Top 5 best document management systems

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There’s a vast amount of software out there aimed at streamlining business processes, and document management systems are one of the more useful offerings available in terms of helping companies go paperless.

Businesses are increasingly discovering that spending money and time on printing and storing paper-based documents is a bad idea. Not only is there a risk of physical copies getting lost and damaged, but you’re also responsible for keeping them on file. And they’ll soon stack up around your office. 

By implementing a document management system (DMS) in your operations, you’ll free up time to spend on other vital areas of your company. You’re also much safer knowing that all your precious documents and files are stored within a piece of software, as opposed to being scattered around a storage room.

These systems have been around for a few years, but they’re constantly getting more affordable and advanced. Here’s a selection of five of the best offerings currently available.

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Templafy is one of the best document management tools out there. The system aims to integrate essential office suites and solutions used by businesses on a daily basis.

If there’s one thing that can be frustrating, it’s having to create brand documents using different software. This can become time-consuming and fragmented, but Templafy can help. With it, you can create a range of files within the system and manage them from a single feed.

The software is compatible with a range of devices and uses the cloud to let you access all your documents across computers, tablets and smartphones. There are also automatic compliance checks, and you can give feedback to employees easily, too. All this doesn’t come cheap, mind.

• Sign up for Templafy here

M-Files provides you with a system to help manage documents (naturally), improve internal workflows, and ensure important information is kept secure at all times. There’s a single vault for a plethora of files, and you can easily find them by client, project, date, status or other criteria.

The software aims to avoid duplication – it’s quite common to end up with two copies of the same report, or possibly more. M-Files will alert you if a document has been saved twice by analysing names and project data. You get some great integrations too, including Microsoft Office and Salesforce CRM.

• Sign up for M-Files here

Within big organisations, there are often processes and regulations put in place to ensure documents are compliant and follow company guidelines. But when you have a ton of files, it can be hard to follow such rules.

MasterControl, which is used by some of the world’s largest regulatory bodies, is document control software that addresses complex regulations and standards around the globe. It aims to reduce compliance cost and increase internal efficiency.

The system fully automates routing, delivery, escalation and approval of vital documents. It also sports a centralised, secure archive where you can store and search for business files.

• Sign up for MasterControl Document Control Software here

If you’re looking for a cloud solution for creating documents, then you should definitely check out XaitPorter.

The great thing about this system is that it’s extremely flexible. You’re able to collaborate and work on documents with colleagues simultaneously, and you can easily share feedback with each other. It also manages all aspects of workflow, so you don’t have to worry about formatting, numbering and layout.

XaitPorter has some useful tricks on the integrations front, as well. The software can work with Salesforce, Oracle, SAS, Microsoft Office and Dynamics, SharePoint, OpenText and Dropbox. And it’s currently used by some 45,000 firms across the globe.

• Sign up for XaitPorter here

Dokmee puts efficiency and security first, offering a number of document management offerings you can pick from. The entry-level Dokmee Desktop is only for a single user, but carries most of the core index and search functions, plus organisation and sharing features, and most of the editing functionality too (save for version control).

If you want to avail yourself of all the features, including the important security capabilities, then you’ll need to plump for Dokmee Professional, which also allows for multiple users – and a range of integrations such as Microsoft Office Add-ins (for Word, Excel and Outlook).

There’s also a well-featured cloud version of the DMS, although you’ll need to contact the vendor for pricing on this and the Professional package. A further boon is a free mobile app which is available for iOS, Android and Windows devices.

• Sign up for Dokmee here