Document storage, also called archive storage, is keeping paper records you have to hold on to but rarely use, such as old accounts, client files and personnel records, somewhere other than your office or home. It comes in two forms: a self-storage unit that you organise and visit yourself, or a managed records service that boxes, indexes, retrieves and destroys files for you. We’ve written more on when you need document storage.
At Wigwam
Ours is the first kind, which keeps your files under your own control. You rent a unit, you decide who can get in, and you file and fetch your own boxes whenever you need them, normally from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. Units start as small as a locker, and shelving can be provided to keep files organised, so ask about it for your site when you book.
Your archive is well protected. The external doors have access control, every unit has its own alarm, and if it goes off while you’re not there, our security team investigates. Our sites have a secure perimeter and CCTV monitored around the clock by a professional monitoring company. You can share access with named colleagues through smart entry, for a set period or with no end date.
Cash, title deeds and share certificates can’t be stored with us, because they’re so hard to replace, so keep those with your bank or a deeds store. Old business paperwork, closed files and archive boxes are fine.
Setting up an archive
- Use lidded archive boxes or lockable cabinets on freestanding shelving, off the floor, and pack everything dry.
- Number each box and keep the index, with each box’s destroy-by date, back at the office.
- When files reach the end of their retention period, use a confidential shredding firm that gives you a certificate of destruction.
Everything stored needs cover, ours or your own. For documents, the replacement value is the cost of reprinting or replacing them, not the value of the information, so keep a copy of anything you couldn’t work without.
See our document storage page, or call us on 0800 2545585.
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