6 Benefits of Off-Site Document Storage

Off-Site Document Storage Benefits
The documents and records from your company are vital to your ability to conduct smooth business transactions. They provide access to important information you will need to work with and help your clients.

But, paper documents can be a pain to store, as they take up a lot of office space. And, paper documents are vulnerable to the elements, and you need a place to store them safely. More and more companies are turning to off-site storage solutions to allow them to store paper documents safely.

Off-site document storage has some really great benefits like you can optimize your workflow and conduct business normally without having to worry about the safety of paper documents or the location of the records. Read further as we discuss the top benefits of off-site document storage.

Off-Site Document Storage Gives You More Office Space

Obviously, the biggest benefit of storing paperwork at an off-site storage facility can free up more office space. Storing paper documents and records at the office requires a lot of big, bulky filing cabinets that take up office space. By storing your companies paperwork at an off-site storage facility, you can utilize the space where the filing cabinets would have been. Use that room for something more productive than storage space to make your day more productive. Also, if the rent to your office space is high, reclaiming the space that was used for storage can reduce your costs significantly. More and more companies are utilizing business storage every day.

Increased Protection From the Elements

If a disaster was to strike your office, you may have to worry about the vulnerability to the elements. A disaster could happen at any time and could come in the form of fire, flooding, or humidity, and mold.

In a climate-enhanced off-site storage facility, your paper documents will not succumb to the elements. They will remain safe and sound and perfectly protected if and when a disaster hits. Your most important files will not only remain safe from the elements, but your business will be able to recover them more quickly after a disaster.

Even though picking up documents is not as quick as walking through the office to retrieve paperwork, off-site storage makes it easy to find the files you need quickly once you get there. It is one less thing to worry about, knowing the paper documents are safe.

Document Storage Keeps Your Private Data Private

If you decide to move your business’s records to an off-site storage facility you are protecting your clients and their private information. It may be that your office is not set up to be a secure storage space.

In an off-site facility, sensitive paper documents will be protected by camera surveillance. That means only authorized personnel will be able to access them. Even though security breaches are rare, if they do occur, they can cause real damage to your business. A secure storage option, even one off-site, can give your business peace of mind that all vital information is safe and sound. It puts the burden of security on the storage facility and allows your business to focus on their work and clients.

It Can Be More Cost-Efficient

Off-site storage facilities are more cost-effective than portable storage or renting an extra office space. If your needs change, the facility can accommodate you and adjust. But, extra office space comes with a lease, and you are charged for the whole space, regardless if you use all of it or not.

When you rent an extra office space you will have less flexibility if your needs change. You may find that you outgrow your space and then you will have to find a place to store the overflow.

It Can Improve Your Time Efficiency

An off-site storage facility may save you and your company time in the long run, which means it can improve your time efficiency. Off-site storage facilities can be more effective in managing your companies records.

Your employees will no longer have to waste their time boxing up old files and storing them away. They will not have to spend hours combing through those same boxes to find a record or paper document. An offsite storage facility can reduce wasted time looking for lost records because you will have access to your files.

It has actually been estimated that employees and especially managers can spend up to four weeks per year trying to locate mislabeled, misfiled, or lost paperwork. Instead of having to deal with this lost time, your company can utilize the systems that off-site storage facilities already have in place for the fast retrieval of client records. This way it is far more simple to store and locate important documents and papers.

It Helps Maintain Compliance

This country has federal laws to regulate the secure management and accessibility of information as it pertains to employee and customer privacy. Your company could use an off-site storage facility to maintain compliance with these laws. These facilities not only make compliance easier but also more affordable. Legal, finance, and healthcare providers all have requirements to meet to help preserve and maintain records with vital data.

Law firms could find off-site storage facilities a more cost-effective option than storing all paperwork in the office. They may find that they have a significant need for off-site storage as the business grows and develops. Plus, many states have laws that specify timeframes for how long certain case files can be kept. Because of this, law firms could benefit greatly from off-site storage. And, offsite document storage is a better choice than storing the files somewhere else temporarily. Secure storage solutions are climate enhanced and set up for easy access to files and paperwork.

Financial institutions could also benefit from choosing off-site storage for paper documents. Banks and other financial businesses are required by law to maintain paper records for a certain amount of time before they can be destroyed. By storing the paper documents off-site, they save space and stay compliant.

Medical providers generate a lot of paper documents. And, most of these documents need to be maintained for many years. There are federal requirements that state these records be stored confidentially. To be on the safe side, health care providers should consider a HIPAA-compliant document storage company.