Why Offsite Record Storage is Something Most Businesses Need: By Steven Hastert

Why Offsite Record Storage is Something Most Big Businesses Need

Nowadays, most businesses have enormous amounts of data for which they must account and manage. This includes added equipment to handle all these electronic records or storage areas to accommodate paper records. Government record-retention requirements for tax and business purposes can make record retention a cumbersome and costly task. Business IT departments have to add records management to the growing list of responsibilities when managing computer systems, networks, software and electronic documents.

Space-Saving

Most businesses retain copies of paper documents for at least seven years, some as long as the business is old. When it comes to accommodating several years of documents onsite, the task is cumbersome and hard to manage. Besides having to sort through paperwork manually, on-site record storage takes up valuable office space. Hiring a company to come in and scan all of these documents into an electronic system is one way to offload onsite record storage; another is to choose an offsite storage facility where it may be cheaper to keep business records.

Increased Security

Most of the records a business must keep include proprietary and confidential information. Onsite storage can create security problems and give access to these records to employees or people who should not have access. By moving records to an electronic document management company or offsite records storage, the only people who can gain access to these documents are those previously authorized to do so. Besides the added security, offsite record storage also provides added protection against catastrophes and disasters that may occur.

Time-Saving Search Features

Before sending your records to an offsite storage facility, they are cataloged, categorized and imprinted with a bar code that identifies file contents. This information is added to an office storage company's database, which makes it easy to search for needed records. Instead of having to troll through countless file boxes to find archived or important documents, simple computer search features allow quick and easy access to documents. Most documents can be retrieved within the same or next day of a request.

Protection Against Disasters

One of the most important features of using an offsite storage facility or electronic document management company is the protection offered to businesses' most important documents. When catastrophe strikes in the form of earthquakes, weather problems, floods or other unforeseen disasters at your business location, important documents are kept safe and secure. Most offsite storage companies plan for catastrophes and disasters to accommodate record storage.

Disaster Recovery Plan

Businesses need to consider adding offsite storage for important computer backup programs. By moving important backups from the business location to an offsite storage facility, a failsafe is in place in the event of a disaster. It's important for businesses to develop a disaster recovery plan that includes step-by-step priorities of re-establishing the business. Oftentimes, a company can find online templates to help create a disaster recovery plan. To get a business up and running after such a disaster, having backups at a different location can speed the process along.

Compare Plans and Prices

The state and federal governments use offsite storage companies to archive important and historical documents. If the government uses these resources, it makes sense for business as well. When considering an offsite record storage or electronic documents management company, check the reputation of the company. Review business references and select a company such as File Solutions Ltd, with proven records of accomplishment. Choose File Solutions Ltd, a company that will keep pace with your business needs.

 

Poor Information Governance Leads can be Costly

Records Management: Poor Information Governance Leads can be Costly

By Dick Weisinger, on April 10th, 2013

Poor record keeping is causing businesses problems — problems with regulators, auditors and courts.  31 percent of businesses have reported governance issues with their records and documents.   That’s according to a new white paper by AIIM on information governance with a special focus on Records Management and eDiscovery.
The report found a correlation between poor information governance and increased costs relative to litigation and damages.  For those companies that have put good information governance policies in place, in addition to a smaller chance of facing litigation problems, those businesses also typically saw reduction in their storage costs, had better methods for sharing of ‘knowledge resources’, and managed to be able to more quickly respond to events.
Another area the report identified as a problem area with many businesses is email archiving.  About a third have a problem enforcing the storing of duplicate copies of emails, with copies potentially on desktops, laptops and mobile devices.  12 percent of businesses report not even establishing an email archiving policy, much less enforcing it.  Further, most email policies rely on the manual selection, tagging and classifying of emails.  Gradually more automated techniques for identifying important emails are being adopted, but that is happening slowly.  Automated email archiving techniques are expected to improve the results from search and discovery, and also allow retention schedules to be automatically assigned to documents and records so that they can be later identified for destruction when they are no longer needed.
Another set of data included in the report concerned the use of paper.  The report concludes that the demise of paper isn’t here yet, but one interesting statistic uncovered  is that there is  a ‘checkered picture’ phenomenon relative to companies adopting electronic documents versus those who still stick with primarily paper documents.  The report found that many businesses have embraced electronic documents while another group still clings to the use of paper.  42 percent of organizations say that the amount of paper which they need to manage continues to grow.  But 34 percent now say that the amount of paper they manage is decreasing.  Larger companies are more inclined to be reducing their reliance on paper documents.

Records Management Trivia

Here's a trivia question to challenge your records management knowledge: What is the cost in productivity that is lost per worker, per year, due to the inability to find data they need to do their job?

Keeping the bunny at bay!

This is the time of year when children hunt high and low for eggs and candy supposedly hidden by a giant bunny. It always seemed strange to me that this bunny chose to hide them instead of out them in the most obvious places. Wouldn't that be a little more positive?

But I’m curious to know how many of these treasures just remain hidden each year because they were inadvertently hidden so well.  I know at our house those silly plastic eggs and foil covered chocolates continue to show up for months to come after all of them were apparently found.

With many businesses the same effect happens with their files. As long term retention boxes were being filled, extra files inadvertently make their way into the wrong boxes. And for some universally bizarre reason, it’s always those files that are most needed that end up hidden from view. And they cannot and will not likely be found because they aren't where they are supposed to be.

Our file indexing service can help you to ensure you know exactly what is in each and every box. We carefully inventory every storage box one file at a time so you know with certainty where everything is. We want to find those files that got placed by mistake in the wrong box. Cause when you need them a couple of years from now, even if they were in the wrong box, we can retrieve them quickly.

Records and information management is critical to business continuity, legal compliance, customer satisfaction and profitability. Let me help you discover the perfect solution for your business!

Keeping the bunny at bay!

Do your Documents require a Spring Clean?

Spring time is here already and with the clocks just about to Spring forward now is the time to get thinking about your Spring Clean.  So if you’re struggling with exactly where to start your annual tidy up make sure your first task is to give File Solutions a call, as we can lend a helping hand to get you organised for Summer.

If some of your files are no longer required and are now  just collecting dust in your offices, File Solutions provides Confidential Destruction Services.  Our Destruction Services are highly secure and we will supply you with a ‘Certificate of Destruction’ once the destruction process has been completed, providing you  with the knowledge and satisfaction that we have disposed of your items securely.  We also recycle paper items once they have been destroyed so it’s environmentally friendly too!

Alternatively if you are on a mission to reclaim your office from an ever growing collection of Documents, why not utilize our Secure Storage Facilities?  Our services could save your company money by saving staff time and freeing up valuable office space that could be utilized more effectively!  We take pride in providing the very best Document Storage service

WOW, did not know that!

STORY NUMBER ONE Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.. To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help  and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block. Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example. One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. (Let's set the records straight, Capone was Sicilian, not Italian.) To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street ... But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read: "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the     clock may soon be still." STORY NUMBER TWO World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but     defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron     took off in another direction Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.  He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first  Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home     town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man. So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some     thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2. SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER? Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son. (Pretty cool, eh) Now you know why Chicago airport got its name.

Securtiy ID Cards

 

When dealing with any one saying there are from File Solutions  make sure they have valid ID with signature verification on the back

 

 

 

Our new ID cards,  barcode,  name, employee name, employee number picture and signature on the back,  very happy with the quality,