What Are Archival Documents?

Whether you’re aware of it or not, all of us are archivers. Anytime you move inactive emails to another folder instead of deleting them, upload photos to the cloud from your phone to declutter, or physically move your 2021 tax return file from your desk to your file cabinet, you are archiving.

So, what is archiving?

Archiving is the process of securely storing inactive information for a long period of time that may or may not be used again in the future but is still required to be preserved until permission is given to destroy it.

Archiving is a critical component of your business and should be part of your records management strategy. Archives are live historical documents that provide…

• documentation,
• explanation,
• and justification

…for current and past actions.

Why Are Archival Documents Important to My Organization?

When you archive hard copy or digital documents in a secure, long-term repository, you:

• Protect them from damage or destruction. Consider partnering with a professional records management company with a purpose-built records center designed to protect your documents from fire, flooding, and natural disasters, and has a response plan in the event of a disaster.
• Make your documents easier to locate, protect, and maintain for the remainder of their lifecycle. A professional records management company has up-to-date indexing systems that track what’s in your boxes, their current and past locations in the records center, and file retrieval history.
• Help your organization adhere to information retention requirements. You have archived them because they are inactive and not necessary to keep on-site at your facility, but still have lifespan left or are required to be kept indefinitely.
• Minimize data loss. Storing them offsite will allow your files to be kept separate from your active files and minimize the risk they will inadvertently be included in a file purge.
• Decrease operating expenses. Historical documents and inactive files use valuable operating space. By archiving them at a records management facility, you free up valuable floor space in your office to be used for core business functions and decrease your storage costs.
• Improve security. Choose a facility or storage location with stringent security measures, including state-of-the-art security systems, access controls, and monitored video cameras.
• Help your organization comply with data privacy and retention regulations which state how long certain records must be kept and when they must be destroyed, depending on their lifecycle.
• Have legal, auditable proof of compliance. An audit can occur at any time, and being prepared will save a lot of stress, time, and money.

As you can see, partnering with a local, reputable records management company to store your archival documents provides your organization with many important benefits.

Records Management Center in Augusta, Georgia is considered one of the best places to store your archival documents. Just ask any of our many happy customers from a wide variety of industries in Augusta, Evans, Thomson, and Martinez, GA, Aiken, SC, and the Central Savannah River Areas. For more information, call us at 706-724-7982 or complete the form on this page and our records management experts will answer all your questions.