From legal contracts to client invoices, businesses retain a lot of information that they need to keep organized for future reference. Establishing a managed data plan will prevent the loss of important data and will save your business money. Here is a guide to what you should and shouldn’t do to manage data effectively. 

Do:

Create an infrastructure.

Whether you use cloud communications or onsite servers, make sure to streamline the process of finding, accessing, and reviewing stored information in your database. To build the infrastructure, first, decide what data you plan to include. From there, the files can be categorized accordingly.

Use a centralized system to archive data.  

After information is placed in a managed data system, decide how you want to archive older files. You could keep certain documents stored permanently or for a set time period. Regardless, employees should be able to retrieve information in a few simple steps. Develop broad terms to type into search fields or insert in drop-down boxes, to help your employees easily obtain archived data.

Don't:

Forget to establish a backup plan.

If there is a power outage or another disaster, you should have a recovery plan in place to restore your managed data system as quickly as possible after the event. Establish safeguards to prevent hardware failure and software corruption that could impact your database. Additionally, maintaining backup files in a secondary, off-site database will make it easier to access information if the primary system temporarily shuts down.   

Fail to invest in managed data services.

Hiring a managed data services provider is the best way to keep your business operations on track. Your provider will support and maintain your company information while ensuring it remains protected from cyberthreats. They will also develop an effective recovery plan and routinely test the backup system to guarantee that it works when needed. Also, with the assistance of a managed services company, your employees will have more time to devote to their other responsibilities.

Are you looking for a third-party managed data services provider? The team at Arena One, based in Manhattan’s Garment District, NY, is available to meet your business’s data needs. Apart from managing your company’s database, their team will also provide hosted PBX solutions, and can help you transition away from using a traditional office phone system. Call (212) 231-9600 to speak with a member of their team, or visit them online to learn more about their business telecommunication services. Follow them on Facebook for more tips to improve your data management practices.