Whether it be documenting a product or describing internal IT processes, IT documentation enables users (internal or external) to be able to comprehend your software. It’s often presented in written format but includes multimedia content such as video and audio.
IT documentation provides user help and also mitigates potential legal action as a result of misuse of your products. When software is properly documented, this increases usability, retention, and overall customer lifetime value because customers are getting more from your product.
Typically, IT documentation might include software and other technical specifications, user guides and manuals, reference docs, and process documentation. If something about your software product might be relevant to a user or other stakeholder, it’s a good idea to document it.
What is IT Documentation Software
IT documentation software is used to create, manage, and publish information on IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and organizational procedures for reducing traditional siloes. To reduce traditional siloes, you need proper IT documentation software to achieve that lofty aim. The role of IT documentation software involves documenting the parts of the software that pertain to both the development and operations teams or any internal teams combined, depending on how your organization is structured.
Since internal teams are often high-velocity, agile groups aiming to disrupt traditional methods of working, IT documentation is vital for teams seeking to achieve these goals. It reduces misunderstandings, enables team members to collaborate more effectively, and helps educate customers and other users.
Top IT Documentation Software Solutions in 2024
At last, here are the top IT documentation software tools for Internal teams identified by us.
1. Document360
Our top choice for an IT documentation software solution for Internal team is our own Document360. Exceedingly agile and developed for technical teams, Document360 helps you instantly prepare and publish your own documentation in highly responsive AI-powered knowledge base.
Customization is intuitive and easy to accomplish, while analytics means you can adopt truly iterative development practices for your documentation. Integrations and extensions enable you to connect all your favorite apps so that creating documentation becomes much easier.
If you’re a DevOps team, Document360’s Markdown editor, category manager, health check metrics, and more can help you build documentation that suits the needs of your organization.
An intuitive knowledge base software to easily add your content and integrate it with any application. Give Document360 a try!
GET STARTED2. IT Glue
IT Glue is IT documentation software built to help teams comprehensively document all their information with vital context. It keeps your documentation secure while also natively integrating with many other apps to add productivity to your workflows. Automations speed up the creation and maintenance of your documentation, so it doesn’t take up more time than it needs to.
3. Github
Many teams are using GitHub, the developer platform, to build and host their IT documentation. The advantage of using GitHub is that your docs can sit right alongside the code, removing many barriers to writing and editing. With the ability to host on GitHub pages, organizations can publish content directly from GitHub and enjoy all the capabilities of this popular full-featured platform.
4. ClickHelp
If you’re a DevOps team you may also have heard of ClickHelp, which is a powerful online documentation tool for teams that want to host complex information. Highly specialized for documentation, ClickHelp is geared towards creating API documentation, developer docs, and software user guides. Unlike similar tools, ClickHelp is easy to use with unlimited version history and detailed auditing so you can always keep track of your IT docs.
5. Scribe
Scribe enables teams to create step-by-step guides that automatically capture any process through their extension. Content can be adapted to include text, redact sensitive information and more when creating documentation for your users. Scribe uses AI to generate your process overviews to save you massive amounts of time by recording your steps.
6. Confluence
Confluence is a powerful tool that supports teams to build, organize, and collaborate on work. If you want to create IT documentation, you can host it in Confluence’s internal workspaces and invite team members to join. Detailed templates speed up this process, while integrations with Confluence’s other tools as well as third-party apps mean your information has added context.
Also Read: A Detailed Comparison: Confluence vs SharePoint
7. Nuclino
Nuclino is a collaboration tool for knowledge and documentation with an AI-powered assistant to help you write drafts and take notes. Nuclino brings together the features of multiple tools to enable teams to focus on documentation without fuss. Nuclino’s collaborative documents mean that teams can work together on projects and keep everything secure within Nuclino.
8. Bit.ai
Bit.ai is a workplace and document collaboration platform suitable for teams that want to create notes, documentation, wikis and more. You might consider Bit.ai for its intuitive user interface and extensive template gallery, and if you are intending to build internal IT documentation. Collaboration becomes easy with features such as mentions and real-time notifications, while collaborators can access different workspaces for content.
Also Read: Software Requirements Document (SRD): Benefits & Examples
Factors to Consider When Choosing IT Documentation Software
Next, we’ll look at the top factors to consider when choosing your IT documentation software for your Internal team.
Ease of Use
You’ll want to pick a software solution that’s easy to use to encourage adoption by your team. While some options will require more technical knowledge to learn than others, you can usually find a solution like Document360 that caters to different skill sets. Since agile methodologies are widely adopted, it’s imperative that you choose an IT documentation tool that your internal team can learn swiftly.
Setup Cost & Licensing Options
Different types of IT documentation software require various setup costs and licensing options, with the most accessible being a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that you can license through a monthly subscription. Desktop installations require the biggest initial setup costs and local servers, so many companies opt for SaaS for their IT documentation software.
Also Read: How To Create a Software Installation Guide
Security Features and Compliance
Most companies have specific requirements for security features and compliance, which is why it’s important to make sure your solution is compliant with security protocols and data privacy laws such as HIPAA and GDPR.
Support Services
Your software solution will be almost unusable without accompanying support services, which can include anything from onboarding to technical troubleshooting to ongoing product education. Make sure support services are part of your package; otherwise, you might be paying extra to outsource support to third parties.
Schedule a demo with one of our experts to take a deeper dive into Document360
Book A DemoBenefits of Effective IT Documentation Software
Here are some of the key benefits of IT documentation.
Makes Processes More Transparent
Consider first that when you document your DevOps processes, they become more transparent for everyone involved. Internal documentation is vital for the healthy functioning of your software team, as users can access key information about configurations, specifications, and other technical aspects.
Improves Collaboration Between Development and Operations
Traditionally, development teams and operations teams have worked in siloes, resulting in clunky software decisions, with each team focusing on different priorities that fail to account for the needs of the end user. IT documentation makes priorities explicit, makes projects more visible, and therefore improves collaboration.
Increases Customer Satisfaction
When you document the product properly, customers are increasingly satisfied with the experience you deliver. Development and Operations are coordinated, so the development and delivery of code results in better products that also satisfy customers. IT documentation improves every aspect of software development.
Ensures the Product is Used as Intended
Specifically, customer-focused documentation increases the likelihood that the product is used as intended. When developers and operations personnel are on the same page, customers are more successful, and DevOps can achieve its objectives through appropriate documentation.
Also read: Defining and Justifying IT Policies and Procedures in the Workplace
Conclusion
When trying to support software development through DevOps, organizations need to make use of robust IT documentation tools to record processes, list technical details, and educate users, among other uses. That’s why Document360 is an absolutely outstanding choice for your documentation needs – you can get up and running fast and iteratively develop documentation based on feedback from customers as well as analytics data.
Choosing IT documentation software in line with DevOps principles is key to success since the term refers to a particular way of working for development and operations teams. While the change must happen culturally, teams can only progress with the right tools such as Document360, which helps them to create the necessary IT documentation.
An intuitive knowledge base software to easily add your content and integrate it with any application. Give Document360 a try!
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