Tip 1: Have a Plan!

No matter what it is you need to organize – from files and folders to text documents and contact information, developing a sound plan is first and foremost what needs to be done. 

If you are just creating folders on a server somewhere, you are already off course. Real document management requires structure. Take time to figure out and then rank the importance of your documents, and fully discover the roles, limitations, and responsibilities attached to them. 

Tip 2: Name it Right!

The main purpose of naming conventions as a practice is to keep your work organized the same way every time.

Naming conventions also help with:

1. Smooth Operation: When your data is easy to find, it is easy to extract the required knowledge and make decisions based on it, ensuring smooth administration in your organization.
    
2. Better Version Control: Information is constantly updated, so to make sure you are using the most recent version, tag it accordingly in your file name.
     
3. Saving Time – and Money: By formalizing your naming conventions you actively prevent duplication and error!
    

Tip 3: Version Control! 

When updating document versions, consider employing ideas like labeling copies as they are saved and purging old drafts when they are no longer needed.

1. Auto-save is one of many handy features built into many systems, but it may be creating too many documents for your team to sift through.

If there's one topic that keeps coming up no matter how much we try to change the subject, it’s multi-factor authentication. No, we don’t collect royalties every time we mention the word, it’s just something we know every organization requires to be exponentially more secure. And we aren’t alone in our belief in MFA.  

Smaller Companies Are Urged to Adopt Multifactor Authentication | Wall Street Journal 

We know 100% of bot attacks can be prevented just by using MFA, but a recent study found 55% of businesses don't have MFA enabled to begin with. If you rely on usernames and passwords alone, you are absolutely leaving your business vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Bad actors will purchase a list of breached passwords on the Dark Web to try and breach company data. With MFA, authorization requests for login are sent to a personal cellphone or email account, one that the cybercriminals don't have access to.
    
2. “We know nearly all account compromise attacks can be stopped outright, just by using MFA. It’s a proven, effective way to thwart bad actors,” said Karen Evans, managing director of CRI.
    
3. The same survey found that nearly 60% of respondents said they hadn’t discussed MFA with their employees. Industry experts say building the value of MFA for all is an area where the cybersecurity industry needs to do more.
   
   More on MFA: Making MFA More Convenient for your Business
   
   2FA v. MFA: Two-Factor vs. Multifactor Authentication: What's the Difference?
    
    

Talking about cyber security may seem like a long-winded gig, but in reality, it’s much more like a team sport. No matter what industry your company serves, IT managers and CIOs all require significant amounts of team-level buy-in to generate gains.

A Common Mission: Improve the Cybersecurity Posture of the Nation | Security Intelligence

And when we talk about buying in, it has to be an investment from everyone at every level of an organization. Engaging in positive security activity should resemble Bobby Bonilla prepping for the 1997 World Series*.

^{*That may be a dated sports analogy, but we missed Bobby Bonilla Day (7/1), so...}

Key Takeaways: 

1. Securing information and infrastructure is among the highest national security priorities.
   
   
2. Spending levels are at an all-time high — both in terms of the funding poured into cybersecurity companies to innovate new solutions, which more than doubled in 2021, and in the 2023 Federal Government budget request where cyber spending exceeds any prior budget at $22 billion (defense, civilian). 
   
   
3. There are currently 22 vendors working on the Zero Trust reference architecture industry guidance that will offer practical steps for implementing an architecture for zero trust for several use cases. 
    

Speaking of a team effort, how do you get everyone to buy into cybersecurity in your org? Cybersecurity needs to be people-centric. Security Magazine has a great breakdown of the three reasons why: 

3 Reasons Why Cybersecurity Must be People-Centric | Security Magazine

Key Takeaways: 

1. Studies show that human error accounts for nearly 95% of all cybersecurity incidents.
   
   1. Common errors include actions such as responding to a phishing email, downloading a malicious attachment, risky browsing behavior and the list goes on and on and on...
       
2. 39% of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) agree they have inadequate budgets to ensure cybersecurity.
   1. No budget means companies are leaving themselves vulnerable to cyber attacks.
       
3. Position cybersecurity as one of the key pillars of the value system in the organization 
   1. Have key business leaders talk about best practices and set the right example 
   2. Train your staff on cybersecurity awareness and best practices
   
   Deep Dive: Why You Need to Implement Cyber Security Training Today
    

Back to our main topic of discussion – organizational tools, specifically Microsoft SharePoint.

Read the blog here: Should You Use Microsoft SharePoint for Document Management?

We are often asked if SharePoint is really the best tool for the job, and honestly, yeah. It is. Studies find that sorting through documents to find what your team needs adds up to over 21.3% of all productivity loss, and professionals take an average of 18 minutes to find each document they need. 

To be Frank, or Larry, or Sharry, or whoever... That. Sucks. Your team is losing almost a quarter of their work time searching for stuff they should be able to access any time. 

But what is a document management system? 

To put it incredibly simply, a document management system, or DMS for short (in case that wasn’t clear by now), is an electronic filing cabinet for any large organization that serves as the framework to sort, store, and provide access for any digital documents, copies of originals, and much, much more. Think, literally any document.

So... What is Microsoft SharePoint? 

SharePoint is Microsoft’s version of a super-powerful DMS in the form of an online content management tool. SharePoint allows your team to store files in the cloud to be used as needed for collaborative work while decluttering tasks by creating sites and subsites to declutter tasks from their to-do lists.  

What makes SharePoint so special? 

Not only does Microsoft provide robust updates and changes regularly, but this simple productivity tool can change how your business gets things done. We came up with a list of SEVEN whole reasons we think SharePoint is the best, but you’ll have to read the blog to find out what those are.  

Conclusion

Today we looked at how small businesses can start to keep themselves safe and efficient, but there’s plenty more to the conversation. Across the entire industry, no matter what it is you’re doing, generating buy-in is critical to every mission. Did we emphasize that enough? Good. 

We'd like to think that if you made it this far, you probably see value in cybersecurity and tech. We're here to answer your questions! Give us a call at (864) 552-1291 and we'll help you evaluate your capabilities and options. Also, consider following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter!