How to Choose a Document Management System

If you’re in the market for a good document management system, then there are a few things you should know before you begin your search. We’ve outlined some basic information that you should know about document management systems to help you choose the best one for your business.

What is a Document Management System?
You can think of a document management system as an electronic filing cabinet. It stores all of  your files digitally, while also offering a few functions that a regular filing cabinet doesn’t. You’ll be able to:

• Store a wide range of documents types, including word-processing files, PDFs, spreadsheets, and more.
• Easily search all your files by keyword.
• Put access restrictions on certain documents.
• Track edits that are made to documents.
• Retrieve older versions of documents.
• Access documents from a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
• Improve your workflows and increase productivity.

Self-Hosted vs. Cloud-Hosted
There are two main types of document management systems: self-hosted and cloud-hosted. Both have their own benefits as well as drawbacks.
A self-hosted system is hosted on your company’s servers. This is a great option for smaller businesses, because you will have more control over your system and won’t have to rely on the Internet to keep the system working. However, you have to make sure that you can afford the installation costs for the system as well as make sure that you implement a backup system.
A cloud-hosted system is hosted remotely by a provider and accessed online. You won’t need an IT team to install and manage a cloud-hosted system, and you’ll be able to access your system wherever you have a network connection. However, if the Internet goes down, you won’t have access to your system. You’ll need to put effort into choosing a reliable provider who you can trust to have minimal and scheduled downtimes.

What to Look for in Your Document Management System
Every business has unique needs. How do you choose the best document management system for your business? Here are a few things to look for:

• File structure: Choose a system that offers an easy-to-use file structure that your employees will understand.
• Searching: Make sure that the document management system you choose offers various ways to search for files; you want to be able to search for files based on the titles as well as the content of the files.
• Integration: The right system will easily integrate with the programs you’re already using, such as your email application and your customer management software.

Still not sure which system to choose? Call Centric Business Systems! We can work with you to choose and install a document management system that is the perfect fit for your office.

Call Centric Business Systems for All Your Office Management Needs
Today’s business environment is fast-paced, time is limited, and attention spans are short. Keep your people motivated and your co-collaborators engaged. Centric Business Systems has answers to all of your questions about this neat collaborative tool and various others, and we can make it so that you have them at your fingertips. Give us a call at 877-902-3301, send us an email at info@centricbiz.com, or fill out our contact form to learn about how we can help you improve your processes, so that your team can solve problems together. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook(link is external), Linkedin(link is external), and Google+(link is external) for more updates!