An IT system is a computer system which manages information, including records. It may create and capture both records and metadata (information about records), or it may just manage metadata while the records are held elsewhere.

Examples of IT systems include:

• finance systems
• personnel systems
• core business systems, such as the system the Australian Taxation Office uses to manage tax returns (e-tax)

To support your agency's business, systems that manage information need to work so that records:

• can be proven to be genuine
• are accurate and can be trusted
• are complete and unaltered
• are secure from unauthorised access, alteration and deletion
• are findable and readable
• are related to other relevant records

One system that makes a lot of records is email. For more information about managing emails see Managing emails. For general information on information systems design, see IT systems design.

For detailed, technical specifications about the capability an information system should have, see Specifications for Electronic Records Management Systems Software and Specifications for Business Information Systems Software. Both of these publications have implementation guidelines.