It’s no surprise that small business owners are tightening their belts and looking for more efficient ways to run their businesses. One of the most effective ways is through data management software. It will immediately change the way your business runs, and you will be thrilled at the positive effect it has on your employees and customers. You can count on experiencing a reduction in paper use, easier financial tracking, increased internal and external communication, and the ability to search the database and find what you need in seconds.
The need for digitizing essential documents and setting up an information-sharing system will continue to increase into the future. The first step is determining which type of software might suit your needs.
On-premise system? Mobile accessible cloud system? Or a hybrid? Are you looking to reduce mounds of paperwork? Is security an issue? Are search capabilities critical? Is user-friendliness important? Is cost an issue?
4 Best Free Document Management Software for Small Businesses
If you are looking for the best free document management software available, you may want to start with a free system, yet remember free software generally limits its capabilities.
- OpenKM: OpenKM is an electronic document and record management system. It is an open technology, similar to JAVA, and works well with all browsers. The most significant advantage is that you can set different rules and logic to automate the documentation process. It is also compatible with the most common file types, like text, office, XMS, PDF, HTML, JPEG, and more.
PROS: Easy drag and drop function, integration capabilities with other ERPs, CRMs, and BPM tools.
CONS: The downside is that the user interface (UI) needs improvement.
- OpenDocMan: The OpenDocMan document tracking system is one of the best. It is written in PHP and can run on any web server that is PHP5 enabled. It works well on all operating systems and includes an efficient auto-installer and updater.
PROS: It is a lightweight solution that saves on infrastructure or cloud costs; it can save versions that avoid overwriting.
CONS: It lacks collaboration features and OCR (necessary for DMS used by businesses).
- Seeddms: Seeddms is another PHP-based and supports MySQL and sqlite3 databases. Its document scanning software is equipped with sharing and storing capabilities. The user interface is advanced and is responsive for screens of all sizes.
PROS: Full-text search functionality and enhanced workflow management
CONS: There is no cloud-based version and lacks advanced searches and collaboration features.
- Kimios: Kimios is based on an entire service-oriented structure, therefore functions on a client-server model. It is efficient for managing and tracking documents and offers direct integration to Windows OS, but a commercial license is required.
PROS: Some customizability, adaptable per existing ERP, CRM, and CMS systems, and provides complete document lifecycle management
CONS: There is no cloud support and lacks real-time editing capabilities.
When You are Looking for the Best in Affordable Document Management Software – think LedgerDocs!
Our annual plans are priced perfectly for small businesses, plus you can start a free trial to make sure it’s the software solution best suited for your business. All of our plans include Daily Activity Summary, Secure File Sharing, Telephone & Email Support, Live Dashboard, Daily Backups & Encryption, User Audit Trail, plus integration with QuickBooks Online, Dropbox, and ScanSnap!
