As we move towards a completely paper-free office, storing your documents online is now the easiest and most efficient way to manage large amounts of information within an organization – which is all thanks to cloud-based solutions.

Organizations are already storing their documents online, whether that’s with free tools such as Dropbox or Google Drive, or highly secure and customizable solutions like Clinked. Let’s find out why and how you can too.

What are online documents?

Simply put, online documents are documents that are uploaded, shared and stored as electronic files, rather than physical files. Your online documents can be stored in a secure, private environment; where you can control exactly who has access to your files, and what can be done with them (view-only, edit, download, delete etc.)

What are the benefits?

There are plenty of benefits to using online documents, in comparison to paper-based files. For instance, software solutions like Clinked allow more control over your documents and make it easier to collaborate with team members and clients from anywhere. You can log previous versions of documents (which are all retrievable), request approvals, lock documents whilst they're being edited, and add feedback on your files.

Storing your documents in an online solution also reduces costs and the amount of time spent searching for and storing files. A typical employee spends 30-40% of their time looking for information locked in email and filing cabinets – with filing costing an average of $20 per month. What’s more, a misfiled document costs $125, and a lost document can set you back $350 to $700 (The Paperless Project). Storing your files online allows you to instantly upload, share and retrieve files at any time, with only a monthly (or annual) subscription fee to set up.

And probably one of the most important benefits is that you’ll have higher security when storing documents online. Statistics show that more than 70% of today’s businesses would fail within three weeks if they suffered a catastrophic loss of paper-based records due to fire or flood (The Paperless Project). Pretty scary, right? With online documents, your information will be continually backed up and always retrievable when stored in the cloud; even if you experience downtime or your browser crashes.

Ready to move your documents online?

If you’re looking to transition into storing your organization’s documents online, you first need to look at your required specifications for your solution, as each will vary in its offerings. You’ll also need to consider the size of your organization, the budget and your timescale for implementing a solution. And remember, when it comes down to making the leap to cloud-based document storing, change management will be the key to making your transition a success.

So, what are you waiting for? Here are five steps for bringing new technology into your business.

Clinked can bring your business closer to its clients with customized and user-friendly portals. Allow your users to securely access their documents, discussions, events, calendars and more – all from within a centralized environment.