DMS trends 2025: AI in document management

With the introduction of mandatory e-invoicing, the rise of artificial intelligence and the increased use of cloud technologies, substantial changes are imminent. The DMS experts at easy have summarized the most important industry trends for you.

Artificial intelligence (AI) dominates the trends for 2025 and has become indispensable in document management (DMS). Large language models (LLMs) have developed from mere hype to an integral part of many business applications in a very short space of time. This is also the case in document management. Here, AI services extract data, automatically store it in the system, link it to internal information, analyze and archive it – all at breathtaking speed. The manual effort for users is virtually zero: tasks that previously took days or weeks are now completed by AI in the DMS in no time at all.

This efficiency boost is driving automation in almost all areas of the company. In customer service and supplier management, chatbots answer routine questions and support first-level support. Here, AI and DMS increase productivity immensely. Enterprise search provides accurate answers to questions in fractions of a second.This saves employees the tedious search in data silos and archive islands.In addition, AI in document management accelerates workflows in a breathtaking way: AI workflows manage many workflows in the DMS faster and more error-free. At the same time, AI analyses identify new synergies. Step by step, artificial intelligence is improving document management, enhancing workflows and using and expanding databases.

The change in the world of work is comparable to the transition from hunter-gatherer to a sedentary lifestyle. And AI is the transformative tool that takes us from tedious, unstructured data searches to an organized, efficient and productive way of working. Sounds too euphoric or dystopian? Let’s wait and see over the next ten years.

DMS & archives: the goldmine for AI-powered business intelligence

Document management systems and archives are evolving from pure administration and storage solutions into strategic AI data sources. Companies are discovering the immense potential of their historical databases as training material for modern artificial intelligence. The reasons for this are clear to see:

Key benefits of DMS-AI symbiosis:

• Access to curated, multi-year company data
• Structured information with high business relevance
• Significant improvement in the accuracy of AI models
• Transformation of the archive into a single point of truth
• Enabling predictive and generative analyses

The strategic dovetailing of document management and AI marks a paradigm shift: it is no longer just technology, but data quality that is becoming the decisive competitive advantage. Companies that actively shape this change will secure a head start in the data-driven economy of the 21st century.

Hybrid IT landscapes: between cloud and on-premises

In the rapidly developing world of information technology, a clear trend is emerging: hybrid IT environments are gaining ground. Despite the growing potential of cloud solutions, especially in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), companies prefer a flexible approach that combines on-premise infrastructures with cloud services.

Why are companies opting for hybrid solutions?

• Data security: sensitive information remains in your own data center
• Flexibility: scalable resources for fluctuating demand
• Cost efficiency: Optimal use of existing infrastructures
• Compliance: Adherence to data protection guidelines and industry standards

The latest Flexera State of the Cloud Report underlines this development: an impressive 73 percent of the companies surveyed rely on a mixture of local systems and cloud services. These hybrid DMS/archive solutions combine the best of both worlds: the security and control of local systems with the scalability and innovative power of the cloud.

Transformation between cybersecurity and DMS

The upcoming EU directive NIS2 will change the cybersecurity landscape for companies from 2025. Document management and archiving solutions are generally already well prepared for this by default thanks to “privacy by design”. NIS-2 will affect companies with 50 or more employees and an annual turnover of 10 million euros, which will now have to meet stricter requirements for risk management, incident handling and document protection. DMS solutions are proving to be the strategic answer to these challenges: They offer audit-proof archiving, sophisticated authentication procedures and seamless tracking of all changes to the document. Companies that proactively invest in modern security technologies can not only minimize compliance risks, but also achieve competitive advantages: Data protection and security are becoming a factor of trust for customers and partners.

From duty to bragging rights: the e-invoice

A key topic in the DMS sector is the e-invoicing obligation that has applied to companies based in Germany since January 2025. In B2B, mind you.  From now on, companies will only send, receive and process invoice documents as e-invoices. However, the “German” accounting system still has to adapt for the time being. According to a Bitkom survey, only 55% of companies in Germany have switched to e-invoices. The transition period for unstructured e-invoices runs until the end of 2027, and e-invoicing will be mandatory for all companies in Germany from 2028 at the latest.

Of course, Germany is not alone. E-invoicing is a European issue in its own right. The EU has clear goals to combat tax evasion and money laundering and to reduce tax compliance costs. Germany still has some catching up to do here: Italy has had a centralized system in place since 2019. The same applies to Denmark, France, Poland and Spain. This illustrates what can be done with an e-invoice standard and not just e-invoices such as XRechnung and ZUGFeRD.