The ‘cloud-first’ world we live in today offers us advanced levels of collaboration, security, versatility, and productivity. With so many cloud solutions available, deciding on which solution best suits your organisation can be stressful and confusing.
In this post we will explain some of the most popular options available to help your NPO select the correct option.
Google Drive – www.google.co.za/nonprofits (G Suite)
Google Drive is probably the most used for both personal and organisational use for:
- storing
- sharing
- creating
- collaboration
Google Drive is part of G Suite which incorporates Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. Eligible NPOs can apply for individual user storage space of up to 30GB.
SharePoint – www.csp.phambano.org.za (Office 365)
SharePoint is a cloud-based storage and document management tool from Microsoft. This platform allows for the creation of an employee intranet community where coworkers can share, and store work documents. It has an added advantage because data stored can be accessed anywhere and anytime. SharePoint is ideal for NPOs who find themselves out of the office frequently as it allows them to work remotely.
SharePoint is available on the Microsoft Office 365 packages and incorporates flawlessly with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Eligible nonprofits can access up to 1 TB of storage for each user.
Adobe Document Cloud (DC) — Acrobat Pro DC – https://techsoupsouthafrica.org/node/6381
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC gives you the most recent version of Acrobat alongside the advantages of Adobe Document Cloud (DC). Adobe DC permits you to store and send documents on the web, with options to add e-signatures, tracking of documents and more. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC incorporates well with Microsoft Word, making it simple to convert Word documents into editable PDFs and vice versa.
Box.org – https://techsoupsouthafrica.org/donors/box
Box.org is a cloud-based document management and sharing tool that nonprofits can use to collaborate, share and store their work-related documents. Its integration with Office 365 makes it easy to edit Microsoft documents on the platform itself without having to go through the trouble of downloading them first.
Creating a file naming system
Moving to cloud-based platforms may be the best thing you can do for your organisation however, if you do not have a plan of how you will manage your information the process can be frustrating. A simple thing as a file name can make all the difference in document management and storage. Create a file naming system that all team members will follow and understand is important.
Managing work collaboration in the cloud
Perhaps the best component of a cloud-based document management system is the ability to team up on a single document from anyplace on the planet. Regardless of which cloud solution you are using in your organisation, the cloud offers built-in functionality to edit, share and collaborate. This can be incredibly beneficial for tasks like completing fundraising proposals with your Board. Ensuring that your team receives training on the system is crucial to the work collaboration being a success. Putting time aside to learn the basics about the cloud tools available will benefit your organisation in the long run.
The benefit of migrating to cloud-based document management solutions
The world is quickly moving to the cloud, and this move has given impressive improvements in the manner we oversee documents on the internet. Moving to the cloud today will help you:
- safeguard your beneficiary, donor and stakeholder information
- increase data security measures
- increase team work performance
- save on tech hardware costs as the cloud can replace physical servers
- safeguard your most important documents from threats like load-shedding, fire or flooding