Preserving records in the cloud Jan Askhoj, Shigeo Sugimoto and Mitsuharu Nagamori Graduate School of Library, Information and Media Studies, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of managing records in a cloud computing environment and compare these with existing archiving models, exemplified by the open archival information system (OAIS) reference model. Design/methodology/approach – The authors compare the functional entities in OAIS with a layered model of cloud computing, in which services are abstracted and shared between layers. Findings – It is concluded that there are a number of areas where OAIS does not integrate well with cloud computing systems. Based on the findings, a new layered model for a cloud archiving system is defined using the concepts and information types from the OAIS reference model. The proposed model allows the sharing of functionality and information objects by making them available as services to higher layers. The model covers the entire document lifecycle, making archive functionality such as preservation planning possible at an early stage and helping to simplify records transfer. Research limitations/implications – The model provides a simple, OAIS compatible approach to representing how digital objects and necessary metadata can be transferred from content creation systems to archives systems. Originality/value – Whereas a lot of research has been done on the technical aspects of cloud storage, there is a lack of focus on how to comprehensively integrate records transfer and preservation in cloud systems. This paper fills in some of the gaps. Keywords Electronic records management, Archiving, Systems design, Information systems, Digital storage, Computer applications, Document management Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction A shift has started in the computing landscape, where cloud computing is becoming an increasingly popular choice for many organizations. IDC predicts that by 2020 as much as 15 percent of the information in the Digital Universe could be part of a cloud service. Whereas much of this information may not be considered preservation worthy, an increasing amount of business and administrative records are being stored in the cloud (Gantz and Reinsel, 2010). In cloud computing, data, software and sometimes the entire technical infrastructure of an organization is moved from corporate data-centers to Cloud Service Providers. This transfer of service and responsibility to one or more third parties can make it hard to guarantee the reliable storage and preservation of records. Changes in available services, difficulty in emulation and migration, inadequate preservation and so on may result in the loss of information ( Jain and Bhardwaj, 2010). Existing archive models, such as OAIS (the Open Archival Information System Reference Model developed by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems is an extensively used reference model for archiving systems) have been established The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm The study presented in this paper was in part supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research. Preserving records in the cloud 175 Records Management Journal Vol. 21 No. 3, 2011 pp. 175-187 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0956-5698 DOI 10.1108/09565691111186858