Document Storage: Common Questions Answered

Isn't offsite document storage inherently less secure than on-site document storage? \
Not at all; in fact, offsite document storage with a properly accredited facility can actually be far safer than on-site storage. This is because:

• Our warehouse has an extensive security network in place which would be prohibitively expensive for many businesses to implement, leaving your files more exposed in the case of burglary
• Everybody that comes in contact with your files at TRM's Brisbane and Gold Coast document storage facilities has had extensive training in methods for maintaining confidentiality.
• Our staffs contact with your records is more tightly controlled than that of many ordinary employees

Our industry recognises the potential for abuse of information, and has put in place an extremely tight network of regulations to offset that.

Does document storage make it more difficult to access my records when I need them?
Not necessarily. If your records have been indexed and catalogued by Total Records Management, we can quickly identify the document you need, scan-on-demand and deliver to you via email or through our secure web portal in as little as 15 minutes.

Couldn't I just store my archive boxes in an ordinary storage shed?
In some very specific business situations, this may certainly be preferable. However, for most businesses, document storage in an ordinary storage shed presents problems:

• Retrieval has to be done by staff
• The environment is not as strictly controlled
• Your records may be less accessible or secure.
• If you need less than a full shed worth of storage, you'll be paying for space that you don't use. This doesn't occur with our dedicated document storage facility.

It also misses out on several key advantages of our tailored document storage in Queensland:

• The opportunity to utilise our cataloguing and indexation services
• The opportunity to utilise our efficient and cost-effective scan-on-demand services
• There is no online management system, you must be physically present.

Do staff have to read my documents to catalogue and index them?
Yes. However all of our staff are highly trained in confidentiality procedures, and your records are handled no more than necessary to determine the appropriate place or locate the required indexation information. All of our document storage staff in Brisbane and Gold Coast undergo extensive pre-employment screening procedures, to ensure that every person coming into contact with your records is stable and trustworthy.

Is it cheaper to store my physical archive boxes, or to have them imaged and store them electronically? 
This depends entirely on your future requirements for the documents and the volume you would be placing into document storage. For documents that will need regular access for some time into the future, the savings made with document imaging as opposed to the physical document storage can be substantial! For documents that you'll need only once or twice in the future, however, physical storage may be more cost effective.

Remember that scan-on-demand services are available, so you don't have to have your entire collection scanned at the outset to make electronic access a possibility. Also keep in mind that most records do not have to be stored indefinitely, and we can create and administer a records retention schedule in-house at our Brisbane and Gold Coast document storage facilities.

If you have a question that we haven't answered, feel free to contact Total Records Management either via email or phone for fast and thorough answers!