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Stop searching for documents. Find every file in seconds.
Scattered SharePoint folders, mailboxes and local drives cause version conflicts, errors and compliance risks. SoftAdvice brings everything into one metadata-driven structure with M-Files and Microsoft 365, with governance and workflows built in.
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30 minutes, online, no obligation. You receive a written report.
Illustrative example
In short
Teams lose time searching because folders store a document in one place, while people look for it by client, project or status. Metadata describes what a document is, so every file is found from any angle, in one search, in the right version.
Does this sound familiar?
"I know it exists. I just can't find it."
"Which version did we send to the client?"
"It is somewhere in a colleague's mailbox."
"We have three copies, all called FINAL."
Why folders stop working
Folders store each file in one fixed location. When several people need the same document, copies multiply across e-mail, SharePoint and local drives. The real question is never where a file is saved, but what it is: which client, which project, which status.
| Today | With structure |
|---|---|
| Search through folders and mailboxes | One search across every source |
| Copies and FINAL (2) files | One version, with full history |
| Access set per folder, by hand | Permissions follow the metadata |
| E-mail stays in personal inboxes | E-mail filed from Outlook with one click |
What changes
One search, one result
Find documents by client, project, type or status, from Outlook, Teams or M-Files itself.
Automatic version control
Always the latest version, with a traceable history of every change.
Automatic permissions
Access rights follow the metadata and change with status, role or process step.
No big-bang migration
M-Files connects to your existing SharePoint and network drives, so content becomes findable without moving everything first.
See the difference
Try it
- Clients
- Client A
- 2025
- Engagement letter 2026 FINAL.pdfWhich version?
- Engagement letter 2026 FINAL (2).pdfDuplicate
- Annual accounts 2025 v3.xlsx
- Old
- statutes_scan.pdf
- 2025
- Client B
- Mail attachments
- invoice0412.pdf
- VAT Q3 def.pdf
- Mail attachments
- Client A
- Scans
- engagement letter client B.pdfWrong place
Folders: duplicates, guesswork, and a path only the author remembers.
Illustrative example.
How to stop searching for documents and organise your information with M-Files
Process & Information Analysis
SoftAdvice maps your current document flows, folder structures and pain points. We identify which document types, statuses and relationships form the basis of your metadata model.
M-Files Configuration & Integration
We configure M-Files to match your processes exactly, metadata properties, smart views, workflows, access rights and Microsoft 365 integration.
Go-Live, Training & Adoption
Your team goes live within 30 working days. SoftAdvice provides hands-on training, adoption coaching and ongoing Success Services.
Where this matters most
Accountancy & audit
Permanent files and annual accounts, found by client and year.
Engineering & construction
Drawings and project documents, found by project and revision.
HR departments
Personnel files, found by employee, with the right access.
Questions
Why does my team waste so much time searching for documents?
Most organisations store documents in folder structures where files are saved in one fixed location. When multiple people need the same file, copies multiply across email, SharePoint, and local drives. M-Files replaces folders with metadata, making every document findable in seconds from any angle.
What is the difference between M-Files and SharePoint for document search?
In many SharePoint environments, libraries and folders copy the old file share. M-Files uses metadata to describe what a document is and links it automatically to customers, projects, statuses and document types, so the same document appears in every relevant view without being copied. SoftAdvice implements both platforms and advises which one fits.
How quickly can SoftAdvice solve our document chaos?
SoftAdvice commits to a first process live within 30 days. The process starts with a process and information analysis to map your document flows and build the right metadata architecture. No months-long projects, a concrete result within one working month.
Do we need to migrate all our existing documents to M-Files?
No full migration is required upfront. M-Files can connect to your existing SharePoint, network drives or cloud storage and make content findable via metadata without forcing a disruptive all-or-nothing migration.
What happens to documents in Microsoft Teams and Outlook?
M-Files integrates natively with Microsoft 365, Teams, Outlook and SharePoint. Emails can be saved to M-Files with one click, automatically tagged with the right metadata. No workflow disruption and no extra login.
What does a QuickScan involve and what does it deliver?
A QuickScan is a two-week analysis by SoftAdvice of your current document management situation. The output is a concrete improvement advice, a proposed metadata architecture and an implementation roadmap.