Funding CJIS Modernization: Where Government Agencies Can Find Grant Support

Police officer in yellow vest on blue background with CJIS emblem

Criminal justice agencies have plenty of reasons to modernize aging information systems. But what often stands in their way is cost.


Federal funding is available, but there’s no single grant dedicated specifically to CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) modernization. Instead, the dollars are spread across criminal justice, technology and cybersecurity programs with different priorities and eligibility requirements.


That makes the way agencies define their modernization projects especially important. CJIS modernization can take many forms, from replacing aging document repositories and automating case workflows to strengthening records governance, security and continuity of operations. These investments can give investigators faster access to records, improve CJIS audit readiness and help authorized justice partners share information more securely.


Connecting technology investments to outcomes like these can help agencies identify funding programs that align with what they want to achieve.


Broad CJIS Modernization: Byrne JAG


The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program is one of the broadest funding opportunities for CJIS modernization. Its expansive scope makes it a potential funding source for CJIS modernization products involving secure records management, digital case files, automated workflows and information sharing.


Eligible cities and counties receive JAG awards directly from the U.S. Department of Justice, while funding also reaches state and local governments through state-administered programs. This gives agencies multiple avenues to explore for CJIS modernization projects.

Improving Criminal Justice Records with NCHIP and NARIP


Projects focused on criminal history information have more targeted options.


The National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) supports improvements to criminal history records and disposition reporting, as well as information sharing and integration among courts, prosecutors and law enforcement.


Similar in scope is the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP), which focuses on records supporting the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Eligible projects can include protection order automation, court disposition reporting, improvements to record completeness and workflow automation.


Both programs are generally administered at the state level, so municipal agencies typically participate through statewide initiatives.

Supporting Pilots and Technology Projects with COPS Funding


For those looking to test a new approach, the Community Policing Development Microgrants Program can support demonstration and pilot projects. Current FY2026 awards provide up to $200,000 for potential initiatives supporting digital investigative case management, secure collaboration with prosecutors, cybercrime documentation or CJIS-secure information sharing.


The COPS Technology and Equipment Program provides another option for law enforcement technology projects. Eligible investments range from secure cloud modernization to regional information sharing and disaster recovery. Funding comes through Congressionally Directed Spending, so agencies must work with their Congressional delegation during the appropriations process.

Connecting CJIS Modernization to Cybersecurity


Some CJIS modernization projects may fall under the umbrella of broader cybersecurity funding.


The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program supports initiatives such as secure cloud migration, identity management and disaster recovery. Funding can also extend to secure storage and audit capabilities when the work aligns with a state’s approved cybersecurity plan. For criminal justice agencies, these priorities translate into stronger access controls and clear audit histories, as well as maintaining reliable access to critical information during disruptions.


The Homeland Security Grant Program offers another potential funding source, particularly for projects that strengthen regional intelligence sharing or improve the security and availability of critical information. Continuity-of-operations investments may also qualify.

More Specialized Funding Opportunities


Depending on the project, organizations can also explore programs aimed at specific areas of the criminal justice system.
  • Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants: Forensic operations, including digital records, evidence documentation and audit history.
  • Office on Violence Against Women funding: Protection orders, victim services and confidential information management.
  • Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation and Tribal Access Program: Tribal justice organizations and initiatives involving secure records and criminal justice information.
  • State Justice Institute grants: Court modernization planning, process redesign and information governance planning.

Connecting Funding to CJIS Modernization

Funding opportunities and eligibility evolve from one cycle to the next. Agencies can navigate these changing opportunities more effectively by first defining what they want to improve.

Laserfiche supports these efforts by helping organizations securely manage criminal justice records, automate workflows, govern access and maintain audit histories. Together, these capabilities provide an information foundation for technology investments tied to public safety and operational goals.

Modernization is the project, but the outcome is what ultimately makes the case for funding.

New Laserfiche AI Innovations! – November

Unlocking the Value of Laserfiche Educational Resources

Data is the Key to Protecting Environmental and Cultural Resources

The Nez Perce Tribe’s Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (ERWM) division plays a vital role in safeguarding irreplaceable cultural resources and critical data related to the cleanup of the Hanford site, a former nuclear production complex.

This program’s crucial work demands robust information management to support data integrity and security, as well as promote accessibility for future generations.

To address these needs, the ERWM turned to Laserfiche. The platform’s advanced search capabilities, comprehensive recordkeeping features, and robust security controls have empowered the tribe to effectively manage critical information while maintaining data sovereignty. Through a partnership with Laserfiche solution provider Intertribal Software, the tribe uses Laserfiche to preserve its heritage and provide leadership in environmental stewardship.    

“Laserfiche is important to our function as a program, but also for storing information that relates to our culture — preserving it and making it accessible to future generations is key,” said Antonio Smith, communications specialist at the Nez Perce Tribe.  

A Data-Driven Approach to Environmental Stewardship

Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, the Hanford site occupies 586 square miles along the Columbia River in the state of Washington. While the federal government used the site to produce nuclear materials for national defense, the archaeological record of Native American habitation of the area goes back over 10,000 years.

“We have stories about the land,” Smith said. “We have names for the land that are different than the names people use today. We have purposes for that land that are different than current purposes. This information is for us and our generations to follow.”

When the U.S. government announced a Hanford cleanup effort, the tribes and additional non-governmental organizations got involved. Their role was to guarantee the cleanup respected tribal standards and, importantly, progressed toward a full ecological restoration of the land, beyond simply making it suitable for certain commercial activities.

The amount of information the ERWM has about the land is significant, and ranges from land agreements and culturally significant documentation, to the tribe’s own testing data that is vital to the division’s work with U.S. government agencies. The critical nature of the information, however, was not reflected in how it was stored.

“We had a single-wide trailer full of files from floor to ceiling,” Smith described. “We couldn’t search them, and when we needed to refer to something, the issue was locating the box it was in or even the room it was in. A lot of the documents we have are large. As a Department of Energy-funded program, we receive reports that are quite extensive and involve multiple contractors, so this method of storage was not sustainable.”

The importance of this information necessitated a storage solution that was:
  • Searchable: The ERWM needed a central repository that enabled efficient and rapid retrieval of specific documents, data points and historical records.
  • Accessible: It was critical to provide authorized personnel with timely and reliable access to the information they need to do their job.
  • Secure: The division prioritized a solution that had robust security tools to protect sensitive cultural resources, sovereign data, and environmental findings from unauthorized access, modification or loss.

“Laserfiche is the solution we needed,” Smith said. “When we looked at all the different options we had, it came out on top. We have information referencing land that goes back thousands of years. To be able to now capture all of that digitally and make it accessible for future generations is vital. Otherwise, it could be in buildings getting moldy or burnt or stolen.”

Maintaining Data Sovereignty for Future Generations

Today, the ERWM continues its essential work to restore and protect environmental and cultural resources, now with Laserfiche to support staff in retrieving the information they need, when they need it. The tribe can also rest assured that it has the tools to safeguard precious and confidential information that must be preserved for generations to come.

“Our culture is key to everything,” Smith said. “It’s not just our past; it’s our present; it’s how we function. This information is the future for our children, and we can’t lose that.” The ERWM is also exploring new opportunities to streamline processes in other areas such as human resources forms and travel forms. The effort will help the ERWM to be more efficient, and reclaim time for doing what matters most: protecting the environment.

Why Government Needs Content Intelligence in the Age of Agentic AI

Person on video call on laptop with blue background

Government agencies have no shortage of information. Years of digital transformation have created vast repositories of content that employees rely on every day. The challenge now is turning that information into insight that helps employees make better decisions and serve their communities more effectively.

Across the public sector, valuable knowledge remains buried and scattered inside millions of documents. Expert estimates suggest more than 85% of data is “unstructured”, living within emails, physical files and chats. Employees know the answers they need are there but finding them often requires painstakingly digging through records one document at a time. Even agencies with mature content management practices continue to face the same issue. They have information but need a faster way to turn it into action.

Agentic AI has the potential to make that happen.

Initially, AI tools helped employees find information or summarize documents. Agentic AI goes much further. It can understand what information means, recommend the next step and carry out approved work on a user’s behalf. Instead of spending hours reviewing documents or completing routine administrative tasks, employees can focus on serving constituents.

From Managing Content to Unlocking Intelligence

Unlocking the full potential of agentic AI in government begins with trusted content. Too often, valuable knowledge remains locked inside documents that were written for people, not systems. Before AI can act on that information, it first has to understand what the documents contain.

Modern content management systems organize information in ways AI can understand. That makes content intelligence possible by giving AI the structure and context it needs to surface insights that employees can use to make faster, better-informed choices.

The opportunities span nearly every government department. For example, agencies can use Agents to:
  • Analyze Freedom of Information (FOIA) Act requests and generate reports in minutes
  • Locate documents containing personally identifiable information (PII) for review
  • Identify employee certifications that are about to expire
  • Monitor vendor contract expiration and renewal

The work varies, but the benefit is consistent. Employees spend less time searching for information and more time using it.

Success in every scenario depends on the same foundation. AI can only produce meaningful insights when it works with well-managed content. That foundation also reinforces the trust that government agencies work hard to earn every day.

Trust Begins with Governance

Maintaining trust requires clear governance. Government agencies are expected to protect sensitive information. They’re also accountable for every decision they make. As AI becomes part of daily work, those expectations extend to the technology itself.

AI Agents should work within the same permissions as the employee it supports, accessing only the information that employee is authorized to see. Every action is recorded, creating a clear audit trail, while employees remain responsible for making and approving important decisions.

These guardrails make AI easier to trust because they make its role easier to understand. People remain at the center of decision-making while AI handles repetitive administrative work such as analyzing documents, identifying records that require attention and monitoring routine deadlines. Human judgment stays in control, and AI helps employees work more efficiently.

With clear governance in place, AI becomes another trusted workplace tool instead of a black box. Employees understand how AI fits within established processes and policies, and where human oversight remains essential. That confidence makes adoption easier across the organization.

Making AI Accessible Across the Workforce

With clear governance in place, employees are far more likely to make AI part of their daily work. Natural language helps accelerate adoption by removing much of the technical complexity that once limited automation. Until recently, employees needed to build workflows or configure complex rules before tasks could be autonomously executed. Today, they can simply describe what they need.

People can ask questions about documents, request summaries or have AI Agents organize information before confirming the requested action. The interaction feels conversational, while the underlying governance remains unchanged.

As more employees begin using AI in their daily work, routine tasks require less of their attention. That leaves more time for judgment, problem-solving and public service.

Helping Governments Deliver Better Service with Agentic AI

Agentic AI helps people make better use of the knowledge already at their fingertips. Agencies that realize that value will build on the investments they’ve already made in content management and governance. Together, they provide the trusted foundation that intelligent systems depend on to operate responsibly and earn the confidence of employees and citizens alike.

Government has always depended on informed people exercising sound judgment. Agentic AI helps employees utilize their expertise more efficiently and put the vital information to work more quickly. When built on trusted content and clear governance, it becomes another tool that helps government teams serve their communities more effectively.

Watch our webinar to learn how AI Agents can help elevate your public service and empower your teams.
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Laserfiche Launches Advanced Enterprise Security to Deliver Multi-Region Disaster Recovery and GovRAMP-Ready Compliance for Highly Regulated Industries

New security suite extends Laserfiche’s proven security controls and adds near real-time data replication for governments, law enforcement and security-conscious enterprises.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, Aug. 6, 2026 — Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management — today announced the launch of Enterprise Security, an advanced suite of security enhancements designed for organizations navigating complex regulatory environments. Enterprise Security addresses GovRAMP and CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) security requirements based on the NIST SP 800-53 framework. For organizations handling privileged citizen, legal or corporate data, these built-in controls streamline audit preparation and fortify defenses.

With organizations placing a higher priority on data stewardship and corporate governance, enterprise IT leaders require a security architecture that protects data without slowing down operations. Laserfiche Enterprise Security extends Laserfiche Cloud’s highly resilient infrastructure with multi-region data replication, elevated security controls for privileged accounts, and built-in governance safeguards.

“Maintaining data integrity and compliance has always been at the heart of Laserfiche’s operations,” said Michael Allen, CTO at Laserfiche. “With Enterprise Security, Laserfiche provides enterprise IT users, especially those in government, law enforcement and highly regulated industries, with the complementary controls designed to meet stringent information security standards and protect their most sensitive assets.”

High-Security Controls and Regulatory Alignment

Laserfiche Enterprise Security introduces multi-region disaster recovery, enhanced oversight capabilities, and government-ready cloud security controls tailored for mission-critical data and sensitive operations.

Key capabilities included with Enterprise Security:
  • GovRAMP and CJIS Readiness: Deploys advanced operational controls designed to meet strict government and criminal justice compliance mandates for sensitive data handling.
  • Multi-region disaster recovery: Safeguards critical operations against large-scale infrastructure failures with near real-time, account-level repository data replication and multi-region failover.
  • Advanced audit tracking and analytics: Provides complete visibility into user login activity, system changes, and security events
  • Proactive threat augmentation: Bolsters existing security measures by adding specialized protections against unauthorized AI bot scraping and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

Laserfiche is listed on the GovRAMP Progressing Product List, with the Enterprise Security suite delivering the architectural controls required to support these standards.

Tailored for Mission-Critical Operations

Enterprise Security is built for organizations that safeguard heavily regulated and sensitive data, where seamless recovery and strict information control are vital to everyday operations:
  • Government agencies and law enforcement: Safely manage records and criminal justice information while strictly adhering to CJIS and GovRAMP standards.
  • Large enterprises and financial services: Protect proprietary corporate data and client financials with strong cryptographic modules and advanced visibility into user activity.

“Highly regulated sectors, from law enforcement to state and local governments, face a unique challenge: They must modernize content management while upholding non-negotiable security standards,” said Andrea Malick, principal advisory director at Info-Tech Research Group. “Solutions that offer built-in compliance frameworks like CJIS and GovRAMP give enterprise IT buyers the confidence to migrate sensitive workloads to the cloud without compromising control.”

Pricing and Availability

Enterprise Security is available starting today as a supplemental SKU for qualifying Laserfiche Cloud deployments.

Laserfiche is also introducing Business+, a new comprehensive subscription tier designed for organizations that want high-level security capabilities built directly into their standard platform deployment.

For More Information

Laserfiche Security and Compliance

Security Certifications and Compliance Frameworks

GovRAMP

Pending

Laserfiche will achieve GovRAMP Verified status, demonstrating its implementation of security controls aligned with GovRAMP and NIST SP 800-53. 

Contact us for more information.

CJIS Ready

Laserfiche Cloud supports CJIS-ready controls that help organizations securely manage Criminal Justice Information (CJI). Enterprise Security provides enhanced auditing, monitoring, encryption and administrative controls that address CJIS and other security requirements.

Contact us for more information.

SOC 2 Type 2 Plus

This report details the controls for Laserfiche Cloud related to the criteria for the security, availability and confidentiality principles set forth in TSP section 100, 2017 Trust Services Criteria for Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy (AICPA, Trust Services Criteria). To view a copy of this report, please contact us.

ISO/IEC 27001:2022

Laserfiche has obtained the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for its information security management system (ISMS) within the scope defined by its Statement of Applicability, covering its suite of SaaS and self-hosted enterprise content management and process automation applications.

HIPAA

Laserfiche’s SOC Type 2 Plus covers the security requirements set forth in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), provided within Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Sections 164.308 – 312 (45 CFR Sections 164.308-312) (the Security Requirements).

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 AA

Laserfiche has published VPATs and ACRs available for all Laserfiche Cloud and self-hosted products. Alignment to the WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard is the basis of our approach to compliance with Section 508 and EN 301 549 requirements. See accessibility details…

DoD 5015.2

DoD 5015.2 details the Department of Defense’s baseline requirements for Records Management Applications (RMA), that facilitate adequate and appropriate basis for addressing the basic challenges of managing records in the automated environment that increasingly characterizes the creation and use of records. Laserfiche Cloud records management controls are based on our self-hosted Department of Defense 5015.2 version 3-certified electronic records management capabilities.

SEC Rule 17a-4

Laserfiche features support non-alterable record archival requirements such as WORM (write once, read many) used to address SEC Rule 17a-4 for broker dealers. Beyond financial services, Laserfiche’s controls can also be applied to support records management practices for electronically stored information (ESI) requiring prevention of any unauthorized alternations or deletions of digital records.

HECVAT

Laserfiche has completed the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT) questionnaire. Contact us for more information.

NIST 800-53

Laserfiche security controls are aligned with NIST 800-53.

AI Security and Governance

Laserfiche AI services are provided using AI models and services from OpenAI. For information on AI services in regions where OpenAI is not available, please contact us.

Laserfiche AI
Our AI FAQs
Laserfiche AI security visualization

Regional data privacy requirements

Laserfiche AI addresses privacy and security standards of our current data center locations supporting GDPR (EU), CCPA/CPRA (USA), and PIPEDA (Canada) for low to moderate risk data. Our AI features are architected to support regional and industry-specific compliance needs, providing the same level of data sovereignty and protection you expect from Laserfiche Cloud.

For more information related to Laserfiche AI and data privacy, refer to the following:

You own your data
  • You retain ownership of inputs you provide. While Laserfiche owns the intellectual property rights to the outputs generated by our AI tools, we grant you a broad license to use those outputs for any of your organization’s internal business needs.
  • Laserfiche does not use your organization’s data to train any internal or external AI models. Your data is used only as needed to deliver services and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

Laserfiche AI user prompts

Laserfiche designs its AI features with safety and security as core principles. We manage prompting risks through two layers of protection:
  • Prompt-less by design: Many Laserfiche AI features, such as Document Summarization, do not use user prompts, reducing risks associated with accidental or malicious prompting.
  • Enterprise-grade safeguards: For features that do accept user input, like Smart Fields and Smart Chat, we employ industry-standard protections against prompt injection. These include input filtering, validation, and other controls that keep prompts and responses within defined, limited boundaries.

Content confidentiality

Your confidential content is not accessible to other customers or unauthorized third parties. Laserfiche distinguishes between two types of data:
  • Your confidential content: Laserfiche does not sell your data. Documents, files, and inputs you upload to Laserfiche are your own content.
  • Usage and system data: Like most cloud providers, Laserfiche collects limited, high-level usage data (such as feature adoption and system performance metrics) to operate and improve the platform. This data is de-identified and does not include the contents of your documents or AI prompts.

Data retention
  • OpenAI may store the prompts you enter or the responses you receive temporarily for up to 30 days to provide services and identify abuse. After 30 days, API inputs and outputs are removed from their systems, unless they are legally required to retain them. For more details, please refer to the OpenAI Services Agreement.

Security Controls

Below are some of the security controls Laserfiche software includes. If you have questions about a particular security solution or control, please contact us directly.

Single sign-on

Laserfiche Cloud supports single sign-on with Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) and SAML authentication with identity providers such as Okta and Azure Active Directory.

Repository audit log

The Laserfiche Cloud repository audit log includes details of user actions, including viewing, modifying, creating and deleting documents, and similar operations on metadata and other repository objects.

Fine-grained access control

Administrators can use access rights to limit and control access to individual documents and objects. For example, security tags restrict access to documents on a document-by-document basis.

Intrusion detection

Laserfiche Cloud utilizes host-based intrusion detection systems to reduce the risk of data theft by individuals or organizations attempting to gain unauthorized access.

Access rights

Administrators can configure access rights and privileges to limit actions that users can perform across the repository based upon role assignments or group memberships.

AI governance

Laserfiche AI data is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+). Laserfiche does not utilize any of your data to train internal or external AI models.

Password policies

Laserfiche Cloud supports industry-standard password controls, such as password minimum length, complexity and history.

Penetration testing

Laserfiche engages third-party vendors to conduct external penetration testing of the Laserfiche Cloud system.

Vulnerability scanning

Laserfiche performs a vulnerability scan of backend servers that run in the Laserfiche Cloud hosting environment.

Firewalls

Laserfiche Cloud’s firewall configuration settings are regularly reviewed based on industry standards.

Repository application auditing

Laserfiche Cloud supports auditing of both access and modification of objects in repositories.

Enterprise Security

Securely modernize your business-critical work with Laserfiche Cloud.

Laserfiche Enterprise Security enhances security, resilience and governance capabilities for organizations managing sensitive, highly regulated data in Laserfiche Cloud.1 It provides FIPS 140-3 encryption2, privileged-user activity visibility, configurable session controls and multi-region disaster recovery with near real-time account-level replication. 

Available to Laserfiche Cloud Business customers as an optional Add On, included with Business+ and offered for eligible Municipal Cloud packages.
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Features 
  • Multi-region disaster recovery with near real-time repository replication  
  • Four-hour repository snapshots 
  • Enhanced user and privileged account monitoring  
  • Configurable security policies including inactivity session time out controls  
  • GovRAMP Verified and CJIS-ready 
Laserfiche Cloud Security Features Professional Tier Business TierBusiness+ Tier
AES‑256 Data Encryption  ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Role‑Based Access Controls ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Single Sign‑On (SSO/SAML/AD FS) ✓ ✓ ✓ 
DDoS Protection ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Unauthorized AI Bot Prevention ✓ ✓ ✓ 
Administrative and Repository Auditing✓ ✓ ✓ 
Configurable Inactivity Timeouts✓✓ ✓ 
Advanced Audit Trail   Add On✓ ✓ 
FIPS 140-3 Cryptographic Modules  ✓ 3✓ 
Four-Hour Repository Snapshots  ✓ ✓ 
Multi-Region Disaster Recovery Support  ✓ ✓ 
GovRAMP (Pending)  ✓ ✓ 
  1. To ensure alignment with regulatory and operational needs, organizations should evaluate their use cases against the acceptable use restrictions in our Cloud Subscription Agreement before making a purchase.  ↩︎
  2. Note: Enhanced encryption uses FIPS-compliant cryptographic algorithms (FIPS 140-3) that utilize up-to-date crypto routines approved by NIST and compiled to help prevent sophisticated attacks on underlying cryptographic algorithms. Enhanced encryption is available for the Laserfiche Cloud U.S. Region.  ↩︎
  3. Items with an orange check-mark (“FIPS 140-3 Cryptographic Modules” and below) are available with the Enterprise Security Add On for Laserfiche Cloud Business customers, included with Business+ and offered for eligible Municipal Cloud packages. ↩︎
“Laserfiche’s compliance tools in the cloud, and knowing that Laserfiche takes security very seriously have been important factors in our decision making.”rn—Andrew McElrath, strategic project manager at Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures
Featured Success Story

Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures Transitions Corporate Operations to Laserfiche Cloud

Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures (MLCV), created by the tribal government of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, manages the business affairs of the Band.

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Laserfiche is committed to privacy.

Our commitment

At Laserfiche, we have embraced a culture of privacy, which includes embedding privacy-by-design in our engineering efforts, and have implemented controls and policies throughout our organization. Laserfiche is a B2B company based in California. The State of California has passed strict, broad privacy regulation through the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) while the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) leads the European Union’s privacy efforts. Many other countries, states and territories have implemented privacy regulations as well. Laserfiche endeavors to continually adapt and adhere to ever-evolving regulations that apply to its business.

Operational privacy

Operationally, we strive to keep our stakeholders’ data secure and retain only information we collect from you where we have an ongoing legitimate business need to do so, like providing you with a service you have requested, or to comply with applicable legal, tax or accounting requirements.

Privacy training

At Laserfiche, all employees are required to complete annual privacy training which covers applicable privacy regulations and data handling best practices.

Laserfiche documentation

In addition to what we communicate in our Privacy Notice, our Cloud Subscription Agreement with accompanying Data Processing Addendum specific to the Laserfiche Cloud platform addresses data privacy regulations including GDPR, CCPA and PIPEDA.

International transfers

For personal data transferred from the United Kingdom, the European Union and Switzerland, we provide appropriate safeguards per the Data Privacy Framework. To learn more, visit the “International Transfers” section of the Privacy Notice.

Information we collect

We collect information that you provide directly to us only for legitimate business purposes. For example, when you manage your user profile, participate in interactive features (such as the Contact Us page), request newsletters or other marketing communications, request customer support, enter login information, or otherwise communicate with us. To learn more visit the “Information We Collect” section of the Privacy Notice.

You have the right to opt-out of marketing communications we send you at any time. You can exercise this right by clicking on the “unsubscribe” or “opt-out” link in the marketing emails we send you. To learn more, visit the “How Laserfiche Uses and Shares the Information We Collect” section of the Privacy Notice.

To read our complete Privacy Notice, visit our Privacy Notice page.

Contact Us for Your ECM Needs

Whether you have product questions, support needs or want to partner with us, we’re here to help you on your digital transformation journey. Fill out the form and a Laserfiche team member will be in touch as soon as possible.

From Complexity to Clarity: AI-Powered Information Management

Alex presenting with AI button callouts

In the modern enterprise, information is often compared to oil—a raw resource that is valuable only when refined. However, for many organizations, that “oil” has become a “swamp.” We are drowning in Ghost Content: the vast quantities of documents, emails, and data points that are stored daily, tucked away, and promptly forgotten. This hidden hoard isn’t just a storage cost; it’s a locked chest of insights and a potential compliance liability. 

In a recent thought leadership webinar, experts from Info-Tech Research Group and Laserfiche sat down to discuss how artificial intelligence is finally providing the key to unlocking your data, moving organizations from digital clutter to operational clarity. 

The New Information Landscape: Breaking Down Silos 

For decades, IT departments have drawn a thick line between “Data” (structured numbers in databases) and “Content” (unstructured documents like PDFs and emails). According to the Info-Tech experts, those lines are officially dead. 

AI doesn’t care about the format of your information. Whether it’s a row in a spreadsheet or a paragraph in a contract, modern AI agents see it all as Knowledge. To be “AI-ready,” organizations must stop managing these assets in silos. Integrating technology, architecture and governance teams is the first step toward a unified information strategy that is cost-effective and compliant. 

Nysa Zaran, data and analytics director of research at Info-Tech, emphasizes the importance of this shift, saying, “One of the moves that we need to begin to make as organizations is to think more broadly about our information as a whole, our knowledge, our data and our content, and start thinking about how we can manage that and leverage that together.” 

The Four Dimensions of AI 

To understand how to leverage this technology, Zaran breaks AI into four core capabilities that are reshaping the workplace: 
  1. Perception: The ability to interpret input, such as digitizing handwriting or transcribing speech. 
  1. Natural Language Processing (NLP): Democratizing access to data by allowing users to interact with systems using human-like speech. 
  1. Knowledge Representation: Providing context in complex environments and mapping how different pieces of information relate to one another. 
  1. Generative AI: The ability to co-create new content based on existing organizational knowledge. 

While some of these technologies have existed for years, their accessibility is what has changed. Tools that were once reserved for data scientists are now available at the fingertips of every office worker. 

Tackling the “Content Swamp” with Principles 

If you turn a powerful AI loose on a “content swamp”—a disorganized SharePoint or a messy file server—you won’t get insights; you’ll get amplified chaos. The experts suggest a principle-based approach to decide what information actually matters. Info-Tech proposes the “I-VALUE” framework. High-value information is: 
  • Irreplaceable 
  • Value-driving 
  • Authoritative 
  • Legally/Contractually relevant 
  • Unique 
  • Enabling to the organization 

By establishing these principles, leadership can share the responsibility of data ownership across the company, rather than leaving it solely on the shoulders of the IT department. 

Using AI to Prepare for AI 

One of the biggest misconceptions in digital transformation is the idea that “we aren’t ready for AI because our data is too messy.” The Info-Tech team flips this script: You can use AI to clean your house. 

This is where AI-powered information management comes in. Instead of manual audits that take years, organizations are now using AI for auto-classification, metadata prediction, and deduplication. You can use AI to identify personally identifiable information (PII) at scale or to flag expiring vendor contracts that were previously hidden in the depths of your archives. In this way, AI isn’t just the end goal—it’s the janitor that helps you get there. 

“Use your technology. It’s powerful,” said Andrea Malick, principal advisory director at Info-Tech. “Use it to its potential, and you’ll now be set up for emerging technology.” 

The Path Forward: Strategy Over Hype 

So, where should you start? The panel suggests a “strategic but practical” approach. You don’t need an “easy button”; you need a six-month roadmap. 
  • Identify High-Impact Use Cases: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Find one or two doable projects, like automating a construction foreman’s field notes or linking structured sales data with unstructured client emails to find new patterns. 
  • Focus on Literacy: Ensure your team understands what these tools are capable of and, more importantly, how to use them safely. 
  • Leverage Vendor Partners: Use platforms like Laserfiche that have already baked these AI capabilities into their ecosystem. From natural language extraction to AI agents that handle reasoning tasks, the tools to transform your “Ghost Content” into a competitive asset already exist. 

Reclaim Control of Your Information Ecosystem  

The shift from complex, fragmented data to clear, actionable intelligence isn’t just a technological upgrade; it’s a cultural one. By breaking down the barriers between data and content and using AI-powered information management to streamline governance, your organization can stop searching for information and start using it. 

To learn more about how to unlock your organizations unstructured data and hear directly from Research Directors of Info-Tech Research Group, watch the full webinar.  
Watch the Webinar 

AEOA Streamlines Community Services and Improves Access to Critical Programs

Delivering Time-Sensitive Services Across Northern Minnesota

Imagine facing a harsh winter without heat. Or struggling to put food on the table for your family. For many individuals and families across northern Minnesota, these challenges are a reality. Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) has a mission to help them. With programs spanning housing, energy assistance, Head Start, SNAP, senior services and transportation, AEOA delivers these critical services to thousands of Minnesotans each year.

The work is both high-volume and time sensitive. For years, much of it depended on paper files and manual processes. Across departments, staff managed large volumes of documentation by hand:
  • In the Energy Assistance Program alone, staff processed 8,000 to 9,000 applications annually, with each application requiring physical handling, filing and retrieval
  • The fiscal team managed 100 to 300 invoices weekly, often pulling and re-filing documents to support financial and compliance audits and reporting requirements
  • Human resources maintained personnel records for approximately 450 employees, stored in paper files that required manual filing, organizing and ongoing maintenance  
  • Housing and community programs relied on paper intake forms and manual processes to support high-volume client services across departments

These processes created delays at multiple points in the workflow. Staff often had to search across file cabinets, coordinate handoffs between teams or track down missing information. This made it harder for AEOA to respond quickly to community needs. It also provided limited visibility into where applications or documents were in the process, which made it especially challenging for managers and program leaders responsible for oversight and reporting.

“We were managing critical programs with systems that made it harder to move quickly,” said Emily Celley, chief financial officer at AEOA. “When your mission is to serve people in urgent situations, operational efficiency directly impacts outcomes.”
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency

Building In-House Workflows to Support Evolving Programs

AEOA initially adopted Laserfiche to replace paper-based files and centralize how staff store, retrieve and manage program documents. Over time, use of the platform evolved into a foundation for how AEOA manages its programs, data and day-to-day operations.

Working with Laserfiche partner OPG-3, AEOA expanded Laserfiche across departments, building and refining workflows to meet the needs of each program.

“From the beginning, we weren’t looking to just digitize documents. We wanted to build processes that could grow with us,” said Celley. “The Laserfiche platform lets us continuously improve how we work.”
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency

AEOA’s team now develops many of its Laserfiche workflows in-house, tailoring solutions to support high-volume, time-sensitive services. This allows the organization to quickly adapt processes as program requirements change without relying on extensive IT resources or outside development.

Streamlining Programs from Energy Assistance to Meals on Wheels

One of the strongest examples is the Energy Assistance Program. Previously, applications were managed as paper files, manually sorted and routed. Today, applications are batch scanned into Laserfiche and processed through automated workflows. Metadata determines how each application is categorized and routed, including directing urgent cases, such as households facing shutoff notices, into priority workflows. This eliminates the need to pull and manage physical folders and enables AEOA to identify and address time-sensitive cases more quickly.

Similar improvements extend across AEOA, where Laserfiche supports a wide range of high-volume, digital workflows across programs:
  • Housing: Applications for building rehabilitation and home ownership begin with simple digital intake forms. Submissions are then automatically routed through review and approval stages. Families can move through the process more quickly, supporting housing stability.
  • Education: Staff manage multiple form-based processes, including Head Start childcare acknowledgments and onboarding, ensuring information is collected consistently and stored securely across locations. Families experience a smoother path to accessing early education services.
  • Senior services: Programs like Meals on Wheels and volunteer coordination use intake forms and metadata-driven workflows to capture participant information and streamline service delivery. Seniors benefit from more reliable and better-coordinated support.
  • Transportation: Documents such as trip records, driver logs and program documentation are imported and organized using metadata, making it easier to manage high volumes of information and quickly retrieve records for reporting, compliance and daily operations. This results in more reliable transportation services for riders.
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency

“Laserfiche fundamentally changed how work gets done across our organization,” said Celley. “Processes that once relied on manual coordination and paper are now faster, more consistent and easier to manage across teams and locations so services can reach people sooner.”

Moving to Cloud-Based Operations

As Laserfiche adoption grew, AEOA modernized its infrastructure by migrating to the cloud. Moving away from aging on-premises servers reduced the burden of system maintenance while improving accessibility for staff across locations.

A phased migration allowed AEOA to continue expanding its use of Laserfiche without being limited by infrastructure constraints. Today, the cloud environment supports ongoing innovation and gives staff faster, more reliable access to information across programs.
Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency

“Moving to the cloud positions us to continue evolving without being limited by infrastructure,” said Celley.  “That changes how quickly we can respond, both internally and to the people we serve.”

Strengthening Compliance Across State- and Federally Funded Programs

That same visibility also strengthens how AEOA manages risk, compliance and data security across its programs. The nature of AEOA’s work means it handles vast amounts of sensitive client and program data. Laserfiche enables the organization to control access to information based on roles, supporting confidentiality while maintaining accessibility for authorized users. The system also simplifies audit preparation by allowing staff to quickly compile documentation across thousands of records.

“In our environment, compliance and accountability are critical,” said Celley. “Laserfiche gives us confidence that we can meet those requirements while still operating efficiently.”

Advancing the Mission Through Greater Efficiency

AEOA staff now spend less time managing paperwork and more time supporting Minnesotans in need. “Our mission is to strengthen communities by providing opportunities for people experiencing social and economic challenges,” said Celley. “Laserfiche helped us remove barriers in our processes to better deliver on that mission.”

With a strong foundation in place, AEOA continues to explore new opportunities to optimize workflows, expand automation and improve service delivery across its programs. “Laserfiche allows us to operate more efficiently at scale,” said Celley. “This directly impacts how quickly we can deliver services to the communities we support.” 

Higher Learning Commission Improves Efficiency Across Accreditation Processes

Managing Decades of Records Across Nearly 1,000 Institutions

Accrediting a college or university isn’t a one-time event. It’s a continuous process that spans years and generates extensive documentation at every step, including evaluation reports, institutional filings, compliance materials and records.

For the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an institutional accreditor that works with approximately 1,000 institutions to evaluate all aspects of their offerings and operations, managing this volume of records is essential to ensuring quality and accountability across higher education. HLC depends on accurate documentation and timely access to information.

“Behind every accredited college or university is a decade-long trail of documentation,” said Jon Davenport, CIO at HLC. “From initial evaluations to ongoing compliance reviews, we have hundreds of thousands of documents tied to institutions.”

Each institution’s accreditation cycle involves multiple review points and hundreds of associated documents. Over time, HLC digitized many records and relied on a legacy document management system. But as the organization grew, that system couldn’t effectively manage the volume and diversity of document types. Search functionality was inconsistent and slow. And retrieving records for accreditation reviews took valuable time.

Much of this work began in Salesforce, where staff manage institution data and track accreditation activity. However, accessing supporting documentation required switching systems and manually searching for records, adding friction to everyday workflows.

At the same time, retention processes relied on manual tracking. This created compliance challenges and increased the risk of human error.
Higher Learning Commission

Aligning Technology with Accreditation and Compliance Needs

HLC set out to find a more capable and scalable platform. To ensure the solution met both technical and day-to-day needs, HLC involved stakeholders across departments such as records management, IT, legal and regulatory affairs, human resources and accreditation operations in the selection process.

Joan Mitchanis played a key role in evaluating potential solutions and ensuring the platform could support HLC’s long-term records management requirements. “We needed a system that was built for content and records management,” said HLC’s records manager. “Retention, security and the ability to manage information over the long term were all critical considerations for us.”
Higher Learning Commission

After a detailed evaluation, HLC selected Laserfiche. It stood out for its records management capabilities, search functionality and automation tools.

Working with Laserfiche solution provider Modified Logic, HLC migrated hundreds of thousands of documents into a centralized repository. The team approached the project with careful planning, focusing on maintaining user familiarity while improving structure and performance.

The migration prioritized:
  • Clear metadata and document structure
  • Improved search and reporting
  • Automated retention policies
  • A scalable foundation for future workflows

This approach enabled a smooth transition and laid the foundation for continued growth and innovation.
Higher Learning Commission

“Laserfiche gives us the flexibility to build and improve processes as our needs evolve,” said Davenport. “We can automate workflows, improve access to information and continue expanding what the system can do.”

Transforming Everyday Work for Everyday Users

HLC quickly saw improvements across daily operations, particularly in how staff access and work with information. Teams can now search within documents, quickly locate key details and manage large volumes of records with greater ease. Combined with automation and system integrations, these changes reduce manual work, improve consistency and lower the risk of human error.
  • Faster, more accurate search. Laserfiche makes it easy for HLC to refine searches, reuse saved queries and surface the right information without starting from scratch. This is especially valuable when gathering documentation for accreditation reviews. “I can find exactly what I’m looking for the first time,” said Cheryl Rothwell, human resources and operations manager. “Being able to use relative date ranges, like the last 10 years, makes it much easier to pull the right records without extra work.” 
  • Simplified document handling. Laserfiche streamlined routine document management tasks for HLC. Files with duplicate names are automatically differentiated, reducing the risk of missing documents or overwriting files. Staff can also download large sets of documents at once, saving time and eliminating repetitive steps. “It’s the small improvements that matter most,” said Claire Boyan, accreditation processes coordinator. “Tasks like downloading large sets of documents now take about half the time.”
  • Automated records retention and compliance. Retention management is critical for HLC, which must meet strict regulatory and legal requirements. Laserfiche introduced structured retention policies with clear timelines and visibility, while also supporting litigation holds. These enable HLC to assign retention policies and to lock documents in place during legal procedures or formal investigations while continuing to add new records. “Laserfiche gives us confidence in our retention processes,” said Mitchanis. “It removes the risk of accidentally deleting something that should be retained.”
  • Streamlined feedback workflows. HLC regularly receives feedback from external stakeholders that requires careful documentation and timely communication. Previously, managing feedback involved several manual steps, including assigning retention policies and tracking documents individually. Laserfiche simplified key parts of this process. “What used to take two steps now takes one,” said Sarah Hallett, manager of legal and governmental affairs. “With the volume we handle, even small efficiencies like that save a significant amount of time.”
  • Seamless Salesforce integration. HLC integrated Laserfiche with Salesforce to improve access to records. Staff can now open institution-specific folders directly from Salesforce with a single click. “It’s become a bit of a magic button for our users, especially our leadership team,” said Will Mahoney, associate director of information technology. “They can go straight from Salesforce to the exact information they need without switching systems or searching.”

Advancing the Mission with Better Data Access
Higher Learning Commission

HLC staff now spend less time searching for documents and more time supporting institutions. Processes are faster and more consistent, with improved data accuracy and visibility across teams.

With a strong foundation in place, HLC continues to expand its use of Laserfiche. The organization created a governance group to prioritize new initiatives and evaluate opportunities for automation and process improvement. Future plans include expanding workflow automation, increasing use of Laserfiche Forms, enhancing integrations with internal systems and exploring AI capabilities. “Laserfiche helps us do our job better every day,” said Davenport. “It directly supports our mission of ensuring quality in higher education.”