Whether you’re a start-up, an SME, a global-scale conglomerate or public sector organisation, storing digital and paper assets off-site is a no brainer when it comes to the bottom line. That’s bottom line in terms of the space you might otherwise give over to records in expensively rated offices, and ‘expense’ in terms of the poor levels of security leading to reputational risk and litigation. We could go on, but you get the picture. Storing records off-site rocks.
But how do you actively manage records that are out of sight but that should definitely not be out of mind? There are some crucial elements to consider.
· Accessibility – how quickly can you get documents on your desk or on your desktop?
· Accuracy of audit trail – how do you keep track of who’s accessed what, where and when? Is it safe?
· Security – how do you know that your assets are safe once they’ve left your premises? Is there GPS vehicle tracking? What standards of protection and safety do storage operatives and warehouses work to?
· Retention and disposal – are you on top of what to keep and what to have securely destroyed?
And now there’s compliance with the GDPR and Britain’s new Data Protection legislation that we must all take into consideration and make a reality by 25 May, 2018.
Are you GDPR-ready?
Five points of concern of the GDPR are:
· Control – you should enable data subjects to control the processing of their personal data
· Minimise – you should restrict the amount of personal data you process to a required minimum
· Inform – you let data subjects know when their personal information is at risk
· Demonstrate – data controllers and processors must be able to show compliance
So, let’s imagine a customer asks – as will be their right – to have all trace of any interaction you’ve had with them, sometimes over many years, expunged from the record. That can include information gathered through marketing forms, business cards, email, texts, phone calls, etc. You may be able to produce an audit trail through your in-house CRM and ERP systems, but our question remains: how do you know what’s in that archive box?
At Restore, we use award-winning O’Neil’s software, the best-of breed archive and asset tracking software, so we know the contents of every box in our care.
Quite simply, O’Neil’s enables you, and us, to accurately manage, track and monitor from your desktop the activity of each and every item you store off-site – including boxes, file folders, individual documents and tapes – from deposit to destruction.
What are the benefits again?
· It speeds up the pace of your operations and takes the burden off your organisation
· It streamlines the ways you share and access content throughout your business
· It brings accuracy, systematic control, consistency and standardisation to your business processes
· It minimises the likelihood of litigation losses resulting from lost documents
· It enters file reference information and destruction dates against your boxes, putting you in complete control
· It helps you demonstrate to your customers that their documents are secure and that you are compliant with GDPR requirements.
And here’s the really good part. Restore offers this software for free to all our storage customers and we do all the leg work for you, installing and giving ongoing support once it’s up and running.
Find out at www.restore.co.uk/GDPR.aspx how we can help you meet the main principles of the GDPR securely and efficiently, and put an end to that panic-stricken search for an elusive, but vital, piece of paper.
Our experienced team of business consultants and digital specialists are on hand to guide you through the potential impacts of the GDPR with a free health check, assessment, sets of guidelines, knowledge and expertise. We can help you build a practical plan that will not only help you manage GDPR compliance but future-proof your organisation to respond to new data protection regulations.
Making Compliance a Reality
Restore plc has undertaken a review of the basis upon which it contracts with its suppliers in order to ensure consistency of service. As part of this review, we have decided to introduce uniform terms and conditions of supply which will apply to all our suppliers on each occasion goods or services are supplied to us. These terms and conditions are available for you to read on our website by clicking on the following link: www.restore.co.uk/supplier-terms-of-business.aspx
Before supplying goods or services to us, you will be required to click through this link to confirm that you have read, understood and agree to, these terms of supply.