A Focus On Security
A number of reasons (both financial and strategic) are driving companies to utilize online document management services. This shift away from traditional in-house approaches is well underway with a majority of organizations actively planning or implementing cloud technologies today.
In this article, we focus on document hosting solutions, the core of cloud-based document management, and its key underlying requirement – security.
Security: The Number One Concern With Cloud-Based Document Management
Whether you’re a new company or an established organization, your customers’ trust is your number one asset. That’s why your move to the cloud-based document management requires a secure foundation that protects customer data and your business reputation.
Data managers are concerned about cloud-based security as well as data loss or theft.
5 Steps To A Secure, Cloud-Based Document Management Foundation
There are five steps that you should consider to minimize your risk when moving to cloud-based document management systems.
Step 1: Partner with a Trusted Cloud-Based Document Management Provider
Moving to cloud-based document management is not only about technology but also about updating and integrating with key business processes already in place. When you choose a document management partner, you should know what to expect while you work with them.
Step 2: Review Critical Vendor Infrastructure
It is important to review the vendor infrastructure. Example questions include: Is there 24/7/365 monitoring of all IT operations? What about redundancy protection? Is it N+2 (or better) for all critical systems? Is 2N+2 electrical power redundancy in place? Where are the local and remote (Disaster Recovery / Continuity) locations?
Step 3: Investigate Industry Certifications and Compliance
Does the cloud-based document management vendor undertake regular audits? What third-party certifications do they have? What training do their employees go through and what stress-tests do their networks undergo?
It’s your data, and you need to know where it’s going and who’s handling it.
Step 4: Ensure Offline Security
Don’t forget about security of the physical facilities. Is there any public access to the facilities? Do 100% of vetted personnel have to be securely signed in and escorted at all times? What about multi-factor identification, including biometric and multi-level security zones? Are there digital cameras installed to monitor secure areas 24/7? Is there a physically separate caged environment within the secure data center?
Step 5: Secure End-User and Administrative Access
Are there simple administration and user selection and access rights? Is SSL encryption and IP lock security in place? Can you access the full audit trail and report on any document accessed?
Next Steps
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Further Reading
“Legacy Data Migration” describes the process of transferring content from one system to another. If you’re looking to go hosted, you may be moving out of an existing system – this migration article can get you started.
“5 Considerations For Choosing A Document Management System” describes 5 things for you to take into account before choosing your hosted application. Not all software is created equal, so choose what’s right for you.
“Digital ReeL” is our own hosted software application that may just be right for what you need when it comes to hosting. Simple, minimalistic, and cost-effective, Digital ReeL should get a look before you purchase an enterprise management system.