Project outline
The Victorian Arts portfolio holds a significant and ever-increasing amount of digital assets which need to be properly protected.
Digital assets include original digital artworks or copies of original pieces from a collection; documents which are held by an organisation such as books, catalogues or illustrations; and business correspondence.
While many organisations have been digitising objects and information for some years, no single exercise had been undertaken to provide a centralised and consolidated risk management analysis of digital asset protection across public Arts agencies.
A study project, facilitated by Arts Victoria and supported by the VMIA, was developed to:
- assess the volume, types and value of digital assets held
- analyse usage, storage and handling of these assets from a risk perspective
- develop risk mitigation strategies/recommendations for their future preservation
Project partners
- Arts Victoria (Lead partner)
- Data Management Australia Pty Ltd
- The VMIA.
Project outcomes
The project successfully established that:
- Victoria’s cultural agencies hold 278 terabytes of digital data, with an estimated replacement value of circa $509 million
- During 2010, the volume of stored data increased by 107 percent, reinforcing the need for appropriate protection of the assets
- Data is well managed and stored in accordance with best practice guidelines
- Risks surrounding digital assets are well mitigated with proper controls in place. In the event of a major outage or data loss (providing existing back-up and offsite storage practices are regularly maintained and reviewed) restoration will be possible.
The analysis and recommendations are transferable across all participating Arts agencies. They may also be relevant to other cultural agencies outside of the Arts portfolio such as Federation Square, Royal Botanic Gardens, Zoos Victoria, and possibly, other organisations within the cultural sector and other states’ portfolios where there is a significant dependence on digital assets.
Further information
Martin Hallett
Arts Victoria
Email: Martin.Hallett@dpc.vic.gov.au