The Benefits of Cloud-Based Document Management

Six months of enforced remote working have given business leaders a new perspective about what it really means to be agile and efficient. 
 
While those with limited agile experience faced a particularly steep learning curve at the start of the pandemic, 2020 has highlighted to all businesses just how important the right technologies, systems and tools are to not only survive but thrive.
 
Successful remote working requires simple, effective and streamlined technologies to help with everyday tasks such as transferring files, collecting signatures and printing important documents.  Cloud based document management systems make this possible at the touch of a button and are solving many of the operational challenges that overnight agility has created.     
 
Here we outline the six key benefits of cloud based document management services:

 

1. Remote working needs mobile solutions

 
Successful remote working relies on mobile devices, software and tools to allow employees to work on any device, at any time and from any location. Cloud based document management systems make this possible and allow common tasks such as transferring files and storing contracts to be done centrally and securely, regardless of whether an employee is in the office or working remotely.
 
 

2. Improved process efficiencies

 
The average employee spends one fifth[1] of their working week searching for the information they need to do their job.   As people work remotely and increasingly outside traditional 9-5 hours, easy access to information becomes even more vital to efficiency and productivity. Cloud based document management systems improve process efficiency by turning scanned paper documents into searchable pdfs and adding specific tags to improve search results. Auto-file and auto-name features can be used to make files even easier to find, while auto-sync updates files for all users in real time.

 

3. New thinking and cost savings

 
Cloud based document management systems help businesses to reduce their reliance on paper, which in turn enables a much smoother transition to agile working. By reducing the need for hard copies and storing files digitally, organisations can start to think differently about the very essence of how they operate and where there are opportunities for innovation and improvement.  Plus, as less time is spent moving paper around an organisation, significant money can be saved on storage and print consumables too.

 

4. Enhanced safety, security and compliance

 
Working from home presents greater challenges about information security and in particular, regulatory compliance. Cloud based document management offers password protection and link expiry to ensure that data and sensitive company information is kept safe at all times, both internally and externally. Access permissions can also be set to ensure only authorised personnel can view, edit and share documents and a built-in audit trail makes it easy to see who has accessed and changed files throughout their lifecycle. Although in-house IT personnel will still need to ensure employees have sufficient network security when working remotely,  cloud based solutions provide heightened levels of control, insight and security.

 

5. Robust solutions and reduced risk

 
Cloud-based servers are designed specifically for remote access, unlike their static on-site counterparts which often require onerous modification to support remote working.  At a time when access to offices is actively discouraged and social distancing is required, cloud based solutions reduce the need for in-house IT teams to be onsite and offer a guaranteed, robust and quick way to make remote working possible.   Passing the responsibility to a specialist third party also reduces risk, frees up in-house resource for other agile projects and ensures a best in class remote working solution.

 

6. Easy and secure e-approvals

 
For most businesses face-to-face contact is simply not possible right now,  so an alternative approach is required to capture important client, vendor and supplier approvals.  Cloud based solutions enable e-approvals and confirmations to be collected, filed and secured quickly without the need for any physical paperwork to change hands.
 
 
 
Summary
 
Covid-19 has shown that agility is a business necessity and that for people to work remotely AND efficiently, they must have access to the appropriate tools, systems and infrastructure.  Cloud-based document management services provide the foundation for successful remote working and are giving businesses the tools to thrive in the most difficult and challenging economic times.