
As we move through 2026, the conversation around artificial intelligence has shifted from “what if” to “how fast.” For business leaders, this means the challenge is no longer just adopting AI, but orchestrating a landscape where AI agents, human expertise and rigorous data governance intersect.
Below are strategic considerations for navigating the technological and operational shifts that are defining 2026.
By 2026, AI features — document summarization, automated metadata extraction and conversational search — are no longer differentiators; they are table stakes for a document management platform. The real frontier is the AI agent. Organizations are moving past experimental chatbots toward autonomous agents capable of executing workflows.
Meanwhile, automation isn’t replacing knowledge workers; it’s liberating them. As AI handles repetitive administrative tasks, the workforce is refocusing on high-impact, creative strategy. Leaders should encourage low-stakes AI experimentation now. Familiarizing teams with AI agents in a safe environment will help prepare the organization for when these tools move into mission-critical operations.
This year will also mark a significant shift in how software and solutions are built. While AI can now write the majority of application code, this creates new challenges for IT strategy. While entry-level coding is being automated, the demand for experienced developers remains high. Their role has evolved into “agent orchestrators” — experts who know how to direct sophisticated AI to achieve enterprise-grade results.
The single most important skill for 2026 is adaptability: The ability to learn and unlearn skills rapidly is now more valuable than any specific legacy programming language.
The cybersecurity landscape in 2026 is defined by “AI vs. AI.” This new era includes supercharged social engineering; AI can now almost perfectly impersonate individuals, making traditional phishing defenses obsolete. Organizations must move toward robust, hardware-based authentication like Fast Identity Online two-factor authentication (FIDO 2FA). Forward-thinking CIOs are now requiring vendors to adopt additional security controls, certifications and compliance frameworks.
Despite the software-centric nature of AI, the physical reality of hardware is a major constraint. Anticipated AI demand has created significant supply chain volatility. With technology budgets capped at roughly 9-10% growth and vendor subscription costs rising, leaders must find “AI offsets.” Funding for AI innovation in 2026 is largely coming from efficiency gains and spending decreases in other areas of the IT budget rather than massive new capital injections. This is evidenced by Gartner’s 2026 forecast, which shows that while total IT spending is growing by only 10.8%, investment in AI is surging by 80.8%
The organizations winning in 2026 are those that treat AI not as a bolt-on product, but as a fundamental shift in how human talent is deployed. Trust — in your data, your vendors and your governance — remains the only currency that allows for rapid adoption.
See how you compare to peers in your AI adoption now by reading more in The State of Document Management & AI.

Designed for new users to get caught up on Laserfiche administration basics, this lab-style instructor-led training will provide the foundations necessary to successfully manage, administer, and troubleshoot your Laserfiche system.
Topics covered include repository design, metadata administration, repository security and records management, along with repository and task automation.
Elevate your form and process design!
This hands-on lab will show how to build sophisticated forms and processes to enhance user experience and process maintenance. Beginning with a complicated, suboptimal process as a starting point, we will see how implementing advanced functionalities can make both a form and process more streamlined, efficient, and resistant to errors. This course will teach you how to:
Leverage complex field rules and calculations to reduce form and process maintenance
Configure advanced process features such a gateways and events to handle exceptions elegantly
Update existing processes to leverage best practices and new features when designing solutions
Streamline data processing with Workflow!
In this hands-on lab, we’ll explore complex workflow solutions for working with batches of data. Focusing on efficiency, you’ll see how to configure Workflow to retrieve and manipulate data, whether you’re working with sets of data from a database or manipulating data to be sent as part of an integration. In this course, you’ll learn how to:
Effectively query and batch data sets
Efficiently iterate through information while considering when to invoke child workflows
Manipulate tokens to construct data to be sent to other sources, such as Laserfiche Forms, tables, or third-party applications
Enhance your workflows for document processing and import!
In this hands-on lab, we’ll explore complex workflow solutions for bulk document import and re-processing repository documents. Focusing on efficiency and performance, you’ll see how to configure Workflow to streamline working with documents, whether you’re processing new incoming documents or existing documents in the repository. In this course, you’ll learn how to:
Leverage Invoke Workflow activities to modularize workflows
Elegantly handle document exceptions within a process using built-in features
Improve workflow efficiency and performance while considering requirements for speed of processing and accuracy
Unlock your automation potential with workflow!
Refine your workflow knowledge with this hands-on lab, highlighting workflow design patterns to tackle common business needs like data processing and document routing. Go beyond the basics of Workflow by learning useful techniques for working with logic, manipulating tokens to fit your needs, and streamlining your processes to get the most out of your automation. This course will teach you how to:
Find and work with multiple repository entries within a workflow
Manipulate data using token functions including working with multi-value tokens
Troubleshoot workflows to get them back on track