Document archiving means putting information you no longer use regularly into secure storage for extended periods of time.

It's a complex process to get right, and doing it wrong risks leaving yourself open to security breaches. Document archiving companies can manage your documents for you, reducing risks of mistakes and helping to improve your data protection.

On this page we will explain:

What is document archiving?

Document archiving is securely storing information you no longer use regularly.

The two options for how to archive documents are as follows:

  • Archiving documents on your own premises - this will take up valuable storage space and mean that you'll need to implement a proper archiving system so you can easily locate documents when you need them
  • Archiving documents with a document archiving company - a specialist company will collect your documents and store them in dedicated off-site premises. Depending on the service you choose, they will:
    • archive your documents and scan them and send them to you when requested
    • archive your documents and deliver individual hard copy documents to you when requested
    • scan your paper documents before either archiving or destroying them

Archiving documents off-site can save valuable space on your premises and make retrieving documents much easier.

What is digital document archiving?

Digital document management solutions refer to scanning documents that are to be stored digitally. This means the user has greater control over their electronic records. You may be able to manage the digital documents yourself via an online portal for easier access, although this is likely to cost extra.

Which companies would benefit from digital document archiving?

  • Businesses that produce a lot of paperwork
  • Businesses that need frequent access to past data
  • Businesses that are more likely to be audited (financial firms etc.)

Pros

Cons

- Easy access

- Space-saving (paper documents can be destroyed/recycled once scanned)

- Easy to locate documents via keywords or a barcode

- Larger upfront costs

- Will take time to digitise a back catalogue of documents

- The specialised nature of the service means running costs can be high

How does document archiving work?

Before you archive any business documents, you'll need to define how you'll do this so everyone in your company processes the documents in the same way. By creating a document management and archiving procedure you can ensure your documents are archived correctly, secure and easy to retrieve when you need them.

You can read some tips on how to archive your paper documents here and how to choose suitable boxes or containers here.

Whatever type of archiving solutions you choose, the document archiving company should collect your documents from your premises as part of the service.

There are three main types of document archiving services:

1. Standard document archiving services

The archiving company stores your documents off-site, in a dedicated warehouse. They give each box or file its own barcode so you know which documents are in which box.

When you need a document, you can ask the company to bring you the original copy via a tracked delivery service.

2. Document archiving scan-on-demand service

A scan-on-demand service works like this:

  • The company archives your paper documents.
  • When you request a document, the company scans it and emails it over to you.
  • Once you receive the digital document, you can ask that the paper document is either re-archived or destroyed.

You'll still have access to an online portal, through which you'll be able to view where your documents are stored and the dates they were retrieved or destroyed.

3. Full document archiving scanning service

This service involves scanning your entire archive (or as many documents as you want) then either destroying and recycling the paper documents, or keeping them in storage.

The key benefit of a full archive scanning service is that once documents are scanned, you can access and manage them yourself without having to ask the archiving company to send them to you. Most archiving companies don't provide this service as standard though, instead they will team up with partner companies to provide a full archiving scanning service. Due to the amount of work involved, this service is often much more expensive than a scan-on-demand service.

How do I access my documents with archiving software?

Document scanning and archiving software makes locating, tracking and retrieving archived documents easy and secure, whether they're in paper or digital format.

  • If your documents have been scanned and are stored digitally, you'll have full access to your entire archive.
  • If your documents have been stored in paper format, you can use the software to view where they are stored and basic information such as the dates they were stored, last retrieved or destroyed.

Document archiving software usually has the following features:

  • An online portal where you can request copies of your documents to be sent to you, or you can request that documents are destroyed
  • Controlled secure access so only authorised personnel can view, amend or retrieve the documents
  • An audit trail to see who has accessed, amended, saved or destroyed documents

Barcode systems are often used alongside archiving software to make tracking individual documents and storage boxes quick and simple.

At Russell Richardson, we use the highly secure O'Neil record storage and management software, which enables you to search documents, run reports, request retrievals and more. If you'd like to find out more, call us on 0800 294 6552 or get in touch via our contact form.

How do I retrieve archived documents?

What's the procedure for retrieving digital documents?

If you've used an archive scanning service

If you've used a scan-on-demand service

All of your documents are scanned before being archived.

You'll have full access to all of your scanned documents, so you can search for and download documents yourself.

Some archiving companies, such as Russell Richardson, use scanning partners to provide the full archive scanning service.

All of your documents are archived without being scanned.

You'll receive digital copies of just the individual documents you request.

These will be encrypted and password protected before they're sent via email.

What's the procedure for retrieving paper documents?

The archiving company will give each box its own unique barcode before putting it into storage. You can use this barcode system to request a document and the archiving company will locate the file and deliver it to you in person.

The delivery will be fully tracked and, for maximum security, only made to a named contact. Once you've finished with the document, the archiving company will collect it and re-archive it or destroy it if you decide you no longer need the paper copy.

If you'd like to find out more, call us on 0800 294 6552 or get in touch via our contact form.

What are the benefits of using a document archiving service?

 

Save space - archiving documents free up valuable space in your office by moving bulky archive boxes off-site


Increased security - documents are held on secure premises and only authorised personnel have access to them


More control - documents are continually tracked, so they can't be misplaced and can't be retrieved or changed without this being recorded


Better organisation and productivity - employees can easily find and access the documents they need


Knowledge - if you're not sure how to archive paper documents, archiving companies can handle this for you


Flexibility - you can archive all of your documents or just certain files, such as invoices or HR records for example.


Safety - archiving documents ensures they're protected from fire and flood damage


Obey the law - ensure you're always complying with your industry's regulations on record-keeping


To find out more, read our FAQs on how to prepare your paper documents for archiving.

How to pick a trustworthy document archiving service

There are a number of questions you may want to ask when looking for a trustworthy archiving service:

  • What security measures do they have in place?

Ask the archiving company what security measures they use to protect the documents they have on-site. Standard security features for storage facilities include:

Document archiving software should have multi-factor access and be able to fully track when documents have been moved or changed.

  • Can they provide references from previous or existing clients?

Ask to see references from companies that currently use their archiving services. You can read testimonials from some of our customers here.

  • Are they easy to contact and have responsive customer service and support?

If you have a problem or need help, it's important to know that you can easily get in touch with the archiving services company. Russell Richardson has a dedicated account manager for each client, so our clients know who to contact if they need help.

  • Do they charge exit fees?

It's standard practice for document archiving companies to ask new clients to sign a contract. Many archiving companies charge exit fees for customers to get their documents out of storage or to move them to another supplier.

At Russell Richardson we don't have exit fees as we don't agree with charging customers to get their documents back. We trust that the standard of our service will keep customers from moving.

  • Are they members of recognised industry groups and do they meet industry standards for scanning and archiving?

Although there are no official standards that scanning and archiving companies must meet, there are a number of things you can look for to ensure the company you choose can be trusted. These demonstrate that the archiving company meets certain standards.

Russell Richardson is a member of PRISM International (Professional Records and Information Services Management). We maintain and are certified in the following ISO standards: 

  • ISO 9001:2008 - Quality Management Systems
  • ISO 14001:2004 - Environmental Management Systems
  • ISO 27001:2013 - Information Security Management Systems

We also hold the British Standard BS OHSAS 18001 2007 - Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

  • What added extras do they provide?

Before you agree to use a document archiving service, find out exactly what's included. Some companies just provide a place to store archived documents - similar to self-storage facilities - without offering any security features.

As well as storing documents, a good archiving company should also offer secure indexing, retrieval, scanning, and collection and delivery services, plus useful extras such as providing storage boxes.

FAQs on archiving services

What do off-site document archiving and scanning services provide?

The procedure for archiving paper documents will vary depending on the company you choose. A standard document archiving service will:

  • collect documents from, and deliver them to, your premises when requested
  • use information management software to record all documents on a system, meaning nothing can go missing
  • properly dispose of and recycle documents - some companies choose to have their paper documents destroyed or recycled after converting them to a digital format
  • store documents, usually in archive boxes on secure premises
  • allow you to retrieve digital copies of your documents
  • provide a service to retrieve and deliver paper documents

What can document archiving services archive?

As well as paper documents, you can archive many other items, such as:

  • photographs, negatives and slides
  • newspapers and magazines
  • cards
  • books

With Russell Richardson's archiving services, you can store any of the items outlined above securely in the same place.

How do archiving companies store photographs?

Despite the prevalence of digital photography, many people still have printed photos, negatives and slides they want to keep. Archiving companies can scan photos into digital format and/or store existing photos, negatives and slides to preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

It isn't just personal photographs you can put into storage. Businesses such as media companies and professional photographers can also benefit from freeing up space by archiving print copies of their images.

How can document archiving help if my company is audited?

If your company is being audited, you may need to provide documents such as payroll, VAT information and international trade documents etc. During this audit, you may need to provide this information from the past several years. The government insists that all records must be legible and readily accessible to be inspected when required.

Document archiving will keep your documents in a secure, safe and clean location. Your documents will be easily accessible via barcode tracking, giving you complete control of your records. Russell Richardson can send or scan individual documents based on your request via the online portal.

How long do I have to retain documents for?

Certain business documents have retention periods, meaning you must keep them for a set period of time before destroying them.

In the medical and legal fields, you must keep documents for even longer - GP records, for example, should be retained for 10 years after a patient has died. Some legal documents you must keep for 50 years after the date the case is closed.

You should outline your company's retention period for documents other than those you must keep for legal and auditing reasons in your company's records management policy

You can read more about the legal requirements for document archiving here.

How does scanning and archiving software work?

Scanning and archiving software turns standard printed documents into scannable files. They utilise a piece of software known as OCR (optical character recognition). OCR software converts images of typed, handwritten or printed texts into PDF or other text documents. These documents can then be searched via archiving software. This means that users can search for keywords or phrases.

Due to the specialist nature of scanning and archiving software, it's likely you'll pay a premium for this service. Scanning a back catalogue of documents will take time and if your company produces a lot of paperwork, this will be a continual process.

What is the procedure for archiving paper documents with Russell Richardson?

At Russell Richardson, we keep the archiving procedure for paper documents as simple as possible. Your files will be protected at our warehouse with 24-hour CCTV and only accessed via our security checked personnel.

The three steps it takes to archive paper documents with us are:

  • 1. Your documents are collected and then put into storage at our dedicated warehouse
  • 2. Each box or file will be given a unique barcode
  • 3. You can request your documents via our online portal
  • 3a. Individual documents can be scanned and sent via email
  • 3b. Boxes can be sent via a tracked delivery service

How long can I archive my documents with Russell Richardson?

You can archive your documents with Russell Richardson for whatever periods your retention periods or the data-protection laws require.

As outlined above, some documents you need to store for many years, but we also store records that are close to the date they are free to be destroyed.

When you no longer need records, the team at Russell Richardson can securely shred paper documents.

What should I do to abide by regulatory compliance and data protection?

Data protection should be a high priority for any business. You must protect the data of your employees and customers to the highest standard. The UK data protection regime is outlined in the DPA 2018 as well as GDPR.

What is data protection?

Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from loss, compromise or corruption. If you collect information about people for any reason other than personal, family or household purposes, you must comply with the data protection laws.

Everyone has the right to privacy and control over their own identity and their interactions with people and businesses. Data protection ensures that people trust businesses with their data and therefore support innovative uses of data.

What counts as personal data?

There are many types of personal data. Some key examples are:

  • name
  • address
  • photos
  • IP address
  • genetic data
  • biometric data

New types of data and data collection techniques are being developed every day. This means that new types of personal data may fall under data protection. The implementation of GDPR on the 25th of May 2018 set out to offer key data protection obligations, principles and rights.

What is GDPR?

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. GDPR is a set of rules that gives the EU (and post-Brexit UK) citizens more control over their personal data. People now create more data than ever before via social media companies, online retailers, governments and banks. The GDPR is designed to help protect this data and ensure that it's used safely and legally.

If you're storing data, you must document your processing activities. These records must be kept in writing, be kept up to date and be easily available to the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) on request. You must consider the security protection of data to minimise the risk of a breach.

GDPR isn't designed to punish businesses for collecting data. Instead, it's there to ensure businesses do everything they can to protect personal data.

You can find out more about GDPR by visiting ico.org.uk

Further resources

If you're looking for a document collection company which specialises in archiving services, call Russell Richardson today on 0800 294 6552 or make an online enquiry here.

You can find out more about records management by reading our best practice guide to records management here.

Our guide to paper shredding services covers everything you need to know if you're planning on having any documents securely destroyed after they've been scanned and archived.

If you're not sure what type of box you need to store your documents, read our guide on how to choose a quality archiving box.

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