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BOSTON & WASHINGTON--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ Iron Mountain Incorporated ] (NYSE: IRM), the information management company, released the following response to the [ Managing Government Records Directive ], issued Friday, Aug. 24, 2012 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA):

"The Directive is out. Now what? a" First Steps for Federal Records Managers to Start on the Path to Compliance."

By issuing its [ Managing Government Records Directive ], the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), have set forth an ambitious vision for a digital government, one that values openness, transparency and efficiency. In line with [ President Obamaas vision ] that records management is the backbone of open government, the Directive calls for federal agencies to manage records and information more efficiently. Such efficiencies will enable federal agencies to better assess the impact of programs, reduce redundant efforts, save money, and share knowledge.

To their credit, OMB and NARA have incorporated many records management best practices that have been proven out in our experience in private industry including: senior level accountability in the form of a new designated responsible party the aSenior Agency Officiala (SAO), agency-wide training requirements, revised record scheduling and more. Moreover, the Directive recognizes the critical role OMB, NARA and other agencies will play in driving this initiative forward, outlining specific plans to support federal agencies in their push to achieve compliance. Still, while Iron Mountain credits the OMB and NARA for proposing such an ambitious vision, the company believes achieving it will be a tremendous undertaking that will require significant time and investment.

This view is supported by Iron Mountainas recent [ survey ] of federal records managers, which found that despite near universal support for the Presidentas Memorandum, only 9 percent felt confident using newer technologies like cloud applications. Iron Mountain believes the ability to secure adequate budget for training, technology and consulting is a critical step for federal agencies to achieve compliance. The company believes that federal agencies should rely on best practices from the private sector and partner with it to secure these necessary resources. NARAas plan to create a Community of Interest with industry experts in technology, records management and the legal field will help tremendously as well. Consequently, the private sector should stand ready to support the federal government on this ambitious but worthwhile plan.

As a starting point, Iron Mountain offers records managers our professional guidance on first steps to start on the path to compliance in our blog, a[ The Directive is out. Now what? a" First Steps for Federal Records Managers to Start on the Path to Compliance ].a

About Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information storage and management services that help organizations lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. The Companyas solutions enable customers to protect and better use their information so they can optimize their business and ensure proper recovery, compliance and discovery. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of information assets, including business records, electronic files, medical data and more for organizations around the world. Visit [ www.ironmountain.com ] or follow the company on Twitter [ @IronMountain ] for more information.