Features Comparison

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Full Feature Comparison

Click to view feature details >>	Personal	Professional	Enterprise
DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION & RETRIEVAL
Metadata based document tagging
FileSphere provides a business layer for tagging documents based on characteristics they have in common. Documents can be tagged according to industry specific, business specific or customisable metadata schema relevant to the user and the organisation. This allows documents to convey meaning that is not conveyed by the name of the document and makes it easy to detect duplicate documents. FileSphere Personal includes a single customisable schema only.
Dynamic document views
Users can dynamically organise, reorganise and view their documents and files into personalised views based on the user’s metadata selection. This allows users to navigate through a large number of documents to find a single document quickly and easily.
Drag & drop classification
Users can simply drag & drop documents into a view folder to automatically tag them with the view folder's properties. This dramatically reduces the time it takes to tag multiple documents at once. Documents inherit the properties of the view folder into which they are dragged as well as the properties of each view folder in a hierarchy.
Enforced classification (tagging)
Document tagging can be enforced throughout an organisation for all or some of the schema properties ensuring all essential metadata elements have values.
Enterprise navigation
By allowing users to dynamically organise their document hierarchy, they can navigate to documents faster and no longer need to remember document names or storage location to find files.
Enterprise search
FileSphere provides comprehensive keyword search functionality within document content, metadata values and metadata attributes across the entire document store. This allows users to quickly find all documents relevant to a particular keyword.
Internet, Web portal and desktop access
FileSphere is seamlessly integrated into Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating system, Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office applications (FileSphere Ribbon) and Microsoft Outlook.
Through its support for Windows Open, Save, Search and preview pane functionality, FileSphere is available within any desktop application.
FileSphere’s RetrieveAll Bar simplifies document access, providing the power of FileSphere’s built-in Retrieval Bar, on the user desktop or from within an enterprise portal.
FileSphere’s Web interface allows remote access, or access from a desktop where FileSphere is not installed, and provides users with everything they need to manage their documents from anywhere, at any time.
DOCUMENT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT
Document templates
Template documents can be accessed through the Template space, which provides unified and quick access to an organisation’s standard templates and master documents.
Creating and adding documents
New documents can be created and automatically classified from within FileSphere’s Windows Explorer interface. Documents can also be manually added using drag & drop or using right click from the local file or from within FileSphere’s Windows Explorer interface.
Existing documents can be automatically added and classified from the local file system using Pickup Folders.
Automated document versioning
Document versions are controlled automatically, with versioning automatically performed when documents are opened for editing (checked out) and returned (checked in).
Document finalisation
Once complete and ready for issuing, documents can be marked as finalised. Comments can be added as part of finalisation and the document's major version number will be automatically updated.
Document retention
Individual documents or groups of documents can be set to expire on a specified date. Expired documents are moved into an 'expired' section, where they can be archived and / or permanently removed by a user with administrator access rights.Expired documents can also be restored, if required ensuring no documents are mistakenly deleted.
Document disposal
Deleted documents are moved to the Shredder from where they can be restored or permanently deleted. Permanently deleted documents are moved into a 'deleted' section, where they can be archived and / or permanently removed by a user with administrator access rights. Deleted documents can also be restored, if required ensuring no documents are accidentally deleted.
Document migration
FileSphere provides a migration utility, which allows file system folder hierarchies to be moved or copied into the repository and the documents, contained within, to be migrated using smart tagging based on folder names.
DOCUMENT COLLABORATION & WORKFLOW
Personal workspace
FileSphere provides a virtual office desktop, with:
My Workspace – a space for active documents
In Tray – a space for documents received from peers
Out Tray - a space for documents sent to peers
Favourites - a space for shortcuts to commonly accessed documents
Each of these spaces contains a history pane, which acts as a 'recent documents' list for easy access and also provides a comprehensive activity log for security and audit purposes.
Document status
Document status details, such as checked in, checked out, finalised and the number of versions, are clearly displayed to all users.
Document sharing and review
To facilitate document review and assist work processes, users can send other FileSphere users documents or shortcuts to documents. FileSphere tracks shared documents and records details such as the sender, the date and time the document was sent and any additional comments.
Sent and received document notification
A system tray message notifies users as documents are sent or received. Sent documents are automatically added to the sender's Out Tray and received documents are automatically added to the recipient’s In Tray.
Offline document editing
Documents opened for editing are checked out to a user’s Workspace. A local copy of the document allows the user to disconnect from the central file store with the document available for checking in when editing is complete and once the user is back online.
Document and document group shortcuts
Shortcuts to FileSphere documents and groups of documents can be created external to FileSphere. FileSphere Shortcuts can then be used for linking to files or for file sharing and collaboration in a similar way that standard file shortcuts operate within the file system.
Automated document capture
Supported Microsoft Office application files can be automatically classified and added to FileSphere using the options available on the FileSphere Ribbon, and because FileSphere functionality is also embedded in the Windows 'Save as' dialog, files can be automatically classified and added to FileSphere from within any Windows application. Additionally, files can be automatically classified and added to FileSphere using designated pickup folders on the file system.
Scanner / camera integration
Scanned images can be tagged and added to the file store directly from any Twain compatible device including scanners and digital cameras, using the Acquire Images feature.
Fax and printer integration
Any electronic files can be automatically tagged and added to FileSphere from designated pickup folders on the file system.
ADMINISTRATION & SECURITY
Central management
All administration, file management and information storage is performed centrally to ensure the implementation of enterprise wide policies and security and to prevent unauthorised file access.
Microsoft Active Directory support
FileSphere supports Windows Active Directory, allowing administrators to centrally manage authentication and authorisation services; assign policies; and deploy software updates directly to client systems.
Familiar administration interface
FileSphere’s administration interface is displayed in a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) window, providing an intuitive and familiar environment for administrators to manage FileSphere functionality. FileSphere Personal includes classification and version administration only.
Comprehensive administration
The administration console provides access to all administrative functionality including security and access control; auditing, monitoring and activity logs; classification schemas; services; file storage settings; and management of deleted and expired documents and versions. FileSphere Personal includes classification and version administration only.
Document level access control
In a similar way to which Windows grants access to documents, user and group access can be granted/denied to individual documents or groups of documents.
User and group access control
File access can be controlled by assigning groups or users to specified access levels and then assigning these access levels to documents. Users are only able see files to which they have been granted access.
History and audit trail
FileSphere maintains complete document lifecycle and historical information for each file and its revisions. The details kept for each document transaction include user, type of access, and date and time of access. Activity logs and document history logs are accessible by users with administrator access only. Logs can be sorted and exported as plain text or comma delimited files.
Multiple document repositories
Multiple document spaces can be created and used, for example, to cater for situations where separate business divisions each require a separate repository. Each file repository can be physically distributed across multiple drives to increase efficiency and capacity, appearing as one repository to the user.
Enforced use of document management
FileSphere can be configured, using Windows Group Policy, to enforce saving of files to the file store from within Microsoft Office applications. This prevents users from creating and saving Microsoft Office files in their local file systems.
Files maintained in their native format
FileSphere maintains files in their native format, enabling administrators to restore files to the local file system, if required, without having to use FileSphere.
Backup and restore
To backup the entire file repository, including files, versions, metadata and schemas, FileSphere provides a wizard driven Backup and Restore tool. Backups can also be used to transfer a file store from one repository to another.
Import and export
FileSphere's wizard driven import / export tool provides administrators with a simple way of backing up, restoring or transferring schemas, metadata, documents or documents with their associated metadata.
Scalability and performance
To enhance performance and scalability, FileSphere Enterprise utilises Microsoft Internet Information Services for enhanced Web services communication, and Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server for enhanced file metadata management.
ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION & EMAIL MANAGEMENT
Microsoft Outlook integration
Individual emails and attachments can be tagged and automatically added to the file repository from within Microsoft Outlook, using FileSphere Outlook folder property rules.
Mail server integration
Individual emails and attachments can be tagged and automatically added to the file repository directly from email servers, using server rules.
Enterprise desktop integration
FileSphere is seamlessly integrated into the Windows operating system, Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office applications (FileSphere Ribbon) and Microsoft Outlook providing a familiar application interface for users. Through its support for Windows Open, Save and Search functionality, FileSphere is available within any desktop application.
Client API
FileSphere APIs provide third party organisations with a development interface for integrating information management into any enterprise or web application.
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