Store and Retrieve Information

Describe systems and procedures for storing and retrieving information

Documents should be filed in either alphabetical, chronological or numerical order so that when somebody is looking for something they can find the relevant file, clearly marked, and then find the relevant document inside by using the file dividers
Confidential files need to be kept in a lockable cabinet/room and then shredded after the length of time outlined by data protection
It is also important to name files correctly when do electronic filing so they are easy to search for the required information
Confidential information that is stored electronically should be password encrypted to stop unauthorised access

Outline legal and organisational requirements for information security and retention

Confidential information must be stored securely to prevent a breach of data protection
Electronic files must be password encrypted and if they are emailed you should send the password in a second separate email to avoid unauthorised access
Files under the data protection act state you should not hold information longer than necessary so organisations should have in place a set length of time the hold information before its destroyed
The data protection act states that information/data should not be kept for longer than required, most companies will keep data for 5-6 years before destroying it
Account information should be kept between 6-7 years

Explain how to create a filing system to facilitate information identification and retrieval

Depending on the data you are filing depends how you need to store it (e.g. if you are storing confidential documents it either needs to be locked away or password protected)
You can organise it chronologically, numerically or alphabetically depending on what is best suited to the documents you’re filing
You need to use different files to separate documents (e.g. A-C, D-F and so on) and then within these files there should be dividers to make the information easier to find again

Explain how to use different search techniques to locate and retrieve information

When searching for a hard copy document in a file you need to know whether to search numerically, alphabetically or chronologically and then use the file dividers within the files to help locate the information you require
When searching electronically you can use key words to search files

Describe what to do when problems arise when storing information

If you can’t find a document it may have been filed incorrectly, you can try and search files with similar names as it may have been put there by mistake
If a file becomes full you made need to split it in half into two separate folders the clearly label them to follow company procedure and keep the system easily accessible