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Offsite records storage doesn’t mean giving up access or control to your documents. How offsite document storage works is that when you need a record, all you have to do is request it through an online portal, and it comes as a delivery or a digital scan, often the same day. At the end of the retention period, records are destroyed, with certified destruction practices documented in a certificate showing what was destroyed and when, so you’re never paying for more storage than you need.
The first step in switching to offsite records storage is to prepare your documents for pickup. Start by deciding which files are moving, then group them so they can be found later, usually by:
Your records need to be ready to travel, stored in sturdy boxes built for business records storage. This type of box won’t fall apart in transit, is sized for standard shelving, is rated to stack, and is built with a flat panel where the barcode goes. What you write on the outside typically becomes the inventory entry, so it helps to name the record type and the date range rather than just the department.
Once your records are packed, they’re ready for secure pickup, which means they move from your office to the offsite storage facility under a documented chain of custody rather than an informal handoff. Chain of custody is the running record of who handled each box and when, starting the moment your records leave your possession.
With a chain of custody, you can reconstruct who had access to a file during the move, which matters most for employee files, financial records, patient charts, customer data, and litigation files.
Under HIPAA, a missing box of patient records is presumed to be a breach unless you can show it likely wasn’t compromised. The custody record is how you make that case.
When your documents are moving to offsite storage, the chain of custody starts at pickup. Each box is barcoded and scanned before it leaves your office, creating the first entry in the box’s tracking history. Every time it moves or gets pulled after that, another scan updates the history. Knowing where any box is at any moment is what barcode tracking records management gives you.
A secure offsite storage facility is designed to protect all types of records from unauthorized access, fire, water, pests, and gradual deterioration. Corodata’s offsite records storage facilities use restricted access, fire suppression systems, and 24/7 monitoring. A single facility typically holds several categories of records at once. Archive records storage covers inactive files that are rarely accessed but must be retained for compliance, as well as vital records the business couldn’t operate without.
The federal standard for facilities storing government records, 36 CFR Part 1234, requires non-combustible construction, situated well away from any 100-year floodplain, seismic bracing on shelving, monitored intrusion alarms, and fire suppression engineered by a licensed fire protection engineer.
Once your records are offsite, a records management client portal replaces the walk down the hall to the file room. Authorized users can search the inventory, request a box or file, schedule a pickup, see what’s currently checked out, and check which records are approaching the end of their retention period. Permissions are set by person rather than shared across one login.
Portal access matters more when teams work in different locations or from home. Corodata’s client portal handles pickup, storage, retrieval, and destruction requests from one account, while documents that get scanned are delivered to CoroVault, Corodata’s online records center, where you can reach them from any device.
Records retrieval starts with a request through the portal, by phone, or by email, and the record comes back as a physical delivery or a scanned digital copy. Timelines are usually tiered, with same-day, next-day, and rush options.
Audits, litigation holds, HR investigations, customer data, and patient record requests usually come with a fixed deadline. For example, when a California employee requests their personnel file in writing, Labor Code 1198.5 gives the employer 30 calendar days to provide it. With an indexed inventory behind you, most requests like that are answered the same day or the next.
With scan on demand, your documents stay in physical storage until you ask for them. Then they get digitized one document at a time. When you request a file, the box is pulled, and the document is scanned and delivered to you digitally. The paper original goes back on the shelf until the retention period is over.
Document scanning on demand costs less than digitizing an archive upfront because full digitization means paying to scan every page, making high-volume or bulk scanning a service for records you’re required to keep but rarely touch.
Every record in storage eventually reaches the end of its retention period, which varies by record type rather than by business. Corodata’s records retention guidelines set out how long common record types need to be kept. Holding records past the retention period adds storage costs and keeps them in scope for any records request or audit that covers them.
When a retention period expires, the records should be reviewed before anything is destroyed, since some may still be needed for an open matter. Destruction can be handled in-house or by your offsite storage provider, and the FTC Disposal Rule at 16 CFR 682.3 applies either way, requiring businesses that hold consumer information to take reasonable measures against unauthorized access during disposal. This regulation names shredding, burning, or pulverizing as suitable methods, as long as the information can’t be reconstructed.
Most businesses consider offsite records storage because they’re running out of room, but an office file room can pose compliance risks, such as open access and uninventoried boxes. Offsite file storage is built on indexing, barcoding, and controlled retrieval to produce these practical outcomes:
Tracking and inventory
Records are tracked through barcodes tied to an inventory database. What varies between providers is whether the database includes a contents list or only box locations, and whether your portal shows live inventory or only a periodic export.
Access and security
Permissions can be set per person or shared across a single account login. This matters most when staff turns over. On the building itself, monitoring and access control are near-universal, while construction, engineered fire suppression, and flood siting vary far more.
Retrieval and delivery
Standard, next-day, and rush tiers are common, but daily cutoff times and rush pricing differ. Scanning may be priced per page or per request, and a request may return either a single document or the entire box.
Retention and destruction
Some providers track retention dates for you, and others expect you to supply them. Destruction may occur automatically at the end of a retention period, or you may wait for your approval. Likewise, a certificate of destruction may only be issued on request.
Offsite storage should make records easier to manage, not harder. Corodata’s offsite records storage process keeps your files findable at every stage, from the moment they’re prepared and labeled through to destruction at the end of the retention schedule.
We help California businesses store, retrieve, scan, and securely destroy records across the full lifecycle. Talk with our team about building a records storage program that keeps your records secure without putting them out of reach.
Records stored offsite stay accessible three ways. You can view and search your full inventory online through a client portal, request a box or file for physical delivery, or have a single document scanned and sent to you digitally, often the same day. Requests can be placed through the portal, by phone, or by email, and permissions can be set by person control to determine who is allowed to make them.
Offsite records are tracked through barcodes tied to a searchable inventory. Each box is barcoded before it leaves your office, and every time it moves, gets pulled, or comes back, another scan updates its location history. You sign into a portal, search the inventory by box, file name, date range, or description, and request what you need.
Scan-on-demand handles requests for a single document. The provider retrieves the box, locates the document, scans it, and sends you a digital copy, and the paper original goes back into storage. Because you pay only to scan the documents you actually request, it costs less than digitizing an entire archive upfront.
No, offsite records storage holds current files as well as old ones. It covers active records storage for files still in regular use, archive records retained for long-term compliance, and vital records the business could not operate without. What separates them is how often they get pulled, not how well they’re protected.
When records no longer need to be kept, they are reviewed once the retention period ends and then destroyed. The review matters because some records may still be needed for an open matter. Destruction should require your approval and produce a certificate confirming what was destroyed and when, which is your proof that disposal met FTC requirements.
Download and save our "Business Retention Schedule Guideline" to ensure you meet government mandates and have your employees knowledgeable of what records to store and for how long.
