8 proven ways to manage data consistently

SMBs need good data management tools to stay on top of things. But without a strong IT team with some software development talent, SMBs can't afford to create everything from scratch.

It's hard to balance the need for standard systems and processes you can adjust. But two leading platforms, Sage and Ninox, can help.

Ninox is a modular and flexible low-code platform for automating key ERP processes. It's easy for anyone at an SMB to build what they need from quick integrations to a full project management platform or CRM. This is essential for all process-driven industry sectors including photovoltaic, construction and real estate, as well as fast-growing startups that need the flexibility.

Sage is an industry-leading ERP solution popular in niches such as accounting and HR. These are sectors that involve a lot of standard processes, compliance standards, and no room for human error. Sage's systems handle those processes while integrating data from elsewhere in the company, making it very useful for SMBs who want everything they need in one place.

Both platforms help businesses manage their data more consistently. By using Sage for ERP, you can do more with one flexible platform and manage your data in one place. With Ninox, you can build the automatic processes you need to collect and feed data into Sage, giving you the best of both worlds.

Establish well-defined data collection procedures

One key step for SMBs to manage data well is to create clear rules for collecting data. With so many places to get data from, it is vital for SMBs to have a standard way to gather and organize this information. They might be bound by GDPR, HIPAA or other data protection legislation that determines how they can collect and store information on your clients, and who's responsible for overseeing that.

Having clear rules for data collection helps ensure that the data you receive is consistent and of high quality. These rules could be as simple as making sure everyone enters data in the same way, or as complex as deciding how often data needs to be collected and updated..

Implement consistent data validation and verification

Data can only be compared if it's consistent. If it's not, at best you get an error message. The worst case is that the error remains undetected and starts to distort your results. 

You need to check that your data is complete and properly formatted, but that takes time that no one may have.

One way inconsistencies can arise is when data is transferred from one system to another. By moving to more comprehensive tools, such as an online ERP, there's less need to sit down and check that everything is correct. It also makes it easier to automate data validation and reformatting.

Ensure robust data security measures

With GDPR and similar legislation carrying hefty fines for violations, data security needs to be a top priority for SMBs.

But doing this on-site requires dedicated IT and cyber security teams. This is one reason why many SMBs are turning to cloud-based services to handle their customer data.

Combine this infrastructure with software that has good security in place, such as role-based access control, and you're off to a good start in protecting the data that is critical to your business.

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Comply with industry standards and regulations

Consistent data management is important because the way you manage data is governed by regulations. Some of these include

• HIPAA: Determines how organizations in healthcare store and process-sensitive patient data.
• PCI DSS: Determines how companies processing credit card transactions should handle and store that data securely.
• ‍GDPR: Requires companies to follow certain processes around storing the personally-identifying information of EU citizens, wherever in the world that company is.‍
• Sarbanes-Oxley-Act: Regulates how publicly-traded companies manage their financial reports, which are all about data.
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You can't achieve this with technology alone. If the way you manage data is subject to regulation, you'll need to set up data governance teams to make sure everyone stays compliant. They'll monitor how data is processed and stored, and conduct regular audits using the latest policies to keep up with changes in regulations. They'll also provide training to ensure that everyone who works with data is following the same rules.

Provide extensive staff training on proper data handling

In SMBs, where people have to wear several hats, data management is not just the job of the IT department. That's why it's so important to teach everyone how to handle data properly. Training can include how to spot phishing attempts and how to share data securely. Using cloud software with built-in security features can help, but people need to know how to use it.

Identify appropriate data storage solutions

Managing your data consistently may mean putting it all in one system, but not all data storage solutions are created equal. Services such as Amazon S3, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure Blob are an affordable way for everyone in the company to store files in shared folders. It's easy to use and accessible from anywhere in the world, but you're subject to your provider's own privacy and security practices.  

Traditional on-premises storage can be tightly controlled and configured to meet any compliance framework. If an auditor comes knocking, they can be shown around by someone on the team who knows the whole system inside out. On the other hand, you'll need to invest in infrastructure and a team to maintain it. As the business grows and your needs change, you may find that on-premises systems are harder to scale as needed compared to a cloud solution.

Implement version control mechanisms to track data changes

When handling data is critical to your business, version control mechanisms become an essential part of your toolbox. These systems track every change made to a file, who made it, and keep a record of every previous version of the file. This has several advantages:

• You don't lose data because of someone's mistake.
• Managers can approve changes before they are made to the document.
• You have a complete audit trail of who made what changes and when. This is important for documents such as financial reports or contracts, especially if several people are working on them.
• You can let several people make changes to a file without fear of someone making a mistake, helping everyone to work more freely and efficiently.

Back up data regularly

One of the benefits of an all-in-one solution is that everyone can work in one system. But when you're collaborating on sensitive data and documents, you can't risk someone else's mistake messing up your work. That's why you need a version control process, where previous versions of your work are archived and the 'current' or 'canonical' version is carefully controlled.Your cloud system may have built-in data version control tools. Another advantage of keeping everything in one system is that you only need to back up one thing. If your company's networks suffer a massive failure, or even a ransomware attack, you can simply revert the system to a previous version.

If the automatic backup was taken two hours before the incident, you're simply 'rewinding' the entire state of the business to where it was at the time - you don't have to worry about restoring every single device.

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