The Importance of File and Folder Best Practices: 7 Tips to Manage Cloud Storage

You may think that remote work is a temporary placeholder for a return to normal pre-COVID times–but we’d encourage you to think again. Even when you are allowed to return your full list of employees to work, there will likely be limitations on the number of people allowed in the office at one time–leaving part of your team still working from home at times. Your use of the Cloud for file management and asset organization will become vital in your processes for your business. With employees in different locations, unable to lean over to the desk next to them for questions, pre existing systems and organization protocol are more important than ever for maintaining the productivity of your team. 

PK Tech is a proud expert in Cloud solutions. These are our 7 Tips to Manage Cloud Storage within your business.

7 Tips to Manage Cloud Storage

• Decide on Key Folder Names as a Team- or with your management staff. This way, file names are necessary for all departments and will make sense to the larger organization.

• Create Folders in a Logical Hierarchy– These are the drawers of your computer’s filing cabinet, so to speak. Use plain language to name your folders; you don’t want to be looking at this list of folders in the future and wondering what “TFK” or whatever other interesting abbreviation you invented means.

• Nest Folders Within Folders– Create other folders within these main folders as need arises. For instance, a folder called “Invoices” might contain folders called “2018”, “2017” and “2016”. A folder named for a client might include the folders “customer data” and “correspondence”. The goal is to have every file in a folder rather than having a bunch of orphan files listed.

• Follow the File Naming Conventions– for example within Google Drive, you’ll wait to use underscore “_” rather than dashes, arrows, backslashes or asterisk.  

• Be Descriptive–But Don’t Go Overboard- Use descriptive file names for easy identification and retrieval but don’t go overboard. Making file names too long or complicated will only counteract your initial organization efforts.

• File as You Go– and require your team to do the same. When a new document is created on the Cloud, immediately organize it with the appropriate file name, into the appropriate folder. Doing so will eliminate a build-up of unorganized or lost files.

• Use Numbers and Letters to Prioritize Frequently Used Files- If there is a file that most of your team accesses everyday, it can be helpful to put a “1” or “A” in front of the name so it appears at the top of the list. This should be done sparingly so you don’t end up with disorganized files as a result. But if you have 1-3 most often used files, this can be a helpful tactic for time savings and efficiency.

At PK Tech, we are masters of Cloud solutions. Whether it’s getting your team set-up on your first cloud storage platform, recommending a transfer to the best cloud storage platform for your business and industry; or just general recommendations on management and use of your existing system–our team is here to help. Contact us here for all your Cloud questions.