Just because you're not in the Fortune 500 doesn't mean your new cloud document management software shouldn't just work. And I don't mean just work in a silo either, but that it fits into your daily workflow, integrating with the tools you use every day and makes your job easier.

And while you're at it, just because your IT folks may be comfortable with you making the software selection, shouldn't they be happy too?

Well, you're not alone: CompTIA’s Second Annual SMB Technology Adoption Trends survey, published last week, found a significant majority of U.S. SMBs (80 percent) are looking for technology solutions that “deliver immediate payback in terms of minimum disruption of business continuity and seamless integration with existing solutions.”

When considering cloud content management, select a vendor whose software supports solutions for your line of business. If you're a sales management executive, why shouldn't your content management system connect with your CRM application? And if you're a finance or operations executive, how about a solution that integrates with your ERP and document capture investment?

Who wouldn't want to be able to access and manage their content from Microsoft Office, Outlook and their desktop, either?

You should also consider making your IT folks happy: they're the ones who will assist with hooking up your new cloud document management service with your CRM, ERP and document capture systems. Select a vendor who is able to provide hooks into your company's authentication infrastructure, such as Microsoft Active Directory or LDAP services, and that provides industry standards APIs (CMIS, WebDAV, and Open Search) that your IT development folks can use to integrate other legacy systems you might have.

You're positioning your business to take off as we exit the recession - why be stuck in the slow lane?