How to Chose the Best Document Management Software

Cloud Storage

Cloud, on prem, or hybrid? The answer might not be as easy as you think, so having a business partner who knows the solutions landscape will help save a lot of money in the long term.

Consider the costs of increasing cloud storage. Storage costs between solutions can vary between unlimited storage at a fixed cost and hundreds of thousands of dollars as document repositories grow.

Do you need documents to remain in the cloud in perpetuity? Or, do you need to set retention thresholds that move documents to lower-cost storage after a certain period of time?

Plan for and consider what will be required to migrate documents between systems, and between on-prem and cloud. Big migrations may require a separate solution to properly move documents and data.

Full-Text Search

Most document management software solutions include the ability to perform full-text search. This means that all the words in each document can be found by simply typing them into a search box.

For scanned documents, full-text search is created by a software called optical character recognition (OCR).

To count on using full-text search (or it working accurately), you must understand if OCR will be performed by the software or if you need to OCR the documents first.

Customizable Metadata Fields

Metadata may sound intimidating, but it is simply a framework for how information is stored.

If you think about the types of documents you’ll be storing, that’s one metadata element. You might have:

• Purchase Orders
• Invoices
• Contracts
• W-9s, etc.

And in most cases, each of these documents will have their own metadata structure.

You might want to search by invoice number, date, or amount. Think about what information is most important to your workflows. Then ensure the document management software will facilitate the way you work with document-based information.

Mobile Device Access

When it comes to accessing documents or working with them in workflows, not all document management solutions are created equal.

To determine what level of technology you require for mobile access, look first to your most important business workflows.

Here are several examples of business workflow requiring mobile access:

• Do workers need to be able to approve or sign documents when away from their computers?
• Do field workers need access to important documents when working with customers or during travel?
• Do you need to ingest documents from a mobile device or provide them to customers on their mobile devices?

These are all important questions that will require you to work from a workflow perspective, not just technological capability.

Low-Code Configuration

Low-code is becoming more prevalent in recently-developed technology solutions.

The main factor driving low-code development is that organizations are expecting software to be easier to work with and integrate with 3^rd party systems.

The idea of one big enterprise software serving all aspects of an organization is not nearly as attractive as it once was.

Low-code software makes it easier for non-programmers to get into the nuts and bolts of the software to make changes. These changes are needed to adapt the software to the nuances of the way you work.

Low-code doesn’t mean easy, but it does mean that with proper training you won’t have to rely on expensive professional services to get the results you need.

Expansive API Toolkit

APIs are a documented and controlled way of working with a software application using a third-party software.

Zapier, for example, uses APIs to connect thousands of different software programs together using a simple web-based interface.

Who does or does not need API capability?

• Solutions with a well-supported and developed API architecture are geared towards more complex data integrations with the line of business software your organization runs on.
• A document management system without robust API options is better suited for smaller customers without demanding workflows.

Built-In Document Workflows

Pay attention to how many workflows the management system will streamline.

One goal of modern document management software is to enable the organization to make data-driven decisions based on the information contained within documents.

Another valuable goal is the automation of low-level human activities, which will free up staff to work on more valuable activities. Workflows are used in every aspect of document and data management.

Here is an example of a built-in workflow that makes working with documents and data so much easier:

1. Bringing scanned documents into the software
2. Attaching metadata
3. Routing documents for approvals based on business rules
4. Applying document retention rules

Integration with Document Capture Solutions

While some document management software includes the ability to capture documents – either electronic or paper, this is typically an add-on capability.

You’ll want to have some flexibility with how you get documents into your system.

But the most important part of getting documents into your system is accessing the data on the documents.

There are intelligent document capture solutions that will automatically detect and create the metadata you need, and there are some that simply provide a best-effort OCR for full-text search.

You don’t want to be locked out of the document capture solution that’s most appropriate for your business requirements.

Discover how integration with capture solutions is performed, and what solutions are readily supported.

User Access Rights and Permission Controls

Chances are you’ll be storing documents that contain sensitive information.

Whether it is employee data, or proprietary information — you need document control at the organization level — not just at the employee level.

You need to determine if user access rights are based on broad categories, departments, and existing controls like Microsoft Active Directory.

And consider what happens when a user moves between departments, is terminated, or onboarded.

Auditing user activity around sensitive files is also important. Balance the risk of inappropriate access with how responsive you need to be in the case of a security event to determine if a document management solution meets your compliance objectives.

Secure Data Storage

Security cannot be over-emphasized. We’ve all heard reports of information being leaked because of negligence, cyber-hacks, or even malicious employee behavior.

While all “accidents” are preventable, there are step you need to take to reduce risk:

• Ensure all data is securely protected with industry standard controls and protocols like SOC 2 Type 2.
• Learn how documents are shared internally and externally and that sufficient protections exist to ensure data is secure.

Another key consideration is what happens in the event of a catastrophic data loss? Is data backed up and where? How quickly will you gain access to backed-up files? If data is encrypted by a hacking group, is it recoverable?

And finally, know for certain that you will maintain compliance with industry regulations and standards that must be met in how you store, secure, share, and access content.