Australian businesses are staggering under the weight of the information they need to manage. For some, especially those in compliance-heavy industries such as construction, the sheer volume of paperwork they have to get through is creating significant amounts of frustration and overwork. For these businesses, implementing document management solutions can help improve not only document storage and retrieval but also streamline document workflows and improve security.
Security is a constant and significant concern for Australian businesses. Cybercriminals are getting better and more sophisticated in how they target businesses, and information compromise is a real risk for organisations. Document management solutions must include security and governance features to help businesses protect their valuable data.
There are five ways that electronic document management systems can help improve security:
- Workflows. Document workflow software can help ensure sensitive or confidential documents aren’t sent to the wrong recipient inadvertently. With automated workflows, the document goes to the right recipient every time.
- Access. An advanced document management system can set permissions so that unauthorised users can’t open documents they’re not authorised to read. And, with full visibility and control, organisations can see who has accessed documents and when, as well as what changes they’ve made.
- Versions. When documents are manually saved in file shares, transactional systems, or other siloes, it can be impossible to tell if the version being worked on is the most recent version. And, having multiple versions of a document spread across multiple locations can make it harder to maintain security over that document. Good document management software manages version control and access and provides comprehensive audit trails of changes ensuring the most current copy is available.
- Destruction. When access to documents is unrestricted, all users can potentially destroy documents, creating both a security challenge and an operational one. Restricting access and choosing a cloud document management solution with easy recovery features means documents are never at risk of unauthorised destruction or can easily be flagged and retrieved if they are.
- Security. While documents may reside in a secure server, as soon as they are transmitted to someone else, they are at risk of being intercepted by cybercriminals. A good document management solution can help overcome this challenge, protecting data both at rest and in transit.
Security is a crucial issue in any business and it’s important not to overlook the myriad ways your information could be accessed, including through innocent human errors that could put data at risk. It’s important to choose the best document management system that can help improve data security in your organisation.
Scott Crosby, CEO, Upstream
