Archive Storage

Document storage is the term to describe the process of storing documents, securely and in an organized way. This can be digital or physical. We use it to mean the physical archiving of documents, usually paper but also photographic materials and plans/drawings, in a way that keeps them safe from damage, protected from falling into the wrong hands, yet still accessible when needed.

Whilst it´s easy to imagine that everything now is digitised, held on a computer or in the cloud, keeping originals of documents like receipts, signed contracts, tax records and the like can prove a smart move for most businesses, from the very largest to the self-employed start up.

Archive storage is pretty much synonymouswhen it comes to physical storage. It’s the act of storing information/records that are accessed infrequently but require a long retention period. Think of things like trial and testing records, kept to protect the organisation and check in future that proper procedures were followed and that the resultant data that decisions were made on is accurate.

Document and Archive Storage Solutions

Running a business is rarely simple, from managing cash flow to hiring staff. All of these can cause headaches and create paperwork - don't let business storage space add to them.

Hiring a unit to store this paperwork can save money and allow you to invest in other areas of your business: storage space allows you to keep expensive office space clear for its proper use!

External archiving makes financial sense.

The average capital value of commercial property across the UK is roughly £250-350 per square metre to buy (EG Radius 2024 figures), £49.64 per square foot per year to rent. When looking at the City of London, this shoots up exponentially. Office rental costs are rising.  There are estimates floating that the cost to rent space for a single four-drawer filing cabinet in London reaches around £700 each year.

Unless you have space to spare (in which case the space could be sublet or replaced with smaller premises), expensive space could be put to better use, no matter what the organisation is or does.

Human nature is such that, especially in business spaces, it´s easy to ignore activities that don´t seem to meet our immediate ´mission critical´ goals.

Yet effective document management is essential for compliance with national and international standards, including ISO 9001 for quality management systems, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) to protect privacy/personal data and specific industry standards and regulations.

By defining what needs archiving when, and having set dates for archiving, a system and routine usually emerges that ensures that not only are things stored, but ´unstored´- retrieval of archives for appropriate destruction.

Similarly, simply by taking things to a space, paperwork and images are more likely to be properly stored in an appropriate storage box or specialist archive box than just to be shoved in a cupboard pending filing.

And being kept in a space specifically for storage rather than a busy working environment means robust security features protecting against unauthorised access/data breaches.

Of course, document archiving isn´t limited to paper documents: it´s a great, safe, dry and secure environment to keep backup drives and storage drives.

Keeping proper documentation will also ensure that audits by the tax man, industry auditors or training auditors can be easily and impressively backed up with originals or copies, creating trust and shielding the organisation from a painful process, to say nothing of the cost, of putting it right.

Keep an eye on the Pink Storage Blog for occasional tips on managing documentation for storage and on archive storage systems' best practise.