For many reasons, we lose important information, often due to issues we do not consider in our electronic document management processes. I will share some points that, in my opinion, we should consider:

1. Establish a workflow and support it with an electronic document management policy. Most data loss can generally be prevented; it often stems from a failure in the data management process or the lack thereof.

Once, while speaking with a very successful company manager, he told me: “Documents do not belong to the end user. Information belongs to and is for the company; therefore, the end user must follow the established guidelines or face the consequences of non-compliance.”

While it may sound somewhat dictatorial, this gentleman successfully fostered a culture of responsibility regarding document handling, effectively conveying their value to his collaborators.

Ultimately, the development and clear understanding of the process by collaborators, combined with a robust document management policy, establish the foundation for document-level security.

2. Use antivirus software When we are contacted to recover documents, a common factor—aside from the lack of backups—is the absence of antivirus software on end-user equipment. This includes Apple devices (macOS); yes, these devices are not “immune” to viruses circulating on the internet. Regarding which antivirus to use, there are many excellent products on the market. One of my favorites is Kaspersky, as its Endpoint platform provides centralized protection, allowing for enterprise-level security policies. It also offers alternatives like Kaspersky Security for Microsoft Office 365, which integrates with the suite so that protection begins before documents even reach the user or the cloud system.

3. Use a cloud synchronization application for your collaborators’ files

We have plenty of alternatives, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, among others. Personally, I use OneDrive for my business documents, both those I handle on a day-to-day basis and those shared with collaborators. The important thing here is to always save the information in the folder assigned to this application; this way, the system will synchronize the data and we will be sure to have a real-time backup.

4. Centralize your company’s information in a secure location

Centralizing documentation in a secure location for sharing is essential for the correct application of document management processes, policy compliance, and audits.

By centralizing information and organizing folders by department, we ensure collaborators work more efficiently with their teams while fostering a document management culture within the organization.

Users will naturally prefer saving data to the shared site to facilitate collaboration or follow up on requests, presentations, proposals, and financial statements.

5. Assign document access permissions

While this is more technical, it is easily handled by your technology provider. You simply need to provide a directory of the documents used in your business and specify which users or departments should have access.

Consider the following example:

Who has access? Finance team or “Juanito X”

Define the permission type. Read, Write, View, or Full Control

What directory structure is required?

– Finance

– Reports

– Financial Statements

For these types of structures, I use Microsoft SharePoint, as it integrates seamlessly with Windows and macOS.

A small tip: Do not use long file names; some people want to describe the entire content of the file in its title. Be brief when naming a document. Trust me, I have seen users have difficulties retrieving such documents from their backup systems due to long names.

6. Configure audits

Ask your provider to configure rules and audits to monitor document handling.

Example:

The finance team is permitted to send emails outside the organization, but I want a record generated every time a financial report is sent to an external address.

7. Use passwords (this is essential) and two-factor authentication

Regarding passwords, it is surprising how many people use pet names, family members, or birthdays—or simply use the same password for everything.

I highly recommend two-factor authentication. Most systems prompt for this setup, yet many users simply click “remind me later” or “skip.”

It is vital to take the time to configure this feature, as it prevents data loss, theft, and scams. It also alerts you if an unauthorized person attempts to access your applications or information.

I hope these seven tips are useful to you. To learn more about this topic, you can request further information via WhatsApp.