secure document storage from Pro-Doc

The pros and cons of traditional vs cloud storage

Could your business benefit from secure cloud document storage

Although many businesses are increasingly relying on cloud storage, it’s interesting to speculate on the advantages (and disadvantages) that this form of storage can offer.

Incredible amounts of data are generated by businesses on a daily basis and this means that many organisations have to choose the safest and most cost-effective way. The two main choices on offer are traditional local storage or cloud-based storage. However, choosing the right storage for your business sometimes isn’t as straightforward as it might seem and it’s important to find an option which best suits your individual requirements.

When deciding which is best secure document storage for your business you might like to consider the following:

How much control do you need?

On-premises storage hardware is usually most suited to organisations who want or need a high level of control over their storage, and who would like to maximises the performance of various applications by providing increased support in areas such as file system replication, back up capabilities and data tiering. In addition, on-premises hardware will also provide increased direct management of the security and compliance of your data in comparison to cloud providers who might not offer the level of privacy your organisation needs to comply with specific regulations.

On the other hand, organisations who decide to work with a cloud storage provider will have to comply with the terms and conditions as set out in the service level agreement, meaning that there may be some loss of control for IT professionals. However the benefits of using cloud storage far outweigh those offered by traditional forms of storage; smaller businesses are likely to find that despite their limited budget, the build in data management offered by cloud storage proves highly cost effective, regardless of the service level agreement.

Easy access document storage

One of the biggest influences on whether cloud storage is right for your business is the ability to store and the ease of access it offers. Cloud storage is likely to exceed the benefits of traditional storage as the systems designed to access cloud data don’t usually have just one point of failure which could bring down the whole system. In addition, using cloud storage means that data can be quickly accessed from a number of locations.

Despite the fact that cloud storage can present difficulties in terms of latency, traditional on-premises storage which has been configured to provide high-speed availability is likely to prove to be a costly option.

Cost-effective storage

There’s little doubt that one of the most significant advantages of cloud storage is in terms of potential cost savings. Choosing cloud storage means that it is possible to buy the right amount of storage for your organisation instead of having to invest in costly hardware which comes with a big price tag – not least in terms of the extra costs of storage and power. In addition, cloud storage is designed to grow as your business does, helping you with a smaller initial outlay whilst ensuring you are prepared for future expansion.

Contact Pro-Doc for advice on the best document storage solution for you

Here at Pro-Doc we provide secure document storage solutions for business of all shapes and sizes. If you would like to talk through the options available, or to find out more about cloud storage, why not get in touch with us today?

document scanning services from Pro-Doc

Could your business benefit from document scanning?

Professional document scanning advice from Pro-Doc, the document management specialists

We’ve all been there; searching for an important piece of information that you know is hiding somewhere in an old document, only to end up spending hours searching through filing cabinets for an elusive folder that you’re certain you filed in the right place…. Or it might be that you know which information you need but can’t remember which of your vast collection of documents it stored in. It’s frustrating, time-consuming situations such as these which can be easily solved with the use of a document scanning service.

When carried out correctly a document scanning service has the potential to bring significant benefits to your business; helping you save time, streamline your systems and cut costs.

What does documents scanning mean?

Put simply document scanning (sometimes also known as document imaging) is the process of capturing a digital image of a paper document. This digital image can then be converted into a searchable, electronic image. In addition, digital images can also be processed using OCR (optical character recognition) software which turns these digital images into text documents which can be searched for keywords.

What’s does the document scanning process involve?

The term ‘document scanning’ is used to describe the entire scanning process, including scanning and then capturing the image using OCR software to identify words, before the digital file is stored securely, ready to be retrieved as and when it’s required. The document scanning process includes four main stages: input, identification, storage and retrieval.

Secure document storage and retrieval

Once paper documents have been scanned and digitized, it’s important they are stored safely and efficiently: this can be in an off-site storage/archive facility or the paper documents can be destroyed using a confidential waste disposal service and in line with data protection regulations.

Storage of the resulting digital documents must also be secure and efficient and it’s important to take into account how regularly the documents will need to be accessed as part of your business’s workflow.

Retrieval is the term used to describe the process of searching for the digital files, or specific information within a file, that you need. Once the information has been found, it can be delivered to your team in the most appropriate format for them.

The benefits of document scanning

Document scanning proves invaluable for the majority of businesses because it streamlines processes, workflows, storage and retrieval. Rather than hours wasted whilst spent searching for paper documents, document management is transformed into a simple and highly efficient process.

If you would like to find out more about how our document scanning services could help you save time and money we’d love to talk through the range of options available. Our services are suitable for business and organisations of all shapes and sizes so why not get in touch to find out more?