Future Proof – Protecting our digital future

As we have noted before, ‘digital transformation’ is a priority in NSW. At the State level, the NSW Digital Government Strategy aims to see a ‘digital by design’ approach embedded across the NSW public sector. The NSW Government’s goal is for people to transact with government via digital channels wherever possible. Four years ago, 44% […]

The Digital Implementers Group met last week to talk about the ways in which NSW Government agencies have implemented electronic approvals (e-approvals). The group talked about the pros and cons of various applications and how digitising approval processes has benefits both for business AND recordkeeping. photo by: striatic

Systems migration is a frequently occurring activity for any organisation that conducts its business digitally. And the ‘digital on the inside’ priority of the NSW Government Digital Strategy may be a driver for migration as agencies streamline their business processes and consolidate their legacy systems. The general retention and disposal authority for source records that […]

File format obsolescence used to be a source of great concern for recordkeeping professionals. And while we haven’t exactly forgotten about obsolescence, our attention has lately been focussed on the diversity, variability and quantity of digital records being created. Some recent enquiries from agencies have reminded us of the need to maintain our vigilance against […]

NSW government agencies are increasingly using collaborative tools to transact government business. Whether used for drafting policies or managing projects or commenting on proposals, these tools will create and store records. Organisations need to establish policies and practices to capture and keep the records it needs to account for decisions made and the outcomes of […]

Each year as we approach the ‘wet season’, State Archives and Records NSW reminds agencies of the importance of good records storage. And while until recently we’d almost forgotten what rain looks like in Sydney, it’s important to remember that it’s not just paper records which can be damaged and destroyed as a result of […]

A colleague recently commented that email is the most unofficial official record generating system. Significant evidence of corporate decision making is contained in email messages, but the ease with which workers send and receive email, and the volume of email in the typical worker’s account, makes it difficult to identify records of enduring value. As […]

As part of the Integrated Collections Management System Program, supported by the NSW Government, State Archives and Records NSW is undertaking a complete renewal of its underlying infrastructure and systems. This critical work will improve the online discoverability of our vast collections, and make it even easier for our many users to find and use […]

Across NSW Government, organisations are increasingly saying goodbye to on-premise desktop applications and migrating their email, document storage, project management, collaboration and other business software to software-as-a-service platforms like Microsoft Office 365. Some organisations have jumped right in (and often the recordkeeping professionals in these organisations are amongst the last to find out). Other organisations […]

“Digital transformation” is a priority of the NSW Government. Transitioning from manual and paper-based processes to automated and digitally enabled processes is expected to simplify and streamline the work of government, as digital transactions and processes are generally faster, more convenient and more efficient. But digital transformation also creates information risks. Last week I spoke at a […]