The art of archiving: How to ensure secure and accessible archives The value of archive boxes must not be underestimated. RICHARD HARRIS , managing director of Document Management Solutions, shares how to treat these priceless possessions with the respect they deserve and to ensure secure and accessible archives. No matter what size a business is, you will always find archive boxes scattered around the office or tucked away in some disused room or closet. That is unless, like more and more companies these days, the business recognises the value of those boxes and takes action to store them with an off-site records management provider or implement an effective on-site strategy that accommodates the storage of the boxes, including a system that references the contents to some form of database. THE VALUE OF ARCHIVES Few organisations, let alone the poor employee who has been assigned with the task of storing company records, understand just how much archives are worth. It's rare to find someone that can appreciate just what it may cost if the contents of a single box were to be destroyed. Often, the perception is that we will never need those records again and, subsequently, they are put in a box and treated like an old pair of shoes. Yet, time and time again, for a variety of reasons, sooner or later a client, a judge or the good old Australian Taxation Office finds a need for them. If you haven't got that one box that is required, it