Key strategies to improve your university records security policy

Records management underpins much of the student, faculty and administrative experiences. It's up to colleges and universities to ensure that they are positive experiences — and that the related records are secure. Developing a strong records security policy is a key issue facing colleges and universities today. Education, along with healthcare and retail, are among the industries that face the majority of security threats, according Symantec.¹

These threats, paired with stringent federal regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), have led higher education IT directors to make network and data security a top priority. What's more, the variety of records — human resources records for faculty and other staff, student records, health records, and various administrative documents — and systems involved — can make this challenge even more daunting.

How can your college or university protect its most sensitive information? While every situation is unique, it can help to model your approach to records security off past successes. With that in mind, here are a few key strategies for improving your records management security policy.

Automatically tracking and indexing these documents into an electronic data management (EDM) system once they're submitted can help establish and preserve a chain of custody, while also making it easier to report on the status and security of these records.

These examples are just a start for considering how your college or university's records management can augment your security policy.