A Better Document Repository
A document repository is a much needed storage location for a non-profit or corporation’s documents, as email is cumbersome and creates versioning issues. A document repository can help a company overcome the clutter and capture, organize, and distribute the essential documents and knowledge required to run a successful enterprise. There are a few different types of document repositories.
File Transfer Services are the first type of document repositories. These services are often called FTP’s as they operate in a very similar manner as a FTP server, however they are upgraded with a few simple options having to do with compliance and privacy (some even have SSL-digital certifications). The pricing for an FTP service is based upon usage and storage, so the more data you host and the more you use it, the more it will cost.
A cloud based file transfer service is the second option for those businesses looking for a document repository. To be called “Cloud-based,” which is a new buzzword in the business community, a service must be completely web based and not require the user to install any software on their computer in order to use the service. Cloud Based FTP is similar to a FTP service but requires no software on the part of the user. It is priced very similarly to traditional FTP services.
Although certainly better than email, both of these systems have several drawbacks for companies looking to allow telecommuting, telework, or work-from-home scenarios. First, they have little to no technical support. Secondly, they have little to no audit capacities. Third, to access a file you must know its file name, and the systems do not provide robust word-for-word indexing of the files content. Fourth, they have limited security levels, at most consisting of the user being able to access a file or not even know it exists.
A virtual data room is the third option and has much more robust security features and document organization. It features banking level encryption so that your data is never secure and always available. Virtual data rooms also have options to make finding documents easier such as full document text search, sorting, custom fields, filters, and a folder and file system.
A virtual data room also provides granular report of file and employee activity, so that administrators can see who accessed a file, from what location, for how long, and any changes that they made. They allow multiple user-file access and security levels such as viewing but not saving, preventing printing and downloading, and watermarks displaying a user’s name, ip address, and date to discourage screen captures.
The moral of the story is that virtual data rooms are by far the best document repositories. FTP and Cloud based services offer an improvement over email, but virtual data rooms solve many of the security risks associated with document repositories.
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