The digital safe in companies is no longer just a comfort tool: it is now governed by specific legal texts and, in certain sectors, made mandatory. Arkevia, a solution based on the NF Z42-020 standard, positions itself in this niche of dematerialization of payslips and HR documents. But what does its adoption concretely change for a company, in light of the French legal framework and the constraints of document management?
NF Z42-020 Standard and Article L.103 of the CPCE: the Regulatory Foundation of the Digital Safe
The term “digital safe” is not just a marketing argument. It is defined by Article L.103 of the Code of Posts and Electronic Communications, stemming from the law for a digital Republic, and specified by Decree 2018-418. This framework imposes strict technical requirements: document integrity, access traceability, confidentiality of stored data.
The NF Z42-020 standard, for its part, sets the functional specifications of a compliant digital safe. It notably guarantees the sealing of documents at the time of deposit, making any subsequent modification detectable. This is the standard that Arkevia claims for the preservation of payslips and HR documents.
An article detailing the advantages of the Arkevia safe reminds that employees retain access to their documents even after leaving the company, in accordance with legal retention obligations spanning several decades.
Since an order dated July 1, 2025, professionals authorized to the Vehicle Registration System (SIV) must keep their files in a digital safe compliant with the NF Z42-020 standard, with an effective obligation starting August 1, 2026. This sector-specific precedent shows that certified compliance is no longer a luxury, but a regulatory trajectory that is expanding.
Arkevia Digital Safe vs. Traditional Archiving: Comparative Table
Comparing Arkevia to traditional document archiving (internal server, paper files) allows for measuring the gaps on the criteria that matter to an HR or financial department.
| Criterion | Traditional Archiving (paper or internal server) | Arkevia Safe (NF Z42-020) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal compliance of payslip | Depends on internal organization, no certification required | Compliant with Article L.103 CPCE and Decree 2018-418 |
| Document integrity | No sealing, modification possible without trace | Digital sealing at deposit, any alteration detectable |
| Guaranteed retention period | Variable, risk of physical loss or server failure | Long-term retention (several decades) with access maintained after employee departure |
| Employee access after contract end | Often interrupted | Guaranteed by law |
| Automated distribution of payslips | Manual or semi-automated | Automated flow from payroll software to individual safe |
| Access traceability | Limited or absent | Mandatory logging |
The most significant gap concerns evidential value. A payslip stored on an internal server without sealing has no integrity guarantee in case of dispute. The certified safe, on the other hand, produces an opposable proof thanks to traceability and sealing.
Data Reversibility: A Often Overlooked Point
Reversibility, meaning the ability for the company or employee to recover all stored documents in an exploitable format, is a requirement of the NF Z42-020 framework. In case of a change of provider or cessation of activity of the supplier, the data must remain accessible and recoverable. This is a criterion to check before any subscription.
Employer Obligations During the Dematerialization of Payslips
The transition to dematerialized payslips via a digital safe is not a unilateral act. The employer must respect several specific obligations:
- Inform each employee of the implementation of the dematerialized payslip and their right to refuse this format to retain a paper version.
- Ensure access to the safe for the entire duration of the employment contract, and then for a legal duration after the employee’s departure.
- Ensure that the chosen solution complies with the confidentiality and integrity requirements set by Decree 2018-418.
The employee’s right to oppose is a structuring point. An employee who refuses dematerialization must continue to receive their payslips in paper form. The company cannot impose the digital safe without allowing this option.
Notification and Simplified Access
The operational functioning of Arkevia relies on an automated flow: the payroll software transmits the payslips directly into the employee’s individual safe, who receives a notification by email. Access is then made via a personal identifier, including from a smartphone or tablet.
This mechanism significantly reduces the administrative burden on HR services. No more mailing, no more postal sending, no more management of returns. The time savings are tangible from the first months.
GDPR Compliance and Data Protection in a Digital Safe
Storing payslips means processing sensitive personal data: remuneration, bank details, family situation. The digital safe must therefore fit within the framework of the GDPR.
Arkevia, as a subcontractor under the European regulation, must provide guarantees on data encryption, server location, and limiting access to only authorized persons. Access logging is a technical obligation that allows tracing who consulted which document and when.
For the company, choosing a certified NF Z42-020 safe simplifies demonstrating compliance in case of an audit. The certification acts as a pre-established proof framework, covering part of the documentary requirements imposed by the CNIL.
What a Sectoral Obligation Changes for All Companies
The obligation imposed on SIV professionals to use a certified safe since August 2026 constitutes a clear regulatory signal. Other sectors may follow the same trajectory, particularly those handling documents with high evidential value (health, finance, real estate).
For a company that is still hesitant, anticipating this regulatory trend reduces the risk of urgent compliance. Implementing a certified digital safe today is to avoid an imposed migration project tomorrow, with the costs and organizational disruptions that this entails.
The French legal framework around the digital safe continues to be clarified. Between Article L.103 of the CPCE, Decree 2018-418, the NF Z42-020 standard, and the first sectoral obligations, certified dematerialization is moving from the status of an option to that of an expected standard. Arkevia fits into this logic with a positioning focused on payroll and HR documents, two areas where proof of integrity is non-negotiable.
