infoRouter FAQ

Whether you are evaluating infoRouter for the first time or comparing it against other document management systems, these are the questions we hear most. They cover what infoRouter does, how it deploys, what it costs, and how to get started.

If your question is not listed here, contact us or email sales@inforouter.com. For definitions of the terms used here, see the document management glossary.

What is infoRouter?

infoRouter is enterprise document management software developed by Active Innovations, Inc., a software company founded in 1998 and headquartered in East Setauket, New York. It provides secure document storage, version control, audit trails and full-text search, and supports compliance with SOX, HIPAA, ISO 9001, GDPR and 21 CFR Part 11. Workflow, records management and infoRouter Connect (AI) are optional modules, licensed separately. infoRouter runs on a server you control, on-premise or in your own cloud account, on Windows Server with SQL Server or MySQL, and supports 10 to 10,000+ concurrent users. Customers include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bayer and T-Mobile, and thousands of businesses across 50+ countries, from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises.

What types of documents can infoRouter manage?

infoRouter manages any file type in its native format. No conversion is required. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook emails, PDFs, HTML, XML, images, photographs, scanned documents, video, audio, engineering drawings, and program source code.

Every document type supports the same version control, search indexing, access permissions, and workflow routing. You do not need separate modules for different file formats.

Can infoRouter manage emails?

Yes. There are two ways to get emails into infoRouter:

1. Outlook Add-in. Send emails directly from Microsoft Outlook into infoRouter with a single click. Emails are stored with their attachments, and all fields (To, From, Subject, Date) are captured and indexed for search.
2. Email Scanner. A standalone tool that monitors configured email accounts and automatically pulls messages into designated infoRouter folders. No manual intervention required.

Once stored, emails are managed like any other document: version-controlled, searchable, and secured by folder permissions.

Does infoRouter offer version control?

Yes. infoRouter tracks every version of every document with numbered versions, timestamps, and author attribution. Key capabilities include:

1. Check-in/check-out. Locks a document when someone is editing it, preventing simultaneous overwrites.
2. Major/minor/revision numbering. Supports structured versioning schemes.
3. Version comments and tags. Each version can carry an author note and a tag for easy identification.
4. Tamper-evident storage. A checksum is stored for each version, so any change to the file can be detected.
5. Unlimited versions. No limit on the number of versions you can store. A built-in Compact utility reclaims disk space by removing old versions when needed.

The most recent version is always the default. Prior versions are always retrievable.

How does infoRouter handle document security?

infoRouter security operates at three levels: Library, folder, and document.

• Library membership controls who can access each workspace. Users who are not members of a Library cannot see it.
• Folder and document permissions can be assigned to individual users or user groups, with granular read, write, and administrative rights.
• LDAP / Active Directory integration synchronizes users and groups automatically, so your team maintains a single set of credentials.
• Windows Authentication allows users to log in with their existing Windows credentials.
• Google and Microsoft sign-in lets users log in with their Google or Microsoft 365 account through OAuth.
• Audit trails record every security change, so you can trace who assigned permissions and when.

Can infoRouter help with search?

infoRouter provides full-text content indexing combined with metadata search. You can find documents by:

• Content. Words or phrases inside the document.
• Filename. Partial or exact match.
• Author, date, or modification time.
• Custom properties. Any metadata field you define (invoice amount, project number, client name, document type).

Example searches: "Find all invoices over $125" or "Find all correspondence where the company name is ACME." Comments written on documents are also included in the search index.

Does infoRouter support workflow automation?

Yes. The Workflow module, licensed separately, routes documents for review, approval, or action. Each workflow can include:

• Sequential or parallel routing to multiple users
• Email notifications and task assignments at each step
• Deadline tracking with escalation
• Digital sign-off to confirm review and approval
• Full audit trail of every action taken

Common uses include invoice approval, ISO document periodic reviews, proposal routing, and policy sign-off. Recurring workflows can be configured for documents that require regular review cycles.

What compliance standards does infoRouter support?

infoRouter's document control, audit trail, retention, and access control features support compliance with:

• SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act)
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
• ISO 9001 and other ISO standards
• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• 21 CFR Part 11 (FDA pharmaceutical and medical device requirements)
• DoD 5015.2 (Department of Defense records management guidelines)
• FINRA / SEC (Financial services)
• VERS (Victorian Electronic Records Strategy)

Retention and disposition schedules, part of the Compliance module (licensed separately), define how long each kind of record must be kept. Disposition workflows ensure documents are reviewed before deletion. Audit trails provide documented proof of compliance for regulators and auditors. Compliance also depends on your own policies and on how you configure and use the system.

Is infoRouter HIPAA compliant?

No software makes an organization HIPAA compliant on its own. infoRouter supports HIPAA compliance with permissions at the library, folder and document level, audit trails that record every view, edit and download, and deployment on a server you control, so protected health information stays inside your network. Retention schedules are part of the Compliance module, licensed separately. Compliance also depends on your own policies and on how you configure and use the system.

Can infoRouter help with ISO document control?

Yes. ISO compliance requires standardized procedures that are periodically reviewed, version-controlled, and approved by authorized personnel. infoRouter supports this through:

• Recurring review workflows that automatically route procedures for periodic review
• Version control that tracks every revision with timestamps and approvals
• Access controls that ensure only authorized users can modify controlled documents
• Notification subscriptions that alert stakeholders when documents change
• Audit trails that document the full review and approval history

Periodic review and the ISO Log are part of the Compliance module, licensed separately.

What are the system requirements?

infoRouter is an on-premise, web-based application that runs on industry-standard Windows Server platforms. Deployment options include:

• Single server. IIS, database engine, and document Warehouse on one machine.
• Distributed. Multiple servers for larger deployments.

No client-side installation is needed. Users access infoRouter through a web browser. The MS Office Add-in and WebDAV provide additional integration for users who work primarily in Word, Excel, or Windows Explorer.

What is a typical implementation timeframe?

Installing the infoRouter software takes 15 to 20 minutes. That is the setup of the program on a server that is already prepared. A proper implementation starts well before that: getting hardware and software that meet the system requirements, deciding your Library and folder structure, deciding who will use the system and with what rights, setting up user groups and naming the people who will administer it. How long that takes depends on your organization. The infoRouter implementation checklist lists every step before and after installation.

Key implementation steps:

1. Prepare a server that meets the system requirements, with a supported database
2. Plan your Library and folder structure, users, groups and administrators
3. Install the infoRouter software (15 to 20 minutes)
4. Import users and groups from LDAP/Active Directory
5. Create your Libraries and folders and apply permissions to groups
6. Define custom property sets and form templates as needed
7. Migrate existing documents with bulk import in the browser, then test backups

Since infoRouter is web-based, no client-side installation is required. Users can begin working as soon as they have credentials.

Do we need a dedicated system administrator?

No. infoRouter needs an administrator, but not a full-time one, and not a single person. Day-to-day work is shared across built-in roles: Library Managers run their own Libraries, User Managers manage user accounts, and Records Managers (the retention and disposition managers) look after retention and disposition. System administration itself can be delegated to members of the Administrators group, so no one person becomes a bottleneck.

Library Managers can be delegated to handle most administrative tasks within their own Libraries, including creating local users, managing groups, and configuring folder settings. This distributes the workload across the teams that own the content.

How is infoRouter licensed and priced?

infoRouter licensing consists of a Server License and Client Access Licenses (CALs). The minimum configuration is a 10-user system, starting at $7,250. There are no per-document fees and no storage tier charges.

Customers who subscribe to the maintenance program receive all updates, including patches, enhancements, and new versions, for as long as their subscription is active. If maintenance lapses, the core of infoRouter keeps running, but the separately licensed modules stop working and updates and support end. Lapsed maintenance can be reinstated; contact us for terms.

For current pricing details, visit the Pricing page.

Is infoRouter cloud or on-premise?

Either. Every infoRouter deployment is a single, dedicated instance with its own database and document storage: on your own server, in your own cloud account, or hosted for you by a provider under the terms of the license agreement. The software is the same in each, so the choice depends on your requirements. For the trade-offs of each model, read On-Premise vs Cloud Document Management.

How is infoRouter different from SharePoint?

SharePoint is Microsoft's collaboration and intranet platform, available in Microsoft 365 or as SharePoint Server. infoRouter is a dedicated document management system that runs on a server you control. Every infoRouter license includes check-in/check-out, numbered versions, audit trails and full-text search across document content and custom properties. Office add-ins and WebDAV let people keep working in Word, Excel and Outlook. Bulk import in the browser brings existing SharePoint or file-share folders into infoRouter with their structure kept. See how infoRouter works beside SharePoint and Microsoft 365.

What are the alternatives to infoRouter?

Organizations comparing infoRouter usually look at Microsoft SharePoint and at other document management systems that can run on their own servers. The questions that separate them are where the software runs, how it is licensed, and which capabilities cost extra. infoRouter runs on a server you control, on Windows Server with SQL Server or MySQL, and is licensed by number of users, starting at $7,250 for 10 users with no per-document fees. Version control, audit trails, full-text search and document capture come with every license; Workflow, the Compliance module, Anonymous Access and infoRouter Connect are licensed separately. The evaluation guide lists the questions to ask any vendor.

How does infoRouter store documents?

infoRouter stores all documents in a file system Warehouse in their original format. No proprietary conversion is involved. The Warehouse folder is a dedicated, shared directory on your server. Document metadata, security settings, version information, and custom properties are stored in the database.

This architecture means your documents are always accessible in their native format and your data is never locked into a proprietary storage system.

Does infoRouter support document scanning?

Yes. infoRouter includes three capture tools for scanning and automated document import:

1. Scan Station. A dedicated scanning interface for operators processing paper documents, with indexing and metadata assignment.
2. Hot Folders. Monitors file system directories and automatically imports new files. Works with any scanning workstation or automated process that outputs files to a folder.
3. Bulk import. Drag whole folder trees into infoRouter in the browser, with their structure kept.

infoRouter also integrates with third-party scanning solutions including Kyocera KYO Capture and Kofax.

How does infoRouter Connect protect sensitive data when it uses AI?

infoRouter Connect is an add-on that installs beside your infoRouter, on the server you already run. Before any text leaves your network, Connect replaces every sensitive value it detects with a placeholder. AI services see only that redacted text, never the original document, and Connect puts the real values back before infoRouter stores the result. In our own tests, 99% of planted sensitive data was stripped before sending. If the cleaning step cannot run, nothing is sent at all. You decide where AI runs: on a whole folder, or on one document at a time.

See how infoRouter Connect works

Can I try infoRouter before purchasing?

Yes. In a guided infoRouter trial, we set up an evaluation with you, in the cloud or on your own server, with the full product and infoRouter Connect included. We agree the length and the process to test at kickoff.

Request a Trial