Document Management Services | SideKick Inc News

Back Up and Protect Your Files

One of the most important chores of document management is backing up your data so it is safe and easily accessible in the future.

Backing up data digitally can be done multiple ways, here are a few examples:

Flash Drive
External Hard Drive
Cloud Storage

Flash Drives

A flash drive is a quick and easy way to store your data. Flash drives are relatively cheap, easily portable and can transfer data at a reasonable speed.

Even though most are not big enough to back up your entire computer, they are handy for backing up those important projects for school, work or life.

Some popular brands to consider would be SanDisk, Kingston or Corsair; however, you can still find decent non-name brand flash drives.

External Hard Drives

Using an external hard drive can be a very easy back up tool, especially when you pair it with programs like Time Machine for Apple computers or BackUp Disk for Windows that automatically back up your data.

Having a large external hard drive can also come in handy when you want to get extra files off your computer to help your computer from bogging down.

Cloud Storage

One of the newest ways to help with backing up data is cloud storage. Cloud storage is like an external hard drive out in the internet. Cloud storage allows you easily place your data onto a server that allows you access anywhere you can get an internet connection.

Sites like Dropbox, SugarSync and TeamDrive offer a few gigabytes of storage and have payment plans or invitation programs for larger amounts of storage.

All of these tools combined can help make the chore of backing up your data easy. When you combine these methods you also receive the added benefit of having multiple copies in case your main hard drive and an alternative back up fail.

Safely Destroying Your Documents

Today it is more important than ever to retain confidentiality of any document that includes personal information of clients, businesses, financial information, and even your own personal information. Making sure that confidential documents get shredded is extremely important to ensure that operations of a business are safe and that they protect consumers and members of the general public from instances of identity theft and financial fraud.

Did you know that half of all identity theft happens in the workplace? It can affect employees, customers, and businesses as a whole. An article from CIO recently stated, “If you experience a security breach, 20% of your affected customer base will no longer do business with you, 40% will consider ending the relationship and 5% will be hiring lawyers.” The best way to refrain from this type of situation is to make sure you hire a document destruction service.

Sidekick Inc. knows how important it is that your documents are safely destroyed to prevent and eliminate the possibility of confidential information from being transferred to unauthorized individuals. This is why we have partnered with the leading shredding companies in Minnesota, to ensure that your documents are destroyed quickly and effortlessly.

Not only is our document destruction service efficient and effective but we ensure that all documents that get shredded also get recycled. This gives you a complete peace of mind. You can be 100% sure that the information of your business, customers, employees, or yourself can never be retrieved by anyone, once shredded. You should never be losing customers or business due to the lack of destroying confidential documents.

The Importance of Document Imaging and Document Scanning Systems

Above static document imaging, scanning and capture lies the realm of automating systems and process for the best use of information and more efficient business practices. If you can standardize the process of forms a business can automate the sending of reminders for such things as late payments which make it more efficient in completing tedious tasks that help improve the bottom line. Even though running a complete paperless office may be impossible, modernizing systems to read invoices, bills and even resumes through the document imaging software and scanning equipment can definitely move a business in the right direction.

Although time consuming and often expensive, you can purchase imaging software on your own, but it is highly recommended that you hire a document management service to ensure the highest degree of efficiency. Here at SideKick we will scan the paper of film documents and convert them to digital images that are then stored on CD, DVD, or other magnetic storage devices. The best part is you can convert these documents to a variety of formats depending on your needs, such as PDF, JPG, TIFF, GIF, etc.

SideKick can also perform optical character recognition which translates images of text, such as scanned documents, into actual text characters. By performing OCR you can then copy recognized text from a scanned image or a fax into a Word, PDF, Excel, or other office program file. Talk about possibilities!

With SideKick you don’t have to hassle with finding the best software or installing it. We can build a package designed around your needs that is both cost effective and efficient. Our document management experts are here to ensure you find the right document scanning system that can bring your company to the next level!

Proudly Serving the Twin Cities

At SideKick, Inc., we have become a valuable supplier of document scanning services in the Twin Cities. We always enjoy working with the variety of industries that come through our door but what makes us extremely happy is hearing we made a difference for your company. Below are some businesses we have positively affected.

Thanks to Sidekick we are able to run timely promotions and collect names for monthly contests. The accuracy and timely response allows our restaurants to be more efficient. A pizza chain in Minneapolis

“We had 30, five-drawer filing cabinets of client records that were taking up vast areas of space and would have eventually meant we had to extend the office space. SideKick returned these 30 filing cabinets as just one DVD! Their service was efficient and they stuck to their deadlines, we were very pleased with the results.” Barry Managing Director, Real Estate Broker

“Our financial records are now in a convenient digital format and it takes no time at all to send files to colleagues or clients as soon as they’re requested. Becoming digital has saved us time and money.

Converting six years of paper data was a complicated and lengthy project and SideKick handled it extremely professionally and to an excellent standard.

As well as being great project managers, we were impressed with their personal service and would recommend them without hesitation.” Joanne, Local Large Construction Company

“We had a range of ancient maps, ranging in size from A3 to A1, which we needed to carefully preserve and make available for easy retrieval in meetings and for other documentation. The maps were original, legal documents covering the preparation stages of the definitive maps for public rights of way and it was vital that they were handled with the utmost of care. We discussed the digital conversion project in detail with SideKick and they spent plenty of time ensuring they understood exactly what we were looking for and specifically how we needed the documents to be taken care of.

The final digital product, which was delivered to us in a hard drive format, was excellent and we were extremely pleased with the service we received.” Nicole, Local Government office

“Your ability to collect our volunteer data and input into the Xcel spread sheet allows us to maintain our network for ongoing projects.” A national non-profit organization.

Managing Your Documents At Home

Document management eventually becomes a necessity in everyone’s life. At Sidekick, this is our specialty, and we would like to share some basic tips with you.

Consistently Naming and Dating Folders
A simple way to start organizing your digital documents is by consistently naming your files and folders. Consistently naming and dating your files and folders will help you locate information faster. To rename a file or folder, right click the item and then click rename.

Below is an example of how to set up your folders and files.

Folder: 2011Reports
File: johnsreport_05052011

Also, consider restricting a folder to specific file types. By restricting a folder to holding only pictures, PDFs or financial reports, you are able to easily arrange, view and find documents.

Color Coordinating Folders
If you are not comfortable with renaming all your files, color coordinating can be another solution. On Apple computers, this is a built-in feature; however, Microsoft computers will have to download a third-party application. Color coordinating can be a simple way to display ongoing versus completed work.

Nest Your Folders
Nesting folders refers to placing a folder inside of another folder. This technique combined with consistently naming and dating your files will create a hierarchy that the most basic computer user will understand.

When you have a file that you would like placed in different nested folders the best technique is to save your file in one location and create shortcuts pointing back to that file.

Hard Copy Organizing
You can use many of the techniques for the computer in real life. Keeping your folders properly dated and named will help you find what you need faster. Adding colored tags will also help with keeping everything organized.

Consider keeping important documents separate from all others. Using a safe-deposit box or purchasing a waterproof and fire-resistant safe is recommended because they protect your valuables in case of an accident or attempted theft.

More Information About Data Management.
Hopefully, these tips make organizing your home data easier and less overwhelming. For more organization ideas, visit Microsoft’s website.