Why Remote Document Storage is Better Than In-House Storage

No matter your work environment, it’s highly likely that vast amounts of information are being stored within a wide range of documents. This data falling into the wrong hands or getting lost could cause serious repercussions, both on a business and personal level. From the personal information of employees being compromised to the loss of key financial data, there is a risk that confidential data isn’t being stored as securely as it should be.

Many businesses use stringent security measures to minimise this risk. However, the policies and procedures in place are often of a more basic level as the key focus remains on the business itself.

This is why many companies are now looking at remote document storage, rather than keeping everything in-house. This mitigates the worry and risk of document loss and data breaches, ensuring the business is fully compliant with data protection responsibilities.

In this edition of our blog, we look at why remote document storage may be worth pursuing to ensure your business keeps its valued information safe.

What is the difference between remote storage and in-house storage?

Remote storage involves storing your items offsite at a separate location, whereas in-house storage means that everything remain onsite.

Furthermore, specialist remote storage facilities are built purposefully to secure and store your vital documents safely. With robust security measures in place, the likelihood of falling victim to any form of data loss is greatly reduced.

With in-house storage, you may have specific rooms or routes with restricted access that help keep your items safe. However, the risk of a breach or loss is significantly higher. This is largely because access is likely to be available to multiple staff members, especially if security measures are not a key focus for the business.

The risks of in-house document storage

Depending on the nature of your business, the level of information you store could vary greatly. As we touched upon earlier, personal records and financial data are just two of the items you likely need to store. Add in marketing plans, building and development paperwork and customer information, and the level of paperwork or digital files is significantly increased.

You need to be able to store these documents safely to reduce the risk of theft or loss. Looking at digital breaches alone, we can see from government data that 50% of UK businesses and 32% of charities report having some form of cyber security breach or attack within the last 12 months. With items stored off-site, this will be greatly lowered.

However, theft is not always digital – hard copies of information are just as susceptible to being stolen. Below, we will look at the potential risks you could face if you choose to keep storing both digital and physical documents in-house.

Theft of digital and physical documents

Keeping any form of documentation in-house paves the way for potential theft. Employees may know certain passwords, security door combinations or other ways to access valuable information. It is therefore possible for them to steal, destroy or alter valuable and important records.

In addition, opportunistic criminals may look to breach your online systems and gain remote access to huge collections of data. This could lead to huge losses for the business, and also considerable distress for those impacted.

Transferring the documents to a remote storage facility not only removes these risks, but ensures your items are secure and actively monitored. Many specialist storage facilities offer 24/7 CCTV coverage, have restricted access and are alarmed to eliminate the risk of unauthorised access. In addition, they allow your digital files to be moved to LTO storage, removing the concern of in-house data breaches altogether.

Loss through human error

Keeping documents in-house not only increases risk of theft – there is also a chance that they could go missing. Filing systems (either online or digital) can quickly become disorganised without stringent management in place. Trying to find a crucial document when it is muddled in with several others can be time consuming, and can lead to data becoming damaged or misplaced. This could lead to businesses spending on prohibitive costs in an attempt to reclaim or restore lost data.

Remote storage bypasses all of this. Rather than keeping documents in a restricted space with insufficient security, you benefit from a robust set of protocols that ensure maximum protection. With data backup for digital files and physical storage for hard copies, your important information can be kept for long periods without fear of it being lost or damaged.

Furthermore, with online management systems, you can regularly check your inventory to make sure everything is where it should be.

Relocation or unforeseen circumstances

Whilst relocation and unforeseen circumstances are unlikely, they both still pose a potential risk to the safety of your documents. A poorly planned relocation may inadvertently mean that important information is left behind due to poor storage protocols. This could hinder the relocation, or even the ability for the business to function properly.

Other unforeseen circumstances could lead to permanent loss or damage to important documents. If a business has limited space, items are sometimes stored wherever possible, which could mean a loft, basement or outbuilding. These areas are prone to damp and in extreme cases, flooding or wind damage. This could see essential paperwork and valuable documentation being lost or destroyed. Whilst some documents can be recreated, others may not be restorable. In addition, the time and cost involved in restoring data could hurt the business.

With remote storage, items are kept in an organised fashion for easy retrieval, and are very well protected. At Stockroom London, we safely store items at ambient temperatures to remove the risk of damp. In addition, you can rest assured that our strict fire safety measures almost entirely mitigate the risk of fire damage.

Lack of compliance

Certain items require a business to retain them for several years, and others necessitate a particular way of storing them. Financial records, for example, should be kept for up to six years, CCTV footage for 6 months and references for 1 year after the reference was given.

Employment documents such as contracts, payroll information and sickness notices must be kept in a locked filing system or on a password protected computer to remain compliant with data protection laws. Unfortunately, too many businesses are lax on such matters – with GDPR breaches seeing fines as high as £17.5 million, it is something that should be taken seriously. An article from CyberPilot showed us that disclosure of data stored in templates or on forms is among the top ten causes of data breaches.

Remote storage ensures that data can be transferred to secure, offsite, offline storage mediums such as LTO. Our facilities also offer long term business storage solutions for hard copy paperwork. You can retrieve these documents whenever needed, or opt for secure document shredding once they are no longer required.

At Stockroom London we offer storage for archiving, making sure that all of your files and important documents are kept safe offsite for as long as you require them. From LTO backups to the compliant storing of hard copy documentation, our secure facility in London provides you with the ideal venue to keep your sensitive data free from damage, theft or loss. Why not contact us today to see how our remote storage facility enhances your data protection compliance?