Iron Mountain, Inc. and IBM have announced plans for a unified offering that combines Iron Mountain's Accutrac software for physical records management with IBM FileNet Records Manager, providing companies with an integrated solution for viewing and managing paper and electronic documents. The joint solution will address customer demand for one system capable of keeping physical and electronic records in compliance with regulations and providing quick access to information in the event of litigation.
"Organizations are drowning in data of all types, and they're increasingly challenged by retaining and destroying it in a consistent manner," said Greg Nicastro, executive vice president of Iron Mountain's Integrated Solutions Group. "They can't afford to rely on one system for their paper records and another for their digital data. It breeds inconsistency, wasted time and money. And by using two systems for managing information, companies increase their risk for noncompliance. Our relationship with IBM combines our expertise in records management with IBM's market-leading technology for managing electronic records."
The rise of compliance and regulation requirements over recent years has forced companies to tighten their control over information and push for uniform records-keeping practices. This is a steep challenge for any organization, given the volumes of data usually spread across multiple technologies and locations. Companies unable to produce information in time for a lawsuit or ones found noncompliant with retention and privacy legislation face fines and possible risk to their reputation. For many, avoiding these risks means adopting consistent practices for classifying documents and assigning them retention schedules and litigation holds. While this protocol is not new, organizations often treat physical and electronic records differently because the information is managed through separate systems.
"We are expanding our collaboration with Iron Mountain to develop a solution that helps clients address emerging enterprise requirements driven from the propagation of costly point solutions and rising compliance and legal discovery costs," said Craig Rhinehart, director, ECM Strategy, compliance and discovery markets, for IBM. "Organizations want consistent, cost-effective policy enforcement across both electronic and physical records. By combining Iron Mountain's Accutrac software and IBM FileNet Records Manager, we'll be able to address all enterprise records requirements through a unified approach, while simultaneously reducing the cost and technology risks associated with compliance and records management."
Through the integration of Accutrac and IBM FileNet Records Manager, customers will enjoy improved access to all of their records-whether paper or electronic, active or inactive. This single window into an organization's records will enable better decision making and facilitate consistent records- keeping practices for classifying, tracking and managing documents. And when companies standardize how records are coded and managed throughout their organization, they can more easily capture information and search it, ensuring quicker response to litigation and less risk of noncompliance with regulations. The integration will leverage IBM ZeroClick technology for records declaration and records lifecycle administration.
By integrating their software, IBM and Iron Mountain extend a strategic relationship started earlier in the year when Iron Mountain launched the Digital Record Center(TM) for Images, an archive for electronic data powered by IBM's Content Manager onDemand software.
The joint records management solution from IBM and Iron Mountain is expected to be available in late 2008.
