Comparing Document Management Software Tools
BY IT GLUE | January 29, 2021
So you have recognized the need to invest in an IT documentation solution. Good call. Without one, you’re operating in chaos, and chaos is a ladder down to productivity hell. If you’ve ever been to productivity hell, you know it’s to be avoided at all costs.
How do you arrive at the right IT documentation solution for your business? An important, very much valid question at this juncture. Read on to find out three deal breakers you must look out for when comparing IT documentation solutions.
Standardized, centralized and structured documentation
All three are equally important attributes. Standardization ensures consistency in documentation, while centralization and structure make the information easy to access.
Find out if the solution comes with pre-built documentation templates for flexible assets. Besides bringing consistency across end-users, these templates act as a guide to your entire team — allowing them to document and troubleshoot faster.
Ideally, documentation should be recorded in a structured format so that related items can be linked together and stored in an interconnected hub. Because the data that exists in silos is harder to locate, understand or put to use.
Hence, look for the solution that has a central hub where you can create logical, two-way connections between pieces of information. That way, your employees won’t have to search for related information each time; it automatically pops up on the right-hand side of their screen. Not only does it improve your team’s efficiency, but it also makes them independent.
High degree of automation
Let’s be honest, documentation is a tedious and time-consuming activity. Given a choice, not many in your organization would want to do it. So, asking employees to document everything manually may not be a good idea.
Instead, go for a documentation solution that offers a high degree of automation. Ensure it has open APIs, integrations with the rest of your tech stack (RMM, PSA, BC/DR) and the ability to make bulk changes or uploads. The aim should be to try and automate as much as you can. Your employees will be much happier, and they will get more time to focus on their core tasks.
Secure environment
Typically, a documentation solution houses a lot of sensitive information, including passwords, user credentials, firewall data, critical SOPs, among other things. With cyber criminals on the prowl more than ever, you can’t opt for a solution with weak defenses. Data breaches, downtimes and cyber-attacks can cost you a fortune and cause irreparable damage to your reputation.
While evaluating different documentation solutions, keep an eye out for the measures they have taken to protect the security and privacy of the data entrusted with them. A platform that takes security seriously will provide features such as MFA, SSO, granular security permissions, host-proof hosting for passwords. Most importantly, they will be SOC 2 compliant.
Wrapping up
There are certainly few more factors that you should look at, such as pricing, customer support, user interface, and other requirements specific to your company. However, ultimately, the platform you choose should help your team become more efficient and grow your business faster.
And that’s what IT Glue is all about. We come from an MSP background and have built our product with the sole mission of improving the efficiency of MSP and internal IT teams. We offer every functionality listed above and so much more.
If you’re ready to take the next step and get a better sense of how IT Glue works, the major features, and the advantages to your business, download our IT Glue Buyer’s Guide.
