Find out who offers the best document scanning and storage solutions for start-ups, small-to-midsize businesses, and enterprises.
Whether you’re a company of one or working for a multinational enterprise, your ideas and processes can’t live on a sticky note. At least, not forever. That means you and your team will need to find a way to store, organize, and manage your documents. In other words, you’ll need a document storage system. Let’s define what a document storage system is and take a look at some of the best document storage solutions for start-ups, small and mid-sized businesses, and enterprises.
Read our free ultimate guide to learn how you can effectively implement the best document storage system for your business.
What is a document storage system?
Document storage systems allow you to control storage, sharing, tracking, and organization of digital or digitized files. While manila folders in filing cabinets may never disappear completely, it’s no longer the best way to store documents. Managing your business, client, and vendor information with a document storage solution is not only more efficient and convenient, it’s also more secure (after all, you can’t spill coffee on a digital invoice).
Companies that have to follow a lot of regulations, such as those in the legal, healthcare, finance, or government sectors, may especially benefit from a robust document storage system because managing documents securely can help with compliance. Luckily there is an abundance of solutions on the market for every business, both on-premise and in the cloud.
Document storage systems for start-ups
Alfresco Content Services by Hyland
Start-ups need an affordable solution, which usually means getting a cloud-based document storage system, such as Alfresco Content. An enterprise content management system for financial services, healthcare, government, publishing, and insurance companies, Alfresco provides document storage, management, and file recovery. But most importantly for budget-conscious startups, they offer a free plan.
Key features
- Document classification
- File recovery
- Optical character recognition
- Version control
- Archiving and retention
- Cloud-only
Clio
Clio is a law practice management software that offers a document storage solution for legal teams. Besides document management, Clio also offers billing capabilities and a CRM, so small law firms can truly get the most out of one platform. Users gave Clio five stars for its access controls and permissions feature (especially relevant in the legal industry), ease of use, and customer support.
Key features
- Status tracking
- Archiving and retention
- Access controls/permissions
- Communication management
- Email management
- Cloud-only (with a desktop app option)
Google Workspace
We would be remiss not to mention the elephant in the room of data storage systems — Google Workspace — probably the most accessible tool for new businesses. And if you’re just starting out and don’t have that much documentation to worry about, Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) can also be fairly cost-effective.
Google Workspace can be a fit for start-ups in a variety of industries. Reviewers repeatedly praise Google Workspace for its collaboration and sharing features and real-time updates.
Key features
- Calendar management
- Real-time updates
- Third-party integrations
- Mobile access
- Alerts/notifications
- Cloud-only (with a desktop app option)
Did You Know?:The ScanSnap iX1600 can turn your scanned document into a searchable PDF, an editable Microsoft Word Doc, or a JPEG file in a matter of minutes. Click here to learn more.
Document storage systems for small and mid-size businesses
M-Files
M-Files is considered one of the most straightforward digital document archiving solutions for small businesses in the accounting, management consulting, financial services, life sciences, and manufacturing industries. Its impressive metadata-driven search feature gets high marks from reviewers, as does its seamless integration with Microsoft products.
Key features
- Archiving and retention
- Compliance tracking
- Document generation
- Version control
- Document classification
- On-premises (Windows only) and cloud-based
DocuPhase
Legal teams, manufacturing companies, healthcare organizations, and higher education institutions use the DocuPhase document storage system to set custom access for confidential documents and easily share files across the organization.
Despite being an out-of-the-box software, many users praise DocuPhase for being incredibly customizable and having great collaboration tools.
Key features
- Compliance tracking
- Document generation
- Electronic signature
- Reporting/analytics
- Online invoicing
- On-premises and cloud-based
eFileCabinet
eFileCabinet offers secure electronic signature gathering capabilities, robust search functionality, and governance implementation to small and mid-size businesses in the accounting, human resources, IT, and legal industries.
Most reviewers say they find eFileCabinet easy to navigate and were able to set up and customize user permissions easily.
Key features
- Data security
- Multi-party signing
- Archiving and retention
- Access controls/permissions
- Document management
- On-premises and cloud-based
Document storage systems for enterprises and international corporations
NetDocuments
An on-premises and cloud-based document storage system, NetDocuments is tailored to companies in the legal, healthcare, government, and higher education sectors. It gets rave reviews from users for its easy-to-use intuitive interface and excellent customer support.
Key features
- Version control
- Archiving and retention
- Collaboration tools
- Mobile access
- Email management
- On-premises and cloud-based
Optix by MindWrap
Optix is a document management and workflow software for teams in legal, higher education, product development, manufacturing, and non-profit industries. It works on both Windows and Mac operating systems, making it a good choice for organizations that like to mix and match their tech selection.
Reviewers give Optix five stars for ease of use and customer support, with a few users mentioning that they’ve used Optix for over 15 years.
Key features
- Mobile document management
- Archiving and retention
- Compliance tracking
- File conversion
- Optical character recognition
- On-premises and cloud-based
Document Locator by ColumbiaSoft
Document Locator is a document storage and management solution integrated with Microsoft Windows. Meant for larger enterprises in the HR, legal, accounting, and quality assurance fields, this solution can be built right into Windows Explorer and Microsoft Office, making it easy to control document versions and manage workflows.
Users praise Document Locator for its security capabilities (because Document Locator is built into Windows, data is stored on the Microsoft SQL server) and email management tool.
Key features
- Customizable user access (role-based)
- Version control
- Paperless e-form processing
- HIPAA compliant
- Search feature
- On-premises and cloud-based
Did You Know?:Our PaperStream Capture scanning software gets your documents to the right location in the correct file format and works with any fi Series scanner. Click here to learn more.
Our recommendation: fi Series scanners
Those in the market for a high-performance desktop scanner to accompany their document storage system have no shortage of options. We take great pride in having spent the last 50+ years researching, designing, and developing some of the most advanced and powerful electronics in the world, including our professional grade fi Series scanners.
Built to purpose for the most demanding document handling jobs, fi Series scanners are capable of processing tens of thousands of pages per day at the highest levels of accuracy. Their intuitive integration capabilities with all existing work suites minimize time-to-value for businesses looking to invest in tools that will pay dividends for years to come.
One such example is the fi-8170 scanner. Made for demanding, high-volume workflows, the fi-8170 uses our proprietary Clear Image Capture (CIC) technology to deliver crisp, accurate images of forms, invoices, cards, passports, and even booklets up to 7mm in thickness. With a scanning speed of up to 70 pages per minute, the fi-8170 is an ideal choice for teams in the healthcare, legal, education, manufacturing, and retail industries. Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our production scanner line.