NetDocuments Overview
NetDocuments is a comprehensive, cloud-based document management system designed to serve a variety of industries, including law firms, financial services, manufacturing, and more. Here’s a detailed look at what the product does and its key features.
What NetDocuments Does
NetDocuments is a central platform for storing, organizing, and sharing documents. It eliminates the need for on-premise servers, allowing users to access and manage documents via a web browser. This cloud-based solution is tailored to enhance collaboration, productivity, and security across different types of organizations.
Key Features and Functionality
Document Storage and Organization
- NetDocuments provides basic inline storage for various file types, including Word, Excel, PDF, and more. It organizes documents using “workspaces,” which can be customized to fit the needs of different organizations, such as law firms organizing files by client or matter.
Microsoft Office Integration
- The software includes ndOffice, an add-in for Microsoft Office that allows users to save documents directly to NetDocuments. This integration extends to Outlook with ndMail, enabling seamless email management and filing. However, these integrations are currently available only for Windows users.
Search and Retrieval
- NetDocuments features powerful search capabilities, including full-text search across content and metadata, and customizable filters to refine searches. Users can also access frequently used content through a personalized home page.
Document Management
- The platform offers advanced document management features such as version control, unique document IDs, and tagging/profiling to classify and categorize documents. This ensures trackability and integrity of all documents.
Security and Compliance
- NetDocuments boasts robust security measures, including entropic key generation, dual-custody encryption keys, and compliance with over 38 different security standards and regulations. It also provides granular access controls, audit reporting, and ethical walls to ensure data protection.
Collaboration and Sharing
- The software includes a client portal for securely sharing documents with clients or external parties. It also supports user and group permissions to control access to documents and workspaces.
Automation and Integration
- NetDocuments integrates with various tools and systems, including Google Workspaces, Adobe Acrobat/Reader, and practice management software. It also offers automation capabilities through its PatternBuilder feature, which allows for the generation of entire document packages and workflow automation.
Accessibility and Flexibility
- Despite being primarily cloud-based, NetDocuments provides a sync feature (NDSync) for offline document access. It is compatible with Windows but does not natively support Mac OS, although Mac users can access it via Parallels or other virtualization software.
Implementation and Support
- The onboarding process for NetDocuments is managed by third-party authorized consultants, rather than directly by NetDocuments. The platform also offers 24/7 ISO-accredited support to ensure continuous assistance.
In summary, NetDocuments is a powerful document management solution that offers a range of features to enhance document storage, organization, security, and collaboration, making it a valuable tool for various industries.