Below are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) in the field of document management and storage services. If you have a question that isn't answered on this page, please click here to make a submission.
What is records management?
Records management is the systemization of creating, maintaining, using, and disposing of records.
What is a public record?
Public records include documents, books, papers, photographs, computer tapes or disks, email, video or audio recordings.
What is a vital record?
Vital records contain information essential to the survival of an organization in the event of a disaster. They typically make up a small percentage of the vast amounts of the recorded data created by a typical organization - normally 5%. The range can vary depending on the business of the organization, but a legal, medical, accounting and/or government organization may have a much higher proportion of active case files.
Why do vital records need to be protected?
Vital records document an organization's legal and financial positions and preserve the rights of employees, customers and stockholders. If vital records are lost, damaged, destroyed or otherwise rendered unavailable, that loss becomes a disaster within a disaster, affecting critical operations needed to recover from the initial disaster.
What forms of recorded data are usually classified as "vital?"
Some common examples include contracts or agreements that prove ownership of property, equipment, vehicles, products, etc.; operational records such as current accounting and tax records, current personnel/payroll records, account histories, and shipping records; current client files; current standard operating procedures; produced reports and summaries; and software source codes.
How long should I keep records?
Each type of record has its own retention schedule, which refers to the minimum length of time the record needs to be kept intact. Retention time is based on its administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical value.What are the benefits of records management?
Accurate management of records has many benefits. It keeps information needed for decision-making and operations readily available, allows for faster retrieval of documents, improves office efficiency, provides more space and avoids unnecessary purchase of office equipment. From a security standpoint, it protects records from unauthorized access, protects the rights of a business, its employees, and customers, and provides a legacy in the event of a disaster.
Are there material restrictions for shredding?
Not at all. Our industrial shredding equipment is capable of handling a variety of materials, including three ring binders, film, audio and video tapes, computer diskettes and much more. Materials such as staples will not require extraction before disposal in the secure containers and collection bins. Any materials that can be recycled will be.
What is a disaster recovery plan?
A Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery plan serves as the main resource in the preparation for, response to, and recovery from a disaster that affects any number of crucial functions in an organization.
What does disaster recovery have to do with records management?
The foundation for developing a Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery plan lies in developing a method for the protection and preservation of vital records.
Can standard filing equipment offer fire protection?
Standard file cabinets may look like an attractive option because they "seem" cheaper, but this thinking is erroneous and potentially dangerous. For the protection of vital information assets, it is advisable to seek the highest quality. Price should not be an overriding factor in your decision. It is imperative to seek products that are tested by Underwriters' Laboratory (UL) or other nationally known independent testing labs.
What special measures are taken to protect computer media?
Computer media require different levels of protection. Paper is more durable than media and can tolerate a wide range of humidity levels and heat up to approximately 400°F before igniting. Media such as computer diskettes, CDs and magnetic or digital tapes cannot survive higher temperatures or humidity levels. They must be stored in an environment that will stay between 40-90°F and below 65% humidity in order to be protected.
What is document scanning?
Document scanning is the procedure of using software and high-speed scanners to transfer an image on paper to a digital picture. The image can then be indexed and stored in a document storage system giving users the ability to navigate through many documents at great speed.
What types of images can be scanned?
There are very little limits to the types of documents that can be scanned. "Documents" also entails oddly-sized printed materials like pictures, posters, brochures, etc.
What is "scan-ready?"
This means the paper document is prepared to be applied to the scanning equipment. The pages must be without staples, wrinkles and tears.
What is scanning software?
Scanning software allows the computer to take a digital picture of a document. The software optimizes shading, clarity, contrast and brightness, enabling the hardware to make appropriate adjustments during the processing.
Will there be a database devised in order for me to search my documents?
The organization will be better than expected. You will be able to search by keyword or part of a keyword. This will allow a user to search their documents with proficiency and alacrity.
What types of processes do the images undergo?
Images are de-skewed, de-speckled, rotated, mirrored, background colors dropped, borders trimmed or removed.
What if more than one person wanted to access the documents at the same time?
A company's local area network or wide area network can take advantage of CDs placed in players accessible on the network. Some companies can access multiple CDs, using players that can hold a multitude of them. Multiple copies of the archive is available as another solution.
What are the hardware and software requirements?
A Pentium Class PC or higher is usually needed with 32 MB RAM, 35 MB available hard disk space, 8x CD-ROM drive, Windows 95/98 or Windows NT/2000. CDs can be formatted to be read by Windows, UNIX, Linux, OS/2, and Macintosh systems.
What is document imaging?
Document imaging is the process by which a digital picture of an original paper document is created.
How do I use and access document imaging?
Once a document has been scanned, there are several possibilities. You can read the document on your monitor using any image viewer, fax the document using a fax modem, convert the document images into editable text or print out the pages needed at a particular time.
How many images can fit onto one CD?
About 15,000 black-and-white, letter-sized pages will fit onto one CD. Color documents and those with images can also be converted, but the number of pages that fit will be less because color and images use more memory.
What is the image quality like?
The quality will be most impressive. Providers remove speckles, straighten the documents, remove backgrounds blurring information, darken, and lighten text.
Will my original documents be returned to me after scanning?
Yes they will.
|
Contact brmdetails@businessrecords.com for more information. Someone will respond within 24 hours. |
BRM values your security and privacy. Click here to read our privacy policy.