Your company outsourced some essential services to another country or even a local company. They just sent back the data you needed, however, there's one slight problem: all the data is in a format that is not recognizable by your computer.
You try to read the data on other computers in the company, but the result is the same. One of your technicians has found a solution but considering the amount of data, it will take longer than you can afford to wait. What will you do?
What is the Data Format Problem?
One of the most amazing aspects of working in the computer age is that there are many ways to solve any given problem. If you need a written document, there are multiple word processors you can choose from. If you need a technical model, you have everything from free software to premium, high-level solutions that you can ask for.
Having many ways to accomplish the same thing has many advantages. You are able to take advantage of the unique features different solutions offer depending on what your needs are. You also have the luxury of choosing a different company or team to use a different approach if you're not satisfied with another.
However, all these different solutions create another problem, they may all be developing data that are in different formats.
Why Are Data Formats Such a Huge Problem?
The different data formats that exist for very similar file types create a number of problems including:
All the data has to be converted to a standard, usable format
Software that can read the data can be very expensive
The time required to convert the data with in-house systems may be more than is available to you
In-house conversion systems may not convert the data accurately
What is the Solution to the Data Format Problem?
At the moment, the best solutions to handle data that comes to you in unusable formats are professionals that offer software tech solutions for businesses. These professionals can convert your data into whichever form you need it in. However, this is just the start of what they can do for you. Conversion service providers can also do the following:
Convert analogue data into digital form
Organize the data for easier access and application
Identify data that is unrecognizable to you
Create a backup of your data
The best part is that all this can be done in a timely fashion to limit delays to your business.