“April showers bring May flowers.”
We’ve all heard this since we were kids, and it couldn’t be more true. What that cute little rhyme doesn’t tell you is that April brings much more than showers—it also brings storms and floods. Storms and floods that can absolutely ruin your business if you don’t have the proper protection for your company’s files.
Just as we’re finally getting rid of the rough memories of snow and ice from 2015, the onset of lots of rain arrives. With April being a powerful storm month, it’s absolutely critical that business owners understand how to take care of files, whether you still use physical hard copies or whether you have all content stored digitally.
Beware the April Showers
These storms can rip through a building and cause serious damage, including wiping out files which cannot be replaced. This can be particularly terrible for smaller companies who are just getting started. The U.S. Small Business Association reports that 25% of businesses never re-open after being hit by a severe thunderstorm.
While no one can control Mother Nature, there are things you can do to make sure your business data will be taken care of should disaster strike.
If you live in a flood-prone area (such as California, New Jersey, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Washington, or Florida, for example), pay close attention to these tips for your company’s file protection.
Our tips for Protecting your Files
For hard copy files, conduct an audit. Go through all your company’s important documents and see what you have, and what you need to protect. Categorize the documents based on the functions they serve, and determine how you could get to them in the event of a flood.
Cloud services are an extremely popular choice for businesses who want to ensure that their company data is always safe. Because the Cloud stores content at different locations all over the world and keeps it away from damaging effects, thousands of companies choose to use a reliable Cloud service with a good reputation to protect their files.
Move paperwork and file cabinets to a top floor, if possible. It’s common sense: the higher up you move files, the less likely they are to become soggy with flood damage.
Disaster-proof storage devices (such as this one from ioSafe 214) can protect a company’s content by using data mirroring. These devices are typically fireproof as well as waterproof, but do your research to make sure you have both: forest fire season comes hard on the heels of flood season.
Rent an off-site storage unit for backup hard copies of your business’s files. Having your files in two places is better than one vulnerable one.
Going Digital Could Save Your Business
Always keep company data updated and backed up. This is very simple and convenient with a reliable Enterprise Content Management solution, which can put your files on a company server.
Consider investing into water-resistant filing cabinets. They run a bit pricier than regular filing cabinets, but they’re worth the cash you save in reparation and recovery costs.
Digitize your hard copies. A good document management service can quickly and easily take your huge stacks of paper files (an easy target for flood damage) and digitize them so you won’t need to worry about protecting thousands of physical files.
It’s never fun to think about the reality of these things, but the truth is—they happen. Every year. Be sure you’re prepared and have a protection plan in mind for your company’s valuable files.
If you’re looking for enterprise content management solutions for flood season or for any other reason, we at Contentverse are your experts. Let us help answer your questions today!
