Today, no formalized method yet exists for these safeguards. Written policies and procedures for record storage and maintenance are established and maintained. The written policies and procedures are employed at all times. Record-maintenance systems assures that records stored and maintained are managed in a uniform fashion to ensure credibility. All business records are stored and maintained.
All business records for a discrete transaction are readily identifiable and accessible.
Stored records preserve the content and structure of the business transaction creating them to ensure accuracy and understandability. All maintained records must have been stored under the auspices of an authorized creator. Records must be inviolate to preserve their original content. No records may be altered without a concise audit trail that preserves relevant information of the original content. Records may be removed from storage only with the consent of an authorized entity.