If you are in the manufacturing industry, you understand that there are a lot of challenges facing you in the current environment. Supply chain difficulties are just about everywhere, and it can make it difficult for you to fulfill your orders on time. Furthermore, the business world is more competitive than it has ever been in the past, so you need to put your manufacturing organization in a position to compete in the current environment.
That means you need to take a close look at your supply chain file management. By optimizing your internal business processes, you can keep your overhead cost down and more efficiently manage your time. Your leadership team should not be bogged down handling simple tasks, particularly if they are redundant and time-consuming. Therefore, it is critical to take a closer look at the supply chain file management platform you use, particularly for large files and sensitive files.
What are a few of the most important topics you need to think about?
Why Supply Chain File Management Matters in Manufacturing
If you run a large manufacturing operation, you probably have a lot of sensitive files on your devices. It is critical for you to manage them appropriately, particularly if you want to keep your files protected. Some of the reasons why you should think carefully about file management in your manufacturing sector include the following:
You Have Remote Employees
Even though you probably still have a lot of robots and devices handling your manufacturing operations on the floor, you also have remote employees monitoring all of that information. Your employees need to be able to access information remotely to do their jobs. Furthermore, your remote employees need to share files with each other to keep their daily operations on track.
You need to invest in a file management system that makes it easy for your employees to keep track of the documents they need. That same file management system is also responsible for allowing your employees to send confidential information to one another. If you choose the right file management system, you can ensure that your employees always keep track of what they’re working on and communicate with one another effectively, ensuring everyone is working toward the same common goal.
You Share Information With Clients
Furthermore, you need to think about your file management system because it allows you to share information with your clients. You need to keep your customers in the loop regarding everything that is happening. Instead of having to play phone tag with them, you can share documents that keep them updated.
The risk of not keeping your customers updated is significant. If you do not keep them in the loop, and they are surprised by a supply chain delay, they are going to be unhappy. As a result, they could go somewhere else, including the competition.
You have a lot to do on a daily basis, and you may not have time to individually message or call your customers every day. Instead, you should use a secure file management system to share information with your customers and clients. You can let them know how their orders are going, keep them apprised of any delays that happen, and avoid blindsiding them with late or unfulfilled orders. You also need to use a file management system that ensures your clients only have access to information concerning their specific orders. That way, you protect the confidentiality of your clients and the company itself.
You Must Send and Share Files Among Multiple Devices
You are probably used to sending files and messages to people one at a time. Occasionally, you may send out a group message, but this creates a significant problem. Now, you have multiple versions of the same file, and your employees may have a difficult time figuring out which one is the most recent or which one is relevant to their jobs.
You want your employees to make decisions based on accurate information. Therefore, you should invest in a secure file management system that allows you to send and share files among multiple devices. You might even want a file management system that allows you to silo conversations among groups of people, making it easier for all participants to follow the conversation as it unfolds.
Ideally, you should have a file management system that allows multiple people to work on the same version of the file at the same time. That way, you don’t have to worry about having multiple versions of the same file, and everyone will know when the file has been updated.
You Have Sensitive Information You Need To Protect
Finally, you also need to invest in a secure file management system for your manufacturing business because you have a tremendous amount of sensitive information you need to protect. What do you think would happen if your confidential information were made public? What do you think would happen if your documents were damaged, corrupted, or destroyed? You must invest in a file management system that has the latest security measures.
There is always a balance between making your files easy for your employees to access and leaving your business vulnerable to potential criminals. Therefore, you must find a file management system that strikes a balance between both. For example, you should use a file management system that updates itself regularly. That way, you always have the latest security patches, and your clients and customers will feel confident that you can protect their confidential information.
You Reduce the Frequency With Which Mistakes Are Made
Finally, you need to invest in a file management system because you can reduce the frequency with which mistakes are made. If you do not have a solid file management system, there is a chance that your employees could start making mistakes. For example, they might start working on the wrong document, they might share it with the wrong people, or they could leave the document and server open to hackers.
Instead, you need a secure file management system that reduces the chances of someone making a mistake. Unfortunately, many hackers end up getting access to secure documents because of human error. Even though you may have a strong cyber security team, the system itself is only going to be as strong as your weakest link. Therefore, you need to use a secure file management system that can reduce the chances of human error, making sure your sensitive information stays protected.
These are a few of the biggest reasons why having a secure file management system is important for the manufacturing sector. Because there are a lot of platforms available, you should think carefully about the criteria you need to use when you are looking for a file management system. What are a few factors you need to consider?
Factors To Consider When Looking for a Secure File Management System
There are several factors you should think about when you are looking for a secure file management system. They include:
Security
First, you need to find a secure file management system that prioritizes security. You must make sure all of your confidential information is properly protected. Ideally, you should find a system that allows you to control exactly which documents people have access to. For example, you might want your customers and clients to have access to one set of documents, and you might want your employees to have access to another set of documents. The ability to customize your security measures is critical, and you should also use a platform that updates itself from time to time. That way, all potential security issues are fixed quickly.
Shareability
Of course, you should also use a platform that makes it easy for you to share your documents with other people. In the manufacturing sector, you might need to get input from engineers, technicians, and your clients. Instead of attaching large documents to emails, you need to use a platform that allows smooth, easy file transfer. That way, the platform itself will protect your confidential information, and you can still share files with the people who need to read them.
Ease of Use
Finally, you should also think about the people who will be using the platform. Again, remember that the platform itself is only as strong as the weakest link. In many cases, the weakest link will be the people using the platform. You may have found the best file-sharing platform in the world, but if it is too complicated, you will not get a lot of use out of it. If you find a platform and all the features you need that is also easy to use, you can keep your business on track.
If you think about these factors ahead of time, you will be able to find the best platform to meet your needs. In that case, you should go with SmartFile.
The Benefits of Using SmartFile
With SmartFile, supply chain file management can be made easy. You deserve a stress-free experience, and that is exactly what you will get. Some of the benefits of using SmartFile include the following:
Granular Permissions
With SmartFile, you get access to something known as granular permissions. What this means is that you control exactly who has access to what information. For example, you may want someone in one department to only have access to files from that specific department. Then, someone in another department should only get access to their department’s files. Finally, there might be a manager who needs access to both departments. With SmartFile, you can set granular permissions. This does not necessarily mean you don’t trust the person, but it means that if someone has their login credentials stolen, the hacker will not have access to everything.
Receive Email Notifications
You should not have to focus on everything constantly, and that is why SmartFile will provide you with email notifications regarding what is most important to you. You control when you get notified. For example, you may want to receive texts, calls, or alerts in certain situations. For example, do you want to be notified when someone accesses a specific file? Or do you want to be notified when someone downloads a specific file? You should not have to waste your time manually checking this information, and SmartFile can provide you with helpful email notifications.
File Versioning
With SmartFile, you also get access to something known as file versioning. This means that you have the ability to go back and take a look at every version of the file along the way. You want to make sure people are working on the most recent version, but you also want to take a look at the history of changes. That way, you can see when certain changes are made, who has made those changes, and what those changes look like. This is also important for preventing the overwriting of certain files.
The Latest Security
Finally, if you decide to use SmartFile, you also get access to the latest security features. Just as you are working hard to make sure your information is protected, there are hackers who are working hard to try to get around the latest security features. If you decide to use SmartFile, you know that you will have the latest version of the best cybersecurity software, which allows you to protect your confidential information from harm.
For all of these reasons, you should consider using SmartFile for your manufacturing and supply chain file management needs.
Start Your Free Trial with SmartFile Today
Today, you need to make it as easy as possible for your employees to share information with one another, but you also need to make sure your confidential information is protected with end-to-end encryption. With SmartFile, you can do exactly that. We provide you with the latest security and file management features, and we can make it easy for you to protect and transfer large files with ease. Start your 14-day free trial with SmartFile!