subject: What Makes For Good Secure Document Storage? [print this page] Secure document storage is a service that is in great demand across various industries, freeing up office space by having an organisation's documents stored off-site. The buildings that such documents are stored in are frequently purpose designed and built in order to make the documents as secure as possible. In this article we'll look at what features make a good document storage service.
When looking for a reliable, trustworthy secure document storage service, you need to look for a number of important points. One of the key things you should identify is how much experience the firm has; that is, how much experience the staff has. There are many different aspects to secure document storage and the more experience a firm has, the fewer things will go wrong.
As we are dealing with paper, a highly combustible material, it is crucial that any firm you choose for secure document storage has a high quality fire prevention system. Before choosing, you should make a visit to the premises and get a guided tour to ensure that the firm ticks all the right boxes for your document security. Some of the things you should be looking for include temperature controlled document storage warehouse space and technology such as VESDA (Very Early Smoke Detection Alert). A system such as this has tubes suspended above the racking which tests the air quality on a continual basis. As the system can detect smoke (carbon monoxide) even when there is only a trace in the air, it is very effective at preventing serious damage to documents in the very unlikely event of a fire.
You should also consider the basic security of the premises. Ideally you will expect to find security fencing all the way round the premises, as well as a good, comprehensive CCTV system that covers the entire perimeter, all viewable from remote stations. Movement sensors connected to alarms ensure that in the unlikely event of an intruder on the premises, security personnel will be on-scene very quickly.
You also have to be aware of who will be able to access your documents. In order to ensure that only authorised staff members can enter the premises, you should ensure that the reception area is always manned. For external door entry the secure document storage facility should ideally feature palm/thumb biometric reading. A good storage firm will have zoned security with restricted areas, making your documents as secure as possible.
There are various secure document storage facilities to consider, but you should take some time to make sure they do provide as much security as possible.
