Contra Costa County – Records Management

Contra Costa County records management companies often provide quarterly reporting of the files that they have in storage. You will also receive reports for records you retrieve and return. Do not lose this information as you will need to compare against the regular billing statements.

Do not simply rely on the reports provided by the Contra Costa County records management company. You should have your own in-house tracking system of your records. Reconciling your reports against the records archiving company’s reports will make the invoice review process more efficient.

You should receive destruction certificates for destroyed records, whether you have ongoing destruction services or you use the Contra Costa County records management companies for one-time events. Match these certificates against your in-house tracking system, and pay attention to the details included in your invoice.

Make sure that you are not assessed fees for included incidentals. For example, shredding service charges are usually assessed per pound; therefore, you should not see hourly amounts appearing for these services.

The bottom line is that you must retain records of all interactions with the records management company and you must reconcile your records with theirs.

Records management companies will typically offer warrantees in reference to turnaround time for record retrievals, security and thorough records destruction. Typical turnaround time for record retrieval generally ranges from two to six hours.

However, retrieval time typically depends on your proximity to the storage facility and the facility’s internal processes.
If the records management facility you’re contracting with guarantees a turnaround time, they will usually also offer compensation or some other recompense if they do not meet their guarantees.

If the company has a records scanning system for paperless retrievals, you may be able to access your records instantaneously. For such service, typical guarantees include 24-hour access including available personnel for emergency situations.

Pay close attention to security guarantees. If the company boasts a robustly secure electronic records system that no one can hack, review their system updating and testing policies. Hackers deploy new strategies frequently, and the records management company should have strategies in place to minimize these risks.

Make sure that all warranties are detailed in your contract, and make sure that you abide by all stipulations of the warranties. Warranties are usually void if you neglect to follow the warranty guidelines. Document any issues that impact the warranted service, as proof makes warranty claims easier to process.

Backup Tape Storage
Offsite backup tape storage is often incorporated in an organization’s disaster recovery strategies. Contra Costa County records management providers may scan and track your media and provide you with computer controlled access to your data.

Digital Records Management
Electronic records management allows companies to centralize their records management programs. With such a strategy, records are more efficiently tracked and controlled. In keeping with ISO standards, no one person or department takes ownership of the organization’s records. Companies can, therefore, apply more consistent policies and procedures for the retention and destruction of all company records.

Document Retention
The document storage and preservation process begins when the records management picks up your records from your office. Once the records arrive at the storage facility, the records will be indexed and cataloged. Document retrieval is included in storage and preservation and involves access of records that are already in storage. You often must make a request for retrieval of records by a certain time in order to receive same day retrieval services.

Document Shredding
Industry and government regulations require that you keep records for a certain period. After this period, you can destroy the record. Records management companies safely destroy records deemed ready for destruction. Document destruction can include record incineration or paper shredding. In some cases, records management companies will provide you with locked bins that your employees can use to place sensitive material that can be destroyed. You will then schedule a pick up. The records management company will then pick up the bins from your offices, and the bins are then delivered to the destruction site where your records will be destroyed.

Information Governance
Information governance involves implementing and enforcing best practices for records management. This includes developing enforceable policies for records—including emails—and privacy. The point of information governance is to ensure that your organization’s records management program meets industry and government standards and protects against legal backlashes.

Off-site Records Management Services
Off-site records management physically moves your records to records storage facilities outside of your office. This service places the full responsibility of records maintenance in the storage facility’s hands and allows you to take advantage of advanced security systems. The records management company can then be charged with ensuring that your records management program adheres to industry standards.

On-site Records Management
With on-site records management, your records stay in your office, but you outsource the preservation and destruction of your information to a records management company. This includes filing and tracking of your records and ensuring that your records management program meets ISO standards.

Records Archiving
There are certain records that will hold value indefinitely but are not required for daily operations. These records usually source documents and they must be stored and protected for a certain period of time—often permanently. Records archiving is the process of storing and preserving of these documents.

Records Management Assessment
The records management consultation includes a detailed review of your business records, the application systems your organization uses and the way in which you currently track and store your records. During the consultative period, the records management company attempts to gain insights about your organization’s management practices. They review your privacy practices, retention procedures and data classification policies.

Scanning and Imaging Services
Scanning and imaging services convert your records to digital images. This process makes retrieval processes easier and eliminates the practice of creating several copies of the same document. Because scanned images can be viewed via a computer or mobile device, several employees can view the same document simultaneously, regardless of their physical location.

Records management encompasses an array of activities aimed at documenting the policies and activities of organizations. The process includes analyzing all transactions and then classifying these transactions as records, a subclass of documents.

Records management is becoming ever more valuable, as organizations must preserve and protect their information for legal and historical purposes and to ensure consistency in their operations.

Use this glossary to help you become familiar with some of the terms used by records management providers.

Records management encompasses an array of activities aimed at documenting the policies and activities of organizations. The process includes analyzing all transactions and then classifying these transactions as records, a subclass of documents.

Records management is becoming ever more valuable, as organizations must preserve and protect their information for legal and historical purposes and to ensure consistency in their operations.

Use this glossary to help you become familiar with some of the terms used by records management providers.

access
According to the International Standard Organization, access is your right or mean of retrieving your records.

access copy
Rather than provide the original document for viewing, records management companies use access copies, which are reproductions of the original records, for information sharing. This allows the storage facility to protect the original document from damage or theft.

current records
Your current records are those that you use frequently in your daily business activities. These records are typically stored such that you can easily access them.

Also known as: active records

analog records
analog records are records that are not in an electronic format. These can include paper documents and audio documentation.

appraisal
An appraisal is the process of analyzing a record to determine the record’s retention period.

bi-tonal image
Bi-tonal images are graphic and textual images that are void of gradation of tone. Bi-tonal images can include printed black and white images.

Also known as: black & white non-continuous tone image

born-digital records
Born digital records originated in electronic formats and include email and other electronic documentation.

business records
Business records refer to any material or document that your organization creates or receives during your normal business operations.

class
Class refers to a set or group of records that share a common characteristic. Records in storage may be grouped by class hierarchies to determine security levels.

classification
Classification is the process by which you identify and categorize business records. Classification helps to determine security levels, retention period, access rights and destruction dates.

compression
Records management providers use compression to reduce electronic file sizes.

Also known as: zip

conservation
Conservation is part of the preservation process that repairs and stabilizes records. To ensure that documents remain in their original state as long as possible, the conservation process uses chemical or physical treatments to stabilize documents.

copy
A copy is a replication of an original document.

Also known as: duplicate

creator
The creator of a document is the organization or individual that originally produced the document.

Also known as: originator

custody
The records management provider takes custody of your records when you place the records management process in their hands. Custody refers to responsibility for care, not ownership.

declassification
The declassification process changes moves a record from one class to another. A record that may have previously been deemed highly classified and, therefore, viewable by only a certain audience may be declassified and made available to a larger or general audience.

Also known as: reclassification

description
The description process in records management entails analyzing the record to determine its context, purpose, retention period, and its storage process.

destruction
Destruction is the process of disposing records permanently.

digitization
Digitization converts analog material, such as paper files, to digital format. Digitization uses photography or scanning processes to convert documents.

disaster mitigation strategy
Incredibly crucial in the records management process, disaster mitigation strategies are policies and procedures designed to minimize the impact of risks to an organization’s records. Disaster mitigation strategies include steps to recover records in the event of a catastrophe or any event that disrupts daily business activities.

Also known as: disaster recovery strategy

disposal
In records management, disposal refers to destroying records that are no longer needed. Disposal can also refer to transferring records to archives.

document
Documents are recorded information or objects. Records grouped together as a unit can be referred to as one document.

electronic records
Electronic records are created or maintained with electronic equipment.

electronic signature
Electronic signatures are digital marks or symbols that identify the person who gives consent for digital material

encryption
Encryption is a security procedure that converts electronic data to incomprehensible data. The intended reader must have and apply the appropriate key in order to read the translate the information to its original form.

file plan
A file plan is the scheme that the records management provider develops to organize and arrange your records.

Also known as: file classification scheme.

hygrothermograph
A hygrothermograph is a device used to record atmospheric humidity and temperature.

inactive records
Inactive records are those records that you no longer need in daily business transactions but you must maintain for administrative, legal or historical purposes.

ISO 15489
The ISO 15489 is an International Standards Organization prescriptive for creating, capturing and maintaining records. .

master copy
The master copy is the original record, and it is used to make access copies.

medium
Mediums are the physical material or container that you use to record information.

preservation
Preservation is the process of maintaining authentic records.

records
According to the ISO records are “information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.”

record keeping
Record keeping is the process of creating and maintaining evidence of business transactions.

records management program
Records management programs are strategies for managing records and documenting business processes and activities.

retention schedule
Retention schedules detail the retention period of a record.

scanner
Scanners are optical devices used to transform analog images to electronic formats.

taxonomy
Taxonomy refers to intellectual structures that arrange items into groups and subgroups.

tracking
Tracking in records management refers to the process of creating, capturing and maintaining information about the movement of records.

vital records
Vital records are those records that are critical to your organizations operations.

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified records management provider?…

Q: Why choose a Diamond Certified records management provider?
A: Diamond Certified helps you choose a records management company with confidence by offering a list of top-rated local companies who have passed the country’s most in-depth rating process. Only records management providers rated Highest in Quality earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award. Most companies can’t pass the ratings. American Ratings Corporation also monitors every Diamond Certified company with ongoing research and ratings. And your purchase is backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’ll feel confident choosing a Diamond Certified records management provider.

Q: How long should we keep records?
A: How long you keep records depends on government regulations, industry standards and your organizations policies. You and the records management provider will work together to decide the best records retention and disposition schedule for your company.

Q: What do records retention and disposition schedules entail?
A: Records retention and disposition schedules list the records that are in custody with the records management provider. The schedule details the length of time that the storage facility must preserve the record before transferring the record for destruction.

Q: How does a records management program work?
A: The records management program depends on your needs and the company you select. From an outsourcing perspective, records management program allows you to better utilize organizational resources. The records management program can simply mean that you store your files at an offsite location. These locations may have on-site viewing rooms or may offer retrieval and delivery services. Other companies may offer full-service options where they help you determine how to track and preserve your information, store your records for you and destroy the records when appropriate.

Q: How Can I view my records?
A: Records management companies offer several options for viewing your records. Many records management companies scan and convert your files to digital formats and allow online access to your files. You can view the electronic version of your record without ever having to retrieve an actual paper file. Other times, you may require the physical file. In this case, you can request that the records management company pull and deliver the file to your offices.

Q: How quickly can records management companies get my records to my office?
A: Many storage facilities offer same day services for requests that you make within a certain time frame. Bear in mind, however, that the distance that the records management company must travel between your offices and theirs can impact how quickly you receive your records. Make sure that you discuss emergency delivery stipulations and include all agreements in your contract.

Q: Is it safe to store my records with records management providers?
A: The safety of your records is a priority for the records management company because records storage is their core business. Experienced records management companies invest heavily in their company’s security systems, but you should make sure that you review the providers security policies before you contract their services.

Q: What Fees Can I expect to Pay?
A: The base fees will directly relate to managing and storing your records. Some companies will charge an administrative fee to set up your service, and some will charge additional fees for transporting your records between your office and the storage facility. Your best option to prevent costs from skyrocketing, detail all expected and incidental costs in your contract. If you find that you are consistently requiring emergency adjustments, it may be time to renegotiate your contract. But, proceed carefully when renegotiating your contract as you do not want to incur early termination fees to end an old contract and start a new one.

Q: What types of records do records management companies?
A: Records management providers accept records in every conceivable format. You will work with the records management company to determine your needs.

Q: How Do I get started?
A: For basic tasks such as storing a few boxes, the process can start with a quick consultation to iron out fees. For more extensive requirements, many records management companies perform business analysis or a records management consultation. Depending on the extent of your needs, this consultation can take a few days or a few weeks. After the consultation, the records management provider will provide you with a report that details your records management strengths and areas that can be improved. They will make suggestions, and the records management consultant will help you devise the most suitable plan for your organization.