This entails the following archiving trends for 2025:

1. Cloud-native architectures and containerization

More and more companies are adopting cloud-native approaches and integrating their archiving applications directly into the cloud — or are relying on hybrid environments first. The integration of archives that are natively embedded in cloud services such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or AWS will continue to increase in 2025 — as will the use of containers for SAP applications and archives, because container technologies such as Docker make archiving solutions even more adaptable and scalable.

2nd track clear for AI, but with appropriate stops

Everyone is talking about AI — but what role does AI play in terms of data and document archiving? AI helps analyze structured and unstructured data — can even be a game changer for companies that want to draw insights from all available data. A lot of this data is stored in company archives. Using suitable software, these could be converted into the required data gold for appropriate evaluations. But there is a major risk: Information yes, compliance violations no. This is where the balance between advanced “barrier-free” access” for AI to archived data on the one hand and the simultaneous regulation of sensitive content on the other hand will be exciting. In 2025, those archiving specialists who, with deep SAP understanding, a large user group and the resulting knowledge advantage, can equip their customers with the first “low hanging fruits” AI cases for archiving will be exciting.

3. Compliance remains a must

New international and national data protection laws and stricter compliance guidelines mean that companies are increasingly relying on archiving solutions that guarantee long-term data storage under the highest security standards. SAP archives must be designed accordingly to ensure compliance with these regulations. In addition, in view of increasing cyber threats, the zero-trust approach will increasingly be used in archiving. Zero trust means that every data access event, regardless of the trustworthiness of the source or location, is audited.

4. Marriage between SAP and SharePoint

The need for a “single point of truth” (SPoT) to access archived documents continues to grow. In particular, the largest systems used in companies, such as SAP and SharePoint, must be combined, at least when it comes to data and document archiving. This not only streamlines administration and reduces archiving costs, but also supports important compliance concepts. Platforms that consolidate archive data from various sources and enable centralized management will therefore be even more in demand in 2025 than before.