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 presentations and podcasts from the Records Managers Forum held 11th December 2017 are now available on Future Proof. State Archives and Records NSW uses the Forum to engage with public offices and to provide an opportunity for other NSW public sector organisations to share information about key initiatives or government programmes. The Forum included […]

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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

State Archives and Records NSW advises that high risk business areas in each organisation should be priorities for information management activity. By identifying its high risk business areas, an organisation can identify and mitigate any information-related risks these areas might face. At last week’s meeting of the Digital Implementers Group, the members talked about how […]

Last October when it emerged that the Prime Minister and Cabinet were using the social messaging tool WhatsApp to communicate with each other[1], the Australian Signals Directorate advised that although the app was not on the approved list for sensitive and classified communications, they had no concerns about the use of it for ‘routine communications’[2].

Information Flow within organisations Information flows within an organisation, either formally or informally. The free flow of facts, ideas, data and opinions is constant and the lifeblood of any organisation. Information flows can also result in records being created with all the inherent issues associated with information integrity, accessibility, security and preservation.

Last week we had our first Digital Implementers‘ Group meeting for 2017. We gave a preview of our new workshop – Introduction to Information Risk Assessment, which set the tone of the meeting. The Workshop The workshop is designed to help participants understand the risk assessment process within the context of the Standard on records […]

We recently published new advice on managing text messages as records. It provides guidance on how you can capture text messages into your corporate recordkeeping system. It is, however, only half of the conversation – and the second half at that. Before we jump into managing text messages as records, we need to think about […]