OfficeDrop – A New Solution for an Old Problem

How do you share documents with colleagues or clients who live across the globe? When traditional mail and fax machines just aren’t cutting it, OfficeDrop is the solution. The web-based application has come up with a way for small businesses and freelancers to share documents with people who aren’t sitting one cubicle over, by introducing a cloud-based document storage system that lets people save, share, and archive more than 25 different types of files in the cloud.

Even if you don’t have access to a scanner at home, you can still use OfficeDrop to keep your documents organized online. Depending on the tools that you have available, you can either download the ScanDrop scanner software or mail your documents in prepaid USPS envelopes to be scanned and turned into search-able PDFs. If your documents are already saved in JPEG or PDF format, then all you have to do is upload or email them directly to OfficeDrop. Once your documents have been scanned and saved in OfficeDrop, you’ll be able to choose which other cloud-based apps you want to connect to. OfficeDrop makes it easy to connect to Evernote, Google Docs, FreshBooks, and QuickBooks. If you’re more concerned with archiving your documents than sharing them, then head straight to the OfficeDrop filing cabinet and begin filing and labeling right away.

Every document that’s filed in OfficeDrop is text-searchable, so you don’t have to worry about losing a file because it’s mislabeled or filed in the wrong folder. Even more importantly, the files that are saved in OfficeDrop can be accessed from anywhere, which means you can easily refer to an important contract or document whether you’re sitting in front of a desktop, walking on a jobsite with your iPad, or riding the train with your mobile phone. Every document that’s been uploaded to OfficeDrop is at your fingertips at all times, which is really what makes OfficeDrop so useful to entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Practical Uses:

• Upload important contracts and store them securely in the clouds
• Get access to a work document on your mobile phone
• Share files with colleagues working across the room or across the globe
• Archive expense reports that have already been imported into QuickBooks

Insider Tips:

• Use OfficeDrop’s prepaid envelopes to mail documents and have them scanned
• Documents can be accessed from a mobile phone, iPad, desktop, or the web
• Attach a document to an invoice to provide evidence of the work completed
• OfficeDrop connects with Google Docs, Evernote, FreshBooks, and QuickBooks

What we liked:

• People who use OfficeDrop can access their documents no matter where they are
• People who don’t have scanners can still use OfficeDrop
• Teams of remote workers can collaborate on important projects with OfficeDrop
• Files can be labeled, annotated, and organized into folders

What we didn’t like:

• Although OfficeDrop integrates with FreshBooks, it would be nice if the app integrated with additional invoicing tools, as well

Alternatives:

• Box.net – http://www.box.net
• Evernote – http://www.evernote.com
• Google Docs – https://docs.google.com

Company Info:

• Launched: 2007 (Previously Pixly)
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Founded by: Prasad Thammineni and Vikram Kumar
• Web site: http://www.officedrop.com

Costs:

• Digital Filing System is $9.95/month or $44.95/month
• Mail-in Scanning Service & Digital Filing System is $19.95/month or $99.95/month