Records, either paper documents or electronic files, are the evidence of what your business has done, for whom, when and for what reasons. Created by multiple systems and by different staff, your records are used to prove to customers that you have done what was agreed to the required standard and in the required time.

Records also form the financial proof of the existence of your business. They may be required as evidence to Government Departments, Industry Regulators and many other bodies both public and private. They should therefore be managed and retained in a specific manner, depending on the type of record.

Keeping records, for any of the reasons mentioned above or for any other reason, fast and accurate access to the information and evidence is required. If you cannot find the required records, you will waste valuable staff time and may find yourself in breach of regulations and/or contracts.

So what are the risks? Failure to implement a structured and controlled system for managing your records can lead to complications, litigation, loss of customer’s loss of quality and loss of business. Staff will waste time searching for mislaid records, blame for the loss of documents can be misplaced leading to ill feeling. The inability to prove you have done what was agreed, on time to the agreed standard.

The benefits of good records management is the cornerstone of any retention / storage policy. It will reduce cost of storage by reducing the total quantity to be stored and by saving staff time when records are required. In fact the cost of implementing a management system will usually be recovered from the savings to be made.

We can apply these principles to backfile issues, there is no limit to the quantity of records that can have their retention criteria checked. So long as they are identifiable in a database we can apply rules that can result in a significant reduction in the amount of records that require further retention.

Sterling Archives offer a free of charge consultancy service to help you establish the best way to manage your records & data security. In addition to this, we have a solution for every aspect of records management.

 

About Sterling

The Sterling Data Group is leading the way with data management services. It is our mission to protect our client’s information while assisting clients with compliance and in areas of regulation. After all, Our Business is Your Peace of Mind. Information owned by your business will be in various formats, varying in importance with various retention requirements.

Sterling offer records management – both on and off site, electronic data management in the form of encrypted online backup and recovery services, backup media management services, disaster recovery support and the secure destruction of data. Working with Sterling will enable you to drive down costs, manage the risks associated with data management, retrieval and retention while becoming compliant with regulatory bodies relevant to your business.

Introduction

Off-Site records management will allow your company to fulfil a number of requirements pertaining to your business records, namely – compliance, security, access & access control and the release of valuable office space.

You can relax in the knowledge that Sterling have been providing solutions to international banks, law firms, finance firms, and Blue Chip companies along with small companies, since 1978. Over this time we have realised that our business has to be your peace of mind. By focussing on customer service and maintaining the highest standards, we have developed a simple, fool proof system for you to implement with ease, so easy in fact is the process that many of our Clients ‘end-users’ believe the records have never left the building!

Who are our services aimed at? Basically, any company that is within our catchment area, who produce business records. Where space is at a premium our services can prove exceptionally cost effective.

How the System Works

Preparing your records for off-site storage:

Sterling will provide you with a supply of container bar code labels, filefolder bar code labels and flat pack containers (containers are supplied at a charge if required, unlike some of our competitors, we do not require that our containers are used, however we strongly recommend it as the design has been developed over many years and they are very durable).

The next step is for you to catalogue (cataloguing is available for an extra charge) your records to your required levels:

Basic: Make a list of a container’s contents against the bar code number attached to it.

Advanced: Attach a bar code to each file contained within a container. Record the filefolder details against the filefolder bar code number. This may be slightly more time consuming, however, it will help when it comes to retrieval and retention compliance.

Once the above is achieved, simply submit a collection request and our drivers will collect your archived material the very next working day.

So, that’s it, your documents are now off-site and you can relax in the knowledge that they are available as and when you require them.

Retrieving your records

As and when you need to access your records, you have the following options available to you.

The fastest and most economical method of retrieving a document is to use our ‘Scan-on-Demand’ service. All you need to enjoy this service is an internet connection and/or access to email. Simply submit the filefolder bar code reference and a description of the required page or pages and our staff will search your records for the appropriate records. Once this is done it is prepped (staples / paperclips etc. removed) and then scanned to electronic format. You will then, dependant on the agreed service, receive an email with the document attached as a secure PDF, requiring a password to view, or you are free to download the document from our ftp server, through a secure log on. This can all be completed within 2 hours, subject to the search information being accurate. You are then free to integrate the scanned images into any electronic document management system you employ for future reference.

Alternatively you can order the container or filefolder by providing the relevant bar code. Our staff will then locate the container or file and our drivers will then deliver your requested items to your premises on the next working day.

Adding to your archive

Simply submit a collection request and we will collect the items the following working day and add them to your storage area.

Maintaining your records

You will be given access and training to our online records management system. From here you can verify what you have in storage with us, down to filefolder level. You can add contents and descriptions to your records, which are then fully searchable. You can also enter destruction dates against your records, allowing Sterling to notify you when they are due for destruction (we will never carry out any destruction without prior written authorisation).

This online service also allows you to order supplies and services from Sterling, and once these orders are made, track their progress.

Secure Destruction

As mentioned above, Sterling can provide a secure destruction service, shredding and then recycling your documents. This process only ever takes place with written authorisation from the customer.

That’s it! I hope that you have found the above document informative, I have kept it concise as it is only designed as an introduction. Should you require further explanation of a more involved service, please look at our web site or email me with your questions and I will be happy to help.

 

About Sterling

The Sterling Data Group is leading the way with data management services. It is our mission to protect our client’s information while assisting clients with compliance and in areas of regulation. After all, Our Business is Your Peace of Mind. Information owned by your business will be in various formats, varying in importance with various retention requirements.

Sterling offer records management – both on and off site, electronic data management in the form of encrypted online backup and recovery services, backup media management services, disaster recovery support and the secure destruction of data. Working with Sterling will enable you to drive down costs, manage the risks associated with data management, retrieval and retention while becoming compliant with regulatory bodies relevant to your business.