Some companies seem to make it almost impossible for you to design with, and to many low-volume, high-mark-up manufacturers I am sure that this observation will seem familiar.

Some years ago, working for a medium sized COTS manufacturer I was fortunate enough to work closely with cutting edge networking hardware and software. Although we were a relatively small fish, we were given good access to the essential resources to ensure a solid and reliable end-product. As expected, NDAs were the back-bone of this relationship, and the NDAs were simply a door-opener to get to the data I needed.

At this time, whilst annoying to have to jump through hoops, it did make you feel privileged to get access to another companies IP and core technologies. The hardware I was working on was pretty cutting edge, and the silicon was definitely new enough that the red-tape seemed a necessary evil.

Cut to the present day, and I once again am trying to get the same level of access to the same data. This time, I am just trying to get the bare amount of information so that I am able to make use of this proven technology. Now over five years later, this technology is no longer cutting edge, but for some reason the protection has not evolved! I am still having to jump through hoops, but the end-result is not even half as appealing as it was five years ago.

Whether you are an SME business, mutli-national corporation or home user, solid document control is crucial. This article is an unbiased guide to getting the most out of your investment - be it time or money.

A huge amount of time by everyone is devoted to generating online, and electronic documention, and source code. Protecting this investment, be it IP or internal development, is crucial to any successful organisation. Selecting the right controlled document environment effects everyone from managers to engineers, and marketing through to manufacturing, and so the decision over which package to use should not just be left to management or the IT department.