Should All Companies Have An ILM Policy?

The disposition of data needs to be addressed.  Once an assigned retention period has been met, data will need to be disposed of in order to protect its credibility. 

Retention periods are based on the creation of an organisation-specific retention schedule, based on research of the regulatory, statutory and legal requirements for management of information.  

An ILM policy is not a necessity for an organisation dealing with data but can minimalise any of the issues involved in working with it.

Due to the structured approach ILM policies can bring, the lifecycle of data has a higher percentage of being managed effectively and securely from cradle to grave. 

Human error always has ways of intervening in the process; however, with a policy in place, those who do not adhere to its structure or wander outside of its boundaries can be dealt the necessary sanctions. 

With stricter government regulations now also in place the onus to successfully manage the lifecycle of data is high. 

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Organisations will always have to wrestle with outside interference, human error and increased levels of data, however, a proactive approach to adopting an ILM policy can clearly add considerable value to data protection, retention and disposition.