Information Management for a growing organisation
For most companies information is their life blood, it is the way they go about their business, it is the essence of what they sell to their customers. All too often however, little thought is put into what happens to this information, where is it stored, how are the files named and what backups need to be taken.
The key requirements for most business are to be able to create and store vital information such as word and excel documents and to be able to communicate with clients and suppliers using email. Increasingly people also want to be able to communicate via email and manage their calendars and contacts whilst outside the office using a PDA, Blackberry or smart phone.
Personal Information
It is quite common for people using Windows to store copies of documents and other important information in the computers My Documents area or on the Desktop, this in itself is fine although if the person hasn’t implemented any backup regime then there is a high risk of either a computer component failing or if it is a laptop being stolen or damaged. One very simple solution for this if you are a single user that doesn’t need to share information with anyone is to either email yourself the document using something like hotmail and Gmail or to get a simple online backup system that are available relatively cheaply from lots of sources.
If however you are in the position that you are not the only employee of your organisation and you need to share documents and information with others then the choices get somewhat trickier. There are several key technologies that could provide what you are looking for.
Network Storage
The first, very low expense solution is to get a simple switch and to plug a few PC’s together as a network and to store all the files on one of the computers, although this requires all the people to be working in the same location and doesn’t solve the problem that if the PC breaks all the data could disappear along with it.
Small Business Server
The second is to buy a low end server with Microsoft Small Business Server on it, this will provide you with a fair deal of functionality and allows you to have a central file store or network drive, this is likely to set you back in the region of £1000 plus will likely still require a backup solution (another £400) and require you to maintain, patch and look after.
Hosted Business Services
The third and probably best solution for a business, whose core offering is not technology, is to get a hosted system that provides you with the capabilities you need for a monthly subscription. This will then give you a choice of technologies that you can use. Increasingly Intranets are becoming more used as these provide access to documents wherever an internet connection and a browser is available, these means you are never more than a few clicks from your files.
The main drawback people see with this solution is that they don’t “have” their data, they can’t physically point to a computer that contains it. In my mind this is a benefit, having their “server” in a proper hosting environment with environmental control, backed up power supplies, very expensive redundant equipment and secure access is far better than having a server stuck in a corner next to the sink or stuck under someone’s desk ready to be kicked.
When it really comes down to information management, people want simplicity, hassle free and cost effective.
Quick Tip
A useful tool to help with retrieval of information on your computer is either the Google desktop search or Microsoft windows search. Both tools allow you to search for key phrases contained within your documents, this is particularly if you can’t figure out what the document was stored or called. This functionality is now built into the core of Windows Vista and proves very useful.
James Cook, CEO