DocuWare vs. Alfresco vs. M‑Files

We currently have a scenario where we print 1,000 documents per month, one for each resident. Because of DocuWare's ability to process barcodes, we dump that pdf to DocuWare and it files it into each resident's account. We then run scripting to add each of those documents to our cloud-based property management software. Saves having to process one document at a time per resident.

Incentivized

Easy integration with the external APIs Workflows can be invoked via REST call Wonderful swagger documentation for process REST APIs REST, MULE, CAMEL, Google Drive, and Box features are available with Alfresco Process Services The micro-service version deployment should be well documented and needs improvement

Incentivized

M‑Files is great for companies with multiple locations. Drive letters can become cumbersome to use and collaborate with colleagues and M‑Files fills that gap. The check out/check in system is great and allows only one editor at a time. This can be good and bad depending on the situation.

Incentivized

• OCR is very good
• Support
• Ease of use

Incentivized

• Basic workflows are easy enough for casual users to set up and utilize.
• Cloud sync capability provides a great way to share documents with third parties and to use as a backup system for critical documents.
• Alfresco mobile app makes it easy for those on the road to access, approve and share documents.
• Folder rules are easy to set up and make assignment of metadata easier to automate.

Incentivized

• Reliable: Our M-Files system has only gone down one time (for a very short period of time) at the beginning of the two years that we have been with M-Files. Our previous vendor's system had so many downtimes that our IT Department had to assign an associate to work with me for sending out notifications to associates etc. With our last vendor, one day I came to work and only 60 of the 260 consent for surgery forms were available to our end users although they were visible to me as the Administrator but weren't showing up for the end-users!
• Our M-Files system was created for us. It was created by working with developers to only have on our system what we required, and I must say, there were so many extra features that M-Files offered in our program that weren't available with our previous vendor. As mentioned previously, we can have two policies or forms visible to the end-user so one can be listed as "draft" or "training only" so our end users can read and use for training as we get ready to roll out a new medical record system. I can also preload policies and leave them in the working stage until they are approved and go back and publish them the day they are approved. The list goes on with so many great features.
• Our end users would say the greatest asset of this product is the search function. It's amazing how fast it is. There are many ways to search out a form or policy which makes it a true asset for our associates.

Incentivized

• No active directory integration, this doubles up user management.
• No Outlook integration. Would be nice to be able to interact with Docuware from email.
• No mobile application. We have many remote users that would benefit from this.

Incentivized

• Alfresco Process Services and Alfresco Application Development Framework integration makes for best functionality/application of ECM.
• Use case alignment - Marketing content and documentation of specific business requirements and user stories being available as reference material/documentation.
• Integration with multiple silos for content.

Incentivized

• If you are new to Electronic Document Management, this can be a really difficult product to roll out. Since it is infinitely versatile, there are infinite ways to configure it wrong. I highly recommend the M-Files admin training offered by M-Files as it will set you in the right direction.
• Many options are paid add-ons. So while you are not paying for what you don't need, many great features will come at a cost.
• If you don't have a technical person on staff, this will be tricky to maintain. Not impossible. If your processes do not change, once setup it will be fine.

Incentivized

Docuware has become a vital part of our organization.

Incentivized

As per the current market and the line of products that are available for content and document management system, Alfresco is a very good option compared to other systems in terms of features and cost. Plus the community support is great. Also since the product is open source, it can be extended or understood in a better way.

Incentivized

M-files meets our almost all needs, we dont have other option to replace m-files. it saves lots, like Hardware because of Vault Feature means we can create many vaults (mini-servers) in m-files in other solutions we need more hardware for more installations.

Incentivized

Fairly intuitive for average users.

Incentivized

The UI is very intuitive, most of our users figure out how to use the platform by themselves, so there's not much training needed.

You can upload files by using the web drag and drop, WebDAV, FTP, and more.

Most of the platform already works as-is so you can just deploy it using Docker and it's mostly ready to go.

Incentivized

It is a powerful system that can locate content fast and effectively. The system takes quite some time to setup initially. It can be hard for M-Files support to know how businesses operate and how they want to use the system in a way that works for them. The customization makes it great for companies to cater to their own needs. Once the system is set up in a way that makes sense for the business, the user experience is positive. There is room for improvement in the notifications, workflow, and support areas.

Incentivized

always there.

Incentivized

I noticed some lagging with the integration with Microsoft Office but not so much that I would not use it. It has gotten better with updates. to be fair the issues were when Office 2013 first came out.

Incentivized

We use a third-party company to assist in the support process, and they have been great to work with. Quick turn around on issues and almost immediate communication concerning support tickets. They are more than willing to consult with our IT partners as well, which is a must for our business.

Incentivized

I am not big fan of Alfresco Content Services' support; it works on its own speed and sometimes it becomes challenging to achieve business needs. However, I appreciate regular delivery of security patches and updates

Incentivized

Usually when I need help from them I got support and it was very good and focused to solve my problem. I didn't have so many problems, but when used it worked. I just would like to have a support in my native language, but I can understand that sometimes is hard for the companies.

Incentivized

We had online conference call training with a recording to use later as needed

Incentivized

They answer all questions and record your training for later use.

Incentivized

Process was relatively smooth and overall, downtime minimal. MSI was very responsive to our needs and made the transition easier than it otherwise might have been.

Incentivized

The key insight is that the most important thing is to have a open mind. The application is easy to use, but if you have a company with different views and it is not aligned could be a huge problem. So the company transformation is required together with the application. Ensure to use as much as possible the capabilities of the application helps to have best ROI.

Incentivized

Managing documents and processes are very similar. The added value of Docuware Cloud is seen in the administrative management and the investment cost.

Incentivized

All software has some pros and some cons. Alfresco has some good pluses, and suits our environment very well. It fit perfectly in the place that we are working on. That is why we decided to go with this software. Overall, the kind of content management that needs to be done in an organization is what would determine which software to use.

Incentivized

The customization ability seemed to be a level above and easy to navigate and available options are constantly being reinvented. We have used OnBase for years and now desire to move away from this option for a number of reasons.

Incentivized

do so much more than we need but has all the stuff we do need.

Incentivized

• Allowed us to do multiple hours less data entry per client/per week.
• ROI very quickly.
• Package is customizable so you can scale as needed.

Incentivized

• Instant document lookup - No paper files to mail which saves in all areas of postage, truck delivery, physical storage warehouse space, printing, etc
• No longer losing important documents - Previously with paper files things would go missing and those could be costly reports/assessments.
• Ability to secure documents and provide access to only those who should be allowed to see that content

Incentivized

• M-Files allows us to track important milestones and expiration dates. We are now able to easily track revisions to contracts with community partners and record comments and history in one place.
• We are able to track all contracts that come through our District and to create monthly reports to present to our Board.

Incentivized