BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 22, 2009--
The clock is ticking for government agencies and their contractors, who
have until next Thursday to comply with updated regulations from the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for protecting federal
documents, photos and other records. To help those with federal records
meet their compliance obligations, Iron
Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the global leader in information
protection and storage services, has opened four, specially-outfitted
records centers exclusively for storing and imaging government documents.
The 36
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1228, subpart K, from NARA
prescribes standards that focus on the security and fire safety of
federal record storage facilities. By Oct. 1, government agencies and
contractors must finish bringing older facilities, or ones that have
stored federal records since before Aug. 29, 2005, in compliance with
these standards, or they must have relocated their records to compliant
storage. NARA set the deadline in 2005 for upgrading established record
facilities when it amended its Code of Federal Regulations first
introduced in 2000. The amendments clarified requirements for facilities
already storing federal records and mandated all future federal record
centers comply.
With more than 1,500 federal government agencies and contractors as
clients, Iron Mountain has achieved full compliance and is now accepting
records at its four CFR-compliant Federal Record Centers in Redlands,
Calif.; Kansas City, Mo.; Elgin, Ill.; and Fredericksburg, Va. Iron
Mountain has specially designed and outfitted each facility to store
more than one million cubic feet of federal hardcopy information and to
provide quick access to it via onsite imaging capabilities.
“For many in the federal market, this deadline and these regulations may
seem new, but Iron Mountain is ready” said
Jeff Johnson
, senior vice
president of Government Services for Iron Mountain. “We have been
protecting and managing federal records for more than 50 years,
experience we’ve leaned on to understand the CFR requirements and to
offer our customers a compliant data storage solution that’s more cost
effective than if they invested the requisite financial and human
capital to do it themselves. The federal government plans to enforce
these new standards, holding both agencies and their contractors
responsible for compliance, and it reserves the right to audit
facilities and practices for compliance. We want our customers to have
peace of mind that they’re choosing an experienced provider with not
only compliant facilities but with a total chain-of-custody process for
securing and accessing their information and avoiding the consequences
of non-compliance.”
Making the transition: Noridian partners with Iron Mountain for
compliance
Noridian Administrative Services, a subsidiary of Noridian Mutual
Insurance Company, generates millions of records as one of the nation’s
top claims administration agencies for Medicare/Medicaid and durable
medical equipment, handling every aspect of the health insurance claims
process—from submission to reimbursement—for 21 different U.S. states
and territories. Noridian also works directly with the Centers for
Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) on several reform and reconciliation
efforts, a responsibility that requires Noridian’s records be
simultaneously secure and readily available.
“After reviewing the regulations and determining what it would cost us
to become compliant on our own, we realized we had to find a partner who
could make compliance easier and more cost effective,” said
Ken Roseth
,
assistant vice president of facilities, Noridian Administrative
Facilities. “We needed more than compliant federal record centers,
though; we needed a partner with a national footprint who could support
our business most cost-effectively. Noridian already had a relationship
with Iron Mountain to store its digital and hardcopy records. So when it
came time to find a proven partner for CFR compliance, we turned to them
again.”
As a government contractor, Noridian must comply with federal
regulations like CFR that pertain to records management. But unlike
other records-related mandates that Noridian meets, complying with CFR
required the relocation of massive volumes of records from existing
storage facilities into compliant ones, challenging Noridian’s
operations and chain-of-custody processes. Noridian first transitioned
its federal records into Iron Mountain’s CFR-compliant Federal Records
Center in Kansas City, Mo. and later expanded into Iron Mountain’s three
other federal records facilities, becoming the company’s first CFR
customer at each. In the transition, Noridian and Iron Mountain worked
together to establish records management practices and operational
workflow processes to maintain compliance over time. This work later
enabled Noridian to provide CMS with a tested model for streamlining
their records management process, helping other CMS contractors to
achieve CFR compliance as well.
“Regulatory compliance is an operational imperative for us,” continued
Roseth. “CFR is another example of this and becoming compliant ensures
that we remain a trusted partner to CMS. Iron Mountain, with its
national footprint, expertise and CFR-compliant facilities, allows us to
work smarter and provide our services to CMS more successfully, which is
a key part of our growth strategy as a CMS contractor.”
Commitment to compliance: Iron Mountain opens federal record
facilities
In anticipation of the Oct. 1 deadline, Iron Mountain employed
third-party, multi-disciplinary engineering teams to work with NARA to
understand the requirements of CFR compliance. Iron Mountain then used
these teams to design, build and audit each of its federal records
facilities to ensure continuity of architectural design, building
construction and final inspection. Each facility was thoroughly
inspected by an independent engineering firm and certified as CFR
compliant, allowing Iron Mountain to provide clients with proof of
compliance and ultimately peace of mind that their federal records are
being stored in a CFR-compliant Federal Records Center.
Iron Mountain has made significant investments in the infrastructure and
systems of these facilities to ensure they meet or, in some cases, even
exceed CFR requirements. Iron Mountain sited and built its four federal
records facilities based on hundreds of criteria related to security,
topography considerations like the location of flood plains, fire
protection, disaster recovery and environmental controls like air
quality. The facilities include:
-
Stringent security protocols, such as perimeter fencing,
so-called “man and vehicle traps”, motion sensors, closed-circuit
television and restricted security card access ;
-
Advanced fire suppression systems featuring three-hour,
fire-resistant walls; patent-pending, roof-support structures for
independent storage chambers; and advanced smoke detection systems
capable of detecting smoke before it’s visible to the human eye;
-
Protective environmental controls, including “double-piped”,
water-supply systems to prevent leaks and mold-protection ventilation
systems in each storage chamber;
-
Key facility protocols for redundant power sources, rerouting
of fuel lines to the exterior of the facility, and horsepower limits
on any equipment within a storage area.
In October, Iron Mountain will open in Columbia, Md., a CFR-compliant
data protection facility for storing computer back-up tapes and has
plans for additional federal facilities, providing government agencies
and contractors with a compliant solution for storing both hardcopy and
digital data.
About Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) helps organizations around the
world reduce the costs and risks associated with information protection
and storage. The Company offers comprehensive records management and
data protection solutions, along with the expertise and experience to
address complex information challenges such as rising storage costs,
litigation, regulatory compliance and disaster recovery. Founded in
1951, Iron Mountain is a trusted partner to more than 120,000 corporate
clients throughout North America, Europe, Latin American and Asia
Pacific. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.ironmountain.com.
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Source: Iron Mountain Incorporated
Iron Mountain
Christian T. Potts, 617-535-8721
christian.potts@ironmountain.com
or
Weber
Shandwick
Kristen Georgian, 617-520-7042
kgeorgian@webershandwick.com