Why Offsite Records Storage Beats In-House Storage Every Time

Wondering where and how to store your documents? If you’re thinking about doing it yourself, you may want to reconsider. Here are several ways offsite storage beats in-house storage every time.

Security

Storing confidential documents in-house may seem safe but it actually increases identity theft and business fraud risks. A dishonest or disgruntled employee has greater accessibility to your sensitive files than a burglar hoping to break into your office. Offsite storage in a commercial records center protects your documents from both outsider and insider theft of your information with the following security systems:

  • Intrusion detection technology
  • Digital surveillance
  • Motion sensors
  • Access control and monitoring

Only screened, authorized records management personnel can access the facility, and every document is continuously tracked with barcode technology.

Disaster Protection

Fires, floods and natural disasters pose a serious risk to paper documents. But they aren’t the only threats. If documents are stored in moisture-prone areas, they are subject to mold, mildew, and even pest infestation. And unfortunately, most office filing cabinets are neither fireproof nor watertight. Even with advance warning of an impending crisis, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have the time and resources to gather all of your organization’s vital information. That’s why disaster recovery experts recommend storing your business records in a secure location separate from your primary business premises.

A commercial records center that meets National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and State of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) standards is the ideal facility for storing documents offsite. Purpose-built records centers have climate controls and specialized systems to protect business documents from disaster.

File Accessibility

 In-house storage isn’t just risky—it’s inefficient. Documents are often stored in file cabinets where filing and retrieval is done by different people. And when file management is done by committee, it increases the chance of documents being lost or misplaced.

With offsite storage, you don’t have to worry about file mismanagement. Your files are barcoded and tracked using an inventory management system. Secure online access allows authorized users from your organization to see the number and type of records you retain, who has what file, and where it’s located. If a file is needed, it’s retrieved from its designated storage location, its barcode is scanned as part of the continuous tracking system, and it is either hand-delivered or sent electronically through a Scan on Demand service.

Cost

The last way offsite storage beats in-house storage is by saving you money. Office space is expensive, and filling it with file boxes just isn’t cost-effective. Plus, the math just doesn’t work when you have to pay a full-time employee to manage your document inventory when they could focus on revenue-generating, core tasks instead.

Your documents can be stored and managed much more economically in a commercial records center where you don’t have to set aside prime office space to store documents—or buy filing equipment and systems to manage your files. And your administrative costs are minimized because your documents are professionally managed for you in a cost-effective manner.

When you consider the security, safety, cost and efficiency of managing your documents, offsite storage beats in-house storage every time.

Pacific Records Management provides records and information management service for businesses throughout Fresno, Stockton, Sacramento, Modesto, and Napa and Solano Counties. For more information, please contact us by phone or complete the form on this page.

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