Introduction
Advanced Records Management is a locally owned and operated offsite records center in Plymouth, Minnesota. ARM has been providing various records storage services since 1995. The goal at ARM is to create “win-win” partnerships with clients by simply providing accurate and responsive record storage services at a cost-effective rate. ARM is an active member of ARMA (Association of Records Managers and Administrators) as well as BCPA (Business Continuity Planners Association).
Story
ARM began use of FIRELOCK® media vaults in the summer of 2000 when customers started requiring a higher level of protection from the vaults used by their service provider. Customers were concerned about the risk of storing their media in standard concrete and/or cinder block or poured concrete storage facilities, and they required facilities with the Class 125 rating needed to protect media. They were also concerned with declining service standards and retrieval rates being delivered by other service providers.
Organizations with concerns about the inadequacy of facilities operated by their service providers approached ARM to see if a better standard was available. What they found impressed them: the team at ARM led by President Jeff Fronius was knowledgeable, responsive, and made a commitment to establishing a superior vault facility combined with local services and support designed to give organizations a custom experience. In addition to the services, ARM offers media protection using an advanced FIRELOCK® media vault chamber with precise humidity and temperature control, Class 125 rating to protect media in the case of major fire events, and secure access control. Organizations store business-critical backup copies of their key data, which are rotated offsite on daily and weekly schedules.
“The team at Advanced Records Management went over the top to deliver what we needed to feel confident that our media were safe, protected and available when we needed them,” says Matt Mellenthin, a Sr Lead Tape Librarian for a Fortune 500 company who declined for security reasons to be named in this story. Matt was part of the team that made the switch to ARM services. “We knew that we were protected by FIRELOCK® vaults at a level far better than what we had before.”
Mellenthin’s organization reviewed the levels of service and ARM’s business practices by conducting yearly audits and random drop-ins. During these audits, the vault facilities are inspected and tapes are randomly selected for retrieval. “We liked the personal touch that ARM provides, and the accessibility of getting into the vault to see for ourselves how things were being done,” says Mellenthin. “The system at ARM has proven to be very easy for us to work with. The retrieval times were dramatically improved over what we had before, and that’s critical to any business.”