ARA Conference 2023

27 March 2023Meet us at the records management biggest reunion this year!

The Archives and Records Association (ARA) Annual Conference is returning to Belfast from 30 August – 01 September 2023.

And so are we!

Running with a ‘Communities’ theme, ARA promises a rich and varied programme that will appeal to archivists, records managers and conservators during this three day event.

The ARA Annual Conference 2023 brings together users, stakeholders, colleagues and collaborators from across the global records management and archiving community, who can enjoy a range of practical workshops, panel sessions and presentations as well as the opportunity to network with fellow members of the community. It also welcomes high profile speakers and influential players of the record keeping sector.

Our very own Noeleen Schenk, Director at Metataxis, will be on stage, revealing key strategies how to effectively design and implement retention and disposition rules for business records, as well as sharing some real life experiences and success stories – it is not to be missed!

We’re also really looking forward to hearing from keynote speaker, Dr Peter Crooks, Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin.

It’s going to be a jam-packed show! Come and meet us at ARA 2023 – we look forward to seeing you there! Book your place today!

New records transfer policy for national Parliamentary body 

10 March 2023 – Metataxis defines robust records management process for public sector organisation.

Metataxis is delighted be supporting a UK government department to futureproof their records management policies.

This Parliamentary body is responsible for improving public services through its high-quality audits and reporting of financial accounts.

The department was seeking to develop and deploy a new appraisal and transfer policy along with supporting guidance to effectively govern and manage how their records series are selected and transferred to The National Archives (TNA). This new policy had to be aligned with the specific requirements for long-term management of records as stated in the Public Records Act 1958 and follows TNA best practice guidance.

After some research on G-Cloud 13, the team found and selected Metataxis to define this new policy.

With our extensive records management experience, the Metataxis team worked closely with the Head of Knowledge and Information Management and conducted interviews with the internal team, to identify the exact requirements in order to recommend a robust records management policy and compliant procedures.

Armed with this research, we were able to draw up a comprehensive appraisal transfer policy and process for the organisation to deploy in line with the set rules and regulations. We also defined a preservation policy – focused on the long-term preservation of records which could be either retained inhouse, transferred to another department or sent to be archived, as well as proposing a clear process for the transfer of paper records to the TNA. Finally, we put forward a report summarising the issues we had observed during our time working together along with some key recommendations for remediation.

Comments Noeleen Schenk, Director at Metataxis: “With this new appraisal transfer policy and clearer records management processes in place, the team can now easily manage, preserve and transfer these vital records, confident they are meeting all the necessary compliance rules and regulations.” 

If you would like to learn more about how we help both public sector organisations and private businesses address the challenges of records management simply contact us.

Supporting records democracy and rights in the digital age

Building a robust records management framework  

25 Jan 2023 – Metataxis supports IRMS & ARA campaign for records democracy 

We were thrilled to attend the Parliamentary launch of the Campaign for Records – Democracy and Rights in the Digital Age in London last week!

Hosted by Chris Evans MP, chair of the APPG Archives and History on behalf of the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) and the Archives and Records Association (ARA), the campaign for records highlights the need for better records management in public life and calls for more resources, better regulation and improved freedom of information and access to public records.

We also had the opportunity to hear compelling talks from Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian in the University of Oxford and author of  Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge, Jon Baines, Senior Data Protection Specialist at Mischon de Reya LLP as well as Lord Parkinson, Minister for Arts & Heritage.

Chris Evans MP, chair of the APPG Archives and History
Chris Evans, MP

The campaign for records is focused on building a robust framework for the collection and preservation of records, to address the challenges of dis and mis-information and minimise the accusations of ‘fake-news’, conspiracies and cover-ups to maintain public trust in government and democracy.

The campaign will also consider the need for a new, comprehensive legislative framework to ensure that digital records across the public sector (and its partners and contractors) will provide the essential records and evidence that the public need to rebuild and maintain trust in government and diminish the threat to representative democracy.

Here at Metataxis, we understand the value of robust records and information management. We have helped many organisations across various industries implement effective asset registers, record retention schedules and disposal programs to work more productively and maintain compliance.

If you would like to learn more about our records management services, simply contact us.

Collaborative approach delivers sustainable EDRMS solution

Empowering organisations with a collaborative approach delivers sustainable EDRMS solution

05 Jan 23 – 3-pronged collaborative approach drives autonomy for Scottish public sector organisation 

Metataxis is delighted to be supporting a local Scottish council successfully deploy a new Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) on Microsoft 365.

Like every public sector organisation responsible for lots of personal records and bound by strict regulations, compliance, governance and security remains top of the agenda. This Scotland-based council was looking to roll out Microsoft 365 as their new Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) but wanted some expert advice to provide assurance that this was the right solution to adopt.

Metataxis worked closely with the Council team to firstly undertake an independent review of the existing project and make relevant recommendations. We then went on to develop two very thorough Governance and Information Architecture frameworks for Microsoft 365 in line with their existing Records Management plan.

Comments Noeleen Schenk, Director at Metataxis: “The size and complexity of retention schedules for a local Council can be particularly challenging. As records management specialists, we were able to offer expert advice on remediation as well as retention to develop a well-defined Information Architecture framework for this local authority.”

With the review complete and new framework development in place, Metataxis is now supporting the implementation of the new EDRMS on Microsoft 365 in collaboration with the Council.  

Noeleen continues: “EDRMS roll outs can be lengthy and often costly projects. Here at Metataxis, we are all about empowering organisations, so this EDRMS implementation will follow a 3 phased, collaborative approach in order to drive sustainability, up-skill the team while keeping costs down.”

Metataxis will work closely with the Council to show and share how to undertake the project roll out successfully by themselves. By developing a comprehensive toolkit to follow, the in-house team will be able to confidently implement the new EDRMS, becoming completely autonomous and negating the need for further spend or support moving forward.

Ready to refresh your EDRMS in 2023?

If you are looking to update your document and records management system, simply contact us and we would be delighted to discuss the options with you.

Microsoft 365 Audit & Investigation Training

How to undertake a Microsoft 365 Audit and Investigation

02 Dec 22 – Boost your confidence in Microsoft 365 Audits & Investigations

Calling all Auditors! 

Are you looking to strengthen your Microsoft 365 skills and learn more about the Microsoft 365 environment tools you need to run an internal Microsoft 365 audit and investigation for your organisation?

Then this training course is for you.

Delivered by our very own Noeleen Schenck, in partnership with Leadership Through Data, this Microsoft 365 Audit and Investigation training course will guide you through the Microsoft 365 environment tools that you will need. This course will give you the confidence to identify what information is being shared in your organisation and how to search for information inside your Microsoft 365 tenant.

What you will learn

Attendees on this course will learn how to use the Investigation Analytics, Configuring Polices, Alerts and Triage experiences, Remediation and Litigation procedure.

This course is for members of an Audit Team or anyone associated with a type of role that provides an audit function for internal investigations at all levels.

This virtual course also offers 12 CPD credits to all attendees.