Author: Crown Information Managment

Due to the steady rise in the frequency and severity of data breaches in Florida, most businesses have made large investments to upgrade their digital information security measures. However, while the focus and spends on robust IT applications and IT infrastructure has increased manifold, the vulnerabilities of physical information security are sometimes underestimated or ignored. Any negligence or mistakes in managing sensitive or confidential paper files or documents could pose considerable risks to your business, including increased liability exposure, business fraud, or even identity theft issues. These potential threats could make your company more susceptible to

It’s Not Just Efficient, It Can Also Save You from Being Penalized!

You know that remaining in compliance with HIPAA laws is of the utmost importance, so you do everything you can to keep your records organized and updated. However, if you have a busy medical practice or other public-facing business, you probably spend your day taking care of clients’ needs. It’s easy to get behind on current paperwork, let alone information from years past. It sounds like you need to partner with a records management and storage company such as Crown Information Management.

According to a recent study of state-wise information security risks in the U.S., Florida ranks 1^st in vulnerability to identity theft and fraud, 1^st in identity theft complaints per capita, and 8^th on fraud complaints per capita. What this means is that your business in Florida may be highly susceptible to data hacks, identity theft, credit card fraud, and other information leakage threats. Depending on the nature of the crime and the extent of information stolen, your business may face a number of risks, including:

Have you ever wondered how a cowboy hat is made? When you look at a piano, do you consider how it’s built to produce a gorgeous tone when you strike the keys? If you are super curious, you may have found yourself binge watching episodes of How It’s Made on a weekend afternoon. Here is another question for inquiring minds, if your CEO asks you what happens to the confidential documents that are shredded weekly, would you know the answer? 

Information is the lifeblood of any business and requires the same level of protection as other precious assets. Whether your business records are in digital or physical format, they require:

• Systematic Classification: Distinguishing between records by classifying them as ‘vital’, ‘important’ and ‘useful’ 
• Proper Handling: Designing and implementing appropriate document management practices
• Secure Storage: Investing in robust technology frameworks, advanced information security protocols, and professional records storage services. 

Whether it is active file management or record storage for the minimum applicable period, your storage units or filing rooms contain heaps of boxes and papers at any point. Even if you adopt best-in-class indexing and classification practices, your staff may spend several hours a year filing, storing, and retrieving required files or documents. Outsourcing your records storage and management needs to the professionals is an excellent solution for reallocating your resources and optimizing your operational budget. 

Besides financial, physical, and human assets, every business relies on a fourth asset – information. Your company’s compliance management, risk management, and corporate governance have huge dependencies on the quality of your information management practices. Without proper systems and processes, managing your records and information may be akin to taming an insurmountable monster. However, hiring qualified Records and Information Management (RIM) professionals will benefit your business in more ways than you can imagine. 

The experts at Crown Information Management discuss the advantages of outsourcing your records management activities to an experienced information management company. 

Entrust Your Information Management Requirements to the Professionals

Records and Information Management is a science in itself. It is about defining and implementing policies, processes, systems and technology solutions to capture, access, store, secure, retrieve, use, or distribute any organizational records and information. As a business leader or owner, you may design your own protocols for coding, managing, or accessing the physical or digital records. However, partnering with RIM professionals goes a long way in ironing out inefficiencies, and easing your burden of records preservation and retrieval.

Here are some of the advantages of partnering with a SOC1, NAID AAA and PCI Certified company, such as Crown Information Management for your records and information management requirements:

1. Save Time and Resources: Instead of dedicating critical man-hours to their core job, your staff may often spend time in sorting, indexing and filing papers, or retrieving records from a storage facility. Our qualified RIM professionals use proven methods for classification and storage and provide speedy retrieval and delivery as and when you need any records. Additionally, we offer a scan on demand service, where we convert your required records into scanned images for immediate electronic delivery through secure channels. 
2. Improve Security: As a professional information management company, we maintain your records in our state-of-the-art storage facility in Winter Haven, FL, which meets the State of Florida Guidelines for managing your information. 

• We offer a secure, climate controlled environment to store your vital and valuable information that is equipped with an advanced fire suppression systems and a complex watershed system.
• We randomize the storage locations for your records throughout our facility in order to de-risk from unauthorized access or accidental damage. 
• We limit access to your records based on your pre-authorized security list.
• Sophisticated security systems and strict access controls make our premises a much safer option than self-storage units or your office storage facilities. 

3. Remain Compliant: Besides stringent access controls and tracking systems, we provide timely review reports that include retention scheduling as well as suggestions for records that you can dispose of. Our RIM professionals stay abreast of all regulations and industry-specific norms applicable to your business, ensuring that you remain compliant on both preservation and destruction of records. We can safely shred redundant records, hard drives, and digital media in our facilities.
4. Reduce Budgetary Pressures: Every business comes under continued pressure for reducing operating costs. Outsourcing your records management requirement means freeing up valuable real estate and spending less on resources, security, transportation, and moving equipment. 
5. Avoid Liabilities: Your own employees lifting or stacking heavy files and boxes could mean an increased risk of workplace injuries. Delays or an inability to produce required records for legal or audit queries could entail expensive fines or legal action. Relying on our RIM professionals will help you avoid such liabilities and protect your company’s brand reputation.
6. Improve Profitability: Easy and timely access to your records and information would mean you can make critical business decisions more efficiently and on-time. Investing in sophisticated information management systems and technology could translate into more business and improved profitability.
7. Boost Productivity: In-house records management can be a tedious task. From freeing up the time for your staff to eliminating the need for records storage space or infrastructure, we contribute to improved efficiencies and productivity in several different ways

• Our information management systems track your records with key indexing and barcodes, saving you valuable time on records retrieval and business decision making. 
• Through our web access information management system, you can review and monitor a digital listing of all your records, including detailed descriptions, date spans, titles, filing spans, and disposal dates.
• We also help you identify and purge duplicate records and establish a complete chain of custody in line with your access control requirements. 

Hire the qualified RIM professionals at Crown Information Management for all your information management needs. To learn more about our complete suite of services, call 800-979-9545 or contact us online. 

Avoid the Mistakes that Lead to Bad Recordkeeping 

It is the season of the scare-a-fest, and most of us may remember at least one funny or spooky Halloween story from the years gone by. In fact, walking into your recordkeeping room or a self-storage facility could evoke some of those memories or remind you of scenes from the horror movies you have watched. Long echoing corridors, flickering tube lights, stacks of storage boxes, hissing sounds of a stray rodent that has made your space its home, and a monster lurking behind the boxes, patiently waiting for you!