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Is paper organization a problem in your office?

The summer is almost over (at least for my purposes)! The kids are going back to school and none too soon. We were given lists by the respective (2nd grade and Kindergarten) teachers for the basics that are needed as well as what to expect for the year. We are working to organize those necessities to put our kids in the position to succeed with the least amount of stress as possible.

Organization of files (paper or electronic) is certainly a challenge for many of us and understanding how you want to find the documents is a task to be undertaken (ideally) before you start throwing the papers into the binder, filing cabinets or electronic folders. Earlier this summer I cleaned out an entire four drawer filing cabinet of papers, statements, receipts and such in my home office. I freed up floor space that now I can decide to fill or keep open. What a relief to have streamlined my document organization. And now, CMIT Solutions of Sacramento can work with businesses in this arena of electronic document management!


I am proud and excited to announce that CMIT Solutions of Sacramento now provides for our clients an eco-friendly paperless solution that helps to streamline paper processes, improve organization and last but not least, increase productivity.

Doing the Math - Ask yourself the following questions:
• On an annual basis, how much is spent on office supplies that allow you to print documents, file documents and store documents? Hint: computer paper for printing, toner cartridges and maintenance of your printer(s), postage to mail documents, filing cabinets and so on.
• If you were to measure the amount of square footage used for filing cabinets and storing of office supplies needed for documentation, how much square footage would that be and what is the dollar value of that office space?
• Is your firm required - due to the nature of your business - to comply with such governmental regulations set by the SEC, FINRA or HIPAA?

Electronic document management (EDM) is becoming more and more important (and required in some instances) to our clients. Paper is the biggest obstacle businesses encounter in reducing costs, improving service and increasing productivity. Companies around the world have realized that manual and paper-based processes for managing mission critical documents are inefficient and expensive.

EDM is the medium of today for developing eco-friendly, cost effective and efficient workflow.
EDM delivers a smart, flexible and easily integrated solution to proactively capture, manage and protect your valuable business data.

Look for more to come on how eFileCabinet works and for all different industries. Contact Thor at (916) 984-6243 or by emai @ SacCentral@cmitsolutions.com l if your interest has been piqued by this new solution that may be a solution for your company.

Tweeting could land you in Jail!

The Associated Press reports that Guatemalan Jean Anleu may spend five years in a Guatemalan jail for his anti-government Twitter rant. It makes him the first person in the world to be arrested for a tweet!

Using his Internet alias “jeanfer,” Anleu advised Guatemalan depositors to “take cash out of Banrural and bankrupt the bank of the corrupt.” According to prosecutors, these words “illegally undermined” the banking system, violating a 2008 law enacted by the fledgling democratic government.

Foreign governments aren’t the only ones concerned about the use of social networking sites. Many US businesses are revising their acceptable use policies regarding company-owned technology to include social networking. A recent survey estimated the annual cost to US businesses in lost wages due to personal use of technology on company time topped $1 billion.

FREE assistance with the creation or modification of acceptable use policies is one of the many benefits enjoyed by our CMIT Marathon clients.

Are Your Filing Cabinets Dangerous?

The first time I read about the concept of the “paperless office” I thought it was a brilliant idea that would revolutionize the way we all do business. Yet despite the obvious logic of the idea, I don’t know of any office that is truly paperless; as a matter of fact, most are just the opposite, swimming in piles of paper documents.
Maybe it’s because most people haven’t figured out how to go truly paperless. Or maybe we simply have some deep-rooted human need to touch the documents we use.

Whatever the reason, these enormous piles of paper that never get filed, get lost or waste hours of our time moving, sifting, sorting and searching through them adds up to a BIG cost that can be hard to measure.

If you are suffering from ‘paper overload,’ maybe it’s time you considered moving some portion of your paper contracts and files to a paperless document imaging solution. The costs of installing such a system have dropped dramatically over time, and often the hard costs can be easily recouped in a few short months. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider going paperless:

• Reduce clutter & office space taken up by filing cabinets
Once you get the staff into the habit of scanning documents upon receiving them, you can avoid the endless piles of paper around the office and (eventually) get rid of big, bulky filing cabinets that take up space.

• Save time filing and searching for documents
An entire universe of documents can be searched in seconds using simple search criteria, such as a word or number in a document. This means less time wasted in searching through paper files, your office is far more efficient and organized, and you’ll be able to respond to customer requests, orders, or questions much faster.

• Reduce or eliminate missing documents
Scanning and filing of documents get them to the right place with few exceptions; that means critical contracts, order forms and files will have much less a chance of getting lost or misplaced.

• Faster, surefire recovery after physical disaster
Electronic documents backed up electronically can be reprinted and saved; documents lost to fire, water damage, coffee spills, tears or other physical damage can’t ever be recovered.

You can also streamline business processes by adding process flow tags to new, inbound documents. For instance, you could add a “Current Review Status” field, electronic routing list, or even a “Document Expiration Date” field to a document – items that are often managed with yellow sticky notes or small routing slips.

A document management solution is something that every business should at least look into, especially if you’re still receiving a lot of paper. Call Jeff at (916) 984-6243, x5 if you’d like to discuss how you could benefit from a Virtual Filing System and learn the various options available for your business.

Need to Upgrade Your Office Network But Don't Want the Huge Cash Outlay?

With the economy still struggling, many businesses are trying to save money and cut costs every which way they can. So what should you do when you have to upgrade your network or purchase additional software, servers and equipment? Try leasing or financing your upgrade, project or purchase.

Over the last year, the number of companies financing or leasing IT projects and equipment has quadrupled; and when you look at the benefits offered, it just makes sense regardless of the economic climate.

Many banks offer vendor-neutral financing solutions to help you get the IT and telecommunications upgrades you need while preserving cash flow. Microsoft, HP and Dell offer leasing and financing options for their software and equipment, and many offer 0% “same as cash” financing for 12 month periods and 90-day no payment periods. Some are even offering to throw in free disposal of old equipment, support, discounts and flexible terms.

If you want some help in determining who’s offering the best deals on leases or financing, give us a call! We’ll give you straighforward advice on who’s got the best option for your particular project.

Are You STILL Keeping Critical Passwords On A Post-IT Note Next To Your Computer?

One of the hardest habits we struggle to get our clients to break is writing down their passwords on sticky notes by their PC. Obviously this is a security risk. Another bad habit is choosing really easy-to-remember passwords such as “password.”

But admittedly, it CAN be hard remembering all of those darn passwords that are always changing. To solve this little dilemma, we’re suggesting to our clients to stop using passwords and use “pass-phrases.”

What is a “pass-phrase” you ask? They are letters and numbers put together in an easy-to- remember phrase such as “GoEagles09!” These are MUCH easier to remember than a random cluster of letters and numbers, which means you won’t have to write them down on a post-it note anymore!

Pass-phrases can be built from anything, such as favorite quotes, lines from movies, sports team names, a favorite athlete’s name and jersey number, kids’ names and birthdates, pets, and so on.

All you need to do is be a little creative to get numbers, letters and punctuation into the phrase. Since introducing this to our clients, we’ve found (believe it or not) they actually have fun doing this! Just don’t get so proud of your pass-phrase that you share it with others!