Cloud storage can make your life easier or serve as a source of consternation. Regardless of the cloud storage service you use, or if you’re implementing a new content management system, you must understand how to organize cloud storage.
We all understand how frustrating it is when you can’t locate an important file for your meeting. You comb through your entire storage platform searching for it to no avail.
This article teaches you how to avoid that and organize your cloud storage. Whether you’re using a private cloud hosting service or a public one, It’s not as difficult as it seems when you’re scrambling in front of everyone. There are simple fixes that alleviate the pain of cloud organizations. Read on to learn them.
What Are the Steps to Organize Your Cloud Storage?
Create Folders
One of the easiest things you can do to organize your cloud is to organize your folders. Almost every cloud storage permits you to use folders, so use that permission wisely. Simply create a folder for different subjects.
With folders, you can separate everything, from photos to business credentials, so you know exactly where all your materials are, regardless of the subject.
Name Folders
After you create a folder, you can name them according to your preferences rather than its default name. You shouldn’t worry about naming the folders crazy names, just something specific that makes it easy to locate.
Create Subfolders
Organizing your cloud storage is a bit like a funnel. You start at the top with the broadest section. Once that looks organized and tidy, you can further declutter with subfolders.
You might consider subfolders unnecessary. They aren’t. Once you learn how to efficiently manage these folders, your work and personal life will be much better.
Strive for Maximum Specificity
As you organize your cloud storage, you will begin to develop a system. Keep your folder organization system as consistent as possible. Remember formatting should remain consistent and that your subfolders’ names should be relevant to the folders’ names they’re under.
Backup
You’ve created folders and subfolders and done your best to develop a system that works consistently for you. For safe measure, it’s time to back up your files. Ensure you perform backups consistently and you will have the peace of mind from having things live in multiple locations.
Further Tips for Cloud Organization
Examine the Current System
You might develop a perfect system only to find out down the road that it’s outdated. That’s okay. Be critical of your current system and you will avoid the majority of problems people face with cloud storage.
When examining your current cloud storage system, consider the following questions:
- What aspects work?
- What are the most necessary components of the system?
- Do I keep irrelevant data?
- What elements does the process lack?
- How can we reduce share time?
When examining your current structure, don’t just glance; schedule some time and conduct a thorough examination. Ask yourself how the files are received, processed, stored, and deleted. Is it as efficient as it could be and how could you change the process to better adapt?
You might think the best solution is to simply replace your existing processes with new ones. That is a risky strategy that has some potentially detrimental consequences. You might lose files in a migration. You could also wind up creating more inefficiencies with a new system.
Examining your current data helps you examine current inefficiencies and identify weaknesses. This is especially important for larger organizations such as hospitals. Everyone within these organizations needs to be able to access records and other important files.
If you have a large organization with loads of data, you should start by choosing one or two departments to organize. You can focus on particular sets of content and develop more effective methods of handling content. Make sure you document the process so you can revisit those procedures and revise them as necessary.
Digitization
If your organization uses paper files, you should at least consider migrating to digital files. This process is challenging for businesses that have used paper for years and been successful. But you will thank yourself in the end when you can complete the process with a standard office scanner to create digital copies that last years and are impervious to natural disasters.
Digitalized storage helps you store, view, and manage all your content on a unified platform. All of your team, whether remote or on-site has access to these files and you can improve your content visibility to make the most of your resources.
File Storage
The most obvious benefit cloud storage provides is its file storage capabilities. With it, you can back up your most important files and keep your data secure. When you shift to cloud storage, you must keep a consistent process so you can easily locate documents within the cloud platform.
For example, if you need a specific cloud solution or content management system for work documents or work files, you shouldn’t sift through numerous files. This is the benefit of cloud storage vs. local storage: you can standardize your processes from all over the world.
No matter the extensiveness of your cloud-based system, your important data always stays protected.