Document management has been revolutionized by cloud file storage. No more emailing files back and forth. No need to wonder who has the most recent copies of documents in the office. 

As with your computer’s hard drive, cloud storage can also get messy. Files are saved in the wrong place and duplicate folders are created. When employees share a cloud space, it can be difficult to keep things organized. 

Cloud storage systems that are disorganized cause problems. Having difficulty finding files is one example of this – as well as wasting a lot of valuable time searching for documents, an estimated 50% of office workers spend more time looking for files than actually working on them. 

Does your office suffer from messy cloud storage? Do you find it difficult to find the things you need? Take a look at the tips below. There are several ways to make shared cloud storage spaces cleaner and more efficient. 

Name your folders using a universal structure 

One employee might name a folder after a client. Someone else might use the type of industry. It’s harder for everyone when people use different naming structures for folders. It is often difficult for them to find what they need. And this can also result in the creation of duplicate folders. 

You should use a folder-naming structure that everyone follows. Lay out the folder hierarchy and how each item should be titled. An outer folder might be “departments” and an inner folder might be “projects”. 

By using the same naming system, everyone will be able to find things easier. In addition, you reduce the chances of having duplicate folders. 

Maintain a file structure of two to three folders deep 

A file can take forever to find when there are too many folders nested inside each other. As you click down one rabbit hole after another, you feel like you’re going nowhere. People are discouraged from saving files in the right place when they have to click into several folders. 

Your file structure should be only two or three folders deep in order to avoid this issue. As a result, your cloud storage is more accessible and your files are easier to find. 

Do not create folders for less than 10 files 

Files can quickly accumulate in folders if employees don’t know where they should place them. 

To minimise time spent on finding a document, create a rule that restricts the creation of folders to 10 files or more. As a result, you won’t have tons of folders containing just a few files each. You should also have someone who can act as a storage administrator. People can then ask this person if they don’t know where to store a file. 

The slogan “Take Your Time to Save It Right” should be promoted 

When files are saved to a general folder, they can get disorganized quickly. Most of us have saved to something general at some point, like the desktop on a PC. We tell ourselves that we’ll go back at some point and move the file to where it belongs. 

The problem multiplies when there are several people sharing the same cloud storage space. The number of files that aren’t where they should be adds up quickly. Everything becomes harder to find as a result. 

Staff members should be encouraged to remember the slogan “take your time to save it right”. This means taking the extra few seconds to navigate to where the file should be saved. Then you don’t have to worry about things getting lost or out of control. This should be easier for everyone to handle if you use a file structure that’s only two or three folders deep. 

For easier recognition, use folder tags or colors 

You can use color tagging on folders in many cloud storage systems. This can instantly identify a folder or group of folders. The time it takes to find and store files is reduced as a result. 

You could color all folders dealing with sales green, for example. The folders for marketing could be orange, and so on. Colors can be more effective at connecting the brain with a topic than text. 

Regularly declutter and archive 

It seems like files are being created at a dizzying pace these days. The more files you add to your cloud storage system, the more difficult it is to sort through them. Even well-organized file storage can suffer from this problem. 

Don’t make it harder to find new files by keeping old ones. You can do this by regularly decluttering and archiving. Once a month, an administrator should delete any unnecessary files (duplicate files or old drafts of a document, for example). 

Archiving all older files in one big archive folder should also be part of your system. This keeps files that are no longer active out of the main file path. 

Let us help you with efficient cloud solutions 

Does your cloud storage meet your needs? Is there a disconnect between your cloud storage and other apps? Since 2002, Echelon Technologies has been a leading provider of Cloud Migration services to businesses in the Greater Phoenix area. We’ve helped hundreds of companies to increase productivity and profitability by making IT a streamlined part of their operations. Let us help you. Get in touch and let’s talk.