Can I make routine searching for Documents in my brokerage business a productive activity ?
As I meet with broker clients, whether a one person operation or a large professional practice, a common theme has emerged about the time wasted searching for documents. Both the professionals and the back office team loose productive time searching to find the correct documents one of the team needs, this may be related to a client query or a need to reference during a client meeting out of the office, or perhaps to confirm compliance or provide a supplier with some important policy or client information. The challenge is often the same in...
read moreCloud can be better than local for document access and retention
The question came up many times when I have spoken with clients and prospects: Is my data safe in the Cloud? I normally respond with another question: What do you do today to secure your data? Most clients tell me their data is stored on their server behind a firewall, and on PCs and laptops belonging to their staff, with some local storage and some access to server data. Some also have business applications such as document or case management systems of which data may be stored locally on their application server or in more recent years they...
read moreData Protection in the Cloud
Users of cloud enabled solutions that hold personal or sensitive data must ensure that it is secure and protected from unauthorised use. The fundamental requirements are no different from the requirements relating to paper based data or data held on a proprietary IT infrastructure from a regulatory and good business practice perspective. The perceived and sometimes actual issue is that data you have acquired and are responsible for is now stored by a 3rd party located outside your proprietary infrastructure and to a significant degree outside...
read moreIreland: e-Commerce Act 2000
The e-Commerce act of 2000 is the primary legislation governing the use of electronic documents and electronic signatures in business in Ireland. In general it is an enabling legislation that clarifies the circumstances and conditions that make electronic documents valid and reliable. There is similar legislation around the world. Although in general the conditions that are laid down are reasonably easily achievable by companies and individuals wanting to use e-documents, there is one stipulation that has proved difficult, in the area of...
read moreMoving to the cloud for Financial Advisors
What is the cloud? Think of the cloud as a set of IT resources that you can access and use which do not reside on your premises or within your IT infrastructure. You and even perhaps your cloud provider may not even know specifically where the data resides, unless you have a specific agreement when you set up a Cloud based service. You may retain control of who has access or direct your Cloud provider to manage your authorized access. For those of you who remember the Data Centre, the cloud is analogous to a Data Centre. You are probably a...
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