"It is critical to understand the purpose of the electronic information as that will be a determining factor in choosing the file format to best suit the organization's needs," the report says.

"Organizations that choose to adopt PDF/A need to implement additional policies, procedures, and requirements on the processes used to generate conforming files to ensure the reliable rendering of the documents. This means organizations need to implement records management policies and retention requirements for the organization based on ISO 15489. When creating electronic archives, the organization should also consider the recommendations established in the OAIS Reference Model."

It also recommends implementation of quality assurance processes to ensure the files are created in conformance with the standards and that the archives are being maintained in accordance with the established policies and procedures.

"It is important to note that one file format may not fit all needs in an organization. As the organization's needs change, the file formats chosen need to be reviewed to ensure that they fill the needs and meet the ever changing regulatory compliance requirements. The development of file formats such as XPS and OOXML should be followed and implemented where appropriate in an organization," it says.

"Increasingly, file formats are being based on XML which provides a level of interoperability amongst the file formats and aids in the preservation of electronic documents created using the formats."