File organisation

Key Basic Info: Understanding what your organization needs

• Who are your users?
• What do you have to organize? What's the purpose of the file?
• Active vs. finished vs. collaborative
• Why do people need to access it?
• How is it working or not working?
• What are some problem areas you have already?

Ex. no one can access files so people save on their own desktops. Talk to people at all levels of your organization to get an understanding of how the files are used and how they can be organized more efficiently. Naming conventions are your friend - taxonomy If the files live on the internet (or in the cloud) you can have different views for different users Ex. Box allows administrators to restrict views and edit by certain individuals to specific files or documents

• What are your security needs?

Do not use Google if you have security concerns Instead, use Spider Oak. It is less user friendly, but all info is encrypted.

• Drop Box is a shared file service. You can access files from any computer or phone with internet connection. Tends to be used more for the individual, not so much for organizations or companies.

• Risk Tag Soup: the more people tagging, the less organization

Create common tagging labels and practices Have some administrative power to control and combine tags.

• Don't have all of your files on a server.

Some helpful tools

1. Egnyte.com
2. Box.com
3. Both include a monthly fee per user, but first 10 users are free.
4. Book: 'The Discipline of Organizing'