Apart from the fact that it’s just good business practice, there are a number of reasons you should keep your business records organized and safe. Many companies have business records which contain sensitive information about clients, and some information is essential for smooth business operations. If you’re still living in the Dark Ages of record-keeping, with rows of filing cabinets and boxes bursting with documents, you are setting yourself up for confusion and inefficiency. Here are some things you can do to keep your business records secure and organized.
Go digital
If you do still have the majority of your business records on paper, stored away in filing cabinets or boxes, this is a scenario which literally invites disaster, and at the very least, a high degree of disorganization. As soon as you possibly can, you should get all your information digitized and stored on your own local computer system or on the cloud. As you generate new documents during normal business processes, have these stored directly onto your computer media, so that you eliminate the paper trail, as well as the vulnerability represented by that archaic system.
Protect your local computing environment
If you have stored all your business records on the cloud, you can count on the cyber security practices of your provider to keep your data secure against attack. However, if you’re not on the cloud yet, and all your business data is locally stored on servers, you need to take steps to manage your own cyber security. Make sure that you have antivirus software installed, that you have a firewall operating to prevent intrusions, and that you regularly conduct backups of your business-critical data, in case you need to restore data which gets corrupted.
Know where important documents are
When you undertake the process of digitizing your important business records, make sure you know where all those documents are which might be needed in copy form to satisfy requests from government or local authorities. Right from the outset of your digitizing process, you should be indexing all documents, so you know exactly where they are for easy retrieval.
Make use of the cloud
Virtually all small businesses, as well as the corporate giants, will find that having your business data on the cloud is the best solution. Situating your business on the cloud can extend beyond mere data storage, however. Many cloud providers will offer you products and services which will help you to accomplish accounting processes and all your record-keeping, with software they offer for the purpose. This can simplify business processes at your end, and can give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing your business data is secure, and that you are well organized to forge ahead with your business future.
You can use all the help you can get to run a small business successfully, and Doerhoff & Associates is here for you. We strive to provide what you really want and need – a unique and customized set of services to fill the gap and support you, the business owner.
