Reputation
Any factor relating to the good name or standing of an organization. Incorporates branding: the extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of an organizational brand. Being able to access corporate history in digital form, in a timely fashion, can support this.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences | |
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Data safety and security are compromised. |
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Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
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Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle |
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Failure to maintain preservation system and processes. |
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Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorized change or corruption |
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||
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Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.), |
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Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations |
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Loss of corporate memory |
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Inability to reuse valuable information |
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Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken |
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Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation |
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Data from an experiment that cannot be repeated is not preserved |
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Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation |
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Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy |
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Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation |
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No active program/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections |
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Organization does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system |
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||
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Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats |
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||
|
Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display. |
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||
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Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system |
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||
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Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation |
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||
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Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files |
|
||
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization Type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record |
|
|
an investment in distinctiveness, competence and competitiveness by providing access to legacy data and digital systems which are essential for innovation, research, development |
|
|
inspire brand evolution through an understanding of corporate history enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records |
|
|
demonstrate compliance with institutional and funder policies on data management policies |
|
|
provide opportunities for raising funds through the reuse of existing data |
|
|
generate income and new service models through the reuse of existing data |
|
|
provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated |
|
|
increase the potential for the re-use of digital material though established IPR |
|
|
inspire the trust and understanding of future users, by providing a complete digital record |
|
|
earn the trust of the public through sustained access to documentary heritage which guarantees the integrity of digital holdings |
|
|
enable tracking of unauthorized changes, copies and access leading to greater trust and assurance |
|
|
enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation. |
|
|
maintain the cultural and monetary value of the collection, by sustaining access to it |
|
|
be an investment in a high-quality service which enhances audience experience |
Enabling Research
The ability of an organisation to facilitate and provide the necessary resources to enable research.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences |
|
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
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The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time. |
|
|
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Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful. |
|
|
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Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit. |
|
|
|
Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation. |
|
|
|
Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation. |
|
|
|
Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
|
|
|
Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle |
|
|
|
Unable to fully capture and represent current events for future generations |
|
|
|
The hardware or software required to interpret, and present digital information is no longer available |
|
|
|
Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation |
|
|
|
No active preservation carried out on data |
|
|
|
Data from an experiment that cannot be repeated is not preserved |
|
|
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Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation |
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Data is not preserved with sufficient context, identifiers and documentation |
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Data rendered usable through a lack of proactive use, updates, and checking |
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Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation |
|
|
|
Preservation not carried out in a timely manner |
|
|
|
No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections |
|
|
|
Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
an investment in distinctiveness, competence and competitiveness by providing access to legacy data and digital systems which are essential for innovation, research, development |
|
|
capture potential by providing greater scope for innovation and reuse of data |
|
|
make available a dynamic, powerful information asset which represents an accurate social and cultural record |
|
|
inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records |
|
|
provide opportunities for raising funds through the reuse of existing data |
|
|
generate income and new service models through the reuse of existing data |
|
|
provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated |
|
|
increase the potential for the re-use of digital material though established IPR |
|
|
help ensure that cultural and creative data, including the outputs of industry remains accessible, reusable and understandable |
|
|
create greater scope for innovation and reuse by using cultural and creative data at scale |
|
|
maintain access to digital outputs of cultural and creative industries which are essential for innovation, research, development |
Costs
Any factor relating to organizational expenditure or financial penalties.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
|
Organization Type |
Risk |
Potential Consequences |
|
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
|
|
Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established. |
|
|
|
Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation. |
|
|
|
Lack of collaboration behind different departments/areas of the organization |
|
|
|
Failure to maintain preservation system and processes. |
|
|
|
Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.), |
|
|
|
Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations |
|
|
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Business processes rely on file formats and storage media that are becoming obsolete |
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Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims |
|
|
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The archive team do not have the tools required for effective search and retrieval of digital holdings |
|
|
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Inability to reuse valuable information |
|
|
|
Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken |
|
|
|
The hardware or software required to interpret, and present digital information is no longer available |
|
|
|
Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation |
|
|
|
Lack of vendor accountability |
|
|
|
No active preservation carried out on data |
|
|
|
Data is inaccessible due to lack of preservation |
|
|
|
Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy |
|
|
|
Preservation not carried out in a timely manner |
|
|
|
Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display. |
|
|
|
Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation |
|
|
|
Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization Type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails |
|
|
provide efficiencies of scale through shared services, resources and systems |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion which results in reduced storage requirements |
|
|
provide cost and operational efficiencies by allowing the consolidation of legacy systems |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes |
|
|
protect against financial losses by enabling the provision of evidence for legal and regulatory cases |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion according to specified retention schedules, which results in reduced storage requirements |
|
|
demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record |
|
|
create a pathway for smaller organizations to take advantage of enterprise level infrastructure through shared or cloud services |
|
|
reduce duplication of infrastructure and effort by sharing services, systems and storage with other institutions |
|
|
demonstrate long term vision and planning |
|
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save on storage costs by enabling documented appraisal, disposal and deletion procedures |
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avoid wasted expenditure and reduce long-term operational costs by considering access and reuse at the stage of data generation, creation and system design. |
|
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enable informed and planned disposal as well as retention which mitigates the continuous increase in the volume of time-series data, as well as the cost of managing it |
|
|
remove the need for expensive and time-consuming data rescue and digital archaeology work on legacy data through appropriate planning and initial investment |
|
|
prevent interruptions to service and loss of earnings through resilient processes and sustained access to information which enable hardware and software updates, upgrades, obsolescence, failures and stoppages |
|
|
cut the costs of viewing rooms open to the public by moving some collections into deep storage |
Corporate / Cultural Memory
The accumulated body of data, information, and knowledge created in the course of an individual organization's existence or throughout the course of history.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences |
|
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
|
|
The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time. |
|
|
|
Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful. |
|
|
|
Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit. |
|
|
|
Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation. |
|
|
|
Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation. |
|
|
|
Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
|
|
|
Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle |
|
|
|
Loss of corporate memory |
|
|
|
Unable to fully capture and represent current events for future generations |
|
|
|
Storage conditions are inadequate for preservation |
|
|
|
Preservation not carried out in a timely manner |
|
|
|
No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections |
|
|
|
Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system |
|
|
|
Do not adequately consider the preservation needs of complex digital objects, including new publication formats |
|
|
|
Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system |
|
|
|
Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation |
|
|
|
Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization Type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record |
|
|
transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary |
|
|
make available a dynamic, powerful information asset which represents an accurate social and cultural record |
|
|
inspire brand evolution through an understanding of corporate history enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records |
|
|
inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records |
|
|
add value and create opportunities for the business by leveraging corporate memory as an asset |
|
|
demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record |
|
|
provide opportunities for the reuse of historical research data for purposes not originally anticipated |
|
|
make the right information is available at the right time, by using the most appropriate service |
|
|
inform and educate the public by enabling access to diverse digital data and records |
|
|
demonstrate, to the public purse, a commitment to maintaining the sustainability of the cultural record |
|
|
inspire the trust and understanding of future users, by providing a complete digital record |
|
|
help retain the archival and historical value of rich and diverse collections, ensuring they continue to be accessible for the long-term |
|
|
demonstrate a commitment to delivering on a public mandate, for present and future generations |
|
|
maintain access to strategically important assets |
|
|
help ensure that cultural and creative data, including the outputs of industry remains accessible, reusable and understandable |
|
|
create greater scope for innovation and reuse by using cultural and creative data at scale |
|
|
maintain access to digital outputs of cultural and creative industries which are essential for innovation, research, development |
|
|
transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right cultural and creative data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary |
|
|
demonstrate the fulfilment of a legal obligation to display and therefore preserve collection objects in perpetuity |
|
|
maintain the cultural and monetary value of the collection, by sustaining access to it |
|
|
help visitors to gain a deeper understanding of our cultural heritage creating new learning experiences with existing data |
|
|
reach new audiences by creating new learning experiences with existing data |
|
|
ensure the collection remains relevant and accessible to generations to come by creating digital copies |
Compliance
Adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to an organization’s business processes and operational area.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
|
Organization Type |
Risk |
Potential Consequences |
|
Data safety and security are compromised. |
|
|
|
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
|
|
The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time. |
|
|
|
Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful. |
|
|
|
Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit. |
|
|
|
Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation. |
|
|
|
Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established. |
|
|
|
Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation. |
|
|
|
Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
|
|
|
Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorised change or corruption |
|
|
|
Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.), |
|
|
|
Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations |
|
|
|
Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims |
|
|
|
Volume of data continues to grow without action being taken |
|
|
|
Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy |
|
|
|
No active programme/processes aimed at acquiring digital objects/collections |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization Type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails |
|
|
hold governments to account by maintaining a clear and permanent audit trail |
|
|
demonstrate a commitment to core statutory function for collection, for present and future generations |
|
|
enable better cooperation with regulatory bodies by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions. |
|
|
allow an organization to defend decisions and attribute responsibility by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions for legal, regulatory and IPR cases |
|
|
enable the organization to respond more efficiently to legal holds by sustaining access to reliable records |
|
|
protect against financial losses by enabling the provision of evidence for legal and regulatory cases |
|
|
demonstrate compliance with institutional and funder policies on data management policies |
|
|
demonstrate long term vision and planning |
|
|
demonstrate greater transparency through documented audit trails |
|
|
demonstrate that the organization is meeting its obligations and mandate through documentary evidence of compliance to legislation |
|
|
enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation. |
Business Continuity
The ability of an organization to continue to function with as little disruption as possible, even in abnormal circumstances. Incorporates any factor relating to the organization’s core mandate and everything required to deliver this, including the environmental, hierarchical and political factors and policies, along with human and individual characteristics, which influence the culture within an organization.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences |
|
Data safety and security are compromised. |
|
|
|
Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful. |
|
|
|
Lack of supporting legislation to facilitate preservation, particularly relating to copyright/IPR, privacy and legal deposit. |
|
|
|
Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation. |
|
|
|
Insufficient funding available to allow sustainable preservation procedures and systems to be established. |
|
|
|
Insufficient staffing/skills to be able to carry out successful preservation. |
|
|
|
Lack of collaboration behind different departments/areas of the organization |
|
|
|
Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
|
Organization Type |
Digital Preservation can… |
|
transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary |
|
|
provide efficiencies of scale through shared services, resources and systems |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion which results in reduced storage requirements |
|
|
provide cost and operational efficiencies by allowing the consolidation of legacy systems |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through the greater automation of processes |
|
|
demonstrate a commitment to core statutory function for collection, for present and future generations |
|
|
inform business initiatives today through an understanding of previous decisions and rationale enabled by access to a complete set of reliable records |
|
|
provide cost efficiencies through planned disposal and deletion according to specified retention schedules, which results in reduced storage requirements |
|
|
reduce duplication of infrastructure and effort by sharing services, systems and storage with other institutions |
|
|
demonstrate long term vision and planning |
|
|
make the right information is available at the right time, by using the most appropriate service |
|
|
support business continuity through sustained access to key business records |
|
|
improve future policy formation by supporting robust strategy, processes and procedures |
|
|
improve knowledge transfer during staff turnover and exits by sustaining access to a complete digital record |
|
|
remove the need for expensive and time-consuming data rescue and digital archaeology work on legacy data through appropriate planning and initial investment |
|
|
transmit opportunities to future generations by ensuring the right cultural and creative data is available to the right people at the right time in the right format, for as long as necessary |
|
|
prevent interruptions to service and loss of earnings through resilient processes and sustained access to information which enable hardware and software updates, upgrades, obsolescence, failures and stoppages |
|
|
create efficiencies in workflow and processes, as well as potentially creating income through data re-use |
Authenticity
The digital material is what it purports to be. In the case of electronic records, it refers to the trustworthiness of the electronic record as a record.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences | |
|
Data safety and security are compromised. |
|
||
|
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
||
|
The bits and bytes making up the digital information degrade over time. |
|
||
|
Insufficient contextual information (metadata) to understand the information and for it to be useful. |
|
||
|
Existing storage systems do not protect records from unauthorised change or corruption |
|
||
|
Staff fail to comply with organizational policy and processes in relation to management of records (reliability, authenticity, usability etc.), |
|
||
|
Loss of corporate memory |
|
||
|
Inability to access legal documentation, institutional history and decision-making precedents |
|
||
|
Litigation from consumers if data made available is not reliable and trustworthy |
|
||
|
Preservation processes do not adequately consider rendering and display. |
|
||
|
Digital objects/collections are not captured in a suitable preservation system |
|
||
|
Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation |
|
||
|
Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files |
|
||
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
| Organization Type | Digital Preservation can... |
|
demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record |
|
|
inspire the trust and understanding of future users, by providing a complete digital record |
|
|
instill trust in cultural and creative data by demonstrating a complete cultural record |
|
|
enable tracking of unauthorized changes, copies and access leading to greater trust and assurance |
Accountability
Being responsible for what an organization does and being able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens. Includes transparency: conducting organizational and financial activities in an open way without any element of concealment, so that processes can be trusted to be fair and honest.
What are the Risks of not preserving digital materials?
| Organization Type | Risk | Potential Consequences |
| All organizations |
Technologies used become obsolete; this may apply to elements such as hardware, software and file formats. |
|
| All organizations |
Rate of data creation outstrips capacity for storage, processing and preservation. |
|
| Archives | Executive level support for digital preservation is not persistent |
|
| Archives | Failure to engage with stakeholders at all stages of the record life-cycle |
|
| Business | Inability to provide evidence of compliance with regulations |
|
| Business | Inability to produce reliable and authentic records necessary to pursue or defend legal claims |
|
| Higher Education and Research | Inability to access legal documentation, institutional history and decision-making precedents |
|
| Higher Education and Research | Research data not transferred to the relevant repository for preservation |
|
| Higher Education and Research | Lack of vendor accountability |
|
| Libraries | Organisation does not move important digital/digitized objects into a preservation system |
|
| Museums and Galleries | Absence of appropriately skilled and invested people responsible for digital preservation |
|
| Museums and Galleries | Absence of a documented workflow for the creation/acquisition and then maintenance of digital files |
|
What Opportunities do preserved digital materials create?
| Organization Type | Digital Preservation can... |
| All organizations | demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability by sustaining an accurate digital record |
| All organizations | protect investment by maintaining clear audit trails |
| Business | enable better cooperation with regulatory bodies by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions. |
| Business | allow an organization to defend decisions and attribute responsibility by sustaining access to reliable records as evidence of actions for legal, regulatory and IPR cases |
| Business | enable the organization to respond more efficiently to legal holds by sustaining access to reliable records |
| Business | demonstrate increased transparency through improved access to records for stakeholders |
| Higher Education and Research | demonstrate, to funders, a commitment to the sustainability of their investment and the cultural record |
| Higher Education and Research | save on storage costs by enabling documented appraisal, disposal and deletion procedures |
| Higher Education and Research | demonstrate greater transparency through documented audit trails |
| Higher Education and Research | demonstrate, to the public purse, a commitment to maintaining the sustainability of the cultural record |
| Libraries | earn the trust of the public through sustained access to documentary heritage which guarantees the integrity of digital holdings |
| Libraries | demonstrate a commitment to delivering on a public mandate, for present and future generations |
| Libraries | demonstrate that the organization is meeting its obligations and mandate through documentary evidence of compliance to legislation |
| Libraries | instill trust in cultural and creative data by demonstrating a complete cultural record |
| Museums and Galleries | demonstrate the fulfilment of a legal obligation to display and therefore preserve collection objects in perpetuity |
| Museums and Galleries | enable robust and trusted iterations and audit trails, review and update to remain in line with the latest standards and best practices, safeguarding organizational reputation. |
| Museums and Galleries | instill confidence in the ability to preserve digital collections |
Organizational Motivators
Motivators are topics or issues that are particularly relevant or important to your organization, and likely to be the things Senior Executives are most concerned about. Robust access to digital materials can support each of these concerns and can add value to each of these areas in a number of ways.
Each of the Risks and Opportunities identified within the Exectuive Guide have been associated with one of the following ‘Motivators’ to help you select which statements might have the most impact within your organization.
Click on each Motivator to see which Risks and Opportunities might be applicable to your organisation:
-
Accountability
Being responsible for what an organization does and being able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens. Includes transparency: conducting organizational and financial activities in an open way without any element of concealment, so that processes can be trusted to be fair and honest
-
Authenticity
The digital material is what it purports to be. In the case of electronic records, it refers to the trustworthiness of the electronic record as a record.
-
Business Continuity
The ability of an organization to continue to function with as little disruption as possible, even in abnormal circumstances. Incorporates any factor relating to the organization’s core mandate and everything required to deliver this, including the environmental, hierarchical and political factors and policies, along with human and individual characteristics, which influence the culture within an organization.
-
Compliance
Adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to an organization’s business processes and operational area.
-
Corporate / Cultural Memory
The accumulated body of data, information, and knowledge created in the course of an individual organization's existence or throughout the course of history.
-
Costs
Any factor relating to organizational expenditure or financial penalties.
-
Enabling Research
The ability of an organisation to facilitate and provide the necessary resources to enable research.
-
Reputation
Any factor relating to the good name or standing of an organization. Incorporates branding: the extent to which consumers are familiar with the qualities or image of an organizational brand. Being able to access corporate history in digital form, in a timely fashion, can support this.
-
Revenue
Any factor relating to organizational income or earnings.
-
Security
Any factor relating to the safety, security and integrity of the digital materials and the systems and architecture used to preserve them.
-
Technology
Any factor relating to the integrity and operation of the systems, storage, hardware or software required to preserve digital materials
Organization type
Where your organization is not represented, start with the statements within the 'All Organizations' section and tailor them for your own. Also check the other sections as some of the statements specific to other organizations may also be relevant to your organisation. If you do customise statements for another organisation type, please resubmit these to the Executive Guide for others to use (see how in the Introduction)
Choose from:
Subcategories
Collaborative Projects
Ongoing collaborative projects that the DPC is an active member of. These are typically externally funded.