Today’s business and personal document storage is ideally paperless. Think about it: if you’re interviewing at a business and everyone’s desk looks neat and pristine, and nobody’s got piles of paper anywhere, you’re likely to think “I could work here.” And if the opposite is true, you’re almost certainly going to think “This company is operating with Stone Age tools.”
Proper storage of documents is a crucial part of business and personal organization. Safety, security, and – most importantly – documents access is essential to life today. Electronic communication, documents, and messaging must be stored each day at a business. Keeping up with these needs can be especially challenging. Regular maintenance is also essential. Here are some things to consider:
“Hard Copies” (Paper)
It’s unavoidable. Some things still arrive in “hard copy” and on paper. Storing these physical documents is essential to make sure they’re safe and intact for years to come. These items must be stored in physical files which are labeled, arranged, and recorded. No doubt, the business has some brilliant administrative employee who performs these tasks but managers might not know where to find important documents the admin has a day off.
Businesses keep large amounts of physical documents, including invoices, mortgage deeds, vehicle titles, financial statements (stock/bond certificates), and the like in office filing cabinets or in storage, especially if they’re not used every day. These items should be kept in climate-controlled, locked storage to ensure their safety.
Individuals have important papers, including marriage, divorce, baptism, or government-issued identity cards. Each individual or family should keep these records in a storage safe that’s fire and waterproof. Take it from experience: the cost to order marriage or divorce records online is steep…
Backup Storage
If you have a computer, manage a server, or need to retrieve information from a database, you know that crashes (or worse) happen. Sometimes, the data stored on them becomes permanently unavailable. Without a failsafe backup system for electronic documents storage, important documents can get lost. Believe me, the pain that results from lost documents in this scenario is avoidable. Think about it now.
A file-sharing service can help small businesses manage regular, routine downloads or file and document backups. Individuals can download important documents to portable flash drives and stash these drives in the same waterproof/fireproof safe suggested above. Along with marriage or divorce records…And don’t forget: keep the court documents from a divorce settlement because “mistakes have been known to happen.”
Larger businesses may elect to use secure electronic storage offered by subscription from a computer backup service.
Bottom Line
If you’ve got a business, chances are very good that you need document storage, records (and systems) management, and archival storage. Because managing and operating a business is an all-consuming task for most business owners or senior leaders–or senior leaders in training–it’s important to engage an experienced off-site provider of these services with pick-up and delivery availability. Saracen Data Store is an example of an experienced provider of document and data storage services in the UK. They’ve been in business more than twenty-five years.
If you’ve got an active social life or a penchant for moving house too often, records and documents tend to get lost. In this sort of scenario, take steps to back-up files and safely store these valuable items.
