Open Source - the modern way of software development
Initially viewed with skepticism, the open source concept has now established itself as a modern form of software development. Companies and institutions are also increasingly relying on open source systems. The pool from which developers can draw has been growing continuously for years. The constant further development and expansion by the worldwide community produces high-quality and reliable software, as many examples impressively demonstrate. We at bitfarm believe in the Open Source concept and have therefore developed our DMS and ECM system on the basis of free software.
What are the advantages of Open Source Software?
Expenses
The fact that bitfarm-Archiv Document Management is developed on an open source basis is initially an advantage for our company and our developers. They can fall back on a huge software pool, which is constantly further developed. This saves us license costs, resources and time in the development of our DMS. We pass this economic advantage on to our customers. As the Open Source idea provides, we do not charge any license fees for bitfarm-Archiv and guarantee this also for future versions and updates.
Reliability
In terms of future security, open source software is naturally unbeatable. The supplied source code as well as the numerous interfaces of the bitfarm-Archiv DMS enable further developments, changes or adaptation to special requirements even independently of the original provider. Unlike proprietary software, you and your company always retain control with an open source system. When it comes to warranty and liability, open source software and its providers are subject to the same laws as any other software.
Dependability
Anyone who entrusts documents to an electronic document management system demands security and reliability. The bitfarm-Archiv DMS and ECM is based on well-known free software components that have been used by companies and institutions for many years. For data storage, for example, we use the MySQL database, which has now even been certified by SAP. Just how reliable open source technology is can be seen in the Linux operating system, for example, which is known for its reliability.
Flexibility
Maintaining industry independence and offering all necessary tools at the same time to meet even very special requirements was and is one of the main goals in the development of our software. Thanks to its open architecture, bitfarm-Archiv Document Management also offers functions that were previously only available with expensive special software, such as contract and procurement management, procurement management or import and export tasks.
The open architecture and the resulting flexibility of the system also enable integration into very different IT landscapes. Our Open Source DMS has numerous interfaces and plug-ins for embedding in all common company software systems, such as ERP, merchandise management, PPS and mail systems.
What else is important to us
The primary aim in all our efforts and development principles is always the satisfied customer. We do not charge any license fees for our Enterprise Edition but only the costs for our service and support. Therefore a long-term, trusting and successful cooperation is essential for us. Accordingly high is our motivation always to offer the best service and to optimize our software constantly.
When developing the bitfarm-Archiv DMS, it was particularly important to us that the application was easy and comfortable to use for the users and at the same time offered a wide range of functions. The clear user interface in Windows Look & Feel and the straightforward structure of the storage compartments, search fields, result lists and document display enable intuitive operation, which minimizes training effort.
As far as the functionality is concerned, we have thought ahead with the DMS idea at an early stage and designed the bitfarm-Archiv accordingly. With our software, not only paper documents but also files of all kinds can be integrated into a media-independent company-wide information platform. With functions such as automatic versioning, check-in / check-out, document distribution, export and many more, bitfarm-Archiv offers everything you need to manage your company-wide content as part of Enterprise Content Management (ECM)
