Document Purging – An Inside Look

Recently, our Augusta Data Storage team tackled a huge document purging project which resulted in over 22,000 lbs of paper being securely shredded and recycled. Purge projects can be overwhelming, especially if it is not one of your regular responsibilities. As papers pile up and storage space becomes limited,  the only choice is to either seek additional records storage space or come up with a process for purging old documents. If you have never done a purge project or considered a document policy within your company, it might be worth reading some of our tips from a previous blog post, here.

Once you understand the process, putting together a plan for your project might be a little easier, but working with a team of experienced professionals is key. When it comes to managing your business’ documents, you want to trust that you are purging them out of your system in an organized and secure manner, that’s where Augusta Data Storage comes in. Our multi-faceted service offerings allow our team to customize the scope of your project to fit your unique needs. We are able to help you relocate your files to a different storage area, provide off-site storage and retrieval, or even provide secure document destruction for those items you are completely purging from your system.

When we first met with Jebco in Warrenton we were brought in to help them organize and mange a destruction purging project where we would securely shred all the outdated and unneeded paper files that had been collecting in their facility for several years. After completing the project, we followed up with Jebco to find out, first hand, how they thought the project went and to help provide an inside look for some of you feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of diving into a purge project in the future.

1. When was the last time your organization completed a document purging project?
   We have never done purging like this before. What few documents we have shredded in the past was done in office with a small desk-side shredder, two or three sheets at a time.
2. What prompted you to initiate a purging project?
   We had practically run out of space. We had every cabinet and box we could find packed to the gill.
3. What were your initial expectations of the project? Did you think it would be hard? Tedious? How long did you think it would take? How much work did you think would be involved?
   I thought when I suggested this project, it would take months of going through all of our papers to see what I could throw away or shred. I found a “RETENTION SCHEDULE” and read through it several times, then our office manager and I put our heads together and decided how many years of documents we needed to retain. From there I started putting orange dots on doors and cabinets to mark what would stay and what could go.
4. On the day of the document purging project, what stood out most to you about Augusta Data Storage and their team?
   On the day of the project, I was impressed with the efficiency of the workers, they worked well together. Butch, our account manager, was right there helping the team.  They were very polite and dressed professionally.
5. What is one tip you would share with a company considering a document purging project in the future?
   Please don’t think you have to save everything. Study the your state’s retention schedule to find out what is necessary to store and for how long.
6. Do you have any additional thoughts or comments to share regarding your project or recent experience with the team at Augusta Data Storage?
   I would like to comment again what a pleasure it was working with Butch from the beginning of this project until it was finished. Everything was handled in a very timely matter.  We appreciate the patience and kindness shown helping us through this project.

Check out this short video about the Jebco  document purging project to get an inside look at some of our processes.