Is Your Office Space Shrinking? 3 Ways an Offsite Storage Facility Can Solve the Issue

10/5/2020

As small businesses adapt to COVID-19 and the new corporate landscape due to COVID-19, office space may need to change as well. Allowing for more space between workers to adhere to safety procedures may have your office "shrinking". Suddenly that brand new office space starts to feel small. An offsite storage facility can help solve the problem of your shrinking office space.

Cost-Savings
Office real estate costs can be astronomical, so it doesn't make good business sense to spend money on rows of file cabinets full of papers that are not in rotation very often. Explore the option of storing documentation offsite, and you'll see the price differences between office space in a highly sought after urban setting and storage fees for a warehouse in an industrial complex.

Frees Up Square Footage
As your business grows, you will need additional room for employees to work and to hold meetings. Storing documents offsite in a large warehouse gives you the chance to free up square footage to use for cubicles or conference rooms.

Expand Your Mind
At R4, we store millions of boxed records and active files in our secure warehouse facility, and we've been doing it for nearly two decades. We know exactly what it takes to organize and index files, and we have efficient systems in place to make retrieval of those files quick and easy. This takes one more task off your already full plate and leaves you time to focus on growing your business. The additional peace of mind can lower your stress and free your mind to focus more specifically on your business.

Contact us or call 773-843-3915 today to find out how we can relieve stress and save you time during your company’s move!

Other R4 Services Solutions include:
Document Management
Shredding Services
Destruction Services
Hard Drive Destruction
Electronics Recycling
Vault Services
Indexing
Disaster Recovery
Web Access

5 Reasons to Store Your Business Records Offsite

10/15/2019

5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Offsite Records Storage

Just because company records and documents may not be top of mind doesn't mean they are unimportant assets to your business. Like all valuable assets, they need to be properly protected. In terms of day-to-day operations, crucial documents like tax records, business licenses, banking info and employee paperwork do practically nothing; but a data breach of them could cost everything. Keeping your records offsite can be a great benefit to your business. Here are a few reasons why.

Security: Offsite, But Online

Around 60% of small businesses go out of business within 6 months of a data breach. In 2018 alone, more than 15 billion identity records were compromised; a 420% increase from the previous year. Identity records include personal, valuable data including things like social security numbers, banking info, names and email addresses, etc. This is the type of info that identity thieves and cyber criminals are after.

It's also a common misconception that cyber criminals are after the Targets, Yahoos, and Googles. These are more "white whale" scenarios, if anything. Instead, small businesses tend to be in the crosshairs because generally speaking, their cybersecurity infrastructure is elementary, outdated or altogether nonexistent due to the, I'm-too-small-time-for-hackers-to-target mentality. While this was true at one time, technology has advanced and therefore so have the hacker's tools. The low effort and time it takes to breach a low-level security system is worth the risk and reward to them. Sure, hackers do target large corporations, but that brings attention and press. For an everyday criminal, the risk is not worth the reward, especially when they can just hack the store down the street and never see a headline about it in the papers.

When documents are stored offsite and monitored by 24/7 security, you have eliminated the risk of theft, and can provide your customers with confidence that their information is safe and sound. They can also remote access their files whenever they need to, via a secure internet browser that has customizable security settings, including accessibility via IP Address restrictions and even time of day or day of the week.

Hand holding credit card while browsing ecommerce site on laptop

Time = Money and You'll Save Both

When your documents are stored offsite, they are also categorically indexed and organized for quick, easy retrieval at any time that you deem necessary. Instead of enduring the monotony of rummaging through file cabinets, file folders and dusty boxes, you and your employees are able to access records with a simple web request from a secure network that is set up based on your parameters. This stark increase in efficiency will allow your staff to streamline everyday tasks, resulting in heightened productivity and cost reductions.

Organization: Should it Stay or Should it Go?

Due to industry regulations, HIPAA for example, many businesses must store records for years, even if they are no longer actively used. But how do you organize all of that information, for both active and archived records? Leave that challenge up to the documentation management experts who can store and organize your records for you, yet still provide you with quick access for retrieval when needed.

Office Aesthetics: Creating A Happy Work Environment

When a new or potential client walks into your office, that first impression matters. When they see an office full of cluttered desks, towers of boxes, or rows of clunky file cabinets, that first impression may not be positive. A clean, clear, organized office presents a professional appearance that will gain respect.

Office space is expensive, and every square foot matters. If you can unload years worth of records into an offsite storage facility, you will free up valuable real estate that you can use for other needs.

R4 Services will work with you to create a secure document storage strategy that's right for your business. Browse our many document options or give us a call today to get started!

The Importance of Vault Services

1/11/2018

Security is a major concern for companies these days, whether it's cyber or otherwise. In fact, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that nearly 40% of businesses never reopen their doors after a disaster and only 29% are still in operation two years afterward. It makes you think -- if disaster were to strike your business now, would you have the means to recover? If a flood, fire, espionage or virus were to present themselves, how long do you think it would take to get back up and running? Our comprehensive vault storage plan could be the key to your company's well being by keeping the most sensitive records offsite, secure and accessible. In the event that disaster does strike, your most important files will be safe and easily restored to have you back on track in as little time as possible.

What types of documents am I allowed to store?
The R4 Services state-of-the-art media vault can safely store all types of media including:

Computer tapes
Disks
Video/audio recordings
Microfilm
Microfiche
X-Rays
Paintings
Archival documents
Books
Photography
Business-critical documents such as disaster recovery plans

How can you guarantee my materials are safe?
R4 Services takes every precaution when it comes to handling your sensitive materials. We're dedicated to every aspect of document management and, as such, do everything to maintain your files' integrity. We provide protection via:

Adherence to the strict fire resistant construction standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Fire protection with FM-200 fire suppression system
Controlled access and monitored video surveillance
Bar coding provides accurate retrieval, filing and tracking capabilities or 100% accountability
Controlled climate - temperature and humidity controlled, ensuring long-term preservation of your media
Independent HVAC system supported by backup generator

You can also customize your own retention schedule and rotate your backup tapes on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Rest easy knowing that you're getting the highest level of security and protection from a team of professionals that also understands the importance of speedy retrieval and inventory management. We take your document management needs seriously and will help you through every step of the process. Feel free to browse our many services and get in touch to start securing your future.

Classifying Safe Storage: Finding a Vault Service Right for Your Business

7/28/2017

Have you ever walked into your office or a storage room at your company and been overtaken by old documents, company memorabilia, or business critical documents? At one time, storing these possessions in an extra space, out of sight, was probably doable, but as time goes by and the company grows, you’ve probably added more and more data to this pile. Now imagine walking into this cluttered room after a fire or flood, everything is destroyed. If this is a picture that scares you, moving your critical data to an offsite facility can safeguard your documents and possessions.

Finding an offsite facility for your data should not be a tiresome task, but should be one that much consideration is put into. You want to ensure that your documents are safe, secure, and accessible. What would be the point in storing your documents offsite if the information that you need cannot be accessed when you need it?

R4 Services has been providing document management and vault services to large and small businesses in Chicago and the surrounding area since 1993. Since our start, we have made it a point to understand our clients’ needs. Being reliable, resourceful, responsive, and reasonable has allowed our business to thrive, as well as businesses across the Chicagoland area.

If you’re interested in touring our facility to ensure it is the right choice for you and your company, please contact us today.

Media Vaults, Is Your Critical Data Protected?

6/9/2017

We all know the frustration of looking for a document, flash drive, or photograph and not knowing where it is, only for it to show up later when it is no longer needed. For the data that your organization needs to keep, but doesn’t need to access often, a media vault may be the best solution for you. As the name implies, a media vault is simply that, a vault utilized for the safekeeping of critical documents, media, and any other business critical documents that need protection should a disaster occur.

Since 1993, R4 Services has been providing support to businesses around the Chicagoland area, ensuring that operations can continue to run smoothly should a disaster occur such as a fire, water loss, or espionage.

R4’s Media Vaults are here for your organization and provide the following:

guarantees your data is on-hand and accessible 24/7/365.
provides storage for all types of media and data
provides safe storage and preservation of highly sensitive materials
provides protection via:
- Adherence to strict fire resistant construction standards of the American National Standards Institute
- (ANSI) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Fire protection with FM-200 fire suppression system
- Controlled access and monitored video surveillance
- Temperature and humidity controlled environment, ensuring long-term preservation of your media and data
- Independent HVAC system supported by backup generator
provides a peace of mind knowing that you are receiving the highest level of security and protection

To learn about R4’s Media Vaults, please contact us today and have peace of mind knowing that all critical data pertaining to your business is protected!

Protect Your Business-Critical Data with Media Vault Storage

3/9/2017

If a disaster occurred, such as a fire, flood, espionage or virus, how would it affect your business or organization? Could it survive? The truth is, most don’t. Here’s what you need to know about records/data loss and why you should invest in media vault storage to protect your business-critical data.

Did you know that nearly one-third of businesses that suffer records or data loss due to disaster never re-open? Of those that do re-open, nearly half go out of business within three years.

You need more than simple storage of your paper and media. You require secure, accurate, cost-effective protection and management of your organization’s information assets, provided by a knowledgeable company. Our state-of-the-art vault provides storage and services, including daily, weekly and monthly rotation for all types of media, including computer tapes, x-rays, floppy disks, microfilm, video/audio recordings and microfiche. The R4 vault also provides safe storage and preservation of highly sensitive materials, including archival documents, books, paintings, photography and business-critical documents such as Disaster Recovery Plans.

It’s important to find a partner that provides peace of mind knowing that you are receiving the highest level of security and protection from a team of professionals that also understands the importance of speedy retrieval and inventory management. Want to learn more about Media Vault Storage? Click here to take a proactive approach.

Accessing Records at Any Time: Why Data Retention is a Must

11/11/2016

Your records, whether archived or active, are a valuable aspect of your business. Even though your records document activity that happened in the past, they can help you make decisions going forward. A review of past events can help you determine if you should follow the same course or move in a different direction in the future. Records also contain vital information about your customer base, so you can know them inside and out, and therefore serve them better.

To fully reap the benefits of this valuable data, you must be able to access it at a moment's notice. So while retaining records is vital, it is most important that they can be accessed at any time.

Perhaps you are facing a client renewal, and shortly before a meeting, the customer indicates they are not certain they want to continue doing business with you. The last thing you want to spend time doing is sifting through old paper files or reading old email strings. When you can access this information through a simple web request, you can spend more of your time reviewing this data and making a decision about how you can better serve your customer moving forward.

Another scenario where quick access to records will save you time and money is facing a compliance audit. Audits can be stressful by nature, but accessing the required information does not need to be one of those stress points. When you have a solid records management system in place, and your files are organized, archived, scanned, and indexed, you can rest assured that you can provide the information required for an audit quickly and efficiently.

Data retention is a must to any successful business, and accessing records at a moment's notice can save you time and energy, allowing you to focus on the important business decision at hand. The information about the past just may be the key to the future.

Should Schools Utilize Document Storage Facilities?

2/1/2016

It is no secret that technology is advancing and FAST. Digital files are becoming the norm for storing information, and old paper files may need a place to call home. One example where this conundrum may come into play is within school districts.

Schools are now utilizing digital files and records management, but what about their paper files? Floor and storage space is becoming more of an issue as these paper files regarding students, district mandates, and other confidential documents are piling up and taking up valuable space.

Schools are required to maintain student and personnel files for minimum time periods and these files can occupy large amounts of space. Moving these files off-site not only secures them, opens up additional space, but are also securely destroyed after the set retention rate.

If you work at a school or university, what are your thoughts about storing records off school grounds? Can you think of a space right now where files are taking up space that could be utilized for something else?

Contact R4 Services today with any questions YOU may have about Document Storage.