Item: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Rating: 10
Author: Lourie Holl

Overall Satisfaction with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC forms part of the standard installation policy and you can find it ever PC and Macbooks in the company. Every department uses it as the go-to PDF reader since it's light and integrates well with the Google Chrome browser. It is also extensively used to sign documents digitally and avoid unnecessary printing and scanning.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Reads any kind of PDF document
Sign documents digitally with your own signature
Protect filled-in and completed documents from further editing or tampering after signing

Cons

For a while the browser integration was not stable and crashed periodically (this issue has been fixed in the latest updates)
Basic PDF editing functionality is missing and could be very advantageous. Just add a few watered-down editing features of Acrobat Pro.

Most Important Features

Ability to read and display any PDF document
Ability to password protect documents
Ability to digitally complete and sign documents

Return on Investment

It's available for free, so there is no excuse to not install
Contains features that you would normally have to pay for in competitor software, so it has a positive impact on ROI
Reduces the amount of printing
Decreases the amount of time spent on regulatory and governance documentation

Alternatives Considered

Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator CC

Adobe Acrobat Reader [DC] works well with all the other applications in the Adobe Suite but does not replace Adobe Acrobat Pro, which allows detailed editing of PDF documents. Because it's free, it can be installed company-wide and ensures everyone in the organization can read and view PDF documents exported from these applications.

Key Insights

Do you think Adobe Acrobat Reader delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Adobe Acrobat Reader's feature set?

Yes

Did Adobe Acrobat Reader live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Adobe Acrobat Reader go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Adobe Acrobat Reader again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Illustrator CC

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Acrobat Reader DC works particularly well where different departments have to fill in, complete and sign regulatory or governance documents. In the past, these documents would have to be printed and completed by pen, signed and then scanned. This resulted in a loss of quality and also occasional legibility issues where space is too small to complete by pen. Signing and completing documents digitally negates these issues with grace.

Comments

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The PDF reader every PC or Mac should be shipping with