Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Implementation of the Project “Unified archive of electronic documents” in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Under present-day conditions of digital transformation of the economy, the problem of storing and using electronic documents is quite relevant. As a result of consistently pursued state policy of informatization of Kazakhstan, in recent years the share of electronic documents accumulated in various national information systems has significantly increased. The article is devoted to the project “Unified Archive of Electronic Documents” (UAED) implemented within the frameworks of the State Program “Digital Kazakhstan” adopted in all departmental and state archives of the republic. It represents a practical solution for organizing long-term and permanent storage, order, and usage of electronic documents. The author describes main components and functionality of the system for automating the activities of both departmental and state archives, maintaining the State Fonds Catalog, providing remote access to archive’s data through web portals "E-Archive" and "Electronic Government," generating statistical reports on various indicators for various time periods, composition and content of archival fonds, state of storage of documents, etc. The article describes procedure and form for accepting electronic documents for storage in the UAED, where the main condition is to confirm the validity of electronic digital signature. It also underscores the problem of verification of documents that did not pass this check. The regulatory legal framework for implementation and functioning of the system has been investigated. The article notes existing loop-holes in the legislation on the issues of ensuring legitimacy and authenticity of electronic documents when transferring for storage, of electronic digital signature integrity, and of electronic files formation. In particular, it underscores the necessity of legislative consolidation of the “time stamp” concept and the mechanism of its use when verifying electronic documents. The problem of choosing a format for long-term data storage is outlined. An example of using such electronic documents property as possibility of their machine processing for automation of the process of forming files and compiling series is considered. It is noted that nation-wide introduction of the UAED has made it possible to unify and systematize the process of transferring archival documents into digital format. The author concludes that, in order to solve practical problems of archival storage of electronic documents, it is necessary to conduct scientific research and acquire theoretical understanding of a number of issues (selection, examination of value, organization of storage, use of electronic documents, etc.).