The ability to manage records through time is critical to the NARA mission. It has no choice but to manage electronic records. It has just announced a $307M contract with Lockheed-Martin to provide the Electronic Records Archive.
In making the announcement, Professor Weinstein said, “I am indebted to those who acted decades and centuries ago to ensure that the records of our past were preserved for use today. These parchments, pieces of paper, photographs, and maps have allowed us to reconstruct and understand the story of our nation and its people. Today, we act on behalf not only of archivists but of all Americans of the 21st Century who will use the electronic records being created by the Federal Government, today and tomorrow, to research, write, and understand the history of our times. The ERA system will make that possible. The Electronic Records Archives’ goal is clear and simple: a system that accepts, preserves, and makes accessible – far into the future – any type of electronic document.”
Professor Weinstein added that the National Archives selection team was impressed by Lockheed Martin’s “ability to design a system which addresses in considerable depth NARA’s business needs, on the one hand, and on the other hand, a system that entails a modern, service-oriented architecture. NARA’s business needs encompass handling rapidly-growing volumes of electronic records, ensuring the authenticity of those records, preserving them for the long term, and providing public access while protecting privacy and sensitive information. The system’s architecture makes it flexible enough to accommodate evolving policy change.”[NARA – Press – National Archives Names Lockheed Martin to Build Archives of the Future]
Note that mention of service-oriented architecture – SOA is now like magic dust 😉
Via Neil Beagrie.
