File storage—how you handle that endless collection of reports, memos, charts, photos and other items your business accumulates — is one of the most significant decisions you make in business. I call it a "stealth business decision" because if you don't make a plan for document management upfront it can sneak up on you and can become an overwhelming problem. Whether you decide on an old-fashioned (and common) boxed storage solution, an open shelf filing plan or a more manageable and efficient digital system, how you store your documents is something you dare not leave for low-level staff to work out on their own. The result of that can be devastating!

The problems with an on-site box method of file storage are fairly obvious. They eat up a lot of valuable floor space and the busier your office is, the worse the crowding. This type of document storage also leaves you open to theft and unauthorized review of important corporate documents by low-level personnel, cleaning staff — pretty much anybody with an extra dose of curiosity. At the very least, it makes sense to house these boxes of vital records in a secure off-site location where carefully screened professional staff can assure that no one but your specially authorized employees have access.

Many medical offices keep records of current patients in color-coded open shelf filing systems. Medical personnel need these records instantly available and onsite storage seems like a good solution. However, as the number of records grows they can quickly overtake the space set aside for document storage. Many new medical offices are turning to electronic document storage systems that still keep patient records at staff's fingertips, while eliminating the cumbersome, and let's face it, ugly bulging patient files that cloak many office walls.

If your office is overcrowded with boxes and files, and you're trying to select a storage solution, make sure these questions figure into your decision process:

If we want to use an off-site boxed file storage system, does the company under consideration use a bar-code tracking system for items in storage?

If you use an off-site document storage solution, does the company provide storage boxes, collect your records and catalog them for you, or work with you in doing so?

Does your off-site content storage provider help you establish a retention strategy and agree to adhere to it?

Does your document storage provider assure confidential record destruction and does it provide a shredding service?

If you are using an electronic document storage system does your potential provider offer digital imaging and document scanning services?

How easy is it to retrieve information from the document management solution and how quickly can records be in your hands or on your computer screen?

What are the hours when service is available? Do these business hours meet your needs?

Is the document storage solution under consideration economical?

Are documents stored within the system tracked from inception to destruction — the entire life of the document?

Clearly, what at the outset may seem like an easy, even a "no brainer" decision is anything but. Make your file storage decisions upfront and with full consideration of the many options at your disposal. This is the way to guarantee you end up with a structured, effective document storage system that increases productivity, meets your needs and gives you real peace of mind.

Copyright (c) 2008 Bill Thomas