Introduction
In the modern professional world, organizations are increased incorporation technology, software, and systems into the workplace to help with boosting the success and the efficiency. As a part of this integration, organizations are tasked with the proper management of electronic document and records. In the case, of some organizations, electronic records are gradually being utilized and require compliance with laws and/or policies. For compliance to work, with electronic records, organizations often search for and implement an electronic records management system or ERMS. An electronic records management system is a system that uses modern technology to help an organization with the formation, sharing, use, preservation, and disposal of electronic records while maintaining compliance to laws and policies. Records management is a useful system if properly integrate and utilized by trained organization personnel. In order, for the system to be utilized, then an organization should develop records management plans prior to purchase and integration should be performed. By preparing and using a plan for an electronic records management system. Then the process of researching and locating a vendor with an organization’s sought ERMS requirements will prove to be stress-free. During the planning process, for the electronic records management system, an organization will uncover the benefits and challenges into integrating a system.

Benefits
The benefits of developing a records management plans allow an organization to discuss and make a needs assessment of what type of ERMS would best suit their record managing requirements. Essentially, record management plans are conducted to highlight the cost and risk that an electronic records management system would bring if implemented. Cost is one benefit of developing a records management plan, because it forces an organization to view their current budget and deciding if implemented an electronic records management system would be more cost-effective than paper-based records management system (Hill, 2011). While costs would have been spent on filing equipment and off-site storage of records. Organization could now plan their record management to be set to a retaining schedule that would inform users of when a record functional or disposal while adhering to laws and compliance standards.

Furthermore, benefits that come with developing record management plan. Include the ability to create a plan that decreases the overproduction of duplicate records that is common in paper-based record systems. According to CBJ Digital Ltd. (2016), planning with records management in a company allows for reduction of risks for misplaced or mishandled concerning crucial and security sensitive records (p. 1). These benefits achieved, upon implementing an ERMS, then the organization will prove successful and build stronger standards that will make for more efficient and compliant staff. Additional benefits of a record management plan include utilizing audits to enforce current or future policies, analyzing current metadata practices to create improvements, funding for technologies for the ERMS that will help advance the organizations success, and view current organization statistics during the planning process to determine losses caused by current records management that would be approved with a electronic system. (Iron Mountain Inc., 2016).

Challenges

Opposing the benefits of records management are the challenges that organizations are forced to face when making their plans. One of the challenges that organization’s face in the planning process is having a lack of compatible software and equipment that would enable effective use of an electronic record management system. Combined with incompatible software and equipment there is the challenge of having records that are unable to be electronically managed.

These challenges cause a struggle with costs, because a lack of software, equipment, and records that are compatible with modern technology and ERMS unleashes costs that do more harm than good for an organization. It often leaves organizations at a stand till, of how they could budget in an ERMS, along with affording software and equipment that would be compatible (Hill, 2011). Along with setting aside money for storage that would cover records that are not electronically convertible. In addition, when developing a records management plan there is a struggle on decisions of how to properly train organization personnel to operate and handle the ERMS in compliant means (Hill, 2011). While also considering how to function an often complex ERMS system that has functions that are confusing and might need an explanatory training from vendors, which could create extra costs.

Conclusion
An organization compiling an informative records management plan has its benefits and challenges. It is the first initial step in deciding what is the process to go about searching for and implementing an electronic records management system. By having a plan prevents an organization from attaining unnecessary information that is unrelated to what they truly need from an ERMS and their vendors. The records management plan also helps organizations review their potential legal and standard risks to make policies and practices for record management are compliant and adaptable to the electronic record management.

References:
CBJ Digital Ltd. (2016). Sustaining the Archive: Modern Records Management.
Managing Business Archives. Retrieved from:http://www.managingbusinessarchives.co.uk/getting_started/sustaining_the_archive/benefits_of_records_management Hill, B. (2011). RM Tech Deployment Still A Rough Road. Forrester Research/ARMA
International Survey. 42-47.
Iron Mountain Inc. (2016). Top 10 Reasons to Audit the Integrity of Your Data. Iron
Mountain. Retrieved from: http://www.ironmountain.com/Knowledge-Center/Reference-Library/View-by-Document-Type/White-Papers-Briefs/T/Top-10-Reasons-to-Audit-the-Integrity-of-Your-Data.aspx