Steve,

Thanks for the reply.

It is kind of what I was looking for, but you can not necessarily do this
exercise on paper.

What I was more looking for was what you might look for if you visited a
facility, and what you might look for in a handling process.

There are numerous discussions going on in our industry about standards, and
in some cases a perceived lack of standards.

For some the motivation appears to be a simplification of the selection
process; that is if you meet certain criteria then you are eligible for
business, and obviously if you do not meet these criteria you are
ineligible.

You say that you would look for a four hour fire rating, but what does it
mean to have a four hour fire rating if the tapes are in an area that might
burn for a week?

Hugh will tell you that you should avoid concrete vaults, especially if they
are underground, but most of the facilities in the world are concrete, and
many of the largest are underground.

IT have many diverse, perverse and contradictory criteria for selecting a
vendor. For instance some vendors report requirements for marked vehicles,
while others are required to have unmarked vehicles.

Does having an unmarked/marked vehicle really matter, or should it be up to
the client to decide what is best for them? Should they be given a choice or
should the industry take an initiative?

In the offsite data protection industry we rarely come across records
managers. If you listen to Peter, Larry and Hugh they constantly tell of the
reality of increasing RM involvement.

Is this a role that RM wants or needs to be involved in?  

There is no sinister motive in me asking this question. Some of us are
trying to develop education programs to increase awareness of our industry.
We do not want to waste your time or ours if RM are simply on the fringes of
the process.

Gerard

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