SmartFiles: AI-Assisted Business File Management
Smart product family
What is SmartFiles?
SmartFiles is a business file management service from the Smart360 family, developed by Digital Bridge, that gathers an organisation's files into department-based storage areas. It keeps the version history of every file, grants access per storage area to individuals and departments, and analyses uploaded documents automatically with AI.
On a shared drive, access tends to be all or nothing. "Let them upload but not delete" usually ends with duplicated folders, and the latest version of a document is guessed from suffixes such as "v2", "final" or "FINAL_final". In SmartFiles, access is set on one screen under eight separate permissions, the system counts the versions, and the tasks, notes and messages about a document sit right next to it. SmartFiles runs in the cloud, so there is no server or software to install on your premises.
- Uploaded documents are summarised by AI automatically; ask questions of documents and folders (AI features)
- No limit on the number of users; single files up to 1 GB
- Web panel plus Android and iOS apps
- Same sign-in (SmartID) as SmartMail, SmartPass and the rest of the Smart family
SmartFiles promotional image (SmartFiles.com.tr), showing the Turkish interface with sample data.
How does it fix the three familiar shared-drive problems?
As a company grows, a file server or shared drive makes it harder to tell who can reach what, which file is current, and where the decision about a document was actually made.
All-or-nothing access
To let someone upload without deleting, teams copy folders and end up with several versions of the same document. In SmartFiles the eight permissions switch on and off independently, so a trainee in accounts can upload but not delete.
Versions living in file names
Names such as "Quote_final_FINAL2.xlsx", and overwritten files that never come back. In SmartFiles a file uploaded to the same folder under the same name becomes a new version, showing who uploaded it and when, and older versions can be restored.
Scattered conversations
Decisions about a file get lost between chat groups, email threads and memory. In SmartFiles tasks, approvals, notes, linked documents and internal messages stay with the file.
Key SmartFiles features for business file management
A storage area is the top-level workspace, with its own permissions; folders are created inside it. Folders keep things tidy, while the storage area draws the access boundary.
Department storage areas
Areas are usually created per department and, where needed, per project. Each has its own permission matrix, colour, labels and usage statistics. Folders can nest to any depth, and drag-and-drop uploads keep the folder structure intact. Unused areas can be archived.
Eight independent permissions
Read, write, edit, delete, create folder, AI, history and notes. Permissions go to a person or a department; when someone changes department their access follows automatically, and people removed from the organisation lose their permissions automatically. Folders can be restricted to named people.
Version history and comparison
Older versions can be downloaded or restored; a restore is added as a new version and nothing in between is deleted. For PDF, Word, Excel and text files, two versions can be compared line by line, side by side.
Sequential approval and retention
The final version of a document can be sent to two to six people for approval in turn, and is marked "Approved" when complete. Folders can carry a retention period of 1 to 30 years; expired documents are listed for the owner, not deleted. A legal hold blocks deletion and moving.
Recycle bin
Deleted files and folders are kept for the period your organisation sets (30 days by default), and folders come back with their contents. Permanent deletion is a separate step that needs confirmation. Email attachments follow the same rules.
Preview and search
Images, video and PDFs, text and code files up to 2 MB, and CSV tables (first 500 rows) open in the browser. Word, Excel and PowerPoint previews work up to 10 MB once an administrator turns them on. Searches look at file names and inside documents.
Tasks, notes and calendar
Assign a task, approval or review to a file, with an optional due date. File notes, linked documents (a contract and its annexes), area-specific labels and internal messaging. Date reminders on documents, with a calendar shared across the Smart products.
Sharing outside the organisation
Once an administrator enables it: links valid for 1 to 30 days, with an optional password and download limit; watermarked view-only links; and upload links that let outside parties send documents without an account. Every download is logged.
Checklists and reports
A checklist applied to a folder shows which documents are missing in each employee, project or client subfolder. A monthly report gives size, growth, uploads, downloads and external shares per area as CSV. Documents can be generated from Word templates.
What do the eight SmartFiles permissions control?
Each permission is switched on or off on its own; none depends on another. They are set per storage area, for a person or a department, from a single matrix. Task assignments, links, notes and AI chat never give anyone new access.
| Permission | What the person can do |
|---|---|
| Read | See, preview and download files. Without it, the area does not appear in the sidebar at all. |
| Write | Upload new files and new versions of existing ones. |
| Edit | Rename and move files and folders. |
| Delete | Move items to the recycle bin and delete them permanently. |
| Create folder | Create new folders, independently of the edit permission. |
| AI | View document reports and ask questions of documents and folders. |
| History | See the area's activity and download the activity log as CSV. |
| Notes | Write notes, apply labels and follow the notes feed. |
A storage area's permission matrix (Turkish interface). Anyone assigned to the product in Smart360 appears as a row automatically; there is no separate "add user" step.
What does AI do in SmartFiles?
In SmartFiles, AI reads and summarises every uploaded document on its own, answers questions asked of a document or of a whole folder, extracts invoice data, suggests which folder a document belongs in and summarises what changed between two versions. Summaries and reports are prepared on upload; chat runs when the user asks a question. Everything stays within what the person is allowed to see.
- Automatic analysis on upload
- Analysis starts as soon as a file is uploaded, without anyone asking for it; there is no menu to open and nothing to trigger. A short summary appears next to the document in the file list and a full report in the file details. You can tell what a forty-page contract is about without opening it.
- Four-part document report
- The report has four parts: Summary (what the document is, in one paragraph), Key Points (what the decision-maker needs to know), Structure (sections, headings and where things are) and Notable Details (easy-to-miss items such as penalty clauses, dates and exceptions). The report is produced once and stored; it is not recalculated each time the document is opened.
- Chat with a document
- A question asked of a single document ("How many days' notice is required for termination?") is answered from that document's own text. Questions can also be asked from the preview window without downloading the file, and answers stay in the chat history.
- Chat with a folder
- A question is put to every document in a folder at once. For example, you can ask for "the latest status" of a project folder without reading each progress report.
- Folder summary
- The "Summarise folder with AI" button writes a short bullet summary from the summaries of the documents in the folder and its subfolders: which documents it holds, what seems to be missing, and which dates or conditions need attention. The summary is not stored and is regenerated as the folder changes; it is also available in the mobile app.
- Invoice data extraction
- Invoice number, date, seller, buyer, Turkish tax or ID number (VKN/TCKN), net amount, VAT and total for every invoice in a folder are collected into one table and downloaded as a CSV that opens in Excel. PDF invoices, scanned documents and receipt photos are read with AI; Turkish e-invoice (e-Fatura) and e-archive (e-Arşiv) XML files are read directly, without AI. A field read incorrectly is corrected from the document details, and documents that are not invoices are left out of the table.
- Folder suggestions for an inbox folder
- One folder can act as an inbox for mixed incoming documents. Once each document is summarised, its subject is compared with the folder names in the storage area and the best folder is suggested with a reason; if no folder fits, the document stays where it is. No document is moved without the user's approval.
- Version difference summary
- The changes between two versions of a document are summarised as bullet points, giving a short answer to "what changed?" alongside the line-by-line version comparison. It is available to people with the AI permission in that storage area.
- Scanned PDF reading (first 10 pages)
- For scanner-produced PDFs with no text layer, the first ten pages are turned into text with image analysis; the document can then be summarised and questioned like any other. A contract or official letter scanned from paper is not left out of the analysis.
- Full-text search
- The text of every readable document is added to a search index, so a word typed into the search box is also found inside documents and shown with the matching sentence. The index does not depend on AI: documents with readable text are searchable even when AI is switched off.
Which file formats can SmartFiles' AI read?
The AI reads 15 file formats. The 11 formats whose text can be extracted are processed directly; the 4 image formats are assessed with image analysis, so a scanned archive document or a screenshot can be understood too.
- Word (docx)
- Excel (xlsx)
- Text (txt)
- CSV
- Markdown
- JSON
- Log
- YAML
- INI
- Conf
- PNG
- JPG
- GIF
- WebP
The first ten pages of scanned PDFs are read with image analysis. Password-protected documents cannot be analysed because their content cannot be read; they are still uploaded and stored.
Detailed list view (Turkish interface): the version column shows which version each document is on. The AI's short summary also appears next to each document in the file list.
Within what limits does AI work in SmartFiles?
Business buyers tend to ask two questions: are the costs predictable, and can AI be switched off for a sensitive archive? The answer to both is yes. AI works within each person's permissions and the organisation's monthly allowance, and the organisation's administrator decides whether it is on and who may use it.
For all of the family's AI services see the Smart360 page, and for the email equivalents see SmartMail.
- Works within permissions
- Chat and folder summaries are generated only from files the person is allowed to see; documents in restricted folders are left out of the questions and summaries of anyone without access. AI chat never gives anyone new access; permissions change only in the permission matrix.
- Per-person permission
- "AI" is one of the eight independent permissions in SmartFiles and is granted separately per storage area, to a person or a department. Viewing reports and asking questions depend on it, so in a sensitive archive it can be limited to named people.
- Switch off organisation-wide
- AI can be switched off completely for the whole organisation from the settings screen; the rest of the product is unaffected.
- Monthly allowance
- The plan includes a monthly AI allowance. Usage is tracked in SmartFiles settings and in the per-product usage statistics of the Smart360 organisation panel. SmartFiles comes as a single plan; if the allowance is not enough, it is topped up with an AI add-on pack.
- Access continues when it runs out
- When the monthly cap is reached, only AI operations pause until the next period. Access to files is never cut off; uploads, version history, sharing and full-text search keep working.
- Security independent of AI
- Permission checks and the activity history do not depend on AI; they keep working when AI is switched off or the allowance runs out. Personal data scanning (for Turkish ID numbers, IBANs, card numbers and similar) uses no AI.
- Central AI layer
- Analysis requests pass through Smart360's central AI layer and are counted against the organisation's allowance; the product does not connect to AI services directly. Documents stay in the organisation's own separate database and storage, never alongside another organisation's data.
- "System" in the audit log
- Across the Smart360 family, actions that AI takes on its own appear in the audit log as "System" rather than under a person's name, so automatic actions are kept apart from human ones.
SmartFiles limits and defaults at a glance
| Item | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Number of users | Unlimited | The limit is storage; extra space comes in 100 GB add-ons. |
| Single file size | 1 GB | Larger files are flagged before the upload starts. |
| Independent permissions | 8 | Read, write, edit, delete, folder, AI, history, notes. |
| Version cap | Up to 10 (default 10) | Versions kept per document; an administrator can lower it. |
| Recycle bin | 30 days by default | An administrator can change the period. |
| Formats read by AI | 15 | 11 text and document formats plus 4 image formats. |
| Document report | 4 parts | Summary, Key Points, Structure, Notable Details. |
| External share link | 1–30 days | Optional password and download limit; can be revoked at any time. |
| Bulk download | 500 files / 2 GB | A single ZIP that keeps the folder structure. |
| Sequential approval | 2–6 people | The version is marked "Approved" when complete. |
Who is SmartFiles for?
Organisations split into departments that want to manage "who can open which file" in one place, and teams moving from a shared drive to an orderly file archive.
Law firms
Case files, draft versions and restricted folders that limit access client by client.
Accounting and bookkeeping firms
Checklists in client folders, upload links for missing documents and invoice data extraction.
Manufacturers and exporters
Quality documents, technical drawings and supplier contracts in department areas.
Healthcare providers
Restricted access at area and folder level, an activity log and personal data scanning.
Finance, legal and procurement teams
AI reports and chat to understand contracts, invoices and quotes without opening them.
Project teams
Version history and a recycle bin that stop the wrong version going out and deleted files going missing.
Where do documents live, and who can see them?
Each organisation's documents sit in their own separate database and storage area, never alongside another organisation's data. Who did what, and when, is recorded in the activity log. For organisation-wide processes we also offer data protection (KVKK) compliance consultancy.
Hosting and data location details are shared in writing at the contract stage.
Personal data scanning
Documents with readable text are scanned for Turkish ID numbers, IBANs, card numbers, phone numbers and email addresses; health, criminal record, biometric and trade union terms are flagged as possible special category data. The scan uses no AI and does not store the values.
Unusual activity alerts
100 or more downloads in 10 minutes (bulk ZIP downloads included), 50 or more deletions in 10 minutes, or an external share link created between 22:00 and 06:00 triggers an alert to administrators. Alerts do not block the action; they flag it.
Activity log
Downloadable as CSV with date, person, action, target, details and IP address. IP retention is set between 90 days and 10 years (2 years by default); after that the IP is deleted and the entry stays as an audit trail.
Short-lived links
Download and preview links expire within minutes. External sharing is off by default, and only an administrator can turn it on.
Legal hold
Documents and folders under a legal hold cannot be binned, permanently deleted or moved; automatic clean-up and version trimming skip them too.
Smart360 Security
The SmartFiles sign-in screen is protected against bot traffic with human verification, and each session is tied to the organisation address used to sign in.
How does SmartFiles work with the other Smart products?
SmartFiles is the business file management product of the Smart product family (Smart360). The company account, staff, departments and subscription are managed in the Smart360 panel; a department is defined once and used directly in SmartFiles. Staff sign in to every product with the same identity (SmartID) and switch between them from the top-right menu without a password prompt.
- SmartMail: files go out as email attachments without being downloaded or leaving the panel (up to 10 files at a time), and an attachment can be saved with "Save to SmartFiles" into any area where you have write access. Permissions are checked in both directions.
- Shared calendar: a date added in one Smart product shows up in the others, and "Upcoming dates" includes SmartMail reply reminders.
- SmartOperator, SmartPass, SmartPM and SmartSales: the other family members. SmartOperator and SmartPass work with the same identity (SmartID), the same user list and the same Smart360 organisation panel; SmartPM signs in with the same Smart360 account; SmartSales is the family's e-commerce product.
- Start where you like: SmartFiles works without SmartMail; sending by email is enabled for organisations that also use SmartMail.
Which devices does it run on, and how do you buy it?
- Web panel: in any browser, including on a phone. It runs in the cloud, with no server to install.
- Mobile apps: Android and iOS, with storage areas, search, AI summaries, version history, an upload queue and document scanning with the phone camera. You can sign in with a QR code, and permissions are the same on every device.
- Plan: a single plan with no limit on users. Storage, a monthly AI allowance, version history, document and folder chat, free file migration and expert set-up support are included, with no set-up fee.
- Add-ons: extra storage in 100 GB blocks (shared by all areas) and extra AI packs can be added later.
For plan details, see the SmartFiles plans page; you can buy SmartFiles online on the Smart360 purchase page. You can also try the panel with sample data in the SmartFiles demo.
The Smart product family
Smart360 is Digital Bridge's family of business applications. SmartMail, SmartFiles, SmartOperator and SmartPass open with one identity (SmartID) and are managed from one organisation panel; SmartPM also signs in with the same Smart360 account, and SmartSales is the family's e-commerce product. The family's sign-in screens and forms are protected by Smart360 Security. Start with the product you need and add the others later.
What is Digital Bridge's role in SmartFiles?
SmartFiles is developed by Digital Bridge, a software company based in Adana, Türkiye. Setting up storage areas and the permission matrix, and migrating your existing files, are done together with the team that builds the product, so your questions reach that team directly with no intermediary.
A file archive is worth more once it is connected to the rest of the business. Alongside the product we also offer document management systems, cloud migration consultancy, document OCR, API integration and, for requirements specific to your organisation, custom web software.
File and document management guides
- What is a document management system? Moving from shared folders
- File sharing permissions: who should see what, and who can delete it?
- Document version control: ending the "final_FINAL2" problem
- Replacing an on-premise file server in 8 steps
- AI document analysis: understanding contracts and invoices quickly
- AI for accounting firms
Put every file with the right people, in the right version
Let's map your departments, who needs access to what and the files you want to bring across, then prepare a storage area layout that fits your organisation. You can buy SmartFiles online right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SmartFiles?
SmartFiles is a business file management service that gathers an organisation's files into department-based storage areas. It keeps the version history of every file, grants access per storage area to individuals and departments, and analyses uploaded documents automatically with AI. It is developed by Digital Bridge as part of the Smart360 product family and runs in the cloud, so no server is installed on site.
Can someone upload files to SmartFiles without being able to delete them?
Yes. SmartFiles has eight permissions (read, write, edit, delete, create folder, AI, history and notes), and each one is switched on or off independently. Give a person write access and leave delete off, and they can upload but not delete. There is no need to duplicate folders: permissions are set per storage area, for a person or a department, from a single matrix.
What happens to SmartFiles access when an employee changes department?
If access was granted to the department, it updates automatically. Everyone who joins a department receives that department's permissions, so a person who moves gets the new access straight away, and people removed from the organisation lose their permissions automatically. Permissions granted to an individual should be reviewed separately. Changes reach open screens immediately, without signing out and back in.
How many versions does SmartFiles keep, and can deleted files be recovered?
SmartFiles keeps up to 10 versions per document, with 10 as the default, and an administrator can lower that cap. Older versions can be downloaded or restored, and a restore is added as a new version. Deleted files and folders stay in the recycle bin for the period the organisation sets, 30 days by default, and folders come back with their contents.
What does AI do in SmartFiles?
SmartFiles analyses every uploaded document automatically with AI: a short summary appears in the file list and a four-part report (Summary, Key Points, Structure, Notable Details) in the file details. It also offers chat with a document or folder, folder summaries, invoice data extraction, folder suggestions for an inbox folder, a summary of the differences between two versions, and reading of the first ten pages of scanned PDFs with image analysis. All of this works within what the person is allowed to see.
Can SmartFiles' AI answer from files a user is not allowed to see?
No. In document and folder chat, answers are drawn only from files the user has permission to see, and restricted folders are left out of other people's questions. AI can be switched off for the whole organisation; when it is on, it is one of the eight permissions and is granted person by person. If the monthly allowance runs out, only the analysis stops and files remain accessible.
Which file formats can SmartFiles' AI read?
It reads fifteen formats: PDF, Word (docx), Excel (xlsx), TXT, CSV, Markdown, JSON, log, YAML, INI and conf, plus PNG, JPG, GIF and WebP images. The first ten pages of scanned PDFs without a text layer are read using image analysis. Password-protected documents cannot be analysed but are still uploaded and stored. Turkish e-invoice and e-archive XML files are read directly, without AI.
What invoice data does SmartFiles extract?
Invoice number, date, seller, buyer, Turkish tax or ID number (VKN/TCKN), net amount, VAT and total for every invoice in a folder are collected into one table and downloaded as a CSV that opens in Excel. Turkish e-invoice and e-archive XML files are read directly, without AI; PDF invoices, scanned documents and receipt photos are read with AI. A field read incorrectly can be corrected from the document details and the correction flows into the table; documents that are not invoices are left out.
Does SmartFiles' AI move documents to other folders on its own?
No. When a folder is used as an inbox, each document is summarised, its subject is compared with the folder names in the storage area, and the best folder is suggested with a reason; if no folder fits, the document stays where it is. Suggestions can be reviewed and the documents moved in one go, but no document is moved without the user's approval.
What happens when the SmartFiles AI allowance runs out?
The plan includes a monthly AI allowance, tracked in the settings screen and the Smart360 organisation panel. When it runs out, only AI operations pause until the next period; access to files is never cut off, and uploads, version history, sharing and full-text search keep working. Permission checks and the activity history do not depend on AI. An AI add-on pack lets usage continue.
Does SmartFiles limit the number of users or the file size?
There is no limit on the number of users; the limiting factor is storage, and extra space can be added in 100 GB blocks shared by all storage areas. A single file can be up to 1 GB, and a larger file is flagged before the upload begins. If an upload would exceed the storage limit it is refused before it starts, so no half-finished transfers are left behind.
How do you share SmartFiles documents with people outside the organisation?
External sharing is off by default and is enabled by an administrator. Once enabled, you can create links valid for 1 to 30 days with an optional password and download limit; every download is logged and links can be revoked at any time. View-only links block downloading and printing and watermark the recipient's details. Upload links let outside parties send documents without an account.
Can SmartFiles be used without SmartMail?
Yes. SmartFiles works on its own; sending files by email is enabled for organisations that also use SmartMail. When both are used, files go out as SmartMail attachments without being downloaded, and email attachments can be saved straight into SmartFiles. Both products, like the rest of the Smart family, are accessed with the same Smart360 identity (SmartID).
Have a different question? Ask Us