The Top Ten Records Management Mistakes That Businesses Make
Your office's records represent a significant investment in time and resources. These records can be a key tool in protecting your organization's liability in a variety of functional areas and provide an essential audit trail. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid:
- Keeping Records Management In House - Of course this is where all businesses start, but the need to move past this phase is critical. In house storage is the most expensive and least secure option for inactive physical files, electronic messages, and information captured by your various databases.
- Procrastinating The Off-Site Facility Move - Putting off the decision to protect vital records and establish business guidelines threatens business continuity after a disruption or disaster. Don't wait for a disaster to force you to take action.
- Not Putting Together A Consistent Retention Schedule - Should that file stay or should it go now? Your retention schedule must be based on legal and regulatory requirements. Your program should have formal procedures that are consistent across all departments. Click here for some Business Records Retention Guidelines.
- Not Properly Organizing And Indexing Files - The old adage that failing to plan is planning to fail applies here. Record Storage is about finding information when you need it, not just getting it off the premises.
- Choosing A Self-Storage Unit For Off-Site Storage - A storage unit with a pad lock is a weak defense. A state-of-the-art alarm system with motion and sound detectors is the industry standard. You also want a Record Storage center with protection from insects, rodents, fire and other threats to your records.
- Not Shredding Documents On A Regular Basis - Criminals are regularly "dumpster diving" to see what they can find. But they are not the only ones to fear. Your competitors, private investigators and the news media may want to know what is in your trash.
- Not Hiring A Record Storage Center That Meets Industry Standards - How do you make sure you are dealing with a storage management vendor that follows industry standards? Ask for their industry affiliations. COR-O-VAN, for example, is a member of the Professional Records & Information Services Management (PRISM), the American Records Management Association (ARMA), the National Records Center (NRC) and the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), ASIS International.
- Not Putting Digital Media In An Off-Site Location - Not just any storage will do for electronic media. Special consideration should be given to safety and security, as well as the climate within the location.
- Not Providing Quality Control Checks To Ensure The Viability Of Data - Long-term protection often requires rotation of information stored on electronic media. Ideally, offsite electronic media storage with regular rotation is part of a complete program of data back up. Often it is the 4th or 5th form of redundancy for companies and is also a necessary part of an integrated emergency response plan.
- Not Keeping Up With Current Laws And Regulations - Legislators, regulators, and the courts are clearly serious about enforcement of privacy laws. With identity theft on the rise you can expect more compliance issues. A Record Storage center with national affiliations can help you stay on top of proper retention and disposal of records.
Did you know?
At least eight types of people are known to go through business trash:
- Criminals
- Private investigators
- Competitors (and people hired by them)
- Law enforcement
- Scavengers
- News media
- Trash hauling companies
- Your disgruntled employee
The Supreme Court of California ruled in 1988 that there can be no expectation of privacy if trash is left accessible to the public. Click here to learn more about the dos and don'ts of document shredding.
To discuss your Record Storage needs, please call COR-O-VAN today at the COR-O-VAN location nearest you.
