How small businesses can get ahead with document management

Companies today face a litany of challenges when it comes to protecting and accessing all the sensitive information they need to operate from one day to the next. This is especially true for smaller businesses that do not have big operating budgets or an army of staffers. One way independent firms can get ahead, then, is by relying on a document management system to keep track of every file they need.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to making this kind of change is that it can free up a lot of square footage for small businesses that have to make do with limited space, according to the Houston Chronicle. After all, every inch of ground taken up by ever-growing numbers of filing cabinets that hold crucial documents is one that cannot be used for desk space or other amenities needed to keep employees comfortable and efficient.

By adding a document management platform to the company's arsenal, that potentially frees up a lot of space – after a round of backfile scanning and retaining everything that needs to be kept physically.

Another benefit
Meanwhile, the advantage of digitizing potentially decades worth of company documents is that they all instantly become searchable, putting all the information they hold at the fingertips of anyone authorized to access them, the report said. With proper workflows set up, employees no longer have to comb through mountains of paperwork to find the information they need, making the job of finding pertinent information drop from a potentially hours-long task to one that takes mere seconds.

Increased security
Likewise, when companies digitize their documents, they also ensure nothing goes missing or is seen by someone who isn't authorized to view it, according to eWeek. In a paper-first office, it's very easy for documents to go missing for a time, or for people to pull files other people need. There won't be any such confusion with a switch to digital document management.

Of course, small-business decision-makers need to think about their companies' unique needs and examine all the options that might be available to meet those requirements. Fortunately, there are many ways to approach a comprehensive plan that allows SMBs to take great leaps forward in 2019.