Blockchain technology, or distributed ledger technology, was originally developed as a public transaction ledger for a new peer-to-peer electronic cash system called bitcoin. But what started as the backbone for cryptocurrency now holds new potential as industries and governments examine ways to incorporate blockchain into smart contracts, government records and many other use cases. There are many concerns raised for records managers.
The Foundation would like to see this research address, at a minimum, the following questions:
- With blockchain executing a checksum at various distribution points, where is the actual record?
- What retention concerns are raised here? (Keeping as an active record, an archived record and e-discovery?)
- How is destruction defined and executed?
- Who owns the record?
- Are there defined lifecycles?
- What are current standards and best practices? Do they differ by industry?
The suggested methodology includes but may not be limited to interviews and surveys using a generated standard set of questions.
The report will be reviewed prior to publication. A Foundation liaison will be assigned to the project and work with the researcher through its duration.
Length of Paper:Â Â 40-50 Pages including citations
Available Funding:Â $5,000.00 in three installments
Contract Term:Â To be negotiated. Goal is 6 to 8 months from the date of signed contract
Applications:Â Please send a resume and a cover letter detailing your experience and suggestions for the project as email attachments to:Â coordinator@armaedfoundation.org
Copyright:Â Copyright will be retained by the Foundation
Deadline for Applications:Â June 1, 2018
Research Selection Date:Â July 1, 2018
