BS ISO 16175-1:2020

What is ISO 16175-1 about?  

ISO 16175-1 discusses information and documentation. ISO 16175-1 is the first part of the ISO 16175 series of the standards that is applicable to functional requirements and associated guidance for any applications that manage digital records. 

ISO 16175-1 provides model, high-level functional requirements, and associated guidance for 
software applications that are intended to manage digital records (including digital copies of analogue source records), either as the main purpose of the application or as a part of an application that is primarily intended to enable other business functions and processes. 

Note 1: ISO 16175-1 does not include: 

• Functional requirements for applications that manage analogue records: 
• Generic design requirements such as reporting, application administration, and performance 
• Requirements for the long-term preservation of digital records in a dedicated preservation 
  environment 

Note 2: The model requirements are intended to encourage the deployment of applications that do not hinder long-term preservation of records. As such, some of the requirements support long-term digital preservation outcomes. 

Who is ISO 16175-1 for? 

ISO 16175-1 on digital records is useful for: 

• Organizations 
• Business analysts  
• Business owners 
• Applications developer 
• Solution architects  
• IT procurement decision-makers 
• Advisors 

Why should you use ISO 16175-1?  

Good management of records and information is fundamental to a well-functioning organization. It supports business functions and processes and provides a basis for efficient service delivery. It also provides the mechanism for organizations to retain evidence of their decisions and actions for future reference and to support business continuity. Good records practice is simply good business practice.  

ISO 16175-1 provides model, high-level functional requirements, with associated explanatory 
information and usage guidance, for any software applications that are intended to manage digital records. ISO 16175-1 is to assist the developers and implementers of those applications to identify and deploy functional requirements that help ensure that the data generated and held in such applications can serve as adequate records of business functions and processes. 

In addition to providing model high-level functional records requirements in business applications, ISO 16175-1 provides guidance on identifying and addressing the needs for records. 

ISO 16175-1 aims to: 

• Help organizations understand requirements for managing digital records as they relate to 
  software applications used by organizations; 
• Assist IT and business specialists to include records considerations in applications design and/or procurement; and 
• Assess the capabilities of existing business applications to manage records, including helping to identify gaps or areas of risk in the current functionality of those applications 

What’s changed since the last update?  

BS ISO 16175-1:2020 cancels and replaces BS ISO 16175-1:2010. 

BS ISO 16175-1:2020 includes the following significant technical change with respect to the BS ISO 16175-1:2010: 

• The distinction between dedicated records management applications and business applications has been dispensed with. As a result, a single set of functional requirements and associated guidance is provided in a single document that addresses both kinds of software applications 
• The number of functional requirements has been greatly reduced and simplified in order to help users focus on the most important areas of software functionality 
• Text has been updated, clarified, and simplified, with the use of records jargon eliminated where possible and explained when necessary in acknowledgment of the primary audience for the standard being IT professionals. More diagrams have been added