Archiving and Securing Digital Documents: Best Practices and Tools

Over the past decade, training organizations have increasingly turned to digital solutions—not only to design online teaching and assessment materials but also to manage administrative tasks and correspondence. But did you know that the management and archiving of documents in the context of educational activities must comply with a number of regulatory requirements? Certain tools can help you meet these regulations and go even further.

Today, according to the 2024 France Num barometer, 56% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use an online document-sharing platform. This digital shift continues to gain ground each year. There are several reasons why it is necessary to archive your digital documentation.

Comply with current standards

Just like paper documentation, digital documents must be archived in compliance with specific standards. In the training sector, certain documents—such as teaching materials, assessments, and attendance sheets—must be kept as proof during inspections (France Compétences, DREETS, OPCOs, etc.).

Preserve the integrity of your documents

Digitizing documents also helps avoid loss or deterioration, as they are stored on secure servers. Many companies fear data theft during cyberattacks.

Save time, space, and money

Archiving digital data also reduces the administrative and financial burden associated with paper storage.

Reduce your environmental impact

Finally, the ecological impact of paper production is particularly damaging, especially in terms of energy and water consumption and CO₂ emissions. While switching entirely to digital is not without environmental consequences (as the manufacturing of IT equipment and data storage also cause pollution), its impact remains lower than that of paper use—especially in the education and training sector, which consumes a significant amount of paper.

The main standards to be observed include:

• NF Z42-013 – A French standard (AFNOR) defining the requirements for designing and operating an electronic archiving system to guarantee document integrity over time. In case of audits or disputes, it ensures that a digital document has the same legal value as an original paper document.

• ISO 14641 – The international equivalent of NF Z42-013.

• NF 461 certification – Issued by AFNOR, confirming that an IT archiving solution complies with NF Z42-013 requirements.

• GDPR – A European regulation governing the retention of personal data.

• Legal provisions – Indicating the statutory retention periods for different types of documents.

To preserve the integrity, authenticity, and accessibility of your documents over time, it is important to follow certain best practices.

Use tools that guarantee document authenticity

Electronic archiving systems (EAS) or electronic document management (EDM) tools offer features such as electronic signatures, digital fingerprints, or timestamping. However, ensure that the selected tool has NF 461 certification.

Comply with archiving standards

As mentioned earlier, it is crucial to follow all applicable standards for data archiving—particularly NF Z42-013, ISO 14641, and GDPR. Also, make sure to respect the statutory retention periods for documents, which vary case by case and require careful tracking.

Control access

Within EDM tools, assign clearly defined roles to different stakeholders to ensure that certain data—such as personal information—remains restricted.

Use appropriate document formats

Save and archive your documents in stable formats over time to ensure long-term accessibility and readability.

Secure storage

Use a secure storage system with data redundancy measures (backup across multiple sites, secure clouds, certified data centers). Have contingency plans in place in case of a cyberattack.

Train your teams

Good practices in digital data management require collective effort, so train your staff accordingly. Regular and updated awareness sessions help reduce cybersecurity risks and ensure ongoing compliance with regulations.

There are many digital tools available on the market for archiving and securing digital documents. In the education sector, tools such as SoWeSign meet current standard requirements and store user data in EU-based data centers to fully comply with GDPR. Key features include electronic signatures, timestamping, the storage of attendance sheets and evaluations, and certified digital safes.

Choosing a digital document archiving solution is not only a matter of legal compliance—it is also a way to achieve peace of mind, save time, and enhance professionalism for training organizations. Good to know: these solutions can be adapted to all types of companies, regardless of their needs or budget.