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IBM IER Basics
FunMaster
- Post By FunMaster
- 1 month ago
🗂️ What is IBM Enterprise Records (IER) and Why Should You Care?
In a world full of digital documents, emails, and endless file shares, managing and keeping track of what actually matters—your business records—is a major challenge. That’s where IBM Enterprise Records (IER) comes in. It’s not just a tool—it’s a whole strategy to help companies control how information is stored, secured, retained, and eventually disposed of. Think of it as a digital Marie Kondo for your data.
🧠 What Exactly Is a Record?
According to the US Federal Records Act, a record is any piece of information (regardless of format) that serves as evidence of your business’s operations and needs to be kept for a specific period.
So, not every document is a record—and not every record is a document. Confusing? A little. But here's the deal:
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A document might just be a memo or an email you reference once.
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A record has legal, operational, or historical value, and you must keep it safe, authentic, and retrievable until it’s legally okay to delete.
🛠️ Key Features of IBM Enterprise Records
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🔒 Supports both time- and event-based retention rules
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🧾 File plan structure to organize and enforce policy
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🚫 Legal holds for records involved in litigation
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🧮 Audit-ready processes
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🔁 Integrates with IBM FileNet Content Manager and others
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🧰 Manages physical records too (like paper contracts or CDs)
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👨⚖️ Certified for compliance (DoD 5015.02, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)
🚀 Zero-Click Records Management – Yes, Really!
One of IER’s standout features is ZeroClick Records Declaration. It means users don’t have to do anything extra to declare a record—it happens automatically in the background, based on the content’s context. So your team can focus on work, not filing.
💼 Real-World Use Cases
IBM IER isn’t just theoretical—it’s making a real impact:
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Insurance companies managing tens of millions of records
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Pharma giants disposing of decades’ worth of paper
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Banks like BBVA reducing risk and cost through smart retention
☁️ Available On-Prem & on IBM Cloud
Whether you want to run it in your own data center or prefer a fully managed cloud experience, IER has you covered. It’s available as a SaaS add-on for IBM Business Automation Content Services on Cloud, tightly integrated with the rest of IBM’s ECM ecosystem.
💸 Licensing Insight
There are two main licensing options:
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Full IER license – includes FileNet Content Manager
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IER Add-on – for those who already use FileNet or CM8
IBM recently dropped the price of the add-on license by 50%, making it way more accessible for existing IBM users.
🧩 Why It Matters
Managing records isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for:
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✅ Legal compliance
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🔐 Data security
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💸 Cost reduction
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⚖️ Litigation readiness
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📦 Reducing storage clutter
With regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SEC 17a-4, the risk of non-compliance is just too high to ignore.
🤝 Who’s This For?
Perfect for:
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Records Managers
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Legal and Compliance Officers
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CIOs
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IT Admins managing enterprise content