Why does ION recommend Worldox GX2?

ION Resources recommends the Worldox family of products because we believe they represent the greatest value and benefit for the small to mid-sized law firm, Corporate Legal Department, and other document-intensive business', at the lowest cost.

We do not make this recommendation lightly. We've done our due diligence.

The founders of ION Resources (Don Lee and Jeff Taylor) worked together in an IT Consulting firm (we'll call it ITCO) that specialized in Technical Litigation Support for the "larger" firm, and provided IT consulting and support for small to mid-sized firms. ITCO's software development division utilized the MS SQL database extensively in building custom business software, so ITCO began researching SQL-based Legal  Document Management software, ultimately choosing a product which through the years morphed into the Hummingbird DMS. 
Move forward six months, when evidence indicated the product was a viable option for the "larger firm, but not as well-suited for the small to mid-sized firm. This "disconnect" was primarily due to the total cost of ownership, which for most firms included new hardware, MS SQL Server and User licensing, customization and installation,training, and on-going support for the MS SQL database. Small to mid-sized firms were not willing to make a "large" firm investment. ITCO began the process of evaluating DMS products that did not require a SQL database, ultimately settling on Worldox, which had consistently won awards and recognition from the legal technology community.

Fast Forward ten years:

ION Resources was founded in July 2007 to do two things very well - Worldox Document Management and Custom Software Development. Our history serving the legal community and the Document Management world has shown us that:

  • ION believes that SQL-based DMS' are quite robust, and arguably the best choice for most "large" law firms. Many large firms already use SQL-based accounting/billing and case management software, requiring fewer infrastructure upgrades, etc. And, they more than likely have adequate resources for on-going support.
     
  • ION does not believe that SQL is necessarily a "better" platform for a DMS. An often unanswered question is, "Why is a SQL database required for a Document Management System?". SQL has its place, but a large majority of small to mid-sized firms would receive little to no benefit from a SQL vs. non-SQL DMS.

  • The most popular legal DMS products all offer similar "core" features and functionality. The SQL-based products require purchase of additional "modules", for instance E-Mail Management, which is included in Worldox GX2. The SQL-based products do offer a number of additional modules for workflow automation, etc. However, most appear to be of little interest to the small to mid-sized firm.

  • The Worldox Distributive database architecture (Click here to learn more) has proven to be very stable and reliable platform, offering unique advantages compared with more costly and complex SQL-based solutions. "SQL-free" Worldox is a rock solid foundation for small to mid-sized law firms, and for firms with as many as 500 Attorneys and multiple locations.

  • Worldox has long been regarded as the #1 DMS for the small to mid-sized firm, evidenced by numerous awards and recognition over the years (Click here to learn more). Most recently, Technolawyer's 2009 survey selected Worldox as the Best Legal DMS, chosen over the SQL-based DMS products.  

ION's Software Development staff is uber-experienced (average 15+ years) with MS SQL and utilize it every single day while designing and creating custom business software applications. We deeply understand the pro's and con's of both platforms. If a SQL-based Document Management software were a "better" value for small to mid-sized firms then we would sell SQL-based DMS software.

What’s more, Worldox offers an astonishing ROI. Law firms sometimes question the benefits of technology spending because the benefits often appear too intangible, especially in a tough business climate. But ask yourself this question: What could each of your Attorneys and Staff produce if they suddenly discovered an extra hour a day to do their work? See how much Worldox GX2 could save your firm.