What Is a Trusted System?

A User’s Guide About Trusted Systems for Government Records

A Trusted System is a records management environment designed to ensure that government records are authentic, reliable, secure, and accessible for as long as required. It combines technology, policies, and procedures to support compliance, transparency, and legal defensibility.

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Why Trusted Systems Matter for Government

Government agencies are responsible for maintaining records that support public accountability, legal compliance, and historical preservation. When records are incomplete, altered, or difficult to locate, it creates risk for the agency and undermines public trust.

A Trusted System helps agencies:

Ensure records are authentic and tamper-resistant
Support compliance with retention laws and regulations
Improve transparency and response to public records requests
Reduce risk in audits, litigation, and investigations
Provide consistent governance across departments

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How a Trusted System Works

Step 1: Capture and Declare Records

Records are captured from paper or digital sources and formally declared as official records within the system.

Step 2: Classify and Apply Metadata

Records are captured from paper or digital sources and formally declared as official records within the system.

Step 3: Enforce Security and Access Controls

Permissions are applied to ensure that only authorized users can view, edit, or manage records.

Step 4: Apply Retention Schedules

Records are automatically governed by approved retention schedules that define how long they must be kept and when they are eligible for disposition.

Step 5: Maintain Immutable Audit Trails

All actions taken on a record are logged, creating a complete and defensible history of access and changes.

Step 6: Manage Disposition

Records are securely destroyed or archived in accordance with policy, with documentation of disposition actions.

What Makes a System “Trustworthy”?

A system is considered trustworthy when it can demonstrate that records have not been altered, lost, or mishandled. This includes strong audit trails, controlled access, consistent application of retention policies, and protection against unauthorized changes.

How Do Retention Schedules Work in a Trusted System?

A system is considered trustworthy when it can demonstrate that records have not been altered, lost, or mishandled. This includes strong audit trails, controlled access, consistent application of retention policies, and protection against unauthorized changes.

Can a Trusted System Support Public Records Compliance?

Yes. A Trusted System improves an agency’s ability to locate, retrieve, and produce records quickly and accurately, which is essential for responding to public records requests and maintaining transparency.

Common Government Use Cases for Trusted Systems

Agencies use Trusted Systems to manage records across a wide range of functions:

Clerk’s Office Records-
- Maintain official records, ordinances, resolutions, and meeting minutes
Public Records Requests-
- Locate and produce responsive documents quickly and accurately
Contracts and Agreements-
- Manage executed contracts with full audit history and retention controls
Permits and Planning Records-
- Preserve long-term records related to development and land use
Human Resources Records-
- Secure personnel files with appropriate access and retention policies

What Agencies Gain from a Trusted System

A Trusted System provides both operational and governance benefits:

Improved confidence in record integrity
Reduced risk during audits and litigation
Faster response to records requests
Consistent enforcement of retention policies
Better organization and accessibility of records
Increased public trust and transparency

How CPS Helps Agencies Build Trusted Systems

At CPS, we help government agencies design and implement Trusted Systems using Laserfiche that align with legal requirements and operational realities.

We help clients: