09 Dec Slick Doc Management | Part One

Technology has advanced our lives to a level at which no one in human history could have anticipated, with things that were once the stuff of science fiction becoming popular appliances in our day to day lives. Technological advancements in recent times have centred around revolutionising our work lives. In our professional lives we must always strive to be as modern as possible in our working methods and the tools we use to conduct this work must be kept up-to-date, because, however tempting it may be to continue using your current tried and tested methods of work, they won’t stay relevant or efficient forever.

In business, the management of documents is one of the most important parts of your system that needs updating in order for you and your team to operate as efficiently as possible – and in order to meet the relevant compliance obligations that plague your work practices.

There are two ways the management of your documents can go. You can manage the storage and use of them correctly, and be confident that they are safe, secure, easy to navigate, and (arguably most important) easily accessible. Or you get it wrong – your files will then be hard to navigate and use, and, worst of all, they will not be secure from cyber criminality.

Your business will consequently suffer if you choose the wrong method – this decision is above most other business concerns. It is essential that you get it right on the first attempt with no exceptions, or else you could face legal ramifications, or worse – be subject to cyber criminality that could incapacitate your business entirely.

There are some challenges that not only you but other businesses in your sector face every day. We have listed some here for you to send the message that all businesses are identical in some of the problems they face, and one of these may be the reason you are experiencing problems.

The challenges you face daily

Compliance and Cyber Security

All businesses in the civilised world have to comply with compliance requirements or else face legal ramifications. In regard to data your team must properly and consistently manage, store, and retain documents according to compliance requirements. On hearing this it sounds easy, but, well, let’s break it down further and see what you need to do to be sure you are behaving correctly. You must know what documents need to be kept, how long you need to keep them and where they need to be stored. You must also know and have full control over who should be granted access to those documents, whether there are multiple copies – and why there are, and for what purpose you are granting access to them. These are just some of the many considerations you need to take into account in regard to your data when it comes to compliance. It is very difficult to understand in some cases as your requirements will vary depending on the sector in which your organisation resides, so you must be sure to know the requirements for your sector. As we said, this is difficult so professional IT consultancy that is strategically aligned to your industry is highly recommended if you are unsure that you or your IT team could manage it.

Paper

If you are still using paper files it is time to modernise your business. However, we do understand that it can be hard to completely eradicate paperwork. Whatever the reason for not already using technology to improve your processes, you must do it – hard copies are no longer necessary. For most it is concerns around the security you can guarantee from tech that puts people off, alongside their unfamiliarity with what the causes of data breaches are or the fact that some allow access, theft, and control – above all, most don’t want employees having access above their remit.

With paper copies that isn’t considered to be a problem and that is understandable – if you can physically see them in a cabinet in front of you then you feel more comfortable. However, they are far more susceptible to privacy and security risks, not to mention the potential for something as simple as some water rendering all of your essential data useless.

Most of us are now almost entirely digital. However, there are some that are still receiving paper from clients and others. This creates an environment that is impossible to manage – allowing paper to continue as a constant in the workplace creates problems. Instead, consider the benefits of having one easy to access and navigate online system to use, where no manual scanning and searching is required – a completely outdated concept in the modern age.

Old file servers – the problems

Old file servers don’t allow a team to work in the efficient modern fashion that it should – for example, old file servers require employees to manually send documents to one another, walk them across the office, and not have the option to take vital documents out of the building in certain circumstances where there isn’t allowed to be more than one copy. Modern technology irradicates these problems entirely, in turn allowing your team to be more productive and effective with their time management.

The modern business can’t be run in the way that it once was – going into your little cubicle at 9am and not leaving it until 5pm (apart from a brief walk to the coffee machine) is no longer good enough. As much as some would prefer that to be how our workday looked, we must now communicate with each other constantly – modern business thrives on communication; it promotes efficiency, which in turn increases productivity and profit.

Business owners with a modern view have fast realised that it is essential for your team to work in conjunction with each other at all times. Any business owner in the world knows that a combination of collaboration and communication will inevitably lead to an increase in productivity and output.

Working on documents simultaneously is not possible on traditional servers – imagine your entire team huddled around a single document making changes. As I am sure you are aware, modern working is based around at least partially remote working teams, which has made it essential that you achieve levels of efficiency and productivity when working remotely that rivals the office setting. In the search for it we have inadvertently overshadowed levels achieved in the office, and efficiency is at an all-time high. Teams need to be able to make edits and work on documents simultaneously no matter where they are – technology has made it possible for our businesses processes to span the globe.

SharePoint is the number one choice to make all your modern plans a reality.

SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform, famous for its document management and storage system. SharePoint is configurable and can be used for a wide variety of tasks, which we will explore further in our next article.

IT specialists

At Netcom we are well-versed in helping companies in various sectors to navigate the often mystifying, jargon-filled world of IT. With over 15 years’ experience, covering virtually all aspects of business IT, we can help guide your business to a prosperous future with the right IT at your side every step of the way. We can help you deploy innovative solutions that will not only assist you to weather the storm that is modern IT but also keep your business at the top of its game post pandemic and beyond. Why not book a free, no obligation discovery call today by ringing 0114 361 0062.