# Information Resources > Information Resources means equipment, systems, and procedures designed to store, manage, retrieve, and transmit data or information. **Term:** Information Resources **Last updated:** 2026-07-29 ## Definition ## What Information Resources Means in a Contract Information Resources is a broad, umbrella term used in contracts to capture the full range of tools and systems a party relies on to handle data. This includes physical equipment such as servers and workstations, software applications and databases, communication networks, and the procedures or policies that govern how information moves through an organization. When a contract refers to Information Resources, it is usually trying to describe everything that touches data, rather than isolating one specific system or device. The term matters because many contractual obligations, such as confidentiality, data security, access control, and audit rights, are drafted to apply to Information Resources as a category rather than to a named piece of technology. This gives the clause durability, since the parties are not forced to update the contract every time hardware or software changes. Instead, the obligation follows the function, meaning any system used to store or transmit covered data falls within scope. Because the definition is functional rather than technical, it is common for contracts to pair Information Resources with a more detailed definitions section that lists examples, such as networks, cloud platforms, mobile devices, and manual filing systems, to avoid ambiguity about what is included. ## How Information Resources Is Defined or Measured Unlike financial or performance metrics, Information Resources is not typically measured numerically. Instead, contracts define it descriptively, listing categories of equipment, systems, and procedures that qualify. A well-drafted definition will usually separate the term into three components: physical infrastructure, software and digital systems, and the human processes or policies that control their use. Some agreements measure the adequacy of Information Resources indirectly, through compliance benchmarks such as encryption standards, access logging requirements, or retention periods. For example, a party might be required to demonstrate that its Information Resources meet a specified level of security before handling another party's data. - Physical equipment: servers, computers, storage devices, and network hardware - Digital systems: software applications, databases, and cloud services - Procedural elements: policies, access controls, and data handling protocols These components are often cross-referenced with obligations found in a [Data Protection Policy](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-protection-policy) or similar internal document, which sets out how the Information Resources described in the contract must actually be operated in practice. ## Where Information Resources Appears in Agreements The term appears most frequently in technology services agreements, outsourcing contracts, confidentiality agreements, and data protection instruments. It is common in clauses addressing data security obligations, business continuity, disaster recovery, and audit rights, where a party needs to describe the systems subject to inspection or protection. It also shows up in agreements involving third-party data handling, such as a [Data Processing Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-processing-agreement) or a [Data Sharing Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-sharing-agreement), where the parties need to identify which systems store or transmit shared data so that security and access obligations can be applied consistently. In regulated industries such as [finance](https://www.genieai.co/industry/finance) or [healthcare](https://www.genieai.co/industry/healthcare), Information Resources clauses are often tied to sector-specific compliance requirements, since these industries handle sensitive data at scale and face heightened scrutiny over how that data is stored and moved. Service level agreements and IT support contracts also use the term to describe the scope of systems a provider is responsible for maintaining, securing, or restoring in the event of an outage or breach. ## Why the Exact Wording Matters Because Information Resources is a broad and somewhat elastic term, the precise wording used to define it can significantly affect the scope of a party's obligations. A narrow definition limited to owned equipment might exclude cloud services or third-party platforms, leaving gaps in security or audit coverage. Conversely, an overly broad definition could impose obligations on systems that were never intended to be covered, creating compliance burdens or disputes over scope. Ambiguity in this term can also create problems during incident response. If a data breach occurs and the contract's definition of Information Resources does not clearly cover the affected system, the parties may disagree about whether notification, remediation, or liability provisions apply. Clear wording reduces the risk of this kind of dispute and supports faster resolution when something goes wrong. Precise drafting also matters for interoperability with other definitions in the same agreement, such as. ## Context ### Relevant circumstances - Outsourcing IT operations - Licensing software - Sharing sensitive data - Monitoring service delivery standards ### Relevant sectors - Finance - Healthcare ## Relevant contract types - [Data Protection Policy](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-protection-policy) - [Data Processing Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-processing-agreement) - [Data Sharing Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/data-sharing-agreement) --- This is the Markdown representation of [https://www.genieai.co/en-us/define/information-resources](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/define/information-resources), provided for AI agents and crawlers. The HTML page is canonical. See [/llms.txt](https://www.genieai.co/llms.txt) for the full content map.