Storing the Paper Trail

Atlanta Records Management offers storage and retrieval of business-critical documents.

Despite the advances toward a paperless office, many companies and institutions are more dependent than ever before on the printed page. Insurance companies, accounting firms and the legal profession must keep reams and reams of paper on hand for years -- even decades. Archiving, organizing and storing those records is no small task.

In the Atlanta area, companies that demand performance and service for their critical archiving needs turn to Atlanta Records Management (ARM). Since 1990, ARM has provided more than just a warehouse space for boxes -- it has offered total access to business-critical documents at a moment's notice for companies that depend on them.

"We have reputation in this town for providing a high-quality service -- someone you can count on that provides a prompt, accurate delivery of your records," said Larry Corley, owner of ARM. "We share the expertise we have gained over the years and our collective knowledge with customers to help them avoid the mistakes that other companies have already experienced. I can cut out the learning curve and get you right to the end of where you need to be with your records management."

With more than 80,000 square feet of storage space in two locations and 15 full-time employees, ARM is able to serve a roster of more than 200 clients in the greater Atlanta area. In addition to storage services and file delivery in as little as three hours, ARM offers destruction services to keep box volume under control. Law firms make up a majority of ARM's clients.

Helping ARM to serve those clients is International Computer Systems (ICS), a key partner since 1990. ICS has provided extensive IT support for ARM -- from developing the customized applications required to manage the archives to the networking systems they run on.

"This is a very technologically driven business," Corley said. "We have to have this software to manage all of the hundreds of thousands of boxes and all of the intricate billing. If we pull a box, there is a charge; if we pull a file, there is a charge.

"The bar-coding, the scanners, the printing and the software to manage them all -- it's a fairly sophisticated piece of software ICS has developed for us."

In 1990, ICS built to Corley's specifications an application that used the DOS-based DataEase to perform the records management tasks required, automating processes that had once been done by hand. The application has performed to expectations, allowing Corley to grow the business. In 1997, ARM introduced a Windows-based application created by ICS, called FileEase, that allowed clients to manage their own files internally before shipping off-site.

"FileEase gives them a lot of control. Instead of the tail wagging the dog, they are wagging the tail," Corley said. "Without this software, they are dealing with mounds of paper, loose-leaf binders, index cards -- FileEase eliminates all of that."

Recently, ARM again looked to ICS when deciding to convert its DataEase system to a state-of-the-art Visual Basic/SQL Server system that will allow online, real-time Internet access to records. This new solution is totally Internet-enabled for e-commerce. When the product is launched later this year, ARM's clients will simply go online and request the box or file they need, then see it arrive at their desk within the time required.

"The client will be able to see the entire history of a box immediately -- if the box is in or out, whether a file has been removed and who took it, all of the charges associated with that box," Corley said.

The new system is built on an NT server platform in SQL Server 7 with Microsoft BackOffice on the server. ICS will be using Visual Basic 6.0 with some additional third- party controls on the front end to create the interface. The Web interface will be created using Microsoft Visual InterDev.

The system will be very sophisticated and will be more foolproof than the previous one, said Matt Brown, senior Visual Basic engineer at ICS.

"This system will give them a lot more flexibility and performance, which will allow them to serve the customers even further," Brown said. "With the FileEase software plus the online access, they will change the way records are managed in Atlanta."

"It's very important for companies to get connected through the Internet," said Michelle Jackman, ICS project manager. "So many of ARM's clients use it as a resource that it just makes sense to be there. It's sort of like banks -- I wouldn't choose a bank today that didn't offer me online bill payment or a way to contact them at all hours. ARM's clients can now expect -- and receive -- a faster, more efficient level of service than ever before."

As both ARM and ICS have grown, the two companies have developed a working relationship based on creative problem solving and attention to the needs of ARM's clientele.

"ICS has long been a key partner for us -- they've had a lot to do with the success of my company from the services they've provided," Corley said. 

Call 800.294.1609 for more details.