Digital Continuity project
News and updates
The Digital Continuity project sends regular updates to central government which you can download from this page. We also put up general news and information on an ad hoc basis. We hope you find these interesting and useful, and would welcome your feedback: simply email digitalcontinuity@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Updates for government
These monthly updates are for central government, explaining how the project is progressing, and the actions departments need to take to address loss of digital continuity.- June 2009: the risk assessment process (PDF, 17.28kb)
Digital Continuity project
News
Stakeholder consultation on outline requirements for a framework of tools and services: August 2009
Part of our service to government, and the wider public sector, will include a framework of tools and services which can be used to address your specific digital continuity risks and issues. Stakeholder consultation on the outline requirements we've produced for the framework opened on 3 August, and closes on 30 September. We've produced a version for stakeholders that provides explanation of the nature of the technologies that might be included, and of the business problem it is intended to solve. It also include examples so that it can be more easily understood by both technical and non-technical team members.Your feedback is essential and will help to shape this groundbreaking service, helping us to check that our requirements are clear, grounded in 'real life' needs, and that there are no gaps.
Please download our Outline Requirements and Consultation response form and email it with your comments to DCSProcurement@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Supplier briefing event - September 2009 - information now available
The Digital Continuity Project held a briefing event for suppliers on Friday 4 September. The presentations given at the event are now available for you to view via our Events page.
New collaborative procurement to protect government's digital information
The National Archives has joined forces with OGC and Buying Solutions to manage the procurement of a Framework of technical tools and services that forms part of our digital continuity service for government.
The service, comprising guidance, technical tools and services will enable government, and the wider public sector, to use its vital digital information for as long as it needs to. Procurement will start in Quarter 4 2009. See the outline requirements for the framework.
The problem
Digital continuity is a real issue for government and the wider public sector. Without action, digital information can easily become incomplete, unavailable or unusable over time, and during period of change (for example systems or contract change, or machinery of government changes). Not having guaranteed access to essential information for as long as necessary can have serious consequences – impacting on government's ability to operate legally and accountably, and to deliver good public service.
The National Archives' Digital Continuity project is developing a service for government that will enable it to understand and address loss of digital continuity. This will comprise guidance, a Framework of technical tools and services, and standards. The project is funded by sixteen central government departments, but the service will be available to the wider public sector.
The National Archives has chosen to procure its Framework of technical tools and services by working collaboratively with OGC and Buying Solutions.
OGC are helping the project to develop a robust business case which identifies and records Digital Continuity service's cashable and non-cashable benefits. They are also working with the project to embed digital continuity into wider government practice, for example including digital continuity in ITIL (best practice for IT Service management) and in the model contract. OGC will host the result framework offerings.
Buying Solutions are working with The National Archives to create the flexible Framework of approved supplier and solutions via an OJEU restricted procedure.
This Framework will essentially be a comprehensive catalogue of technology tools, services and solutions that support digital continuity, and efficient information and data management.
It is likely to include products that use the following types of technology:
Understand assets:
- File characterisation
- Database characterisation
- Metadata extraction
- Information modelling
- Content analysis
Understand environment:
- Technology inventory
- License management
- Software usage analysis
- Configuration management
Change assets:
- File format migration
- Database migration
- Asset de-duplication
- Data quality enhancement
- Asset archiving
Change environment:
- Efficient storage
- Hardware virtualisation
- Viewer software
Services are likely to include:
- Information management services
- Software licence management services
- Efficiency improvement/technical environment change services
- Consultancy
- Virtualised environment services
- File archiving services
- Email archiving services
- Efficient storage services
- Database migration services
- Format conversion/content transformation services
- File/data recovery services
The National Archives are encouraging Government and public sector organisations to begin taking action now to address the risks and issues associated with Digital Continuity. By providing a framework of tools and services, which can be drawn without the need for individual procurements, the public sector can achieve significant cost savings.
Helping organisations to meet their green IT targets: July 2009
The Digital Continuity project is liaising with DEFRA (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to look at how we can help organisations to meet their Green IT targets.
Data centres, housing computer servers for industry, business and administrations, are responsible for almost 3% of electricity use in the UK. The Greening Government ICT strategy includes a commitment to comply with a Code of Conduct for Data Centres, which aims to reduce energy consumption without hampering performance. It's a European-wide voluntary initiative, providing guidelines, recommendations and examples of best practice in areas such as software, IT architecture and infrastructure.
DEFRA are producing implementation guidance for organisations who are considering becoming participants. This guidance is aimed at public procurers, and will be available shortly.
The Digital Continuity project is keen to help organisations meet their green IT targets, and so we're looking at including efficient storage and intelligent data management solutions on our framework of technical tools and services. This framework will form part of our digital continuity service, which will help to make sure government can use its digital information for as long as it needs to.
Unlocking the value of information management: June 2009
An innovative tool, which quantifies the significant cost savings and other benefits of good information management, is to be made freely available to the public sector by The National Archives.
The Information Management Value Model (IMVM), commissioned by The National Archives' Digital Continuity Project, allows organisations to quantify the benefits, in monetary terms, which could be realised by improving information management.
Time wasted by staff hunting for information and the unnecessary duplication of effort are just two ways in which poor information management can be costly to an organisation.
Supporting your business case
The IMVM looks at a number of benefits, including: direct cashable savings, improved productivity, better products and business processes, risk reduction, and effectiveness. It works by quantifying the value of a proposed improvement in information management, rather than attempting to directly measure the value of the information.
Running the model against a number of possible options will provide an evidence-driven understanding of how changes in the way you manage information can increase efficiencies and effectiveness, and reduce costs.
However, improvements in information management will directly drive an increase in the value of information itself, as you can see in the information management value model chart.
Freely available
The National Archives is currently testing the model within central government and, once refined, it will be made available for free to the public sector on this page.
User testing
If you're already thinking about driving further efficiencies and increased effectiveness through improved information management, you might find it useful to test the IMVM. Register your interest by emailing: digitalcontinuity@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Further information
Read our press release for more details.
