The process of arranging and curating data according to the needs of the organisation is data management.
It is important to preserve and care for data properly to ensure that data remains available and usable for its intended purposes. The company, its divisions, and all staff share responsibility for the proper organisation, labelling and preservation of information.
In handling data maintenance, consider the following:
- The available data?
- Where is the data if information is properly accessible?
- How long is the data kept if retention conditions for records apply?
Guidelines for data maintenance
Follow these guidelines when handling data maintenance:
- Comprehend data sensitivity
Different types of knowledge have different degrees of sensitivity and hence different criteria for management. Identity numbers, for example, are more vulnerable than directory information, and they must be handled more carefully and secured more rigorously. Knowing data sensitivity lets you make adequate decisions about data management.
- Data from Inventory
What you don’t know you have you cannot cover it. You become aware of the various kinds and quantities of data in your care by inventorying data and make educated decisions about how best to handle it. You can find data in some instances that you did not even know you had.
- Follow policies and protocols for record preservation
If information is no longer important or helpful, it should be safely disposed of or archived according to the requirements of the organisation. Data storage criteria, including how long data should be kept and how it should be handled, are set by record retention policies.
- Using official, rather than personal company accounts and systems.
To facilitate the management of company knowledge, the company partially provides computing accounts and systems. It becomes unavailable to those who may rely on it and may also be inadequately secured when data is stored in personal external accounts.