19 Jan The world of information management by Joseph Ashford
The days from when information was stored in physical paper form has long gone, and now it is all about the information being stored in cloud systems. Does this sound like absolute nonsense to you? Do not worry as our marketing guru Joseph Ashford is here to guide you through the world of information management and how you can bring this to your business today.
What is information management?
Joe Ashford understands information management to be the process in which information from sources is collected and managed so that its’ distribution is carefully managed for the benefit of the business. The stakeholders in a business will want to make sure that all information is accessible for all and sundry.
Trends for information management in 2017
As part of our discussions with our marketing guru Joseph Ashford, we have decided to ask Joe where he thought information management would go in 2017 and how this could be of any use for small businesses like yours. Keep reading to find out what Joe Ashford had to say about information management.
Long-term remote storage
Nowadays, most information is stored on the internet with cloud servers and data backup systems. “The world has changed rapidly,” said Joseph Ashford, “Businesses must keep up to ensure that they don’t fall behind in the endgame.” With legal issues such as data protection and storage of records mainly for insurance reasons, businesses should endeavour to store past invoices, etc. on a secure server.
Joe Ashford recommends that businesses should store details on a secure server with the view of storing it there for several decades. Once the information has been uploaded onto the said storage system, you will not have to worry too much about it as these companies are very good at what they do. Our guru has come up with a list of recommended solutions for businesses such as:
- Amazon Web Services
- Office 365
- Google Box
- Dropbox
There are advantages and disadvantages to each solution but this is a choice for you to make in light of your business’ needs.
Manage your data
Joseph Ashford believes that it is vital to store your information in remote locations. However, businesses like yours must be careful to ensure that you are not storing what is known in the industry as dark data. Put simply, dark data is like the internet’s version of paper junk that isn’t needed; businesses store this as they think this information is vital.
With data on the net seen as essential, you must be ruthless with this and prevent yourself from needing extra storage. In paper format, it was very easy to throw information not needed like old bills or receipts from 3 years ago. Now people are reluctant to delete something for fear of needing this in the future. Joe Ashford reckons that you could store this data on an USB data stick for this data type.
Storage costs
“Watch out for those storage costs!” warned Joseph Ashford as he believes that businesses will need to invest in a data system that works for them budget-wise and storage needs. There is going to be a big move to digital storage within the next year or so, and many companies will want to capitalise on this opportunity. Fees may depend on the options offered.
Joe Ashford suggests that you must manage data systems effectively and stringently to avoid any costly charges that may come into place. Read all literature that comes with the company’s data policies so that you are aware of everything. Joseph Ashford also recommends that you read up on terms such as MB, and TB etc. so that you are prepared for every eventuality that comes with data management and information management.
Final notes from Joseph Ashford
We would like to thank our marketing expert and guru Joseph Ashford for his wonderful advice and savvy market opinions on information management. As always, we ask Jose Ashford to leave us with parting words for the benefit of our readers:
“Information management is becoming more crucial with the move over to digital systems and businesses must ensure that they are on top of their game so that their data isn’t loss through a lack of care. You must apply the same principles you would with paper files and not forget the data exists alongside bulk files.”