Merchants Distribution Service, Warehouses  Merchandise, Altoona, IA

MDS Records Management

 Frequently Asked Questions

  • How Does MDS Records Management Define A "Record"?

    Good question! A record may be a sheet of paper or a file folder, but it could be many other things as well. A record is a physical article that provides evidence of your business (or personal) activities.  A record may be a container, file folder, a sheet of paper, electronic media of any kind (CD, DVD, backup tape, microfilm, microfiche, etc.)


    Customer confidentiality is vital, so we won't tell you exactly what kinds of records are currently managed by MDS, but here are just a few of the types of records we are equipped to protect and manage:


    📃Financial records

    📃Incorporation documents

    📃 X-rays

    📃Architectural drawings

    📃Videos, DVDs, CDs, tapes, etc.

    📃Letters

    📃Agreements

    📃Medical files

    📃Drawings

    📃Maps

    📃Books

    📃Electronic files

    📃Treatment plans

    📃Insurance records

    📃Patent documents

    📃Legal documents

    📃Diaries and journals

    📃Manuscripts


  • Why Does MDS Records Management Call It "Records And Information Management?" Isn't It Just Storage?

    It's not just storage, by a long shot. We don't just warehouse your records; we keep them safe and secure from theft or fire or weather, protect them from deterioration and pests, track and organize them, so they're always easily retrievable (even after many years!).  Plus, part of records and information management is digitizing the records you want to keep electronically. And permanently and securely destroying records when they no longer need to be saved.


    There's also our behind-the-scenes work with you. MDS Records Management is here to advise on the best way to index and store the documents, and we maintain tracking systems that identify where each item is now and where it has been at any prior moment. We work with you from cataloging through document destruction.


    Plain old storage doesn't do your business any favors – it exposes you to risks that could threaten your business. The records and information management professionals at MDS Records Management know their work is vital to your business success – and they do it right.


    Our commitment is always to promise the highest level of customer service.  Our reputation and track record have been built by delivering on that promise.



  • We're Not A Very Big Company. Don't Big Corporations Only need records And Information Management?

    Oh no. No matter the size, most companies operate within the regulatory environment – and that means specific rules about what information must be kept private, how long particular records need to be kept, etc. With a smaller company, MDS, can serve as an extension of your business by providing space, security, protection, management, and knowledge - so you don't have to think about any of those things.

  • Off-site Storage Seems Like A Luxury. So how Do We Justify The Expense?

    It only takes one time. What happens if you have a water main break – or a fire – or a break-in - at your home or place of business? When your essential documents are stored, managed, and protected by MDS Records Management, you can rest assured.

  • How Do I Know MDS Won't Accidentally Destroy Our Records At The Wrong Time?

    MDS Records Management will never destroy your records without prior authorization. When the records come to us, you complete a form telling us when they are scheduled for destruction.  But we know that regulations can change, so verification is extremely important!  For our protection and yours, when a destruction date is coming due, we give you a detailed list of the records scheduled for destruction and require that an authorized person sign off on the action.  If you don't authorize destruction, we don't destroy the records.  The Certificate of Destruction we provide is your record that all was correctly completed.

  • I Have A Lot Of Personal Shredding That Needs To Be Done. Can MDS Help With That?

    Absolutely. Anytime during normal office hours, just bring your shred material to our office. We'll be happy to take it off your hands and put it through our secure shred process for a low fee.  And we'll give you a friendly smile, free.

     

    Is Document Destruction Only Available For Companies That Have Their Records Stored And Managed By MDS?


    By no means! Whether or not you're using any other MDS services, we're happy to schedule a pickup of your materials for shred.  We can also deliver empty confidential locked consoles or tubs to your location and collect them when full. In all cases, a Certificate of Destruction is issued as proof of destruction.


  • Is Document Destruction Only Available For Companies That Have Their Records Stored And Managed By MDS?

    By no means! Whether or not you're using any other MDS services, we're happy to schedule a pickup of your materials for shred.  We can also deliver empty confidential locked consoles or tubs to your location and collect them when full. In all cases, a Certificate of Destruction is issued as proof of destruction

  • Can We Come And See The MDS Records Management Facility?

    Confidentiality and security are enormously important in our business, so tours of MDS Records Management are scheduled selectively. That said, as our relationship with you develops, we can work with you to arrange a tour that will address your key topics of interest. We do take care to balance the desire to show you all we can do for you with ensuring the security of our current clients and the records we protect and manage for them. This means there may be some limits to what we can show or discuss.

  • We Have a Paper Shredder Located in our Office. What is the Cost-Benefit of Using Professional Records Destruction?

    Your in-office paper shredder could be costing you more money than you think.  Check out this Cost-Benefit Analysis of Shredding.  Many of our clients have saved as much as 40 to 60% by using our professional shred services!

Case Studies 

  • Securing and Managing the Records and IP of a Growing Global Corporation

    Client: Global Chemical Engineering/Manufacturing Corporation

    Challenge: This growing Iowa-based company needed help determining how to transition from managing all its records in-house to providing better security and active records management by utilizing an external service. The company’s global footprint and a large amount of vital intellectual property meant that special considerations and handling would be necessary to ensure a high level of protection and security, yet access when needed.

    Solution: MDS Records Management reviewed the existing in-house situation, the different types of records being produced, retrieval and access needs, and other management needs for the company’s records. MDS helped company executives determine retention and destruction plans and appropriate storage and security options for the different kinds of records and worked with the company to plan a records and information management structure that made sense to their situation. 

  • A Seamless Records Lifecycle for Medical Files in Multiple Locations

    Client: A Leading Healthcare Management Firm’s Iowa Headquarters

    Challenge: A major move to a new location highlighted this firm’s need for assistance in creating a file cataloging method and process to organize major file systems. In the new facility, large file libraries would be located in two areas, on two separate floors. In addition to the files already maintained by this firm, an additional file library from the corporation’s Illinois facility needed to be merged into the existing systems. The firm wanted a system that would help them organize and track all materials while they were managed in-house, and that would also merge seamlessly with the transition of files to off-site management and (ultimately) destruction.

    Solution: MDS worked with the firm’s facilities manager to design a file cataloguing and barcode tracking system that would synchronize with the MDS barcoding system, so that any file could be located accurately and easily, whether it is in one of the firm’s two in-house file libraries or stored at MDS Records Management’s off-site facility. MDS personnel created a flow chart to guide decisions and timing related to scanning, on-site management, off-site management and shredding, and proposed procedures for file naming and labeling, annual file transfers to off-site management, file request processes, and related tasks. Finally, MDS showed the firm that it could save money by training personnel to do most of the tasks in-house rather than paying MDS to complete them.

  • Reducing Overhead and Increasing Efficiency for a Corporate Records Program

    Client: Major Regional Corporate Offices for a Fortune 500 national banking firm

    Challenge:  The firm’s corporate headquarters was pressuring this regional office to align its records and information management program with corporate and industry best practices. Costs were high and productivity and value were questionable. The regional office managed and ran its own internal records storage and management program, managing 60,000 record containers. They had just re-signed a lease that committed the company to pay Class A rates for Class C space. The corporation paid two full-time and two part-time people at the corporate records facility, utilized a portion of time from support staff and one middle manager, and maintained and operated two vans for regular pickup and delivery of records. 

    Solution: MDS Records Management assessed the situation and spent a year actually running the corporation’s leased records facility in order to oversee a comprehensive review of needs, create a transition plan, and implement the plan – work that was accomplished by one MDS professional in ½ day or less each weekday. Once the records were transitioned to MDS Records Management’s facility, management of the entire program was incorporated into the normal daily routines of our office. 


  • Saving Time and Money with Efficient Corporate Records Management

    Client: A Third-Party Insurance Administrator and Risk Management Firm

    Challenge: This firm needed assistance determining how to properly categorize and store its corporate records. 

    Solution: MDS Records Management was recommended to this firm by a long-time MDS client, who was confident that our company would well serve the firm’s challenge. We worked with the Assistant Vice President of Claims to do a cost-benefit analysis, which showed that placing records into containers rather than storing them on open shelves would pay for itself over a short period of time. It was estimated that approximately 100-man hours would be required to pull documents off shelves, index them, and determine proper retention dates for each set of records. In less than one month, MDS personnel completed this process, barcoded all containers, transported and installed them in the MDS Environmentally Secure and Climate Moderated Records Warehouse. In addition, records can be retrieved as needed through MDS’s efficient and reliable access and delivery services.

  • Risk Management and Protection for Claim Files

    Client: A national brokerage firm providing various types of insurance for individuals and businesses.

    Challenge: The company realized it was exposing its claim files to risk by maintaining them in an open-shelf situation. Files included confidential and sensitive information that would have compromised the company and its clients if lost or shared improperly.

    Solution: MDS Records Management worked with the company to create a plan of action, then cataloged all files, containerized them appropriately, and transferred them to MDS’s  Environmentally Secure and Climate Moderated Records Warehouse, where they could be protected and managed securely; yet still allow access as required for company use.

  • Protecting Corporate History to Benefit Future Generations

    Client:  Corporate Offices for a leading national media and marketing firm

    Challenge:  Records of the firm’s early history were in jeopardy because publications from as early as the late 1800s were not well protected from humidity and other vulnerabilities.

    Solution:  MDS Records Management worked for two and a half years with the Client to create and implement a process that began with identifying the oldest and most sensitive publications. These were placed individually into archival-quality acid-free envelopes or wrapped in acid free paper, stored in acid-free cartons and placed in an MDS Environmentally Controlled Archive Vault. Proper temperature and humidity control, and a non-water fire suppressant system, and other safety and security features ensure that the firm’s treasured historical documents are well protected and will be there for future generations to study and enjoy.


  • Bringing Order and Technology to Bear on Records and Information Management

    Client: Mid-Sized Records Storage Firm, acquired by MDS Records Management

    Challenge: MDS’s acquisition of this company required the assessing, organizing, and transitioning of 67,000 client records containers plus over 63,000 tapes while maintaining continuous, uninterrupted service to all clients – all in the midst of MDS’s construction of its records and information management facility in Des Moines. The acquired company utilized outdated records tracking and management methods, so the process included updating the systems being used in addition to transitioning the records. 

    Solution: Once MDS had acquired all the previous company’s tape and hard copy records accounts, MDS went about bringing the whole system up to speed with current technology. Clients were informed of the plan, and service continued seamlessly during the entire transition. All hardcopy record containers were barcoded for tracking purposes, set up on temporary pallets, and scanned to track their locations as they were loaded onto trucks to move to the new facility. Tapes were moved and barcoded as well, with care taken to keep them in proper temperature and humidity conditions while they awaited transport. Over a month of working normal shifts and then working on this project during after-business hours and on weekends, MDS staff accomplished the entire move smoothly and securely. MDS knew where every container was at any point in time and never missed a tape or file request. Clients experienced no interruptions or slowdowns in service.

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