meaning.

(This allows for external changes such as new interpretations,

without allowing internal changes that would alter meaning)
They must document the relationships on which the required level of
authenticity rests. These include relationships between the object and its
identifiers; between the object and its producer; between different objects; and
between the object and how it has been managed.

16.11 Data protection strategies

Other kinds of heritage materials may have survived periods of neglect, but digital
data will not. Digital objects require well planned, well managed, and sustained
strategies to protect data as a minimum foundation of continuity. The strategies that
are needed usually include:
Clear allocation of responsibilities
Provision of appropriate technical infrastructure, including systems, storage
devices, and carriers to do the job
Maintenance, support and asset replacement programmes for the systems
Transfer of data to new carriers on a regular basis to ensure data is not
threatened by media deterioration or changes in access hardware
Appropriate storage and handling conditions for carriers
A high level of redundancy as an insurance against the failure of any one copy
or component; including appropriate backup regimes
A high level of system security including controls on access to stored data
Disaster preparedness planning.

These are covered in more detail in the Technical and Practical Issues below.

TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES

16.12 Using service providers
Of all the responsibilities of preservation programmes, storage and data protection
may be the ones for which it is easiest to find suitable third party service providers.
The considerable investments required for equipment and expertise may make this an
attractive alternative to managing data in-house. However, the critical nature of data
protection means that the preservation programme must still accept responsibility for
ensuring that any contracted services deliver the necessary levels of care and control.

16.13 Practical aspects of data protection strategies

There is a reasonably standard suite of strategies used to manage data in long-term
storage. Most are predicated on an assumption that the data carrier itself does not need

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