Everyone loves free software, obviously because it’s free. Or is it?
Free software is something we hear about and see every day. These tools are presented as alternatives to popular paid tools which may be out of the reach of some. For many it sounds perfect, a blessing even, though something that is often never brought up enough is the opportunity cost of using these free software, and unfortunately many either remain oblivious or find out too late.
Businesses and companies adopt free document management software to cut operational costs, thinking they’re saving money not realizing that this cost-cutting may have other ramifications and hidden costs.
Free Document Management Software May Not Work For Everyone
Any company and organization that doesn’t want to waste time and resources on managing physical documents need a document management software. As such companies weigh their options and go through the various document management systems out there. Many stumble across free software that advertises to provide the same services at no cost at all, and hence they start using them.
Companies have specific requirements and workflows that have to align with goals. Advanced document management systems – such as Folderit – have the features, tools, and workflow automation possible to be adapted into any organizational and operational model.
Now granted some small and mid-range organizations may find free DMS useful in the beginning but soon after the cracks start to appear, and the costs of ‘free software’ becomes apparent.
The Developers Still Have to Make Money
Something to remember is that the company providing the free document management software still has to make money, otherwise they can’t sustain their software and accommodate the increase in the user base.
Some of the ways developers of free software make money are as follows:
Spyware & Selling Your Data
Spyware is software that scraps your personal information without you knowing about it and provides that information to hackers or people that will use said data to make money.
Spyware is common in free software, and it actively monitors personal and sensitive information. And the interesting part about this is that you may have agreed to this by clicking agree on the end user license agreement.
Adware – The Software Will be Plagued With too Many Advertisements
Most people have experienced this firsthand, that is the sheer amount of ads that free software has. These ads are a form of adware, that is advertising-supported software. These ads are used as revenue streams on free software, and the user is the one facing the onslaught of this advertising bombardment.
The Software May be Neglected for More Profit Streams
The software upgrades and improvements may be neglected in favor of more monetarily favorable additions by the developers of the free software in question. Meaning whatever changes they end up making will not be done with the priority of improving the user experience, but rather whatever makes them more money.
The Problems of Free Document Management Software
Lack Scalability
Free document management software is not scalable. There are severe limitations on the degree of scalability for companies, especially as you grow and have to add users, features, and storage to the DMS.
Little or no support
Another problem that plagues free document management software and much open-source software is the lack of software support. If you come across a problem and have to contact their support team then you will most likely come across a lot of issues. There’s not even a guarantee that the software will randomly one-day shutdown or not.
Security issues
One of the biggest issues of them all is security. To have superior security and data protection you need to pay more to add better internal security, something that is not available on free document management software.
Why Folderit’s Document Management System is the Best Option for your Business
Across the board Folderit’s document management system has the most to offer!
Folderit’s Freemium for Businesses
Folderit offers a 30-free trial for users. Allowing you to through the DMS and experience all the premium features, helping you ascertain the true value of the DMS.
Customizability
Folderit’s DMS is flexible for any type of Document management usage, be it records management, employee record management, and so on. The addition of custom metadata makes organizing and retrieving documents all the easier.
The Best Software Features
Great features are essential to a good document management software, Folderit provides features such as:
- 256-bit SSL Encryption with 2FA Security
- OCR
- Custom metadata
- File linking
- Approval workflow
- Automated retention
- Document Numbering
- Notifications
- Audit Trails
- File Versions
Such features are essential for organizations, especially as they scale.
Integrations that Your Business Needs
Integrations are essential for business processes and workflow. You have to be sure that whatever document management system you’re gonna be using has the right integrations for your needs.
Folderit’s Office 365 integration assures that you work with all MS Office software, whether individually or collaboratively. With the DocuSign integration, you can generate e-signatures and regulate an approval-based workflow. MAKE (formerly Integromat) allows you to use automation to improve your workflow and remove redundancies in your business processes. Azure AD allows for great user management, especially in larger organizations.
