School boards can remain compliant with Ricoh

From large multinational corporations to the smallest community school board, regulatory compliance is important to all institutions. If organisations fall into non-compliance, they can face significant fines. Fines aside, compliance is incredibly important to school boards, given the sensitive records each maintains. Imagine parental and community outrage, if it were discovered that student records – including names and addresses – were misplaced or lost and landed in the wrong person’s hands.

Assessing Your Paper-Based Documentation System: The Compliance Risks are Many

Despite varying sizes and functions of entities concerned with compliance, all organisations need efficient and effective records management systems. In many cases, compliance concerns arise when antiquated systems relying on paper-based documentation lack a clear hierarchal structure.

Under this scenario, a variety of compliance issues can surface:

Lost Records

If an employee accidentally misfiles or misplaces a paper document, it can be difficult to relocate. The resulting search and retrieval process can be expensive, and time delays can lead to non-compliance.

Damaged Records

Mistakes can be made when paper records are damaged, tattered, or difficult to read. Due to the sensitive information school boards handle, these types of mistakes may lead to lawsuits. 

Catastrophic Loss

In the event of an unforeseen disaster such as flood or fire, records can be irreparably damaged. Such loss can be devastating and may lead to a school’s closure. 

Unreconciled Records

When multiple copies of paper records are created, the school risks housing out of sync records. Unreconciled records can lead to ill-advised decisions with serious ramifications. 

Inconsistent Filing Structures

Different departments often have their own filing structures, making interdepartmental communications onerous. 

Inefficient Time Management

Without an intuitive filing structure or digital keyword searches, employees spend an inordinate amount of time searching for requested information.

Ricoh Leads in Optimised Education Compliance Standards

Some school boards have adopted a digitised document management system run by a case management solution provider. While it’s definitely a step up from the days of paper yore, many of these providers aren’t well-versed in the education sector’s regulatory compliances signed into law by Canada’s legislative bodies. This lack of expertise can lead educational institutions to fall out of compliance for otherwise easily manageable processes (e.g., documents automatically deleted before or after an education-specific compliance deadline.)

Fortunately, Ricoh is your one-stop shop. With our enterprise content management (ECM) solutions, Ricoh can develop a compliant-ready system to fit your school’s specific needs.

With over a decade of experience working with Canadian school boards and local governments, we have deployed solutions for over 100 Canadian schools. We are skilled in legislation unique to different regions, and our education industry specialists are well-versed in specific regulatory compliances such as the Student Record Guidelines in Prince Edward Island and the Student Record Regulation School Act in Alberta.

With Ricoh, you can be confident that we will provide your educational institution with comprehensive ECM solutions to meet your specific compliance requirements:

Safe & Secure

We use cutting edge technologies to ensure your data is extremely secure and completely recoverable. Rest assured, with Ricoh, you can always get the data you need, when you need it.

Digitised, Consistent Records

We will work with you to develop an intuitive file structure to fit your unique needs. All paper records are digitised and stored in a secure electronic repository or in the Cloud. This allows employees to access digital documents and respond to compliance requests without delay.

Reconciled Records

All team members are able to work on one central, digitised document. Collaboration can be done efficiently and effectively, with no risk of record discrepancies. Bonus: no more need for paper copies and their added expenses!

Optimised Search Capabilities

Through your intuitive file structure, employees can retrieve information instantly by entering in keywords, allowing for more meaningful time to focus on students.

Efficient Time Management

Creating an automated notification-centric business process workflow reduces unnecessary manual involvement of personnel; freeing team members to move on to new work projects.

When responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of confidential records, the weight of securing them falls on but a few shoulders. The weight of remaining in government compliance ups the ante. With Ricoh, peace of mind is our business.