Articles - Page 155

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

In any industry, buzzwords abound! 
In the Digital Experience (DX) landscape, it is no different – and you will hear a handful of terms that seemingly set the standard for the ecosystem.
However, you might not know what they all mean and how they are different from one another. That could pose a major problem, particularly as a technology, marketing, and/or business leader in the enterprise who is expected to be at one with the trends and best practices while leading their organization to digital glory.
I recently sat down for an hour during a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/tDAVv1VwHgU?feature=share"> DX Café interview with Andrew Kumar,</a> VP of Customer Solutions at <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/uniform-adds-new-visual-editing-and-integration-features-to-enhance-dxcp/">Uniform</a>, and we talked about four of the oft-heard concepts around the DX industry “watercooler.”
Uniform is an interesting company to start with as a frame of reference for much of this headless and composable DXP and product industry. As Kumar noted in the discussion, Uniform is “a rapidly evolving product set, but it is very much this visual workspace for digital teams.” 
One of our first orders of business was to define four specific terms within DX architecture: Monolithic, Headless, MACH, and Composable.
<h2>Monolithic: "All your software embedded into one application"</h2>
Kumar discussed the transition from monolithic systems to more modular, composable systems in enterprise technology. Traditionally, monolithic systems encapsulated all software functions in one application, which led to challenges due to the complexity of enterprises. Companies often had to adapt their processes to the monolithic system or spend significant resources to adapt them to their business.
Kumar suggests that enterprises' complexities arise due to their constant need to meet customer demands, leading to diverse offerings. When enterprises attempt to fit monolithic systems into their complex business operations, they often encounter difficulties.
In response to these challenges, monolithic platforms decompose into modular structures to support these complex business needs.
“I am starting to shy away from the term monolithic,” said Kumar. “And I'm shying away from that because the historical monolithic platforms are decomposing themselves.”
However, Kumar mentions that businesses often underestimate their complexity until they have analyzed their operations. Only when the complexities are fully understood can technology be molded around the business rather than vice versa.
He uses the term "all in one" rather than monolithic, as the platforms are becoming more modular and adaptable to fit the needs of the business. However, these all-in-one systems often do not integrate well with external modules, akin to battery packs that only fit one brand of tools.
While all-in-one solutions can be beneficial due to their convenience, speed to market, and easier vendor management, they often do not excel in any particular area, only offering adequate solutions for various functions. This can be a drawback for businesses requiring a specific solution or the best feature. Despite these shortcomings, it can prove valuable if the out-of-the-box solution fits an enterprise's needs.
Kumar concludes that the move away from monolithic systems is largely based on the level of complexity and customization that a business requires. The more complex and custom a business needs, the more likely a monolithic system is to be an impediment.
<h2>Headless: "Kind of a hot keyword"</h2>
Kumar talked about the concept of "<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless</a>" systems, which are becoming popular in the tech industry. Headless systems offer more flexibility than traditional "all-in-one" systems, as they separate the content from how it's presented to the customer. This decoupling allows for easier content distribution across various channels.
In an all-in-one system, content creation and presentation are intertwined. For instance, a Content Management System (CMS) creates webpages and websites. However, presenting the same content on a mobile app or other platforms like email channels, digital displays, or VR headsets requires significant effort to untether the content from its original presentation.
“An all-in-one CMS builds webpages and websites,” said Kumar. “(but) then if you try to build a mobile app with the all-in-one, you have to untether. You have to undergo a lot of effort to create flexibility. If you try to put that content into an email channel, or a digital display or a VR, like an Apple VR headset, it's a lot of work. It's feasible, but it's a lot of work.”
Conversely, headless systems don't know or dictate where the content will end up. The content is consumed through an API and can appear on a website, an app, or other platforms. This gives tremendous flexibility and allows reusing content across various touchpoints and channels.
The challenge with headless systems is that they do not inherently provide a way to preview how the content will appear in different consuming applications. Over the past six to seven years, Kumar has been developing tools to enable such previews.
The appropriateness of headless systems depends on the industry and the nature of customer interactions. Headless systems make sense in industries like telecom, where most customer interactions are through mobile devices or chatbots. Some organizations start by using headless for a single website before expanding to multiple websites, thereby beginning to take advantage of the system's flexibility. However, it's a different paradigm with a lean, out-of-the-box solution.
<h2>MACH: "Very high bar for standards of quality"</h2>
Kumar noted that the MACH in the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen/">MACH Alliance</a> stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless. The MACH Alliance sets high standards for vendors in the tech industry, and not every vendor meets these standards. 
Like Kumar's company Uniform, those who receive approval can assure prospective buyers that their platform has been audited and meets specific technical standards. This approval can help support both the buyers' previous and future investments.
Kumar acknowledges criticism that the MACH Alliance is not inclusive but argues that maintaining high standards is necessary to push the industry forward. The high bar for entry ensures that the MACH Alliance seal retains its value and is not awarded to companies that do not meet its stringent criteria. Therefore, he views the exclusivity of the Alliance as a potential strength rather than a weakness, ensuring that only vendors that meet the highest standards are admitted.
<h2>Composable: "The way it's being defined is learning the lessons from the previous three terms"</h2>
Kumar lastly broke down the concept of "composable" systems, stating that this is the latest term in the tech industry. He sees it as a natural evolution from monolithic to all-in-one to headless systems and now to composable systems.
Traditional monolithic systems are now decomposing into composable systems. They're breaking down into smaller, more manageable modules that can be reconfigured per business needs.
“Headless tools are generally composable by default,” asserted Kumar. “Because they're unique, like ring-fenced capabilities that can be plugged and played as necessary.”
The MACH Alliance's standards, Kumar explains, push the needle on what it means to be truly composable. Having APIs on top of any software does not make it headless or composable. He highlights the importance of having clean, well-defined microservices to manage the platform's infrastructure. He also emphasizes the necessity of being "API first," where APIs get published concurrently with features.
Moreover, he addresses the importance of the Cloud in the MACH model. While one might have a headless system hosted locally, it would not meet the requirements of being self-serve, auto-updating, and cloud-native. In a cloud environment, the vendor takes care of security patches, reducing the maintenance burden on users.
Finally, he highlights the value of being composable for complex business enterprises. Adapting technology to business needs is vital in a rapidly changing business environment. While "composable" hasn't gained much search volume or intent yet, he anticipates it may become the next hot keyword in the industry.
Education is paramount in the ever-shifting DX industry. We hope you have gained a better understanding of some of the key principles that are frequently raised in conversations. 
<hr />
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/critics/matthew-mcqueeny/">Matt McQueeny</a> is part of the leadership team at <a href="https://konabos.com/" target="_blank">Konabos</a> and a CMS Critic contributor.

Exploring DX Architecture

mattmcqueeny

This week, <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fkontent.ai%2F&amp;esheet=52780079&amp;newsitemid=20220713005621&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Kontent.ai&amp;index=1&amp;md5=c56e95cdd90647703ac78689ada036c6">Kontent.ai</a> – a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless CMS</a> – announced the expansion of its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program, which recognizes the contributions of industry experts who have worked to support the Kontent.ai community.
The expansion features two new categories: Strategy MVP and Ambassador MVP. These join Kontent.ai's existing Technical MVP program, which has successfully operated for several years and elevated technical personas and developers in the company's community.
Along with the expansion, Kontent.ai announced seven new MVPs joining the new Strategy &amp; Ambassador programs. According to the company, these individuals will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Kontent.ai's platform and help drive innovation in the field. 
<h2>Strategy MVPs</h2>
The Strategy MVP category recognizes and celebrates valuable members of the Kontent.ai community who demonstrate a strong understanding of modern digital strategies. These individuals highlight how Kontent.ai can deliver successful outcomes for brands in an evolving technological landscape by sharing their technical knowledge and consultative expertise with the market. The new MVPs include:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgriffith/" target="_blank">Adam Griffith</a> (Luminary - Australia)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshaysura/" target="_blank">Akshay Sura</a>* (Konabos - United States)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmckeiver/" target="_blank">Brian McKeiver</a>* (Bizstream - United States)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katywhitedept/" target="_blank">Katy White</a> (DEPT® - United Kingdom)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/klaasjanmeijer/" target="_blank">Klaas-Jan Meijer</a> (ACTUM Digital - Netherlands)</li>
</ul>
*Transitioned from the Technical MVP Program
<h2>Ambassador MVPs</h2>
In addition, the newly formed Ambassador MVP category recognizes Kontent.ai customers that are considered experts in the deployment, management, and orchestration of Kontent.ai’s headless CMS. This category focuses on how the platform delivers superior content management experiences in a highly-competitive digital landscape. Ambassador MVPs are champions of Kontent.ai and advocate for what brands can achieve in their own complex digital and content management journeys. The new MVPs include:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-lamothe-87b78686/" target="_blank">Marc Lamothe</a> (American Bath Group - United States)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiremebecause/" target="_blank">D’Arcy Heath</a> (UNUM - United Kingdom)</li>
</ul>
It's worth noting that Akshay Sura and Marc Lamothe were part of the team that received a 2023 MACH Impact Award for the American Bath Group project – a composable solution that featured the Kontent.ai headless CMS. The project featured the migration of 10 websites with over 50,000 products in only 8 months.
The award was announced in June during the MACH Alliance's <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year/">MACH Two event</a> in Amsterdam. 
<h2>About Kontent.ai</h2>
Kontent.ai is a leading modular content platform that enables marketers and developers to plan, create, and deliver content at scale. Business teams collaborate daily in the intuitive authoring experience designed for governed content production and management, real-time reviewing and approvals, and modular content reuse. In parallel, developers leverage the total flexibility of the headless solution, best-of-breed technologies, and composable AI to deliver digital experiences via API to any channel. With hubs in New York, London, Amsterdam, Brno, and Sydney, Kontent.ai helps companies like Zurich Insurance, Algolia, Vogue, AC Milan, and Oxford University unlock the full potential of their content and connect with customers worldwide.

Kontent.ai Expands its MVP Program with Two New Categories

cms-critic-staff

We live in a content economy. There <a href="https://linktr.ee/creator-report/static/Linktree-CreatorReport-2022-02f3aa05a27be6fecb3537b13d5ec9de.pdf" target="_blank">are an estimated</a> 200 million creators on the internet, and upwards of four billion social media users. If organizations want to tap into this burgeoning economy – set <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/02/08/2380564/0/en/Global-Digital-Content-Creation-Market-Growth-at-CAGR-of-9-5-by-2022-2027-Research-Report-by-Absolute-Reports.html" target="_blank">to be worth</a> over $24bn in the next four years – they must expand their capabilities beyond serving customers basic text and images.
Consumers want connected digital experiences that draw from multiple content sources. However, many organizations risk being held back by their current CMS, as customization and integration challenges slow the creation of new or complex digital services at scale.
The result? Innovation happens at the pace that back-end architects and developers want, not the speed the business demands. If organizations are to unlock full value from content, an alternative approach is needed. Enter – content federation.
<h2>The evolution of the CMS</h2>
The CMS as we know it has evolved before. Two decades ago, things were much simpler. Organizations wanted merely to post text and images to a single website. Providers like <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/adobe-experience-manager-evolves-franklin-launches-next-gen-composability-feature/">AEM</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-engine-releases-worlds-first-study-of-the-wordpress-economy-cites-awe-inspiring-numbers/">WordPress</a> emerged to provide CMS platforms to meet this demand. They continue to have a huge market share today.
An explosion in the volume and variety of devices and content raised new questions about how businesses could deliver this content to channels beyond the browser. It was no longer a case of managing a one-to-one relationship between CMS admin portal and website, but rather a one-to-many relationship between CMS and smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, voice assistants, and more.
What emerged was the headless CMS: enabling platform-independent content distribution via APIs. It’s a model that has stood the test of time. And it continues to be a highly popular approach as organizations embrace composable architectures that enable developers to be more agile in creating new applications and services from reusable components.
From a CMS perspective, many organizations have needed to build and manage custom software to connect multiple content sources to their headless CMS. These could be anything from legacy CMSs, SaaS tools, and e-commerce components like <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/website/digital-asset-management" target="_blank">Digital Asset Management Systems </a>(DAMs), to Product Inventory Management Systems (PIMs) and public/private APIs that link third-party data sources. As demand for connected experiences grows, IT teams must build and maintain more of these custom middleware connections, risking amassing technical debt in the process.
Ultimately, custom building everything is an innovation bottleneck. It’s not only expensive but time-consuming and really difficult to do well.
<h2>Unlocking the power of composability</h2>
Having transitioned from a one-to-one to a one-to-many approach, organizations now need technology to support a many-to-many architecture without adding cost and complexity. They not only need to serve content to multiple devices but also to serve content that lives within their software stack.
This is where federated content platforms offer an opportunity to evolve the market once more, just as it changed when headless CMS disrupted the space 10 years ago. The premise is simple: organizations can federate multiple content sources into a single universal API so developers that build connected digital services only have to develop with one API to serve content from very diversified back-end systems. This also removes the need to centralize dynamically changing data into a content hub and eliminates the risk of inconsistent and outdated data, as the federated API acts as the single source of truth. From a development perspective, this approach also accelerates innovation by enabling product teams to compose services significantly faster than existing methods.
<h2>The future’s federated</h2>
In a content-first world, the question for today’s businesses is whether they want to persist with the status quo, characterized by excessive innovation bottlenecks, costs, and mounting technical debt. Or, by combining composability with a federated content approach, organizations can choose to future-proof their CMS investments and significantly reduce their integration costs.
Content federation is the next major leap forward in CMS development. The improved integration of content and data will enable the creation of new digital services and business models in the content economy, so organizations can ill afford to stand still.
<hr />
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/critics/michael-lukaszczyk/">Michael Lukaszczyk</a> is CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="http://www.hygraph.com">Hygraph</a> and a CMS Critic contributor.

Why Content Federation Represents the Next Evolution of the CMS

michael-lukaszczyk

Europe's <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/cyber-resilience-act" target="_blank">Cyber Resilience Act</a> (CRA) has been a lightning rod of hope and controversy for some time. The proposal, which would regulate cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, is meant to bolster rules for hardware and software and help enhance security in a world of evolving threats.
The CRA legislation targets a broad array of categories, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, computers, smartphones, and applications – and institutes a range of new requirements for manufacturers to improve their product security. 
At the same time, the CRA has been viewed by some as a <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/eus-proposed-cyber-resilience-act-raises-concerns-open-source-and-cybersecurity" target="_blank">threat to open source software</a>, which has enabled innovation and fueled the growth of the modern internet. Open source projects like <a href="https://kernel.org/" target="_blank">Linux</a> and <a href="https://www.apache.org/" target="_blank">Apache</a> are used freely and integrated into a bevy of products, where they power digital services for billions of users across the globe. 
Given these concerns, representatives from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/what-do-industry-experts-expect-for-the-drupal-10-launch-heres-what-they-told-us/">Drupal</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/joomla-cms-turns-16-celebrates-with-long-awaited-release-of-version-4-0/">Joomla</a>, <a href="https://typo3.org/" target="_blank">TYPO3</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-engine-releases-worlds-first-study-of-the-wordpress-economy-cites-awe-inspiring-numbers/">WordPress</a> communities have banded together to address EU legislators amid the ongoing CRA amendments process. This week, the consortium penned an open letter highlighting the possible impacts of the CRA on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" target="_blank">Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)</a> Content Management Systems (CMS).
Combined, these four CMSes power more than half of all websites around the world and play a critical role in driving a competitive European economy and enabling cross-border collaboration.
<h2>What are the concerns for open source CMS under the CRA?</h2>
One of the core issues with the CRA deals with proposed liabilities for commercial activity that results in security vulnerabilities. This would impact open source developers who solicit support or donations, making them responsible for damages due to a security issue even if they didn't produce the product itself. Such costs could put an unfair burden on smaller shops and individual developers that can't afford the operational and administrative costs to meet these requirements. 
There's also chatter about the risks involved with a proposed 24-hour reporting mandate for disclosing actively exploited vulnerabilities – which may, ironically, result in more threats from heightened visibility and inadequate remediations. 
It goes without saying that open source content management systems have profoundly impacted the evolution of digital experiences. WordPress – the most popular in the field – powers roughly 810 million websites globally, representing <a href="https://kinsta.com/wordpress-market-share/" target="_blank">43% of the overall category</a>. CRA could irrevocably change how open source CMS platforms are used in Europe, sending a ripple effect across the software industry with myriad consequences.  
<h2>Open source matters in the CMS market</h2>
To be fair, the CRA isn't being demonized by this consortium of open source projects. As advocates for enhanced security in European hardware and software, <a href="https://www.opensourcematters.org/" target="_blank">Open Source Matters</a> (a non-profit supporting Joomla) and the FOSS CMS communities behind this letter commend the legislative goals of the CRA. However, there are concerns regarding the potential negative impact of the proposed regulations on FOSS development and innovation within the EU.
"Individuals, SMEs, and institutions will be hampered either by enormous administrative burdens or a chilling effect on their activities (and a potential rush towards the American Tech Giants) for fear of risking penalties under the CRA. [...]", the letter states. "As mentioned by many other commenters...large and enterprise-class businesses may be the only ones able to profitably sustain the administrative burden of CRA compliance, quelling EU innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic livelihoods."
The letter proposes solutions to ensure continued success and alignment with the EU's goals. This includes clarifying the CRA’s exemption for FOSS and supporting users’ rights and freedoms. The letter also emphasizes the alignment of FOSS with EU core values – including human dignity, freedom, democracy, and equality.
<h2>Meeting with stakeholders to voice concerns </h2>
The proposed CRA regulation joins a platform of digital governance that the EU is spearheading. This includes the <a href="https://www.hrpo.pitt.edu/european-union-eu-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr#:~:text=The%20General%20Data%20Protection%20Regulation,of%20individuals%20in%20the%20EEA." target="_blank">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)</a>, which was adopted in 2016 to provide a strong data privacy framework for European citizens.
GDPR was fully enacted in 2018, and has vigilantly handed down fines to entities small and large. The CRA is following a similar track, giving the EU's cybersecurity agency real teeth to enforce policies as part of its new charter. 
Open Source Matters and the <a href="https://www.thedroptimes.com/tag/inter-cms-working-group" target="_blank">Inter-CMS Working Group</a> (ICWG) have invited EU Commission members and other stakeholders to participate in a seminar in Brussels early this fall, fostering a collaborative dialogue to address the concerns raised. The seminar presents a cooperative motion from the coalition of open source communities, with the hope that friendly dialogue and collaboration might yield changes to the proposed legislation. 
The letter was signed by:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-dionysopoulos/" target="_blank">Crystal Dionysopoulos</a> – President, <a href="https://opensourcematters.org/" target="_blank">Open Source Matters, Inc</a>. (Joomla)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephahaden/" target="_blank">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a> – Executive Director, <a href="https://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress Project</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierdobberkau/" target="_blank">Olivier Dobberkau</a> – President, <a href="https://typo3.org/project/association/" target="_blank">TYPO3 Association</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timdoylempa/" target="_blank">Tim Doyle</a> – CEO, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/association" target="_blank">Drupal Association</a></li>
</ul>
As events unfold, more information about the debate and the proposed seminar will be shared.
To read or download the full open letter, visit <a href="https://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5891-open-letter-foss-cms-cyber-resilience-act.html">https://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5891-open-letter-foss-cms-cyber-resilience-act.html</a>
<h2>About Open Source Matters</h2>
Open Source Matters (OSM) is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the Joomla! open-source project. Its mission is to empower and unite a global community of Joomla users and contributors to cultivate and sustain an innovative and reliable content management system. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.opensourcematters.org/">www.opensourcematters.org</a>.
<h2>About Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress</h2>
Drupal, Joomla,  TYPO3, and WordPress are leading open-source Content Management Systems (CMS) that have significantly impacted the digital landscape. Each platform boasts its unique approach to web content management, catering to diverse user needs. Despite their different approaches to building websites, they share common values, emphasizing collaboration, accessibility, and community-driven development. Together, their collective strength fosters innovation and empowers website creators worldwide.

Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress Address EU with Concerns over Cyber Resilience Act

It's "wheels up" this week for <a href="https://www.contentstack.com/?utm_source=prnewswire&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=2021_07_bigcommerce_press_release">Contentstack</a><a href="https://www.bigcommerce.com/">,</a> a composable Digital Experience Platform (DXP) provider.
The company just announced that it has been selected by European airline group <a href="https://www.airfranceklm.com/en" target="_blank">Air France-KLM</a> to support its new digital transformation initiative: a composable solution that aims to provide seamless and curated omnichannel experiences to its customers worldwide.
According to the press release, Air France-KLM sought a composable DXP that could be integrated with its existing technology stack – specifically with a new CMS.
Contentstack was selected for its expertise in composable architecture and its easy-to-use interface. Along with its headless CMS, the platform offers a range of capabilities, all of which align with the composable principles of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen/">MACH</a> (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless).
“For enterprises like Air France-KLM, speed and agility are critical to efficiently managing content processes as well as customer demand,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonweterings/" target="_blank">Ramon Weterings</a>, VP Sales EMEA at Contentstack. “By harvesting the power of composable, headless technology, Air France-KLM is now better equipped to adapt to change without having to compromise on quality. In partnership with Contentstack, they’re able to continue delivering superior digital experiences while benefiting from rapid, agile, and reliable internal workflows. Our goal is to help our partners set up for success and we’re excited to be working with Air France-KLM on their composable adoption.”
The partnership will enable Air France-KLM to benefit from a more agile journey while working with Contentstack to improve and update its technology capabilities.     
<h2>Taking flight with composable </h2>
Contentstack will be part of a composable digital strategy that empowers Air France-KLM to create seamless and personalized customer journeys, with streamlined publishing processes for e-commerce developers, content creators, and SEO specialists.
Contentstack’s extensive API library will also allow applications to be easily integrated into the Air France-KLM technology ecosystem while offering the agility required to support growth channels and adapt to changing customer needs.
“Whether it’s onboard our aircraft or on our digital touchpoints, we aim to offer unique experiences to our customers," said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugorousset/" target="_blank">Hugo Rousset</a>, VP Digital Products &amp; Services at Air France-KLM. "We needed a solution that allows us to get ahead of customer needs, providing them a personalized user journey. Migrating to Contentstack contributes to delivering more consistent content across all our touchpoints and all markets. At the same time, it enables us to integrate our existing tech stack and adapt quickly to the changing landscape.”
Contentstack is being implemented to integrate with Air France-KLM’s consumer websites, powering the next generation of digital experiences, with additional websites to follow later this year.
<h2>About Contentstack</h2>
<a href="https://www.contentstack.com/?utm_source=prnewswire&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=2019_06_19_contentstack_comes_to_europe">Contentstack</a> – the leading composable digital experience platform (DXP) provider – empowers marketers and developers to deliver digital experiences at the speed of their imagination. Companies such as ASICS, Chase, Express, Holiday Inn, Icelandair, Mattel, McDonald's, Mitsubishi, Riot Games, and Shell trust Contentstack to power their most critical content experiences with uncompromising scale and dependability. Famous for its Care without Compromise™, Contentstack has achieved the industry's highest customer satisfaction rating. Contentstack is also a founding member of the MACH Alliance, setting the industry agenda for open and composable technology that is Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless. Learn more at <a href="http://www.contentstack.com">http://www.contentstack.com</a>.

Contentstack Selected by Air France-KLM to Support Composable Digital Experience Transformation

<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/what-contentfuls-175m-investment-round-means-for-the-future-of-cms/">Contentful</a> – a leading composable content platform for digital-first businesses – recently announced that its <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3935553-1&amp;h=844066638&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.sap.com%2Fdcp%2Fen%2Fproduct%2Fdisplay-0000061320_live_v1&amp;a=Contentful+Composable+Content+Platform" target="_blank">Contentful Composable Content Platform</a> for SAP Commerce Cloud is now an <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sap-drops-8-billion-to-buy-qualtrics/">SAP</a> Endorsed App. 
With Contentful’s Composable Content Platform, SAP customers can easily transition to a modern composable content approach without having to re-platform. Marketing and content teams can also make changes in minutes rather than days, leading to faster commerce experiences that increase conversions and profit. 
SAP Endorsed Apps are a category of solutions from SAP's partner ecosystem that help customers become best-run, intelligent enterprises. Endorsed apps are meant to deliver value with desired outcomes.
In its press release, the company stated that the app is now available online on the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3935553-1&amp;h=829085887&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.sap.com%2F&amp;a=SAP" target="_blank">SAP</a><a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3935553-1&amp;h=756995666&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.sap.com%2F&amp;a=%C2%A0Store" target="_blank"> Store</a>.
<h2>Composing the perfect partnership</h2>
Contentful's app endorsement builds on the Contentful/SAP partnership, which was <a href="https://martech.org/sap-moves-to-a-composable-commerce-offering/" target="_blank">announced in March</a> of this year. Contentful was selected as the content management partner for <a href="https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_COMMERCE_COMPOSABLE_STOREFRONT" target="_blank">SAP’s Composable Commerce Cloud</a>, allowing customers to build commerce experiences that best suit their individual needs easily.
"We are thrilled to bring the power of a modern, composable content platform to businesses that use SAP Commerce Cloud through our SAP Endorsed App," said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sloan-213515/" target="_blank">Steve Sloan</a>, CEO of Contentful. "This is a natural next step in Contentful's partnership with SAP, and we look forward to empowering customers to create lightning-fast commerce experiences on any channel to help increase sales and maximize their investment in SAP Commerce Cloud."
<h2>Joining a premium portfolio of SAP Endorsed Apps </h2>
SAP Endorsed Apps are premium certified by SAP with added security, in-depth testing, and measurements against benchmark results. With Contentstack, customers can now maximize their SAP Commerce investments by building a rich, integrated set of customer experiences without a costly re-platform, driving incremental revenue, and building customer loyalty through consistent, personalized content across the entire marketing and transaction experience.
"Ecosystem innovations are essential to SAP's vision and delivery of the intelligent enterprise for SAP customers," said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrylwgray/" target="_blank">Darryl Gray</a>, Global Vice President, Software Partner Solution Monetization &amp; Success at SAP. "We applaud Contentful on achieving SAP-endorsed app status for its composable content solution for SAP Commerce Cloud. Partners like Contentful are positioned to help us deliver a cloud-first strategy with integrated innovations, proven to provide value while solving key business challenges."
The Contentful Composable Content Platform is available for digital discovery and purchase on SAP Store – the digital marketplace for solutions from SAP and its partners. SAP Store provides customers with real-time access to more than 2,000 innovative solutions from SAP and partner solutions that complement and extend their SAP applications, enabling digital transformation of their business.
For more information about Contentful's partnership with SAP, visit <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3935553-1&amp;h=4167297217&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.contentful.com%2Fpartners%2Ftechnology%2Fsap%2F&amp;a=www.contentful.com%2Fpartners%2Ftechnology%2Fsap%2F" target="_blank">www.contentful.com/partners/technology/sap/</a>.
<h2>About Contentful</h2>
The Contentful Composable Content Platform brings the building blocks of content together to create once and reuse for any digital experience. The API-first platform integrates easily with data sources and new functionality as digital experiences and technology evolve. With built-in orchestration, a robust app ecosystem, and app framework to easily extend the platform, Contentful frees teams across the business to work together to connect, create, and extend content more efficiently. Contentful helps companies unlock the power of digital content so they can build faster and deliver at scale, making their content a strategic business asset. Nearly 30% of the Fortune 500 and thousands of companies worldwide rely on Contentful to help them bring their best ideas to life.

Contentful Composable Content Platform for SAP Commerce Cloud Now an SAP Endorsed App

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<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities/">Acquia</a> – the digital experience platform built with open source <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a> at its core – continues to innovate around its award-winning digital asset management (DAM) capabilities.
Yesterday, it announced new enhancements have been added to its <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM</a> (formerly <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities/">Widen</a>), empowering marketing and creative leaders to find and collaborate on digital assets faster.
The new capabilities – which revolve around search, sharing, and analytics – are slated to help marketing and creative teams maximize the value of their content investments across brands, regions, campaigns, and personas, even as budgets are squeezed. 
“Marketing and creative teams turn to DAM systems to rein in content chaos and gain insight into how their content performs, particularly across global brand portfolios,” said <a href="https://www.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. “The new Acquia DAM updates empower teams to create, find, and share assets faster, giving them better control over revenue-generating digital marketing campaigns and the ability to ensure better brand consistency.” 
<h2>Giving marketers and creatives more DAM power </h2>
As Acquia outlined in its press release, marketing and creative teams are responsible for building and maintaining increasingly larger and more complex catalogs of digital assets. They need to be able to find assets quickly so they can get campaigns and products to market faster, understand which content performs best so they can use it again (or create more content like it), and drive brand consistency.
The new updates to Acquia DAM help customers rise to these challenges with:
<ul>
<li>Enhanced search experience: A redesigned search experience presents teams with more relevant results and filtering capabilities, enabling them to find the assets they need faster so they can launch campaigns and products faster. Redesigned cards on the search page display file naming conventions, making asset identification simpler and clearer.</li>
<li>More options for sharing assets: Teams can now share results for common searches to support better cross-team collaboration, so colleagues can see asset options in real time, regardless of their location. Users can copy and paste a link to search results, which includes search terms, sort, pagination, and filters applied. Also, new asset share links give the recipient the choice to pick the size and format they need.</li>
<li>Keyword and tag improvements: Teams can leverage tags for improved keyword search, making assets simpler to find. Entry of keywords now uses a familiar tag UI, with clickable tags on each asset, directing users to a search results page with all assets sharing the same tag. Admins retain editing control over these tags. This feature can help teams more efficiently manage very large collections of content assets.</li>
<li>Increased analytical insights: Acquia DAM analytics enhancements give teams faster access to asset usage and performance insights via an improved backend data pipeline. New asset insight charts provide more options to filter and group asset data. Asset insights now has API endpoints to connect with other marketing data in a data warehouse or business intelligence tool. This directly supports marketers who want to understand how content is being used and how well it’s performing so they can focus on the best-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
<h2>A modular, composable platform</h2>
Acquia DAM is available standalone or within Acquia DXP, and supports composable strategies through integrations with other Acquia and third-party marketing products. It is foundational to the industry’s only open digital experience platform, which brings together content and data to create world-class customer experiences. 
You can learn more about <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM,</a> view the new <a href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/acquia-dam-search">Acquia DAM search experience</a>, and explore how customers are using Acquia DAM – including <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/crayola">Crayola</a>, <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/livewire">LiveWire</a>, <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/novavax">Novavax</a>, and <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/san-francisco-international-airport">San Francisco International Airport</a> 
<h2>About Acquia</h2>
Acquia empowers the world’s most ambitious brands to create digital customer experiences that matter. With open source Drupal at its core, the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (DXP) enables marketers, developers, and IT operations teams at thousands of global organizations to rapidly compose and deploy digital products and services that leverage their content and data assets to engage customers personally and at scale, enhance conversions, and help businesses stand out. Learn more at <a href="https://www.acquia.com/">https://acquia.com</a>.

Acquia DAM Bolsters Search, Share, and Analytics Capabilities

During my <a href="/my-visit-to-magnolias-offices-in-basel-switzerland/">recent visit to the Magnolia CMS Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland</a>, I was given the opportunity to sit down and have a (lengthy but informative) chat with Boris Kraft, CTO and CoFounder of Magnolia CMS.I promise, there will be some solid video interviews coming soon where you'll actually be able to see us chat but due to unforeseen circumstances (a camera that broke while we were in Paris), I had simply a microphone and a laptop available. I turned our interview into a video just to make it easier for everyone to be able to listen.While it is a lengthy interview, I think you'll find our discussion interesting. It shows the passion that Boris has for his product and I found the entire chat quite informative and interesting. I hope you feel the same way after listening to it.http://youtu.be/a2enpJmSLogFor more info on Magnolia, visit the <a href="/products/magnolia">Magnolia CMS</a> page in our CMS Product Directory.

Interview with Boris Kraft, CTO and CoFounder of Magnolia CMS

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To kick off another featured week, we’re taking a good look at an enterprise-level platform that’s well acquainted with web experience management, content management, portals, intranets, extranets and more.Based in Seattle, Washington with offices in New York and Paris, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/web-cms">Ingeniux</a> has been on the market for over 15 years. They cater to the likes of AIG, CareFusion, Quinnipiac University, the US Army, and IAC.Ingeniux features a decoupled architecture designed for multi-site management and supports the latest ASP.NET technologies, including ASP.NET 4.5, MVC 5. the Razor view engine, and Visual Studio integration.Ingeniux is somewhat unique in its focus on intelligent content, shown in its rich XML and JSON content model, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/company/blog/why-nosql-is-the-future-of-web-content-management">NoSQL content database,</a> search application, and service-oriented content API. The architecture lends itself to sites with product catalogs or need for full content structures and types, content reuse, multi-site, channel and language publishing, or sites with customer-facing web applications like insurance, travel, healthcare, commerce and other industries that transact business online.Ingeniux offers a set of products that, together, cover three core bases; web experience management, content management, and social collaboration.<h2>Ingeniux &amp; Web Experience Management</h2>Personalization isn’t just the buzzword on the lips of every enterprise, it’s also the foundation upon which most of them build their online presence.Ingeniux aims to help those brands deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.They make that happen based on click-stream behavior, visitor profiles, website membership, geo-location, or marketing segment.The platform also leverages landing pages, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/company/blog/four-ways-to-connect-your-crm-with-your-customer-and-web-experience">CRM connectors for Salesforce.com </a>and Microsoft Dynamics, and visual web forms to offer a well rounded content marketing solution.Plus, integrated analytics data from Google, WebTrends, or Adobe ensures that brands are informed about their progress, or lack thereof.Find out more about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/products/cms">Ingeniux and web experience management</a>.<h2>Ingeniux &amp; Content Management</h2>Content management though, is the platform’s bread and butter.Intelligent in-context editing enables users to click on a region of the page to make edits. Elements provide text fields, WYSIWYG editors, image galleries, component palettes, date pickers, and other contextual editing fields.The intelligence comes in when Ingeniux recognizes and preserves the structure of the content.Ingeniux also offers responsive page building, designed to aid those without any knowledge of code.Templates are managed in a grid-based responsive layout using either Bootstrap, Foundation, or other responsive frameworks. Non-technical users can click-and-drag to re-size columns, drag-and-drop text, video, images, and content widgets onto templates, and manage presentations for multiple channels.Digital asset management is another core feature of Ingeniux.Assets can be edited with full meta data and usage rights, with support for true federation; including integration of Microsoft SharePoint, media servers and CDN's for rich media storage, and even file level storage in NAS and SAN systems.Find out more about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/products/cms">Ingeniux and content management.</a><h2>Ingeniux &amp; Social Collaboration</h2>Ingeniux also serves up social collaboration solutions in the form of portals, intranets, extranets and online communities.Ingeniux Cartella is the product in question, and it comes as a Software-as-a-Service or on-premise solution.It comes in three editions:Intranet Edition: An <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/products/cartella-portal-software">enterprise portal</a> for employees with unmatched collaboration and social capabilities.Extranet Edition: Connect with partners and suppliers using secure authentication and personalized user experiences.Community Edition: Engage with customers and enable user generated content, content marketing and social connections.Cartella comes with interactive modules including team blogs, forums, profiles, activity feeds and more.Find out more about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/products/cartella-portal-software">Ingeniux Cartella</a>.<h2>Ingeniux CMS 10</h2>As for the future of Ingeniux, it comes in the form of Ingeniux CMS 10.Ingeniux CMS 10, which is slated for release Winter 2016, will soon come bearing a modern “Flat” user interface with a focus on ease of use and productivity and a Digital Asset Management solution that makes assets first class.To find out more about Ingeniux, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ingeniux.com/">their website</a>.

Ingeniux: Web Experience Management, Content Management, & Social Collaboration

<a href="https://1010data.com/" target="_blank">1010data</a>, Inc., the only provider of an integrated cloud platform that combines self-service data management and analytics at scale with ready-to-use data, today announced the release of Version 11 of its 1010data Insights Platform. The platform’s new version features redesigned interfaces and tools that streamline data loading, analytics, visualization, and the scheduling and distribution of analysis – enabling users to attain new insights faster and more effortlessly than ever before. Key highlights of the 1010data Insights Platform Version 11 include the ability to:
<ul>
<li>Easily perform ad hoc data uploads with an all new drag-and-drop, wizard-like interface</li>
<li>Build calculations with an intuitive expression editor that steps the user through the completion of each argument</li>
<li>Take advantage of new data operations such as selecting data by pasting values from Excel and duplicating rows with select and expand</li>
<li>Switch between different data views with a single click, including grid, single row, macro language, visualization, and split screen</li>
<li>Allow select users to easily schedule and manage queries across the team or organization</li>
</ul>
“Having not just the most but the best information and easy-to-use tools to turn it quickly into competitive advantage is now a prerequisite for success,” said Sandy Steier, CEO of 1010data. “Version 11 of the 1010data Insights Platform provides decision-makers and their support staff with the ability to be both fastest and best in the market.” 
1010data Insights Platform Version 11 is available now.
About 1010data
Gaining actionable insight requires the best analytical tools and access to all relevant data. 1010data is a complete solution that provides both. Ours is the only out-of-the-box, self-service, cross-enterprise insights platform. More than 850 of the world’s largest companies trust 1010data to manage, share and analyze over 34 trillion rows of data because of our proven ability to deliver results more quickly, easily and accurately than any other solution. Please visit <a href="http://www.1010data.com" target="_blank">www.1010data.com</a> for more information.

1010data Debuts Next-Generation Data Analysis with Version 11

Now digital marketers can build landing pages with Google Sheets. In case you did not know – Google Sheets is part of Google Drive – Google’s productivity/ collaboration suite of products. Google Sheets is a very powerful alternative to Excel that lets you create spreadsheets online for easy sharing, collaborating, and updating by your entire team.
Starting off with a landing page template – each element of the layout can be tied back to fields within Google Sheets. The ability to create the next landing page variation is a simple copy and paste of a row.
Here is how to get started <a href="https://rallymind.com/blog/automated-landing-pages-using-google-sheets-integration/">using Google Sheets to create Landing Pages</a>:
<ol>
<li>
Authorize access to your Spreadsheet to RallyMind
</li>
<li>
Map the fields within your spreadsheet to the RallyMind API fields. Some example fields available to sync can be Landing Page URLs, Address Details, Call Tracking, Google Tag Manager IDs, Custom Fields, and More.
</li>
<li>
After this is set up, the RallyMind system takes over. RallyMind monitors for changes to your sheets and updates existing or creates new landing pages in real-time. Every landing page that is created on RallyMind is auto-tagged with event tracking tied to all the actions a visitor could take.
</li>
</ol>
All landing pages are fully integrated with Google Analytics right out of the gate, and can be used to easily facilitate click and call tracking. No more manual imports and exports. Using Google Sheets to build each new landing page allows you to push and pull information dynamically and populate directly into the specific landing page – including setting the URL path – allowing you to get campaigns live in real-time.
Note about Google <a href="https://rallymind.com/blog/landing-page-relevance-optimize-for-quality-score/">Landing Page content relevance</a> – Well, officially, Google considers the overall landing page experience, but relevance is a big part of that. Landing pages are foundational of any SEO, PPC or E-mail marketing campaign. Most marketers fail to understand the importance of landing pages at scale. Companies invest so much into driving traffic but do not know how to take these visitors and turn them into qualified leads. This is where landing pages comes into the picture – learn more about using Google Sheets to create Landing Pages.

Building Landing Pages with Google Sheets

With cloud technology becoming more accessible, vendors are in a better position to offer robust SaaS editions of their product. In a recent press release Kentico delivers such a solution using Windows Azure Cloud. This means highly robust and feature rich content management, without a local install. Its all “in the cloud.”
Kentico Software, the Web content management system vendor, announces the immediate availability of Kentico EMS+, the first fully integrated CXM solution provided as a managed service in the Windows Azure Cloud. Unlike other products, Kentico EMS+ is available at an affordable monthly cost and doesn’t require excessive upfront investment.
Kentico EMS+ allows marketers have their site up and running in no time and get instant marketing results. It’s a fully integrated Customer Experience Management (CXM) solution hosted in the secure Windows Azure cloud and backed by Kentico 24/7 global support. Customers can choose from over 1,200 Kentico Solution Partners in 80 countries to help them create compelling websites and implement successful on-line marketing.
<blockquote>“With Kentico EMS+, we’re bringing technology to the masses that until now was only available to enterprise clients with an extensive infrastructure.” said Petr Palas, Founder and CEO of Kentico Software, “Kentico EMS+ uses the revolutionary Kentico EMS product line and allows customers to easily build highly scalable websites, avoid data loss and automate disaster recovery with the power of the Windows Azure cloud.”</blockquote>
Kentico EMS+ customers will reduce their costs and provide relief to IT departments by outsourcing the management, development and upgrades of their websites. Kentico EMS+ offers a complete solution for websites, mobile sites, online stores, social networks, e-mail marketing, lead management, web analytics, optimization and personalization. Together with out-of-the-box Salesforce.com integration, it allows marketers to deliver consistent customer experience across all channels
<blockquote>“Until now, customers could run Kentico EMS on-premise, in the cloud or in a hybrid configuration. The new Kentico EMS+ offering enhances the choices with a Software-as-a-Service model, in which customers can use the product in the cloud without any upfront investment and pay for actual use.” said Eric Webb, President of Sales and Operations.</blockquote>
For more information visit <a href="http://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank">Kentico.com</a>

Kentico EMS+ Managed CXM in the Cloud

We had the pleasure recently of interviewing Bill Rogers, founder and CEO of the popular content management system company, Ektron.
CC: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, could you give us a bit of an outline as to your history with Ektron and your background?
BR: Ektron was founded in 1998 in the basement of my house in Hollis,NH. In the late nineties it was becoming apparent to me that the Web was going to impact dramatically how everyone did business. With that realization in mind, I started Ektron with the idea of eventually building an operating system for the Web, to empower business people to be able to effectively manage their Web presence.
As part of the initial effort we created a WYSIWYG editor, eWebEditPro which was OEMed by several of the leading players in the CMS space. Through eWebEditpro’s success and the selling of our own CMS offering we gained additional exposure to the world of content management and we have consistently applied the knowledge we gained throughout these experiences to our efforts which culminated in the release of Ektron CMS400.NET.
Now, a decade later, Ektron has grown to over 200 people with office locations across the globe and more than 7,500 CMS customers.
CC: Having recently been identified in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for 2009 in the Visionary’s quadrant is quite the compliment. Why do you think they chose that section?
BR: This placement reflects the fact that Gartner sees an alignment between Ektron’s technology, our product roadmap and where Gartner’s clients are going to be looking to take their Web sites both in the near-term and over the long haul.
In the near future we believe that Web sites will transform into mash-ups that pull data and functionality from other Web sites into one location where clients can access and interact with that content and functionality as well as add their own content and functionality.
We have been building the technology to power this new type of Web site for several years. For instance, our social media platform allows developers to build mash-ups using widgets that pull information from social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube or business applications like SalesForce or TestTrackPro. These widgets can then be deployed by business users using our PageBuilder functionality on-the-fly.
CC: What do you say to their comments that Ektron “…may be perceived as only marginally better than SharePoint?”
BR: That perception compared to the reality of the problems we solve is different. If you are talking about document and group collaboration, SharePoint and Ektron are both strong products. If you are talking about building a branded Web site that’s public facing you have to take into consideration dealing with things like site deployments and the management of user generated content (synchronization), localization and the ability for marketers and business users to easily manage their organization’s online marketing and branding efforts. Ektron provides the technology to fully develop and manage a company’s online presence whether it is an intranet, extranet or public-facing Web site.
CC: To what do you attribute Ektron’s success in the market?
BR: The number one thing that Ektron is focused on is the success of the Web project as opposed to just a software sale. We understand that a Web project is about solving a critical business issue and we work closely with both our end clients and our Partners to ensure the project is successful and the end goals are met.
In addition to being committed to the success of their Web projects Ektron always asks our customers the question, “What do you want your Web site to do?” and we take action on the answers. Our ability to quickly bring to market the type of digital marketing functionality that our customers ask for combined with our own experience and understanding of where the Web is taking today’s businesses is another key factor in our success.
CC: Do you have any plans to widen your reach and branch into other market segments? If so, which and why?
BR: As I mentioned, we have had success at Ektron because we constantly ask our customers the question “What do you want your Web site to do?” and we take action on the answers. Because we continue to ask this question we continue to develop new tools and applications that our customers need to take their Web strategies to the next level.
For Ektron, it’s about more than just content management, it’s about listening to our customers’ and Partners’ needs and building the tools they need to align their Web sites with their business goals and their vision. Beginning with version 8.0, you are going to see Ektron continue to move into areas like social networking, online marketing and business intelligence.
CC: What have been your biggest successes for 2009 to date?
BR: When others have said to cut back we have significantly pushed forward with growth and it is paying off. We released game-changing technologies like PageBuilder and eSync. We have also added key personnel and built out our services organization to support the type of enterprise deals we are consistently winning. This commitment to developing our technology and growing our company has led to growth in revenue of 35 percent so far this year and I expect this growth to continue as we come to the end of 2009.
CC: What separates Ektron from its competitors?
BR: The most important thing to Ektron is customer satisfaction and therefore we differentiate ourselves by focusing on more than building great out-of-the-box functionality on a scalable Web development platform that allows for customization. We have built a complete services infrastructure to ensure the success of our customers. No other vendor can deliver the type of Web project support Ektron does to both our end clients and Partners.
We are also committed to innovation around what customers need to deliver engaging user experiences rather than strictly Web content management functionality. This innovation has led to the development of some truly differentiating technologies like our bi-directional synchronization engine and PageBuilder functionality.
CC: Do you have plans to expand into any other geographical locations?
BR: We recently relocated our Australian office to Sydney and opened an office in Singapore. We are always keeping our eye on other geographical locations as we continue to expand. In addition to physical office locations we have a large partner program and distribution channel that is also growing.
CC: What do you think is the biggest misconception about content management systems?
BR: People say the word CMS and the definition that they will receive from each of the vendors is completely different. We more broadly define the term than any other vendor in the marketplace. We believe that anything that interacts with your Web site should be able to be managed through your CMS.
CC: How do you personally define a CMS?
BR: A CMS is no longer about just managing a piece of content on your Web site. A CMS should be able to allow a non-technical user to manage any asset on a Web site that they wish to interact with, whether that is a piece of content, a picture, a video or information that is pulled from other sources. The CMS should allow marketing teams to launch online campaigns and manage rich internet applications. As I say, in the future Web sites will be mash-ups of information and functionality pulled from multiple locations. A scalable Web CMS solution should be able to display and manage that information regardless of where it is coming from.
CC: What situations do you feel best suit the use of Ektron over other CMS platforms?
BR: There are many different situations where a client would look to implement Ektron CMS400.NET. Some of the big game changers for Ektron that truly differentiate our solution from others include our PageBuilder and eSync technology. When organizations have the need to not only allow non-technical employees to be able to manage the content and assets on their Web site but also build new Web pages and add functionality on the fly, they look to Ektron. Similarly, if an organization is looking for a scalable platform with geo-synchronization capabilities they look to Ektron.
In other instances, organizations look to Ektron for social software and community expertise on both collaborative intranets and public-facing online communities. We also offer more out-of-the-box functionality than other vendors but still allow our clients the ability to easily customize the solution to fit their needs.
CC: Do you have any insight you can provide as to what can be expected from the next release?
BR: In the next release you will see a lot of new Social features, completely rebuilt calendaring and event management functionality, PageBuilder enhancements, eCommerce engine improvements, analytics and multivariate testing and a new user interface. In addition, we will also be including more tools on which marketers can build their online Web strategies.
CC: Thank you for your time, Bill.
To learn more about Ektron, visit their website at <a href="http://www.ektron.com">http://www.ektron.com</a>

Interview with Ektron CEO and Founder, Bill Rogers

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