How can the process of uploading documents be made more efficient?

You might be thinking, “Why should I worry about how I upload my documents?”  The truth is, it’s not typically something we think about until it becomes a problem.  

The faster your upload speed to the Cloud, the sooner you can begin taking advantage of universal access and increased security. As a result, the software you use for uploading can have a significant positive or negative effect on your workflow. Uploading a document to an online repository is pretty straightforward in most cases. However, there are many easily overlooked factors at play when it comes to transferring your files to the Cloud such as: 

• Your Internet Connection Speed: This can have a major effect on your upload success. However, the blame for a slow upload isn’t entirely on your shoulders. Some cloud-based systems have inefficient methods for transferring data stalling your migration even further. Comparisons between common cloud platforms often show discrepancies in file upload times.

• File Size: Many platforms have restrictions on how large a file or folder can be for uploading. Sometimes cloud providers will throttle your upload speed based on the tier of service you have purchased as well. 

• Naming Conventions and File Types: Using unusual special characters such as question marks or vertical bars (|) can sometimes cause uploads to fail. Likewise, having extra periods at the end of a name or incorrect file extensions can cause frustrating errors or data corruption. Additionally, be sure the types of documents you want to upload are supported by your content management platform. 

• File Indexing and Organization: Does your cloud software intelligently categorize your files? Being able to easily search for and retrieve documents is important. Take the time to learn how your chosen platform will organize your files and determine whether a keyword search will actually search within the documents themselves. With many platforms, you will need to carefully organize your data and alter file names before upload to ensure you can find it later. 

• Labor Commitment: When migrating to the Cloud you will want to consider how much time is involved in transferring your data. If your documents are still in paper format this becomes even more challenging. In that case, considerable manpower will need to be devoted to scanning, indexing, and uploading content. Even when your documents are already in a digital format, if you have massive archives of information, it can take a lot of energy to oversee the transfer of your files. This can be a great opportunity or outsourcing. Often it’s cheaper, more accurate, and faster to hire a 3rd party than to pay even a single employee for the many months (or years!) it takes to fully migrate.