Case Study: The National Archives achieves long-term, active digital preservation with Preservica

The National Archives - Customer Case Study

The National Archives, the UK Government’s official archive holding millions of records from the Domesday Book to modern digital files, faced a growing challenge as government records became born-digital: how to store, manage and keep electronic records readable despite rapidly changing file formats and technology. They needed a secure, scalable system that could ingest diverse digital objects, protect sensitive material, and integrate with existing catalogue and public delivery systems.

Working with Preservica, they built a purpose‑built national digital archive using active‑preservation technology that migrates files to current formats while validating pre‑ and post‑migration properties, and integrates with the Archives’ catalogue and online presentation. Delivered and commissioned from 2006–07, the result is a secure, scalable archive that ensures long‑term readability, established a successful public‑private partnership, and produced a commercial solution now used by other national archives and libraries.

The National Archives

David Thomas

Director of Technology