Digital archive

Benefits for your agency include:

• Ensuring the preservation and management of your agency’s permanent value born-digital records
• Quick and easy access to your records (subject to appropriate permissions)
• Reduction in storage costs
• Ability to decommission legacy business systems and reducing the risk of record loss due to outdated technology.

Digital records are fragile and have a relatively short life span, however they constitute significant records of government. There are a number of key steps that you can follow when creating digital records to preserve the authenticity and integrity of these government records for future use and reuse.

• Choose software that is well supported and creates files that can be read by a variety of different programs
• Use consistent file naming conventions e.g. use a short descriptive file name of content and date that provides context and can be easily understood by humans and computers, now and in the future
• Store in secure and reliable locations, and implement multi-copy storage strategies
• Identify which files will be required for preservation as permanent or long-term value records
• Capture required metadata and contextual documentation.