Choosing Between Onsite & Offsite Document Storage

Document storage can be a hassle for many companies. One of the largest considerations a business must make is whether to store documents at its office or at an offsite location.

Businesses have large amounts of data, and government requirements for both tax and business purposes can make record retention a daunting task. While much of today’s data is electronic or paperless, businesses must still have access to older paper records. Storing documents onsite has several disadvantages:

• It takes up valuable office space. An archival self-storage space can take up office space that would be better used by employees.
• Self-storage takes your employees’ time to manage and archive the data.
• Organization is up to you. Multiple people will probably have access to the records and maintaining organization (and finding anything when you need it) may be a challenge.
• No disaster recovery contingency. What happens if a building catches fire, a pipe breaks, or some other disaster affects the archived data? What about security from those who want to steal your data?

The Benefits of Storing Data Offsite

Because of the disadvantages noted above, more businesses choose to store their documents offsite. Choosing this method has several advantages:

• Offsite storage maximizes office space. Many businesses retain their paper documents for at least seven years, and some for as long as the business has been around. Hiring a company to come in and take the records offsite can free up space to expand the business.
• Offsite data storage increases your business security. Business documents include confidential and personal information. As such, documents require the best protection possible. Document storage centers are securely built to protect records from damage that might occur at an office not meant for such a purpose. These facilities are also created with security measures in place to keep your important information protected from theft and prying eyes.
• Choosing an offsite method increases file accessibility. Searching for a file that’s been misplaced can be a chore, not to mention a waste of business productivity. Storing files offsite is a simple way to ensure that files will be available whenever businesses need them. By utilizing document tracking systems, such as file folder indexing, businesses never have to worry about misplaced files again.
• Offsite storage offers valuable peace of mind. With added security, document tracking capability, and efficient use of space, having your data offsite gives businesses peace of mind knowing that their documents are safe and sound. This type of security is worth its weight in gold.

Offsite document storage provides several valuable services to businesses. Partnering with a top-quality data storage and management company is the key to success. Armstrong Archives offers comprehensive data storage and accessibility services to businesses of all sizes. For more information and to learn more about what we offer, please contact us.