Today I thought, why not write about one of my favorite topics – paperless organization! One of the first services I started to offer as a Virtual Assistant was paperless organization. I think I’m so gung-ho for it because while working as a Contract Specialist we purged files quarterly. Talk about a nightmare. In addition to that, we also had to keep up with our contracts, make calls, scan and copy files – just who had time for that?
Over the years, your business can have so much paper storage that it will become too costly to deal with. Organizations are scrunching their workers into tiny cubicles because they’ve turned entire rooms into file rooms. Some believe so heavily that they must keep their files, they send them to an off-site storage facility. Just think, what would you do if someone were to breach into that facility and all your documents were lost to your organization forever?
One of my favorite ways to organize and store data is with Dropbox. Dropbox has been around for quite some time. It’s an affordable cloud storage solution to use for personal and business needs. It’s easy to use, and with more than 200 million users, obviously they are a tried and proven company. It’s also smartphone compatible, so you no longer need to store large files on your phone either. So here are a few reasons, you should implement Dropbox into your daily life.
- Have instant and free access to 2GB of space. There are many ways to access more free space.
- Favorite your files for offline reading
- Upload to Dropbox via email
- Sync your Firefox settings to access them anywhere
- Back up your website
- Store your presentation files
- Edit your documents in your Dropbox (Great for team usage)
- The Dropbox for Business allows unlimited version history.
- You can remotely delete the Dropbox folder if your computer is lost or an employee leaves the business
- Encrypted storage using 256-bit AES encryption
I also found that there are over 20 different tools to use with your Dropbox to help further organize your life.
Have more questions about paperless organization or how to integrate Dropbox for your business? Send me an email today.
Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/babyben/4757347004/
I use Dropbox, but I’m startng to think I don’t know even a 10th of what it can do. I will have to investigate it further
Yes, I was amazed at the third party applications that exist out there! I don’t think it dawned on me that there would be more you could do until I started researching. I’m so glad I did. Now if i can just find the time to work it all in! If there is anything I can help with, let me know!
Dropbox is one of the most sensible developments we have had for a long time. It makes our line of work so much easier and I should imagine it’s very useful in businesses too. We also used it in our community organisation to store documents that members of the community needed access to. Well done for getting more word out there about it. I use it for interviews on http://www.popspeaking.blogspot.com too.
Gaynor, that is excellent to help out other organizations that way. I’ve been thinking of loading some helpful docs to my clients soon as well via Dropbox for my site. I have a few clients I currently collaborate with via Dropbox. It works great and the free storage is easy to come by! By the way, I love your Pop Speaking blog. It’s my quick entertainment guide! haha
Thanks Taya. Good info on Dropbox. I use Dropbox but not to it fullest extent. I love the idea of paperless organization.
Sorry for such a late response Janice! I was talking with someone not long ago who stores their receipts in Dropbox and shares the folder with her tax advisor! So simple and convenient!