Solutions Guide
Compliance, Information Governance & eDiscovery Solutions for the Public Sector Government agencies face increasing scrutiny by concerned citizens who expect total
Keep your staff connected to each other and with your constituents, all with the assurance that their communications are controlled, monitored, captured and archived in a way that meets government and public sector requirements.
The Actiance Platform
transparency and accountability for the way their tax dollars are being spent. Members of the public are entitled to request the release of information from government agencies and
Vantage
departments, providing citizen oversight of the daily workings of the government. This right
Simplifies management, control
to information is enacted in all 50 states in the U.S., and could take the form of Open
and security for business
Documents Laws, Sunshine Laws or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
communications to facilitate compliance with legal, regulatory
At the same time, public sector organizations want to be able to adopt and deploy new
and governance requirements
social business technologies – real-time communications such as unified communications, instant messaging, and both enterprise and public social networks in order to improve
Socialite
internal communications and drive external outreach. Although the federal government has
Controls social network features,
not published guidelines or specific suggestions on how to adopt these new productivity
integrates compliance and sharing
technologies in a way that meets regulatory requirements, some agencies and departments
capabilities into other applications,
have already started to experiment with these new technologies.
monitors content, alerts about concerns, and makes retrieving
For instance, local state agencies might use social media to disseminate vital public
content faster and less costly.
information and reply to citizen inquiries during crises, such as when phone services are down or overloaded. Scientific agencies may use social media to collect data on disasters
Alcatraz
as they unfold. And politicians turn to social media as a forum for ‘instant referendum’ on
Archives email and other real-time
current issues.
communication channels that reduces the cost of eDiscovery by
With the introduction of these real-time communications, public sector organizations need
uniquely displaying dynamic social
to ensure that information sent through these channels are tracked, captured and secured
content in context.
in accordance with federal and local records retention laws. In addition, this information could also be subject to FOIA requests and would need to be indexed, and made searchable and retrievable in a timely manner.
Managing the Challenge of Freedom of Information Regulations Public sector organizations very often have specific records retention laws to comply with. In the U.S., federal agencies have to capture and maintain their records before sending them to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). On top of that, they are required by law to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. In 2012, a memorandum from the U.S. Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set out how federal agencies should be managing government records. The memorandum emphasizes the importance of good record keeping practices for accountability and transparency. Federal agencies and public sector organizations face a deadline of 2019 for adoption of these practices. An added dimension to this challenge is that FOIA laws require public sector organizations to deliver the information requested within a specific time frame, usually 30 days. However, a recent survey of U.S. agencies reported that the average response time was 63 business days, a figure more than double the 30 day window. This demonstrates that a flexible, reliable and robust information governance policy is at
Key Benefits Actiance has been helping organizations meet strict regulatory and information governance requirements since 2002. We enable public sector organizations to fulfill their obligations to records retention and FOIA laws, while mitigating the risk of costly litigation.
IT Teams Streamline governance management for all your communications and collaboration platforms. • Simplify policy management and enforcement • Increase productivity • Lower operating costs and overall total cost of ownership
the heart of fulfilling public sector organizations’ obligations to FOIA requests. Inability to
Compliance Professionals
either meet governmental record retention requirements or FOIA requests could result in
Be confident that no matter how your employees connect, your industry and legislative obligations will be met. • Ensure adherence to regulatory, eDiscovery and corporate governance guidelines • Mitigate the risk of costly sanctions for inadequate recordkeeping • Facilitate Freedom of Information requests within obligatory time limits
higher levels of citizen dissatisfaction.
The Impact of Litigation A more aggressive FOIA landscape has led to rising levels of related litigation, with members of the public taking to the courts to challenge public sector organizations who have not been able to fulfill their obligations to retain and retrieve information requested.
Why the information is unavailable does not matter, it just matters that it is not available. Regardless of whether the information was lost or was never saved in the first place, the result is the same. Public sector organizations face growing eDiscovery costs, court fines, and increasing congressional and state oversight. Social business technologies add infrastructure complexity, making it difficult to capture information and could negatively impact public sector organizations’ ability to respond to FOIA requests. Putting in place processes and technology to ensure compliance with record retention and FOIA law requirements can quickly yield a return on investment for public sector organizations and have a positive impact on public opinion.
Litigation Staff Equip litigation support staff with a solution that enables the timely, costefficient retrieval of relevant content. • Control rising eDiscovery costs • Apply legal holds on all real-time communications • Successfully defend your organization against legal claims
End Users
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Use social business tools to build relationships and be transparent and accountable to the public. • Engage and capture mind share of your target audience • Improve information sharing • Connect and respond to citizen requests and feedback in a medium of their choice