Everyone seems to be talking about “the cloud” these days, but there’s a good reason for that, thanks to advances in technology and security, it is easier than ever to move your data to more digital forms of accessibility. Making such a move can help save you time and money. Here are four specific reasons why this is a good idea.

Easier Visibility Within the Company

Moving from paper to digital means that data can be more easily located. You never have to go spelunking in that old, rusty file cabinet again. Now, accessing sales data or your quarterly report is as simple as logging into your computer and accessing the right file on your network. This also means that anyone can view the data that they need at any time they need it.

Avoiding Waste

It’s been shown that nearly half of printed paper is wasted and tossed into the trash by the end of the day. Cutting down on this is not only good business but will help to push your company in a more environmentally friendly direction. As such, you should ensure that you switch to digital in order to reduce the amount of paper and other physical garbage that you produce. This is not only better for the environment but will help you save money.

Easier to Find

One of the benefits of shifting to digital is that you can make your data much easier to sort and locate. Digital data is manipulatable, meaning that you can put it into reports or other formats as per your needs. You can also tag the data by whatever tags make sense to you. This ensures that you can find data as per your needs. This will save you countless hours of searching, sorting, and organizing. Now, a computer will do all the work for you.

It’s More Secure

If you are going to compete in a shrinking talent pool, you need to take advantage of every perk possible. These days, all employees—particularly younger ones—have come to expect that data and other vital company information be digitally accessible. Having data that is only available by paper sends a signal that your company is out of touch and out of date. This isn’t something you can afford when you are trying to recruit new employees or land a sale. Additionally, there have been vast improvements in digital data security over the last several years, making digital storage just as safe and effective as any other method.

Moving your data to a digital format isn’t just a luxury anymore—that time has long come and gone. If you have a small business, this is now a necessity. Keeping these things in mind, move your data to digital so that you can make sure that your business can succeed in a modern environment.