Organizations often wring their hands, worrying about the “Dropbox” effect – employees using unsanctioned and consumer-grade file sync and share solutions to improve their own personal productivity. Within this often frustrating user behavior, though, is a key truth: Many ECM solutions are too simply too complicated and cumbersome to meet the needs of the modern knowledge worker.
So instead of fighting an uphill battle to get users to change their behavior, suppose organizations embraced the consumer revolution and adopted an enterprise-grade file sync and share solution? What are the key benefits of adding enterprise file synch and share (EFSS) capabilities to your ECM strategy?
Usability is critical in any modern solution, and sadly often lacking in many traditional ECM solutions. An intuitive user interface allows for fast onboarding of new users both internally and externally and with minimal training required. Additional users are added and brought up to speed in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks.
EFSS allows organizations to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of client documents while also providing instantaneous access to documents with a secure, hosted application. Due to the sensitive nature of many documents, the loss or leak of confidential information has the potential to be very damaging. With paper, flash drives, CDs and e-mail, information falling into the wrong hands is a valid concern. Anenterprise-gradesolutioncanprovide information governance to IT administrators by enabling them to closely control user access and permissions while creating an audit trail of user activity.
EFSS capabilities allow ad-hoc organization of files to minimize impact on existing processes while collaborating globally. Many solutions allow files to be organized according to existing business processes, allowing users to share, collaborate and distribute documents digitally with minimal impact to business processes. The scalability of an EFSS solution can create real-time collaboration by users across the world over large and complex collections of documents.
One place EFSS can make a big difference is in a department that is often skeptical of cloud-based solutions, finance. Consider the audit process. Many methods – from paper shipments to CDs, e- mail and electronic file transfer – exist to provide auditors with the information they request. However, physically shipping paper files, or even CDs, is costly and time consuming. Electronic file transfer solutions are equally arduous due to the volume of files required and connection instability. All of these distribution methods required individual files to be sent to individual auditors. And when more than one auditor requests the same file, collaboration is often impossible.
Historically, governing paper files and documents is difficult because paper is too easily damaged or misplaced. This is particularly true in situations where users – whether staff or external authorized users -- must review information on-the-go and in a wide variety of work environments.
Eliminating the need to duplicate files and Fedexing them from location to location is often cost- justification for even a fairly complex EFSS solution. Everything is available instantaneously, providing information anytime, anywhere.
The audit trails in an enterprise-scale solution provide complete visibility into document access. Every modification made to the files is recorded, and changes can only be made by users with authorized access.
Safe and secure file sharing and storage.
Files are stored in one location and shared automatically by the system rather than e-mail. Only those who should have access to certain documents have access, using individually-granted permissions.
To respond to current customers, create new business opportunities and maintain an overall competitive advantage, organizations need secure, timely, and accurate access to key information. This requires a holistic approach to information and content management – developing and supporting an information ecosystem that offers an infrastructure for sharing, collaborating, and analyzing content in ways that enhance its value and maximize its use.
One way to achieve these objectives is by extending applications – such as an enterprise content management (ECM) solution – by leveraging file sync and share tools. An effective cloud-based sharing approach can help bridge content silos across the enterprise, providing consistency in content, enhancing internal and external collaboration, and improving access.