As we’ve covered in our last two blog posts, What is Digital Transformation? Why Try It? and Why Should Restaurants and Retailers Go Paperless?, there are several reasons why a business might implement digital transformation, like:
- Embracing/trying new technologies
- Streamlining processes
- The opportunity to use web-based applications across tablets, mobile devices, or desktop setups
- Staying compliant; making it easier for employees to follow protocols
- Reducing or balancing workloads for overworked employees
- Increasing efficiency in general
- Physical benefits, like maintaining different records
- Harnessing data to use it electronically
- Making cumbersome workloads simpler
- Making electronic processing easier
- Analyzing data, sharing information, or storing important information
- Potentially, reduced costs
But one reason that we haven’t talked much about is increased security. Yet, digital transformation does, ultimately, help to increase security.
Here are some thoughts from PaperlessNOW founder, Gary Yip, on the subject…
How does digital transformation increase security?
“So, it goes back to what we were talking about before. When you have something in the physical world, you’re going to be affected by the risks of the environment. We work with a lot of retailers, we work with a lot of restaurants, and things like break-ins happen.
These files that have extremely sensitive information: bank information, health information, etc., they’re just locked in a cabinet somewhere. What if you lose your key? What if the key is in the keyhole and anybody can walk in and just open the cabinet? What if there’s a flood? What if there’s a fire?
I think there are huge risks in terms of security in a physical format, ‘cause there’s only one of everything. And in the digital world, for example, what we do, is we keep two backups of everything.
So, whatever happens, if one server goes down, we’ve got two different copies that we can use to restore the document. And that’s absolutely big.
I think a really important point that I would like to make is that, yes, I understand inertia’s a very powerful force. I completely get it. But complacency is how we’re going to get into trouble.
Everything has a lifespan. All processes, all workflows, have a lifespan. We really need to see what’s out there from a technological standpoint to stay in tune with the modern world.
I’m just so shocked anytime I go into a restaurant or a retail shop and the amount of paperwork that they’re still doing. And they’re all running around saying, I’m so stressed! I have no time for anything.
The help is there. But you just have to try it and have an open mind.
We’ve had so much rejection saying, Hey, we’ve been here for 40 years. We do well, we’re fine. Your product looks cool, but we’re fine.
But these things add up and one day there’s going to be a straw that breaks the camel’s back.
And when that happens, the business is way too far behind. And I’m not trying to scare people. I know inertia is powerful, but you have to keep an open mind for how to make your business even more lean for when a rainy day comes.”
Wrapping up
To summarize, Gary touched on some big points here, like:
- Reducing the threat of break-ins to restaurants and retailers when it comes to the records they keep
- Minimizing the risk of unauthorized access to important files
- Preventing damage to sensitive information from natural disasters, fires, floods, etc.
- The ability to keep multiple back-ups of important files and records
These are just a few of the ways in which going paperless, or introducing digital transformation, can help increase security. We hope this snippet helped you learn a little bit more about the topic.
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And, if you want to harness the power of digital transformation to increase security in your business, contact us today. We even offer a 30-day free trial.
