The tech of today is revolutionary – in recent years technological advancements have changed the way we work, and go about our daily lives – forever. We must always strive to stay as modern as possible in our methods of working, and this applies to the tools we are using too, because, however tempting and perceivably easy it may be to continue as you always have, these dated ways of working simply won’t stay relevant – or allow you to be productive – into the future.
The management of documents is arguably one of the most important parts of your system that needs updating in order for you and your team to operate as efficiently (and in the most modern way) as possible. Using SharePoint in Microsoft 365 will guarantee that your documents are safe.
If utilised correctly, you will have the peace of mind in knowing that your documents are secure, whilst simultaneously having easy accessibility to them. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to achieve this, because throughout this and the following article we will explore how to get this right, and on your first attempt too, meaning that you will always have control over your documents.
Let’s list a few challenges which all businesses in the world experience that may be part of the reason you are having problems.
The challenges you face daily
Compliance
Compliance is a factor that all businesses in the civilized world must compete with in order to avoid legal ramifications. When it comes to data, requirements vary by governing body, but, predominantly, the rules are based around properly and consistently managing, storing, and retaining documents according to compliance requirements. Let’s break it down and see what you need to do to be sure you are behaving correctly. You must – at all times – know what documents need to be kept, how long you need to keep them for and where they need to be kept. You must also know who you are granting access to documents and whether that individual requires access or not, and you should also know if there are multiple copies of the document and for what purpose you are granting access to it. These are just some of the considerations you need to take in regard to your data when it comes to compliance. It can be difficult to understand as compliance is a particularly hard consideration to consistently achieve, so professional IT consultancy is highly recommended when dealing with it.
Paper
Of course, you aren’t just using paper files in your organization – and if you are it is time to move into the 21st century! Paper must go – tech opens doors to possibilities that simply aren’t achievable with paper, and has made hard copies surplus to requirements for the majority. Predominantly, those slightly older business owners out there – that possibly have less technical familiarity and prowess – don’t trust it, they have concerns about the safety of digital record keeping, and we can’t blame them, because putting your trust in something you don’t understand can be difficult. But, in reality, they are far more susceptible to security and privacy risks with paper copies, not to mention that something as trivial as a cup of tea has the power to render your essential data useless, just by spilling it.
Most of us have already converted the majority of our records to digital, but there are some that are still receiving paper from clients and others. This creates an environment of chaos – allowing paper to continue as a constant in the workplace can result in pandemonium. Documents and files being on a range of different media make it impossible to manage them properly because no one knows where anything is.
Old file servers – the problems
Most of us have made an at least partial transition to digital means but a lot of us haven’t quite kept up. Old file servers don’t allow your team to work as they should be doing, because they will be forced to manually send documents to one another. However, with modern tech this can be done automatically, allowing them to be more productive with their time.
Modern business doesn’t allow you to just enter into your cubicle for the day and leave without having communicated with any of your colleagues – as much as some would prefer that. Business owners with a modern view have realized how essential it is that your team work in conjunction with each other at all times. We all know that collaboration and communication amongst team members leads to increased productivity and, in turn, output.
SharePoint is the number one choice that will enable you 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.
Slick Document Management
Since 2002, Echelon Technologies has been a leading provider of IT support and consulting, focusing on small and medium-sized businesses in the Greater Phoenix area. We have helped hundreds of companies, and thousands of users, to increase productivity and profitability by making IT a streamlined part of their operations. We equip our clients with customized technology solutions for greater operational value and to reduce risk. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact and see what we can do for you.
