Mobile access to data can actually increase your productivity. Many businesses worry that working from home means losses in productivity and efficiency. But the benefits of mobile access to data made possible by client portals and file sharing mean that working from home can actually increase your employees’ productivity, not to mention job satisfaction. In this article, we’re going to review how implementing a client portal, file sharing, or document management service can serve your business, and point to just a few ways that data mobility can increase productivity.
Mobility Challenges Are Hurting Business Productivity
A recent study revealed that three quarters of workers interviewed reported that 24/7 access to files and documents is very important. This makes a lot of sense—modern business is decentralized and cannot limit itself to the physical confines of the workplace. Employees work at the office, from home, in the field, on the road, and in different cities. Being able to share files and access important documents is an absolute necessity.
In the same study, only twenty two percent of the respondents said that they were aware of a company-approved file sharing system—a serious problem.
Furthermore, about forty-two percent of respondents said they found it difficult to connect with co-workers on projects and files within their company, and fifty-three percent said they found it difficult to do the same when working with people from outside their company.
Finally, in terms of security, about eighty-three percent of respondents said that they were worried about the security of their files, and about fifty two percent of IT professionals shared that fear. All of these responses are problems that can be addressed file sharing technology.
How Mobility Increases Productivity
Mobile access immediately connects roaming users to the greater archive of information available to a company, an absolutely critical component to successfully navigating the modern business world.
Mobile access to your company’s database means that you’re free to assign employees tasks on the road and in the community without worrying about them losing access to important documents or losing contact with management.
Finally, mobile file sharing means far fewer work interruptions. If an employee’s device malfunctions, work can resume on another device—their data is available from any device with an internet connection. And because virtual file sharing involves storing and backing up a lot of information online, it often reduces the amount of down time that servers need for maintenance, thereby alleviating pressure on IT departments.
Remote-Access VPNs Offer a Solution
One very common and powerful solution to many of the problems presented in this article is something called a remote-access VPN, which essentially functions as an encrypted tunnel through which you can access the internet. In most situations, this is used by people who, for a variety of reasons, are concerned about their internet privacy and can also be adapted very easily to business use. Think about it: a program that offers encrypted access to information that might otherwise be considered too sensitive to share. That sounds pretty great from a business standpoint, and it can also be used as a file sharing system in order to give staff remote access to a network of files, documents, and communications options.
How eFileCabinet Can Help
Remote access is an important part of running a company that can keep up with the instant-access demands of today’s business world. Consider implementing a document management system (DMS) at your office today. eFileCabinet offers a flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use DMS that will let your business capture, manage, secure, and share the data necessary for your company to go mobile.