This year’s DocuWorld 2025 conference was held recently and showcased the company’s plans, with innovation in AI, e-invoicing and workflow automation to the fore – and partners are a full part of this future.
In the world of document management, one event that serves as a crystal ball and a celebration is DocuWorld 2025. Held this year at the Estrel Hotel in Berlin, the annual partner conference hosted by DocuWare brought together more than 750 partners from around the globe to share insights, celebrate successes, and, most importantly, get a glimpse of where document management, and DocuWare, is headed.
The message from the top was clear: innovation, integration and intelligence are shaping the future. What’s perhaps more compelling, though, is how DocuWare is navigating that future together with its partners.
A family of innovators
Unlike many corporate events where executive teams remain distant figures, DocuWorld 2025 had a noticeably different vibe. DocuWare is an ambitious company with its eyes set firmly on expansion, but embraces a family-like approach to its partner ecosystem. That sense of unity was palpable throughout the event. From keynote speeches to one-on-one interactions, it was evident that DocuWare doesn’t just see its 850 partners across over 100 countries as resellers, they are collaborators, innovators and an integral part of the company’s DNA.
This collaborative spirit is one of the reasons DocuWare continues to thrive. With 16% growth in 2024, the company has proven that strong partnerships combined with cutting-edge technology can deliver commercial success and deep customer loyalty.
For MSPs, the allure is real. With recurring revenue streams, seamless integrations, and a full suite of support tools, DocuWare offers a platform that’s as rewarding financially as it is functionally.
AI with purpose: real solutions for real problems
There’s a lot of noise around artificial intelligence (AI) in tech circles, but at DocuWorld, it was demonstrated that AI isn’t just a buzzword, it has practical applications for businesses.
DocuWare’s acquisition of AI specialist natif.ai in 2024 has started to pay dividends. One of the showstoppers of the event was the introduction of Intelligent Insights, a chatbot-style prototype that leverages DocuWare’s own AI stack. This isn’t just a glorified search bar. Intelligent Insights offers document summaries, comparison capabilities and instant access to relevant information, all through a simple, conversational interface.
Imagine needing to check the last price paid for a product or confirm payment terms across a mountain of purchase orders. Instead of combing through files manually, users can simply ask and get real-time, actionable answers. It’s like having a document-savvy assistant sitting on your desktop.
And this is just the beginning. DocuWare’s leadership was quick to point out that AI isn’t about replacing people, it’s about empowering them. Their moral stance was clear: AI should support workflows, not eliminate the human touch. DocuWare’s chief product and technology officer, Michael Bochmann, likened fully autonomous systems to boarding a plane with no pilot. Trust, he argued, still requires a human at the helm.
E-invoicing gets a major upgrade
Elsewhere at DocuWorld, developments in electronic invoicing were highlighted. Today e-invoicing isn’t just convenient, it’s mandatory in many jurisdictions. DocuWare has tackled this head-on with a suite of enhancements that make e-invoice processing faster, smarter and compliant.
The platform now supports automatic processing of e-invoices in various formats, including XML and PDF, pulling key metadata directly for streamlined workflows. Even more impressively, DocuWare has integrated with PEPPOL and other e-invoicing platforms, positioning itself as a central hub for compliant, real-time invoice exchange.
By the end of 2025, DocuWare will launch a flat-rate service model for sending and receiving e-invoices and offer integration with third-party platforms like Ricoh IDX. These capabilities are a game-changer for global organisations navigating complex compliance requirements under policies like Germany’s Growth Opportunities Act.
Workflow automation that just works
A big focus at this year’s conference was user experience, particularly when it comes to designing and managing workflows. With the upcoming web-based Workflow Designer, DocuWare has improved the UX/UI for building automation.
The tool features a modern, drag-and-drop interface with intuitive controls like zoom, pan, multi-select and undo/redo. It’s currently in beta, with a full launch slated for this autumn. For anyone who’s ever tried to build workflows in legacy systems, this is a breath of fresh air.
Whether it’s routing a document for approval, triggering notifications, or auto-assigning tasks, DocuWare’s approach makes it simple, even for non-technical users. And with auto-save and error-proofing features baked in, it’s clear that the company is serious about lowering the barriers to digital transformation.
Bringing data to life: workflow analytics API
Complementing the AI and automation features is the new Workflow Analytics API, which allows businesses to create custom dashboards using platforms like Microsoft Power BI. Partners can now pull structured data directly from DocuWare to analyse process performance and identify areas for improvement.
From a sales perspective, this is gold. Partners can use the analytics tools to demonstrate ROI in real time, showing clients how DocuWare doesn’t just manage documents, it improves business outcomes.
Support that scales
DocuWare doesn’t just stop at software. The company’s partner support is comprehensive, including extensive training, onboarding and even a custom-branded Partner Hub. This hub includes sector-specific case studies and fully populated demo environments that partners can use to showcase real-world functionality to prospective clients.
Together, we grow
The theme of this year’s conference – ‘Empowering Automation Together’ – was more than a slogan. From the general session led by CEO Dr. Michael Berger to the countless side conversations happening on the conference floor, the event highlighted a company deeply committed to co-innovation.
The newly introduced leadership team, including Michael Bochmann, Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO); Benedikt Dischinger, CFO; Uta Dresch, COO; and Hermann Schäfer, chief sales and marketing officer, all bring fresh energy to an already dynamic organisation. Their message was clear: the future of DocuWare will be driven by four pillars: cloud and cybersecurity, UX and usability, workflow and integration, and AI. Underpinning all of this is partnership.
Shout out to the real stars
While the tech was impressive, and the roadmaps inspiring, what really made DocuWorld 2025 memorable was the people.
We’ve attended our fair share of channel events. Many of them can feel like top-down broadcasts – executives talking at partners. DocuWorld felt different. It felt like a community, a group of like-minded individuals working toward a shared goal. The executive team wasn’t just on stage, they were in the crowd, talking, listening and engaging.
That kind of culture can’t be faked. It’s built over time, with trust and transparency. And it’s the kind of culture that’s going to power DocuWare’s next chapter.
DocuWorld 2025 proved why DocuWare is a leader in the document management space: not just for its technology, but for its approach to people, partnership and progress.
From groundbreaking AI to simplified workflows, e-invoicing compliance to analytics integration, DocuWare is checking every box. But more importantly, they’re doing it with their partners, not just for them.
In a world full of complexity, DocuWare is offering clarity. And that’s worth celebrating.
