Tell us how files move today and we will take it from there. Call (604) 813-7881 and ask for Tony, or send us a note. Regular hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm MT, and a person answers emergency calls on the same number 24/7.
PDF sprawl, file names and versions at accounting firms
Which PDF is the final one? I can’t find anything.
Scans in email, copies on the desktop and three versions on the share. Here is the risk, a plain habit that works, and how the foundation helps.
Free consult with Tony. No pressure, no jargon.
The risk of PDF sprawl
A client sends a scan for almost everything. Someone saves it from email to their desktop, someone else saves it to the share, and a third person prints it, marks it up and scans it again. A week later there are four files with similar names, and the one that was sent to the client is not obviously any of them. When a question comes up in March, the hunt begins.
Good looks like one home per client, a short naming rule, and one approved final. The fix is mostly a habit. The server just makes the habit easy to keep.
We can help you set up the folders and the naming rule. If a document management tool would suit your firm, ask us. We are independent IT support and we will tell you honestly what fits, which may be nothing new at all.
A plain habit, and the foundation under it
Start with these habits, whether or not you work with us.
- One way in. Decide where client documents arrive, such as one shared mailbox or one portal, and move them to the client folder from there.
- One home for each client. One folder per client on the server, with the same few subfolders every time, for example Intake, Working, Final and Archive.
- A short naming rule. Date first, then client, then document type, then version. For example: 2026-03-14_ClientName_DocumentType_v02.pdf. Dates first keep files in order without effort.
- One approved final. Only one file per document goes in Final. Older versions move to Archive instead of being deleted.
- Scans you can search. Set scanners to save text searchable PDFs into the Intake folder, rather than into someone’s email.
How the foundation helps:
- Client files on the server, not on desktops. Folder access can be set per client. Why Hyper-V.
- Scan to folder, set up the same way every time. Scanners save straight into the right folder. Both folder permissions and scan to folder are part of our standard builds.
- Backups you can restore from. Server backups run on Veeam and follow the 3-2-1 rule, stay immutable for 30 days, keep an offsite copy in Vancouver, BC, and we test restores. If a server itself fails, we restore it in under 2 hours. More on backups.
Also see
File and PDF questions we hear
Do we need a document management system?
Not always. Many firms do well with a clear folder pattern and a naming rule. If a dedicated tool would help, we will say so honestly and help with the IT side. We do not sell the software.
Who should be able to open a client folder?
Only the people who need it for the work in front of them. We set permissions the same way every time and remove access the day someone leaves.
What if a file is deleted by mistake?
That is what tested backups are for. Ask us how far back your copies go and how a restore would work for your firm.