Digital Ark Austria
Vision
To preserve Austria's entire digital memory for future generations.
Mission
Memory institutions and the public administration should be given the opportunity to store their data in a crisis-proof location and to preserve it in the long term.
About the Digital Ark Austria
The digital transformation is influencing all areas of social life and is changing the activities of institutions and individuals. The knowledge and its availability as well as the nature of collaboration and communication are taking on new forms - from the content creation to its management, usage and sharing via various websites, portals and applications.
The digital transformation entails a range of opportunities for the memory and administration institutions, however it brings also challenges and risks with it. As part of various digitisation projects, numerous measures are being offered to digitise analogue collections and to store them securely. As a result, the digital memory of the Republic of Austria is being documented and given new application possibilities.
Data from memory institutions (archives, libraries and museums) and essential administrative data of the Republic of Austria can be stored in the Digital Ark Austria. All data remains the property of and under the control of the respective memory or administrative institution, which alone can decide,
- what happens to its data,
- how it is processed,
- who is authorised to view it,
- and who can use it.
All other technical and administrative tasks are carried out by the Federal Chancellery in its role as the operator of the Digital Ark.
Crisis-proof data storage
A loss of data would have unforeseeable and serious consequences.
A prolonged failure of IT procedures, systems and applications can lead to a standstill in essential administrative activities without suitable precautionary countermeasures. In particular, the increase in electronic processing of all tasks leads to a high dependency on technologies that may not be accessible in the event of a crisis or disaster.
The Digital Ark Austria is the solution for a secure and permanent storage of data. In the event of a disaster or cyber attack, all data is stored in encrypted form in a protected, self-sufficient and resilient data centre that meets the highest security criteria. If required, the respective institution can access its own data at any time.
Milsestones of the Digital Ark Austria
- 2020 Start of the technical implementation
- 2021 Launch of the first functionalities
- 2022 First memory and administrative institutions are using the platform
- 2023 Implementation and further development of a long-term preservation and archiving service
- 2024 Development of tools and measures to support the processes and workflows offered in the Digital Ark