Christine Thropp
Federal agencies now have until June 20, 2024, to move paper-based records to an electronic environment as mandated by an Office of Management and Budget memorandum released in 2019.
OMB Memo M-19-21 initially set a December 31, 2022 deadline for transitioning to electronic records and Paperless Innovations underscored the need to hasten digital recordkeeping implementation considering its necessity to support remote agency workforces.
As mandated, agencies will have to ensure all government files are created, retained and managed in electronic formats and to create plans for closing agency-operated storage facilities and handing over paper and other analog records to federal records centers operated by the National Archives and Records Administration or commercial facilities.
Paperless Innovations said there are cloud-based offerings authorized under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program that could help agencies automate digital record creation and management.
“[Commercial off the shelf, software as a service] solutions on the FedRAMP Marketplace present an iterative and rapidly achievable path to paperless government on an application by application basis,” according to the company release. “Look to automate and control the creation, review, approval and distribution of digital documents only to those with the ‘need to know’ and authorizations required to perform their appropriate oversight duties.”
Mike Tocci, president of Paperless Innovations, pointed to the company’s Actus P-Card Program compliance automation management platform as one of commercial SaaS applications capable of assisting agencies in meeting the updated NARA deadline for paperless record-keeping.
Actus is currently “In Process” of obtaining authorization under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.
