Corporate silos are a nuisance that many will face from day to day. Their creation results from many factors that only worsen as a business grows. The divide known as an information silo, refers to the way knowledge remains sequestered within an organization due to differing goals, degrees of specialization and the sheer number of employees. It often leads to decreased performance and negative impacts on corporate culture; a situation all companies face, big and small.
This concept of “silos” is specifically experienced in asset-intensive companies, as it can also apply to data. When data is isolated, it can have catastrophic consequences such as a lapse in communication, costs incurred, and degradation in security. From an entrepreneurial standpoint, information is siloed by the individual, but when it comes to data, there may be many external factors.
What can you do to prevent such a barrier? We would recommend a change of practice.
Implement Data Standards
Many of our customers are no strangers to data standards such as ISO 14224 and ISO 5500X. They ensure that electronic information is held to an acceptable quality, and with good reason. By adopting these standards, asset-intensive companies can guarantee that all necessary information is assigned to the appropriate item. In addition, it establishes that data of value to one department can be made available to another. It breeds mutual understanding, which helps prevent time wasted over misinformation.
Integrating these standards may seem like a daunting task but their benefits far outweigh the potential costs, monetary or otherwise.
Access Anywhere, Anytime
In the age of data on demand, any company that doesn’t allow easy accessibility risks being left behind. Gone are the days where physical data is stored in one location. As technology heads towards the skies, so should the physical counterparts.
Most data solutions have a cloud-computing component; information is stored in servers that can be accessed anywhere, at any time. There are many benefits to this feature, which is why it has become an expectation rather than a bonus. The first benefit is prevention, both for the loss of information and the threat of hackers. If data is backed up to off-site servers, it can easily be recovered and protected.
The second benefit is the ability to request information instantaneously. This defeats the predominant concern with information silos; the isolation of valuable knowledge. With this type of access, employees across departments can share and manage data. It encourages collaboration and reinforces the importance of communication. Additionally, it abolishes the need to have a physical location for your data.
Providing access to data can destroy information silos as well as having a positive impact on cost reduction. It promotes efficiency and stands to increase wrench time as well.
How Can NRX Help?
NRX AssetHub is an EAM and CMMS software solution that helps asset-intensive companies get their data right. We work with our clients directly to implement data standards, assess data quality and help fix issues that they face with their electronic information. Our features include direct integration with CMMS such as SAP, cloud-computing and data visualization. If you would like to know more, book a Demo or contact us at 1-877-603-4679.
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