If DISASTER ThREATEnED, whAT woulD you SAvE?

Impending peril concentrates the mind wonderfully.At such times, it’s amazing how you can suddenly remember where vital things are, that at any other time might have eluded detection.

Storing up trouble

We keep so much information in so many formats, but do we really control it? To what extent could we use the records of the past as a reliable guide to the future?

Feeling lucky?We’re all now faced with total inundation by the flood of information which every business and public service organisation generates.

The threat is less that disaster may strike at any moment, but that amid the confusion of what we now recognise as normal life, we will find it ever harder to identify and retain the information we most need.

Coercion and complianceContrary to the instinct of business leaders, increasing regulation to ‘help’ organisations manage information better has its benefits.

In an age of information growing out of control, it helps at least to have the boundaries defined.

The longest, the shortest, the priority, the minimum requirement, the must-have and the need-not-retain.

Merely knowing where you stand often neutralises the threat completely.

Reason and resolutionUnderstanding the boundaries, and how to work within them, is equally important to ensure your organisation is safe from other threats.

Not only must you decide what to keep, but how.

It’s not always obvious, but the choices you make (or fail to make) in the fields of information security, access, privacy and protection can have a big impact on business performance.

ThE bEST couRSE IS ofTEn obScuRED by ThE ShEER volumE AnD complExITy of InfoRmATIon.

Weight of evidence

The law seeks guidance from the decisions of the past.

Records management used to begin and end with decisions about the storage location of obsolete information – moving it from the office filing cabinet (probably long after it was necessary) to storage boxes in the basement.

Today, it refers to the entire lifetime of printed or digital records, from creation to eventual long-term preservation or destruction.

All you create, keep or destroy, everywhere.

Most organisations have fragmented islands of information in hard copy, on hard drives or solid state storage devices, on tapes, PCs and servers.

Simply keeping track of these isolated assets is daunting.

Eliminating duplication, protecting and controlling the information that has value is virtually impossible unaided.

In SEARch of An oRDERED mInD

Flow motion

Throughout its lifetime, every idea or conversation, observation or decision is on the move. Understanding the lifecycle of information is an important first step toward successful management.

ThInk:

mEmoRy not

InfoRmATIon

ThE oRgAnISATIon IS ThE cEnTRAl pRocESSIng unIT of All InfoRmATIon.

Everything that can be captured, classified, and controlled, everything that provides a record of events, invites thoughtful consideration – it is part of the living memory bank of the business.

A complete review of how information is created, used, retained, or discarded maps your organisation’s mind.

And it makes it possible to develop a practical information ‘architecture’ within which your organisation can operate more efficiently.

It amounts to a different way of thinking.

the brain is a muscle, without regular exercise it loses condition. Similarly, a thoughtful approach to records management has the potential in any organisation to improve its capacity for using information – it makes you fitter.

While legal or regulatory frameworks and the dictates of good business practice can be seen as ways to mitigate the risks of ineffective information management, they ensure only that you’re preventing a breakdown – what you must do, and no more than you need.

Improving performance takes more effort.

Five simple ways to stimulate the corporate mind. A well-ordered approach to managing structured business information makes everything function more efficiently.

Now you’ve designed the perfect information architecture, you can set about improving your thinking ability.

ThE quIck-ThInkIng oRgAnISATIon

4. Use technology where it helps.

5. And keep an audit trail for everything. It’s proof of your operation’s effectiveness.

Create a training regimen.

1. Develop policies for information types.

2. Create rules for storage and access.

3. Streamline the flow of information through the business.

ThE bRAIn, REnDERED In STEEl

and coRRugATED

boARD

Memory regained. Secure access to your information made easier, anywhere, through the Cloud.

dIFFeRent kInd oF pEoplE,dIFFeRent kInd oF SERvIcE

You can’t have a great service without great people. In every Crown office, you’ll find intelligent, motivated people who want to help.

Our culture is entrepreneurial, placing a great value on creativity and imagination. We have a ‘can-do-anything’ attitude that you’ll discover in the inventiveness of our problem solving.

We encourage development, value expertise and reward performance. Not surprisingly, Crown has an unusually low staff turnover.

We are a values-based business Our brand values underpin everything we do.

Our responsibility to our clients, our colleagues and our local communities is shared by every employee in our organisation through common behaviours.

We value quality highly and we’ve built a strong reputation for it. We use our QUEST quality program to give you the opportunity to tell us how we’re doing, so we can learn how to keep improving.

In addition to values, we also have rules.

Safety is our first concern and everyone makes it a priority across our global operations.

All Crown operations worldwide also adhere to binding corporate rules of data privacy and data protection. Your information is as important to us as it is to you.

total commitment, worldwide Each of our more than 130 information management centres worldwide is solutions focused, innovative and entrepreneurial - aware of and responsive to your individual local needs – supported by a regional and global infrastructure.

Through that architecture, we are able to provide support where it’s needed:

Full accountability, compliance and expertise at a local country level

Cost efficiencies, service consistency and quality assurance at a global level

Best practice, innovation and expert management shared globally from our centres of excellence

By customising our processes to match your established protocols, we make it easier for us to work together.

With information management centres in more than 130 locations worldwide, Crown naturally has a global perspective. We recognise that in the delivery of our services, we also bear a responsibility to our communities and the environment, worldwide. Our commitment to our customers is matched by a sincere and wide-ranging CSR programme, supporting health, education and welfare projects as well as our continual efforts to improve the environmental performance of all our operations.

How can you be a global company and not embrace the world? As an equal opportunities employer, we promote international and local market hiring to achieve a rich diversity across our organisation.

We encourage all new staff to represent and promote our core values both internally and to the outside world.

And a healthy work-life balance is equally important. We actively promote measures to make sure that employees and their families maintain equilibrium in their lives.

We want to grow, but only if everyone wins We know exactly how much our business impacts the environment. By adhering to ISO 14001 requirements, we measure how efficiently we’re using natural resources.

By investing in energy-saving buildings and vehicles, and by educating our supply chain, we’re working hard to reduce our impact and give you a cleaner option.

We also make a big effort to have a positive impact in societyWe’ve discovered that the best way to have a bigger impact is for everyone at Crown to set goals for CSR that align with Crown corporate objectives.

We have corporate performance targets for environmental impact, communities, and sustainability.

We track our environmental impact at our operations around the world and seek measures to improve every year. Among the many initiatives are low-energy facilities and zero-emissions vehicles.

Our global presence means we impact a lot of communities, so every office is encouraged to find ways to engage and sustain the communities in which we work. Crown teams around the world work with local schools, health initiatives and charities to make each of our cities stronger as we grow.

Together, we’ve built schools and libraries to support local and disadvantaged youth and to strengthen education in remote communities. We also partner to provide HIV and AIDS peer education.

Our CSR programme has significant benefits for the business too, through reduced operating costs, and increased engagement of customers and employees.

ouR plAcE In ThE woRlD

SomE oThER ThIngS wE TAkE cARE of...the Crown GroupThe organisation and the divisions that make up the group share a common quality – the experience and insight to know how to accomplish anything, from the complex to the routine.

Crown World Mobility

Global mobility management for corporate businesses comprising business-critical assignment services backed by a unique international network of offices and experienced people.

Crown Fine Art

The world’s first integrated fine art logistics service. Crown Fine Art’s passion for art is matched by its care in managing the movement and security of the world’s art treasures.

Crown Relocations

Crown Relocations provides destination settling-in services, moving and administrative services to assist individuals and families relocating internationally or domestically.

Crown Logistics

Adding value to supply chains in sectors as specialised as oil and gas to hotels and high-end retailers. Services range from project management to handling, forwarding, installation and third party logistics.

Crown Records Management

Maximising value from corporate memory through the storage, active management, smart and timely distribution of information assets across the enterprise.

Crown Wine Cellars

Crown Wine Cellars members clubs in Greater China are acknowledged as the world’s finest wine cellar facilities, dedicated to the meticulous handling, storage, distribution, long-term maturation and ultimate enjoyment of wine.

Mnemonic – codes classify events into individual, unforgettable memories.