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Breaking down Data Silos with SmartFile

If you want to run a successful business today, you need to make sure your business does not suffer from data silos. There are a lot of companies that actually suffer from data silos—many of them might not even realize it! A data silo can disconnect your departments, leave your employees confused, and make it longer for you to report necessary information. 

What is a data silo, and how can you prevent it from developing at your company? It is important to take advantage of all available resources, including SmartFile, to prevent data silos from leaving your company confused and disjointed.

What Is a Data Silo?

When people are talking about data silos, they are usually talking about collections of data that one department may be able to access while other departments are unable to do the same. When this happens, it leads to a severe lack of transparency, trust, and efficiency within the organization. One department may feel like they are being locked out of the data they need in order to do their job. That same department may feel like this is necessary for the security of the company. Regardless, this can lead to a lot of stress, numerous distractions, and can make it hard for your business to operate efficiently. As a result, your productivity may begin to dwindle.

In addition, having data silos can quickly drain the resources of your company. You may feel like you need to pay for extra data storage instead of dealing with the inefficiency that currently exists within your company. As a business owner, you need to make sure that you prevent data silos from happening.

If you are able to integrate data within your organization, you can resolve data silos. You can also resolve pressing issues that could be preventing your company from reaching its full potential. That way, you can place your business teams in the best position possible to thrive and grow.

Why Are Data Silos Bad for an Organization?

There are numerous reasons why the development of data silos could be very bad for a business. Check out a few examples:

Extra Expenses

One of the first reasons why data silos are bad for business is that this can lead to extra expenses. If your departments are not sharing data, then every department has to have its own equipment. This means extra hardware, extra software, and extra maintenance expenses. This can drive up your overhead expenses, making it difficult for your business to make ends meet.

Reduced Efficiency

In addition to increasing overhead expenses, the development of data silos can also lead to reduced revenue because your business is not going to be as efficient. It will take longer for your departments to complete their jobs because they might not have the full picture that other departmental data would provide. This can result in missed deadlines, unhappy customers, and lower revenue.

A Lack of Trust

This can also lead to a lack of trust among your individual departments. Some people may feel like they do not have access to certain pieces of data because other departments do not trust them. This can make it difficult for your team members to work together.

Slow Response Times

Finally, data silos are also bad because it will take longer for your company to respond to changes in the marketplace. Because the departments do not have access to the same information, they will not respond to certain situations the same way. This can make it difficult for your company to keep up with its competitors.

Therefore, you need to recognize the signs and symptoms of data silos as quickly as possible. Even though nobody sets off to be in a siloed organization, it is still important to know what a data silo looks like in order to resolve it quickly. Below are just a few of the biggest reasons why data silos are bad for an organization.

The Signs and Symptoms of Data Silos in Business

There are several signs and symptoms that could indicate a data silo is developing in a business. A few examples include:

  • Reduced Data Quality: One of the first signs of the development of data silos is reduced data quality. Without data transparency, performance is going to suffer. As a result, the quality of your information will also suffer.
  • Slow Decision-Making: You may also notice that it takes longer for your company to make decisions. Perhaps someone takes longer to get back to you, or maybe your company starts to miss deadlines. If your departments are not able to make decisions quickly, this could be a sign that a data silo is developing.
  • Poor Collaboration Across Departments: If there are data silos present, your company will also have a difficult time collaborating across multiple departments. If it seems like one department doesn’t exactly know what the other departments are doing, this could be a sign that there is a data silo.
  • Duplicated Tasks Due to a Lack of Communication: Since your departments and teams are not effectively communicating with each other, there may be duplicated efforts. For example, you may have multiple people in different departments all working on the same project. As a result, you get multiple different finished products for the same task. This is a waste of time and effort, which is why you should eliminate data silos.

If you spot any of these signs and symptoms in your own business, it is important to address them as quickly as possible. That way, you can resolve the data silo before it starts impacting the performance of your company. That is exactly where SmartFile can be helpful.

Increased Collaboration with Live Documents

One of the top ways to remove data silos is to increase collaboration using live documents. With access to live documents, it is possible to see the changes other people make in real-time. Now, you no longer have to worry about email chains distributing documents to multiple people that have to be edited one at a time. 

Collaborating on live documents does not have to mean chaos is developing in your culture. Instead, the goal is to increase transparency. That way, this will make it easier for your team members to work together. Furthermore, collaboration does not necessarily have to be fixed. 

As long as you have an internet connection, you can be a member of the team, regardless of whether you stay at home to take care of a sick child or travel for business purposes. With access to SmartFile, mobility is easy. It is simple to share the entire file with other people, allowing everyone to collaborate from just about anywhere.

Centralize Information with SmartFile

With access to tools and materials from SmartFile, it is possible to centralize information all in one place. One of the biggest issues with a data silo is that nobody knows where to go for certain pieces of information. Then, when they ask a department for help, they may get a rude email in response. With access to centralized information from SmartFile, this is no longer an issue.

All the information is going to be in one place—making it easier to protect it. This also makes it easier for team members to meet their deadlines since they will know exactly where to go when looking for something. If you want to make it easier for your team members to collaborate and track certain pieces of information, then you will want to store all of your documentation in one place. That is where SmartFile can be helpful!

Versioning

You probably understand the problems that could be created if you have multiple versions of the same file. With access to file versioning from SmartFile, it is possible to easily track and recall different versions of files as they come in. That way, you do not have to worry about accidentally overwriting certain files that happened to share the same name in the same folder. In addition, this feature makes it possible for you to lookup files, open them, and see the changes that have been made.

It is also relatively easy for you to eliminate outdated versions of certain files and reduce wait times for larger files. With access to administrative controls, your technology department will be able to give access to certain pieces of information to just about anyone required. That way, you can enable file versioning for certain users who may need access to this information. You can even control the number of versions and file sizes, placing you in total control of your storage. This is one of the most important benefits of working with file versioning from SmartFile.

Visibility Through Administrator Accounts

You need to know what is going on in your various departments. If you don’t have access to a tool that displays data about your entire organization, then it is important to work with SmartFile to increase visibility over your company using administrator accounts.

This is incredibly important in the modern era because data visibility requires multiple layers. This tool is critical for business best practices, security, and compliance. That way, you can store and share your files safely and appropriately.

The most important reason you need to improve your visibility through administrator accounts is data security. There is a lot of confidential information in your business, and you need to protect it. It is also important to authenticate your users. You need to manage user account permissions meticulously to minimize risk by ensuring people do not have access to information they do not require to do their jobs. With access to a comprehensive tool, you can also automate the configuration process, saving time and resources.

Finally, administrator accounts are also important for reporting purposes. If you have visibility regarding access times, number of downloads, user sources, and upload dates, you can remain in compliance with all government regulations, protecting yourself legally. This is one of the best ways to break down data silos.

Access to Activity Alerts

Finally, another benefit you will enjoy with SmartFile is activity alerts. There is a good chance you have a smartphone that is set up to notify you and certain situations. Your file management system should behave the same way! It is important for you to be in the loop when it comes to your various vital processes. That way, you do not have to waste your time manually checking everything.

You can receive activity alerts for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Folders that may have been changed
  • Specific activities that you need to track
  • Activities that take place regarding your servers and network
  • New tasks when it comes to workflows
  • Update when it comes to certain files

Break Down Your Data Silos Today with SmartFile

These are just a few of the many benefits you will enjoy with SmartFile. Data silos can significantly hinder an organization—make sure you eliminate data silos in your business by putting SmartFile to work for you. This can increase collaboration, improve transparency, and increase the efficiency of your company. Contact us today and sign up for SmartFile!

SmartFile is a business file mangement platform that gives you more control, compliance and security.

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