<P> Records may be covered by access controls to regulate who can access them and under what circumstances . Physical controls may be used to keep confidential records secure--personnel files, for instance, which hold sensitive personal data, may be held in a locked cabinet with a control log to track access . Digital records systems may include role - based access controls, allowing permissions (to view, change and / or delete) to be allocated to staff depending on their role in the organisation . An audit trail showing all access and changes can be maintained to ensure the integrity of the records . </P> <P> Just as the records of the organization come in a variety of formats, the storage of records can vary throughout the organization . File maintenance may be carried out by the owner, designee, a records repository, or clerk . Records may be managed in a centralized location, such as a records center or repository, or the control of records may be decentralized across various departments and locations within the entity . Records may be formally and discretely identified by coding and housed in folders specifically designed for optimum protection and storage capacity, or they may be casually identified and filed with no apparent indexing . Organizations that manage records casually find it difficult to access and retrieve information when needed . The inefficiency of filing maintenance and storage systems can prove to be costly in terms of wasted space and resources expended searching for records . </P> <P> An inactive record is a record that is no longer needed to conduct current business but is being preserved until it meets the end of its retention period, such as when a project ends, a product line is retired, or the end of a fiscal reporting period is reached . These records may hold business, legal, fiscal, or historical value for the entity in the future and, therefore, are required to be maintained for a short or permanent duration . Records are managed according to the retention schedule . Once the life of a record has been satisfied according to its predetermined period and there are no legal holds pending, it is authorized for final disposition, which may include destruction, transfer, or permanent preservation . </P> <P> A disaster recovery plan is a written and approved course of action to take after a disaster strikes that details how an organization will restore critical business functions and reclaim damaged or threatened records . </P>

In what four areas may a record have value for an organization