RMS Glossary: Ele-Evi

Electronic Chain of Custody - Evidence Software

Glossary Pages

Archive Records - Business Filing Systems
Business Process Consulting - Case File Management
Chain of Custody - Digital Records Management
Document Access - Document Workflow
Electronic Chain of Custody - Evidence Software
Federal Recordkeeping - Information Lifecycle Management
Law Enforcement Management - Police Records Software
Property and Evidence - Records Destruction
Records Information Management - Retention Software
RMS Project - Workflow
 

Electronic Chain of Custody
A computerized audit trail detailing the storage, transfer and analysis of specific products, substances, materials, documents, evidence or other items through their complete lifecycle from creation, collection or seizure through final disposition. Also referred to as the digital chain of custody, this verifies that proper chain of custody procedures have been followed to prevent loss or mishandling of items or evidence, and is facilitated by the use of law enforcement management software or police records management applications. See also Chain of Custody, Chain of Evidence and Chain of Custody Certification.

Electronic Documents
Another term for documents either originally created in digital format (e.g. word processing documents or spreadsheets) or paper documents scanned and stored in digital format. See also Electronic Records Management (below). These may be created, searched and retrieved using electronic document management software or records management systems which can also manage paper files and physical items in one unified system.

Electronic File Management
The administration and tracking of documents and other content, whether originally created in digital format (e.g. word processing documents, spreadsheets) or scanned from original paper documents. While this can be accomplished using enterprise content management (ECM) software or similar applications, records management software provides a more focused solution for specifically tracking both paper and electronic files. See also File Management, Electronic Records Management (below) and Electronic Documents (above).

Electronic Records Management
The capture, storage, access and tracking of digital documents and files. These may be files originally created in electronic format (e.g. word processing documents and spreadsheets) or scanned images of original paper documents. It also contains the electronic references and data on the management of physical records managed within an electronic system. This is one function of records management software. See also Content Management, Document Imaging and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) (below). Related terms include electronic record retention, electronic recordkeeping, electronic records archives, electronic records software, electronic records storage and electronic records systems.

Email Management
Storage, retention management for and archiving of messages contained in corporate or government email systems. Many types of email messages must be retained in accordance with state laws, federal statutes such as the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (E-Sign) law, and company or agency policies. In the private sector, companies should have policies and systems in place to assure that all communications relevant to financial, contractual, intellectual property and legal matters are appropriately retained. In government, according to the State of Minnesota, "E-mail messages are potentially official government records, so you should plan for e-mail as part of your electronic records management strategy. The medium is irrelevant. The content of the message determines whether it is a record or not; the content determines to which records series the message belongs; and the content determines how long the message needs to be retained. Both statute and case law make clear that government agencies have to include e-mail in an overall records management strategy. Currently, few government agencies manage e-mail as records. Managing e-mail is usually left to personal preference or routine systems back-ups and administrative procedures that treat all e-mail alike. These practices can result in serious legal, operational, and public relations risks." Various types of email management software including records management systems can be used to ensure that email messages pertaining to important business or legal matters are retained for the necessary period of time.

Employee Record Management System
A comprehensive system of software, filing cabinets (possibly including a carousel filing system for high-volume filing) and filing supplies for managing the storage, maintenance, access and eventual disposition of employee records in a human resources department. The system supports creation, maintenance and access to records in both paper and electronic formats. Both the types of records (e.g., resumes, performance reviews, health and safety records, payroll records, etc.) and the record retention schedule that applies may be controlled by regulatory requirements as well as organizational policy. See also Business Filing Systems, Payroll Record Retention and Employee Record Retention (below).

Employee Record Retention
The storage and maintenance of personnel files and information, typically provided by human resources records management or other HR software applications. The length of time required for various types of employee records retention is governed in some cases by regulation (e.g. OSHA or IRS rules) and in others by organizational record retention policy, depending on the type of information stored. A records management system provides control and tracking of both electronic and paper records, which often must be maintained by regulation or policy. Related terms include employee recordkeeping, personnel record retention, personnel recordkeeping and personnel records retention.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM)
According to the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), enterprise content management (ECM) is defined as "the strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organization's unstructured information, wherever that information exists." While this definition would encompass records management, in practice the term ECM is usually applied to software systems designed to manage only electronic documents [link to definition] and digital content. Since most organizations need to manage both digital and electronic records, a complete evaluation of the capabilities of different types of software systems is critical. See the white paper Understanding and Selecting the Right Tool for the Job: Comparing Records Management Systems, Enterprise Content Management Systems, and Enterprise Information Portals for more information on this topic. Related terms include ECM software, electronic business records and electronic content management.

Evidence Chain of Custody
See Chain of Evidence.

Evidence Software
A computer application that enables property room managers and associated law enforcement personnel to log items and documents collected from a crime scene or in association with an investigation, attach a bar code tracking label, place the item into storage, and track its movements and location throughout the chain of custody. Property and evidence records management software maintains the chain of custody to help eliminate missing or mishandled evidence. Also referred to evidence tracking software, evidence management software, an evidence management system, or police evidence software.