A new revision of standard NF Z42-013 has just been published by Afnor on October 1, 2020.
Arcsys Software took an active part in all Afnor meetings of the comment review committee, a process that lasted several months to evaluate every sentence of the text.
We particularly like …
- The requirements and recommendations are now very clear and complete, covering everything from software functionality to the organizational aspects of the archiving service provider;
- Keeping up to date with the latest techniques, practices and safety requirements.
We also regret …
- That the issue of long-term preservation has not been addressed in all its aspects, despite the fact that the archiving business must be structured with a long-term, or even very long-term, perspective;
- Among other things, the fact that format management has not been given sufficient attention, even though the risks of non-operability are very high in the medium to long term;
- That this revision has not been an opportunity to make the market aware of the indispensable checks to be carried out on formats with a view to long-term preservation, and of the inescapable importance of format heterogeneity.
And now …
- This standard now differs somewhat from the international ISO14641 standard, and it seems unlikely that it will be possible to bring them into line. Internationally, this point is problematic, as France still stands out from other European countries when it comes to standards;
- A revision of the French NF461 certification will shortly be launched, to certify that an archiving system has been implemented in compliance with the revised NF Z42-013 standard;
- A salutary underlying trend seems to be emerging to converge a number of public sector sector certifications towards this NF461 certification.