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IN BRIEF Access Names Campbell to Executive Team Campbell has more than 20 years of experience in the records and information management (RIM) industry, working most recently as global director of sales at Recall. He will oversee sales and marketing programs, including the company-wide sales and marketing strategy, field sales team management, account management programs and the Access Client Education Series.
Robert Crozier, CEO of Redishred Capital Corp., says, “We selected Averda as a partner for our first venture into the global market because of the company’s outstanding reputation, its dedication to excellence and environmental conscientiousness.” |
Access Continues to Expand through Acquisition
Livermore, Calif.-based Access Information Management has announced the acquisition of the assets of Washington Archives Management, expanding Access’ service coverage in the Washington state region, including Seattle, Tacoma and the state capital of Olympia.
The company also recently announced the acquisition of Records Retention Services Inc., Montgomery, Ala., which extended Access’ Southeast coverage area. The deal included a full-service records management storage center and document destruction plant.
Rob Alston, Access CEO, says, “This acquisition of Washington Archives Management from Mark and Bill Naubert represents the largest in Access history and extends our service coverage to include nine U.S. states. We now service all major cities along the I-5 corridor of the Western United States in addition to locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands, Southwest, Midwest and Southeast.”
Alston says the acquisition is the largest Access has made in terms of revenue and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). He adds that it also may be the company’s largest acquisition in terms of number of clients and the number of cubic feet of records stored.
Access says it will continue to service current and new clients from the existing state-of-the-art facilities in Washington. Under the direction of Branch Manager Chris Slaughter and the oversight of General Manager Matt Dreese, the company will offer an array of RIM (records and information management) services, including hardcopy storage and management, secure destruction services, vital records protection, document imaging and digital storage.
Alston says the company plans to expand its destruction services offering in Washington state, though it has not yet settled on a strategy.
Following Access’ acquisition of Records Retention Services, Branch Manager Andrew Garner and General Manager Gary West will lead the team based in Montgomery.
Access President John Chendo says, “Records Retention Services Inc. was an exemplary vendor in the Montgomery market, making its transition to Access a smooth one for both the local team and clients. We are now building on what the previous team started and taking our service offering and client support to the next level, ultimately helping clients to mitigate the risks associated with RIM and offering greater long-term value for clients in the region.”
Alston says Access will enhance Records Retention Services existing service offering as it integrates the company following the merger. The company plans to certify its acquired shredding operation to the standard established by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), increase its imaging offering and introduce Web-hosted documents, he adds.
Of the company’s future growth strategy, Alston says, “You can expect more acquisition announcements from us regularly.” In addition to pursuing acquisition opportunities in existing markets and growing organically, he says the company will strategically expand its footprint through the acquisition of quality companies in attractive markets.
Access offers a suite of RIM services, including records management, data protection, secure destruction and digital access solutions.
PRISM International Introduces Privacy Plus Certification
PRISM International, the Garner, N.C.-based trade association for the records and information management industry, has introduced its Privacy Plus Certification Program.
The nonprofit held a workshop on the program, which has been in development since 2010, Jan. 24-25, 2012.
Privacy Plus Certification is designed to provide guidance on best practices to prevent data breaches and enhance security and confidentiality of client materials, according to PRISM.
Privacy Plus is a self-administered certification program featuring an evaluation checklist of minimum standards. Certification criteria are divided into three areas: administrative safeguards, physical safeguards and technology safeguards.
In crafting the certification criteria more than 10 regulatory rules and laws affecting records and information management outsourcing operations were considered, including HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) , Gramm Leach Bliley, PCI Data Security Standard, Red Flags Rule, FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act), FERPA (Family Education Right and Privacy Act) and Sarbanes Oxley, according to PRISM.
Companies must meet all minimum requirements outlined in the certification checklist, the association says. In addition, applicants are required to attend a PRISM International Privacy Plus Workshop, which provides an opportunity to review all requirements for certification along with the legal and regulatory requirements that prompted the minimum requirements. Practical discussions regarding implementation, technology application and risk management also are covered, PRISM says.
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Retrievex Enters Florida Market J. Peter Pierce, founder, president and CEO of Retrievex Inc., a Conshohocken, Pa.-based records and information management services provider, has announced the acquisition of Assured Records Storage, based in Altamonte, Fla. The acquisition represents Retrievex’ entry into the Florida market. Assured, which has been in business for more than 13 years, services customers in the Greater Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater and Polk County areas of Florida. Jessica Locke, owner of Assured Records Storage, says, “A key consideration in deciding to sell Assured to Retrievex was our belief that, under Peter’s leadership, the high levels of customer service our customers have come to expect from Assured would continue.” Locke also says she believes Retrievex will be able to provide Assured’s clients with an expanded menu of services that her company was not in a position to offer. Peirce says, “We are especially excited about the acquisition of Assured Records Storage, as it fulfills a strategic need in establishing a presence in the lucrative Florida market.” |
The next PRISM International Privacy Plus Workshop will proceed the association’s annual conference May 14 to 15, 2012, at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Members and nonmembers of PRISM may participate in the workshop and certification process.
PRISM International is a nonprofit trade association serving companies engaged in commercial records management, secure destruction services, data protection and imaging and conversion services. It has more than 600 members in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.prismintl.org.
Infoshred Opens New Facility
Infoshred LLC, an East Windsor, Conn.-based document destruction and storage firm, has moved to its newly constructed facility nearly one year after its previous facility suffered a partial roof collapse from heavy snow.
According to a news release issued by Infoshred, to ensure its clients’ materials were protected, the company enacted its comprehensive disaster recovery plan and hired an around-the-clock security guard while arrangements were made to move the documents to a more secure and permanent location.
Infoshred says it rented a facility to safeguard the documents while construction on its new storage facility began. One year later, a new 50,000-square-foot facility has been completed. It includes a permanent ladder leading to roof access for efficient snow clearing as well as heated gutters and downspouts. The new facility not only meets, but exceeds code requirements, according to the company.
“We are very confident in this new structure but even more confident in our ability as a company to collectively rise above any challenge that is put before us,” Jack DiPiazza, Infoshred general manager, says.
Infoshred says it received on-going assistance and support from the town of East Windsor in the aftermath of the roof collapse.
“The town of East Windsor was a tremendous resource for us following the collapse,” says Stacey DiPiazza, owner of Infoshred. “Town Fire Marshal Christy Delvey and Building Official Rand Stanley spent countless hours in the freezing cold working in an effort to help us recover and move forward.”
She adds, “We are committed to giving back as we mark a new beginning.”
During the unexpected October 2011 snow storm, East Windsor Town Hall lost its flowering pear trees. To celebrate the opening of its new facility and to give back to the community, Infoshred says it will restore the landscaping at the East Windsor Town Hall.
Infoshred began in 1993 as a division of Recyclers LLC of South Windsor. Stacey purchased Infoshred in 1997. The company’s records and information management services include off-site and on-site document destruction, product destruction, media disintegration and records storage.
Texas Medical Complex Chooses Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Inc., a Boston-based information management company, has announced that the Texas Regional Medical Center (TRMC) has chosen Iron Mountain’s vendor-neutral archive (VNA) and cloud storage solution to manage its CT scans, MRIs, X-rays and other diagnostic images.
According to Iron Mountain, the Dallas-based for-profit hospital will implement its VNA to lower overall medical data storage costs, provide caregivers better access to images and improve disaster recovery by moving data off site.
Iron Mountain also has announced the addition of new retention-management functionality to its VNA to help hospitals identify and properly archive or destroy obsolete medical data.
TRMC implemented Iron Mountain’s VNA and cloud-based archiving solution to address medical imaging data growth while also helping to better protect data in the event of disaster by moving the information off site. This will enable TRMC to reduce the cost and complexity of managing that data while meeting HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance requirements for disaster recovery and business continuity, accoridng to Iron Mountain. Additionally, TRMC will use the VNA to help prepare for the eventual challenges of system interoperability and data retention, both of which will become more acute challenges as the hospital grows.
TRMC CIO Rob McDonald says, “When we started looking for a technology solution for our medical imaging data, we had a specific agenda: Choose a partner capable of growing with us and handling our storage, access, compliance and data retention needs.” He adds, “Iron Mountain fits perfectly as a partner with the capability and expertise to help us bridge the gap between now and the future. Their solution solves our storage and compliance needs while ensuring we have the most cost-effective and efficient solution that frees up our staff to focus on patient care.”