Thanks to the cloud, you no longer have to store any documents at your physical location. This saves a great deal of time, money and space. The cloud also allows you to access your documents from anywhere with an internet connection. You may be interested in taking advantage of the benefits of cloud storage but don't know how to get started. Fortunately, the process is simple. Here is how to store documents via the cloud.
1. Convert your paper documents to digital files
Before you start thinking about how to store documents on the cloud, you need to make sure that they are in the correct format. To that end, you will have to convert all of your paper documents to digital files. This does not need to be an overwhelming process, no matter how many physical documents you have on hand. All you need to do is contact a professional document conversion service. They will convert your documents, extract the information and organize them for you.
2. Select a cloud storage solution
You must determine what cloud storage service you are going to use to store your files online. As you can imagine, not all cloud storage solutions are the same so you need to make sure that the one you choose is compatible with your unique needs. That being said, there are a couple of capabilities that your cloud storage solution should have no matter what:
Mobile accessibility
One of the biggest benefits of cloud storage is being able to access your documents from anywhere. Universal access should include universal accessibility. What we mean by this is that you shouldn't just be able to access your cloud folders from anywhere. You should also be able to access them from any device because while your computer won't go everywhere with you, your mobile devices will. Therefore, make sure that your cloud storage solution includes mobile accessibility.
Document management solution integration
If your cloud storage solution works independently of your document management system, you will be faced with a great deal of redundancy when trying to access your documents via the cloud. This ends up wasting a lot of your precious time. Make sure that your cloud storage solution helps you avoid this type of problem by only investing in solutions that either integrate fully with your document management system, or double as complete document management systems themselves. This is an especially important capability for businesses to have.
Document security
You want to ensure that your documents cannot be altered, destroyed or stolen while they are on the cloud. To this end, you need to make sure that your cloud storage solution protects your files while you transfer them and while they are being stored. In addition to basic security, many of the best cloud storage solutions allow you complete control over who is authorized to access documents. With this capability, you could instantly give or revoke access to a critical document.
3. Start sending your documents to the cloud
Now that you are prepared to start taking advantage of the cloud, it is time for you to start transferring your documents. Make sure that you are properly organizing all of your files as you send them over to your cloud solution. This way, managing them won't be an issue later on.
By following these three simple steps, you can start using the cloud ASAP
Now that you know how to store documents via the cloud, you can begin taking full advantage of this incredible document storage technology.