Archive Management Software: What to Consider Before Buying
Archive management software (AMS) is designed to organize, manage, preserve, and retrieve archival materials, such as journals, reports, images, digital files, or objects.
An AMS also enables organizations to share any type of archival collection with the public or keep it available for private use.
However, not all archive management solutions are the same. Before investing, you should review several factors to find a system that fits your archival workflows, collection types, and long-term needs.
This guide helps you select the best archive management software.
7 Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Archive Management Software
Here’s what you need to consider when evaluating different archive management solutions.
1. Collection Scope
Think about the size and type of archival materials you manage. Some archive management systems work well for small collections, but they may struggle with larger archives or mixed materials.
Modern collections typically include books, reports, photographs, art prints, audio-visual materials, and objects, in addition to their born-digital counterparts and other rare items.
Choose archive management software that can support both physical and digital formats in one database. Make sure it can track boxes, shelves, and file storage locations just as easily as PDFs, Word documents, or digital folders.
You should also consider the software’s scalability. Your collections may expand due to ongoing document intake or changing user requirements. Using a system that handles only a limited number of records may create problems later.
Plan for future digitization projects and new acquisitions before making a choice.
2. Archival Standards
Archival standards guide how you describe materials, organize collections, and share data with others.
Select archive management software that supports standards, such as AACRII, ISAD(G), DACS, RAD, EAD, or Dublin Core, within the application.
Built-in support for various archival standards ensures data consistency, interoperability, and long-term archiving.
If your AMS does not support these standards, you risk disorganized, inaccessible, or damaged collections.
3. Digital Preservation Capabilities
Digital preservation is no longer optional. U.S. cultural heritage institutions hold at least 4.8 billion items. Yet, 1.3 billion items are at risk and need treatment or better storage conditions to remain usable.
The right archive management system helps reduce that risk by offering preservation workflows or integrating with digital preservation solutions.
It should track file formats, version history, storage details, and even file integrity over time. This helps your team act early, fix issues, and protect archival records before damage becomes permanent.
4. Metadata Management
Metadata provides context like creation dates, authors, formats, and relationships between records. It transforms raw files into manageable and discoverable assets.
The best archive management software provides robust metadata management. With this feature, you can manage authority files, taxonomies, term lists, and thesauri to improve information organization and retrieval.
You should also look for a system that easily manages a metadata thesaurus of controlled vocabularies. These keep terms, abbreviations, and acronyms accurate and consistent.
Another factor to consider is API support. This lets you share metadata with other systems to ensure metadata governance across systems.
5. Search Portals and Public Discovery Tools
Patrons, members, and researchers want simple search tools to browse your entire collection efficiently. Meanwhile, internal users want to find and retrieve materials faster.
Look for an archive management system with modern search portals that support advanced search functions while being accessible on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. These search portals benefit patrons and internal teams because they can start their search from any location or any device.
If you want to provide public access to your collections, consider search engine integration and social media API support. These capabilities help you promote resources to users around the world, which can improve information accessibility.
6. Secure Access
Choose an archive management platform that lets you control access to archival resources. Look for custom user roles, granular permission levels, and secure login portals.
These help you determine which modules, menu items, and information are available to internal and external users. They protect sensitive materials while still supporting community research.
In addition to strong access controls, consider archive management software with built-in security and auditing tools. These functionalities keep the database safe, which stores collection records, metadata, and digital archives.
If the database is not secure, records could be changed, deleted, or accessed without permission.
7. Total Cost of Archive Software
Cost is another factor to consider when evaluating different archive management solutions.
One of the first things you should review is the licensing fees. Some software vendors charge a one-time license fee, while some charge monthly/yearly recurring subscriptions. Confirm what the license includes and whether there are limits on users, records, or storage.
Next, calculate hosting costs. Some systems require you to host the software on your own servers. This is common with many open-source platforms. You must manage servers, storage, backups, and security, which demands internal IT support.
Other systems include hosting as part of the service. Cloud-based proprietary platforms usually manage hosting, security, and system updates for your archive.
Training fees can also add up. Staff need time and guidance to learn how to manage collections and records in the new system.
It’s important to consider the total cost of owning the archive management system, and not just the license fee.
Why Is Soutron the Best Archive Management Software?
Many archives manage unique collections that require specialized systems. Soutron Global stands out for its feature-rich, fully customizable archive solutions designed for various industry sectors and markets.
Here’s why Soutron is the best archive management software.
Support for Diverse Content Types
Soutron Archives can help you organize, store, and reference both physical and digital assets in one place.
The platform simplifies data capture for documents, reports, books, photos, manuscripts, and digital objects with full text indexing.
It also supports audio-visual online archives from sources like YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud. This lets you highlight corporate videos, podcasts, and presentations for human resources onboarding materials, marketing collateral, and other departments to catalog into the archive for easy user discovery.
Customizable Data Structures
Soutron lets you define connections between materials and organize records using multiple levels, such as fonds, series, sub-series, files, and items.
You can demonstrate your collections in the best way possible that matches your unique organizational needs.
A visual hierarchical view also helps users see where an item sits within the larger collection structure. This can engage patrons and enable them to access related materials with ease.
Flexible, Fully Branded Search Interface
Soutron offers a customizable search portal for archives. This enables patrons and end users to search, find, and retrieve archival materials quickly on any device.
You have complete control over the way collections are presented. You can change the layout, style, colors, fonts, graphics, branding, and carousels to improve user search experiences and enhance the archive image.
Soutron’s archive management system can also support single or multiple locations and integrate with SharePoint or Microsoft Active Directory when needed.
Here’s an example of a fully customized Soutron search portal that provides quick links to categories of information most requested by website visitors, including powerful search options that visitors can use to dive deeper into the archives:
Robust Copyright Control Features
Soutron provides copyright control features that strictly regulate who can view or download archival materials.
These controls are flexible, so you can protect valuable collections while still making them accessible to your user community.
Comprehensive Technical Support
Soutron offers reliable technical support that lets you focus on managing your collections instead of maintaining software.
Internal IT support is often not required, as Soutron’s help desk acts as a single point of contact if you need assistance or have questions.
Soutron’s experts also handle customization requests, system integration, hosting, maintenance, and training to ensure you get the most value from their archive management software.
Seamless Data Migration
Soutron provides data migration services, so you can confidently move records into the new platform without losing important metadata or collection structures.
The process begins with data collection, audit, and analysis. Soutron reviews your existing records and prepares a clear data conversion specification document. This document explains how the current data will be converted into the new database.
Soutron’s team will then perform data cleansing, mapping, conversion, and, finally, migration.
You get a new database schema design to support your archive’s search portal or OPAC.
Secure, Flexible, and Accessible Archive Management With Soutron
Soutron Global offers SaaS-based archive management solutions that enable organizations to showcase their collections in a way that’s accessible for users, patrons, and researchers.
It offers all the core modules you need to manage, catalog, preserve, and access your archival materials. There’s also a fully customizable website portal viewable on any device to improve information discovery.
Soutron’s archive management software lets you find physical and digital assets faster, respond to research requests more easily, and reduce time spent on manual processes.
On top of these capabilities, Soutron provides granular levels of security for different workgroups to protect sensitive records and private archives while still allowing approved users to access collections.
FAQs About Archive Management Software
What is archive management software?
Archive management software is technology that helps archives, libraries, museums, corporations, and legal firms organize and track their collections. It stores descriptive information about physical and digital materials in one place.
Many systems also include a search portal, thesaurus, and reporting. The right software can help staff manage records efficiently, enable users to find materials faster, and support sustainability over time.
What is the best archive management software?
The best archive management software depends on your collection materials, budget, and specific archival needs.
Soutron Global’s archive management solutions stand out because they offer flexible metadata structures, customizable search portals, secure access controls, and comprehensive support services.
How to migrate data from legacy archive management systems?
Begin with a full review of your existing data. Remove outdated or duplicate records before moving data to the new system using a secure network. Don’t forget to test the migration with a small data sample first. After data transfer, review the system for errors.
Alternatively, you can team up with a software vendor like Soutron Global. As experts in data migration, they will evaluate your collections to identify the best way to move them safely and securely to their new home.
