Technology

After replacing DOS systems in the late 1990s with a Windows platform, more self-storage operators are looking to newer software applications, including Web-based ones, to fill gaps in their aging Windows systems. As with most upgrades, storage operators evaluate the payoff from new software. What makes the new product an investment, not an expense? What is the value, the return ...

When purchasing management software to assist with the day-to-day operation of your self-storage property, not only will you have high expectations of the software, you should have certain expectations of your provider’s technical support. Without tech support, you would eventually encounter numerous hurdles while using the program—hurdles that could easily prevent you from accomplishing the objectives behind your purchase. While ...

I know this is something that’s only talked about in whispers. It’s a subject that’s hard to bring up, even with the people you know. I’m talking, of course, about Education Dysfunction, or E.D. E.D. is a condition sometimes brought on by a difficult budget or simple neglect. It’s defined by most professionals as delusional thinking that “you already know ...

When it comes to creating a successful self-storage website, there is good news and bad. Let’s start with the good news: Websites and Internet marketing are a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing. They allow you to capture as many tenants as possible for the lowest possible cost per acquisition (CPA). Internet marketing is also extremely trackable. You can ...

Records storage can be the No. 1 revenue-producing ancillary service in self-storage. It’s up in a down economy and up in an up economy. During hard times, businesses shrink their footprint and store records off site. In an up economy, growth spurs more business records. Growth in commercial records management is now up by more than 10 percent worldwide. In ...