For companies record retention periods of 10 years for fiscal relevant data and documents are hard to follow. In view of permanently changing technologies, constantly new software, formats and standards this is a big challenge for the IT community.
Storage, development and allocation of information are good prerequisites for the operating ability of modern companies and administrations.
Problems of long-term storage are increasing with the exponential growth of electronic information although modern software technologies are better qualified for information management, than has been possible with paper, folders and shelves.

More and more information is arising digitally and the issue is that paper is only one possible representation of the original electronic document.
Through the use of electronic signatures electronic documents obtain the same legal status as manually signed writs. Those digital documents legally only exist in electronic form.
Meanwhile this development coerces every company to deal with the theme of electronic archiving.