The Benefits of Online File Sharing

Technology makes it easier than ever to share files. In the past, physical copies of files and assets would often need to be provided to different teams in the company before work could begin. Email made things easier, but there were often file size limitations. Today, though, online file sharing through the cloud has made it faster, easier, and more cost-effective than ever to share files in real-time. Even better, the files can be shared with anyone who has access to the cloud.

Let’s look at some of the main benefits of online file sharing, so you can discover why it’s something your company should use.

No More Worrying About Lost Files

One of the worst feelings in the world is realizing that an important file has gone missing or that part of the folder has been damaged or corrupted. However, when sharing files via email or even on a local network, this is a risk. Unless there are backup copies made and kept after each change, there’s a possibility that the file could be lost. A computer might crash or someone might delete or write over a file by mistake. Human error happens more often than we might like to admit.

However, online file sharing in the cloud doesn’t have this problem, and there should never be an instance where an entire file is simply gone. When it’s uploaded to the server in the cloud, it should always be there and be easy to find and access.

Imagine for a moment the frustration and cost of having one of the files saved over with different content by mistake. Even if there are previous iterations of the file that can be salvaged, it means that a lot more work will have to be done on the project. It could set you back days, or longer. With online file sharing, where files are uploaded and updated, this will not be a problem.

Disaster Recovery

Along the same lines, there is the benefit of disaster recovery. If you were keeping all of your important files for marketing content, sales, and more on servers in your place of business, what happens if the server crashes? Will you be able to access those files? Even if they are recoverable, it could take some time to get to them all. Sometimes, you won’t be able to recover all of the files or some could be corrupted.

Any number of things could happen to the files that you are storing at your place of business. There could be a fire or a flood that could destroy the server, for example. Not only would this mean a lot of lost files and work, but it would also likely result in your customers and clients losing trust in your company.

When you are in the cloud, you won’t have to worry about as much downtime, either. If you are using a system with excellent uptime, your employees and anyone else with permission to access the files can do so from anywhere they have an Internet connection.

Instead of running this risk, it makes more sense to use a system that keeps the files safely away from your office. Working on files through the cloud provides the benefit of safety and security for the content.

Reduce Costs and Save Space

Cost reduction occurs for a host of different reasons when you utilize an online file sharing platform in the cloud. For starters, your company will not have to worry about buying server equipment and keeping it on the property. The cost of buying the servers, operating them, and maintaining them can be quite high. The cloud ensures you will not have to worry about these costs.

However, there are other ways it can help you save, as well. It becomes faster to access the files that are needed, and you can work from anywhere. When you are using a tool like a digital asset management platform, it becomes easier to find and access the files. This helps you to save time, which equates to saving money for most companies.

Not only will you save money when you opt for clouds for file storage and sharing, but you also save space. Your company won’t need to have a room dedicated to servers. This space could be used for other purposes, or it may mean you could downsize your building. You won’t have to increase the size of your IT staff just to handle the servers either.

Save Time and Keep Organized

One of the primary benefits of choosing to use online file sharing is saving time. When you use a digital asset management platform that can help you to keep your assets and files organized online, it makes them easier to find. DAM platforms will allow you to do more than just name the file. You can add keywords that will help to make it easier to find when needed.

This is important when you have a large number of files and when you have a lot of people who need to work on and access those files. As companies grow, the number of files they need to keep grows along with them. Even when using good naming conventions that should be easy to remember, it’s difficult when there a lot of people may need to access the file. Therefore, having the ability to add keywords can help to make finding the assets easier.

Another way that it saves time is that there is no longer the need to save the files to a device, such as a flash drive, to work on them from home or another location. In the past, this was common, but it could take a lot of time. People would download the file they needed, work on it with a different device, save it, and then upload the updated file to the server. However, they didn’t always change the name to reflect the changes. Sometimes, the file did not copy correctly to the flash drive, so they couldn’t work on the project. Other times, the file got corrupted. A host of issues could occur.

These things tend not to be a problem when you are sharing files online, as you will see from some of the other benefits.

Easier to Access the Files

Another of the benefits of sharing files online in the cloud is that they will be easy to access. Traditional file storage solutions tend to be rather limited and may require that you be at the company to work on the files. Rather than needing to be on-site to access the files, or needing to have a flash drive, it is possible to get the files from anywhere as long as there is an Internet connection.

Consider the benefits this offers. It means that employees don’t have to be at work to get the files they need. This could be helpful for those who are working from home, as many people are currently doing. It also means that people who are across the country or around the world will have access to the files, which can broaden your hiring options. Whether they are part of your company, a third-party marketing agency, or a freelancer helping out with the graphic design, it doesn’t matter where they are located.

This also means that salespeople who need to have an updated version of a file they need can access it no matter where they are. They don’t have to wait for an email. They can log in and get the asset or file they need.

Handle the Permissions

With online file sharing, you will still have control over who gets access to the various files. With the right platforms, it is easy to handle the permissions to be sure that only those who need to have access to certain files will have that access. Instead of giving free rein to anyone working at your company or as a freelancer, you dictate which files they can access. This ensures you don’t have people accessing assets that they shouldn’t.

This will increase the level of security for your asset files, and often, you can monitor who has had access to the files and when they were accessed. You don’t want to give full access to just anyone and choosing a system that allows you to customize the permissions is essential. While you might work with trustworthy people, there is always a risk. It’s better to eliminate the risk whenever you can.

Since the files are all online, there’s no way that a file could be lost or stolen through a physical device. If you were to put files onto a flash drive or store them on a laptop, they could be stolen or misplaced. The device could break, which would make it difficult to get the files if the hard drive were compromised. This risk doesn’t exist when sharing files online. The files live in the cloud and not on the device. As long as the employee logs out of their account, the updated files will not be accessible by other parties, and they will be available no matter what happens to that device.

Boost Productivity and Improve Collaboration

Collaboration can mean great things for your company. It’s always nice to have multiple people working on projects to provide ideas, feedback, and solutions to make the content the best it can be. However, when companies are relying on paper copies or email as a way to collaborate, it can stifle creativity and eliminate true collaboration. Sometimes, great ideas are lost in the shuffle of emails back and forth. Other times, certain parties might feel as though they are left out of the collaboration process.

When using an online file management system, though, it can put collaboration front and center. This is because these platforms can provide real-time communication and engagement in many cases. File-sharing can help to provide near-instant feedback, as well. Faster communication and collaboration can help to increase productivity and creativity with the assets being generated. Another benefit is that more than one person can view the files at the same time. When it comes to reviewing, this can be a benefit. The creator could get faster feedback, for example. Feedback and typically be shared with everyone, as well, and it can stay with the document.

File Version History and Easier Monitoring

One of the problems with the traditional handling of files is trying to organize the sheer number of changes that they go through. It’s virtually impossible for a file to have just one version. There are always changes as it goes through the creative process no matter how simple the file might seem.

Sharing files online with a system that keeps track of the version history and that can allow for monitoring of the files ensures that people are always working off the correct copy. It would be frustrating for a designer to start working on a file only to find out in a few hours—or after the project is complete—that they were working from an outdated version. It would take a lot of time and energy to fix those types of problems. However, when the files offer automatic version histories, these issues are in the past.

Scalable

Online platforms for file sharing are easier to scale, as well. If you were to have a physical server at your location, it would have a finite amount of space. Once you filled up that space on the server, you would need to get a new server. This would be costly, and you might not have the space available at your property. Scaling and adding new servers might also mean downtime for your business until it is up and running.

However, when you opt for an online file-sharing system, you won’t have to deal with this issue. Instead, you will find that they tend to be easily scalable. If you have a company that doesn’t need to have too much space currently, you know that it could change in the future. As your company grows, your requirements will grow right along with it. You need to have a fast and simple method of scaling your storage capabilities to ensure seamless file sharing. The cloud makes this possible.

Time for a File Sharing and Digital Asset Management Platform

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits when it comes to online file sharing. This technology has made so many aspects of business faster and easier. Whether you have a relatively small team or a large team spread out across the state, country, or world, you will find file-sharing to be highly beneficial. It can make it easier to work with people in the company, as well as third-party agencies and freelancers who may need to work on the same files.

When choosing a file-sharing platform, you want to be sure it’s easy to use and that it provides a robust number of features for your business. In some cases, the platform will offer all of the asset management features you need. Others might allow for the integration of these platforms. Determine what will work best for your needs.  FuseBox One has some perfect solutions!

Resources:

https://www.myworkdrive.com/file-sharing/enterprise/benefits/

https://www.titanfile.com/blog/5-benefits-of-online-document-management/

https://cloudacademy.com/blog/10-benefits-of-using-cloud-storage/

http://www.oriontech.com/benefits-of-cloud-based-file-sharing/