Reversibility is a fundamental principle of electronic archiving. It ensures that an organization can recover all its archives documents, evidential elements, metadata, and historical records at any time, without loss of evidential value and without dependency on a specific technology or service provider.
Key Principles for Ensuring Reversibility
Full Data Recovery
Reversibility involves the ability to extract not only the archived documents but also all associated evidence: metadata, digital fingerprints, event logs, access and processing histories, and more.
Technological Independence
An electronic archiving system (EAS) must avoid proprietary formats and instead use standardized, open, and durable formats (e.g., PDF/A, XML, ISO 19005, ISO 32000). This ensures that archives remain accessible and usable, even after migration or a change in solution.
Readability and Evidential Value
Recovered archives must remain readable and retain their evidential integrity. The organization should be able to demonstrate the authenticity, integrity, and traceability of documents, even after extraction.
Traceability and Documentation
Every operation related to reversibility must be recorded. A comprehensive report or evidence file should accompany the returned archives, ensuring full compliance and preservation of historical context.
Best Practices to Prepare for Reversibility
Verify the Reversibility Clause in Contracts
From the outset of any service agreement, include a clear reversibility clause specifying the conditions, timelines, formats, potential costs, and technical support for data return.
Promote Standard Formats and Interoperability
Choose an EAS that uses open, standardized formats for documents, metadata, and logs. This approach simplifies data extraction and reuse when migrating to a new platform.
Perform Reversibility Tests
Conduct regular extraction tests to verify the actual ability to retrieve all archives and associated evidence, ensuring they remain readable and usable on other systems.
Ensure Documentation and Support
Request detailed technical documentation on recovery procedures and include provider support during migration or data return phases.
In Summary
Ensuring archive reversibility and recovery means:
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Guaranteeing that all data and evidence can be recovered, read, and reused.
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Favoring open, interoperable formats.
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Preserving evidential value after extraction.
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Defining the process contractually.
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Conducting tests and maintaining clear documentation.
This principle protects your organization from technical obsolescence, provider dependency, and ensures long-term control over its digital archives.
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