Generative AI is Making Content King Again

<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/michael-spenceley">Michael Spenceley</a> is Leader, Learning &amp; Content Standards - Innovative Medicine at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jnj.com/">Johnson &amp; Johnson</a> and a CMS Critic Contributor. <hr />If you're a content professional, you've likely spent much of your career focused on how to govern the accuracy and quality of content. As Generative AI (Gen AI) has entered our collective corporate consciousness, our content is now under a microscope. If you have outdated or inaccurate content, Gen AI will bring it into focus for all to see. On one hand, this will lead to uncomfortable conversations for those who are responsible for the accuracy of content, but this also presents a significant opportunity for content professionals. Here's a conversation I’ve had a few times lately: Business Leader: “We have all this content, if we put it in a Gen AI tool, won’t that make it easier for people to get answers, reduce call center volume and create a better experience for our employees and customers?”Technologist: "Yeah, we can do that. We can integrate your CMS or knowledgebase with our Gen AI platform."Business Leader: “Michael, what do you think?”Me: "Well, I think there are more questions we need to ask. Do we have quality content to feed into the Gen AI experience? Do we have the right level of governance to ensure accuracy? Do we have clear roles and responsibilities for those who own content feeding into Gen AI? Is the ROI sufficient to invest the time and money to do this right?”  Business leaders are now recognizing the importance of good content to enable an effective Gen AI experience for employees and customers. Getting content governance right, especially in large organizations, takes lots of people, rigorous processes, clear roles and responsibilities and accountability. Here are three things all content professionals should focus on as Gen AI initiatives take center stage: <h3 id="1.-keep-moving,-even-when-it's-not-perfect">1. Keep moving, even when it's not perfect</h3>Be agile and be okay with imperfection. If you wait to use Gen AI until you've solved all your content governance problems, you will never start. Come up with an approach that works for your organization.  I see it as a two-pronged approach. First, what steps do you take right now to keep Gen AI moving? At this stage, you don't know what will work so keep it simple. Second, while you're doing that, plan for the long-term. To scale your approach, what tech do you need, what integrations and what processes need to be in place? Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:When we need content for a new Gen AI use case, we follow this process:<ul><li>Identify – Identify relevant content that already exists. </li><li>Validate – Analyze content to ensure we have the most current version and it’s the correct level of detail.</li><li>Remediate – Work with subject matter experts to update content that is out of date and create new content to fill any gaps.</li><li>Extract – Technical team extracts content from our source system to ingest into Gen AI. </li><li>Monitor &amp; Update – Leverage existing reporting and processes to determine when content needs to be updated in the Gen AI tool.</li></ul>This is a largely manual process, but it works for now and as we refine it, we're planning for how best to scale it in the future and reduce manual effort through integrations and automation. <h3 id="2.-get-the-right-people-involved-">2. Get the right people involved </h3>If you're a content professional or a SME who owns content, speak up and get involved in Gen AI initiatives. You know things that are important to this process that others may not know. If you're not a content professional and you're on the technical side of Gen AI, don't go it alone. While you can probably get your hands on some content to start, there is a chance that there's a lot you don't know about the content. When assessing content for accuracy and relevance, there can be many nuances, especially in large global organizations. Additionally, content teams already have processes in place to source and update content, and they have relationships with the subject matter experts who can validate content. Rely on content professionals and SMEs to tell you which content is ready for Gen AI and what steps need to be taken to prepare content. Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:We established weekly touchpoints that include a combination of content, IT and business process owners. The content team drives the identify, validate, remediate, extract, and monitor process. The content team works with SMEs and content owners to validate content accuracy and remediate gaps. Our IT partners ingest content into the Gen AI tool and train the model. This ensures that this work is connected to our existing content governance process and isn't seen as additional work for content and process owners. We have one source of truth, one process and one governance model for content. Gen AI is just an additional channel where the content is being consumed. This could change in the future, but leveraging existing processes and infrastructure is an effective way to get things moving quickly.    <h3 id="3.-seize-the-opportunity-to-get-resources-and-support">3. Seize the opportunity to get resources and support</h3>In large organizations, content governance has often not gotten the time and attention it deserves, beyond a small group of content professionals. In the short time I've been working on this, I have learned that this connection between content and the success of Gen AI, is logical but isn't always obvious. It's on us, as content professionals, to speak up, get involved and make the case. Here’s a real example of what I’ve tried in my organization:We engaged with leaders and content owners to help them understand how our content will make or break our journey with Gen AI and are weaving Gen AI into our strategic vision for the future of content. We’re defining requirements for how our content needs to be structured and stored in the future to enable a good Gen AI experience.  Specifically, how to simplify and componentize content with component-level metadata. We’re also defining future-state content governance and what that takes from a resource standpoint. This includes how we drive greater accountability and create clearer roles and responsibilities for our content professionals and content owners to ensure content accuracy. <h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>As with anything new, there are still more questions than answers. Here are a few questions that content professionals should be thinking about:<ul><li>I’ve been on a mission to promote the idea that less content is more. Will a minimalist approach to content work in the age of Gen AI? </li><li>Many people challenge the accuracy of information coming from Gen AI. What role might content professionals play to change that perception? </li><li>Will content structure, metadata and governance still matter as Gen AI gets more advanced?</li></ul>I’m sure we’ll continue to debate these questions in the coming years. This space is evolving quickly, and I'm confident there will be advancements to make it easier in the future. Given the technology and resource constraints that all organizations are dealing with, these are some practical things to consider as you embark on your Gen AI journey. For now, it’s going to be messy, and that’s okay. Seize this opportunity to elevate your role as a content professional in your organization.    <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Michael Spenceley of J&J shares 3 things content pros should focus on as Gen AI takes center stage.

Nominate Your Favorite Platforms for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards!

CMS Critic Awards

<hr /> There's no denying that 2024's Wicked is an Oscar-worthy flick. In fact, it's already been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/12/17/oscars-shortlists-announced-emilia-prez-and-wicked-lead/">shortlisted for multiple categories.</a>But hey, we think CMS is pretty wicked, too. And there are a few platforms that might be spellbinding enough for a trophy or two. Of course, it’s not up to us – at least not during the annual <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards">CMS Critic Awards</a>. During this contest, we put you in the judge’s seat, so you can tell us what CMS and related DX tools really defied gravity in 2024.Keep scrolling for more background and the house rules, but here's how it works: Make your nominations at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/nominate">www.cmscritic.com/nominate.</a> We take the top five contenders across a range of categories, open that up to general voting, and announce the victors in late February.Hollywood can have its glam and glitz, but it doesn’t hold a candle to schema and workflows. Content is the real star of this musical, and the CMS Critic Awards is an opportunity for you to sing the praises of the platforms that power your digital experiences. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew02JL1FcZg"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ew02JL1FcZg" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="it's-all-about-community">It's all about community</h3>If you’re not familiar, the CMS Critic Awards is an institution in the content management industry. It unites rabid fans across the globe to rally around the tools they love – no small feat in today’s fleeting technology landscape. But CMS is its own sort of bewitching ecosystem. With well-established enterprise vendors and a plethora of open source platforms, CMS enjoys some of the most loyal user communities in the tech pantheon. That’s why we’ve had such incredible participation over the past 12 years, making ours one of the longest-running awards programs in our industry (you can check out<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards"> all the previous winners here</a>).While CMS is our Emerald City, we also make space for the expanded ecosystem of products. Over the last decade, we've seen the tornadic rise of digital experience technologies, from pure-play to fully integrated. To that end, we include categories for e-commerce, digital asset management, and even product information management. If it's a system that manages content, we want to celebrate it.In a land where technology can feel like it’s riding a broomstick, the CMS Critic Awards is proof that loyalty still lives – and people make all the difference.<h3 id="what-to-expect-with-this-year’s-categories">What to expect with this year’s categories</h3>2024. Man, what a whirlwind. This was the year <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/wp-engine-wins-an-injunction-against-automattic-is-the-wordpress-scorched-earth-campaign-over">WordPress turned open source upside down</a>. The drama surrounding Matt Mullenweg’s contentious and public battle with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wp-engine">WP Engine</a> took the tech world by storm, and the future feels decidedly unsettled. That said, WordPress still represents a crucial part of the market, and we want to know what your favorite tools are in this category, from <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> to proprietary platforms with free and open source versions of their software.This was also the year that many platforms “moved to the middle.” Traditionally headless players like Contentstack <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/seeing-in-a-headless-world-contentstack-introduces-new-visual-building-capabilities-for-marketers">introduced visual builders</a> and preview capabilities, evolving into composable CMSes and DXPs. Meanwhile, pre-composed DXPs continued adding <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-introduces-new-saas-cms-with-visual-builder-for-marketers">headless capabilities and SaaS options</a> to become… well, more composable. From a category perspective, 2024 was a critical tipping point – and one that created more features and greater flexibility for buyers and customers. What does this mean for this year’s Awards categories? When nominating, the spectrum for “Best Headless CMS” can certainly be applied to more than just the pure play platforms – and likewise, a DXP can be inclusive of previous headless players that have advanced their feature sets. Tell us what you think.There were also a lot of moves in the DAM world, with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/canto-pim-unites-dam-and-product-information-management-streamlining-asset-and-data-workflows">Canto gobbling up Image Relay</a> and Cloudinary adding <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cloudinary-assets-brings-new-ai-powered-features-to-its-api-first-intelligent-dam">more AI-powered capabilities</a>. Still, there are DXPs with built-in DAMs that can hold their own – and now with greater composable flexibility (think <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities">Acquia’s acquisition of Widen</a>). To that end, you can nominate your favorite pure play or composed solution. And we’ve even made space for your top PIM picks, whether they’re part of a combined DAM/PIM solution or a standalone product. CMS and DXP platforms offer multiple features and capabilities. As always, if you feel a single vendor can live in more than one category, it’s your choice to nominate it. During last year's CMS Critic Awards, we had a huge showing in our “Best Composable Solution” and “Best AI Solution” categories. They're back again, so feel free to nominate any vendor in our space that delivered the most innovative composable or generative AI experience. <h3 id="a-note-about-integrity">A note about integrity</h3>The CMS Critic Awards are intended to be fun and friendly. But they do, at times, get a little fiery. Every year, we receive thousands of ballots. Users come together like wolfpacks, championing the platforms they love. We also intercept a number of, shall we say, “passionate” pleas, demanding to know why certain platforms were in a specific category, or why their tool wasn’t in the running. As always, we try to operate in a space of respect and integrity. Obviously, if a platform isn’t truly open source, it won’t be considered for “Best Open Source CMS.” But now more than ever, we're blurring the proverbial lines – and let’s face it, the analysts are also compounding the problem. So, our editorial team endeavors to stay out of the nominating process. As a reminder, we only take the top five in each category by nomination count, so anything below that won’t be featured in the final voting. <h3 id="how-to-make-your-nominations-for-the-2024-cms-critic-awards-">How to make your nominations for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards </h3>Drum roll… nominations for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards are officially open! Here’s how you can participate:<ol><li>Visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cmscritic.com/nominate">www.cmscritic.com/nominate</a></li><li>Fill out the required fields and enter the names of your nominees in each category. You don't have to include a nomination for every category – only complete the fields that you care about, and your ballot will be counted. Remember that you can nominate the same vendor in multiple categories.</li><li>Once completed, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the form. </li><li>You can only nominate once, and companies or brands that offer incentives of any kind will be disqualified.</li><li>Spread the word! Remember to share and encourage others to participate, especially across your social channels.</li></ol>Nominations close on January 24, 2025, so get out there and rally your communities! Once we tabulate the results, we’ll announce the top five for general voting in early February via email and social. Don’t be green with envy. Show us how wicked your communities really are – and make your nominations today! <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – St. Petersburg, FloridaJoin industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Your Voice, Your Choice: Nominations are Open for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards

Sitecore Experience Platform

Sitecore

The experience platform trusted by digital visionaries.

Responsible AI Principles for Digital Marketing and Content Teams

<hr /> Skip the intro and directly access my <a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/Responsible-AI-Guidelines-For-Content-Teams">downloadable Responsible AI Principle worksheet</a> for your team now.<h3 id="an-introduction-to-responsible-ai-for-digital-marketing-teams">An Introduction to Responsible AI for Digital Marketing Teams</h3>In today's digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a cornerstone of marketing strategies and tactics, driving innovation and efficiency across various tasks that marketers must complete. However, as AI technology becomes increasingly integrated into digital marketing teams, the need for ethical guidelines and responsible usage is also becoming increasingly crucial.I’m just going to say it: As powerful as AI is, in my opinion, content creation and digital teams are rushing headstrong into using tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://chat.openai.com/">ChatGPT</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://copilot.microsoft.com/">Copilot</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://gemini.google.com/">Gemini</a> without considering how to use them responsibly. I think there is a need to have a prudent approach and set of guidelines in place to ensure these tools are integrated correctly into their content operations. Does your digital marketing team have an AI Policy in use? Mine didn’t. In fact, I’d wager that most teams haven’t even prioritized having such a policy. I believe it’s time to start thinking about implementing one. Below is some context and background that may help. I’ve also listed some of the main factors you should consider when developing guidelines for your team's responsible use of AI.<h3 id="the-rise-of-ai-in-digital-marketing">The Rise of AI in Digital Marketing</h3>AI has revolutionized the marketing landscape, offering tools that can write content, translate from one language to another, automate content delivery, and optimize campaign performance. These advancements have enabled digital marketing teams to achieve high levels of efficiency, leading to more effective writing and improved ROI. CMS platforms and tools such as <a target="_blank" href="http://kontent.ai">Kontent.ai</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/">Sitecore</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com">Kentico</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/">Contentful</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/">Optimizely</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.storyblok.com/">Storyblok</a>, etc., are all rushing as fast as possible to add more value with AI-enabled features in their products. I’ve seen it firsthand in many of them. All of these platforms want to be seen as the market leader in the space through AI innovation.In fact, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.futurepedia.io/ai-tools/marketing">Futurepedia</a>, a tool that tracks new AI tools as they come on the market, has over 211 AI tools listed in the Digital Marketing category.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.28%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXftvTU4IabsW3KwL1ga2eWKlnhaDjSgAxG64tQEQ8O_vHarNdLMXPU70heYHuek2Loa9bVU5ln_WmC8Da2JE_QKs8avuqLGXZ6I8l1tmTE_rb0GS-8OhSoqZRQPubq6c1S2cUvye4yoQJMEY3uM996fRQLd?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> Heck, by the time I publish this article, there will probably be 212 or more listed. The pace of change and innovation is impressive. However, with great power comes great responsibility. The reliance on AI-driven tools necessitates a framework that ensures these technologies are used correctly, both from a vendor perspective and a digital team perspective.How do we place some governance on all this change? The answer is to be prudent in the approach to AI by leveraging Responsible AI as a core theme.<h3 id="what-is-responsible-ai?">What Is Responsible AI?</h3>Responsible AI refers to the development and use of artificial intelligence in ways that prioritize ethical, fair, and safe outcomes. Major tech companies like Google, Meta, IBM, and Microsoft emphasize that organizations should follow a set of key principles when leveraging AI. The principles listed below are the most common ones I see. They combine to be a set of guiding principles when using AI.<h3 id="six-key-principles-when-leveraging-ai">Six Key Principles When Leveraging AI</h3><ol><li>Fairness: AI systems should treat all people fairly.</li><li>Reliability and safety: AI systems should perform reliably and safely.</li><li>Privacy and security: AI systems should be secure and respect privacy.</li><li>Inclusiveness: AI systems should empower everyone and engage people.</li><li>Transparency: AI systems should be understandable.</li><li>Accountability: People should be accountable for AI systems.</li></ol>I actually completely agree with the way that Microsoft and others have laid this out. All of those large tech giants have complex resource sites or large PDFs that spell out even more detail around the idea of Responsible AI. The challenge is that these resources are extensive. As an example, the <a target="_blank" href="https://ai.meta.com/static-resource/responsible-use-guide/">Meta Responsible AI guide</a> is over 25 pages. Motivating myself to read all of that or browse multiple pages on the Microsoft Responsible AI site is hard enough. I can’t see my team or my client’s team going through all of that information. That’s why I really like focusing on the main six principles above.I believe that having a responsible approach to using or producing any AI tool in an organization is critical. It is also something that is needed in digital marketing/content teams as well. That’s why I started down this path. I wanted to put a policy in place at my own agency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizstream.com">BizStream</a>. <h3 id="why-an-ai-policy-is-essential">Why an AI Policy is Essential</h3>Adopting AI in digital marketing isn't just about leveraging new technologies for improved outcomes; it's also about acknowledging and mitigating the potential risks associated with AI's autonomy and influence. Issues such as data privacy, bias, and the chances of hallucinations (errors by a generative AI tool) pose significant challenges. Without a comprehensive AI policy, organizations risk breaching ethical standards, violating customer trust, and potentially facing legal consequences.In fact, to me, the clearest example of where generative AI can go wrong is the published information around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/02/18/air-canada-airline-chatbot-ruling/">Air Canada’s chatbot failure</a>. An earlier ruling this year ended in favor of the end customer, and now Air Canada is on the hook for AI that was not used responsibly.An AI policy serves as a guiding beacon for digital marketing teams, ensuring that every AI-driven initiative is aligned with ethical principles and corporate values. It helps establish clear boundaries and standards for AI usage and addresses concerns like fairness, transparency, and accountability.<h3 id="the-role-of-principles-in-ai-deployment">The Role of Principles in AI Deployment</h3>Drawing inspiration from established frameworks like Microsoft’s six principles for responsible AI—fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability—digital marketing teams can develop a robust policy that governs AI use. These principles are not just theoretical ideals; they can be necessities that shape how AI tools are selected, deployed, and managed within a team.As digital marketing continues to evolve with AI advancements, having a well-defined, responsible AI policy should reduce friction with AI usage. It can ensure that while organizations pursue technological innovation, they remain steadfast in their commitment to ethical practices, full transparency, and working within societal norms.<h3 id="my-responsible-ai-principles-worksheet">My Responsible AI Principles Worksheet</h3>Bringing us back to my situation specifically, as 2024 has progressed, I witnessed more and more AI tools being used by my team. On the one hand, this was great because we were seeing the benefits firsthand of faster content creation on our website, email, and social media channels. On the other hand, I was getting a little concerned about two things. First, as more tools were added to our digital marketing stack, my SaaS tool spend was climbing quickly, and second, I questioned if all of these tools being used safely and responsibly.In an effort to ensure my own team at BizStream is adequately trained on the benefits and risks associated with using AI in a marketing context, I created the following tool for us internally. The idea is that I wanted to ensure each of my team members working with these types of tools had a set of guardrails or guiding principles. I used the key Responsible AI principles (Fairness, Reliability, and safety, Privacy, and security, etc. etc.) as the main set of information. From there, I pivoted a table across those principles to include the category or type of activity that we perform in our digital marketing efforts. Then, I added a description to explain further what kind of considerations to take around that type of activity that align to a principle. It started to look like this: <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:88.25%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcyan4Kp5V4ui62GBclk3PRP2zf896t_SA2ud9i9Vpo_1v8qPrOQWfOp9xqD3WxN5ckXvPxyMRKoZXo45T-gZ4IY7D5nxcx73So7V4Ke7Bcqg63hunm9UIdd7i0AKnJKRkW2_kd8D0TMDctuawkQD6vaJ0c?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> After the first draft, my marketing specialist asked me some questions about this, so I added some guiding questions in the last column to help kick-start the brainstorming process. The current incarnation ended up looking like the screenshot below: <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.97%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfbgC_IIHSM1GTgfHUuYOxyKFikNuvB0mTdJu7oMB-maSSu0PxyYEKSKqJKnAsyS94qwbCMs_0wXMkIwpNfpD7wAei-G3vA7zYCH1yfadhC_eCth-Qa2Eiyk3OZI2MxajJ9EdHKKf2iiOIC-44Dc2pjylVL?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> You can <a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/Responsible-AI-Guidelines-For-Content-Teams">download the editable version of my Responsible AI Principles &amp; Guidelines for Content Teams</a> for free. My goal for this tool is to ensure that Responsible AI practices are considered when selecting third-party vendors, tools, platform features, and subscription services. I also aim for it to add governance to both our adoptions and those of our clients.Additionally, as we onboard new marketing team members or interns, I believe they will come up to speed faster with how we operate as a team. We are working to improve this process, but only time will tell.<h3 id="periodic-reviews-of-your-ai-policy-on-a-schedule">Periodic Reviews of your AI policy on a Schedule</h3>One other note. Don’t be fooled into thinking that an AI policy or single document is a ‘set and forget’ thing. The AI and especially generative AI world is constantly changing, as are the laws and regulations around it. You must treat your AI policy as a living, breathing document. Schedule time to review it regularly, considering the changes that are coming in at a rapid pace.<h3 id="feedback-wanted">Feedback Wanted</h3>As with any new idea, I’d love to gather feedback on it and improve it. If you download the worksheet and have thoughts on it, please let me know via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmckeiver/">LinkedIn</a> or email.<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>Using AI in digital marketing and content creation comes with many benefits and responsibilities. By following clear guidelines and responsible principles, we can use AI ethically and efficiently. I recommend that all digital marketing teams strive to implement a responsible AI policy. Note: The above information has been written to provide general guidance only. It does not equate to legal advice. Varying legal requirements exist in different locations, and laws and regulations governing AI, privacy, and cybersecurity do not exist in a consistent manner.Note: Generative AI was used to edit this document for grammar and spelling. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24---sold-out"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a> - SOLD OUT</h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

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<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ibex">Ibexa</a> isn’t just quibbling with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.quable.com/en">Quable</a>. They’re going all in on PIM.The digital experience platform – headquartered in Norway with offices worldwide – recently announced that it has merged with the product information management system. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibexa.co/blog/ibexa-and-quable-the-alliance-of-two-market-leaders-in-digital-experience">According to Ibexa’s blog</a>, the combination will accelerate each company’s individual development plans while offering clients the unique benefits of a unified, composable solution that simplifies the management of digital experiences. This combination reflects a growing trend in the marketplace, as integrated and modular digital solutions evolve to meet complex brand challenges. By breaking down technical and organizational boundaries, Ibexa and Quable aim to define market standards by enhancing the relationship between digital experience management and product information.From a structural standpoint, Ibexa will become a majority shareholder in Quable, which is based in France. The alliance is not limited to technological considerations, as it also endeavors to project a new vision of digital ecosystems that combines the shared values of both organizations.As part of the deal, Quable will remain autonomous, maintaining its operational independence over its PIM while benefiting from Ibexa's international scale, reach, and resources. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7ois-emmanuel-lamelliere-92487560/">François-Emmanuel Lamellière</a>, Quable's CEO, this is a “decisive advantage for winning new international customers, while preserving the company's DNA and know-how.”It's worth noting that Ibexa is a <a target="_blank" href="https://qntmgroup.com/">member of the QNTM group</a>, a European-based cabal of martech platforms. QNTM provides a portfolio of best-in-class, compliant solutions that are designed to work together, simplifying the challenge of enabling business leaders to deliver personalized customer experiences that drive results. QNTM features technology categories like data collection, data management, and data activation (of which Ibexa is part), serving more than 2,500 brands globally. Quable stands to benefit from QNTM's reach and improve Ibexa's performance as part of this ecosystem.<h3 id="evolving-dxp-capabilities-with-">Evolving DXP capabilities with "PIM Power"</h3>“Reveal your true self.” That’s Ibexa’s core messaging right now, reflecting a tacit mission to help brands reach their true potential by transforming complexity into a competitive advantage. They’ve been delivering on this promise with an end-to-end DXP featuring tailored content management, CDP, personalization, e-commerce, and workflow automation capabilities – and now, the addition of PIM capabilities. A well-established brand in Europe, Ibexa has been directing focus on its international expansion while enhancing its technological capabilities. Recognized by Gartner, the company has made great strides in recent years around personalization and integration – essential assets in a rapidly changing market.One of the biggest assets of the Ibexa/Quable alliance is the potential for a more agile and integrated ecosystem – one that could eliminate many of the walls that separate marketing, product, e-commerce, communication, and technical teams. The advantages of unifying a powerful PIM with the flexibility of a well-stacked DXP are abundantly clear. By synchronizing product information with media and assets, brands can accelerate their go-to-market strategies and enhance personalization by distributing relevant, precise, and highly curated content to the right targets and audiences.Additionally, the combined capabilities will give digital teams greater control, helping them maintain consistency and uniformity across all of their channels – from web to mobile, social to e-commerce.<h3 id="driving-stronger-personalization-and-cx">Driving stronger personalization and CX</h3>With this merger's structure, both Ibexa and Quable will augment and accelerate their respective growth strategies while combining forces. For Quable, Ibexa’s knowledge and experience of scaling internationally will help accelerate its roadmap. “Quable has grown very rapidly thanks to the talent of its team and its powerful ecosystem,” said Lamellière. “Now we need to break new ground by joining forces with a world-class software player that shares our values, recognizes our expertise, and helps us to accelerate our international development. We are really excited to be part of this unique journey.”On the Ibexa side, the addition of a world-class PIM will create more differentiated value across its stack, giving it more completeness of vision and a competitive edge in a noisy marketplace of expanding solutions. PIMs are proving to be invaluable to brands as they look for meaningful ways to power personalization to drive conversions in areas like digital commerce.“Ultra-personalization and consistency of messaging have become the key factors for go-to-market and differentiation, which is why we are so delighted to bring new fantastic capabilities to Ibexa DXP,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmaugain/">Bertrand Maugain</a>, CEO of Ibexa. “Capabilities that, I’m sure, will be warmly welcomed by our customers and partners. Thanks to QNTM Group support, we are building the new European Digital Experience champion.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>We’ve been tracking Ibexa since it was eZ Systems, a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">web content management system</a> with decades of strong adoption across Europe. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibexa.co/blog-archive/ez-systems-announces-company-name-change-to-ibexa">The company rebranded in 2020</a>, following a banner year of growth and a seismic shift in the type and size of customers the company was attracting.Buoyed by the acquisition of a B2B e-commerce software platform, eZ began incorporating site building, personalization, CDP, and workflow automation capabilities alongside its core content management system – positioning its market offering as a true digital experience platform. The company now boasts over 250,000 business customers and over 80 partners worldwide.The addition of a PIM certainly addresses a gap that competitive DXPs currently offer, which typically bolsters native digital asset management capabilities. Ibexa’s built-in DAM already provides robust and flexible control for editors, including a DAM Connector API for associating DAM variations and derivatives to variations from the DXP.Ibexa has been making gains with its international expansion, which bodes well for the company’s prospects. That said, the European-based QNTM affiliation continues to be a growth asset, providing greater visibility and scalable coordination with other data layers of the martech stack. The company's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibexa.co/products/features/integration-and-automation">QNTM Connect</a> offers integrations with over 1,300 business apps and features a no-code workflow builder and other automation capabilities - reinforcing the value of the QNTM iPaaS play.From a composability perspective, Ibexa has adopted the modular playbook for DXPs, introducing its own <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibexa.co/products/ibexa-headless">Ibexa Headless</a> solution into the ecosystem. Along with the addition of Quable’s PIM capabilities, Ibexa is delivering on its completeness of vision.It's worth noting that <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-digital-asset-management-dam-system">digital asset management systems</a> and PIMs have benefited from some stellar advancements over the last two years, particularly with the advent of more high-utility AI innovation. This reflects the continued challenges large brands face around the exponential scaling of data, particularly in the e-Commerce realm. Just last week, we covered<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/canto-pim-unites-dam-and-product-information-management-streamlining-asset-and-data-workflows"> the launch of Canto's new PIM</a>, which endeavors to fuse both DAM and PIM capabilities into a composable offering. If you’re currently evaluating digital experience platforms, Ibexa offers a solid mix of tools and resources. It may be early to appreciate the full extent of the Quable affiliation, but it certainly seems poised to deliver value. I would recommend a closer look at the company's AI horizon, which was bolstered by its announcement of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibexa.co/products/features/ai-catalyst">Ibexa AI Catalyst</a> in October to provide in-app generative capabilities.Overall, this is a smart move to shore up greater extensibility and competitive agility for Ibexa – and deliver more value for its DXP customers.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-ibexa?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Ibexa?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – St. Petersburg, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Ibexa and Quable Join Forces, Unifying DXP and PIM Capabilities

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<hr /> A bit of translation trivia: the word “Canto” means “singing” in Spanish. Perhaps, then, it’s apropos that the company called <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/canto">Canto</a> – a leading <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-digital-asset-management-dam-system">digital asset management</a> software platform – is crooning a sweet tune about its latest innovation. Is it Swift-worthy? Sure sounds that way.The song they’re spinning is the new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.canto.com/product/canto-pim">Canto PIM</a>, a comprehensive solution that “harmonizes” its industry-standard DAM with product information management capabilities.According to the company, Canto PIM has been purpose-built to overcome the burdens and blockers many brands face when managing, distributing, iterating, optimizing, and securing their digital assets and product data across an expansive ecosystem of channels, campaigns, and use cases.I’ve been expecting this news given that Canto acquired industry rival <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/">Image Relay</a> in mid-September. The Vermont-based SaaS company had been blazing trails around its combined modeling of digital asset management and product information management, making it an attractive target in what is becoming a densely competitive race between pure-play DAMs and DXP ecosystem solutions.The revelation of Canto PIM certainly came faster than anticipated, likely a reflection of the pressure to drive differentiation and capture market share before the 2025 product announcement cycle. At the time, I predicted that the combo could be a game changer as Canto executes its vision to revolutionize the way businesses mine value from their digital content. This isn't Canto's first dance with M&amp;A. Just last year, the company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.canto.com/press-releases/canto-merlinone/">acquired another competitor, MerlinOne,</a> making way for some fairly impressive AI capabilities that are continuing to juice its feature set. Here’s a revealing stat: 85% of marketers say that their <a target="_blank" href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/consultancy/deloitte-uk-future-of-experience-time-to-market.pdf">content demands have doubled</a> in just the past two years. As you can imagine, siloed approaches to digital asset and product information management can’t keep up with this exponential growth – particularly as brands struggle to compete in a crowded, time-compressed market.“Within every industry, businesses are under unprecedented pressure to create and deliver more content than ever before,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellum/">Wain Kellum</a>, Canto's CEO. “Canto PIM empowers organizations to reimagine their content and product information operations for the digital-first era, breaking down legacy roadblocks to deliver exceptional customer, partner, and employee experiences at scale.”Canto has been in the DAM game for three decades, so it understands this space with a deeper intimacy than most of its modern peers. The expanded ecosystem of choice is certainly providing more competition, but it’s also driving legacy platforms to rethink their strategies and invest in expanding their capabilities – like bridging the gap between digital asset and product information data. <h3 id="putting-pim-in-the-dam-symphony">Putting PIM in the DAM symphony</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewhall1979/">Andrew Hall</a>, Canto's VP of Global Demand Generation, recently shared some key DAM trends that the company is focusing on in 2025. In the video below, he talks about the benefits of streamlining workflows, scaling content lifecycles, and integrating a wider bench of tools to provide brands with greater efficiency.  <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr0ZCUDHa1Y"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sr0ZCUDHa1Y" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> Reinforcing those transformative trends, Canto PIM builds on the company’s industry-leading legacy as a DAM innovator. The platform serves as a single source of truth for all product data and digital content, whether it’s product-specific or deployed for broader brand marketing and sales initiatives. By unifying traditionally fragmented capabilities, the solution enables organizations to streamline workflows across the entire content and product information lifecycle – from initial planning and creation to distribution and analysis. The platform enables brands to unify product data and assets by centralizing everything in a single repository and using AI search and intuitive tools to streamline workflows and maximize efficiency.Canto PIM also synchronizes omnichannel experiences by syncing product data and assets across e-commerce, social media, and partner content, ensuring a more cohesive and consistent brand experience for customers. It also streamlines product launches with its native scalability, providing a system that can handle unlimited products, versions, and attributes with zero friction – and without sacrificing performance. <figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/12/canto-screen.jpg" alt="" /></figure>Canto PIM provides fields for rich product metadata, as well as AI-powered search. Source: Canto website When it comes to tracking performance, Canto PIM is equipped with advanced analytics that deliver actionable insights. You can easily measure asset performance and ROI, so you can develop intelligent multichannel and omnichannel strategies.A big benefit of modern DAMs is the ability to protect brand assets. Canto PIM carries forward that same commitment from Canto’s digital asset management system for safeguarding brand assets and product IP. It delivers on this promise by providing SOC-2-certified, enterprise-grade security, as well as granular permissions and compliance measures for managing users and access. You can take a more <a target="_blank" href="https://www.canto.com/product/canto-pim/">in-depth product tour</a> on Canto's website.<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>DAM, it’s getting loud in here. It’s true. As the digital asset management space packs in more players, it’s going to take a really sharp voice to sing over the crowd. This includes the chorus of digital experience platforms that offer integrated solutions as part of their ecosystem – an advantage on some levels, but less geared towards composable stacks, which are becoming more of a preference among large enterprise brands. As one of the most proven legacy brands in the market, Canto has consistently delivered on its DAM differentiators. Powered by the Image Relay acquisition, it now has an even stronger offering that meaningfully combines the capabilities of DAM and PIM. And that’s the lyrical hook: the marriage of these categories needs to yield real fruit for users, and the harmonies need to be on key. AI is certainly a force multiplier, and DAMs are applications where AI and machine learning enable high-utility outcomes. With the addition of more advanced AI features – specifically around search – Canto is delivering on its vision for truly unifying disjointed content assets and product information and making it actionable. With the increased volume around DAM and PIM solutions, evaluating these products can be more challenging – particularly with enterprise DXPs offering some compelling solutions. Many independent platforms are focusing on their composable posture as part of their value proposition. Based on your goals, it's essential to assess how a DAM's architecture is best suited for your stack and how AI and other features will enable your teams to manage data from a wide range of sources. In many composable use cases, having a layer of orchestration is becoming attractive for marketing teams and business leaders who are executing omnichannel strategies. At the end of the day, the song we’re all dying to hear is how a DAM and PIM “twofer” will enable marketing, creative, and product teams to be faster, leaner, more agile – and ultimately more efficient. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/abeiagi/">Alan Beiagi</a>, Canto’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, reflected that it’s all about giving customers a place that finally brings everything together. And that's music to everyone's ears.“By breaking down the barriers between DAM and PIM technologies and workflows, we’re giving our customers the all-in-one agility and efficiency they need to thrive in their marketplace,” he said. It doesn’t take a Swiftie to see that Canto might have a hit on its hands.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-canto?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Canto?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – St. Petersburg, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Canto PIM Unites DAM and Product Information Management, Streamlining Asset and Data Workflows

<hr /> If you haven't heard, there was some legal news yesterday. Big news.I’m not talking about the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/nx-s1-5224170/infowars-alex-jones-the-onion-bankruptcy-judge">failed bid by satirical media site The Onion</a> to buy Alex Jones’ far-right empire, including the defrocked Infowars website. Yesterday, a bankruptcy judge squashed the deal, ruling that the auction process was unfair. No, I’m speaking of the other statutory quagmire weighing down the CMS world: the ongoing drama betwixt <a target="_blank" href="https://automattic.com/">Automattic</a>, the parent company of <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.com/">WordPress.com</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wp-engine">WP Engine</a> – a third-party WordPress hosting platform.Conjunction injunction, will WordPress function… for WP Engine? Despite the scorched earth ruckus that’s been playing out, it will – at least based on Tuesday’s ruling. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/10/24318350/automattic-restore-wp-engine-access-wordpress/">According to The Verge</a> (which has done yeoman’s work covering this blusterous saga), a California district judge ordered Automattic to cease blocking WP Engine’s access to <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/">WordPress.org</a>. This includes removing the <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpressenginetracker.com/">“WP Engine Tracker”</a> that Automattic deployed, listing the number of sites that have left the hosting platform since the start of the dispute – which has fallen precipitously since September 21st – and tearing down the now <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/9/24266426/the-latest-volley-in-the-wordpress-beef">infamous checkbox</a> on the WordPress login that asks users to verify they’re not affiliated with WP Engine. <img style="width:79.97%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/12/wordpress-wpengine-tracker.png" alt="" />The WordPress WP Engine Tracker, as of December 11, 2024. Image: CMS Critic Further, Automattic and its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattm/">CEO Matt Mullenweg</a> will have to relinquish their control of WP Engine’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/">Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin</a>, a popular WordPress resource that allows developers to create custom content fields for websites. In many ways, this was the hot potato in the proverbial oven, as many WP Engine customers were furious about the uncertainty surrounding its status.<h3 id="just-to-recap-the-backstory">Just to recap the backstory</h3>After the initial action from Automattic, WP Engine <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/3/24261016/wordpress-wp-engine-lawsuit-automattic-matt-mullenweg">filed a lawsuit accusing</a> Automattic and Mullenweg of doing “irreparable harm” to its business, asking the court to intercede and restore WP Engine’s access to <a target="_blank" href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress.org</a>. That court filing led to a contentious and very public campaign against WP Engine, in which Mullenweg called out WP Engine for misuse of the WordPress trademark. Perhaps in a more scathing rebuke, he also suggested the company had not been good stewards of the WordPress open source community, failing to sufficiently contribute to the platform’s ongoing innovation.For the record, I tried reaching out to multiple sources since the beginning of the drama. This includes trusted open source community members and people on the inside from both ends of the spectrum. Unfortunately, given the legal sensitivities, no one was willing to comment at the time. Now that a ruling has materialized – albeit preliminary – there might be more transparent reflection from all parties. We’ll see.Has this entire episode shaken the confidence of WordPress developers and practitioners? No doubt about it. Just read the tirade of social media comments that criticized both parties. Additionally, there’s been mounting negativity from contributors who have been vocal about their perception of the situation – a signal that things could be shifting in the future as developers assess the aftermath of this episode. The dispute has also exposed a fragile vulnerability that perhaps rivals zero-day open source security exploits, demonstrating how the human factor (vis-à-vis the politics of ego and the pursuit of profit) might present unforeseen risks to WordPress agencies, businesses, and the ocean of community developers.<h3 id="so-what-happens-next?-">So what happens next? </h3>Historians might be grappling with this chapter of web legacy for years to come. A lot depends on the fallout. There has been direct and collateral damage, to be sure – and given the visible personalities involved, we can probably expect further action. Does that mean more bellicose rhetoric? We’ll have to wait and see. From a more existential framework, I would contend that WordPress isn’t projecting the same level of gravitas it once did. To be clear, I spent a season of my career building, managing, and migrating to and from this CMS. I know it well. Maybe too well. Heck, the previous version of this blog was powered by WordPress and hosted on WP Engine and I rarely had any issues. It was stable and reliable. Sure, I had to facilitate updates and manage our custom-built plugins. But having that level of control was part of the fun, part of the magic that is website design and development. Maybe the operative question is: will WordPress continue to be a place where fresh minds and ambitious young developers flock to? Today, it still powers the largest share of websites on the open web, but is it in danger of becoming less relevant? Is a situation like this serving as a lynchpin for change – or a stark reminder that it is no longer the up-and-coming disruptor that it once was?I believe in open source. We all use it up and down the stack, from Linux to Docker. It is fundamental to how we code and create. On the CMS level, I’ve vocally advocated for the analyst community to give open source platforms the fair shake they deserve in the scope of their grids. I’ve also written about the efforts of organizations like the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/drupal-joomla-typo3-and-wordpress-join-forces-in-new-open-website-alliance">Open Web Alliance</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-swiss-dont-miss-on-open-source-how-switzerlands-embag-law-is-evolving-the-oss-landscape">countries like Switzerland</a> that are embracing open source in meaningful ways. At the same time, users and practitioners ought to have material opportunities for generating equitable revenue by using open source software as part of their business strategy. As these platforms aired their dirty laundry on a very public stage, they've been influencing the decision-making for new and existing developers and businesses, perhaps deepening the rift and raising questions about the solvency of building in this ecosystem. Will that manifest in slowing growth? Again, the historians will love unpacking this. If you visit Automattic’s website, the first thing you’ll read is a very simple mission statement: “We are passionate about making the web a better place.” If that’s true, then maybe tearing down the oligarchical power structures is the first step. And that’s not directed towards one side of the field. There’s plenty that can be done to reinforce better standards, greater transparency, and generally “good karma” from both Automattic and WP Engine. Both parties have beneficial attributes, and both had solvent points to make in this dispute.Regardless of the outcome, we can agree that leaving builders and businesses in limbo is the least constructive way to maintain trust. Hopefully, we can leave the scorched earth behind – and focus on green fields.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-wordpress-or-wp-engine?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on WordPress or WP Engine?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

WP Engine wins an injunction against Automattic. Is the WordPress 'scorched earth' campaign over?

<hr /> It wouldn’t be December without a Christmas story that warms your heart. Especially if it’s three sizes too small. Of course, every good holiday tale needs a protagonist who experiences some magnificent transformation. So let’s start with a little Scrooging before pouring the spiked egg nog.Our merry friends at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/storyblok">Storyblok</a>, a headless CMS that has positioned itself simply as a “content management system,” recently published some sobering survey data. The big takeaway: 93% of marketers and developers say their current CMS is falling short of expectations, and a lot of the frustration stems from integrations.To that end, the consensus among survey participants is that platform integration failures could impact revenue this holiday season, a time when brands and retailers are banking on digital commerce to stuff their annual stockings. ‘Twas the nightmare before Christmas? Indeed. And it's likely to result in an urgent call-to-action to improve reliance on the stack – specifically the CMS layer – in 2025. Ho, ho, hold on a minute. It’s not to say that cheeks aren’t rosy in other areas of the digital marketing machine. The study indicated that businesses are spending an average of over $453,000 on martech per year. That’s healthy by any measure, but the effectiveness of that investment could be in jeopardy if <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems</a> aren’t living up to their fullest potential. So what’s a brand to do? It’s not as simple as asking Santa for a solution. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/storyblok-is-writing-its-next-chapter-with-an-80m-series-c-heres-why-it-matters">Storyblok’s CEO Dominik Angerer</a>, whom I’ve spoken to multiple times this year, the core challenges can be traced back to legacy systems that lack flexibility and interoperability – and a move to headless could turn that lump of coal into a diamond.“This survey shows that many companies are hitting the limits of their current CMS,” he said. “They are dreaming of a CMS that’s keeping all their systems in sync without constant workarounds.”And dreaming of sugar plum fairies who deliver an easy transition, right? Therein lies part of the problem: moving to a new CMS can be costly and time-consuming, and embracing composable architectures (more the domain of large enterprises) can take years to fully realize. Time is also tight, and organizations need to move quickly, especially when the holiday blitz is a 'Blitzen. This is why many platforms have embraced a multi-CMS ecosystem – with a strong reliance on headless platforms – to roadmap a more holistic solution. But is headless really the panacea for all these challenges? Let’s unwrap some of the data that Storyblok left under the tree.<h3 id="deck-the-halls-with-integration-frustration">Deck the halls with integration frustration</h3>With customers like Adidas, Netflix, and Disney on its roster, Storyblok has cultivated deep insights around use cases and patterns for headless CMS at a global enterprise level. That was clearly a benefit when conducting the research, which reflects how some of the world’s biggest brands feel stymied by outdated legacy tech stacks that can’t keep pace with their evolving needs.For the research itself, Storyblok surveyed 300 IT and marketing leaders at global businesses, a third of which had stated revenues of over $100 million. Participants were asked a range of questions about their company’s CMS with an explicit focus on the arc for integrating new tools and applications as part of their existing tech stack. One important note, which speaks to the reality of the enterprise market and a smidge of headless bias: all surveyed companies in the report use monolithic CMSes. That’s not a shocker, but it’s a relevant assumption that the data might be telegraphed around inherent criticisms of large enterprise CMS and DXP platforms. To that end, 93% of respondents aired grievances, specifically around the limited integration options with other services and tools in their tech stack. Two in five also stated that they are constantly in need of a better integration experience, while a quarter found integrations “difficult,” illustrating the urgency for more flexible solutions.So much for the “seamlessly integrates” tagline that often accompanies the marketing around many platforms in the ecosystem. Humbug.<h3 id="all-i-want-for-christmas-is-up-to-date-content">All I want for Christmas is up-to-date content</h3>Outdated content is an epidemic, particularly for highly distributed global organizations – and it’s not just at the CMS layer. Maintaining up-to-date digital assets has been a precarious function as well, which is why we’ve seen significant investments in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cloudinary-assets-brings-new-ai-powered-features-to-its-api-first-intelligent-dam">AI-powered capabilities across DAMs and PIMs</a>. As Dominik Angerer stated in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/storyblok-is-writing-its-next-chapter-with-an-80m-series-c-heres-why-it-matters">one of our previous interviews</a>, “A CMS can’t just be a place where your content is sent to die." And yet, it often is for so many companies – something the research also manages to codify. According to the study, frustration over outdated content continues to be a widespread problem. Most respondents reported that 20% to 30% of their CMS content is no longer relevant, with only one-third updating content on a monthly basis – or less. To make matters worse, 37% admitted to not having an audit or update process that works for them. Translation: there’s no reliable governance, which can result not only in poor experiences for users but also financial and even legal liabilities. <h3 id="jingling-with-marketers-and-developers">Jingling with marketers and developers</h3>The elves aren’t playing nicely in the workshop – a fact we’ve been abundantly aware of for quite some time. As headless CMS platforms rose in popularity, marketers were left in the cold, becoming more reliant on developers to modify their digital experiences. At the same time, monolithic CMS and DXP platforms inherited more complexity (often through acquisitions), resulting in a similar paradigm.I’ve been chatting about this with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/uniforms-enterprise-visual-workspace-unifies-content-data-ai-and-technology-in-a-single-cloud-for-marketers">industry leaders like Darren Guarnaccia</a> for the last few years. In 2023, he noted that while composable headless technologies are a boon for developers and technical audiences, “it’s been kind of horrible for the businesses.” This reality underscored the mad rush to add visual building, previewing, and editing capabilities to CMS tooling – from <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-introduces-new-saas-cms-with-visual-builder-for-marketers">Optimizely</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/agility-cms-web-studio-aims-to-streamline-content-creation-and-collaboration">Agility</a> – and nearly every platform now has it as an expected feature. But these new capabilities are still catching up, and technology isn’t the only sore spot. According to Storyblok’s research, the collaboration between marketers and developers continues to be strained, with 40% saying it’s either “ineffective” or “nonexistent.” That’s a big number, and likely reflects some of the cultural challenges that exist between marketing and IT functions.What’s at the core of this rift? Basic stuff, really. For example, a marketer might want to update a post or make fast edits across multiple pages. Unfortunately, in many legacy CMS deployments, that might require the help of a developer each time (Darren referred to these instances as “tickets,” which those of us with support experience know all too well). This is because certain types of changes in a CMS are often complex and can ripple across an entire site. Of course, this back-and-forth can create huge bottlenecks and delays, utlimately adding months and potentially extra zeroes to the cost of a project. But Dominik feels this is where a modern headless CMS can differentiate and solve the problem. “A headless CMS can eliminate these holdups,” he said. “These flexible, integration-friendly systems meet the needs of both marketers and developers.”<h3 id="last-christmas,-i-gave-you-my-content…">Last Christmas, I gave you my content…</h3>And the very next day? Well, at least some users start a slow, downward slide toward CMS regret. In fairness, the honeymoon might last a little longer. But when you’re sold on the potential of “seamless integrations,” only to find that things aren’t so seamless, it feels like Krampus coming down the chimney. At this time of the year, brands are under increased pressure to drive conversions and sales. Clearly, some teams are disillusioned by their experiences and most of the blame lands in the boots of the tech stack. And yet, the problems persist. Storyblok published a previous study that revealed almost half of all businesses are literally “embarrassed” by their website. Ouch. That same report also found that business leaders estimate a poor website UX leads to $72,000 in lost sales each year.To be sure, there’s some predictable marketer’s lament in all of this (every brand pro is on a quest for what they don’t have). But it does codify how disappointing a legacy CMS experience can be for many users and organizations – despite spending all that previously mentioned cheddar on martech. Looking ahead, integration will continue to scale in importance. This is due to the accelerating growth of new technologies and the persistent need to manage data from multiple systems. According to Storyblok, this must be prioritized – because what’s at stake is the continued erosion of time, money, and resources.There are many choices when it comes to CMS platforms. Most are solid in their own way, and it’s usually not just the architecture or functionality that makes them naughty or nice – it’s how they’re applied as part of a broader stack. In some cases, headless is an ideal solution. But when a decision about any CMS isn’t carefully approached, it can result in a less-than-satisfying outcome.In terms of reaching the limitations, some practitioners might be approaching their problems from the wrong vector – and certain strategies could be employed to resolve the bottlenecks and challenges. In this case, headless CMSes have an advantage when it comes to integrating with other solutions that displace the issues or extend capabilities in the right way. That said, large enterprise DXPs have made significant headway when it comes to delivering more modular solutions for their customers, which can offer some of the same benefits of interoperability and API-driven integration. Do you mine a lump of coal, hoping it keeps burning? Or do you make the leap to something new? This realm of optimization is something that many organizations will be wrestling with as they assess the 2024 holiday season and beyond. The good news: we’re talking about the challenges, and working to overcome them.Who knows? Maybe next Christmas will bring some cheerier numbers. Until then, we'll be making our list and checking it twice. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-storyblok?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Storyblok?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Legacy CMS leaving a lump of coal in your stacking? Research says the best gift could be headless

<hr /> During a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/agility">Agility CMS</a> “Ask Me Anything” webinar, I was subjected to a trifecta of “dad jokes” – courtesy of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/playing-to-win-in-the-headless-cms-game-interview-with-joel-varty-cto-at-agility">Joel Varty</a>. In addition to his part-time standup vocation, Joel is the Chief Technology Officer of the Toronto-based headless <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a>, where he’s spent almost two decades innovating around digital experiences and supporting notable brands like Cineplex, Mitsubishi Electric, and ScotiaBank.As a comically blessed father myself (IMHO), I appreciated his technique and material – especially the closer about a sad math book that couldn’t solve its own problems. Insert rimshot.Dad jokes aside, Joel is as cool as they come on stage. I’ve seen him bake under the hot lights of the now-famous <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2024/8/kajoo-wins-cmsidol24-montreal">“CMS Idol” competition</a>, and from my perspective, he’s one CTO who keeps his demo muscle in solid shape (I’m sure there’s a dad joke in there). As advertised, Agility’s AMA session effectively “pulled back the curtain” on its new <a target="_blank" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/web-studio">Web Studio,</a> which promises enhanced features for customers to create, preview, and collaborate on web content. Web Studio reflects a tacit transformation we’ve been seeing across the headless CMS market, one where pure-play platforms have been bridging the visual gap. Content creators want a simple UI that enables them to see exactly what their stuff will look like when it’s live. At the same time, they need to collaborate with team members to preview, review, comment on, and approve their pages before publishing. Agility's Web Studio delivers the full monty and then some – with dynamite features already penciled in on the roadmap. The company has flown Web Studio with a few test pilots as part of what it calls its “Ambassador Program,” and the solution is getting solid reviews. As part of the AMA, I got a first-hand tour of Web Studio, and I concur. As billed, it’s a heckuva lot more than just a WYSIWYG editor. The entire experience feels intuitive, elegant, lightweight, and easy to navigate – and fits seamlessly into Agility’s clean, minimal framework while providing easy access to all the essential tooling. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:66.45%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/joel-brendan-headshots.jpg" alt="" /></figure>Agility's AMA presenters: Joel Varty, CTO (left), and Brendan Cooney, Senior Manager Joel conducted the webinar with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmcooney/">Brendan Cooney</a>, Senior Manager at Agility. They showcased how content creation and teamwork are central to the new experience and woven into its new attributes.A bit of history on the genesis of Web Studio: It began as a feature called Preview Center, which made its debut at the <a target="_blank" href="https://aarhus25.boye-co.com/">Boye Aarhus 2023 Conference</a> and ended up <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2023/11/agility-wins-the-2023-small-feature-award">winning the event's coveted “Small Feature Award.”</a> The achievement sparked some new thinking – both practical and blue sky – which Joel crystallized during the AMA.“What if Brendan’s typing in a field, and then I’m typing in a field? What happens there? That snowballed into ‘now we need Figma-style comments,’ [and] ‘now we need Google Docs style content editing.’ So it kind of turned into a whole lot of things, which is really exciting for us.”Here’s a snapshot of what I saw, and what you can expect as it rolls out.<h3 id="it’s-a-lot-less-lonely-with-presence">It’s a lot less lonely with Presence</h3>One of the coolest new features in Web Studio is the Presence Indicator, which visually displays an icon of who’s online in the system. With a click, you can jump to the specific page or asset that a person is working on and collaborate in tandem. It’s simple but super handy – and editors are sure to love it.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.64%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/agility-web-studio-presence.jpg" alt="" /></figure>The Presence Indicator (appearing at the top of the Agility UI) shows other team members actively working in the system As Joel and Brendan noted, Presence accentuates collaboration in a personal way, making the experience feel like hanging out with friends. By reducing the friction to share and connect within the system, Agility is offering a more human (er… humane?) experience – one that can reduce the challenges around communicating and collaborating.<h3 id="instant-field-locking-and-built-in-commenting">Instant field-locking and built-in commenting</h3>Content collisions are a pain, but version conflicts might be a thing of the past with Web Studio’s slick new field locking feature. Simply slide the lock button into place and you effectively control your session. At the same time, your collaborators can see what fields you’re working on and what changes you’re making in real time. Users can also leave comments with total ease. Just tag a team member with an “@“ and leave a notification, comments, or even reactions. You can also resolve the comment once you reply, making the function more like a task assignment or project management feature. You can also access a full history of comments. All around, it’s definitely a win for users and teams.Once you see the commenting and collaboration tools, it’s logical to thread the needle with other communication tools in the broader ecosystem. As Joel indicated, users can expect both email and Slack notifications in the near future.<h2 id="previews">Previews</h2>Out of the box, Web Studio provides both a staging and preview environment in addition to your live view. It’s all easily within reach. You can also leverage the <a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/agility/web-studio-sdk">Agility Web Studio SDK</a> to decorate the fields and components. Previews also work with pages and content items. A big upgrade: you’ll be able to switch between multiple deployments, an action that's been less flexible in the past in Agility.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:86.64%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/agility-web-studio-preview.jpg" alt="" /></figure>Web Studio provides a seamless preview within Agility as well as easy-to-use commenting features You can also manually expand or collapse your window to preview and inspect different device sizes. That might sound like a simple expectation with most modern CMS UIs, but it's more fluid than you think. The word “silky” comes to mind, and it's worth seeing in action.One other cool benefit is the commenting mode, which allows you to click anywhere and leave comments on your preview. It's just another example of how collaboration has been baked into the foundation of Web Studio.<h3 id="decorating-components">Decorating components</h3>This is where developers can customize their components for editors. As Joel demonstrated in real time, you can access code in Agility to decorate your component fields, making it easier for developers to render changes and empower content creators to do their thing. Once his changes were complete, it was all pushed to <a target="_blank" href="https://vercel.com/">Vercel</a>, and… presto. Ready in minutes.As he noted, it takes a little more time to set up new components the right way, but doing so ultimately enhances the editor experience. Joel reinforced the importance of this vital relationship between developers and content creators, and how it can unleash greater value.  <h3 id="the-critic-consensus">The Critic Consensus</h3>Visual editing and preview capabilities have become an expectation for every headless CMS. But delivering the right mix of capabilities – wrapped in a simple yet satisfying experience – is the real dealmaker. Agility Web Studio offers a differentiated visual experience and a fantastic upgrade to the platform’s easy-to-use interface. With trick features like the Presence capability, users should find it intuitive and (dare I say) fun to interact and collaborate around content. And in the high-pressure, high-stakes world of accelerating your marketing content, finding more productive and rewarding ways to make the journey is a win-win.The collaboration enhancements are slick, and the in-app commenting and task resolution capabilities are sure to please marketers, developers, and content creators alike. The seamless ability to share, review, and approve within Agility should help reduce bottlenecks and laborious back-and-forth emails.From a broader market perspective, headless CMSes continue to appreciate steady demand as fixtures across many RFPs. That’s also why we continue to see new platforms entering the market. While the noise has dampened from the peaks of 2023 and early 2024 (I must have been talking to a new headless platform every week), opportunity and choice continue to drive persistent growth.Generally speaking, choice is good for buyers. But above all, they want confidence and trust – and that’s where platforms like Agility have a key advantage in a sea of sameness. As a veteran player, they’ve amassed a solid track record with globally recognized brands, powering workloads with mission-critical performance and compliance considerations. <h3 id="one-last-note-on-the-‘art-of-the-live-demo’">One last note on the ‘Art of the Live Demo’</h3>No one wants to code in front of other people. It’s a bit like using a public restroom – which, for many people, is fraught with anxiety. When Joel started to manually update a component on the fly, he demonstrated how easy it is to customize. That said, when a few tags went off the rails, he kept his cool and made the whole process feel smooth and authentic. Call it Murphy’s Law, but there’s always a bump or two in the road. The “agility” (see what I did there?) to keep rolling when things don’t go as planned is, in itself, a testament to the presenter. If you’re evaluating a CMS, I still stand by the impact of a live demo from a qualified practitioner – bumps and all. Yes, good documentation is a must-have; ultimately, we're trying to empower our users and get out of the way. But a solid CMS in your composable stack is a critical decision, and Agility is doing it right by emphasizing the human part of its proposition.Speaking of which, you can learn more about Web Studio <a target="_blank" href="https://agilitycms.com/product/web-studio">here</a>. Dad jokes not included. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-agility?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Agility?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

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<hr /> Education beats at the heart of the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/new-logo-new-leaders-mach-alliance-announces-key-appointments-and-brand-refresh">MACH Alliance</a>. And rightly so. Even as the market embraces more composable technology solutions, there's still a lack of general awareness of what MACH truly represents – both from an architectural standpoint and from business and philosophical perspectives. This might sound a bit obtuse or even highfalutin, but there has always been a missing link when drawing distinctions between MACH and the rest of the composable landscape. It's more than just the Microservices, API-first, Cloud SaaS, and Headless posturing that maketh one “MACH Certified.” And much of that can get lost in translation. That's why the organization's charter has leaned heavily on education as a core tenet, and that commitment has been steadily evolving over the last few years. Now, the Alliance offers a more robust eLearning program called <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/ridemach">rideMACH</a>, a culmination of its educational vision and intentions (cool name, too).rideMACH has nearly tripled its enrollment in the last six months, a clear sign that the market is eager to learn – and hungry for resources. Now, the not-for-profit industry body has announced that it is further expanding the rideMACH program with additional courses and credentialing. To drive this investment, the MACH Alliance has appointed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-valade/">Dylan Valade</a>, senior director of digital marketing at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/">Abbott</a>, as the new Head of the MACH Alliance Education Council. Valade will help shape the overall program and oversee the curriculum.“As the Alliance matures, the Education Council aims to be an essential source of knowledge, upskilling how organizations adopt composable technology and the MACH approach,” Valade said. “The council’s success will lead to the expansion of rideMACH as a foundational educational tool for the community.”<h3 id="riding-the-education-wave-to-mach">Riding the education wave to MACH</h3>According to <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/insights-hub/mach-global-research-2024">MACH Alliance research</a>, 91% of IT decision-makers expect composable technology to be instrumental to their success in the next five years. This underscores the rising interest in MACH, but also reinforces the need to broaden the knowledge base of MACH architectures – and more importantly, close the skills gap. To help individuals and organizations embrace the open, transformative nature of composable technologies, the Alliance launched its <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/ridemach">rideMACH</a> program in April of this year, which has grown explosively.“Since its inception, rideMACH has been an invaluable program to hundreds of individuals. These champions have joined the program to help their organizations gain insights from real-world scenarios,” said Casper Rasmussen, president of MACH Alliance. “Brands and companies love the program too – clearly evidenced by our satisfaction scores, frequent learner engagement and the obvious pride in sharing on social media when they achieve a digital credential. It’s a testament to the validity of the program.”rideMACH offers two foundational courses: “Modern Tech With MACH” and “MACH Mindset.” Each track sends participants down a learning path that combines audio, video, and interactivity. Users are presented with a range of activities and case studies that bring MACH principles and concepts to life in tangible ways. Each learning path culminates in the earning of a digital badge.<h3 id="a-new-expansion-course-on-tco">A new expansion course on TCO</h3>Today, the Alliance is also launching an expansion course on <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/ridemach">Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)</a>, which will explore best practices around interoperability and highlight the cost efficiency and scalability of the MACH approach. Unlike a monolithic system, MACH solutions enable businesses to perform incremental changes to manage TCO. Cloud-native technologies in MACH architectures, for example, optimize operational costs and ensure companies pay only for what they need.rideMACH's e-learners have already chimed in with solid approval of the program. 95% agreed that the rideMACH learning paths helped them better understand the fundamental principles of MACH, while 96% agreed that the “Modern Tech with MACH” learning path helped them grasp the best practices for achieving a more successful MACH transformation or adoption. 87% felt better equipped to apply the key skills and qualities needed to build a MACH team.You can learn more about rideMACH<a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/ridemach#Join%20rideMACH"> here</a>.<h3 id="tapping-industry-expertise-to-elevate-education">Tapping industry expertise to elevate education</h3>Last summer, the MACH Alliance rolled out its new Education Council, which clearly focused on how the Alliance educates the community – specifically, developing a pathway to MACH and shaping the rideMACH program. Now, this year's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241014544034/en/MACH-Alliance-Strengthens-Position-as-a-Technology-Leader-Responding-to-Growing-Market-Needs-From-Business-Community">newly appointed Executive Council</a> has added Valade to head up education, bringing a MACH-user perspective that will help inform the council on how to best serve organizations and brands alike.Valade has been a long-time supporter of the Alliance, serving as an ambassador for over three years. He currently leads a digital services IT team at Abbott, a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Abbott's portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the complete spectrum of healthcare, with top businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritional and branded generic medicines. With 114,000 employees, Abbott serves people in more than 160 countries. Valade works in the global delivery and support of Abbott's brand and investor/public relations sites, B2C eCommerce for consumer brands, B2B eCommerce, digital experience (including content CMS), digital transformation, and more. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>The MACH Alliance continues to assess and improve its value to members and the market at large. At the same time, it's working to shed its insulated perception. Gone are the days of persisting behind turgid velvet ropes and emitting a tone of exclusivity. Still, while the organization is communicating a more inclusive message around its advocacy of open ecosystems, it still struggles to overcome that perception gap – even with organizations that have failed to achieve membership (scour LinkedIn, and you'll find a plethora of grievances).And yet, that's the point: organizations seeking membership have to meet rigid requirements so evaluators and buyers have confidence when composing their stacks. There are certainly lessons to be gleaned from a lack of transparency, and I've heard from numerous vendors that the Alliance hasn't always provided clear steps for remediating an application after being rejected (it's worth noting that over 50% miss with their first submission).But this is where education is worth its weight in gold. The more practitioners and enterprises understand, the less uncertainty there will be around the systems, processes, and expectations. You know what they say about rising tides and lifting ships – and the same holds true here.Bringing on a marketing professional to manage and expand the education programs seems like a solid move. While gains have been made – particularly around penetrating the U.S. market – the Alliance needs to accelerate its investment in MACH's awareness. Having someone who understands how to market the right messages could be an additional asset around these initiatives. It's true what they say: Knowledge is power. But given its continued growth and persistent investment in education, the MACH Alliance is developing something more important: wisdom. <hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

MACH Alliance Taps Dylan Valade of Abbott to Drive Expanding rideMACH Education Program

A late 2024 field trip: 2 days at the Kentico Connection conference

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<hr /> Seems like we’ve been talking a lot about DAMs these days. Why? Because there’s so much DAM stuff to deal with.It’s true. Many large enterprises have thousands – even millions – of digital assets spread across a myriad of systems and databases. At the same time, marketing teams are under increasing pressure to work faster while maintaining control and governance.Over the last two years, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-digital-asset-management-dam-system">digital asset management systems</a> have been stepping up to meet this challenge, enhancing their product capabilities with an abundance of AI capabilities. This evolution in functionality, driven largely by AI, is impacting productivity for teams and driving greater value for brands. In that same stretch, I've seen numerous demos from pure-play DAM platforms and DXPs with dedicated DAM features, many of which were on display at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/dam-new-york-2024">DAM New York 2024</a> just a few weeks ago. While there are many horizontal plays within the DAM market landscape, there are certainly niche products that understand the unique needs and challenges of the markets they serve, providing a more immersive UX that’s discretely geared toward those requirements. These tend to be pure-play solutions with a penchant for integration. Such is the case with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/cloudinary">Cloudinary</a>, an image and video platform that enables some of the world’s most engaging brands to deliver transformative visual experiences at an enterprise scale. With more than two million users and 10,000 customers (including Adidas, Etsy, Fiverr, Rivian, and more), Cloudinary helps organizations manage huge asset volumes, improve collaboration, save thousands of hours on repetitive tasks, and increase conversions.During DAM New York, Cloudinary announced some new and interesting capabilities to <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/blog/the-intelligent-dam">Cloudinary Assets</a>, the company’s intelligent, API-first digital asset management platform. These innovative features are designed to streamline every stage of the asset lifecycle, including customizable creative review and approval workflows, portals for controlling asset sharing, and intuitive AI solutions that automate manual tasks. If you're not familiar with Assets, here's a quick video overview: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM3UmmT_oB0"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iM3UmmT_oB0" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> As an ecosystem, Cloudinary Assets complements the company's other nifty resources. This includes a programmable media feature for automating video and image lifecycles and a <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/video_api">robust video API</a> that allows developers to programmatically access and manipulate video content on the web with uploading, storage, encoding, and delivery optimizations.Cloudinary has long embraced the promise of composable architectures, which has guided its innovation path and strategy (more on that in a minute). As such, its new features are purpose-built to deliver greater flexibility for customers within their martech stacks – one of the many reasons why it was recently named a <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Flp.cloudinary.com%2Farp.lp.idc_marketscape.html%3Futm_campaign%3D4007-%26utm_medium%3Dpress_releases%26utm_source%3Dbusinesswire%23form_section&amp;esheet=54140182&amp;newsitemid=20241022561325&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Leader+in+the+IDC+MarketScape%3A+Worldwide+Intelligent+Digital+Asset+Management&amp;index=3&amp;md5=843ea3470f82578e4adb9f69ff135925">Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Intelligent Digital Asset Management</a>“Today’s visual economy demands that brands harness the full power of their images and videos to engage and connect with consumers, and these modern experiences require a modern DAM,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-daynes-1456173a/">Rob Daynes</a>, Managing Director of Digital Asset Management at Cloudinary. “When powerful martech tools work together in harmony, the professionals that rely on them can too. This raises the bar for the kinds of experiences they can build to truly distinguish themselves in their market.”Will these new features pay off for Cloudinary customers? According to the company, they will – big time. They project that a brand's launch cycles could accelerate profoundly, dropping from weeks or days to minutes. Asset costs could be reduced by up to 60%. And here's the clincher: users could save up to 75% of their time toiling in asset management, driving a significant ROI through enhanced productivity. These are some sweet value props. Can Assets deliver the goods?I'm sure Cloudinary would say (resoundingly): “You bet your assets.” But let’s dig in a little deeper. <h3 id="an-api-first-dam-for-composable-architectures">An API-first DAM for composable architectures</h3>Recently, Cloudinary commissioned an <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudinary.com%2Fproducts%2Fdigital_asset_management%2Fsurvey%3Futm_campaign%3D4007-%26utm_medium%3Dpress_releases%26utm_source%3Dbusinesswire&amp;esheet=54140182&amp;newsitemid=20241022561325&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=independent+DAM+survey&amp;index=11&amp;md5=0092398e234b7db65818807e845a90ae">independent DAM survey</a>, revealing that 86% of respondents consider a highly integratable DAM to be extremely or very important. That makes sense based on all the dynamics I’ve already outlined.“Highly integratable” is a kind of synonym for composable, which is indeed reflected in Cloudinary’s grounding API-first posture. This architectural approach has long been the company’s guiding light, and is codified by its early membership in the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/new-logo-new-leaders-mach-alliance-announces-key-appointments-and-brand-refresh">MACH Alliance</a>. The platform offers a robust ecosystem of more than 300 partners, integrations, and plug-ins with many of the marketing ecosystem’s most popular tools.Cloudinary sees its DAM as a “single source of truth” for all visual assets, consolidating the often disparate visual asset technologies managed across teams in one highly connected and intelligent platform. With its rich focus on the image and video asset category, its composable capabilities give it an edge when fitting into a diverse martech stack with distributed data.<h3 id="powerful-and-practical-ai-capabilities">Powerful and practical AI capabilities</h3>There are several places where AI is augmenting Cloudinary’s DAM features to improve efficiency while delivering greater control and confidence for marketing teams. First, Cloudinary’s embedded AI automates the creative review and approval workflows by enabling auto-tagging and visual search for simpler asset classification and discovery. Its AI-powered content moderation and credentialing – with <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudinary.com%2Fblog%2Fc2pa-standard-implementation%3Futm_campaign%3D4007-%26utm_medium%3Dpress_releases%26utm_source%3Dbusinesswire&amp;esheet=54140182&amp;newsitemid=20241022561325&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=C2PA+compliance&amp;index=10&amp;md5=1895ae4da0c24b994d0060e4969a27a1">C2PA compliance</a> – helps ensure brand compliance and customer confidence in every asset, even as library volumes increase and <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/documentation/user_generated_content">user-generated content</a> (UGC) and AI content proliferate.Its DAM also has a deep bench of practical AI capabilities that accelerate time to market for visual storytellers. These include automating manual tasks at scale, such as cropping, resizing, and delivering assets in the ideal file format and quality.With Cloudinary’s cutting-edge generative AI capabilities – available within its visual workspace, Studio – any DAM user can create unlimited on-brand customizations of a single asset or collection of assets for any use case. Accurate previews eliminate publishing risk and ensure that assets transformed by generative AI automation (such as background removal and fill, object removal and replacement, product recoloring, or image quality enhancement) will look flawless once delivered to the consumer.<h3 id="what-are-the-new-features-in-assets?">What are the new features in Assets?</h3>Here’s a quick rundown, starting with robust <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/products/digital_asset_management/moderate-review">creative review and approval</a> capabilities. Marketing teams will benefit from a more centralized and collaborative workflow automation solution, allowing them to customize and match their own review and approval processes for images, videos, PDFs, and other content and file types – and even include both internal and external stakeholders. It also sports enterprise-grade security and auditing, so brands in highly regulated industries can maintain strict governance.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:65.02%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cloudinary-metadata-screenshot.png" alt="" /></figure>Managing metadata and adding AI-generated captioning are powerful tools in Cloudinary Assets Content moderation is critical for marketing teams, particularly as assets grow exponentially. As such, Cloudinary has juiced its platform with <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/solutions/user-generated-content">AI-powered moderation tools</a>, helping brands meet compliance by automating things like credentialing and compliance checks. Teams can also maintain higher standards while coping with the challenging realities of UGC and other assets entering the ecosystem.Powered by Cloudinary’s proprietary MediaFlows solution, the enhanced <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/products/digital_asset_management/asset-workflow-templates">asset workflow automation</a> is a no-code solution that sets up actions when uploading assets – or times actions to occur by specific criteria such as expiration date, changes to metadata, and other details. Asset workflow automation can also be customized with more complex workflows and integrations by upgrading to the full suite of MediaFlows capabilities.  <img style="width:46.3%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cloudinary-asset-worfklow-screen.png" alt="" />Asset workflow automation offers granular control of specific asset actions and details On the frontend, there’s also something called <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/products/digital_asset_management/portals">Cloudinary Portals</a>, which makes it easy to securely curate and share assets with everyone on your team or specified stakeholders. Portals enables business users to create fully branded digital experiences across media sharing, brand guideline portals, press portals, partner and sales enablement centers, and more.On the video side, there are some cool GenAI video editing features. These advancements are intended to support the <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudinary.com%2Fsolutions%2Fvideo%2Fsurvey%3Futm_campaign%3D4007-%26utm_medium%3Dpress_releases%26utm_source%3Dbusinesswire&amp;esheet=54140182&amp;newsitemid=20241022561325&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=80%25+of+brands+that+plan+to+expand+their+use+of+video&amp;index=12&amp;md5=098c47b4c8e32efbf3635f928c3fdd05">80% of brands planning to expand their use of video</a>. This includes incredibly handy tools for generating smart previews, transcriptions, captioning, and auto-translations – so brands can reach everyone on any device with more accessible experiences. Cloudinary also supports multiple video file formats, including short-form, long-form, e-commerce, information and how-to, and other applications. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>“DAM done differently.” That’s how Cloudinary visualizes its platform promise. It’s catchy, and it certainly reflects the company's culture of innovation.AI is the name of the game when it comes to the DAM roadmap and horizon. As the competitive field continues to expand, pure-play providers, DXPs, and PaaS solutions will continue to leverage high-utility AI features to provide differentiated value to customers. Most of that value will be derived from enhancements in speed, productivity, and governance. But platforms like Cloudinary might have an advantage relative to their decade-long focus on digital imagery and video, and its persistent posture of composability. Being API-first is a key determiner for buyers and evaluators looking for MACH-centric solutions that fit the bill within composable stacks, and Cloudinary has long been a champion of composability.Still, the DAM market is getting thicker. <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/slam-dam-dunk-canto-acquires-image-relay-plans-to-align-dam-and-pim-features">With Canto’s acquisition of Image Relay</a>, there’s a motion towards consolidating power at the pure-play enterprise level. Meanwhile, DXPs and Content Marketing Platforms (CMPs) like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/acquia">Acquia</a> continue to roll out more high-utility AI-driven features like native video editing – making it less cumbersome for brands to simply add and access these features. Downstream, PaaS players like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/directus">Directus</a> are offering built-in choice with their own integrated DAM, just as other legacy CMS platforms continue to improve their own capabilities. The good news: demand is growing, and innovation will pay off for marketing teams and brands.If you’re evaluating platforms, consider your goals relative to composability. Cloudinary's API-first posture puts them squarely in that league, but they're also enhancing the key features that really add up in a good DAM: asset lifecycle management, customizable workflows, roles-based permissions, and of course, AI and machine learning capabilities. In terms of trust, it's hard to find a more best-of-breed, pure-play DAM provider than Cloudinary. They clearly understand the value of image and video assets at the enterprise level, and they're striving to lead the way with emerging technologies in the DAM field. Bottom line: It’s a safe bet for covering your assets.  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-cloudinary?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Cloudinary?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Cloudinary Assets Brings New AI-Powered Features to its API-First ‘Intelligent DAM’ 

CoreMedia’s New KIO AI Promises the ‘Biggest Leap’ in CMS Productivity in Decades

<hr /> Ah… personalization. Like it or not, it’s still the Holy Grail. And we’re still in search of its full potential. While the promise of scalable personalization remains a bit elusive for many companies (there are a bevy of reasons for this), CMS and DXP platforms have discovered some finely cut diamonds in the rough – making it much more attainable. Some of that success can be credited to the force-multiplying effects of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-generative-ai">generative AI</a> on things like variant testing. But it’s also due to having more of the right tooling, analytics, and best practices in place to shepherd the journey. The impact of AI can't be understated. At some point, it seems entirely feasible that we'll arrive at completely autonomous hyper-personalization, so every customer has a fully curated experience without batting an eyelash. For now, we’ll settle for the incremental gains – and how a new breed of innovative tools is helping marketers achieve success with their personalization efforts. Case in point: <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco</a>, an open-source .NET <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a> provider, recently announced the general availability of <a target="_blank" href="https://umbraco.com/products/add-ons/engage/">Umbraco Engage</a>. Born three months after the company’s acquisition of the Dutch-based <a target="_blank" href="https://www.umarketingsuite.com/">uMarketingSuite</a>, Engage is a new add-on for Umbraco CMS that instantly provides organizations with meaningful analytics around visitor interactions with web content.At its core, Umbraco Engage enables marketers to take a “learn, adapt, convert” approach to personalizing their digital experiences and optimizing content to boost conversion rates and improve ROI across their digital platforms. It has the potential to help businesses create dynamic digital content that’s continuously informed by real customer interactions. Engage is packed with power in all the right channels. It provides server-side analytics and customer 360° profiling to surface deep insights, stats, and heatmaps on critical metrics like pageviews. It also provides real-time A/B testing, enabling teams to adapt content to the needs of diverse audience segments. Having this layer of intelligence right at your fingertips will undoubtedly give marketers quick and relevant data around content engagement, allowing them to optimize more fluidly.“Engage provides businesses with intuitive tools, all within their familiar CMS platform, and we’re thrilled to now offer this powerful set of content optimization tools as a first-party solution,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mats-persson-296a66/">Mats Persson</a>, CEO at Umbraco. “This launch brings immediate value for our partners and end-clients, empowering them to meet the growing demand for tailored digital experiences. Personalization and content optimization, that work in practice, are now essential for driving conversion rates and ROI – a trend we’re excited to support with Umbraco Engage.”<h3 id="powering-personalization-for-marketing-teams">Powering personalization for marketing teams</h3>The benefits of personalization – and its impact on customer experience – are ubiquitously evident, and there's ample research to support a brand's investment in personalization technologies and strategies. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-value-of-getting-personalization-right-or-wrong-is-multiplying">McKinsey &amp; Company study</a> found that 76% of consumers were more likely to purchase from brands that personalize their experiences, and 78% were more likely to refer friends and family to those brands. Beyond the tangible effects on purchase conversion, personalization can also improve other business and financial dimensions for brands. In fact, the same study found that personalization can reduce customer acquisition costs by up to 50%, lift revenues from 5% to 15%, and increase marketing ROI by 10% to 30%. McKinsey also reported that digitally native direct-to-consumer brands – ones that own the customer transaction and put first-party data at the heart of their marketing decision-making – derived approximately 25% of their revenue from personalization. Not too shabby. Umbraco is clearly driving more focus and attention around personalization based on the company’s innovation roadmap. As noted, the launch follows the announcement of Umbraco’s acquisition of uMarketingSuite, a content personalization tool that has become popular in key industries like financial services, healthcare, and the public sector, where privacy regulations restrict the use of third-party data. Existing uMarketingSuite customers will continue to benefit from the product's A/B testing, 360° profiling, analytics, and content personalization. Because Engage is now part of Umbraco, organizations also have the confidence and reassurance that ongoing product development and support will be delivered by a larger team at Umbraco HQ.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemraker/">Rune Strand</a>, Umbraco’s Product Communications Manager, marketing teams can immediately gain value from these new content personalization and optimization tools within its CMS.“As soon as Engage is installed on existing or new sites, marketing teams can instantly see how well web content is performing,” he said. “Pageview analytics and statistics are all at their fingertips within the Umbraco CMS interface. Being able to see heat maps that show precisely how users interact with your site can be game-changing for identifying which content is working well and which needs to be retired, refreshed, or personalized.”<h3 id="out-of-the-box-insights">Out-of-the-box insights</h3>Umbraco has scored a win by making this level of data more accessible to marketing professionals, content editors, and CRO specialists. With the add-on, users can gain actionable insights based on interactions with existing content and more effectively personalize and optimize information for new and returning website visitors and customers.Additionally, teams will be able to make data-informed decisions and take swift marketing actions within the Umbraco editing environment. They can proactively improve content performance using the tool’s real-time A/B content variant testing to improve digital experiences and boost conversion with more relevant, custom-tailored content. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.09%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/umbraco-engage-screenshots.png" alt="" /></figure>Umbraco Engage provides clear analytics and performance metrics “People who create web content should be able to see how well it performs and make necessary tweaks, all within the CMS,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leondewildt/">Leon de Wildt</a>, the Commercial Product Manager for Umbraco Engage and the founder of uMarketingSuite. “Umbraco Engage is designed to help organizations tailor digital experiences in response to their own interaction data. Using the in-app reports, marketing teams can make changes that measurably improve engagement. Businesses can use Umbraco Engage to continuously improve the digital experience and boost conversion rates, whether that means more people filling out a form, buying a product, engaging with content or signing up for a webinar.”Umbraco is also addressing regulatory and data privacy considerations – something the company has long been a fierce proponent of. With Engage, marketers will be able to use server-side analytics and first-party data to satisfy compliance with data and privacy laws while accessing the platform's benefits.Umbraco Engage works out-of-the-box with other platform add-ons like <a target="_blank" href="https://umbraco.com/products/add-ons/forms/">Umbraco Forms</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://umbraco.com/products/add-ons/commerce/">Umbraco Commerce</a>. For example, integrating Umbraco Commerce and Umbraco Engage enables digital marketers to view order history on the visitor profile level. This can help power eCommerce sites that recognize returning customers, serve personalized product information, and interact immediately with abandoned shopping carts to help boost sales. Umbraco Engage is available now, and Umbraco digital agency partners can access discounts, exclusive webinars, and free demo licenses based on their partnership agreements. If you’re a uMarketingSuite customer, there’s also a path for upgrading to Engage by February 24th, 2025. <a target="_blank" href="https://umbraco.com/products/add-ons/engage/">You can learn more about Umbraco Engage here</a>. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Umbraco continues to drive a unique position as an open-source .NET content management system. With a fervent community of over 220,000 active members worldwide, they’re benefitting from a wide bench of innovation as more contributors participate in advancing the CMS and its capabilities.Personalization remains a challenge for all parties, from vendors to customers. It’s no longer the “undiscovered country,” but it needs to be defined around a brand’s specific goals. Further, there are many challenges associated with executing and maintaining a successful strategy. Having access to the right tooling – specifically around analytics and insights – can help provide a solid foundation for marketers and deliver better outcomes. AI will further disrupt the landscape, but Umbraco has a distinct advantage with a proven and “friendly” brand that will be key to cementing loyalty. By all accounts, the uMarketingSuite acquisition was a smart move as it looks to expand features, remain in competitive parity, and drive greater agility for marketing teams. UX is also pivotal. Having meaningful data closer to the CMS – and integrated within the editing workflow – will enable users with more control and faster decision-making, which could ultimately improve conversions and grow the bottom line.And that’s the real Holy Grail. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-umbraco?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Umbraco?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Umbraco Engage Enhances Digital Personalization to Drive Higher Conversion Rates

<hr /> In the pantheon of DAM solutions, AI has been an undeniable game changer. Along with enhancing search and impacting overall productivity, it’s also proving valuable from a generative content perspective. The latest example of AI innovation in the “DAMsphere” is from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a>, which has been steadily infusing artificial intelligence into its platform, with a keen focus on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM</a> solution.At <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/from-accessibility-to-ai-and-beyond-five-key-takeaways-from-acquia-engage-boston">last year’s Engage conference</a> in Boston, I saw first-hand how AI was force-multiplying the potential for Acquia DAM and taking its core Widen capabilities – <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities">which it purchased in 2021</a> – to the next level. Since then, there have been continual improvements, reinforcing Acquia’s best-of-breed posture in a competitive market of DAM and PIM products. This includes other DXPs and even headless CMS or PaaS platforms with built-in offerings. Acquia’s new AI enhancements, announced just last month, are focused on video and images – and they're pretty slick. By all accounts, they should boost the productivity of creatives and marketers while enabling them to extract greater value from their digital content. Here’s a quick breakdown (there's even some video to watch):<h3 id="acquia-video-creator">Acquia Video Creator</h3>Video is already a full-time resident in the house of the DAMs, particularly as brands increase their reliance on interactive and immersive content. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/">Nearly 90% of consumers</a> say that they want more video, and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become the go-to channels for reaching new customers.Additionally, <a target="_blank" href="https://offers.hubspot.com/consumer-trends?hubs_signup-url=blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-video-consumption-is-changing&amp;hubs_signup-cta=Consumer%20Trends%20Report&amp;hubs_post=blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-video-consumption-is-changing&amp;hubs_post-cta=Consumer%20Trends%20Report&amp;_gl=1*iyn9mk*_gcl_au*MTAyMzg3NDcxOC4xNzMwOTA3MTk4*_ga*MTUzNjQ3OTAzNi4xNjg1OTEyNTQ3*_ga_LXTM6CQ0XK*MTczMDkwNzE5OC4yLjAuMTczMDkwNzE5OC42MC4wLjA.&amp;_ga=2.165247679.1431422928.1730907198-1536479036.1685912547">almost 40% of buyers</a> have cited a preference for product discovery through short-form video. Consequently, brands are ramping up their production, publication, and management resources to serve up video-centric content and campaigns at scale – and looking for platforms that provide greater automation. With the new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam/video-creator">Acquia Video Creator</a>, marketers have a dynamite tool for meeting these demands. Powered by AI, the Video Creator allows users to easily produce professional-quality, brand-compliant videos via a simple drag-and-drop interface. Videos are composed of existing content in a company's digital asset library, and users can access features like customizable templates and a vast cache of graphics, animations, and video clips. Here's a quick overview of the features: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/aq7v00IH64E"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aq7v00IH64E" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> It’s worth reinforcing that this isn’t just a video editor. It is, indeed, a creator, giving professional video editors a canvas for generating templates with customizable zones for things like product promos. The UX is fairly robust, delivering a complete video interface with scene layers and timelines. The functionality evokes the familiarity of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe After Effects</a>, or even some elements of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/webflow">Webflow</a> relative to the granular styling capabilities – but without feeling too overwhelming. Bottom line: it’s enough tooling to assemble a solid experience.   <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.01%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/acquia-video-creator.png" alt="" /></figure>Composing a video with customizable zones in the Acquia Video Creator From here, marketing team members (or almost anyone for that matter) can use the simple drag-and-drop editor to add content, transitions, and animations – as well as audio tracks or music from your library or other integrated sources. You can also pop in a transcript with ease.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:82.81%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/acquia-video-creator-templates-screen.png" alt="" /></figure>Selecting templates in the Acquia Video Creator One of the big benefits is the presence of “guardrails” to help keep content on brand. We’ve seen this in other CMS and DXP platforms with restricted learning pipelines or knowledge bases that train only on a company’s content or licensed IP. This AI governance helps democratize video creation across an organization while ensuring that large, distributed teams stay on brand.The other key value is acceleration. In minutes, you can create entirely new projects, edit existing videos, and use the Video Creator’s AI features to generate scripts, voiceovers, subtitles, and even translations. There are also collaboration tools for internal sharing and review, so organizations can rapidly create, approve, and deliver videos across websites, e-commerce channels, social media, events, and more.Acquia Video Creator is powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.moovly.com/">Moovly</a>, and is currently available as an add-on module to both the Acquia DAM and PIM solutions.<h3 id="ai-video-transcription-and-automated-color-filtering">AI Video Transcription and Automated Color Filtering</h3>Along with the Video Creator, Acquia also introduced a new AI Video Transcription feature directly within its DAM, making it easier to manage, find, and share video and image assets. This is a super-handy resource and one that should complement every DAM. It enables users to add an AI-generated video transcript that is stored on the video’s asset digest page, eliminating the need to send videos to a separate transcription service (this can be a real hassle factor). What’s cool is that the transcripts are all time-stamped and available via general and advanced searches within the DAM. They can also be downloaded – another perk that can prove to be invaluable when utilizing transcripts in multiple places.Acquia’s new Automated Color Filtering is also a new AI-powered boon to productivity. It removes human error that can arise in manual tagging by using AI to analyze an image's color profile. It then provides filtering and search of specific HEX (hexadecimal) color values without any administrator work required.<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>When it comes to harnessing AI in CMS, DXP, and other digital experience tools, the value quotient has been all over the spectrum. I’ve watched AI features blossom from the end of 2022 as vendors scrambled to remain in parity, and there have been hits and misses. In my opinion, DAMs have been a shining example of where AI has paid dividends and brought order to the data chaos. They synthesize AI's tangible benefits, applying them to high-utility services like search and filtering. They also enable automation that delivers a more scalable and uniform experience for marketers. Within the landscape of platform choices, Acquia has been pushing the innovation edge – and making Acquia DAM a jewel in its expanding digital crown. It offers an elegant, team-oriented solution that elevates collaboration. Their streamlined approach and drag-and-drop interfaces also enable marketers to be more responsive, productive, and prolific while staying on brand.Video is a key part of the content ecosystem, and Acquia’s new features are enhancing both creation and access in profound ways. AI has been essential to the amplification, but the DXP has clearly put its ear to the ground and listened to both customers and community – particularly at the enterprise level. This is where the growth of Content Marketing Platforms (CMPs) is accelerating, which assembles the assets and digital tools for managing large-scale integrated campaigns. It’s worth noting that Acquia participated in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-leads-gartners-2024-mq-for-content-marketing-platforms-as-more-dxps-join-the-game">Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for CMPs</a>, presenting as a Challenger. Of course, there's also the net benefit of having the Acquia <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> community as part of the testing and feedback loop. As with previous AI ventures within the Acquia DXP, much of the early gains came from Drupal community engagement and nascent plugins for ChatGPT that accelerated the marketable innovation. As <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/buytaert/">Dries Buytaert</a> shared during our Keynote at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect Conference</a> last August, Drupal and Acquia were at the forefront of AI in the CMS realm, well before the generative explosion.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeathey/">Jake Athey</a>, Vice President of Go-To-Market and Sales for Acquia DAM &amp; PIM, this is just the beginning of the innovation cycle.“AI creates new opportunities for creatives, content authors, and marketers to drive efficiency and create immersive digital experiences that drive greater customer engagement,” he said. “Our latest innovations accelerate campaign delivery by empowering teams to create content more easily, organize assets more accurately, and find relevant assets more quickly. They are just the start of a steady stream of forthcoming innovations that distinguish Acquia DAM for its ability to consistently increase business value.”<hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-acquia-or-acquia-dam?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Acquia or Acquia DAM?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Acquia Introduces New AI-Powered Video and Image Features for Acquia DAM

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

The global commerce platform

<hr /> When I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-biilmann-christensen-a5a3805/">Mathias Billman</a> recently, the word sanity popped up more than once during our conversation. It wasn’t an off-color reference to the chaos of our modern digital ecosystem, but the evocation of a content management tool that frequently rides alongside <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/netlify">Netlify</a> – a leading web development platform he co-founded. Of course, this is logical. <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sanity">Sanity</a> (I'm referring to the application) offers a number of integrations and connectors for Netlify. But more importantly, Billman is an angel investor in the platform, a clear indicator that he sees Sanity as a transformative resource for composable stacks – where its novel vision as a Content Operating System is proving its value.To its credit, Sanity has carved out a unique position for itself, focusing on content as structured data and cultivating a tacit developer-centricity. It has also earned its place as a trusted solution for big global players like Figma, Puma, AT&amp;T, and Burger King, further validating its impact as enterprises strive for faster, more composable ways to power their digital experiences at scale. The run-up has been solid for Sanity. In 2021, the company <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/24/sanity-raises-39m-for-its-use-anywhere-approach-to-content-repositories/">closed on a $39 million Series B</a> that heralded its vision for extensible content repositories (and also brought its total raise to nearly $52 million). A year later, they were forging strategic partnerships with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sanity.io/blog/shopify-invests-in-sanity-connecting-commerce-with-content">the likes of Shopify</a>, nurturing its value across commerce channels. Competition has certainly swelled over the last two years, but Sanity has remained steadfast around its central mission while evolving its messaging. As Sanity proclaims, content is the competitive differentiator for brands, and its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sanity.io/">Sanity Content Operating System</a> is purpose-built to deliver on that proposition. The platform’s composition of composable APIs with a customizable workspace – along with its Content Lake storage and distribution – provides an elegant model that its peers don't offer (at least not in the same construct). Given the success of its longtail vision and the christening of its Content Operating System, the company is doubling down on the next phase of its evolution. Last week, Sanity announced that it has onboarded the complete team behind <a target="_blank" href="http://begin.com">Begin.com</a> – a company specializing in deploying full-stack web apps to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/aws">AWS</a>. If you’re not familiar, Begin was also responsible for creating popular open source frameworks like Architect (<a target="_blank" href="https://github.com/architect">go check it out on Github</a>).Buying Begin’s mindshare is a strategic move, one that reinforces Sanity’s mission to better enable developers and digital leaders. It also deepens its goal of helping customers rethink how they use content and technology to drive growth, particularly at a time when tech budgets are being heavily scrutized around the value quotient. Begin’s CEO, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianleroux/">Brian Leroux</a>, seemed bullish about his company’s synthesis with Sanity, and noted in the company’s press release that he sees “a lot of untapped potential in how content can be used.”Sanity's Content Lake, introduced in 2018, disrupted the content management landscape by providing a central hub for integration across channels and platforms. This ignited some early gains for the platform’s offerings, particularly as composability shifted into high gear. Despite the realization of content automation for many of its customers, the full potential of automation has remained, as Leroux pointed out, relatively untapped. With the addition of Begin, Sanity hopes to accelerate its innovation and attain new levels of performance. The Begin team brings deep experience in developing powerful compute and automation capabilities – attributes that will be critical to reducing manual workloads and streamlining content processes. I had a chance to talk with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/magnushillestad">Magnus Hillestad</a>, co-founder and CEO of Sanity, about his plans for Begin. It's worth noting that Hillestad is an ex-finance and private equity guy turned tech start-up leader, thus bringing more of the traditional commercial optics to the founder's role. This is a distinct advantage for the company, one that undoubtedly contributed to its successful capital raising. Aside from the foundational benefits of force multiplying Sanity’s innovation resources, it’s clear that a central impact for customers is greater resiliency and agility in the face of widespread technological change."The Begin team joining us marks a transformative moment for Sanity and for what our customers can expect going forward," he said. “By combining their expertise in compute and modern app deployments with our vision for an automated, resilient content operating system, we're redefining what's possible in content management. This powerful synergy will unlock unprecedented levels of efficiency and innovation for our customers, propelling industries like e-commerce, media and technology into a new era of content operations.”<h3 id="where-to-begin?-with-an-automation-end-game">Where to Begin? With an automation end game</h3>Sanity has been challenging the status quo of content management since coming online in 2018. Sanity’s core philosophy – reflected in its Content Operating System platform – flips the standard CMS narrative by treating content as data, and by connecting and automating systems beyond its central hub. This shift in perception also allows teams to treat content as a more strategic asset for their business.From a developer perspective, the addition of Begin’s resources will provide a number of benefits. This includes the addition of powerful compute resources, giving users the ability to scale extensible content distribution systems with embedded automation.Begin’s heritage as an AWS development house was certainly a key part of the acquisition appeal. By absorbing a cohort of expertise with proven success deploying web apps to the world’s leading cloud, Sanity hoped to imbue its features with next-level scalability – all while mitigating the headaches associated with deploying apps on Sanity.  “The Begin Team's experience building within a 'cloud hyperscaler' environment provides substantial value to our customers through the development of powerful compute capabilities,” he said, “which simplifies the way they build complex content automations. The goal is to enable our customers to easily deploy content operations applications directly on the Sanity Content Operating System, abstracting away much of the complexity.” Hillestad went on to explain that many of Sanity’s customers are setting up content operations applications in their own cloud environments. Given this vector, he believes Sanity can provide a better developer experience by offering an abstracted compute layer, giving customers the option to leverage Sanity for their automation and content ops needs while still allowing direct cloud integrations where needed. “Ultimately, by leveraging the Begin team's capabilities, we aim to empower the same developers who have become superstars at building content workflows in Sanity Studio to also excel at deploying content operations and automation on our platform,” he said. Another stated focus for the Begin team will be the delivery of content infrastructure as code. This will manifest in more powerful tools that help users develop, deploy, and manage advanced content pipelines with greater ease and efficacy.  <h3 id="what-about-content-marketers?">What about content marketers?</h3>As previously noted, Sanity has carved out a reputation for being “developer-friendly.” That might translate to “requires code” for the gaggle of CMS users hungry for less cumbersome, more drag-and-drop-oriented solutions with composable propensities. Many of the now “legacy” headless CMS tools are endeavoring to differentiate their value through visual editing tools. Sanity is already addressing this side of content ops ledger with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sanity.io/studio">Sanity Studio</a>, which enables a host of visual features like customizable components and block content editing, as well as collaboration and workspace capabilities. On the automation front, it even sports things like intelligent image cropping and scaling. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:72.78%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/sanity-collaboration-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /></figure>A mockup of collaboration features in Sanity Studio At the same time, the company maintains a clear pipeline back to the developers with Sanity Studio, allowing users to connect a production-ready content backend to an application. Studio’s customization framework allows for the development of unique content forms, workflows, validation, workspaces, and more – all built using modern web dev patterns that make the journey easier and more efficient. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center">"The real win is in enabling tighter collaboration between developers and the rest of the content organization to deliver better digital experiences.”</h4><hr /> I wanted to know how Sanity’s investment in Begin would translate into greater value for the broader content operations model – vis-à-vis the marketers and editors driving the content itself. The amplification of compute resources and cloud dimensions are more the domain of DevOps; aside from impacting speed and productivity for editors, what other gains might be on the horizon?As Hillestad pointed out, the acquisition of Begin will take Sanity’s developer offerings to the next level, but the organizational benefits will be very tangible for non-developers as well. “While it's true that Sanity has always put a strong emphasis on being developer-friendly, the benefits of this approach extend far beyond the developer experience,” Hillestad said. “We believe that the most advanced organizations empower their skilled engineers to enable efficient, scalable content operations that drive impactful storytelling.”How will they deliver on this? By enabling content operations within the same system, thus reducing context switching between tools. As Hillestad explained, content strategists and product managers will have an easier path to integrating all related content and data directly into their single source of truth – enabling that richer storytelling potential. “So while speed and productivity gains are certainly part of the equation, the real win is in enabling tighter collaboration between developers and the rest of the content organization to deliver better digital experiences.”<h3 id="what-about-ai?">What about AI?</h3>While the acquisition of Begin is a big deal for Sanity, there’s been significant AI investment from all corners of the CMS landscape. Given its ambitions to evolve the Content Operating System to new levels of performance, I asked Hillestad how is AI playing into his plans – and if Begin’s proximity to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/aws">AWS</a> and its <a target="_blank" href="https://aws.amazon.com/bedrock/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvpy5BhDTARIsAHSilyn-dmseaMQpjDac_WRX0C1ov1es3fdfHFLRdjXEB0OHW_Z7dLGkATIaAjRmEALw_wcB&amp;trk=0eaabb80-ee46-4e73-94ae-368ffb759b62&amp;sc_channel=ps&amp;ef_id=Cj0KCQjwvpy5BhDTARIsAHSilyn-dmseaMQpjDac_WRX0C1ov1es3fdfHFLRdjXEB0OHW_Z7dLGkATIaAjRmEALw_wcB:G:s&amp;s_kwcid=AL!4422!3!692006004682!e!!g!!aws%20bedrock!21048268554!159639952735">Amazon Bedrock</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.anthropic.com/">Anthropic</a> services might be an advantage.  “AI is indeed a significant part of our plans going forward, and the Begin team will play a key role in making AI capabilities more accessible to developers on our platform,” he said. “Sanity already offers several AI-powered tools for our users, leveraging services like <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI</a>, Anthropic, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pinecone.io/">Pinecone</a>. With the addition of the Begin team, we will make it even easier for developers to build their own custom AI functions and workflows on top of our platform.” As Sanity further develops its AI offerings, Hillestad forecast that it plans to support a wide range of AI services and large language models to give its customers maximum flexibility. “The Begin team's expertise in building developer abstractions will be invaluable as we work to make these powerful AI capabilities more approachable and integrated into the Sanity ecosystem.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>In a marketplace of increasingly commoditized headless offerings, Sanity continues to establish differentiated value with its niche position as a Content Operating System. As it onboards the experience and resources of Begin, it is further investing in a growth angle that will enhance automation, scalability, and performance – perhaps in profound ways. Still, Sanity’s greatest strength could be its main detractor. Developer reliance is part of the resistance for marketing organizations when adopting new tools, and decisions are being driven by composable technologies that now offer a complete range of features that enable editor independence. This is where a developer-centric perception can be a limiting factor. That said, Sanity is effectively bridging the gap. Sanity Studio is the best example of its unification potential, and already provides robust capabilities that stand apart from a UX perspective. While Begin’s cloud and compute resources will inject more integrative fabric into the platform, it would be smart to see equal attention paid to further enhancing the editor experience.Partnering with Netlify and other development platforms is also a key benefit in Sanity’s favor. By expanding its connector libraries and reducing the barriers to entry, it can accelerate content velocity for users and brands as part of a go-to composable stack. Relying on these channels will be key to enhancing visibility and preference. Of course, choice is the biggest challenge for every player on the CMS chessboard. But Sanity has managed to build a solid foundation of differentiation, one that could serve it well as it looks to grow. Adding these new resources is a great way to begin its next chapter.  <hr /> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

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