The use of optical storage technology for those business records which need to be retained for legal purposes

摘要

Organizations have to retain certain records to protect their interest under the law. English law is not specific about such record keeping and information and records managers have to make their own interpretations. Widespread use of information technology allows the proliferation of paper-based records which results in an increase in time and effort spent on retrieval. Some of the types of records which might need to be retained either under common law torts or to comply with legislation are outlined. There is a review of optical storage technology including details of indexing, advantages and disadvantages and applications. The problem of legal admissibility is discussed although future introduction of British Standards and use of optical storage technology in court by the Serious Fraud Office are noted. At the time of writing, continuing lack of standards for interchange of disks and difficulties with indexing combine to prevent wider use of optical storage although it is considered suitable for certain applications.