ABSTRACT
Risk management was for many years seen in the narrow context of accident and disaster prevention. The modern approach puts risk management at the very heart of business strategy where it covers a wider spectrum of activities, and examines both the downsides and upsides of these activities. Risk management speaks a language that is understood and respected by senior managers, and addresses issues within a framework that is taken seriously by businesses. This chapter deals with some specific areas of archive management, which contain a number of potential risks, and suggests how the risk management discipline can be applied to ensure positive outcomes. These areas have been organised into four groupings - information security risks; operational risks; reputational risks; and strategic risks - reflecting the usual categorisation of risks with businesses. Risk management helps archivists to decide where best to focus their efforts in a world where there is never enough time or resources to do everything they would like.
