And dont get me wrong they could.
But too many of our businesses still operate like its 1997 when it comes to asset management.
Sure, you may have a Dropbox Business account that you use for work.
Your team may have a shared Google Drive folder.
But when it comes to company-wide storage and processes, things are frustratingly old school.
We havent changed those processes and storage structures to truly accommodate andtake advantage of the cloud.
Weve just added one more piece of technology into already bloated and inefficient ones.
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Various productivity studies have put alarming numbers to those problems in the past.
The cloud needs to be taken more seriously.
Dont believe me when I say your digital file cabinet needs a makeover?
Consider how many of the following are true at your business.
Perhaps its to make them more appealing to change-averse executives who want something that feels familiar.
However, its using systems created for one media format to organize completely different types of documents.
Lets look at a few reasons why this can happen within organizations.
First of all, ournaming conventions and habitsaround labeling files are still influenced by organizing physical documents.
This leads to messes of file folders like the one below highlighted bya Stanford Library case study.
However, in digital form you only have the file name to go off of when browsing.
To include a file in multiple places or folders, you needed multiple copies.
However, that doesnt need to be true of digital file structures.
For example, switching from paper contracts and signatures to esignatures can save businesses a lot of money.
But those important files need to be easy to find and reference.
For example, dataroom solutions allow you to organize files according to custom metadata tags.
So when youre looking for services, ask about metadata tags.
Our document management, and our physical offices, are still cluttered by too many analog files.
As mentioned earlier, the two require different best practices like document naming conventions and directory tree structures.
That punch in of disorganization is not what cloud storage was meant for.
It doesnt make things easier to go halfway paperless.
Its time to think digital first and move towards fully paper-free document management whenever possible.
Especially for any files too important to lose, tear, misfile, or spill coffee on.
When employees do work with documents in the cloud, its all siloed between a dozen different tools.
Even worse, the more important the document, the more steps and confusion seem to be involved.
Switching to a dedicated app thats built for streamlining these processes removes all the scattering and silos.
Stop placing digital document workflows in the backseat and build one that works well for you.
He regularly speaks at various conferences and events about digital marketing issues.
He has also been named one of the top content marketing influencers by Onalytica three years in a row.
