6: Retention
Maintain records and information for an appropriate time, taking into account legal, regulatory, fiscal, operational, and
historical requirements.
Other Information:
Business and government create enormous quantities of records each business day. To control the growth of these records, an
organization needs a program to help maintain and destroy records that are no longer needed. Records retention programs specify
the length of time business records must be retained. The retention program is based on the concept that information has a
life cycle, which is the time period from the creation of a record to its final disposition. Records document an organization’s
business operations and are essential to effectively managing that business. The ability to properly and consistently retain
records is especially important today, as most records being created and stored are in electronic form. Once its records retention
requirements are determined, an organization must conduct a risk assessment to determine the appropriate retention period
for each type of record. Retention decision makers must be aware that the presence or absence of records can be either helpful
or harmful to the organization. Therefore, to minimize risks and costs associated with records retention, it is essential
to immediately dispose of records after their retention period expires.
Objective(s):
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