Over the past few years, a number of rules and regulations have helped many corporations keep their records and information in check and under control.

Now federal rules – in this case, The Federal Enterprise Architecture Records Management profile (FEARM) – have government agencies on the block, insisting they tighten the reigns on their information and ensure enterprise-wide consistency in terms of records management. But with information spread across multiple systems, in multiple formats – it hasn’t been an easy task.

To be successful with their records management approach and to comply with rules like FEARM, agencies need to start thinking of managing all their records and information from a central location – that way, no matter what format a record is in, or where it’s located, rules can be consistently applied across the board.

We’ve put together list of steps agencies can take to make sure they’re on the right path to creating a centralized records management system. More information on these steps can be found in a press release we issued today.

1. Apply Appropriate Metadata
2. Map Record Classifications
3. Ensure Enterprise-Worthiness
4. Create a Common User Interface

Additionally, we’ve compiled a few resources that will provide more information on records management in the government space, including a podcast that talks about the challenges and trends facing government and public sector organizations globally; a whitepaper discussing what federal agencies need to know about records management; and a scorecard to help you assess and track your progress as you implement your records management system.