How to Digitally Manage your Important Documents
Last updated on November 29th, 2023 at 04:39 pm
I think it is important to document everything throughout one’s life, whether it is in business or one’s personal life. Documentation makes the recovery process much faster in the event of a catastrophe. Below is an example of how documentation can be of assistance. Assume that you bought a new treadmill and, after six months, you begin to hear strange noises coming from the treadmill. If there is no receipt on the treadmill, then you will have to bring it into the shop. The treadmill’s warranty can be easily claimed as long as it is kept in a safe place. As a consequence, you might end up spending a lot of money on repairing it in the future.
Due to the money involved and the legal liability involved, proper documentation becomes even more crucial for a business. There are cases such as these where employees or even clients of a company have started legal proceedings against it. Documentation was the only thing that saved the company from bankruptcy. Your client may issue a business complaint if your company fails to deliver the service that was agreed upon. An organization can use the scope statement, signed by the client, as evidence that everything has been completed following the agreement. There can be thousands or even millions of dollars worth of losses for a company when there is no scope statement or when it is lost.
Listed below are important documents
Several types of documents are used by different people and different kinds of businesses. You should, however, keep the following documents on hand at all times:
- Passport
- Identity Card
- Contracts
- Tax Returns
- Financial Documents
- Project Documents
- Will
Despite this, we are aware that managing and protecting documents isn’t always as simple as it seems. The documents need to be stored separately and you need dedicated staff to maintain them. Doesn’t this only lead to increased expenses? If this is true, does that mean that you have to stop the documentation process? That is not the case. You should not ignore this warning, but instead, follow our tips on how to secure and manage your important documents instead of ignoring it. Let us start.
1. Electronic Record Keeping
Rather than relying on physical copies, we recommend that you invest in electronic records as opposed to physical ones. Some companies scan all your important documents and store them electronically. In addition, the documents can easily be retrieved whenever necessary. In my opinion, one of the best benefits that electronic record keeping can provide is that there is no chance of fire damage. In my opinion, the cloud is an excellent method of storing data. However, if you are against maintaining electronic records, you might consider storing them physically. There is a company called Archive Technologies that owns large warehouses that are used to store data. Probably, you think that the documents have been thrown into warehouses and will never be found. But the fact is that we don’t dispose of our documents out of a warehouse. The fact is that all documents are stored securely and efficiently so that they may be quickly retrieved,
2. Make Copies
Making copies of important documents is another way of securing and managing them. Consider the case of a client with whom you have signed a contract. If you lose the contract, it could spell doom for your business. To avoid this from happening, make as many copies as you can. Make sure that you keep one copy at home and one copy at the office. You should also keep electronic records of all your transactions. It only takes a few seconds to scan the contract and upload it to the cloud storage service. You can contact documentation companies like Archive Technologies if you are still not satisfied, and they will do the rest for you.
3. Safe Deposit Box
Even a documentation handling company cannot be trusted with certain documents which should be kept confidential. When this is the case, your best option for securing and managing important documents is to secure and manage them in a safe deposit box. A safe deposit box can be easily obtained at the bank or credit union branch of your choice. The fact that the banks are not legally allowed to share your information with anyone else gives you an extra layer of protection.
4. Document Destruction
There are times when you need to get rid of essential documents to secure and manage them properly. As a result, we recommend that you invest in a quality shredder and proceed to undertake the shredding process It is not necessary to ask someone else to do it for you. It is best to hire a certified company like Archive Technologies if you have too many documents to deal with. These companies use the latest technology to help you get rid of your documents.
5. Have a Cloud Storage Account
As a final step, you should make sure that you have a dedicated cloud storage account for storing documents. You must enable Two-Factor Authentication and all other security features to make it as secure as possible. Do not use that account for anything else and you will be compromising its security. When you need to upload a document, you can simply upload it to the cloud. You can upload the new version of the document as many times as necessary.
Wrap Up
We have reached the end of our article. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions in mind or if you have any new information that you would like to add. Last but not least, always pay attention to the documentation. Even if you are doing something for a close family member or friend, make sure all the necessary contracts and paperwork are in order. You can trust us when we tell you that it is going to safeguard you against any issues that may arise down the road. Please accept our thanks and best wishes.