Drowning in documents - recommend doc management solutions?

Question

I've been researching document management lately.

I want to organise my docs at home and also at the office. Finding affordable solutions one can actually test drive is quite hard. Some that I've downloaded just don't seem to work (testing on brand new Vista PC). I've seen some software on Amazon like Paperport but not really sure what they're like.

For home I'd like something to organise files, full text search, good scanner integration, nice interface etc.

But for the office it seems harder. I need something that does proper workflow and keeps versions. It will have an audit trail. Documents can be approved, checked in/out etc. I know a few clients who would like something similar. It would be great just to import thousands of documents from a shared drive and get them indexed with dupes killed. I'd like to be super clear about how/where the documents are being stored so that maintenance and backups are clear.

My Google/twitter searches lead back to the same tired and vague webpages pushing what look like expensive and custom made solutions. Some might be very good I suppose but it's darn hard to tell.

I don't mind a hosted package but all in all I don't think something like Google Docs, as good as it is now, will work. There are too many quirks and missing features (as compared to Office). Being able to work directly with the common Office file formats is important.

I've noted a similar sounding question asked here back in August but it didn't seem to turn up too many solutions that I could easily and quickly apply. Also there could have been some changes since then so I feel it's worth asking.

Answer 1

I've found DocTagger an excellent solution. You can tag your Office documents with keywords - this way you don't need to maintain a complicated folder hierarchy to organize your files and you can easily find what you want. Oh, and did I mention it is free? :)

Answer 2

Google Desktop absolutely rocks.

Answer 3

My employer currently uses document management tools from both Ventyx and OpenText.

I agree, the web pages are vague, and the solutions are expensive. What ever you buy, plan on lots of time and effort to establish complete document indexes and train users. A good document management system can make your organization incredibly efficient, but only if you set it up properly.