Reduce digital storage, mitigate risk in the event of a security breach, records management policy compliance—whatever your goals, you can get there sooner by selecting the right defensible deletion tool.

Defensible deletion is a term that has gained popularity in recent years. It has evolved out of a business environment filled with online security breaches, exponential data growth, and in some cases, crippling e-discovery costs–costs escalated by the need to search unorganized and compounding volumes of content, on our servers and in the cloud.

A solution may seem impossible, but there is actually an array of tools that can assist your organization.  The perfect tool depends on your goals and constraints. For some management teams, it’s a simple reduction in storage based on a digital assessment approved by legal, while others envision a transparent information structure, organized and controlled by the business units who approve any deletion.

No matter what your solution looks like, it’s attainable – and easier than you think to get there. By understanding the tools at your disposal and creating an effective roadmap for your organization, you can reach your goals sooner. You start by defining requirements that determine the category of tool that supports your goals. We’ve boiled down a long list of varying functionality to 9 key factors to consider and prioritize.

1. Are you okay with deletion of documents based on last modified date, regardless of the date the document becomes inactive (e.g. termination date, date superseded)?
2. Can you delete older, inactive electronic information with only legal approval (i.e., without business unit approval)?
3. Do you have large collections of information that you want to auto-classify?
4. Do you need to scan your content for sensitive information to ensure the proper security/entitlement is in place?
5. Do you want a tool that can support the automated deletion of information regardless of the storage location/repository?
6. Are you okay with deletion of documents based on age, regardless of the case/project with which it is associated?
7. Is an organized, transparent information structure one of your goals?
8. Do you want document version control and automated workflows?
9. Do you want a tool that can support the deletion of information each year based on your retention policy?

Selecting the right tool is just one step. The perfect solution looks different for every organization.  First you need to consider the technology available in your current environment.  And some management teams want to leave their information in the current storage location/repository and implement methods of reducing and managing the information, while others envision a transparent information structure with mapped, organized, and easily browse-able files regardless of their location.  In either case, tools facilitate the process of maintaining what’s important and eliminating duplicates, drafts, obsolete files, and other unnecessary data.

Tina Teree Baker is the President and founder of Cadence Group, a records and information management consulting firm. She will be speaking more on the topic of defensible deletion at the 2015 ARMA Annual Conference & Expo, held at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort, where she will be leading a session entitled “Selecting a Defensible Deletion Tool” on October 8 at 1:10pm. Come visit her at the #ARMA2015 conference at Cadence Group booth #835-3 in the Consultants Corner.
Follow her on twitter @TinaTBaker and watch for more blogs on #defensibledeletion.

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