As businesses move from AI experimentation to real business impact, governed knowledge foundations are becoming the backbone of confidence, control, and productivity at scale
CHICAGO, Dec. 16, 2025, the company dedicated to Making Knowledge Work, today announced continued global momentum as organizations increasingly recognize that artificial intelligence (AI) delivers value only when built on governed, trustworthy information. As organizations move from AI pilots to broader, real-world applications, the document management system (DMS) is reasserting itself as the foundation for accuracy, governance, and trust.
The Role of the DMS Is Evolving - and More Vital Than Ever
AI cannot operate reliably without structured, well-governed content. Leading organizations are responding by modernizing their DMS to support secure, scalable AI adoption. iManage continues to see strong global demand as customers strengthen the systems anchoring their most sensitive information:
- Nearly 3000 organizations now live in the iManage Cloud (https://imanage.com/imanage-products/the-imanage-platform/cloud/?utm_medium=pr)
- Approximately half a million cloud users actively leveraging the platform daily
- 28% uplift in ARR year-to-date, reflecting accelerated customer expansion and adoption
How Governance Gaps Are Reinforcing the DMS as Core to AI Success
Early findings from iManage's global proprietary benchmark research, set to be released in January, reveal that firms face significant governance challenges as AI adoption grows. Twenty-five percent of employees globally use AI with little to no oversight, and one-third of organizations have already experienced a document policy violation tied to unregulated tools. These trends highlight a critical reality: organizations cannot scale AI with confidence without a governed DMS that provides the controls needed to manage risk, protect information, and support responsible use.
In an AI-driven environment, governance gaps don't remain isolated - they are quickly amplified as AI systems scale across users and content. Firms are responding by strengthening the foundation AI depends on - a modern DMS that prevents knowledge from becoming scattered across tools and ensures that information consistently returns to a single, trusted system of record. This is what preserves reliability, governance, and ensures AI outputs remain grounded in the right information and permissions as adoption grows.
Governed AI Momentum: MCP as the Foundation for Safe, Scalable Adoption
As organizations operationalize AI, demand is rising for platforms that protect sensitive data while enabling governed, contextual access for models and agents. To meet this need, iManage is expanding the Model Context Protocolacross its product portfolio and partner ecosystem, enabling approved AI tools and agents to access iManage content through a standards based interface that enforces security, permissions, and audit controls.
MCP advances governed AI adoption by:
- Enabling safe, policy-aligned integration with third-party AI assistants and agentic workflows
- Providing granular, auditable access paths so sensitive information is only surfaced to approved tools
- Improving AI accuracy and relevance by ensuring models work from relevant, governed content
MCP is becoming the mechanism customers are using to prepare for scaled AI adoption - enabling the DMS to serve as the control layer that ensures AI operates with context, governance, and trust. As AI-native vendors seek governed access to organizational content, MCP is emerging as the connective layer that allows the broader ecosystem to grow securely.
Governance Is the Deciding Factor
As firms assess how and where to apply AI, governance is playing an increasingly central role in platform decisions. Organizations are prioritizing platforms that can safeguard sensitive information, preserve accuracy, and ensure AI operates within established controls. This is reinforcing the DMS as the governed backbone of trusted AI.
"As we advance in exploring AI, it remains evident that a well-governed Document Management System is essential," said Nard Van Breemen, Head of IT/CISO at Houthoff. "AI solutions are only as dependable as the information they rely on. Without a platform that ensures robust security and governance - including auditability and version control - the risks can increase significantly. iManage provides the assurance that our data is accurate, secure, and prepared for responsible AI adoption."
2026 and Beyond: Preparing for Trusted, Practical AI
As organizations prepare for 2026, the priority is shifting from AI pilots to practical, governed deployment across real workflows. This shift makes one thing clear: the DMS isn't adjacent to AI transformation - it's the foundation that enables it.
"AI will only be as impactful as the governance and human judgment that guide it," said Neil Araujo, CEO of iManage. "Our continued growth underscores the market's recognition that the DMS is essential to any credible AI strategy. As we look to 2026, the opportunity isn't just deploying AI - it's aligning people, processes, and governed data so AI can be used safely and productively at scale. We're focused on helping organizations move from pilots to practical, everyday AI that enhances work while keeping trust and compliance at the center."
About iManage
iManage is dedicated to Making Knowledge Work. Our cloud-native platform is at the center of the knowledge economy, enabling every organization to work more productively, collaboratively, and securely. Built on more than 30 years of industry experience, iManage helps leading organizations manage documents and emails more efficiently, protect vital information assets, and leverage knowledge to drive better business outcomes. As your strategic business partner, we employ our award-winning AI-enabled technology, an extensive partner ecosystem, and a customer-centric approach to provide support and guidance you can trust to make knowledge work for you. iManage is relied on by more than one million professionals at 4,000 organizations around the world. Visit www.imanage.comto learn more.
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Press contact:
Alicia Saragosa, iManage
press@imanage.com
