Electronic archive (system class)

The electronic archive belongs to the Enterprise Content Management class. Many organizations come to its implementation through the use of public network folders, but not yet ready to implement electronic document management systems, often cumbersome and complex, so electronic archives are positioned as the basis of document management.

Features of electronic archive systems

Formulated in accordance with the MoReq II^[1]:

• does not allow the document to be modified;
• Allows a single final version of the document to exist
• prohibits the deletion of documents, except for some strictly controlled situations;
• shall include strict storage policies;
• should include a strictly ordered document structure (classification scheme), which is set by the administrator;
• can support daily operations, but is primarily designed to provide secure storage of business-relevant documents.

Main functions

The introduction of such a system first of all begins with the need to structure electronic information, regardless of whether it is text documents, multimedia or graphics: signed contracts, primary financial, as well as technical and project documentation.

The electronic archive includes the following basic functions:

• Document management and archive hierarchy (check-in/check-out, security, service management, assignment of attributes to documents)
• image of documents (digitization, transformation, presentation in different formats of paper documents);
• in-line input - acceleration of the introduction of a large array of typical and heterogeneous documents into the system;
• Web Content Management
• message systems that allow users to exchange messages, as well as assign tasks and track the status of their execution.

Depending on the type of archive system and its purpose, specific functions appear, for example:

• for systems for automation of archival workflow - formation and execution of archival businesses, automatic formation of a list of cases, accounting and control of the use of cases.
• for archives of regulatory and technical documentation - an updating function that reminds the user to check the relevance of the standard presented in the system;
• for financial (payment) documentation archives - a sampling function that allows you to display the entire necessary list of documents required, for example, for tax audits, as soon as possible.

Types

• The Archive Workflow Automation System is required for the Enterprise Archive Division. It helps to form archival businesses, the nomenclature of cases, keep records, control the dates of mandatory storage, etc.
• The electronic archive of financial (payment) documentation provides centralized accounting and storage of electronic images of primary financial and economic documents, contracts and other documents related to the financial and economic activities of the enterprise.
• The electronic archive of design documentation allows design organizations to store the entire range of documents, such as: drawings, estimates, explanatory notes and much more.

• The electronic archive of regulatory documents is an organized catalog of all enterprise standards purchased and/or developed by them. The creation of such an archive is closely related to the problem of copyright of standards developers and is often one of the conditions for passing certification.

• The electronic archive of technical documentation is intended for organizations whose activities are related to the supply of goods and provide storage of related technical documentation (user manuals, technical characteristics, etc.).

• Electronic archive of legal documentation containing contracts and related documentation;

• Electronic archive of personnel documentation used to store personal files, employment contracts, orders and instructions, instructions and regulations within the company;

• An electronic design document archive allows you to access copies of drawings, regardless of their age.

Steps to Create an Electronic Archive

The number of stages in the creation of such a system depends on whose forces such a project will be carried out - the organization itself or the outsourcing company. In general, the order is as follows:

• Company survey. The result should be a document that reflects the current state of the documents that will be in the archive, their number, structure and relationships. It should also include information about the departments that will use the archive, the technical and software base of the company, the ability to integrate with other systems from which access is required, as well as the level of preparedness of employees. Based on this document, a statement of work is written.

• Installation and configuration of the electronic archive system. At this stage, equipment is also purchased (if necessary) for organizing inline entry of documents (industrial scanners, servers and document processing workstations) and for long-term secure storage of data ([[RAID 'RAID arrays], libraries on various media).

• Filling the system, the most time-consuming process, including:

• • Scanning of documents - starting from their preparation and ending with quality check of images obtained after digitization;
  • Entering information into the system, which includes either, at a minimum, creating an electronic document card with describing attributes, or a full-text database of available documents, as well as data verification.

It is necessary to distinguish between volley input - a one-time entry into the system of a large array of documents, forming an archive fund - and current input - scanning current documents and their subsequent entry into the system as they appear.

Russian Electronic Archives Market

Participants in the electronic archives market in Russia and the CIS countries are divided into several categories:

• Electronic Archive Software Developers (Alee Software, Electronic Archive Corporation);

• Suppliers and manufacturers of equipment (Electronic Archive Corporation, Pirit, Canon (Canon Ru), Eastman Kodak);

• Developers of electronic document management and workflow systems (EOS, DocsVision);

• Developers of optical character recognition systems (Abbyy Russia, CUNEIFORM, OmniPage).

Chronicle of events

2023: New rules for storing personnel electronic documents introduced

On September 17, 2023, the order of the Federal Archival Agency (Rosarkhiv) No. 77 came into force. From that moment on, Russian companies will be able to transfer for storage in electronic archives only those documents that meet the latest requirements. This also applies to personnel EDO. Read more here.

See also

• Digital Design: Electronic Library
• Electronic Document Management System
• STOR-M Electronic Archive
• Scanner
• Inline Document Scanning
• Digitization of books

Links

• Analytical and news site on the Russian electronic archives market El Archivo.ru.
• Electronic archives in difficult times (BYTE article)

Notes