 In addition to paper storage, the company also offers tape storage
for computer backups. The tapes are stored in a special vault inside
the building. The vault can hold approximately 600,000 such tapes.
The company has also expanded into the newest trend in the business:
off-site storage via the Internet.
Located in the back of the tape vault is a massive server that
receives and holds in storage backup information from a variety of
businesses throughout central Illinois.
The vault where the tape storage and backup server are located
has its own heating, cooling and humidity control designed
specifically for the preservation of those products.
And, getting into that special vault is even more difficult. With
21st-century technology, one must offer a finger in order to gain
entry.
The biometric lock on this door has a special pad where employees
place the tip of their index finger in a small scanner. Their print
is scanned, and if they pass, the door unlocks and they can enter.
Slack commented on the fingerprint lock, saying that she intends
to eventually have the same lock on every door, as she feels these
are the best of the best in high-level security practices.
Justin Ott is the operations manager in the warehouse. He spends
about 50 percent of his time in the vault, cataloging the tapes and
switching copies in and out for clients.
Slack pointed out a cabinet that was being filled with tapes.
"This is a tape rotation for a huge hospital," she said. "These
are their data backup tapes. We deliver this cabinet of 300 to 400
tapes to them daily, and they send back an identical bank of tapes
for us to put in the vault," she explained.
When asked about the clients they serve, Slack was very careful
in her answer, saying, "Everyone has storage issues, so anyone that
has a need, we are here to help them."
Slack did go on to say that many of the clients they serve store
highly confidential material, including legal, medical and
financial.
When a client signs up for paper storage, there is a process
involved that assures that on any given day, any item sent to
Midwest Records Storage can be tracked and retrieved at the request
of the client.
The business runs three trucks daily, picking up and delivering
as needed.
When the trucks arrive back in Lincoln, boxes are checked in by
Jacob Horton, the warehouse manager, and placed in a staging area.
Using bar codes and numerical indexing, the boxes are configured
into lots, and thus begins the "footprint" of that box in the
building.
The lots are stored in massive multilevel shelving units, which
are also marked with a numerical index. Slack showed how this works
by pointing out a tag on a shelf.
"Locations are coded and scanned," she explained, pointing to a
series of numbers on the tag.
She read the code aloud. "This one is first level, 21st row from
the back, fourth shelf over, third shelf up and in the first slot."
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Depending on the services that the client has subscribed to, the
contents of the box may be cataloged and entered into a Web site for
the client.
From that secure Web site, the client can review the contents of
each box any time they wish. Slack said this feature makes it much
easier for a client when he or she is requesting files from storage.
Another part of the "footprint" is the running record of items
that have been taken out and returned to any given box.
Each time a client asks for a file to be returned to them,
Midwest Records Storage records that event, including information
about who made the request, when the file was delivered to the
client and when it was returned.
Slack said that information is permanent, and years from now a
client can obtain a list and know exactly all the times that a box
has had items removed from it and by whom.
When a client needs to retrieve a file, it can be accomplished at
any time of the day or night.
While the warehouse runs on a day shift, the employees also
participate in an "on-call" rotation.
"If a medical record is needed at 3 in the morning," Slack said,
"or a data tape fails and they need their backup, they can call and
someone will be able to take care of them 24/7, 365 days of the
year."
In the early 1990s there was much discussion about using computer
technology to turn modern business into a "paperless society."
However, with over 100,000 boxes of paper stored in Lincoln
alone, it is pretty evident that hasn't happened yet.
Modern technology, though, has had an effect on how records are
stored, and Slack said that her company is embracing the changes as
they occur.
To assist the company in staying abreast of new developments,
Slack said that Midwest Records Storage is a member of the American
Records Management Association and another organization,
Professional Records and Information Services Management.
Slack said that through these organizations she learns about best
practices being used in the industry and also about the latest
technological advancements.
The information she gleans from the associations will keep
Midwest Records Storage on the cutting edge of technology, assuring
that the business remains competitive and successful in Logan County
for years to come.
[By NILA SMITH]
Midwest Records Storage:
http://www.midwestrecordstorage.com/
Part 1:
Businessman bought, saved and expanded local
branch
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