A new recordkeeping policy for the use of mobile devices has been published by the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV). It recommends adoption by Victorian government agencies “to support best practice recordkeeping regarding creating and keeping full and accurate records.”

Director and Keeper of Public Records, Justine Heazlewood said "High level policy and governance should be developed to guide mobile technology use from an information management perspective."

"The Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) assessment process - in addition to existing privacy policies, relevant retention and disposal authorities and other Agency-approved risk assessment strategies - should be used to determine the risks involved when accessing or using corporate records on a mobile device."

According to the policy, risk assessment should include how the use of mobile technology complies with State and sector wide law, security and information management requirements; device requirements, including virus protection, patching protocols and system basics; and, boundaries for the use of apps on devices and the method by which corporate records are accessed.

Other areas to consider included education for staff using mobile devices on their responsibilities as public officers to keep full and accurate records of the business of their office, regardless of how they were produced; and, technical issues where a decision is required to help manage record security or maintenance, such as whether corporate IT will auto-sync all files from all devices, or provide technical support for all mobile devices.

It recommends a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy, policy, and/or procedure that explicitly considered records management needs should be developed and implemented when employing or intending to employ a BYOD approach for staff regarding mobile devices.

For the purposes of the policy, mobile technologies include both internet-enabled and internet-capable devices (such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, handheld gaming devices and digital cameras) and non-internet portable devices (such as handheld sound recorders, portable storage items, and non-digital photographic equipment).

The new policy was based on the Mobile Technologies and Recordkeeping Issues Paper and can be accessed from the PROV website HERE