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Traditionally a back-office task focused mostly on paper, records management is integrated with e-mail and document management systems in Interwoven's Records Manager 5.0.

Interwoven is targeting professional services firms, at least initially, for Records Manager 5.0. Not only does this group need records management capabilities, but some 1,600 such firms in verticals such as real estate, law, and accounting use Interwoven. The goal was to provide them with a records management applications that could offer firm-wide compliance through a single, unified system capable of looking into multiple repositories to find records, according to Dave Packer, director, professional services solutions at Interwoven.

"Most of the systems that existed over the last five or six years were in place to track paper documents," Packer said. The challenge was to merge both the paper and digital worlds without creating a bifurcated model.

By integrating with Interwoven's own Worksite collaborative document management system and e-mail archiving systems, Records Manager 5.0 extends out its user experience to familiar applications. End users have files and folders in Outlook where records can be stored and managed.

"From an end-user standpoint, I don't have to know records management," Packer told Intranet Journal. "From the records manager standpoint, I have created a way to extend records management out to end users."

The interface for record managers allows searching and browsing of records, and shows associated meta data in the preview pane.

Interwoven developed Records Manager 5.0 for end users, records managers, and file clerks Clerks and records managers use client software, which Packer said is the way they have traditionally managed records.

The biggest development in Records Manager 5.0 is dealing with e-mail. "Over the last couple of years, what are the things causing the most upset, especially in discovery? It's typically e-mail," Packer said. "The truth is, e-mail is the primary communications vehicle, but it's also the primary collaboration vehicle."

Using a service-oriented architecture, Packer said the records manager can point to several repositories in an organization, which keeps storage costs down because records aren't replicated.

Even though it has a renewed focus on digital documents, Records Manager 5.0 uses a retention policy applied and enforced across physical, electronic, and e-mail records. By integrating with Worksite, Interwoven can weave its records management through what it calls a "project-centric environment." Users can declare records at any point in a project, including single document, folder, matter, or client. The interface enables users to create and manage the retention policy, specify trigger events, retention periods, and disposition rules.

Interwoven's Records Manager 5.0 will be available at the end of September. The company plans to extend it to broader markets beyond professional services in the near future.

The end-user view shows all records associated with a project, whether digital or electronic.