Small businesses need an electronic document management system (EDMS) to keep track of their documents and keep them organized. Here are some of the best EDMS for small businesses.
Best Electronic Document Management Software
PandaDoc
PandaDoc is a cloud-based document management system that accelerates and optimizes document generation and processing. The platform’s ability to assist users in drafting a range of business documents, such as proposals, quotations, and contracts, is one of its key advantages. Users can quickly build these documents using the software’s drag-and-drop features, templates, and pre-built content blocks. Users have the option of include company logos and colors in their publications.
PandaDoc provides in-document activity logging and commenting in addition to document creation. Teams and clients can more effectively negotiate terms and pricing with this functionality. Additionally, these collaborative, activity-logging features dramatically reduce closure time and guarantee open communication during negotiations. The quicker closing times would be welcomed by sales and marketing teams looking for the best electronic document management solution.
PandaDoc supports eSignatures, just as many other document management systems in use today. Users of the software have the choice of typing, drawing, or uploading their signatures. Users can also view real-time status updates when recipients open and view the files they have sent for signature. Additionally, a built-in audit trail shows when and by whom the document was signed.
Juro Contract Automation
Juro Contract Automation is a comprehensive tool with a focus on contract automation. The program includes a native editor for web browsers made just for contracts. Business and legal teams may swiftly create documents using drag-and-drop features in this editor. The software also provides dynamic contract surveys for your convenience.
Additionally, Juro Contract Automation facilitates simpler teamwork through multiplayer editing. Contracts that users can comment on and make ideas on are immediately updated as the negotiating process progresses. Contracts can also be divided into internal and external versions for increased convenience.
One of the most significant advantages of document management software is that it integrates nicely with other programs, and Juro is no exception. Documents from Google Docs or Microsoft Word can be uploaded into the system by dragging and dropping them there. Additionally, Juro provides mass actions that enable users to simultaneously create and submit thousands of papers for review.
Juro also functions as a central smart contract repository. You can add fields and tags to documents using the software to make searching more convenient. OCR technology and other cutting-edge features provide more precise tracking and reporting.
Oneflow
Oneflow is a good option to think about if you’re seeking for the greatest electronic file management system for your sales staff. Users may easily produce digital contracts and proposals with Oneflow, which functions as a sales proposal automation program. The site also has pre-built templates, but if you want to modify them, it also has a simple contract editor.
Oneflow contracts allow legally valid eSignatures, just like other widely used document management systems. The program offers users a selection of document signature choices. These choices include electronic IDs, email, and SMS authentication. Additionally, the software adds an electronic seal to signed documents as an additional security feature.
Oneflow supports the live editing of contracts, which enhances teamwork as well. Real-time updates are made by authorized users. In order to increase transparency and provide evidence for audit trails, the program also saves comments made on contracts.
Oneflow also has a number of features that enhance contract administration. Workflows that automatically destroy rejected or expired proposals can be put up by users. Contracts with unneeded personal information can also be automatically deleted by the software.
PaperSave
You may come across websites like PaperSave when you look for the best document management systems. PaperSave serves as both an accounts payable program and a document management system. This is because PaperSave has the capacity to gather information from a variety of sources, including emails, scanned documents, and faxes.
Once documents are captured, you have the option of entering transactions manually or letting the software handle document processing and data capture. The platform employs a sophisticated optical character recognition engine to automatically extract data in order to successfully gather data from a variety of documents. Teams can also save time and fully avoid manual data entry thanks to this.
Additionally, PaperSave facilitates document searches. The platform has the ability to perform full-text searches, enabling quick scanning of whole documents. Metadata and document content can both be used as search filters.
Qoppa PDF Studio
A document management system created exclusively for managing PDFs is Qoppa PDF Studio. Users may quickly produce and edit PDFs with the software. Documents can be scanned directly into PDF format for this purpose, or Word documents and other file types can be converted into PDFs. Users of the software can also use it to complete and save interactive PDF forms.
Additionally, Qoppa PDF Studio provides a wide range of sophisticated PDF management options. Users have access to redaction tools as well as a PDF Compare feature that allows users to overlay or side-by-side compare various PDF files. In addition to these features, the platform has a PDF optimizer that shrinks PDF files. Qoppa PDF Studio is one of the top Adobe Acrobat competitors available today thanks to all these capabilities.
Vitrium Security
A document management program with a focus on enterprise content security and digital rights administration is called Vitrium Security. The platform stops unlawful distribution and unauthorized sharing of digital materials. These security elements also aid in preserving the earnings of publishers and content producers.
The technology also employs many levels of protection for digital assets that are of a military-grade standard. A wide range of files, including DOC, PDF, XLS, RTF, PPT, and TXT, can be protected by users. Additionally, the software is compatible with MP4, MOV, MKV, WMV, JPG, GIF, and PNG file formats. The platform can assist users in protecting documents, movies, or photographs.
Additionally, Vitrium Security offers users more precise security controls. Users can limit document copying and printing and manage who has access to their content using the platform’s security settings. Users can also specify expiration dates, login restrictions, and browser restrictions.
The platform also has a simple integration process for third-party applications including e-commerce, content management, and learning management systems.
ContractZen
A document management system with a focus on contract administration and governance is called ContractZen. The platform includes a wide range of governance capabilities, such as board meeting management and integrated eSignature technology. The software, for instance, enables users to schedule meetings, issue invitations, and sign meeting minutes all fully paperless.
ContractZen includes tools for effectively managing contracts in addition to board meeting management. Users can upload hundreds of contracts at once or drag & drop several contracts for sending. Visual tagging is just one of the many capabilities the software offers for contract organizing. Similar to how it uses metadata, the software helps customers find the contracts they require.
Encyro
Encyro is a file-sharing and document-management program that provides a wealth of functionality for handling documents in a secure manner. For instance, Encyro’s support for legally acceptable eSignatures is a key feature. Without a touchscreen, users can sign papers on PCs thanks to software that instantly uploads signatures created on mobile devices. Users of the software can also enter signatures.
Encryo’s ability to provide strong security measures for documents is another one of its key advantages. The program offers 16 levels of security to guarantee the privacy of emails sent using the platform. Encyro does this using technologies like FIPS 140-2 technology, which has received NIST approval.
Encyro additionally has capabilities for document organization for increased convenience. Users maintain folder organization and contact-specific labeling for any files they transmit to their contacts. Users don’t need to make folders for the files they send to contacts as a result. Users can view these sorted files from any device with an Internet connection because they are still preserved in the cloud.
The Encyro platform also provides limitless storage for files exchanged with clients. Teams that frequently manage a large volume of papers and photographs will find this useful.
Personal Document Management Software
Adobe Document Cloud
A cloud service for organizing and storing a range of files is called Adobe Document Cloud. Users who frequently work with PDF files will particularly benefit from it. However, there is a significant disadvantage to this personal document organizer program. It doesn’t support a lot of file types.
Although Adobe Document Cloud is a premium service, a sample version is available. Files can be sorted in a variety of ways, including by name, creation date, and others.
All users who seek to streamline their workflow by automating the filling out and signing of documents will find Adobe Document Cloud to be helpful. Additionally, you can store screenshots and images using this app.
The ability to send and track files online makes it possible to keep track of all document changes.
Google Docs
A free online tool from Google called Google Docs was created as an alternative to Microsoft Word. It is employed to produce, store, and sort new files.
Although it frequently works with images, scans, and other types of files, this free file management program primarily concentrates on text documents. Google Docs has fantastic collaboration tools that make it easy to manage teams and work on several projects.
The service’s availability is its primary benefit. All of your documents can be accessed from any device if you have a Google account. The uploaded files can be secured by limiting access to the URL or making it read-only.
The disadvantage of Google Docs is its slow work, especially if you have a bad Internet connection. When you try to perform some operations, the system may freeze for a long time.
FileCenter
You may scan, archive, organize, and locate computer data with the help of the user-friendly software called FileCenter. In a single workflow, it combines numerous file management, scanning, text recognition, and modification functions.
When working with PDF files, this customized document organizer is extremely helpful. The documents can be seen without being opened. In file cabinets, it is also possible to distribute files. Additionally, FileCenter is where you may keep all of your papers.
An inventive OCR search is another practical function. The file may be encrypted or deleted without a chance for recovery, depending on your demands.
The software offers excellent Outlook integration, allowing you to save any communication as a separate computer file.
OpenKM
One of the most versatile personal document management programs, OpenKM supports the majority of the current file formats. Digital documents and scans are primarily stored, sorted, managed, and tracked using this.
You can create, keep, use, and manage records with the OpenKM record management system. Additionally, it works well for receiving and disposing of files. Additionally, data on the operations and transactions of various organizations can be recorded.
Bitrix24
An easy-to-use platform for managing and storing files in multiple formats is Bitrix24. The program is available in cloud and self-hosted (on-premise) versions. All setups can be transferred to your own server. Bitrix24 also provides you with direct access to its source code.
This service stands out for its well-coordinated teamwork. The programmers made every effort to allow users to work both independently and as a team.
Bitrix24 also offers strong file security thanks to the ability to make internal or external linkages. As a result, the designers can vouch for the security of your private data.
eDoc Organizer
Since it is a fully functional document control program, eDoc Organizer is a great choice for both professional and private use. Three file management choices are available with this software: the cloud-based version, the on-premise version, and the enterprise edition. As a result, eDoc Organizer can be used by large enterprises.
The software provides a number of document sorting options. Files may be sorted by name, date, or OCR. Additionally, PDF-formatted files can be saved and shared safely. You can easily save, analyze, and compare files using eDoc Organizer.
Kimios
Kimios is free software for managing documents that can be used for document creation, editing, tracking, and storage. In addition to handling papers, it facilitates process improvement.
All popular file formats and metadata are compatible with this file management system. Additionally, it’s simple to share documents with your collaborators.
The convenience of the service is its biggest benefit. This is because of the interface’s simplicity and thoughtful design. Users may concentrate solely on their task because the layout isn’t crowded with pointless banners.
Being a cross-platform program, it comes with a mobile application. Besides, Kimios allows users to access collaborative features and work with documents in the same workspace. Thus, you don’t need to incorporate massagers or email correspondence into your work.
LogicalDOC CE
A platform for managing personal documents is available for free under the third edition of the GNU Lesser General Public License as Logical DOC Community Edition (LogicalDOC CE).
This file management system supports CMIS, WebDAV protocols, HTTPS, users and group management, events log, and collaborative features in addition to WordPress, Dropbox, and Joomla integration. It can also generate reports and password-protect documents.
Despite being open-source, the service has features that are comparable to those of pricey document management programs. Additionally, iOS and Android users can download the LogicalDOC CE mobile application. You can handle your documents practically constantly and everywhere thanks to this.
Folderit
Online document management tool Folderit is appropriate for both personal and professional use. The advanced search function in Folderit is a special feature that makes it easy to locate all the required files.
Utilizing three access levels, the electronic document management system enables you to share files, folders, and even accounts (Previewer, Viewer, Editor). Additionally, you can make a user group and share the papers with everyone in it at once. You may view a history of each activity any team member has made on a file using the Audit Trail function.
It is feasible to upload updated versions of a file while keeping older versions of the file and its associated information. Additionally, you may access all of your files stored in Folderit from any device and retrieve your document with only one click.
Best Document Management Software
Rubex
Rubex by eFileCabinet Online is a cloud-based service that gives remote workers the same capability that they would have in the office when they log in from any computer with internet connection. In fact, we’ve already named Rubex by eFileCabinet as the top document management solution for companies that employ remote workers. It features a smart mobile app that allows access to all of the files that are kept. The system offers a number of ways to search for documents and utilizes a conventional cabinet-folder file structure. There are three pricing tiers for Rubex by eFileCabinet Online, each with a different amount of storage and features.
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a leader in the document management and collaboration space, and for good reason. Its comprehensive slate of features includes the ability to establish content hubs or organize archives by teams. It allows you to create custom metadata fields across all files stored in the system, making it easy to tailor the way you organize your documents to your business’s needs. It is especially convenient for businesses that already use other Microsoft products, such as Office 365.
SharePoint provides a scalable and adaptable platform for managing and organizing your documents as well as working together on their production and editing. But because it’s a complicated system with a steep learning curve, you can assume that your team will need training and some time to get used to it.
M-Files
A complete document management solution with an elegant and simple to use interface is M-Files. Numerous industries, including accounting, business consulting, building, engineering, energy, finance, manufacturing, professional services, and real estate, can benefit from it. Numerous capabilities in M-Files enable companies to automate workflow procedures, digitize huge amounts of physical paper, and manage documents with ease. It streamlines the storage and retrieval process, for instance, by providing version control and metadata suggestions. You may further expedite and streamline your document management processes by integrating it with Parashift, a deep-tech business that specializes in machine learning document retrieval. You can automatically process a wide variety of organized, semi-structured, and unstructured documents rather than manually classifying documents and reading data.
Three alternative service plans are provided by M-Files. We like that each one may be used on-premises, in the cloud, or in a hybrid system, allowing customers to select the kind of system that best suits their organization’s requirements and capabilities. You can be guaranteed that your document management system is current with each plan’s simple deployment and automatic updates. If you require more help, M-Files provides managed services, team training services, and rapid deployment packages. In addition, the business provides a wide range of online learning tools, including case studies, infographics, e-books, films, podcasts, and on-demand webinars.
VIENNA Advantage Community
Businesses can use VIENNA Advantage, an open-source, community-driven document management system, for nothing. Its user-friendly interface is intuitive to use and well-structured. It includes features for process automation to speed up tasks and secure document encryption. Additionally, it is expandable, enabling your company to expand with a free document management solution.
The technical hurdle with VIENNA Advantage is that you have to rely on the community of users to assist you set up the software and resolve any problems. VIENNA Advantage does not have a tech support staff, in contrast to commercial document management software.
Microsoft SharePoint
One of Microsoft’s top document management programs is called SharePoint. For companies of all sizes, it offers a complete and incredibly effective document solution. Not only does it interact with popular tools and apps, but it is also affordable, simple to use, and feature-rich.
Workflow management and sharing are its main focuses. It will be simple to travel around SharePoint for those who have used Microsoft Office 365. Each user has access to at least one TB of space and it is connected to OneDrive.
Sites that function as independent content libraries can be made. You could, for instance, designate a site for every project and every team. People are aware of the websites they can access for a certain project. In huge organizations where you must work on hundreds of projects at once, this keeps documents ordered.
Microsoft SharePoint also makes use of artificial intelligence, which analyzes the data of your company and generates insights that may be used to improve workflows, file searches, picture scanning, and other aspects of your organization.
Workspace by OnlyOffice
The versatile document management program OnlyOffice provides you with a wealth of productivity tools and resources. Its official document management program, Document Management, aims to swiftly and easily make your office paperless.
The nicest part about document management is how many helpful applications it comes with, which simplify sharing, collaboration, and document management. These are the characteristics that you don’t find with many document management systems; it supports a variety of file formats, including spreadsheets, text files, multimedia, and digital forms.
Permissions, teamwork, revision tracking, and concurrent, real-time document editing are all supported. Your files and documents are protected by AES-256 encryption in the private area.
The Workspace platform from OnlyOffice provides document management software in addition to other capabilities like email, CRM, projects, calendar, and more. All of these platforms will be available to you, making document management more potent than it would be with alternative options.
OpenKM
A free version of the open-source document management program OpenKM is available for companies. The free version is available for download; you can use it for your company. It provides all the capabilities found in the majority of document management systems available today.
The fact that OpenKM is free, web-based document management software is its strongest feature. Due to the fact that it is written in Java, you can employ a programmer to add more features as necessary. All the essential functions, such as document management, record management, workflows, task automation, and more, are included in the free open source version.
The fundamental features are completely covered by the free edition, but if you require more features and sophistication, you must upgrade to the professional version, which isn’t free. Therefore, you have two choices: either upgrade to the professional edition or have your IT team add more customized features internally.
Best Document Management Software for Accountants
FileCenter
We have included comments from hundreds of accountants and finance professionals as we built and improved FileCenter over the years in order to better understand their issues and the features they seek in a document management solution. To create the best document management software for CPAs, we thoroughly evaluated all alternatives to our product. Our software interfaces with other tax preparation programs like UltraTax and QuickBooks and has a full feature set.
We’ve taken care to make sure that our software, rather than having a challenging learning curve, is a benefit to the operations of your CPA office. Who has the time to master unnecessarily complex software if an accountant?
Our software also connects with your workflow so that staff don’t need to re-learn how to do things in order to digitize their documents.
Accounting Programs That Connect to FileCenter
Lacerte and ProSeries
The appeal of Lacerte and ProSeries is that they excel at one thing. You now require additional software for document management to continue where they leave off. In this situation, FileCenter is useful. Other crucial jobs for your practice that FileCenter excels at include labeling and storing electronic files, scanning, and working with PDFs. Accounting firms are excellent at filing taxes, but there is a significant amount of paperwork that follows that process. How well that load is handled will be greatly affected by how well the right is integrated with ProSeries and Lacerte.
QuickBooks
One of the earliest programs on the market, QuickBooks offered an intuitive electronic ledger before the majority of accounting professionals even realized they needed one. However, there are a ton of electronic reports that come along with computerized bookkeeping, not to mention all the paper supporting documentation that clients submit—receipts, statements, etc. While QuickBooks includes some basic tools for storing all of these documents, a specialized document management solution like FileCenter is considerably more equipped to handle scanning and storage. Since FileCenter and QuickBooks’ Save features are fully integrated, any reports you create in QuickBooks can be directly imported into FileCenter. Additionally, FileCenter groups documents by client, enabling it to function similarly to your work in QuickBooks.
TaxWise and UltraTax
Cloud Cabinet is a good option if you’re looking for an accountant-focused storage solution or an in-depth that is designed to meet the needs of accounting businesses.
Cloud Cabinet has some of the most cutting-edge and contemporary feature offers in the market, including an intuitive and customizable folder organization, secure file sharing, a strong customer site, and adjustable granular access and security restrictions.
Additionally, because it is a product of AccountantsWorld, it easily works with their other software programs and applets. Despite the fact that it may be utilized as a fully independent solution, they also offer a sizable number of third-party integrations to help you get started. Overall, Cloud Cabinet can assist you in streamlining your organizing procedures and safely storing all of your data.
Two more powerhouses in the tax preparation field are TaxWise and UltraTax, and both are deserving of an opportunity to manage the other half of your business. FileCenter not only takes care of document organizing for both of these platforms, but it also fills a sometimes overlooked need: PDF modification. It is frequently necessary to divide apart many PDF documents or combine them into one. Drag-and-drop PDF combining is supported by FileCenter. A built-in PDF editor in FileCenter allows users to annotate and amend reports and returns generated by TaxWise or UltraTax. And FileCenter has a PDF printer to capture everything that can be printed when you need to create a PDF outside of TaxWise or UltraTax.
AccountantsWorld Cloud Cabinet
Cloud Cabinet is a good option if you’re looking for an accountant-focused storage solution or an in-depth that is designed to meet the needs of accounting businesses.
Cloud Cabinet has some of the most cutting-edge and contemporary feature offers in the market, including an intuitive and customizable folder organization, secure file sharing, a strong customer site, and adjustable granular access and security restrictions.
Additionally, because it is a product of AccountantsWorld, it easily works with their other software programs and applets. Despite the fact that it may be utilized as a fully independent solution, they also offer a sizable number of third-party integrations to help you get started. Overall, Cloud Cabinet can assist you in streamlining your organizing procedures and safely storing all of your data.
Thomson Reuters FileCabinet CS
Thomson Reuters offers another tried-and-true document management and safe storage option.
FileCabinet CS comes in three basic variants, as opposed to Cloud Cabinet’s two. Depending on the demands and objectives of your company, you can employ an on-premise arrangement, a virtual office environment, or a cloud-driven variation.
FileCabinet CS has a very rich and robust feature kit that can help accounting firms eliminate their paper-based record-keeping to reduce mistakes and information gaps while simplifying and streamlining their information management as a whole. These features range from a highly customizable yet intuitive filing structure to an in-depth template system and powerful secure integrations with tools like Microsoft Office.
One feature of this solution that really sticks out is that users can label each document with ease for exceptionally easy searchability. This solution also includes a thorough secure archive to help you clear out your storage and concentrate on what matters right now.
Furthermore, unlike many alternative options, its seamless Outlook integration enables simple email conversation and safe file sharing right from the FileCabinet CS system.
Nevertheless, despite its impressive feature set and capabilities, it ranks in second because, depending on the setup you select, it costs a little bit more than Cloud Cabinet. It’s also important to note that they offer a client portal, which you may access for an additional fee on top of your license.
Drake Document Manager
The Drake Document Manager is an option to consider if your small accounting firm needs a single system to handle practice management, tax preparation, and comprehensive document management.
This particular document management system is available as a fully hosted cloud-based option as well as an on-premise solution. The document manager is a part of the Drake practice management suite, which also includes Drake Tax, CWU, and Planner, as opposed to being a separate program like many other alternatives.
But don’t let that make you think it’s any less effective or capable than a more conventional standalone. In order to enable businesses to safely store and exchange documents and important information with clients and partners, Drake Document Manager first and foremost offers a powerful secure document storage solution that connects with Secure File Pro. For an additional cost, it also has an integrated client portal.
Additionally, it provides extremely strong encryption, complex security and access restrictions, a remarkably user-friendly filing system, and fast e-signature capabilities via the other software suite modules.
Overall, if you want to choose a simplified all-in-one strategy rather than having a variety of accounting software solutions that may or may not work well together, this is a great option. However, there is one significant disadvantage to this, and that is its cost. This is slightly more expensive than FileCabinet CS because it is a whole accounting software suite as opposed to a solitary accounting solution. On the other hand, you get a single platform where you can manage your whole practice, allowing for exceptionally seamless workflows, outstanding data retention, and a significant improvement in your firm’s efficiency and accuracy.
Conclusion
Electronic Document Management (EDM) software can be a great way to manage and store documents, but it’s important to choose the right software for your business. By checking the compatibility of different software products and choosing the best option for your needs, you can create an effective and efficient electronic document management system.