The Risks of Self-Storage for Records Management

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Managing your business’s records can be a challenging task, but it is essential for compliance with various laws and regulations. Many business owners turn to self-storage options to help manage their records, but this can potentially put your data, and business, at significant risk. Self-storage facilities are not designed to meet the specific needs of records management, and it can make it difficult to properly store, access or protect your documents.

Instead, owners should turn to professional records management solutions who can help ensure that documents and data remain safe, secure and easily accessible.

Why businesses choose self storage for records management?

Self-storage facilities are a common choice for records management and document storage by business owners because they offer convenient, affordable, and quick off-site storage.

Inevitably, there comes a day when the sheer volume of physical records becomes simply too much for a company to store on-premises, and in order to quickly resolve the issue business owners turn to self-storage solutions.

Contracts are quick to establish and can be up and running in an afternoon, and in just a few quick trips the documents can be moved offsite.

Additionally, the cost of self-storage is often seen as a bargain when compared to other, more secure, options.

The Risks of Self-Storage for Records Management

Unfortunately, the choice to save money and time by using a self-storage solution can be much more costly for businesses than many owners anticipate. Here are some of the common risk factors you should be aware of:

Unauthorized Access

  • Most self-storage facilities offer access to any tenant without verifying the identity of the person requesting access and this can leave your business records vulnerable.
  • Physical security measures can be inadequate and a lack of monitoring coupled with easy access by anyone make self-storage facilities an easy target for theft.

Damage/Loss Due to Poor Storage Conditions

  • Self-storage facilities are not designed with records management needs in mind and often lack the climate control and other environmental safeguards necessary to protect records over time.
  • Without an adequate humidity level, documents can be prone to warping, fading, discoloration and even mold growth.

Pests and Rodent Damage

  • Self-storage facilities are often prone to insect and rodent infestations, which can cause physical damage to paper documents. Rodents will also nest inside containers made of porous materials such as cardboard or plastic.

Inability to Comply with Regulations

  • Self-storage is not always compliant with HIPAA regulations, or other data privacy and security laws. The lack of control over who accesses your records and the poor environmental conditions can put a business at risk of not being able to comply with regulations.
  • Additionally, there are rules around how long you can store documents, and if you cannot access them when needed due to the structure of self-storage this could result in non-compliance.

What are the alternatives to self-storage facilities?

The most secure option for storing your business records is to invest in an offsite professional storage facility. A professional document storage company like Augusta Data Storage will offer secure, climate-controlled, and monitored storage space to ensure that your records are kept safe from unauthorized access and environmental damage.

Additionally, document storage companies provide a secure, reliable and compliant way to store your records with features such as bar-coded tracking systems, electronic access logs, and pick up and delivery services.

By choosing offsite professional storage for your records you can ensure that your business data is secure and protected in a compliant manner and have peace of mind knowing that your records are easily accessible when needed with no extra trips to the storage facility.

Ready to Get Started with Augusta Data Storage?

We work with companies across the healthcare, higher education, finance, and legal industries to help keep their data secure, safe and compliant. Get in touch for a free consultation today and find out how Augusta Data Storage can help protect your business records and ensure compliance with regulations.