With the recent growth in cloud computing, more and more businesses are beginning to adopt cloud-based storage solutions that help them to streamline different aspects of their work.
There are a number of applications available to businesses, many of which offer a secure and efficient way to share, manage, and collaborate on important documents.
These technologies are not only beneficial at a consumer level, but also for businesses who are looking for a secure alternative to storing hard-copy documents. Below are five benefits that businesses can gain from the addition of an online document storage system.
Save Money
Backing up documents either, electronically or manually, can cost businesses a great deal of time and money. The cost of equipment, including external hard drives and backup tapes, can leave a business with a large initial cost as well as ongoing maintenance costs. Online services allow for companies to reduce the time and cost associated with traditional backup methods, and provides them with all the storage necessary to store and manage these files, while making the process of storing and backing up data simple.
Gain Access
Hosting your documents in a cloud environment enables users to have access to their important information from any location and at any time, as long as they have an internet connection. This is beneficial in many ways, and allows for businesses to use the application in a way that best suits them.
Share Documents
Traditionally, documents were commonly shared via email, which lead to a series of missing files and lost time going back and forth. With an online storage solution, users are able to securely and efficiently share their documents with multiple individuals. Depending on the application, users are also able to give different levels of accessibility to clients and work colleagues, ranging from the entire collection of documents, to just a single file.
LedgerDocs, for example, gives users the ability to share a link to a specific file. The recipient of the link is able to view the document in a secure LedgerDocs window, and gives the recipient the ability to add notes, tags, and any other information necessary. Alternatively, users are able to give individuals access to the application as a whole, giving them the ability to manage, share, and collaborate on documents within the “Company” folder. For more information on the LedgerDocs collaboration tools, see our features page.
Secure your Documents
Storing important information in the cloud is often more secure than just maintaining hard copies within the office. The majority of online document management applications provide users with a 256-bit SSL encryption of files, which is a similar level of security as online banking. With LedgerDocs, documents are regularly backed up to multiple locations, allowing for your files to be safe, even in the event of a natural disaster. This also gives us the ability to set your account back to a certain date in case a document was deleted or tampered with. LedgerDocs offers various users access to the application, which helps to promote collaboration on important accounting documents. Users have separate credentials and passwords allowing for an audit trail of which user completes which actions to be created.
Free up Space
The ability to have access to all your important documents in one easily managed location gives users the ability to save time and money, while reducing the stress involved with finding specific files. Although some clients maintain a hard-copy of their digital files, many users simply upload their documents to the cloud and dispose of the hard copies. This allows for a paperless environment that creates less mess in the office, while giving the client 24/7 access to their important documents.
The benefits of cloud computing is still in the growth stage, but already businesses can see the importance of moving their documents to the cloud. These applications not only provide users with the possibility of saving time and money, they also provide a secure and effective way of managing, sharing and collaborating on important documents. The next step for businesses is to gain an understanding of what they need in terms of a document management application, and choose a system that fits within their organizations goals and values.
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