Which term best represents records that must be preserved and securely stored for an extended period?

The term that best represents records that must be preserved and securely stored for an extended period is "archived records." Archived records are those that are no longer actively used in daily operations but are retained for institutional memory, legal compliance, historical significance, or future reference. The process of archiving ensures that these documents are stored in a secure and organized manner, making them accessible for future retrieval while protecting them from loss or deterioration.

Active records are those currently in use and needed for daily operations. Inactive records refer to documents that are no longer actively needed but still have retention requirements before they can be disposed of. Critical records are essential to the operation of an organization, but not all critical records are necessarily archived; some may remain active or inactive depending on their usage status. Therefore, "archived records" is the correct choice to denote those documents that require long-term preservation and secure storage.