Digitizing the office space

There is a growing trend in the business world to ‘digitize’ the office space. This is the act of processing data and documents into a digital format so that they can be accessed by computer.

Part of digitizing the office space includes setting up systems whereby all new data or documents that are sent to the office are stored digitally by default, with printing becoming a choice rather than a basic necessity. Cloud faxing is a big part of this trend and an incredibly easy and useful way of ensuring that all incoming information is immediately accessible by anyone who needs to see it.

Security and Access
In a digitized office that uses cloud fax it is incredibly easy for permitted individuals to access and even edit the documents they need to interact with. Documents can be made available in the cloud for access through a laptop or smartphone on the move, or for access by other branches of the same company around the country – or even around the world.

Alongside this ease of access is an extremely robust security system that prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing potentially sensitive information. Cloud fax and the digital office space also completely remove the possibility of losing documents as everything is backed up to the cloud. This means that even if there was a fire or natural disaster, all of the companies communications and documents will be absolutely fine and immediately accessible from any other location.

Saving Space
Another great benefit to the advent of cloud-based faxing and the digital office is the reduction of physical space needed for storage. Filing cabinets full of useless or unimportant documents can become a thing of the past, as 21 filing cabinets worth of paper is the equivalent of 1GB of digital information. Faxing documents online means that they are stored in the cloud and can be viewed and managed from a desktop, mobile and tablet when needed.

It doesn’t take much to realize that filing cabinets are a woefully inefficient storage mechanism in this day and age and that the space they take up in offices around the country could be put to much better use, especially as 80% of items stored in filing cabinets will never be read, seen or dealt with in any way once they’ve been filed away.

Money and the Environment
The reduction in paper and ink use that results from digitizing the office space is beneficial to the environment, as less trees are cut down to fuel your offices paper needs. It is also a huge money saver for any company, as the workplace becomes more efficient. Employees spend around 30 minute every day, amounting to 150 hours a year per person, simply searching for documents and tools among the clutter that surrounds them. Getting rid of this annoying daily occurrence will make workers happier while increasing productivity, resulting in profit for the business.

For more information, take a look at our 5 Tips for HIPAA Compliant Faxing Guide.

Faxing via a computer and ‘the cloud’ is a convenient, easy to use and integral part of the digital office space. A digital office is readily scalable, robust and flexible enough to cope with any changes that your business might undergo. Getting rid of the filing cabinets and manual fax machines and embracing the modern way is a great step towards a more efficient, profitable future for your organization.