Articles

News about Digital Experience

From Accessibility to AI and Beyond: Five Key Takeaways from Acquia Engage Boston

matt-garrepy

Opinion: Universal CMS? From a pragmatist, it’s not yet so "Universal"

andrew

<hr /> For brands in any industry, competing on price can be a slippery slope. In some cases, it’s an elevator to the bottom floor – even an indicator of broader commoditization.There’s a case to be made for aggressively grabbing market share if conditions are ripe, like when products are experiencing higher-than-average churn or delivering a poor experience. Sometimes, buyers might already be looking to upgrade to an alternative and simultaneously trim the bottom line. If the timing’s right, a deep discount can lead to quick wins.For <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a>, the stars are apparently lining up for an ambitious play on price, and they’re throwing down the gauntlet. Yesterday, the composable digital experience platform and enterprise <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">headless CMS</a> announced its new <a target="_blank" href="https://explore.contentstack.com/retire-the-legacy">“Retire the Legacy” offer</a>. The program is pointed at brands that feel trapped in their legacy CMS solutions and are struggling with long-standing technical debt entrenched in their marketing tech stacks. “Retire the Legacy” provides a sort of life ring for customers struggling to stand out amidst a brand relevancy crisis – something I’ve spoken about with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-raises-57-5-million-in-series-b-round-qa-with-ceo-neha-sampat">Neha Sampat</a>, Contentstack’s founder and CEO, in multiple interviews. This program aims to de-risk the move to a modern DXP for new customers, helping them mitigate the barriers in a meaningful way. "We speak with hundreds of customers every month who are regularly disappointed by their legacy, monolithic CMS," Sampat noted. “These brands want to modernize, but they feel stuck, technologically and contractually. We're taking this all off the table, betting on ourselves and on the power of our technology to reimagine possible for these customers.”Not only is Contentstack banking on its value proposition as a leading composable DXP to move the needle for brands, but it’s also suggesting that customers who move to their platform can reduce their current license fees by 50%.That’s a big number. And, as you might guess, requires a bit of qualification. First, the “Retire the Legacy” offer only applies to customers who have existing DX implementations using <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe Experience Manager</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/paas/content-cloud/headless-cms.html">Oracle</a>. There are also explicit terms and conditions, which require attending a demo by December 31st, 2024. You can mull through some of the other T’s &amp; C’s <a target="_blank" href="https://explore.contentstack.com/retire-the-legacy">on their website</a>. Look, platforms are under increasing pressure to grow, particularly when there are expectations from investors to drive returns. It's not a shocker that this trifecta of specific competitors is the focus of this program (they are, indeed, legacy platforms). It tells us a lot about how Contentstack is reading the tea leaves across the competitive landscape, and where they see potential opportunity.Will a deal like this shake enough trees? Here are some things to consider.<h3 id="helping-brands-get-“unstuck”">Helping brands get “unstuck”</h3>Contentstack has consistently framed the existential ecosystem challenges over the last year. Its case is quite clear: brands are mired in the muck, trying to remain relevant in a market of fleeting loyalty, particularly in digital commerce and retail. In my last discussion with Sampat, we even touched on the state of physical stores as businesses drift towards digital. I recommend checking out a few of the recent <a target="_blank" href="https://cocktailsand.substack.com/p/second-serves-a-great-low-abv-cocktail">Cocktails &amp; Commerce</a> newsletters for some sobering stats (see what I did there?)We all know that consumers are being profusely bombarded with marketing detritus from every direction, and standing out is becoming increasingly difficult. Based on one metric from Contentstack, 90% of markets have seen their digital channels lose effectiveness. That’s a hit – and an urgent call to action.To compete in this digital-first world, brands have to deliver dynamic, personalized experiences that are automated and augmented by high-value AI applications. Additionally, marketers can’t be hamstrung by development – they need to be nimble and agile. By answering this call with the right blend of flexibility and scalability, Contentstack is codifying its value by giving brands more control over their destiny.<h3 id="the-whole-enchilada-for-half-the-cost?-">The whole enchilada for half the cost? </h3>With its “Retire the Legacy” program, Contentstack is putting its money where its mouth is – betting on its people, processes, and technology to deliver a sustainable outcome with 50% savings on existing licensing fees. On one hand, it speaks to their well-earned confidence. On the other, depending on the terms of a legacy licensing agreement (this is where the terms and conditions come in), it presents obvious risks. There are multiple dimensions to any deployment; my guess is that they’ve analyzed exactly how to eat the enchilada from every conceivable direction.At the core of its value play is the company’s headless CMS, which has been infused with a wide range of capabilities to support the needs of marketers. This includes some dynamite <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/seeing-in-a-headless-world-contentstack-introduces-new-visual-building-capabilities-for-marketers">visual building capabilities</a> – which we covered last month – buoyed by an API-first, cloud-native <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/mach-technology">MACH architecture</a>. This enables everything from personalization to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-fires-up-brand-relevant-ai-powered-personalization-at-contentcon-2024">brand-aware GenAI</a> to enhanced automation and workflows.Underneath it all is the company’s signature <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentstack.com/customer-care">“No-fail Promise,”</a> part of its Care Without Compromise platform. Powered by people, knowledge-based programs, and a bevy of resources, these vital structures have earned Contentstack a 98% customer satisfaction rating and a 97% customer retention rate. Those are gloat-worthy figures.This dedicated commitment to success is serving them well. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jguthmann/">Jasmin Guthmann</a>, Head of Contentstack’s corporate communication, states in a video on the site that supporting customers on every step of their composable journey is “just how we operate.” The proof is clear in Contentstack’s numerous success stories with global brands. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NZ9keroA5A"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-NZ9keroA5A" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> <h3 id="so-what’s-the-real-deal-with-this-deal?">So what’s the real deal with this deal?</h3>I mentioned commoditization in the very beginning. “The Great Rebalancing” has cometh, and most platforms in our market have become… well, universal in what they offer (I guess that word is catching on). It doesn’t mean they do it all, or that everything is in perfect parity. I'd be suspicious of any platform making that claim, and I prefer messaging that clearly details what a product is as much as it isn't. But between the plethora of visual builders, headless capabilities, hosting, etc… many of the pure categorical differentiators have been washed away. That could make price a more pertinent factor.To further confuse the category dilemma, platforms like Contentstack have <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/forrester-dxp-wave-2023-vendor-commentary">joined the chorus of DXPs</a> on the analysts’ radars, giving them far more competitive clout in the evaluation matrix. At the same time, legacy vendors have been ebbing further into the land of composability (or a certain definition of the term). That includes Sitecore, which has been making headway with its <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/sonic-boom-sitecore-surges-past-500m-in-arr-heres-why-it-matters">XM Cloud</a>.Again, everyone’s ending up in the same place. Where does this land Contentstack? In a solid position – one where it can capitalize on the churn and disappointment that customers have with their legacy products. Even if a vendor is now offering more composable solutions, brands are looking to the future. And for many, these legacy vendors might feel like the past. It’s no mistake that we see AEM, Sitecore, and Oracle (maybe less so) in the competitive crosshairs. They’re big targets, but also the ones fighting their own legacy tech and the old paradigms around licensing. We’re not seeing this offer volleyed at open source platforms or other downstream targets – just the platforms with domain over large enterprise accounts. In this sense, it’s a logical strategy.About that 50% pitch: Sure, it’s a familiar tactic. Will it work? The devil’s in the details, and I think it depends on a number of factors. The real key for Contentstack is selling outcomes and focusing on where it shines. I’ve watched it nail its AI roadmap from the beginning, investing early in high-utility automation and rolling into <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-fires-up-brand-relevant-ai-powered-personalization-at-contentcon-2024">brand-relevant personalization</a>.Along with its AI-boosted roadmap, bolstering the soft benefits can be critical to expressing its differentiated value. This includes that “No-fail Promise,” which provides more confidence for brands considering a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-expands-certification-scope-to-include-offerings-within-larger-vendors">MACH strategy</a> – and we know those journeys can be fraught with peril. In this regard, Contentstack has been a sort of glue for MACH stacks, where performance accountability is often an open-ended question.Cutting costs is cool, and it may become a more decisive factor as economic conditions shift. But remember, buyers are smart. Odds are, they’re doing their homework, carefully weighing options beyond just the budget. Can this platform really deliver what I need? Can I compete more effectively? What exactly am I “future-proofed” for?As Contentstack’s CRO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-rathje-b606356/">Todd Rathje</a> observed, brands are entrenched in a battleground that looks nothing like it did in the decades prior. They need an experience edge, and Contentstack has been delivering that in spades and at scale. But even with those advantages, it's a crowded range with more choice – and more confusion. As such, clear is the new clever.CMS vendors have to be flexible with their licensing and pricing models. It’s the SaaS way, and composable is where the traction is. But at the end of the day, it’s really all about the value they deliver. To that end, brands need to carefully consider their goals when making their selections. I like Contentstack. It has many of the pieces it needs to make a strong case in modern composable stacks. Maybe it can snare more share by offering a 50% deal like this, but it might already have 100% of what it needs to keep winning. <hr />Looking for guidance on Contentstack? If you’re evaluating platforms, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-selection-service">talk to us. </a> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:26.74%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/10/sitecore-symposium-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2024"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">Sitecore Symposium</a> 2024</h4>October 15-18, 2024 – Nashville, TennesseeStandout digital experiences start here! Sitecore Symposium is the leading industry conference for digital professionals to learn about digital experience management, digital customer experience, and related marketing topics. Featuring 100+ sessions, 40+ top customer brands, and Sitecore's largest gathering of marketing leaders, technologists, and our partner ecosystem. <a target="_blank" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today!</a> <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>

Contentstack’s “Retire the Legacy” offers big savings by shedding older CMS tech. What’s behind the deal?

Sonic Boom: Sitecore Surges Past $500M in ARR. Here’s Why It Matters

Publish and pray? No way. Uniform's Visual CMS + Experience Manager is heaven-sent for marketers

Optimizely Introduces New SaaS CMS with Visual Builder for Marketers

<hr /> The digital experience landscape wouldn’t exist without <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/adobe-acquia-optimizely-top-latest-forrester-wave-for-content-management-systems">Adobe</a> – and more precisely, its <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe Experience Manager</a> (AEM) platform. AEM has long held the crown in the kingdom of DXPs (<a target="_blank" href="https://business.adobe.com/resources/reports/gartner-mq-digital-experience-platforms-2024.html">just as Gartner</a>), and leading global enterprises depend on its scale of features to power the most complex and demanding digital strategies.While ubiquitous, the Adobe name also conjures that oft-demonized word: monolith. It is an epic ecosystem of interconnected, often Frankensteined solutions that can feel overwhelming and unwieldy – and its AEM platform is no exception. Amidst the publishing and marketing automation suites snuggling under the Adobe umbrella, AEM has always enjoyed an elite (if not pricey) reputation, making it the domain of serious enterprises. However, it can also be incredibly challenging and time-consuming, requiring curated expertise from certified practitioners. All of this can impact the velocity of getting digital projects to market. And in an era where real-time responsiveness is key, any delay can translate into lost revenue or even market share. Given these pain points, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.vshift.com/">VShift</a> – a customer engagement and digital experience agency and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/jp-morgan-joins-mach-alliance-reinforcing-growth-of-composability-in-the-digital-financial-services">MACH Alliance</a> member – has developed a new <a target="_blank" href="http://vshift.com/ideas/vshift-introduces-the-aem-digital-experience-accelerator">AEM Digital Experience Accelerator</a>. The proprietary program is targeted at AEM users, helping them deliver more engaging digital experiences with Adobe and do it all faster, easier, and more cost-effectively.“In our experience with complex organizations, we kept hearing the same pain points – cost, time-to-market, internal friction,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-collins-255a371/">Al Collins</a>, Founder &amp; CEO of VShift. “We developed the VShift AEM Digital Experience Accelerator to make our clients’ experience with AEM better and help them get the most out of their Adobe investments. Our new program offers a streamlined process, an easier way of launching customer experiences, and an increased capacity to innovate at a fraction of the time and costs usually involved.” The accelerator program was announced at last week’s <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/clarks-kraft-heinz-take-top-honors-in-mach-impact-awards-at-mach-three">MACH THREE Conference</a> in New York City, this year's venue for the world’s leading composable technology conference. As a MACH-certified agency, VShift has cultivated deep expertise with enterprise-scale organizations in highly regulated industries like financial services, insurance, and healthcare – focusing its solutions through a composable lens. The company also has a proven track record of crafting and delivering digital platforms for companies like Freddie Mac and Prudential.<h3 id="accelerating-the-value-of-aem-with-composability">Accelerating the value of AEM with composability</h3>Accelerators are aptly named, but there are numerous benefits beyond speed. Such is the case with VShift’s AEM Digital Experience Accelerator. First and foremost, it expedites digital product or website development-to-launch programs – and according to VShift, this can effectively reduce the timeline to weeks. It can also be customized to an organization’s specific needs, helping them meet their explicit business goals.With increased velocity and less internal friction between content owners and tech teams, brands can move faster. The accelerator also provides great flexibility for changes, allowing teams to swap out components or switch directions in a snap (composable thinking at work). <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/F-1e6DPT7CE"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F-1e6DPT7CE" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> That “swapability” is what helps make VShift’s Digital Experience Accelerator a MACH-worthy solution. It also reflects those attributes by minimizing vendor lock-in and decreasing the oppressive need for specialized AEM-certified resources to execute. This is a persistent drag for many organizations when it comes to managing their AEM footprint and properly staffing for new projects and digital initiatives.  All these benefits add up to enhanced productivity and cost-effectiveness, enabling organizations to maximize their AEM investments and cut costs by supporting customer experiences with more affordable, composable solutions. Marketing and content teams can also realize huge benefits by harnessing more control while navigating within their organization’s security policies. <h3 id="a-complete-market-ready-solution-for-aem-success">A complete market-ready solution for AEM success</h3>VShift’s accelerator is now available as a complete package that includes a ready-to-deploy cloud-hosted environment with orchestration and integration tools. Users will have the ability to rapidly design and prototype their projects via <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/figma">Figma</a> and AEM’s headless platform and connectors. For any organization developing a website, app, or digital product, customizability is a key part of the experience. To that end, VShift’s accelerator promises a customizable prebuilt core UI component library. There’s also an AI-enhanced starter kit for a content model, complete with tags and an automated builder/loader for speeding up the content modeling and deployment process. From a connective integration perspective, VShift delivers some slick capabilities via its accelerator. This includes its own “universal” <a target="_blank" href="https://graphql.org/">GraphQL-based</a> connector. They also provide a web app structure that includes a baseline for pages and functionality. On the visual editing front, VShift provides composable choices. Organizations can leverage AEM’s <a target="_blank" href="https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/implementing/developing/universal-editor/introduction">Universal Editor </a>or use a non-Adobe visual editor to handle digital composition in a composable framework. VShift also offers value-added composable modules and services like authentication-as-a-service or search-as-a-service.To realize the full value and potential, VShift’s accelerator is accompanied by intuitive guides and documentation, as well as an expert team with deep AEM experience and composable tech.“We spend about two to three months customizing the VShift AEM Digital Experience Accelerator to a company’s needs," Collins added. "Then we turn over the reins, leaving our clients with thorough reference documentation and allowing content creators and tech teams to launch engaging customer experiences faster, easier, and cost-effectively.” <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Accelerators have become a vital panacea for monolithic software. This new breed of pre-built frameworks provides a mature foundation and progressive architectures for building complex websites and applications faster and more efficiently. While the landscape varies, accelerators are proving invaluable as enterprises and agencies look to maximize value from platforms like AEM in an increasingly composable world. Despite its monolithic posture, Adobe continues to be an industry-leading staple across a multitude of market segments. Even with its less-than-rosy <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cut-paste-delete-why-adobes-canceled-merger-with-figma-is-good-for-innovation">attempt to acquire Figma</a> and rule over the entire digital experience journey, the tech mammoth remains ever-relevant and persistently innovative. In fact, its skunkworks around <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/adobe-experience-manager-evolves-franklin-launches-next-gen-composability-feature">AEM Franklin</a> (also known as Project Helix or Composability) is showing real promise by enabling AEM pages using <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google Drive</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-azure">Microsoft Office</a> via <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-sharepoint">Sharepoint</a>. Instead of components, Franklin uses “blocks” like text, images, and buttons to generate new pages quickly and even create reusable templates. Cool stuff. As a MACH-certified DX agency, VShift is reinforcing the value of Adobe for its customers and the market at large. Its new AEM Digital Experience Accelerator is bridging the best of all worlds by providing a pathway to greater composability and flexibility. The big benefits are clear: faster time to market and lower costs. But it’s also addressing the challenge of legacy software, and helping organizations continue to mine value from their AEM investments. We’ve written at length about the constant challenge of defining “composable” in a market of conflicting ideologies. In my recent coverage of the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/clarks-kraft-heinz-take-top-honors-in-mach-impact-awards-at-mach-three">MACH THREE Impact Awards</a> – of which I participated as a judge for the second year – I go into deeper detail on this reality and how the MACH Alliance continues to maintain tacit guardrails for the industry. Regardless of how any headless CMS or enterprise DXP projects its unique flavor of “composable,” the only measure that matters is how it impacts the customer. VShift’s accelerator – and other offerings like it – focus on the most challenging layers of a digital stack, where legacy systems are still mandated or represent a significant investment. It strives to address key pain points and deliver a complete solution with a clear set of composable principles baked in. Maybe that's the “shift” in VShift. To learn more about its accelerator, <a target="_blank" href="http://vshift.com/ideas/vshift-introduces-the-aem-digital-experience-accelerator">click here. </a> <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

VShift Introduces AEM Digital Experience Accelerator to Help Launch Faster on Adobe

<hr /> Turning 20 is a milestone for everyone. It’s your second decade, a rite of passage into adulthood. You’re not exactly a “kid” anymore, but you’re still at the beginning of your story – and ready to write the biggest chapters of your life with (hopefully) a little experience under your belt.The same is true for businesses. Reaching 20 years means you’ve navigated a multitude of challenges on the ride up – from an evolving competitive landscape to shifting economic conditions – and persevered. It’s even more of a monumental achievement in the tech sector, where everything moves at warp speed and change is a persistent reality. That’s what makes this an extra-celebratory moment for <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kentico">Kentico</a>, a market-leading content management system and digital experience platform. The company just marked its 20th year in the market, growing from humble beginnings to become a respected, well-established global player in the CMS ecosystem.At these moments, it’s cathartic to consult the rearview mirror to gauge what’s ahead. The road to success for the Brno, Czech-based “hometown hero” has been long and hard-fought, but clearly worth the effort. Now, Kentico's future looks more promising than ever as it focuses on its innovative product and a unique set of capabilities for managing multichannel content.<h3 id="a-20-year-journey-to-build-a-market-leading-cms---">A 20-year journey to build a market-leading CMS   </h3>Like most technology businesses, Kentico started with an idea. In this case, it was founder <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/Redirect.ashx?linkguid=7d2e12cb-7416-4b73-89e1-2b5915e001cd&amp;email=matt%40cmscritic.com&amp;hash=be0d1d8f19e0858f5111492f222eca952b1f9d98aaaeebe1c4c04b9dec830ced">Petr Palas’ bachelor thesis project</a>, which featured a simple CMS framework. Just six years later, it went from a university drawing board to a well-recognized company with offices around the world.In that timespan, it also scaled by an impressive 1,781%, placing it fourth on <a target="_blank" href="https://brand.kentico.com/Who-are-we/Historical-milestones">Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50</a>. The years that followed saw numerous milestones for the company, including the launch of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/platforms/xperience-by-kentico">Xperience by Kentico</a> – its new flagship product with a committed roadmap. Kentico revealed the news at its <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kentico-connection-2023-nashville-focuses-on-innovation-partnerships-ai-and-the-future-of-dxp">Connection 2023 event</a>, showcasing its unique and innovative hybrid headless DXP. Last year, the company was also recognized on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/discover/newsroom/kentico-recognized-for-the-seventh-time-in-the-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-dxp-report">Gartner Magic Quadrant</a> for DXPs for the seventh time. And already in 2024, Kentico has continued its streak of groundbreaking accomplishments, powering over 90,000 websites and counting – with continued growth on the horizon. Here’s a great video timeline that covers many of its accomplishments:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq3T9duz8j4&amp;list=PL9RdJplq_ukZeB9RYcXls0YzTWI8yjD-9&amp;index=1"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iq3T9duz8j4" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="celebrating-success-and-dedication-across-a-global-community--">Celebrating success and dedication across a global community  </h3>A big part of Kentico’s success has been its people – a global team that’s now more than 250 strong. To celebrate its 20-year milestone, CEO Dominik Pinter <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/Redirect.ashx?linkguid=2ecc6459-06f9-46d1-a0da-47a2e3511bfc&amp;email=matt%40cmscritic.com&amp;hash=be0d1d8f19e0858f5111492f222eca952b1f9d98aaaeebe1c4c04b9dec830ced">gathered with employees to reflect</a> on the company's journey amidst global and tech industry transformations.  When it comes to its team and the broader community, Kentico’s secret sauce has been a tacit team spirit – one of its core company values. By focusing on personal and career development, the company has cultivated a diverse, committed, and tenacious culture. As a result, many employees have stuck around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/CMSModules/Newsletters/CMSPages/Redirect.ashx?linkguid=aaa0a905-ff3a-49e4-b455-b898693b44c4&amp;email=matt%40cmscritic.com&amp;hash=be0d1d8f19e0858f5111492f222eca952b1f9d98aaaeebe1c4c04b9dec830ced">since the very beginning</a> – a testament to Kentico’s progressive posture as a people-first company. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rKf4dwDi78&amp;list=PL9RdJplq_ukZeB9RYcXls0YzTWI8yjD-9&amp;index=3"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_rKf4dwDi78" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>Kentico’s success also reflects its blossoming community of fierce creators and advocates. With 500 digital agencies in its network and eleven MVPs – a collection of marketers and developers passionate about Kentico – the company is expanding guidance to partners and customers while continuously leveraging feedback to improve its products and services. <h2 id="leading-kentico’s-future-with-a-bold-vision">Leading Kentico’s future with a bold vision</h2>Before rising to the illustrious rank of CEO, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-xperience-pinter/">Dominik Pinter</a> was a long-standing employee at Kentico. His journey began in 2007 as a part-time QA tester while still a student, and over the years, transitioned through different roles – from technical leader to product manager. After a four-year hiatus, Pinter returned to Kentico as Vice President of Product Management. He officially took over as CEO in 2022 after founder Petr Palas stepped away to become chairman. During his tenure, he has seen the company transform from a niche vendor to a product-focused market leader. “As a human grows up, it’s very similar to Kentico,” he said. “At the beginning, we were really just a small kid doing some little websites and stuff like that. Then we grew and grew into a digital experience platform solution.”As a deeply experienced member of the Kentico team, Pinter gained tremendous insight into the company's customer, product, and operational functions. This equipped him with an ideal mix of long-term perspectives and resources to guide the next successful chapter in the company’s story. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>At CMS Critic, we’ve spent years watching growth take root at Kentico. Reaching the 20-year threshold is reason enough for any company to pop the champagne cork and cheer the accolades. But seeing further opportunity and prosperity ahead – especially after such humble beginnings in the growing tech hub of Brno – is even more rewarding. It’s clear that they are deeply committed to their hometown in a way that other companies could learn from.Kentico has been a consistent voice in the CMS chorus, helping to shape its trajectory. The company has long been a fixture on the landscape, representing a deep trust and reliability that customers need – particularly at a time when security and compliance have become dubious expectations with unproven technologies. Many of today’s headless CMS platforms have only been in the market for a few years. While several have been successful and achieved sizeable funding, there’s something to be said about amassing the business and market wisdom that comes with legacy platforms. This is where brands like Kentico can provide greater value through their well-established user communities, certifications, regulatory benchmarks, and other intangible assets. Of course, experience can be a double-edged sword in tech, where hot new technologies can disrupt the status quo and steal market share. Herein lies the challenge for any “older” CMS or DXP player: battling the perception of no longer being a “startup” culture, and overcoming the challenge of relevance – particularly in a more composable-minded world. However, Kentico has been maintaining its market poise by focusing on innovation across its products. In this way, it's been acting like a startup within a proven and profitable business. By earning preference and loyalty with creative agencies and enriching its channels, Kentico is also continuing to mine value and create differentiation in an increasingly competitive and confusing market.Finally, Kentico’s fearless leader, Dominik Pinter, is as much a CEO as he is a bridge – connecting a heritage of strong CMS principles with a future of innovative potential. He’s not a financial outsider solely focused on spreadsheets, but a practitioner of the Kentico product – bringing a perspective that is more aligned with customer experience and expectations. Pinter is also a relatively young leader (still under 40). He’s hungry, energized, and passionate, but also brings the right mix of learning and decisive action to the table. A great combination of traits for a chief executive.  Congratulations on your 20th, Kentico. Blow out every candle and wish for big possibilities. We can’t wait to see what you have in store for the next two decades – and how you will continue to impact the world of CMS. <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

Kentico Marks 20 Years of CMS Innovation and Leadership

cms-critic-staff

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

Contentstack Fires Up Brand-Relevant, AI-Powered Personalization at ContentCon 2024

<hr /> May 16th is <a target="_blank" href="https://accessibility.day/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a>. It's a moment to reflect on how far we've come in our quest to build a more accessible world and discuss the continued work ahead. On the digital side of the ledger, there's still a lot to do.In honor of the 13th annual GAAD (we love our “shortcodes” in CMS, and this is a helpful one), <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a> – a leader in open digital experience software – just released its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/accessibility-report-2024">2024 Survey Report: Consumer Perspectives on Digital Accessibility</a>. The analysis reveals how website users with disabilities perceive the state of digital accessibility and how their experiences impact brand reputation and loyalty. This report contains some shocking stats. For starters, 89% of participants say they encounter accessibility issues that make it challenging to interact with websites or other digital experiences offered by brands. In addition, 62% say they would consider switching to a competitor with better accessibility features. “It’s clear that digital experiences are not meeting the accessibility expectations of those who need them. This is a critical business issue that requires more attention,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-and-the-art-of-the-possible-interview-with-chief-market-officer-jennifer-griffin-smith">Jennifer Griffin Smith</a>, Chief Market Officer at Acquia. “Digital accessibility is an essential pillar of digital experience design and management that should not be overlooked or shortchanged. Creating equal, accessible opportunities for all is a value all marketers and organizations should strive for.”The online survey was conducted in April 2024 by <a target="_blank" href="https://researchscape.com/">Researchscape</a> and is composed of responses from 1,265 adults across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia who identified as having a disability. <h3 id="neglecting-digital-accessibility-is-impacting-brands">Neglecting digital accessibility is impacting brands</h3>The Acquia survey found that not only are disability issues widespread, but so are the impacts. For example, when encountering accessibility issues on digital platforms, 45% of respondents describe the experience as either “very” or “extremely” frustrating. It's not a leap to assume that brand reputation is negatively impacted when users encounter these digital accessibility challenges. Survey participants also report a myriad of feelings in response to accessibility issues. 71% express frustration, while 58% say they feel “disappointed” and 24% register as “angry.” Nearly 1 in 5 say they feel excluded.When asked what steps they are most likely to take when experiencing these issues, 34% said they would complain directly to the brand, and 31% of respondents said they would talk about the accessibility issue with their family and friends. However, 20% leverage social media to share their experiences, creating a ripple effect of negative brand perception that extends far beyond the disabled individuals who experience these problems first-hand.In terms of a direct impact on brands and their bottom lines, 51% of respondents stated they would most likely seek alternative options that are more accessible, and 42% said they would discontinue using the brand’s services.  <h3 id="prioritizing-digital-accessibility-can-build-confidence-and-trust-">Prioritizing digital accessibility can build confidence and trust </h3>The survey's participants codify what we already know: more work needs to be done to improve digital accessibility for all users, and brands can reap the benefits on multiple levels – if they take swift action. To that end, 93% of consumers surveyed say that it's important that the brands they engage with prioritize digital accessibility. However, consumers want progress over platitudes, and many respondents expressed skepticism about the true intentions of companies when messaging around digital accessibility. In the past year, only 27% of respondents said they believe that brands are taking accessibility seriously and making meaningful improvements. It gets worse from there: 33% believe companies are just “doing the basics” to check the regulatory compliance box. 28% believe that while companies talk about accessibility as a marketing tactic, not much action has been taken – and 12% believe that companies aren’t thinking about or doing anything to improve digital accessibility.  “Ultimately, we’re talking about a large proportion of the population who would like to access, enjoy, and get value from digital experiences," Jennifer Griffin Smith concluded. “As digital marketers, we should not be excluding anyone from engaging with or participating in our digital content. This is an enormous opportunity to grow your customer base, increase revenue and, above all else, improve customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.”To view more details from the study, visit <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/accessibility-report-2024">https://www.acquia.com/accessibility-report-2024</a> <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

Acquia Survey Reveals Brands are Paying the Price for Digital Accessibility Deficiencies

<hr /> It's a glass-clinking, champagne-drinking moment by all accounts.<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a>, a leading digital experience platform (DXP), just announced that it has surpassed $400 million in annual recurring revenue after experiencing four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. Not a bad haul for a company that started life as a CMS in 1994. Back then, it was called <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episerver">Episerver</a>. The transformation is quite a tale, one that's been 30 years in the making. Episerver had a heck of a ride to the top, becoming an industry-leading <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a> with a global presence. In 2018, following its acquisition by global software investor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insightpartners.com/">Insight Partners</a>, the company embarked on a strategic journey to acquire category-leading companies and align its product offerings with the evolving requirements of modern digital teams.Over the past three years, to complement its best-of-breed CMS and better address marketers' needs, the company integrated solutions for content marketing (Welcome), experimentation (Optimizely), and commerce (Insite Software). This new ecosystem of solutions led to a rebrand under the “Optimizely” banner, an appropriate name given the forthcoming focus on optimization as a digital imperative.In 2023, its efforts resulted in a landmark achievement: the launch of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/company/press/optimizely-one/">Optimizely One</a>. As the industry’s first operating system for marketers, Optimizely One offers a unified workflow – accelerated by AI – to simplify the process of creating, managing, delivering, and optimizing content seamlessly within a single platform. This breakthrough offering has led to a 21% year-over-year growth in multiproduct ARR. On top of that, an astounding 52% of Optimizely’s ARR is attributed to multi-product customers. This reflects the motion of brands as they consolidate their tech stacks into one unified suite to improve (or optimize) the total cost of ownership and reduce martech complexity.“Reaching $400 million in annual recurring revenue is a remarkable accomplishment that proves we are successful in our mission to make marketers’ lives better,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aatzberger/">Alex Atzberger,</a> CEO at Optimizely. “We are immensely grateful to our employees and partners, who have worked tirelessly to deliver the world’s first operating system for marketers. Optimizely has always been at the forefront of delivering exceptional digital experiences – starting with our CMS thirty years ago – and we are excited to continue leading the industry for the next thirty years and beyond." <h3 id="building-value-by-the-numbers">Building value by the numbers</h3>Optimizely's composable solutions are trusted by thousands of companies globally, all with the mission of making marketers' lives better. Over 10,000 businesses deliver their digital experiences with Optimizely, and their increased reliance on the platform further cements its value to marketers.From a performance perspective, Optimizely has put up some impressive numbers. For example: over 70,000 experiments have been completed in the last 12 months – an 18.5% YoY increase – resulting in 390 billion test impressions. Customers have also seen a 24.6% increase in experiment ideas submitted, signaling the rise of collaborative test-and-learn cultures. Additionally, almost 150 customers have gone live on Optimizely's CMS since the beginning of 2023. That's over a 20% increase YoY, and an impressive testament to growing preference in a noisy market with expansive choices. Optimizely has also seen gains with its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/products/content-marketing/">Content Marketing Platform</a>. Over the last year, usage of its CMP has nearly doubled, with 890,000 tasks and activities completed. This validates that marketers are seeking solutions that support the entire content and campaign lifecycle.One more remarkable data point: Optimizely’s market-leading commerce solutions – available in both SaaS and PaaS – enabled its B2B and B2C customers to complete over 50 million transactions last year.<h3 id="leading-with-industry-analysts">Leading with industry analysts</h3>Optimizely's ARR milestone aligns with several key analyst reports published since the launch of Optimizely One, all of which position them at the top of the market. The company is now recognized as a Leader in nine different analyst reports across each of its content, experimentation, and commerce offerings.These include the recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/forrester-b2b-commerce-report/">Forrester Wave: Commerce Solutions for B2B, Q2 2024</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/insights/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-content-marketing-platforms/">Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms</a>, where it has been named a Leader the seventh consecutive year – positioned highest for its “Ability to Execute." Optimizely also maintained its Leader position in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/company/press/gartner-dxp-mq-2024/">Gartner's 2024 Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a> for the fifth consecutive year.Optimizely works with more than 40% of Top 100 Interbrand companies, acting as the operating system for marketing – and the go-to choice for companies like Zoom, Shell, and American Express to drive digital transformation and business growth. This is a contributing factor to its unprecedented ARR achievement. "With three decades of experience investing in high-growth SaaS companies, Insight Partners knows what success and healthy growth metrics look like in software. Optimizely's growth trajectory has been extremely impressive and reflects their enduring commitment to innovation and customer empowerment," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsberger1/">Adam Berger</a>, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “Not only is achieving this ARR milestone a difficult feat, but the company also has all of the components needed to sustain its strong market position. We're proud to remain a core part of Optimizely’s journey and are excited to see them achieve new milestones along the way.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>With such a trailblazing heritage in content management and digital experience, Optimizely has long been a bellwether for where the CMS and DXP markets are headed. Its industry surface area has evolved to include categories like CMP, but Optimizely's core value always comes back to content – and this is a company that's been shaping the content trajectory since 1994.While Adobe has maintained dominance in some of the relevant analyst channels (like DXP), Optimizely has been closing the gap against Goliath. With the introduction of its Optimizely One solution, it has clearly leveled up and driven demand with customers seeking a more complete solution – the kind that offers composable products that answer their challenges with greater flexibility, choice, and value. That strategy is resulting in significant market and revenue gains.Optimizely has also focused on the marketer as a key audience, starting with its purchase of Welcome in 2021. The added content marketing and digital asset management capabilities have expanded its appeal beyond the more focused lane of CMS while integrating everything within a composable solution. This continues to deliver a competitive edge as brands shift to delivering omnichannel experiences and look to market across a myriad of ecosystems like social media. Just like its name suggests, optimization is central to Optimizely's brand promise. As more companies look to enhance performance through testing and experimentation, Optimizely is already ahead with robust tools and AI features to help teams realize their personalization goals and access meaningful data and analytics from their programs.Optimizely's pace of innovation is clearly aggressive, and needs to be in a tight competitive market where uncertainty is always looming. The addition of new features across its portfolio – including AI – may very well lengthen its lead as customers look for greater scale and automation from their content tools. And with more capital to drive innovation, it can continue to meet and exceed customer expectations in an ever-changing digital world.  <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

Optimizely Surges to $400M ARR, Pegs Growth on Demand for its Marketing Operations System

<hr /> When I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/patelnishant/">Nishant Patel</a> last week, he was floating on cloud nine.You might assume it’s because the company he co-founded, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a>, just announced the addition of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google Cloud Platform</a> to its offerings. This puts the headless CMS-turned-composable-DXP in the unique position of providing deployments across all three of the major cloud providers.For those of us who work extensively in the cloud, we know it's a complex morass – and managing service architectures for diverse infrastructures like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/aws">AWS</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-azure">Azure</a>, and GCP can present quite an entanglement. We’ll get into more of the “why,” but suffice to say that choice is driving much of the calculus.No, Nishant’s lighter-than-air status was less banal and more sophistiquée in nature: he took my call whilst strolling the streets of Paris, absorbing the springtime air. I asked if he could spot the Eiffel Tower from his vantage point.“I can't see over the buildings, but it's beautiful here,” he remarked. “It's awesome. Just an amazing day.” C’est la vie.There seems to be a persistent positive vibe going around at Contentstack these days, whether it’s along the Champs-Élysées or elsewhere. The company continues its charge beyond headless as a full-featured ecosystem for powering omnichannel experiences. This includes the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-launch-aims-to-simplify-front-end-hosting-interview-with-dean-haddock-senior-product-manager">addition of Launch</a>, a front-end hosting solution, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentstack.com/automation-hub">Automation Hub</a> for composing stacks, and a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/a-closer-look-at-contentstacks-ai-features-with-christine-masters-senior-product-manager">bevy of AI capabilities</a> that offer more than the usual pre-fixe menu of generative content features. This evolution towards a more complete vision beyond CMS also garnered the attention of analysts, catapulting the company onto <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/forrester-dxp-wave-2023-vendor-commentary">Forrester’s 2023 Wave Report</a> for DXPs as a Strong Performer – outpacing a number of traditional players and chief rival <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentful">Contentful</a>. As CTO, Nishant is focused on more than just Contentstack’s capabilities. He’s also concerned with how enterprises can deploy it, particularly on their cloud of choice. When we connected in March of 2022, the company had <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-offers-microsoft-azure-becomes-only-multi-cloud-saas-cms-qa-with-cto-nishant-patel">just added Azure</a> to the mix, making it the only multi-cloud SaaS play in the CMS category. The new partnership with Google Cloud presents a strategic opportunity to expand the addressable market for composable digital experiences, providing enterprises with even more options for how they create, manage, and deliver their products. This includes making its composable DXP accessible via the <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/marketplace">Google Cloud Marketplace</a>, which offers production-ready apps, services, and solutions for quickly deploying on GCP."We're excited about how this new partnership will elevate digital experiences for both Contentstack and Google Cloud customers," Nishant said. “Brands will get even more flexibility, scalability, and security in their content and digital strategies. They can also take direct advantage of Google Cloud's AI models.”That last part about the AI models is key. In our discussion, Nishant got real about the challenges that Google has faced in deploying its ill-fated <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/google-artificial-intelligence-bard-gmail-youtube-maps-1229638b82d19afb5226c913821fa1ad">Bard</a>. But as you’ll read, he juxtaposes that with some real-world perspective on picking up the fumble. He captured that sentiment in a recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7184189745797681154/">LinkedIn post</a>, and in my opinion, it tells you everything you need to know about why he’s successful:“Failure is not the enemy of progress – it’s complacency.”<h3 id="expanding-the-value-of-the-cloud-">Expanding the value of the cloud </h3>While there are numerous pros to the cloud, Contentstack’s new partnership with Google offers three unique benefits for users. The first is support for <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/gcp">Google Cloud Hosting</a>, which enables Contentstack customers to tap into a comprehensive cloud solution platform that is both secure and scalable for hosting their Contentstack data and applications. Another is access to the <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/partners">Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program</a>, where Contentstack has achieved Google Cloud Partner status for the “Build” engagement model. They joined this program to support and enrich customers with the latest innovative digital transformation capabilities – and to speed time to value through seamless integrations with Google.Finally, as I’ve already mentioned, there’s the all-important listing on the <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/marketplace">Google Cloud Marketplace</a>, which simplifies the experience for Google Cloud customers to discover and procure Contentstack as part of their existing Google Cloud account and billing invoice.According to Nishant, a big part of the move to add GCP was about listening to the voice of the customer and following their lead. That meant going to where they find and purchase cloud services and SaaS software and joining those marketplaces across all major cloud providers.“A big percentage of SaaS buying will happen in the [cloud] marketplaces in the next two to three years,” he said. “Azure, AWS, and GCP all have this quota relief for sales folks if their customers buy through their marketplace. So, for the SaaS provider, this optionality makes the buying process a lot simpler. And for the customer, whatever cloud they've chosen, it just makes it a lot easier in terms of managing vendors.”There are compelling reasons for investing in a multi-cloud strategy. Sure, hosting might seem like a commodity, but of the Big Three cloud providers, some are just better at specific functions than others. Companies that are all-in with certain cloud providers are often driven by efficiency, and perhaps a modicum of loyalty. If they already have workloads running on Azure, it’s much easier to consolidate everything in one place and even optimize overall performance with greater control. Another consideration: they might only have DevOps teams that are skilled or have experience with a specific infrastructure. And then there’s “brand optics.” While AWS was the first big cloud for Contentstack, the albatross of Amazon.com still creates tacit friction for retailers who aren’t fans of Bezos Effect. When that resistance is a challenge, having alternative options means not having to compromise. “We just wanted to be the CMS of choice,” Nishant clarified. “And if you're committed to GCP, no worries, you can buy us from the [Google Cloud] Marketplace and deploy completely on GCP. And same thing for Azure and AWS."<h3 id="challenging-the-‘brand-relevancy-crisis’">Challenging the ‘Brand Relevancy Crisis’</h3>In my recent connection with Contentstack’s new CMO, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurdeepd/">Gurdeep Dhillon</a>, we touched on the rising phenomenon of what he calls a “Brand Relevancy Crisis.” You can <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-just-hired-an-ex-adobe-exec-as-cmo-heres-why-it-matters">read more about it here</a>, but the crux is that we’re battling a swell of saturation across channels, which is being compounded by increased noise and fragmentation, the deprecation of third-party data, and the exponential growth of AI-generated content. While not a marketer himself, Nishant conjured the same “Brand Relevancy Crisis” moniker when reinforcing the need for choice in a complex cloud landscape. In doing so, he doubled down on the advantages that GCP presents despite <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/is-google-adding-the-letters-crm-to-its-alphabet-soup-ask-hubspot">trailing AWS and Azure</a> with a mere 10% of the overall cloud marketplace – and how that could be an advantage for Contentstack to stand out.“You know, I think the Google Cloud folks have done really well with up-and-coming brands and even tech companies,” he shared. “They're very much focused on Silicon Valley. So we're hopeful we can tap into the latest and greatest brands as well as legacy brands that have committed to GCP.”As he noted, it’s weird thinking of Google as the “underdog,” but in the cloud world, that’s their current lot – and in some ways, it’s creating more of a culture that’s conducive to working with tech brands that are mid-market and building momentum. “Their technology is great, and it feels like they want to work with vendors like us,” Nishant surmised. “So we're excited to have them as a good partner. And then, of course, some of the e-commerce partners we work with, they've been on GCP for a long time. And you know, we can do some joint selling and stuff like that together. So that's also pretty exciting.”<h3 id="more-possibilities-for-ai">More possibilities for AI</h3>Like its competitive cloud brethren, GCP has its own discrete AI initiatives. In fact, Google proper was early to the game with its bumbling Bard chatbot (adroitly <a target="_blank" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/what-can-google-ai-chatbot-bard-now-gemini-do">rebranded to Gemini</a>), right around the time that Microsoft was touting its partnership with <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI</a>.AWS waited, launching late in 2023 with its Bedrock LLM and lining up with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.anthropic.com/">Anthropic</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://stability.ai/">Stability.ai </a>to make up ground. We’re already in a sort of “AI Cold War,” with startups struggling to reach revenue and major models fighting to prove their performance in an increasingly skeptical landscape. It’s all had a chilling effect on investors, and they’re scrutinizing which technologies are delivering the AI goods. It's worth consulting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/what-s-new-in-artificial-intelligence-from-the-2023-gartner-hype-cycle">Gartner's AI Hype Cycle</a> to reaffirm where we might be on the arc (although I can't be sure if their diagram is hallucinating). In its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/composable-dxp-leader-contentstack-announces-new-partnership-with-google-cloud-302111266.html">press release</a> announcing the Google Cloud partnership, Contentstack indicated that customers would be able to take direct advantage of Google’s Cloud AI models. I asked Nishant what that meant for users – and why GCP presented an AI advantage over other clouds.“I think it's a very good question,” he said. “Obviously, with AI, there were a lot of different changes along the way, but we jumped on it. I think our first release was last January with the AI Assistant. I want to say we were first in the market, at least in the CMS world. But the way we architected it, we didn't just pick one service to ‘catch up.’ Our AI assistant and all the stuff we're doing with AI is more about optionality and giving our customers the ability to configure whatever LLM they want to bring to the table.” There are lots of choices out there for models, but hosting and training still present significant challenges for brands looking to tap the potential of AI. Google’s multimodal flexibility is a key benefit, and one of the reasons why Nishant is bullish on GCP. It’s also aligned with Contentstack’s pursuit of greater scalability and automation. “I think Google is an exciting one,” he continued. “They kind of fumbled in the beginning, but they keep iterating and making it better. We were one of the first ones to work with them to enable our customers with an option. On the content side, we built a full-on integration platform alongside Contentstack where you could automate and create content on the fly, get it approved, and launch it live. So you could create some really powerful workflows. And of course, Google's Gemini will be awesome for that.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Cloud infrastructure is a lot like plumbing. It’s obscured, living mostly behind walls and under cabinets. At times, you get your hands dirty dealing with a clog or a busted joint. One might say it’s ennuyeux – but at the same time, it’s absolutely vital to the modern software delivery experience.As someone who’s worked closely with AWS since 2016 (I’ve even given a few Tech Talks on subjects like serverless), I can say first-hand that the cloud ain't easy. It’s a minefield of madness, with problems always lurking in shadowy corners. Given the complexity involved with managing DevOps, authoring AWS Marketplace AMIs and CloudFormation templates, and defining licensing parameters, managing the considerations of one cloud is hard enough. But all three? Is it worth it?The answer is: yes. If you can dedicate the resources and support all the requirements. And there are many. To that end, it seems like Contentstack is committed to covering its bases and maximizing flexibility across the clouds.To Nishant’s point, more of the future sales motion will be focused on all three of the big cloud marketplaces, where SaaS procurement will continue to grow. By showing up universally, Contentstack is increasing its discoverability and preference. By further aligning with partners in each ecosystem, they can potentially offer more solution selling (which we’re already seeing in places like the AWS Competency programs).The cloud can be a decision-maker for customers. For brands that already have an established footprint with GCP and require a headless CMS or composable DXP, their first stop will likely be the Google Cloud Marketplace. Being available at the moment of need and deployable in an existing account greases the wheels and accelerates the buying journey. But rounding out the trifecta is just part of the competitive crucible for Contentstack. By making itself available across all three of the big cloud players, they’re sending a clear message that choice matters, and they’re committed to delivering on that. Finally, from an AI perspective, Contentstack has already been blazing trails. This just adds more fuel to the fire. Forget Google's initial faux pas – bringing Gemini to the fold could enhance a wide range of capabilities when integrated with tools like Contentstack, improving the search experience for customers as they engage with a brand’s digital experience. For Nishant, the value of investing in new technologies is clearly reinforced by his deep roots in headless and composability. There’s an ethos guiding the company’s innovation roadmap, and it has everything to do with the customer.“It'll be interesting to see where all this stuff goes,” he said. “I think from a Contentstack perspective, we just want to make sure we provide the kind of tooling and the right choice for our customers to go in whatever direction they want. We shouldn't block them from trying out new technologies, using our services, or even using someone else's services. You should be able to compose the experience you need, right? That's how we think about composability, and it's the whole difference with our company.”If I was standing below the Eiffel Tower, I might be inclined to say:C’est bon. <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

Contentstack ‘Reigns’ on Cloud Choice with Addition of Google Cloud Platform

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurdeepd?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAATCdgBB_nMyWFHB28gQn7wit5H1YN8aiw">Gurdeep Dhillon</a> has some thoughts on “professional references.”Just after announcing his new gig as Chief Marketing Officer at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a> – a composable digital experience platform – he penned a brief but heartfelt post on LinkedIn, thanking friends and colleagues who vouched for his street creds in pursuit of this position.“What a wonderful thing it is to have people in your professional life that have become more than just colleagues,” he said, marveling at how a bench of business associates had evolved into friendships and advocates. People who have your back (and vice-versa). As Gurdeep noted, it’s important for future employers to have access to these sources to make informed decisions. Testaments to quality of work are table stakes, but hearing about the character of a candidate is gold. This is where the value of deeper connections and the oft-neglected practice of developing good relationships can’t be overstated.Even at a cursory glance, it’s safe to say that Gurdeep is a people person. That should serve him well in a role that’s all about scaling software users (people, n'est-ce pas?) by strengthening brand awareness, preference, and loyalty. With two decades of enterprise software experience under his belt, Gurdeep is reaching for the stars at Contentstack, buoyed by previous roles at some of the world’s most recognized technology companies like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentful-composable-content-platform-for-sap-commerce-cloud-now-an-sap-endorsed-app">SAP</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/adobe-to-acquire-marketo">Marketo</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cut-paste-delete-why-adobes-canceled-merger-with-figma-is-good-for-innovation">Adobe</a>. Heavy hitters to be sure.Gurdeep will report to Contentstack’s founder and CEO, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-raises-57-5-million-in-series-b-round-qa-with-ceo-neha-sampat">Neha Sampat</a>, who has shepherded the headless-CMS-turned-DXP to incredible heights – raising a total of $169 million (thus far). From an evolutionary perspective, the company has recently been added to the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/thoughts-on-the-forrester-dxp-wave-2023-dont-judge-an-analyst-report-by-its-infographic">Forrester Wave for DXPs</a>, further cementing its expansion as a composable platform with a multitude of offerings. "Gurdeep is a great fit for our Contentstack tribe, both in expertise and values alignment," she said. “He understands the industry, and what it takes to capitalize on opportunity, and lead category creation. He knows digital experiences are the new competitive frontline for brands. Best yet, he is well regarded for his leadership style and ability to bring teams together to do the best work of their lives.”I had an opportunity to relay a few questions to the new Marketer-in-Chief as he takes the reins. Contentstack has certainly blazed trails over the last few years, but market conditions have shifted, along with the topology of the DX landscape. The game is evolving, and we're all strapping in – waiting for the next drop of the coaster. Gurdeep had some great insight on what’s ahead, the still-emerging value of composable, and how the role of the CMO is transforming. I also have some reflections on what this move means for Contentstack and the market at large. <h3 id="a-proven-legacy-of-leadership">A proven legacy of leadership</h3>Gurdeep’s work history reads like a “who’s who” of tech mammoths (the aforementioned Adobe, among others). But he’s also made his impact felt with brands that are key players in their respective industries but necessarily household names. Case in point: during his most recent CMO tenure at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.zuora.com/">Zuora</a> – a monetization software suite spanning pricing and packaging, billing, payments, and more – Gurdeep helped usher the company into the next phase of "The Subscription Economy" (more on that in a bit). He’s also lending an advisory shoulder to platforms like AudiencePlus and Goldcast, which gives him a more well-rounded view of the tech and business landscape. Like most of us, Gurdeep hasn’t gotten to the top of his game alone, and has consistently built and nurtured high-performing teams to deliver success. In his three-year tenure in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe's Digital Experience</a> business as a leader of both the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-commerce">Marketo and Magento</a> marketing organizations, he gained expertise – and empathy – for marketing and commerce leaders who are responsible for driving efficient growth. With a resume of this magnitude, Gurdeep could have the pick of the litter in a landscape of opportunities. I asked what attracted him to Contentstack, and how those attributes might play into his strategy for positioning the brand in a market of one.“For me, it was seeing the breadth and depth of iconic brands that are achieving the art of the possible through their adoption of Contentstack’s Composable DXP,” he explained. “It’s clear to me that Contentstack stands alone in terms of our position as the only Composable Platform player in this space. The spectrums that matter are monolithic versus composable and product versus platform. Contentstack wins on both.”<h3 id="cutting-through-the-composable-clutter">Cutting through the composable clutter</h3>As Gurdeep takes the marketing helm at a leading “composable DXP,” I wanted his perspective on the hotly-debated term. Over the last six months, I’ve tracked growing confusion across the landscape from buyers evaluating the field, but particularly from those who are trying to decipher the coded messaging. Where’s the differentiation when everyone claims to be composable?As platforms “race to the middle” – something I’ve spoken about frequently and discussed with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/deane">Deane Barker at the CMS Kickoff</a> – vendors on both sides (composable headless and "traditional" composed DXPs) are evolving to meet the needs of customers. For Contentstack, how can marketing help lead the charge? “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a Brand Relevancy Crisis that both B2B and B2C companies are facing,” Gurdeep said. “There’s a big onus on marketing teams to ensure they are delivering exceptional content and experiences to their audiences. You need a composable DXP to do that right.”<hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“our-customers-have-the-flexibility-and-freedom-to-build-their-stack-their-way.-that’s-the-power-of-composable.”">“Our customers have the flexibility and freedom to build their stack their way. That’s the power of composable.”</h4><hr />There’s no question that companies are under pressure to perform, especially in a digital economy where it’s crowded and noisy – and loyalty can prove elusive. Likewise, marketing teams are feeling equitable pressure to deliver results, and Gurdeep believes a composable DXP like Contentstack is the answer. “I think there’s still a ton of education that needs to be done, showing people what the future could look like and highlighting the changemakers that are leading the way. I see an opportunity to do this better.”<h3 id="following-the-mach-momentum">Following the MACH momentum</h3>Full disclosure: as a member of the <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/board">MACH Alliance Executive Advisory Board</a>, I'm keeping a constant pulse on the composable movement. I believe in the tenets of open systems and love the idea of swappable standards. So while we're all helping to better define composability from an industry perspective, I endeavor to provide a balanced and unbiased of how these trends are impacting the market. Given Contentstack’s undeniable role in shaping the trajectory of the best-of-breed member ecosystem and its advocacy of open technology standards, I was curious how Gurdeep viewed the Alliance’s role as an objective outsider with monolithic roots. “As a founding member of the MACH alliance, Contentstack set out to educate the market on a better way to build digital experiences alongside other pioneers in this space,” he said. “With the growth of this Alliance over the past four years, we’ve gone from early adopters to early majority successfully, and now it’s all about how to make it easier to do business with composable vendors and partners.”And it’s true: Contentstack has been on the evolutionary horizon with MACH, taking a more active role to address key challenges. When I spoke to Neha Sempat in Amsterdam last June at the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">MACH Two event</a>, she talked about the importance of its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentstack.com/go-composable/charter">Composable Charter</a>, a manifesto of guiding principles for enterprises on the composable journey – which was signed by a gaggle of platforms. We also discussed the creation of a first-ever accountability platform to help ensure composable stacks are properly maintained when multiple technologies can present multiple points of failure. I've heard many horror stories about out-of-control hosting bills and other issues that have emerged from composable stacks. Who's in charge when the “stuff” hits the fan?Like many of the members of the MACH Alliance, Contentstack is also reliant on enterprise and agency partners to build composable solutions. I asked Gurdeep how he values the channel from a scalability perspective.“I see tremendous opportunities with SIs and Digital Agencies that specialize in composable,” he surmised. “Many are building accelerators that allow brands to adopt composable in a way that addresses change management and a lightning-fast time to value. These are game changers, especially for larger enterprises that need to start somewhere and expand from there.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Composable is still the soup du jour on the DX tech menu. As noted in the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/on-your-mach-get-set-grow-new-research-reveals-expanding-support-roi-for-mach">recently published research from the MACH Alliance</a>, the drift towards both the architectural and philosophical tenets of this burgeoning movement is clear, with big growth being forecast in the US. At the same time, it continues to be confusing morass as platforms try to reposition around the lexicon without alienating the market gods.Contentstack has been carrying the mantle of “composable DXP” for quite some time, and doing it adeptly. Last year <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-launch-aims-to-simplify-front-end-hosting-interview-with-dean-haddock-senior-product-manager">when I spoke to Dean Haddock</a>, a senior product manager for the company’s Launch offering, it was already deep into the messaging. By December, Contentstack was a fixture on the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/thoughts-on-the-forrester-dxp-wave-2023-dont-judge-an-analyst-report-by-its-infographic">Forrester Wave for DXPs</a> – a testament to its brand-rattling at the analyst level. Of course, being rolled in with traditional DXPs raised a lot of questions (and maybe a modicum of ire) about the definition of a “digital experience platform” in the composable era. At the same time, some downstream platforms experimented with shedding their headless skin, while monoliths embraced nomenclatures like “composable hybrid headless DXP” as a mantra. It’s all adding to that morass, and precisely why top-down marketing is so critical to reinforcing the right messages and cutting through the confusion for the buyer.The hiring of a new C-Level is also a throat-clearing moment, and Contentstack is sending a sharp signal to the market about its ambitions. By selecting someone with high-octane Adobe DNA, it’s leveling up to compete on the DXP grid with greater gusto. Simultaneously, things are in flux across the landscape: <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/big-shift-at-sitecore-dave-oflanagan-takes-the-helm-as-interim-ceo">Sitecore just made a change at the CEO level</a> at a time when the company’s chief investment backer is contemplating a sale. M&amp;A activities look poised to rebound (although it’s still a wait-and-see situation). Seismic shifts in leadership are sometimes a sign that bigger moves are already in the pipeline, so we'll see how the Contentstack story evolves in 2024.<h3 id="finally,-let's-talk-about-cmos…">Finally, let's talk about CMOs…</h3>Yup. They’re in the hot seat – perhaps more so than any other manager in the C-suite. They’re experiencing tighter tenures than ever before, although some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marketingdive.com/news/cmo-tenure-length-spencer-stuart/649279/">move on to bigger and better things</a>. But in a world where long games are getting shorter and shorter, CMOs live and die by the revenue sword. I’m not trying to be macabre or conjure Game of Thrones, but there are certain analogies about battlefields and dragons that certainly fit this job description.I asked Gurdeep what he thought about the role of the CMO given the recent decision by <a target="_blank" href="https://digiday.com/marketing/why-starbucks-elimination-of-its-global-cmo-indicates-an-evolution-of-the-role-not-a-canary-in-the-coal-mine/">Starbucks to eliminate the position</a> from its hierarchy, choosing instead to rely on decentralized leaders in different geographical regions. I don’t think it’s a harbinger of the CMO’s demise, but how is the job changing at a time when marketing is so essential to powering growth?“I think the role of the CMO is evolving in a few key ways,” he replied. “Now more than ever, the CMO is being held accountable to defining efficient growth strategies. This includes leaning into new technologies that help drive scale, especially generative AI. In B2B especially, CMOs are focusing more and more on customer-centricity – helping drive advocacy, retention, and ultimately expansion of the existing customer base. This is absolutely critical in an economic downturn when winning new logos is difficult for most vendors. Last but not least, CMOs are fighting the Brand Relevancy Crisis - trying to overcome the fact that there’s saturation across channels and it’s never been harder to rise above the noise, compounded by a cookie-less world and the explosion of AI-generated content.”It’s telling that Contentstack would invest in someone with ingrained knowledge and reverence for “The Subscription Economy,” as Gurdeep referenced. It speaks to the company’s view of where things are headed: more SaaS, less friction. Elegant tools that are powered by AI and free of code. And stuff that’s truly composable and, er… integrates seamlessly (I hate even writing that phrase, but you get the dream). At the end of the day, a Chief Marketing Officer is more than the sum of their parts. It’s not enough to know how to wield the technology and read between the analytics. This job requires empathy, and the most successful CMOs can tune into the customer’s frequency with passion and intention and guide the right resources to convert that interest into action. They also need to love what they do. Seriously. You can't go into a creative leadership role like this without a corpus callosum that modulates the right modicum of creativity with an appetite for data. Given how much today's CMOs have to know, I asked Gurdeep what keeps him excited and engaged about marketing – so he can tune in accordingly. “I love changing people’s minds,” he said. “When you show somebody what their world could look like if they step through the door to the other side, it’s an incredible feeling. And in my opinion, the best way to do that authentically is with helpful, relevant content and experiences, built with empathy for your audience. I call it Audience Marketing and it’s absolutely shaped by my roots in content. You can’t lose if you’ve created a genuine connection with your audience over time, because when they are ready to address their challenges with a technology decision, they will almost assuredly come to you.”Well said. And precisely why he has amazing professional references.  <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

Contentstack just hired an ex-Adobe exec as CMO. Here’s why it matters

<hr /> At its core, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ci-hub">CI HUB</a> is enabling users to work smarter – and more efficiently – without hopping between windows. The Potsdam-based company gained early success by focusing on connectors within creative platforms, offering an easy-to-use integration that's made it something of a “must-have" with tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe Creative Cloud</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365">Microsoft Office365</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">Google Workspace</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cut-paste-delete-why-adobes-canceled-merger-with-figma-is-good-for-innovation">Figma</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sketch">Sketch</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a>. It also connects to stock providers and cloud storage services.But CI HUB is endeavoring to be even more meaningful, acting as a single source of access to centralized data and assets in a marketing ecosystem. This broadens the landscape for its digital aggregation capabilities across CMS, DAM, PIM, MAM, and MDM platforms. That's a lot of acronyms, to be sure – but it demonstrates the potential reach across a myriad of content repositories.Just how handy is CI HUB? Enough to warrant a seed round from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scalecapital.com/">Scale Capital</a>, a Danish early-stage technology investor with a focus on helping companies accelerate growth in the US market. CI HUB's press release indicated that the investment was a “significant seven-figure amount” compiled from new and existing investors – representing a major step in the company's journey towards revolutionizing the way corporates and creatives access digital assets and data.  "We are delighted to welcome Scale Capital as a financial and strategic partner, alongside our existing investors, as we embark on the next phase of our journey," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasmichalski/">Andreas Michalski</a>, founder and CEO of CI HUB GmbH. "This collective support validates the strength of our vision and technology and provides us with the resources and expertise to drive innovation and deliver even greater value to our customers."  The announcement coincides with CI HUB's attendance at the <a target="_blank" href="https://summit.adobe.com/na/">Adobe Summit 2024</a> in Las Vegas, which lasts from March 25 - 28. CI HUB is attending the event as a sponsor, highlighting the importance of the Adobe partnership to its continued growth.<h3 id="building-inroads-to-cms,-dam,-and-other-content-platforms">Building inroads to CMS, DAM, and other content platforms</h3>CI HUB specializes in developing innovative solutions that seamlessly connect leading <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems (CMS)</a> and digital asset management (DAM) platforms. Their suite of products makes it simple to access, manage, and distribute digital assets across various channels and platforms, streamlining workflows for businesses of all sizes. This has clear advantages for content management and digital experience platforms, which typically offer some level of digital asset management – and in some cases like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/acquia">Acquia</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a>, very robust DAM solutions. CI HUB views these channels as accelerators for growth. “We see the role of CMS, DXP, DAM, and other content platform partners as being strong pillars of growth for us going forward,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickwstein/">Nick Stein</a>, CMO at CI HUB. “Of course, this is mutually beneficial for both CI HUB and our partners. Integrating our software not only improves the user experience of these platforms, but in the case of DAMs, it widens the potential user base within their client organizations.”CI HUB is used by clients such as Ford, Zurich, T-Mobile, FedEx, and hundreds more as an integral part of their creative workflows.    <h3 id="investing-in-the-future-of-content-integration">Investing in the future of content integration</h3>With Scale Capital's investment, CI HUB is poised to accelerate its growth trajectory and expand its market reach globally. This is laser-focused on the U.S., where the company is already seeing significant traction – and a bulk of its existing business currently resides. In addition to Scale Capital, CI HUB's existing investors including HTGF, Brandenburg Kapital, the Berlin Angel Fund, and Urban AM have extended their financial engagement. The capital infusion will help CI HUB to further enhance its product offering, scale its operations, and strengthen its position as a leader in the content integration space.  Along with broader innovation, the investment will also be concentrated on the growth of the company's CI HUB Drive, or “DAM for Desktop” functionality. With this tool, the DAM is virtually mounted and displayed as an external server or external hard disk in the MacOS Finder or in Windows Explorer – making it incredibly seamless, like Dropbox. "We are very excited to partner with the CI HUB team to fuel their growth and market expansion," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachimschelde/">Joachim Schelde</a>, Senior Associate at Scale Capital. "Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of content integration, enabling businesses to unlock new efficiencies and opportunities in digital content management."  <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Connectors have become critical parts of the integration landscape, enabling new tools and platforms to be quickly activated and leveraged for a range of use cases. With less friction, users have more control over the tools they wish to curate, allowing for a more customized and composed stack of solutions. Content Integration is a key area in the DX mix, addressing the challenges that exist with siloed data and assets. By accelerating the connections to content in various repositories, creators and teams are able to enhance their access to a broad range of resources to help support their brand initiatives. However, with the rampant scale and complexity of different sources, users are having to take multiple steps to find, select, and utilize content assets from different sources – like DAMs.CI HUB reflects a continued motion towards optimization, providing an elegant solution that augments the value of content management, digital experience, and digital asset management platforms. It represents a new breed of connector that streamlines the flow and improves productivity around an ever-growing cache of content resources. Given the number of assets and legacy systems that enterprises are wrestling with, these types of solutions are helping build bridges across the last miles of user experience.  <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"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></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.

CI Hub Announces Major Investment, Plans to Scale Content Integration Solutions

Explore a wide range of informative articles on Digital Experience, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. 