Online document management is a service which allows people to view, share, modify, and control documents online. A number of companies offer online document management services, and some companies create their own systems for internal use. Some services are free, while others charge fees to maintain the service and to provide extra benefits and services. It is not uncommon for companies to offer a suite of office-related services with online document management so that people can access everything they need in one place.
There are a number of reasons why people might want to be able to access documents online. One of the most common reasons is the desire to have a virtual office. With a virtual office, someone is not tied to a specific location or computer; it's possible to log on anywhere in the world to view documents online. In addition, people can share their virtual office, as for example when an editor works with a client in another country. The client can post documents online for viewing and modification by either party, a much more efficient approach than mailing documents or emailing them.
Online collaboration is also easier with online document management. Some companies have products which have been specifically designed to facilitate collaborative work, allowing multiple people to be logged into a document at once, making changes and adding comments. Electronic document storage can also be useful as a security measure, ensuring that if the document becomes corrupted in other formats and locations, it will still be available online.
It is possible to make online documents public or private. People sometimes provide resumes, clippings, and similar documents in a shared format so that prospective clients and interested members of the media can access them easily. On the other hand, people working on a confidential project might prefer a password-protected area for their documents to ensure that they are not seen by unauthorized personnel. People can usually adjust the privacy settings, including who is allowed to view the document, at any time.
People who are interested in online document management can serve from a number of services. It's important to think about what kinds of features might be desired before signing up with a service, and it can also be wise to ask other people who will be working on the same document if they have a preference. For example, someone might already have a subscription to a service and prefer to work with that one rather than subscribing to another service.