Easy Tips For Small Business Data Management

If you’ve set up a small business, you might think that data management is only for large corporations. This is a pretty big mistake. No matter how small your operation is, there’s a lot of value in data collection and management.

Even if the benefits aren’t apparent straight away, you’ll need to be much more organised as your company grows. Here are some tips for your business’s data management.

Image from Jisc

First of all, try to keep it simple. If you’ve already had a stab at your own data management, this may seem easier said than done. Although it can take some time to create an effective structure from scratch, it becomes much easier the more you work at it. Start by setting up a consistent naming format for different types of documents.

Then, designate files for different categories. If you only have a small workforce, you could even set files up for each individual employee. Still, you don’t want to overcomplicate things with too many subdivisions. Keeping broad categories sorted alphabetically or numerically should be good enough.

My next tip is to make use of cloud technology. If your business has started trading, and you’ve never heard of the cloud before, then you should be pretty concerned! For starters, cloud storage is much more affordable than in-house hardware for backing up.

If you introduce it to your business in the right way, it can also improve efficiency across your whole operation. Most cloud programs have their own simple ways of organising data. With the user-friendly layout, it won’t take long for your workforce to start using the cloud effectively.

After that, you and your management will be free to dip in and out of various documents, and make edits or comments. If you need to store a significant amount of data, then you may need to utilise an extra service. Check out these elasticsearch connectors for an example. This kind of software will make cloud storage of any size far more manageable.

Data management can be a lot easier when you start to use a tiered system. This means ranking different files according to how often they need to be used, or other factors like how confidential they are.

Organising your data in this way can be extremely useful if you use several different storage solutions. When you organise your data into tiers, you can allocate different storage solutions depending on how important the file in question is.

There’s always been a slight security risk in using cloud storage for all of your data. If you have particularly sensitive material, and then just regular documents, using tiers is a must. You’ll be able to use expensive, secure solutions for the things that matter, and scrimp in other areas.

There’s a lot more to effective data management than I’ve listed here. Start with these tips though, and the whole topic will feel easier to understand. Even if your operation is small, I advise you to start your data management as early as possible. The data you store is going to pile on faster than you’d think as you grow!