5.1.1.1.1 - The repository shall have hardware technologies appropriate to the services it provides to its designated communities.
ExplanationSP
staff collaborate with personnel from the University of Toronto Libraries' Information Technology Services (ITS) department to assess the long-term viability In order to provide a level of service that meets SP's contracted obligations, SP staff evaluate, select, and implement hardware technologies based on a clear and comprehensive understanding of the needs and expectations of the repository's hardware and software. This is an ongoing and comprehensive process that uses information obtained from automated monitoring systems, manual quality controls, the repository's Designated Community, the repository's hardware and software vendors, and the enterprise IT community at large. The chief objective is to predict deterioration and obsolescence before they can impair the repository's ingest, data management, archival storage, or dissemination processes. In addition, systems administrators monitor the technology ecosystem in order to detect potential conflicts or points of failure and identify opportunities to reduce costs.
SP benefits from an active and technologically savvy Designated Community, composed of librarians, researchers, and students, who report problems in system behaviour. SP receives feedback from its Designated Community on a regular basis, and librarians at OCUL member institutions can contact SP staff directly to report problems and discuss issues. Representatives from the Designated Community sit on the repository's advisory committees, giving them an opportunity to report technology issues to SP staff.
Designated Community. SP staff work closely with members of the Designated Community to identify system requirements and test implementations. Representatives from the Designated Community sit on SP's advisory committees, giving them a direct channel to the repository's directors and system administrators. SP has designed its archival storage, data management, and access systems to meet the expectations of its Designated Community for the integrity, authenticity, and usability of information. System administrators designed the system to be scaleable well beyond its current size.
In addition to extensive and ongoing communication between SP and its Designated Community, systems administrators at SP and the University of Toronto Libraries' Information Technology Services department receive information about system behaviour and usage from automated monitoring tools. These tools warn administrators about loads that exceed predetermined levels.For more information about hardware monitoring and change manangement, please see 5.1.1.1.1, 5.1.1.1.2, 5.1.1.1.3, and 5.1.1.1.4. For software, please see 5.1.1.1.5, 5.1.1.1.6, 5.1.1.1.7, 5.1.1.1.8.
Responsibility
Digital Preservation Policy Librarian
Systems Administrator
Potential RisksThe primary risks associated with technology monitoring are (1) failure to gather information from a wide variety of reliable sources and (2) failure to monitor sources in a timely manner. SP and ITS staff minimize these risks by regularly gathering information from a number of trusted sources within and without the repository (see Explanation, above).
Monitoring Commitments
SP will assess its technology monitoring practices on a regular basis, according to the Review Cycle for Documentation Policy, or whenever there are major changes to its operating environment such as hardware refreshment, significant staffing level changes, or security incidents.
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