iManage growth driven by AI governance & cloud DMS

Document and email management specialist iManage has reported continued growth in cloud adoption and recurring revenue, as professional services firms and other organisations tighten information governance around artificial intelligence deployments.

The company said organisations are moving from small-scale AI pilots to broader use in daily work, which is placing renewed emphasis on structured, well-managed content and security controls.

Nearly 3,000 organisations now run iManage in the cloud, according to the company. Around half a million users access the platform each day. The firm reported a 28% increase in annual recurring revenue so far this year, which it linked to customer expansions and higher platform usage.

AI pressures governance

iManage said its customers are modernising their document management systems as they adopt AI tools for legal, finance and knowledge-intensive work. The company positions the document management system, or DMS, as the central repository for sensitive content and the reference point for AI systems that rely on that material.

Early findings from new benchmark research by iManage suggest gaps between AI use and corporate controls. The research, due for full publication next month, indicates that 25% of employees globally now use AI with little or no oversight. It also indicates that one-third of organisations have already seen a document policy breach linked to unregulated AI tools.

The company said these data points show that unmanaged AI usage can spread quickly once tools reach more users and content. It said organisations are responding by directing AI initiatives back to a single governed DMS, rather than allowing documents and knowledge to fragment across multiple applications.

Control layer for AI

iManage is extending what it calls the Model Context Protocol, or MCP, across its products and partner network. The firm describes MCP as a standards-based interface for approved AI tools and agents to connect to iManage content. It said the protocol enforces permission checks, security boundaries and audit trails when AI systems request access to documents and emails.

The company said MCP gives organisations a controlled way to connect third-party AI assistants and agent-style workflows to their document stores. It said the approach allows firms to define granular access paths, so that only designated tools can see sensitive information.

iManage also said that directing AI models to governed sources of content improves the relevance and accuracy of responses. It said customers are using MCP as part of preparations for larger-scale AI rollouts. The company described MCP as a control layer that sits between AI vendors and organisational content, and as a mechanism that supports secure growth of an AI application ecosystem.

Customer viewpoint

Law firm Houthoff is among the organisations assessing AI under tighter governance structures. It is exploring how to apply AI while maintaining compliance and audit standards across its document collections.

"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."

Shifting buying criteria

iManage said governance considerations are now shaping technology purchasing decisions in law firms, consultancies and other document-heavy sectors. It said organisations are focusing on products that can restrict access to sensitive material, maintain document accuracy, and keep AI workloads within established control frameworks.

The company said this behaviour is reinforcing the role of the DMS as an underlying system for what it calls "trusted AI". It argued that the DMS is moving from a background repository into a more strategic position in AI plans, as a system of record that underpins how firms apply large language models and other AI tools.

Outlook for 2026

iManage expects customers to move further beyond experimentation over the next year. It said the priority for many organisations is now practical deployment of AI in existing workflows under clear governance models, rather than stand-alone pilots.

Chief executive Neil Araujo said customers increasingly link AI effectiveness with the quality of underlying information and controls.

"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 organisations move from pilots to practical, everyday AI that enhances work while keeping trust and compliance at the center."