The Importance of Keeping Project Documentation Secure

Effective project management requires a large deal of planning and numerous papers. It is crucial to guarantee the safety of this documentation and implement strategies to secure project documentation throughout every stage. You’ll need to ensure the privacy of information relating to employees, specialist equipment, outside parties, your budget, and many other things. No matter how good a manager you are, you’ll still need a solid system to safeguard the project information for your business.

It is a project manager’s responsibility to maintain accessibility to this data mountain while maintaining exceptional security levels. Every project involves a significant amount of documentation across many different fields. These might contain comprehensive plans explaining the project’s goals. In construction, this include blueprints for buildings, a materials list, and completion deadlines. Additionally, there will be documents like contracts, order forms, and receipts.

You are in charge of overseeing every facet of your company’s projects, including sensitive data that requires superior security. The project can be divided into manageable parts, however, the documentation must always be current and secure in order to keep you and everyone else on track.

4 Ways to Secure Project Documentation Secure

1. Document Management Software

The pinnacle of effective project management is the use of specialist software such as a document management system. It offers you spreadsheets, templates, and dependable, secure storage for all elements of your project. You’ll also get access to a central hub for data collection that lets you find any document you require. Finally, the built-in security features of these systems are noteworthy. You will be able to assign passwords and grant access to certain team members in your capacity as the project manager. The system can also be updated with new security information as required.

“In my company, we have a document portal that can only be accessed by authorised employees. Our portal is secured by two-factor user authentication. My workers are each required to have a username and password to log in to the document management system. This ensures that only the people within the organisation have access to the documents. Our employees are also advised to use passwords separate from the ones that they use for any other platform, so the portal is not easy to break through. Furthermore, our company’s document portal also has activity reports. These reports are time-stamped and show the details of the person who accessed the data, when, and for what purpose. Therefore, these reports ensure that data is not misused or falls into the hands of any unauthorised parties. All the changes made by the users that have authorised access are also recorded so that no one makes any unnoticed and superfluous changes.” Joshua Rich, CEO & Founder, Bullseye Locations.

Utilizing real-time updates is one of this system’s primary features. You can use it to keep track of various security precautions for every stage of the project. Passwords and encrypted code help to maintain the system’s overall security. Accessibility updates, daily reviews, and explanations of changes are all immediately configured. It enables anyone with permission to use the system to comply with all the security feature updates. Having a system with trustworthy security features is essential to the project. It’s a crucial component of communication management and one that is sometimes overlooked.

2. Cloud-Based Storage Systems

Cloud storage is an alternative way to protect your documentation. Like documentation management software, it has several benefits. The first benefit of cloud storage is that documents may be safely accessed from anywhere in the world. Second, systems frequently depend on the machine where they were first set up with specific software.

“In order to keep project material secure, you might want to think about a more affordable choice if document management systems are too pricey for your business. Utilizing cloud-based storage systems that are accessible from anywhere is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase the security of your project data. The fact that the user may only view the material stored in a document management system when they are at a computer with the system loaded is one of the disadvantages of utilising one.” Lulu Albanna, Co-Founder, WRC Media

“There is a technique, called a “digital locker,” which gives locals digital empowerment. It reduces the need of tangible documents. The system promotes e-document authenticity and discourages the use of fraudulent documents. More security for papers is provided by this system. It makes it simpler for the citizens to get services while lowering the administrative burden on government departments and agencies. Multiple users can access the same document simultaneously and from any location.” Hamza Usmani, Head of Content, Believe Money

For small businesses, several project managers can be employed and a budget-friendly encryption solution is available with cloud storage. As project costs could quickly increase, a small business can more accurately estimate its budget with the support of easy access to documentation in safe cloud storage. You can still protect the documents for your project by limiting team members’ access. Additionally, the system offers you crucial backups to stop unintentional data loss.

3. Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

It is your duty as the project manager to plan professional consultations so that you can make decisions based on expert advice. Unfortunately, freelancers frequently work on multiple projects at once, making face-to-face meetings with consultants challenging. A peer-to-peer, file-sharing solution, on the other hand, enables you to securely communicate information with any project participants.

“-I encrypt all of my data, both in transit and at rest. I also use two-factor authentication whenever possible, and I never store passwords in plain text. I have strict access controls in place so that only authorized personnel can access my data, and I regularly monitor my systems for any signs of intrusion. By taking these precautions, I can ensure that my sensitive business information remains safe and secure.” Joanne King, company director at ICMP

“Assigning team members to projects who are located in separate cities, states, and even countries is a practice that both inside- and outside-the-organization professionals engage in frequently. As a result, the project manager must develop a mechanism to exchange project documentation while also making sure that it is kept secure. Sharing paperwork with a team member who is located overseas is not the same as sharing a project report with the person who occupies the desk next to you.” Tiffany Payne, Head of Content, Pharmacy Online

“Through teleconferencing, documentation may be conveniently viewed and debated in real-time. Peer-to-peer systems are adaptable and practical, yet they could be security risks. As a result, P2P network sensitive documentation should have added security. This may involve using safe firewalls, using encryption, and changing passwords frequently.” Jason Ball, Director, Considered Content

4. Off-Site Secure Storage

Every project manager occasionally has to deal with hard copy documentation, including original architectural blueprints, written estimates, and receipts. Secure storage is crucial because sometimes paperwork needs to be kept for a long period. It is frequently advised to store susceptible items off-site to protect it from dangers like fire or flooding. Metal containers provide fire protection with a two-hour warranty. Buildings with round-the-clock security give you peace of mind when it comes to the project’s physical documentation. While protecting the security of your project’s documentation, you’ll still have easy access.

“A non-connected storage system will always be most secure, as it is impossible for someone to breach through a connection. However, this comes with trade-offs: the documentation will be less accessible for editing or viewing, and it may need to be taken off-site. Being offline is a slower approach. But it’s an approach that might be perfect depending on the contents of the documentation.” Ryan Alford, Founder & CEO, Engineering Design Group

“Keep backups in multiple locations. Store copies of your documentation in both physical and digital form, and in multiple locations (e.g., on your computer, in the cloud, on an external hard drive). That way, if one copy is lost or damaged, you will have others to fall back on.” Jay Soni MD of Yorkshire Fabric Shop

Why Choosing the Right Tools Helps Secure Project Documentation

In the end, it’s your job as a project manager to ensure that the records of your business are secure. If you have access to secure and dependable document storage, it is simpler. A huge selection of agile and adaptable security features are available in dedicated management software.

However, the cost of deploying such software frequently discourages small enterprises from doing so. For a small business, a more economical and secure option is cloud storage. The physical storage of some actual documentation remains a requirement for many projects. Access to safe document storage methods and your organizing abilities are essential to the project’s success.

Increased control, adaptable access, and efficient communication will give you everything you need to keep your company’s project documents secure at all times.

Buy The Right Solutions Today 

In order to help your business run more efficiently, cloud storage can be combined with other Docutec services like our Managed Print Services and Document Management Systems, which can entirely digitalize your documents and make them accessible rather than buried in boxes and folders in storage rooms.

Docutec also offer Ricoh and Canon printer lease options for business printers such as office printers, multifunction printers, large format printers, office photocopier printers, document scanners and high volume printers.

Contact the Docutec team and we’ll be in touch to find the perfect solution for you and your business – hello@docutec.ie or use our contact form here.

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