Arkivum turns 10! - Arkivum

Archiving & Preservation / 25 May, 2021

Arkivum turns 10!

2011. The year that saw Kate and Wills marry, the premier of Game of Thrones, Novak Djokovic win his first Wimbledon, Katy Perry and Russell Brand file for divorce…and when Arkivum stepped onto the digital archiving and preservation scene.

The company was born out of a project underway at the University of Southampton (world-renowned for their research into data science and management) and stemmed from the realisation that there was a need to protect and preserve certain data forever.

For millennia, physical records and artefacts have been stored within museums, vaults, libraries and private collections around the world and cared for on-site by selected custodians and managers. But over the last 10 years, not only has the amount of data we all generate continued to grow exponentially, but so too the requirement to effectively archive and preserve it for its future accessibility, reusability and security.

This past decade has witnessed a technological transformational with the emergence of cloud technology with it becoming the preferred solution for digital archiving and preservation.

These last 10 years have been an exciting journey and we’re delighted to share some of the milestones we’re most proud of.

First customers

Our first customers included the Oxford Fertility Unit, New Voice Media, Phlexglobal and the National Institute of Medical Research. Since then, we’ve gone on to onboard over 100 customers across a range of industries, demonstrating the growing need for digital archiving and preservation, regardless of industry.

Some of the recent examples of how we are helping our customers include:

  • We’ve enabled ITMA to provide long-term access to their valuable sound recordings, still and moving images, manuscripts, printed materials and other irreplaceable assets.
  • Provided the University of East London with the required secure access for users to be able to access important records, audio files, images and video files through an engaging and easy-to-use search interface.
  • Equipped Neuraly, a biotech organisation who conduct research into diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative disorders, a robust digital solution to ensure compliance with tough industry regulations and requirements.

Launch of SaaS Solution

Led by customer requirements and market demands, in 2018 we launched Arkivum’s first SaaS solution. Developing a common, multi-tenant platform provided customers with a standard platform that has since been regularly upgraded and improved to provide a range of benefits and improvements to efficiency across our customer base. Not only this, but moving to a SaaS approach has removed substantial overheads for all parties, including no on-premises hardware with associated overhead costs of obsolescence and customer IT resource.

Continued commitment to security and quality

Arkivum has always been committed to providing a high standard of service to its customers. This was reinforced relatively early on in our journey with the certification in ISO 27001, for managing information security. This commitment to security is a core focus of our business and has also expanded into Quality Management with our later award of ISO 9001 in 2019.

“Arkivum’s certification to ISO 27001 in just nine months demonstrates exceptional dedication to securing clients’ data and its commitment to providing a first class service,” commented Dr John Ryan, Commercial Director of Certification Europe (July, 05, 2012). “Arkivum can now reassure all of its customers that it’s operating to the optimum levels for information security.”

Since then, we have also consistently gained recertification in both standards!

ARCHIVER Award

Since mid-2020, we have been in partnership with Google Cloud as part of the ARCHIVER project. The aim of ARCHIVER is to support the IT requirements of European scientists and to provide end-to-end archival and preservation services for the vast and ever-growing datasets generated by world-leading research.

Our selection for phases one (Design) and two (Prototype) have been significant milestones for us and affirms our status as an internationally recognised expert in long-term data archiving and digital preservation of valuable digital assets including research data.

Hear what our co-founder, Matthew Addis, has to say about this momentous occasion.

“Having co-founded Arkivum 10 years ago, it’s been great to see the company go from strength to strength and blossom into a well-known and respected provider of digital preservation and data archiving solutions.  

 Although 10 years is a long time – especially in the software industry – I feel that we’ve only just gotten started and there is still so much for us to do and achieve.  

 Digital Preservation is about the long-term ability to open, use and understand digital content and applications. As humanity continues to develop and use new types of digital content, new software applications, and new digital services – all at an ever-increasing rate – so too is there the need to develop and provide new ways to capture, store, protect, preserve, discover, retrieve and reuse this content in the digital archives of the future.  

 I’m really looking forward to the next ten years of Arkivum and the new challenges and exciting opportunities this will present. There’s going to be plenty to keep us busy!”

Since 2011, it’s safe to say that we have continued to develop our expertise, differentiate our solution, venture into new markets and have created a team who endeavour to provide an industry-leading service and solution.

“We couldn’t have gotten to where we are today without our customers and dedicated teammates. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for helping us on this journey and we look forward to continuing our work together and seeing what we can accomplish in the future.” – Chris Sigley, Arkivum CEO.

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Whitney Armstrong

Whitney is the Marketing Executive at Arkivum. She joined the business in 2020 and is responsible for supporting marketing campaigns and activities targeting key sectors. Whitney has over 5 years' experience of delivering and supporting marketing strategy for technology brands.

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