National Archives, Preservica to preserve digital records

Following an extensive market evaluation, the National Archives of Australia has signed a three-year contract for a specialist digital preservation system with Preservica, to secure Australia’s digital memory for future generations. Preservica’s active preservation software will safely store the Commonwealth’s digital records, ensure they can be found, provide secure access and automatically update files to future-friendly formats.

David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives, said archives globally are grappling with change as digital files replace paper records. Fricker said Preservica will ensure digital records are preserved and accessible, bringing us closer to achieving a vision of being a world-leading archive in the digital age.

“This partnership with Preservica will position the National Archives to stay ahead of the game and securely manage the huge volumes of digital records that will come from Australian Government agencies, as well as the digital copies we make of physical files,” said Fricker.

Yaso Arumugam, Chief Information Officer of the National Archives, said the Preservica software will be a critical component of the Integrated Archival Management System the agency is building. With the contract signed, the National Archives will work to integrate Preservica with current systems and migrate digital records.

“Working with a market leader in preservation software gives us an exciting opportunity to adapt contemporary archival practices to collect, preserve and provide access to these records,” said Arumugam.

The National Archives is responsible for preserving and providing access to information and records from Australia’s 187 Commonwealth agencies.

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