Driving Compliance and Value with Retention

A Well-Planned Records Retention Schedule Improves Efficiency and Compliance of Information Management

A Well-Planned Records Retention Schedule Improves Efficiency and Compliance of Information Management

CHALLENGE: Get unwieldy amounts of paper records under control — consistently organized and compliantly stored

SOLUTION: Using the retention schedule designed by Iron Mountain, Kennecott proactively and efficiently manages information for audit, litigation and compliance readiness.

RESULTS: Navigating one hundred years’ worth of company records to access the right documents on demand

“With Iron Mountain’s vast expertise, we have been able to remove both the operational and technical complexities from the way we manage our records and information. Iron Mountain has prepared our team to get our information management system under control with policies and procedures that are consistent and easy to administer.”

Client: Kristine Truscott, Senior Records Manager, Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation

A mining, smelting, and refining company, Kennecott Utah Copper is the second largest copper producer in the United States, and is responsible for over 17% of America’s copper output. Kennecott is a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, one of the leading mining companies in the world and an employer of approximately 34,500 people in 40 countries worldwide, with $22.4 billion in revenue.

Since 2003, Kennecott has used Iron Mountain to combine its paper document facilities and consolidate storage services across the company’s five plants in Utah. Kennecott stores 20,000 cubic feet of physical records across 40 miles of property, divided between Kennecott’s property and Iron Mountain’s facilities. Over time, the relationship has evolved to engage Iron Mountain’s services for both physical and electronic records, culminating in an overall information management strategy. The company engaged Iron Mountain’s consulting experts to:

• Perform an inventory analysis
• Develop a records classification system
• Design a retention schedule with policies and procedures
• Conduct training and deliver an intranet portal to host program components for easy access

The Goal

When parent company Rio Tinto determined that it needed to implement a more extensive system to manage and share information companywide, it created a set of guidelines established as the Rio Tinto Group Information Management Standards, with which all subsidiaries were mandated to comply.

Kennecott’s goal was to implement an information management program that would help protect the growing volume of all types of media. As a 100-year-old company, Kennecott amassed an unwieldy number of paper and electronic records. The company needed to establish a consistent method of organization and storage, to ensure accurate and efficient location and retrieval of all types of records, regardless of media.

Driven by the mandate of corporate governance and adherence to Rio Tinto’s global information standards, Kennecott also wanted the assurance that all of their records and information would not only adhere to corporate standards but also comply with federal and state regulatory and legislative requirements. Kennecott required a vendor that could provide insight and guidance on the proliferation of retention regulations to help the company create and implement an end-to-end program.

The Solution

Kennecott evaluated three companies when considering a vendor to help them develop a records and information management program. Iron Mountain demonstrated a deep understanding of Kennecott’s business issues and the ability to apply a systematic, strategic approach to managing records and information. Furthermore, Kennecott was impressed with Iron Mountain’s ability to lead with the business issues and align information management and IT services to address business needs.

Building on the strong relationship that already existed, Kennecott engaged Iron Mountain for consulting services that included an evaluation of federal and state retention regulations along with the development of a retention schedule. Iron Mountain also created and documented policies and procedures with clear definitions of employee roles, responsibilities and recommendations for the creation, management, access, retention and disposal of company information.

Additionally, Iron Mountain conducted onsite records coordinator training sessions and developed an Internet portal that allows Kennecott employees access to program components in a central place, making it easy to maintain consistent records classification and ensure ongoing compliance. Kennecott’s records coordinators use Iron Mountain Connect™ as an online resource for fast, 24x7 access to records and reports that help them maintain a consistent program.

“With Iron Mountain’s vast expertise, we have been able to remove both the operational and technical complexities from the way we manage our records and information,” said Kristine Truscott, Senior Records Coordinator, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. “Iron Mountain has prepared our team to get our information management system under control with policies and procedures that are consistent and easy to administer.”

The Results

Using the retention schedule designed by Iron Mountain, Kennecott has a unified approach based on Best Practices that will help the company proactively address compliance, litigation and risk management concerns. Their new program is an overarching records and information management approach that is more comprehensive and legally credible. Iron Mountain’s expertise in the changing rules and regulations has provided Kennecott with the confidence needed to comply with evolving regulations. Additionally, Iron Mountain’s legal research and expertise better prepare Kennecott for audit and legal inquiries.

Kristine Truscott, Senior Records Coordinator stated, “Iron Mountain’s expertise and methodology not only impacted our information team, but equally impressed and eased the minds of Kennecott’s legal department. Iron Mountain’s systematic approach enabled us to set the groundwork to proactively address the increasing regulatory controls for records and information management.”

Truscott added, “If I had to do it all over again, I would select Iron Mountain; in fact, we probably should have started the consulting project even sooner. With Iron Mountain’s exceptional consulting services, professional expertise and timeliness, we were all amazed by how well managed the project was, how the team met all of their deadline commitments, and how all of our requests were taken care of instantly. Iron Mountain is in tune with the way we operate and a pleasure to work with the project has been a great success overall.”

About Iron Mountain . Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organizations lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of information assets, including backup and archival data, electronic records, document imaging, business records, secure shredding, and more, for organizations around the world. Visit the company Web site at ironmountain.com for more information.