Review of CNG-SAFE - 2011

Cabinet NG, Inc. - CNG-SAFE
800-621-6501
www.cabinetng.com

From the June 2011 Review of Document Management Systems

Best Firm Fit:
CNG will fit in many different types of businesses, including, but not limited to, accounting and tax firms, as well as many of their clients. CNG is priced on a per-user model that allows organizations to increase or decrease the number of licensed users to meet the needs of the organization.

Core Product Functions/Features:
One way to describe the Cabinet NG (CNG) interface is “crisp.” It has the appearance of a very mature and well designed system, which it is. One particularly nice feature is the ability to sort folder lists by various fields such as the TIN, type of client, etc. The model used to organize files is a fairly traditional cabinet/folder/file model.

The sign-on dashboard offers a series of user-manageable panels that include recently viewed cabinets, workflows, scheduled “to do” tasks and a bookmark feature that lets users select a series of favorite documents/files for one-click access. CNG offers a unique “speed bar” that provides one-button access to email, document routing, file exporting, printing and file combining.

Files can be uploaded directly from Windows Explorer through a panel that displays folders from within the product. Files can be printed directly to CNG by using a proprietary Windows printer driver. Templates can be created that have pre-established metadata tags for quicker uploading of files. The metadata tags can be extensively customized to meet the specialized needs of a firm.

Document Workflow:
CNG is in a “horizontal” DMS group, which means that it has the flexibility to be deployed in many different types of organizations and across different departments. The application doesn’t include direct integrations pre-built for tax and audit software applications. Rather, separate tools are available to help users build their own integrations, including an API (application program interface) for custom programming and a feature called “Retriever” for accessing files stored in CNG without leaving the current application being used.

Direct integration with Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook is provided. E-mail messages can be dragged and dropped into CNG, and Microsoft Office files can be saved directly into CNG. This is an important feature to understand because some systems require you to save the files locally and then upload them to the DMS, which results in extra work.

The system includes an integrated workflow function for routing individual documents, groups of documents or an entire folder based on rule sets. Routing rules can be established based on desired criteria. For example, if the net worth of a client is above a certain level, a rule can be set to route the document to a designated individual, or if an accounts payable bill is over $100,000, a rule can indicate to route the invoice to the President for approval. A standardized note can be included with the routed documents and e-mail notifications to alert the recipient as to what action is requested of them. The most recent version of CNG includes a scheduling tool that lets users manage documents by other fields such as due date and renewal date for maximum efficiency.