Every business, no matter how large or small, typically handles myriad documents in the course of the day. Invoices, hiring paperwork, receipts, and customer information all must be handled correctly for promote both high productivity and data safety. Specifically, managing documents is a crucial task that is best accomplished when information can be digitized for easier and safer access. Benefits of using a document management solution that relies on digital documents include:
- Faster access to necessary information for better productivity
- More accurate record keeping
- Better security
- The ability to access data regardless of geographic location
In addition, a document management solution (DMS) can also help your business reduce its reliance on paper, which can assist in helping conserving capital for other more mission-critical tasks. Let’s examine some best practices that can help you in creating and maintaining a robust DMS.
Cultivating Best Practices for Managing Documents
Managing documents in any business is an important task, since information is the lifeblood of most companies. The best way to easily organize, share, and protect your data is by implementing a document management solution (DMS). But deciding to use a DMS is just the first step to success. In addition, you should follow these best practices:
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Determine the Right Document Management Solution for Your Business
There are many DMS’s from which to choose, so you should begin the process by determining why your company is investing in a DMS. Is it to digitize documents? Add protection for sensitive data? Make information more accessible to remote employees? Answers to these questions and others will determine the format and features of the DMS you choose. A third-party document management provider can help you answer these questions as well as make a competent choice among systems.
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Make Sure You are Password Savvy
Most modern document management system have inherent security processes, but you should also ensure that your system password is complex and that you change it often. Changing passwords on a regular basis can ensure previous employees cannot still access privileged information and reduce the potential for current, but unauthorized, personnel to gain access to confidential documents.
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Keep Your DMS Backed Up in Multiple Places
Your DMS will hold a great deal of sensitive and mission-critical data. Ensure that data is available, even if it is compromised by backing up your DMS in more than one place. If you use a third party managed services provider (MSP), they can make sure routine backups are conducted to preclude loss of data and ensure business continuity.
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Conduct Regular Document Cleanouts
A DMS is a digital filing system and, just like its paper-based counterpart, the filing cabinet, it can get crowded with unnecessary information. Be sure to conduct regular cleanouts of digital information to ensure only relevant information is being stored. Not only will this make your information easier to find, but it will also free up valuable space on your servers and drives.
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Maintain Security with Digital Audits
Like anything, your DMS should be subject to routine audits. Security audits conducted by an IT professional can help you identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses as well as help employees become aware of evolving threats. Once loopholes are identified, your company can help minimize them through management tactics or through additional security strategies.
Need Help Managing Documents? Doing Better Business Has You Covered
Choosing a document management solution is a critical step toward increasing both business productivity and data security. But it can also be a very confusing task, as there are so many solutions from which to choose.
At Doing Better Business, we have curated the best document management solutions to help our clients keep their businesses organized and their data protected. And because we have experts in every aspect of information technology, we can help you choose the right system to fit with your current infrastructure — and meet your individual business needs and challenges.
Take the confusion out of controlling, organizing, and sharing your information. Contact a representative from Doing Better Business and learn how our suite of document management tools can help you do better business today.