Which Document Management Software is for you?
When it comes to document management software, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
The right document management software for your business depends on what’s important to you, and it may not always be traditional ‘document management software’. Sometimes a different software can give you a better outcome, whether thats for collaboration, storage or compliance.
In this guide, we’ll explore varying options, each suited for different aspects of document management, so you can decide what’s important at your business.
#1 SharePoint
• Document • Sharing Storage • Collaboration
Microsoft SharePoint is widely recognised for its powerful document sharing and collaboration capabilities. SharePoint is a great generalist when it comes to document management, designed primarily for businesses that need to organise, store and share large volumes of documents.
SharePoint integrates with other Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel and Teams, making it a great option for businesses who want a company-wide solution that’s compatible with their tech stack. It’s particularly useful for those looking to centralise document management, enabling version control, permissions and collaboration.
Why it’s good: SharePoint excels in document organisation, versioning, and large-scale collaboration within teams using Microsoft Office.
#2 Confluence
• Knowledge Management • Documentation
Atlassian Confluence is a great choice for businesses looking to manage not just documents but also team knowledge. It’s a powerful tool for creating and storing project documentation, meeting notes, and internal guides.
Confluence’s strength lies in its ability to serve as a knowledge hub, allowing teams to collaborate on content in real-time, track changes, and ensure easy access to the information that drives your business.
Why it’s good: Confluence is perfect for organising and managing team knowledge, keeping all essential information in one place for easy access.
#3 Read & Sign
• Policies • Procedures • Compliance • Agreements
Read & Sign stands out in the document management space by focussing on policies, contracts and compliance, offering a targeted solution for businesses that need more than document storage.
Read & Sign is designed for companies that need recipients to take decisive action on documents, whether it’s reading and acknowledging an internal policy, providing feedback or signing a contract. It excels in driving engagement, ensuring businesses not only distribute documents effectively, but capture crucial data and responses. This could be critical compliance data on employee policy awareness or securing signed agreements.
This makes Read & Sign a crucial tool for HR, compliance and legal teams,
Why it’s good: Read & Sign is the best choice for businesses that need digital signatures and acknowledgment tracking for policies and contracts.
#4 Hightail
• Creative Collaboration • File sharing • Projects
Hightail is built for projects, offering features that make it easy to collaborate, review and approve all kinds of files. It allows users to share, gather feedback and track progress of projects all in one platform.
The great thing about hightail is that it allows you to share documents and files with other businesses in a single shared space, making it great for those in joint ventures and business partnerships who don’t share the same tech, or those working on projects together.
Why it’s good: Hightail offers cross-business teams to collaborate on projects.
#5 Teams/Slack
• Real-time Communication • Collaboration
Microsoft Teams and Slack are both excellent tools for real-time communication, but they also offer document-sharing features that make project collaboration seamless.
These platforms integrate with various document management software solutions, allowing teams to share, edit, and collaborate on documents in real time. Slack and Teams are particularly valuable for businesses where fast communication and collaborative work are key to success.
Why it’s good: Teams and Slack offer real-time messaging and collaboration, making them ideal for fast-moving projects and document sharing.
What to consider next
After reviewing these options, you may be wondering, “Which one is right for my business?” It all comes down to your specific needs. Here are a few questions to help guide your decision:
What’s your main priority?
Do you need to store and organise lots of documents (SharePoint), do you need real-time collaboration (Teams/Slack), is your focus on project management (Hightail), or compliance and acknowledgement tracking (Read & Sign)?
How big is your team?
Larger teams might benefit from SharePoint’s organisational capabilities, while smaller teams may prefer something simpler like Slack.
What’s your workflow like?
Consider how your team works day-to-day. Do you need integrated document management within your communication platform (Teams/Slack), or a standalone document collaboration hub (SharePoint)?
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right document management software comes down to understanding your business needs. Each of the platforms mentioned here offers something different, from document organisation and knowledge management to project collaboration and compliance tracking.
Start by identifying what’s most important for your team and you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect solution.
