BSI releases IM standards.

• Position: STANDARDS - British Standards Institute - Information management

The British Standards Institute (BSI) has released two standards--one published, one in draft form--in response to electronic information management issues.

In December BSI published BS 10008, Evidential Weight and Legal Admissibility of Electronic Information Specification. The standard prescribes best practices for implementing and operating information management systems so the e-records held in them are less likely to be challenged as evidence. The standard comes in response to the growing number of lawsuits involving e-discovery in the United Kingdom, according to an article in IT-Director.com.

For electronic documents to be admissible, BS 10008 stipulates they must be managed by a secure system throughout their lifetime and specifies requirements for ensuring the documents' availability over time. The standard deals with authenticity and integrity issues, particularly around the transfer of electronic information from one computer to another. It also covers electronic identity verification and electronic signatures, especially for where it is important to link an electronic identity to particular electronic documents. The standard is generic and can be used by public or private entities. BS 10008 is available for 100 [pounds sterling] (about $144 U.S.) at www.bsigroup.com/en/ Shop/Publication-Detail/?pid= 000000000030172973.

In mid-2009, BSI is expected to publish BS 10012...