Blockchain and Content Management: where are we now?

Blockchain and Content Management: where are we now?

I read an article recently from French enterprise blockchain expert Alain Broustail about the first French court decision confirming the legal value of blockchain timestamping. In that case, a company used blockchain to prove the creation date of its designs, and the court accepted that timestamp as valid evidence¹. This milestone inspired me to check where we stand with blockchain in content management use cases.

One key trend I observe is how IT systems are becoming more porous, with the lines between a company’s internal and external systems blurring as organizations adopt cloud and SaaS solutions. In this context, the idea of a shared ledger intuitively fits into a world of interconnected enterprise content, offering a single source of truth across organizational boundaries.

From legal recognition to operational relevance

The French court ruling validated blockchain as a tool for proving content authenticity—showing that a cryptographic hash anchored on a public ledger can serve as reliable proof of who created what and when. But beyond the courtroom, where is blockchain actually being used in content-heavy enterprise workflows?

Real-world use cases from the Field

Here are four named end-customer examples where blockchain is helping secure and certify documents in production use:

Autostrade per l’Italia: infrastructure compliance

Italy’s largest highway operator uses the public Ethereum blockchain to notarize 16,000 annual tunnel and bridge inspection records. By hashing each XML inspection document and anchoring it on-chain via AWS Managed Blockchain, they ensure that these records, which support compliance with EU safety regulations, cannot be retroactively altered. This enables government inspectors to independently verify both existence and integrity of the reports².

Mubadala Health & IBM (UAE, 2024)

In early 2024, Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Health, together with IBM, launched a live blockchain pilot to synchronize patient records securely across its network of clinics and hospitals. The platform records hash fingerprints of electronic health records, such as lab results and treatment updates, on a permissioned blockchain. This ensures real-time data consistency, verifies data authenticity from IoT devices and wearables, and allows patients to control who sees their medical information, all while maintaining confidentiality and regulatory compliance³.

De Beers & Tracr: diamond certification documentation

De Beers launched Tracr, a blockchain-backed supply chain platform that answers the provenance of every diamond. As of 2023, more than 2.8 million stones, worth over US \$3.4 billion, are registered from mine to retail, with certificates, grading reports, and shipment logs hashed and recorded on the network⁴.

LBBW & Daimler: trade finance document tracking

Regional German bank LBBW joined forces with Daimler AG, Dürr, and others to pilot trade finance transactions using Marco Polo/Corda. Key documents like electronic bills of lading, invoices, and payment commitments were hashed and stored on-chain, enhancing transparency between banks and partners⁵.

These examples demonstrate that blockchain isn't just a back-end innovation, it’s being applied to specific content-centric pain points: ensuring proof of integrity, enabling auditable document flows, and improving cross-party trust.

From concept to momentum: what’s next?

These real-world examples show that in the last five years, the projected idea of using blockchain to accelerate enterprise collaboration has indeed made tangible progress. And while much of the current focus lies in supply chain tracking and provenance, analysts expect blockchain use cases to expand significantly. In the next three to five years, we will likely see broader adoption in areas like digital identity management, electronic voting, intellectual property protection, HR document validation, and sustainability reporting. These are all scenarios where multiple parties need to agree on the authenticity and timing of critical information, making blockchain a natural fit to provide a verifiable and tamper-evident source of truth across organizational boundaries.

So what do analysts forecast for the next three to five years?

• IDC projects global spending on blockchain solutions to reach \$19 billion by 2024, with strong growth in data authentication and identity management, directly tied to content-centric workflows⁶.
• Gartner, in its Blockchain Hype Cycle report, places enterprise blockchain in the Slope of Enlightenment phase, signaling real-world implementations in supply chain, document verification, and asset provenance⁷.
• Statista estimates the global blockchain market will grow from \$17.5 billion in 2023 to over \$163 billion by 2029, fueled by uptake in finance, government, and manufacturing⁸.
• Deloitte reports that over 75% of global executives believe digital assets and blockchain will be critical to their industry within 10 years⁹.

Why this matters for Content Management Systems?

Enterprise content systems like Flowerdocs are built to manage documents, track versions, enforce access controls, and automate workflows. With business processes extending across company boundaries, the need arises for verifiable integrity when content passes through multiple stakeholders.

Flowerdocs, provided by Uxopian Software, is a modular and API-driven CMS that is well-positioned to integrate with blockchain proof anchoring services¹⁰. In workflows where documents must be tamper-evident, time-stamped, or independently verifiable, such as compliance certificates, contracts, or insurance policies, Flowerdocs can hash content and register it on an external ledger, without storing sensitive files on-chain. This integration offers added trust, without compromising performance or usability.

Bottom Line: Embedding trust in Document Management

We are entering an era where enterprise document flows are less about static storage and more about verifiable trust. The French court case gave blockchain a legal nod. What’s more compelling are operational case studies like Autostrade, AOK, De Beers, and LBBW, where blockchain is already reinforcing document integrity in production environments.

For IT professionals, sales teams, and implementation leads in the content management space, the message is clear: blockchain is not hype, it’s a practical tool for enabling authenticated content workflows. Flowerdocs is architected to leverage this possibility. In scenarios where document authenticity across parties matters, integrating blockchain anchoring services can fortify your CMS with audit-grade reliability, a competitive advantage in an interconnected world.

Useful Resources:

• Première jurisprudence française confirmant la valeur probante de l’horodatage sur blockchain
• https://medium.com/@alain.broustail/première-jurisprudence-française-confirmant-la-valeur-probante-de-lhorodatage-sur-blockchain-9385bc4567
• Autostrade per l’Italia secures roadway safety records using AWS and blockchain
  https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/blockchain/autostrade-per-litalia-secures-roadway-safety-records-using-aws-and-blockchain
• Blockchain-based Electronic Health Record Market Size, Share, Growth, Report 2025 to 2034
  https://www.cervicornconsulting.com/blockchain-based-electronic-health-record-market?utm_source 
• Tracr achieves major milestone
  https://www.tracr.com/news/tracr-achieves-major-milestone
• LBBW and Daimler conduct pilot transaction on blockchain platform Marco Polo
  https://www.lbbw.de/articlepage/press-release/lbbw-and-daimler-conduct-pilot-transaction-on-blockchain-platform-marco-polo_7s9mk4nbn_e.html
• Worldwide Blockchain 2021–2025 Forecast
  https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US47617821
• Forecast: Blockchain Business Value, Worldwide, 2017-2030
  https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4002397
• Worldwide blockchain technology market size 2017–2027
  https://www.statista.com/statistics/647231/worldwide-blockchain-technology-market-size
• Global Blockchain Survey
  https://www.deloitte.com/lu/en/pages/technology/articles/global-blockchain-survey.html
• Flowerdocs
  https://uxopian.com/flowerdocs