and outlines necessary changes to policies, procedures, retention schedules, training, discovery, FOIA response plans and digitization of records timelines.  But when resources are scarce and budgets are tight, complying with this directive in the allotted time –while continuing to deliver on your mission goals – is no easy task.

In light of this recent memorandum, I would like to invite you to a complimentary Webinar – Responding to the New Presidential Memo: Steps for Improving Information Transparency, featuring Adelaide O’Brien, Research Director, Government Services Delivery, IDC Government Insights and Sue Trombley, Managing Director, Iron Mountain Consulting.  You will learn strategies to help you respond to the memo with confidence:

• Employ best practices for record identification and public posting
• Understand steps agencies are taking to apply the presumption of openness and increase proactive disclosure
• Ensure that your response to requests is effective and efficient – reducing backlogs and improving timeliness

View the on-demand webinar

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• Managing Government Records: Vital Records are Vital
• Federal Mandate: Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records

This Memorandum has thrust records and information management into the national spotlight and the role of a Records Manager is recognized as a critical function. The initiative has received a positive response from the records management community but their enthusiasm is tempered by the enormity of the challenge and quick turnaround time for a response to the Memo. As programs are evaluated and new practices considered, looking at mature programs in the private industry will offer unique insights and help with a thoughtful response in a short timeframe.

Iron Mountain’s lead consultant, Sue Trombley, has worked extensively with both the public and private sectors. She has over 25 years of experience in enterprise information management strategy, email management strategy, and electronic records roadmap development. She has recently published an article on the challenges faced by the government as they modernize their records and information management programs and offers guidelines for success. Please reach out to Iron Mountain to discuss these insights and practical advice.

Related Content:

• Obama Government Records Management Memo Proves History Repeats Itself
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• Managing Government Records: Vital Records are Vital
• Federal Mandate: Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records

The 33rd President of the United States initiated widespread change during this time, issuing 147 Executive Orders during his first full year in office following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Among those directives was Executive Order 9784 – Providing for the More Efficient Use and for the Transfer and Other Disposition of Government Records.

It was the first time in this nation’s history that government records and information management was given such a high priority. It could have been the impact of WWII or perhaps uncanny foresight on Truman’s part that made him completely alter the nation’s records storage practices. Whatever the motivation behind it, Executive Order 9784 launched sweeping change across the entire government.

Fast forward 65 years to November of last year and you can see for yourself how history truly does repeat itself.

Like Truman, the 44th president, Barack Obama, was also steering the nation out of global wars that very well may have changed the course of history. Troops were about to leave Iraq completely and combat operations in Afghanistan were past the height of fighting years before.

At that moment, again, much like Truman before him, Obama thought it right to once again turn the practice of government records management on its head. On November 28, Obama issued a presidential memo calling on public organizations to rethink their means for producing, storing and maintaining records and documents.

Specifically, the president asked the government to prioritize the use of electronic data. Paper is not yet a thing of the past, but Obama realized that the government was in need of modernization to keep up with the changing technology landscape.

Though not an Executive Order like Truman’s declaration, the Obama memorandum is still believed to institute widespread change across the government.

“The current federal records management system is based on an outdated approach involving paper and filing cabinets,” Obama said. “Today’s action will move the process into the digital age so the American public can have access to clear and accurate information about the decisions and actions of the federal government.”

Truman and Obama may not be compared all that often, but here it’s unquestionable that the two men share the same views and goals when it comes to government transparency and the need to preserve records.

“Agencies shall retain in their custody only those records that are needed in the conduct of their current business, and except as herein otherwise provided, shall promptly cause all other records to be offered for transfer to the National Archives or proposed for other disposition in accordance with law,” Truman wrote in Executive Order 9784.

Under both plans, heads of government agencies were ordered to devise and communicate a clear strategy for how a government records management program will be run. Later this spring is when agencies are required to submit their data digitization and storage plans for review by the Obama White House.

At the moment there’s no telling to what extent government organizations and the nation as a whole will benefit from this new government records direction. One thing you can be sure of, though, is that we haven’t seen the last of government records management changes. We’ll see what happens in another seven decades.

• Managing Government Records: I’ve Identified My Vital Records, Now What?
• Managing Government Records: Vital Records are Vital
• Federal Mandate: Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records
• Ten Steps to Cost-Effective Government Information Management
• How Long is Long Enough: Records Retention and Your Agency

President Barack Obama released a landmark memorandum in late November requiring federal government agencies to devise a plan within the next four months for the digitization of government records. Eventually, the president would like to see the U.S. government focus almost exclusively on electronic records – a shift that has major implications for the future of government records management.

However, information management experts Rob Hummel and Jimmy Kemp, in a recent report for the Washington Times, said the transition is much easier said than done and won’t be without major challenges.

“While the move from filing cabinets and paper to a form of digital preservation is important and necessary, it is much more complex than it sounds. The initiative, if it is not done right, could unintentionally be a hugely wasteful spending exercise, and vital information, records and assets could be lost forever,” Hummel and Kemp asserted.

According to the memorandum, the digitization of records is needed to cut the costs of the government’s records management program while also working to promote efficiency and streamline its practices of storing and accessing information.

Currently, however, the government is heavily reliant on paper records, and produces millions of pages on a daily basis. In addition to the expense and time it will take to migrate them to a digital format, it will also be difficult to completely change the paper-focused culture.

For that reason, it’s important that agencies don’t lose sight of paper records management. The processes will remain necessary until the day the full scope of Obama’s memorandum can be realized.

Further compounding the issue, according to Hummel and Kemp, is the fact that technological innovation today moves too fast. By the time all the government’s records are digitized, it’s conceivable that a new technology will have burst on the scene and further migration is needed.

“Effectively preserving federal records and archives for future generations requires accepting the fact that technology will continue to change how the world operates quicker than society can keep up,” the experts wrote.

Hummel and Kemp acknowledged that paper has proven to be the most robust medium in terms of the preservation of records and information.  The answer is an intelligent approach to digitization where smart decisions are made on what to digitize for quick access via an electronic format and those paper files that can remain in paper format since they have low accessibility requirements.  This method will meet the government’s need to transition to electronic records without unnecessary cost or complexity.

• Managing Government Records: I’ve Identified My Vital Records, Now What?
• Managing Government Records: Vital Records are Vital
• Federal Mandate: Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records
• Ten Steps to Cost-Effective Government Information Management
• How Long is Long Enough: Records Retention and Your Agency

You have done your due diligence, analyzed your agency’s mission and identified your most essential and irreplaceable government records. These are the records that you will need to meet operational responsibilities under national security emergencies or disaster conditions. These vital records are the critical 5-7% that you can’t live without. These are the critical assets that will ensure that your agency can recover from a disruption or emergency and continue operations. So what’s next?

Select the right storage for the material

When you are faced with an unfortunate event or disruption, access to your vital records is critical to continuing operations and meeting FEMA regulations.  The risks are real—and that’s why preserving the accessibility and usability of these records is so important.   To ensure that your material does not degrade and the records remain useable, you have to consider the right storage method.  Selecting the right storage solution hinges the material of the records.  Without proper storage, materials can and will deteriorate—making a vital record completely unusable or extremely expensive to recover.

What to consider?

Paper

All paper isn’t created equal and, unfortunately, a government record may not have been seen as vital when it was first created. Paper discolors, turns brittle and becomes moldy. Older technology electrostatic copies may transfer ink to other objects. And, the dyes from highlighting and handwritten markups on documents are very susceptible to fading.

Film

Film records and the dye image layers on top of these plastics degrade rapidly unless kept at lower temperatures and humidity. For example, acetate-based film, used from the 1930s to the present, is inherently prone to a type of deterioration known as “vinegar syndrome” unless controlled storage conditions are provided. If left unchecked, film may be rendered useless over time.

Magnetic media (audit, video and computer tapes)

These records are also plastic-based, although they are more stable than film. However, they bring the added concern of stabilizing the polymers containing magnetic particles holding the data on the material—which degrade rapidly at room temperature.

Digital records

There are special concerns with digital records due to risks associated with hardware and software obsolescence and the difficulty of properly preserving metadata. As technology continues to rapidly evolve, the “care and feeding” of vital digital records can become extremely costly. But, if proper steps aren’t taken to keep digital records in sync with new hardware and software levels—while safeguarding metadata—these records may become worthless.

Vital Record Storage

Once you’ve identified your vital records and know what materials must be preserved, the next step is determining the best way to care for them. Storage is the single most important factor determining the useful life of information media.  Proper preservation of vital records calls for a storage solution that provides the following highly specialized features:

• Subterranean facilities with high resistance to seismic activity, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural and man-made disasters
• Controlled environments tailored to meet the special requirements of the materials to be preserved, most importantly highly stable temperatures and relative humidity
  • Temperature options should range from 68 to 25 degrees
  • Fahrenheit
  • Relative humidity options should range from 20 to 50 percent
• Class A three- and four-hour National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fire ratings
• Advanced gaseous fire suppression systems to eliminate the risk of water damage

Multiple levels of security, including 24/7 access control

Done properly, such storage solutions minimize risk by using approaches to preservation that are well understood, documented and have proven successful time and again.

• Managing Government Records: Vital Records are Vital
• Federal Mandate: Presidential Memorandum – Managing Government Records
• Ten Steps to Cost-Effective Government Information Management
• How Long is Long Enough: Records Retention and Your Agency
• How Researching Ernest Hemingway’s Past led me to Federal Records