Collaboration is the heart of many businesses. It’s the fuel that keeps successful businesses on the road to success and productivity. And the secret is really simple; getting teams working together in complete unison. But when a team is working on one document, that can be difficult. To make the process simpler, we turn to technology.
There are tons of options out there for collaboration software and file sharing – so many that it can seem a little overwhelming. So today, we wanted to give you some insight into what these file sharing tools are, and how to choose the right one for you.
What Are File Sharing Tools?
File sharing tools pretty much do what they say on the tin. They help businesses share files with each other, or within their teams. The aim is to stop the endless email trails full of attachments (and the errors this causes), and instead make it easier for teams to collaborate on documents, access files from various devices and communicate changes. To work properly these tools usually need to be cloud-based, and include a collaboration feature.
Each one will work in a slightly different way, but the basic principle is to provide a single central repository for documents within the business, which each employee can access and edit. But only one version of the document ever exists, so there can be no duplication’s, losing documents or lots of different versions at once. The collaboration tools mean that teams can all work on the same document at once, without causing problems
What To Look For
Choosing the right file sharing tools for your business can feel overwhelming – there are so many options out there. But the key is to know what you need from the software, and look for a tool that ticks all the boxes. A few things you might want to look for are:
- Sharing with non-users – The ability to share documentation with customers easily
- Online document storage – A centralised digital storage option for everyone to work from
- Team communication – A way for teams to communicate about edits, or their plans for documents
Of course there are a lot of other features included in file sharing tools, but these are 3 key areas we find most businesses will need. If you’re not sure what you need from your file sharing tools, get in touch for your free consultation.
Our Top Picks
At Scale Up Solutions we aren’t loyal to one particular solution. We work with multiple solutions, and only recommend what we think will work for your business. But we do have a few firm favourites, including:
Box: Box is the enterprise rival to Dropbox, providing a lot of new functionality than its consumer alternatives. You can store unlimited documents, collaborate with team member and even share documents with non-users. You can even restrict access to ensure security (for example, so that non-users don’t have write privileges to change documents). It integrates well with Microsoft 365, and is in beta testing for G Suite integration as well.
Google Drive: If you’re already using Google Docs, then Google Drive will slip seamlessly into your working practices. Instead of emailing files around the office, simply create shared folders where team members can all log in to view and edits documents, or add notes of their own.
Egnyte Business: Ideal if you’re looking for a centralised way to store files, Egnyte Business offers a full suite of functionality. This is the option for those looking for ‘more than just file sharing, since it can expand to a full SaaS solution.
Choosing the right file sharing solution can have a huge impact on the productivity of your team, and your ability to scale the business operations as you grow. If you’re not sure what your options are, or how to figure out what you need from file sharing tools, that’s where we can help. We work with businesses just like yours to identify the best tools for the job, with room to grow.
If you would like to know more, please get in touch with us today.
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