This table outlines some of the identifiable benefits in undertaking a migration project. These should be considered in planning, in comparing these with costs and risks.
| Migration benefits | |
|---|---|
| Effective management of digital records | Records are retained for their specified retention periods and are not destroyed without authorisation. Records required as State archives are migrated to the State Records NSW Digital Archives when no longer needed for business use. |
| Reducing costs of software licences and vendor support | Legacy data can be costly to maintain regarding licencing and support and is at risk of becoming unsupported by software vendors. There is a burden on agencies to maintain this cost as well as face the risk of records becoming inaccessible. Migration of digital format State archives to the Digital Archives allows for decommissioning legacy systems that are costly to maintain. |
| Reducing costs of storage | With the ease of creating records in digital formats and systems, legacy data accumulates quickly and, over time, can become large in volume. In addition, administrative change in Government often results in control of legacy data shifting from one agency to another. As this accumulation grows storage costs will be a greater burden on agencies. Migration of digital format State archives to the Digital Archives can help reduce storage costs incurred by agencies. |
| Reducing costs of hardware infrastructure | Closely linked with storage costs are the hardware infrastructure costs associated with managing legacy systems and large numbers of records no longer needed for business use. Decommissioning legacy systems or disposing of records no longer required for business use can provide savings in ICT hardware infrastructure expenditures. |
| Reducing costs of managed services | Where agencies outsource managed services for either software or storage solutions there are still cost issues relating to legacy data that is no longer required for business use. Over time these costs can escalate. Migrating legacy data required as State archives to the Digital Archives can assist in reducing costs of managed services. |
| Digital continuity | Records remain accessible for as long as they are required to be used including migration to the Digital Archives for permanent retention of records required as State archives. This allows for accessibility of records to enable and support sharing and use of NSW Government information. |
| Effective management of digital records | Records are retained for their specified retention periods and are not destroyed without authorisation. Records required as State archives are migrated to the State Records NSW Digital Archives when no longer needed for business use. |
Identifying the benefits of undertaking migrations and reviewing these against costs and risks provides greater perspective to understanding the value proposition involved. This value runs across effective management of records, business process and ICT and supports identifiable goals in both the NSW State Plan and ICT Strategy.
Published July 2014