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ARE YOUR COMPANY'S DOCUMENTS CLASSIFIED BY CONTENT OR BY LOCATION?

Published on 23 September 2026 By Admin Galaxy Conseils It
ARE YOUR COMPANY'S DOCUMENTS CLASSIFIED BY CONTENT OR BY LOCATION?

Document management & ECM

Are your company's documents classified by content or by location?

Moving from a folder tree to smart information management

In many organizations, finding a document still means knowing in advance where it was saved. This dependency on location slows down searches, multiplies copies, and undermines version control. An intelligent information management solution like M-Files lets you find information based on what it is and the context in which it's used.

When finding a document depends on where it is

To find a file, employees often need to know:

  • which server or shared space it's stored on;
  • which folder and subfolder it was filed under;
  • the name given to the file;
  • who created, received, or edited it.

Take the example of a supplier contract. Should it be filed under the supplier's folder, the legal department, purchasing, current contracts, or the relevant fiscal year?

To cover every need, the same document often ends up saved in several places. Copies pile up, versions contradict each other, and one question eventually comes up: who holds the correct version of the document?

The limits of folder-based classification

In an organization built solely on folders and subfolders, a document is found based on where it was filed. This approach regularly leads to:

  • long, uncertain searches;
  • duplicates and filing errors;
  • the use of outdated versions;
  • a loss of traceability;
  • a dependency on the people who know the folder structure.

A smarter approach based on content

With M-Files, a document is no longer identified primarily by where it sits, but by what it represents. A contract, for example, can be described using metadata useful to the business.

Document type Contract
Party involved Supplier or client
Responsible department Legal, purchasing, or finance
Period Signature and expiration dates
Status Draft, approved, signed, or expired
Confidentiality Access based on roles and responsibilities

The same document can then be found using several different criteria, without being duplicated and without digging through a long folder structure.

One document, several views

The legal department can view the contract in the "Contracts in progress" view, while finance finds it in the "Supplier commitments" view. Yet it's the same document, kept as a single copy in its official version.

M-Files notably lets you:

  • search for a document by its content or its properties;
  • manage versions automatically;
  • control access rights;
  • automate approval workflows;
  • send alerts ahead of deadlines;
  • keep a history of actions and decisions;
  • access information quickly from a computer or mobile device.

The question to ask changes

The real question is no longer: "Where is the document?"

It becomes: "Which document are you looking for, what's a piece of its content, and in what context do you need it?"

Moving from location-based filing to content-based management reduces unnecessary searches, secures documents, and makes information immediately usable.

Galaxy Conseils supports organizations in digitizing their processes and implementing M-Files solutions tailored to their needs.

And in your organization, how long does it take to find the right version of a contract, an invoice, or a client file?

Ready to switch to content-based filing?

Galaxy Conseils helps you set up an M-Files solution tailored to your needs.

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