FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2025

With the disappearance of magnetic tapes and optical discs from digitisation efforts, the archival landscape has undergone a fundamental transformation. As all content now resides within enterprise-scale data centres, the notion of an archive has shifted from a tangible collection to an "invisible" repository. This raises pressing concerns: how can organisations ensure their digital holdings remain accessible, authentic, and safeguarded over time?

The challenge of digital preservation lies not only in maintaining technical integrity but in ensuring awareness and active stewardship. Without the physicality of tapes or discs, archives risk becoming "out of sight, out of mind." To counter this, institutions must establish robust digital preservation policies that define retention strategies, monitoring protocols, and long-term accessibility plans. Implementing these policies requires a blend of automated verification processes, human oversight, and adherence to evolving standards in digital conservation.

The vendor community plays a pivotal role in supporting these efforts. Technology providers must develop solutions that offer transparency into stored data, facilitate auditability, and ensure sustainable preservation strategies. Vendors can also guide organisations in adopting best practices, integrating AI-driven archival management, and maintaining adaptability to future shifts in digital storage technology.

A proactive approach is essential to ensure archives remain not only present but actively usable. By fostering collaboration between archival institutions and technology vendors, the archival world can bridge the gap between the visible past and the intangible future.