Going Paperless in the Age of the Mobile Workforce

Digitizing Important Files

For over a decade, people have been espousing the eventual “paperless office” but most of us never actually get there. Old habits are hard to break and we seem to have the perpetual need for replacement toner, reams of copy paper, and endless space-consuming file cabinets. The truth is, unless there is a legal or regulatory purpose, hard copies of paper documents are unnecessary. Additionally, in the event of an emergency or disaster, relying on paper records can be a dangerous business decision. When they’re gone, they’re gone forever. That’s why digitizing, not just important files, but all files, are an essential component to any company model. Some other benefits to digitizing your files are:

• Acts as a failsafe for business continuity if documents are lost or destroyed
• Saves space
• Cuts down on paper waste
• Good for the environment
• Easier to access electronic files than digging through file drawers
• Simplifies communications through email
• Peace of mind that your files are safe and saved
• Transportation to offsite storage or cloud is uncomplicated
• Conducting business in a mobile environment

If you’re not up for the task of doing this, there are many companies out there that specialize in transitioning to a paperless office and offering backup solutions as well. Important documents, such as Human Resources paperwork and Sales Orders can be made secure and electronic. Introducing a comprehensive electronic workflow serves customers and employees better and more efficiently. Don’t extend your already busy work day with more paper.

Green benefits to digitizing

• Reduces destruction to oxygen-providing trees
• Lowers energy usage and release of harmful gases in pulp and paper industry
• Shrinks fuel consumption by air, rail, and road transport distributing reams of paper
• Cuts down fuel consumption by sending paper via air or ground couriers
• Decreases creation of more printers, ink, and toner cartridges

Speak to the digital experts at ACF Consulting today! 813.235.6357

Help ACF win the Small Business Grant!

We are eligible for a small business grant that will enable us to grow our support for the Tampa Bay business community, but we need your help. In order to be considered, we need 250 votes before Saturday June 30th.

Here is a breakdown of how you can vote for us! Thanks in Advance:

Step 1:

Go to www.missionsmallbusiness.com and click the ‘Log In and Support’ Button:

Step 2:

Login using your Facebook account (this is to verify that everyone is real and everyone only votes once):

Step 3:

Under ‘Vote Local’ Type in ‘ACF Consulting’ into the ‘Business Name’ Box, and click ‘Search’:

Step 4:

Time to vote!, Just click the vote button and you did it! (…but keep reading)

Step 5:

Tell your friends. It’s easy they let you do it right from the next screen, just click on one of the three methods and off you go!

If you gotten this far, then we hope you know how much we truly appreciate your assistance. If there is anything at all that any of us at ACF can do for you, just let us know! 813.235.6357.

E-mail Continuity - Preventing extended downtime of your e-mail

Today’s businesses list e-mail as one of the top tools utilized in order to run their day-to-day operations. It’s just as valuable, if not more so, than the telephone and has become an expected means of communication between a company, their clients, customers, and employees. With that in mind, the idea of that system going down becomes an unacceptable notion. Because of the critical role e-mail plays, extended outages will often have grave outcomes such as unprocessed orders, missed deadlines, and blacked out communications.

Having your e-mail go dark affects not only the daily workflow and productivity of your company; it can also severely damage your reputation which ultimately can impact your bottom line.

Backing Up

• Offsite – For a full disaster recovery solution, ensure e-mail is backed up at an alternate location. Though this typically won’t allow for immediate access to backed up e-mails if there is an issue, it is one of the safest solutions.



• E-mail Archiving system – This will backup everything (cloud or locally) which allows for immediate access of backed up e-mails. Some options are:
  
  
  
  • LiveOffice (Cloud Storage)
  
  
  • GFI MailArchiver (Local Storage or a hosted server)
  
  
  • Device such as a Barracuda (can be local or hosted)

Continuity

• Secondary E-Mail service – This is true continuity because it stores e-mail messages locally for constant access and relays them through a primary mail server. Typically accessed as a webmail in the interim, certain packages may have all your e-mail available, if needed.


• Store & Forward – Typically provided by a spam filtering service, it will hold e-mail until your mail server comes back up. However, it does not allow for immediate access.


• Clustering & Failover – A more advanced solution, it allows for easiest flow when geographically distant.

Speak to one of ACF Consulting’s IT specialists to see which e-mail continuity solution is right for you.

Do you have any great email tips? Share them below!

Contact ACF today to learn more about how you can be ready in the event of a disaster.