How to Know If Off-Site Records Storage is Right For Your Business
Wondering if off-site records storage is right for your business? Augusta Data Storage offers many services for the secure storage and retrieval of paper and digital files.
What is off-site records storage?
Off-site storage is warehouse-based storage, located separately from your office or place of business. Our secure, off-site storage facilities offer a safe and secure option for archiving bulky paper documents, charts, and files. Augusta Data Storage offers records storage services and management solutions to fit the needs of your organization.
What are the benefits of off-site records storage?
There are many benefits when it comes to outsourcing your records management services.
Storing your paper records in off-site record centers reduces the amount of dedicated storage space required in your office space.
In addition, off-site records storage and management with Augusta Data Storage includes access to state of the art management software, computer indexing, and record security. This creates a more secure chain of custody and makes document management and tracking records access even easier.
How do I access my business records if they are stored off-site?
There are many ways to access off-site records. We offer both digital and hard-copy access to your records stored in our facility including cloud-based access, retrieval access, and scan-on-demand.
Cloud-based tools allow our customers to check inventory, request records and manage record retention schedules. Retrieval access can include box retrieval, file retrieval, fax delivery, email delivery, and more. With document conversion, you can transform your paper records into a digital workspace.
Our customers have access to inventory monitoring software allowing you to check the status of your records. Customers can also make requests 24/7 for file retrievals or refiling.
How do I know which business records to move off-site?
Creating a records retention policy for your records is essential, especially if your industry has records and archiving requirements. It is important to know the records retention laws and archiving laws for records for your specific industry. The requirements can vary by state and industry. It is always best to seek the recommendation of your information governance officer to ensure your company .
Who should use off-site storage?
Any business looking to outsource larger volumes of records for secure, off-site storage is a great candidate. Here are a few considerations to make if you’re wondering if off-site storage is a good fit for your business.
Storing HR and Personnel Files:
For many businesses, storage of HR and Personnel files makes up a large volume of their storage needs. While it might be enticing to move these records off-site to save space, we recommend keeping any records you need to access or update on a regular basis in close proximity to your Human Resources professionals.
Storing Medical Records
Doctors offices, dentists, hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical labs, and a variety of other health care facilities are often overrun with patient records. Off-site storage is a great solution for those providers looking to consolidate on-site storage options and relocate some of their lesser-used files. You can read more about medical records storage here.
Storing Legal Records
If you have backlogs of legal records that you need to keep on hand, but don’t have space for in your office, an off-site storage partner is a great option. Retrieval access options through your storage partner should offer you secure and trackable access to your files when and where you need it.
Storing Archives and Historical Documents
Augusta Data Storage is proud to offer one of our region’s only NARA compliant storage facilities. Built to the specifications of the National Archives and Records Administration, these specialized facilities are approved for storage of archival and government records.
Records Storage for Closed Businesses
Did you know that some businesses and service providers are required to store and maintain archived records, even after their businesses close? If you are retiring, moving, or closing your business and need peace of mind for protecting your business records, Augusta Data Storage can help. Our team will relocate files from your office to our facility, index and file them, and help you develop and maintain a retention and records purge schedule. Even after your business is gone, confidentiality and security of your client and patient records are still important and you could still be held accountable for any security breaches.
Nearly all industries can benefit from off-site records storage, ranging from medical to legal to real estate.
Can I rent a storage unit for my extra business records?
When choosing storage options for your files, a secure space is a must. While a quick self-storage rental might be the “easy solution”, having an experienced partner by your side is a benefit you won’t regret.
Not only will off-site storage with a records storage partner ensure the safety and security of your records, but it will also ensure ease of use. Our quick and simple retrieval options ensure you can access your records when you need them, and our client portal makes it easy to track, request and manage the files located in our facility.
Ready to get started? Call us today!