How Does Records Storage Work?

Throughout the process of running your business, there are many documents created each day. If those documents are created on paper, then you are quite aware of the amount of room that those daily documents can take up over time. Electronic documents also take up room, but instead of physical space they will take up memory space on servers and hard drives. Whether you deal with physical or electronic documents and records, you should have a plan in place for archiving records once your on-site storage capacity has been reached. When it comes to archiving your paper records, moving them to a records storage facility, such as Augusta Data Storage, is easy, and retrieving your records is quick and effortless.

How do my files get into a records storage facility?

The first step in the process is to have a “needs analysis” done for your records. In this analysis, an account manager from a records management company will discuss items with you such as the volume of boxes to be stored, the accessibility of those boxes, and the length of time your records will be stored, or their “shelf life.”

Next, an inventory list will be generated by either you or the records management company. This list is vital in the migration of your records because it serves as the checklist for the couriers who will be moving your boxes to the storage facility.  Boxes will also need to be inspected for physical condition to make sure that they are durable enough for long-term storage.

Once the records storage company moves your boxes to their facility, the boxes will then be assigned a shelf space and inventoried into the system which provides historical tracking of box activity related to retrievals and refiles. Many companies also provide services for your storage needs such as comprehensive indexing of the individual files in each box, interfiling of additional files in the boxes, and online access for you to see your up to date inventory at the facility.

What happens if I need my files once they are in a records storage facility?

Accessing your records is as simple as a phone call or email. Password enabled access for certain people in your business helps the records facility mange this process. Upon successfully requesting your records, a courier from the storage facility will either bring your records to you or you can pick them up in person. When the boxes are ready to return to the facility, the process is reversed. You call or email, the courier picks them up, the files are checked back in, and then refiled.

When your records & boxes reach the end of their predetermined shelf life, you will be notified and asked what you would like to do next. Many times, a customer will ask that the records storage facility perform a destruction process for the boxes of records. Other times the customer may decide to extend the shelf life of the boxes. Either way, your records storage provider will keep you up to date and fulfill your request.

Augusta Data Storage is the leader in Records Management services in the Augusta area. For over 25 years we have been providing our customers with secure storage and 24/7 retrieval access for their records. As the needs of our customers have grown, so has the scope of our business. We now offer secure vaulting for digital assets and secure destruction services for paper and electronic waste. If you’re looking for a partner to help manage your company’s records and file storage, look no further than our local team of experts!