I've been scurrying through the Internet these past few days, looking for the best document  management software for my startup business. I'm starting to narrow down three options. It  has been quite an effort, given that this is very new to me. Anyhow, I've rounded up some  factors which I think newbies like me should consider when looking for the best document  management software. 

The first consideration for me is the cost. It is the restriction in my case since I'm still starting up.  So what I did was I searched for the free versions available. Here are the document management softwares I have found which I believe are worthy to consider:  

● OpenDocMan - simplistic user interface, supports multiple languages, can track  document revisions  

● Krystal - Linux and Windows compatible, accessible online, can produce audit reports  

● LogicalDoc - Linux, Windows and Mac compatible, accessible via mobile products  including Apple and Android units,  

Next factor that I will be considering is the number of people who will be accessing the DMS. I  currently employ 20 people in my company. This means that I do not need the sophisticated  DMS designed for large-scale businesses.  

Next factor to consider is the kind of access you want. Since I will not be having multiple offices  and I will pretty much be home-based, I won't be needing a cloud network. The kind of DMS I  will be opting is the one that will only need one computer system.  

And the last factor I will be considering is the security of my documents. Customer privacy is a  main concern for us so it is important that access to information is very controlled. Aside from  the username-password access, I will also be having restricted documents which are for the  executive board’s viewing only. These should be clarified and reiterated to the DMS provider  you will be choosing.  

Competition has greatly influenced how businesses are run; often with the thrust of beating out other  competitors or at least, proving to be a worthy opponent. The clients that a company has can easily opt  out and choose another business partner if the firm doesn’t deliver. Thus, it is essential to have a grasp  of a company’s needs and most especially, oversight of possible office solutions.  

Companies in the private sector promise efficiency. This is ideally what separates them from the  bureaucracy of government, and for this idea to be continuously proven valid, companies have to up  their game. One of the means with which they can do this is to use document management software –  preferably one where there is a central depository where files and personal information are stored. Of  course, this goes without saying that the best document management software will allow companies to  restrict access to such files and ensure security in online transactions – apart of course from the basic  features of document management software products. After all, if a client trusts you with their personal  information, the least you could do to show gratitude is to ensure that utmost measures of security are  undertaken in the handling of such information. Really, you owe to your clients!  

If you are looking for the best document management software, you’re going to have to look for  something that gives you just the basics. If every document management software has this feature,  choose the product that gives you more; choose the product that sets itself apart. Of course, you don’t  just buy a product because it has all these features but more importantly because these features are  functions that you need. Do not even think of just downloading any document management software  anywhere without being sure of it’s legitimate. This will give you more headaches in the long run. You  are running a business; learn how to invest where it is necessary. 

In this highly competitive market, the best document management software is one that keeps up with  the times. We are in an increasingly globalized era and this function cuts through the characteristic of  conducting business. Now, we have off-shore locations, multi-national companies and other such types  that have not been imagined centuries before. This only heightens the need for companies, and their  employees, to stay connected and up to date with each other. More than the basic functions of  document management software such as storing, organizing and retrieving documents more efficiently,  there are options that give you more; options that keep up with the competition of this day and age –  the best document management software provide just that.  

Even in the universe of document management software products, there exists a competition to be the  best, or the most applicable document management software. All this however, remain in the purpose  of aiding businesses to do their everyday transactions efficiently and securely. So, from the variety of  options available to you, how exactly do you choose which document software product will best give  you and your business a competitive edge? Here are a few considerations: 

Ease of Access  

Imagine filing printed documents into your office cabinets, binding it with clips and marking it to  organize them according to date, use, or what have you. This type of structure and method of  organization is exactly what document management software does, albeit in the online realm. Choosing  a document management software with an easy and intuitive application will help you in efficiently  handling and storing documents, as well as in developing this capacity in your employees.  

Recovery  

If in case of natural or man-made disasters, we have relief and rehabilitation, this goes the same for  computer or system failures. At the very least, your document management software should at least  give you an option to have a back-up in cases of unprecedented events. This should be in a remote  facility, separate from the central repository that your document management software provides. To  some extent, this is also a measure of security. Such a function in your document management software  will definitely earn your client’s confidence, not to mention their respect for the value you put on the  personal information they provide.  

The Cloud  

Of course, you have much to gain with document management software products like Cabinet SAFE,  which is already available in both the cloud and on your servers. This may especially be a highlight  consideration for large firms who operate across different locations. In this case, your document  management software should allow you and the different users in your company to collaborate with  each other and be in track with updates and tasks. Think of it as bridging the gap. Can your document  management software do that?

Working in an office environment, paper transactions are an everyday reality – acknowledgement  receipts, reports, case files, copies of quarterly submissions and what have you. It comes as no surprise  that offices tend to accumulate piles of papers and as the years go by, so do the filing cabinets that  house those documents. In some offices like ours, being a non-profit organization, there are efforts to  keep up with the times by converting printed documents into their digitized counterparts through  scanning. We have one used by the administration department. However, given the time that has lapsed  since the scanner was bought and the frequency with which it used, it has become worn out. The lack of  budget for those innovations are not necessarily the worst part of such a situation, but rather the  tedious labor needed to make use of something that’s supposed to be an instrument for convenience.  What do I mean by this? A staff from the administration department scans most of the documents, we  just give her the request. It is a good day if those are just a few pages, but what if that staff comes across  a request to scan a volume of documents, especially so because our office deals with court cases and  resolutions that number more than a hundred pages? What would she do then? Mostly, this is an issue  of the hardware, the kind of scanner you buy and the features it allows since people just use the  software that comes with their scanners. But considerations such as if you want the scanned files  directly stored on your own computer or directly to the cloud will point you to the direction of your  document scanning software.  

Searching through the available scanning devices on the internet, we have our eyes on one that  has a scanning speed of 10 pages per minute with quality results (of course), has cloud integration, and  is ‘all in one’ – a printer-copier-faxing machine-scanner in one machine. We have finally decided to make  the necessary investment.  

A good scanner that gives you the highest quality output possible, just like everything else, requires a  purchase; and such purchases are investments that need to be fully utilized. In most cases, offices  usually just go ahead with the software already integrated with the scanning device that they bought.  There really isn’t any problem with that at all, as you can still get full functionality with what you already  have. However, if you are a huge company with more than one scanning device that does not  necessarily come from just one brand, document scanning software can be a useful tool in synchronizing  and working on a familiar application and interface. This works across time as well. Should you need to  upgrade your hardware, such scanning software products will get you and your staff to less confusion as  it gives you the same application and interface that they have worked with before. At least this way,  your staff won’t necessarily have to start from scratch.