If you have a distributed team, you know that it is challenging to keep everyone on the same page, not just with communication but files as well. There are lots of mobile content management systems out there, but they all have different feature sets, which makes the problem even worse. Here's some tips to helping soothe your distributed team content nightmares.

Files sync automatically

"Did someone send the latest sales numbers to Dave?" "Have you seen the latest training video?" If your content mangement software syncs files automatically, your team will ask questions like these less frequently. When files are pushed to your devices automatically - including fat content, like video files - everyone can be on the same digital page.

Old files go away (if needed)

Getting all the latest files automatically is nice, but your storage system can quickly turn into a mess if you still have all of the previous content hanging around. Instead of relying on the people on your team to keep their BLAH, choose file management software that can delete old versions of files upon request. (This includes being able to wipe all of the files in case of loss or theft!)

Full annotation with video

It's helpful if everyone has a copy of the same document. It's *not* helpful if everyone then keeps sending feedback through a massive e-mail chain or, even worse, separate text or chat messages. You either have too much information, or potentially not enough. If everyone on the team has the ability to annotate the documents themselves and share back with the team, it keeps all of the comments in one place, where it belongs - with the document itself.

Permissions levels/privacy

Occasionally you want Michelle to see a file, but Dave doesn't need it. That's where it's handy to be able to set permissions on the file as to who can see it and who can't. This can come in handy for semi-confidential topics like hiring discussions, or sending a video showing a water leak to your facilities manager that the rest of the team won't have an interest in.

One system, not many

In the age of technology, when there are over 2 million apps to choose from just on Apple's App Store, it helps to have your files living on one system. It's nice to be able to say "Everything lives here, not on (5 other file storage system names)." Your team will thank you for taking a stand and keeping everything contained.

Each mobile content management system has its own specialty features that they tout as being the reason to sign up with them. The features above are just a guide to what you should expect from any Enterprise Content Management System. No ECM may be perfect, but ones that meet this criteria will go most of the way toward giving you and your team a good night's sleep.

To learn more download our latest guide on Mobile Content Management for the Enterprise