How AI-driven solutions can support your business's flexibility and growth
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Posted: Wed 22nd Jan 2025
For businesses of all sizes, having a team that works remotely or on flexible schedules can make it a real headache to find the right information across multiple apps and collaboration tools.
And with so many organisations now working across different locations and time zones, it's vital that employees have access to tools that help them collaborate easily, get more done in less time and keep their data secure, whether they're on a laptop, tablet or phone.
As businesses evolve, teams must have tools that match their needs for how they actually work, rather than losing significant amounts of time dealing with older, inefficient systems and processes.
This slows down progress and causes businesses to lose agility and growth.
Particularly for a small team, this makes a big impact. Think about what a single employee could do with those extra hours – focusing on growing the business, brainstorming new products or services, or taking some time to learn a new skill.
On top of this, organisations continue to grapple with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, making the need for optimal security more important than ever.
So, how can these issues be addressed? AI-powered platforms can bring order to this chaos, streamlining business operations, maintaining data security and letting people focus on the work that truly matters.
Managing "content chaos" in a hybrid world
Modern work has seen everything move towards digital, with companies of all sizes having embraced various flexible work options. But this brings its own set of challenges.
Employees find themselves constantly switching between apps – cloud storage, email, messaging, project management tools – each with its own requirements and log-ins. This "content chaos" makes it easy for things to become scattered and messy.
When searching for something, we tend to always need it quickly. But with so many different tools, it's harder than ever to find what we need when we need it.
Studies show we lose almost 20% of our workday just searching for the right data. And it's not just about wasted time – it's wasted money, too.
Think about all the hidden costs that pile up as a result of disjointed data and information silos.
We need tools that break down those barriers and allow everyone to collaborate smoothly and securely, no matter where they are. That's where AI comes in.
By organising and automating things in a secure way, AI can make it way easier to find information and streamline how we work every day.
Work smarter, not harder
Imagine having something that could handle all those tedious, time-consuming tasks that distract you from your real work.
What if it could automatically organise everything and make finding information fast and simple?
That's the promise of AI, bringing the ability to streamline your workflows, so you can focus on what matters most.
AI is already beginning to drive positive effects. A study by Economist Impact, commissioned by Dropbox, found that people using automation tools powered by AI are already seeing a big boost in their productivity – almost 80% feel more productive, and nearly 70% feel more organised.
AI is getting even smarter, too. New tools, like Dropbox Dash for Business, can act like your own personal assistant, searching across all your apps and files to find exactly what you need.
And the more you use it, the better it gets – AI learns what you need and starts suggesting relevant information, so you can stay organised without lifting a finger.
Features like Stacks can also group related files, even if they sit across different apps, while Dash Answers can summarise long documents, so you don't have to spend hours reading through pages of text.
These kinds of capabilities enable businesses and employees to focus on more fulfilling and valuable tasks.
No more security guesswork
Flexible working has its benefits, but it also makes managing access to sensitive data more tricky.
You need to know exactly who can see what, and when. For a small business, data is everything, so weak security brings huge risks.
AI-powered tools can play a role in protecting organisations by automating security and access. For example, the Protect and Control features in Dash let you review and manage access permissions across your different cloud apps, all in one place.
This means only the right people can see sensitive information, and you can quickly step in if someone tries to share something they shouldn't.
It's all about finding that balance – keeping things secure while still making it easy for everyone to work together efficiently.
Growing your business with AI
For small businesses, the real power of AI lies in how it makes our digital lives simpler.
It brings order to the chaos, which is especially helpful when you're working with contractors or freelancers, or your team is dispersed across different locations.
In this environment, AI tools that function seamlessly with the apps you already use will be essential. And you don't need to tear down your existing systems to benefit from AI – many tools integrate easily with what you already have.
And even small changes – like a better way to find information – can make a huge difference in how efficiently your team works.
AI can help businesses take full advantage of flexibility, by enabling people to work from anywhere and be productive at the same time, without the need to sacrifice security for speed.
This means you can rest assured without the worry of losing control over valuable information and focus on growing your team, boosting performance and doing the work that really matters.
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