Direct mail results in expensive waste, resulting in close to $2 billion dollars annually to process this true “junk mail”.

Here are four easy steps to implement that will save [...]]]> Part 2 of our series on Greening Your Mail will illustrate key steps and takeaways around creating a company sustainability plan for good direct mail practices.

Direct mail results in expensive waste, resulting in close to $2 billion dollars annually to process this true “junk mail”.

Here are four easy steps to implement that will save you money with your mailings:

1. Double check that the addresses are correct and up-to-date.
2. Remove duplicates.
3. Target your mailing to the most effective audiences.
4. Pair existing transactional mail with promotional messages to reduce the number of mailings needing to be sent.  Suggest emailing on certain items to save time and money.

Increasing efficiency in mailing, through increased targeting of audiences and more effective mail lists, can save a company thousands of dollars. That money can be better spent on job creation, product development and more effective marketing practices.

By following these simple steps, company’s will find themselves one step further towards creating a environmentally sustainable plan for this component of their important green initiatives.

Learn more

In order to perform the proper services, records management companies must be up-to-date on legislation that affects the industry. This means they must stay current with an ever-changing regulatory climate, which is not always an easy task. One such change occurred several years ago with the passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act [...]]]>

In order to perform the proper services, records management companies must be up-to-date on legislation that affects the industry. This means they must stay current with an ever-changing regulatory climate, which is not always an easy task. One such change occurred several years ago with the passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB), also known as the Financial Modernization Act of 1999. Under the Act, financial institutions are required to protect the personal information of their customers. This complex piece of legislation provided some specific guidelines for banks, insurance companies and investment companies. Following is a brief outline of the privacy protections outlined in the GLB Act.

• Financial institutions are required to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information. They must protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of these records and protect against unauthorized access to or use of these records or information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.
• Financial institutions must provide their customers with a notice of their information sharing policies at the beginning of the business relationship and annually after that. The financial institution must also inform customers of its policies on disclosing non-public personal information (NPI) to affiliates and non-affiliated third parties, disclosing NPI after the customer relationship is terminated and protecting NPI.
• Consumers have the right to direct the financial institution to not share information with unaffiliated companies. However, they have no right to stop the sharing of NPI among affiliates.
• Financial institutions must describe how they will protect the confidentiality and security of their customers’ information.

As you can see, this Act plays a big role in how financial institutions maintain their customers’ personal records. As a result, records management companies have stepped forward to provide much-needed services to these organizations. Today, the records management industry continues to handle the personal documents of large financial institutions, protecting the personal records of individuals throughout the country.

For more information about the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, visit http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/alerts/glba.html

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) not only impacted the type of recordkeeping requirements for public companies, but it impacted private-sector storage companies as well. The legislation, which came about in response to the financial scandals at Enron and WorldComm, was designed to protect shareholders and the rest of the public [...]]]>

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) not only impacted the type of recordkeeping requirements for public companies, but it impacted private-sector storage companies as well. The legislation, which came about in response to the financial scandals at Enron and WorldComm, was designed to protect shareholders and the rest of the public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices within an enterprise. Administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it basically defines which records are to be stored—and for how long.

Typically, IT departments are assigned the task of maintaining a corporation’s digital records. Since SOX clearly states that all business records, including electronic records and messages, must be saved for “not less than five years,” it is a constant challenge to maintain these records in a cost-effective manner. To aid in further explaining the Act, it helps to know that it contains three rules that affect electronic records management. They deal with the following topics:

• the destruction, alteration or falsification of records
• the retention period for records storage
• the type of records that need to be stored, including electronic communications

As is the case with Sarbanes-Oxley, legislation is often complex. That’s why businesses turn to a reputable records management company to make sense of the ever-changing regulatory climate. Fireproof Records stays abreast of legislative changes that affect you and your business on a daily basis. For more information, visit www.fireproof.com

Industry growth equals industry changes. One of the major changes in our industry is the increasing demand on records retention. With every business becoming more automated, the need to stay current with retentions schedules is important.

Did You Know…

• Recent government regulations, like Sarbanes-Oxley, require businesses to maintain [...]]]>

Industry growth equals industry changes. One of the major changes in our industry is the increasing demand on records retention. With every business becoming more automated, the need to stay current with retentions schedules is important.

Did You Know…

• Recent government regulations, like Sarbanes-Oxley, require businesses to maintain and back up a larger variety of data; data they might have otherwise deleted.

• For legal reasons, many small businesses are now archiving e-mails dating five or more years.

• The frequency of viruses and spyware requires more vigilant backups- resulting in more need for increased storage capacity.

• Software applications are requiring more hard-drive space than ever before.

In managing the increased need for more storage space, the best solution is often a hybrid plan of multiple solutions. Hard copy records management with records retention schedules, back-up of electronic data, and imaging of critical workflow are just a few techniques to managing your information.

How is your business handling the increase for records and data retention?

(This originally appeared on the Fireproof blog on March 24, 2010)