Articles - Page 26

Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://accessibility.day/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)</a> is an annual event that focuses on access and inclusion. Each year, it draws attention to the vital role of digital accessibility, encouraging communities to think and discuss its impact on the one billion people worldwide with disabilities and impairments. GAAD will take place on May 16th, enshrining this as “Digital Accessibility Month.” Many organizations use this opportunity to promote and reinforce their efforts to support accessibility, so the channels are aflutter with messaging. Heightened awareness is a good thing. It's also a stark reminder that we're still struggling with digital equality. Case in point: In 2020, <a target="_blank" href="https://webaim.org/">WebAIM</a> – a not-for-profit practice within the <a target="_blank" href="https://idrpp.usu.edu/">Institute for Disability Research, Policy &amp; Practice</a> at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University</a> – analyzed one million website homepages for accessibility issues. According to its report, over 98% of the scanned sites had at least one failure based on the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) internationally recognized <a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).</a>The causes of the compliance errors were broad, but the biggest offenders were low-contrast text and missing ALT tags for images. Very basic issues that could be addressed in a matter of seconds without complex coding or refactoring. And therein lies the problem: developers and content creators still don't fully prioritize the importance of ensuring digital equality – nor are they incentivized to do so. Further, the momentary nature of “compliance” remains a challenge, as web content isn't always persistent. As such, a site can lose its error-free status with the addition of a single blog post. It would be easy to blame the tools, but we have a plethora to choose from and several are exceedingly good. Spotting most (if not all) of the critical errors can be fully automated and reports produced with a predictable cadence. And while humans are required to remediate many of the issues, we wouldn't have as many to correct if we simply took the right steps from the beginning. No, the problem lies with us. The builders. The creators. The practitioners. For too long, we've stoked a culture of disregard for embracing accessibility at a foundational level and de-prioritized education and awareness. We shouldn't be thinking about it on just one day every year; accessibility must be elemental to how we create and care for every experience in our digital ecosystem. The good news is that we're making progress, and not just as a result of <a target="_blank" href="https://accessibe.com/blog/knowledgebase/ada-website-lawsuits">class-action lawsuits</a>. We have better systems and structural processes than ever before. More institutional guidance is emerging, and the WCAG standards are continuing to evolve and expand. The GAAD Foundation (part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day) has also been on a mission to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement. The policy landscape is shifting, too, as more governance enters the equation. Europe's <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/web-accessibility">Web Accessibility Directive</a> has been in force since 2016 but was reviewed in 2022 following the pandemic's unprecedented acceleration of digital commerce. It complements the broader European Accessibility Act, which is similar to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ada.gov/">U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act</a>, but provides deeper monitoring and reporting of websites and digital properties. Of course, there's still confusion. And while some litigation has been “settled” (see: <a target="_blank" href="https://adasoutheast.org/court/robles-v-dominos-pizza-llc/#:~:text=Robles%20sued%20Domino's%20Pizza%2C%20LLC,did%20not%20have%20fair%20notice.">Robles v. Domino's Pizza</a>), private businesses still aren't hitting the mark. There's also the emergence of AI tools, which promise to streamline scanning and automatically generate ALT tags. That's cool – but even in light of these advances, there's still a major gap to backfill.Here's the bottom line: we have an ethical and moral obligation to reinforce accessibility. It's the right thing to do, and will ultimately impact everyone (it's true that with age, a great deal of us will likely develop one or more disabilities or impairments). But as I heard from many attendees at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/from-accessibility-to-ai-and-beyond-five-key-takeaways-from-acquia-engage-boston">Acquia Engage</a> last fall – just after the DXP announced its acquisition of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-tackles-accessibility-and-optimization-as-it-completes-monsido-buy">Monsido</a>, a best-of-breed web accessibility and optimization platform – there's a business imperative as well: people with disabilities are customers, and experiences that aren't accessible will almost certainly drive them to another brand.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a> made accessibility a core theme of its annual conference in 2023, and it's continuing to provide users with the knowledge and resources to be successful. In fact, they just announced that Monsido now offers support for WCAG 2.2, the latest set of web content accessibility guidelines recommended by the W3C. By using its signature Accessibility Module in Monsido, Acquia customers can automatically scan their websites, obtain an accessibility score, and receive actionable recommendations to help ensure the accessibility of their digital content for individuals with disabilities. By reducing the friction and making it part of the flow, Monsido is helping to ensure accessibility. “WCAG 2.2 stands as the globally recognized benchmark for digital accessibility, and marks a pivotal step toward a more accessible and inclusive digital world,” 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. “Keeping pace with the latest guidelines as they emerge is a major challenge but a necessary one."Necessary indeed. As Jennifer cited, 51% of consumers are willing to pay more to companies committed to digital accessibility while 41% are willing to pay up to 10% more. “Monsido simplifies this process,” she said, "making it easy to identify and proactively fix accessibility issues, avoid penalties for non-compliance, and most importantly maximize the return on marketing investments by improving the digital experience for all users to ensure wider reach and more audience engagement.” <h3 id="evolving-with-the-wcag-standards">Evolving with the WCAG standards</h3>If you're not familiar with the WCAG, it's worth noting that the guidelines have been developed through the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/w3c-process/">W3C process</a> in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world. The goal is simple: provide a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.The WCAG documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring they are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (the guidelines get more granular from here). Web “content” generally refers to the information in a web page or web application, including natural information – such as text, images, and sounds – as well as code or markup that defines structure, presentation, and other variables.WCAG 2.1 addressed key accessibility issues for individuals with blindness, deafness, and mobility requirements, improving upon its previous benchmarks. WCAG 2.2 builds on these efforts, adding new criteria to make the web more productive for those with low vision and cognitive disabilities, as well as those using tablets and other mobile devices. New device form factors present challenges for the WCAG; as mobile and IoT continue to evolve, the guidelines must also adapt to how users interface with new kinds of hardware. With so many factors at play – and so much content across channels – brands and organizations are seeking solutions like Monsido to address the scope and scale of managing an accessibility strategy. Having best-of-breed technology that's integrated with their DXP makes the entire process easier and faster, but also more trustworthy. “Customers who see accessibility as a foundation for digital experience want a solution that’s a core part of their DXP provider’s portfolio, not a tool off to the side as an ad-hoc consideration,” Jennifer said, “We’re seeing increased adoption because we’re putting our customers in a position to address digital accessibility proactively as part of a broader effort to create digital experiences that are also frictionless, relevant, and safe – or, as we often say, productive.”The Monsido platform addresses common accessibility issues against these latest WCAG guidelines and enables errors to be filtered by the desired level of compliance (e.g. A, AA, or AAA) for easy prioritization. Comprehensive reports explain how to resolve issues, and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/monsido/features/accessibility">Accessibility Fast Track</a> feature empowers teams to instantly fix repetitive errors across multiple pages. This includes elements such as links, images, and text. It also addresses accessibility issues in bulk – all with the touch of a button.For additional support, teams will also have access to Acquia's <a target="_blank" href="https://help.monsido.com/en/articles/4891170-accessibility-help-center">Accessibility Help Center</a>, which breaks down the more technical WCAG 2.2 checks in plain language. This is key, as accessibility still requires human support to help unpack and remediate certain issues like keyboard tabbing for focusable elements. <h3 id="spotlighting-the-importance-of-digital-accessibility">Spotlighting the importance of digital accessibility</h3>Acquia’s stated mission is to help customers build a better digital future – one that's more inclusive, accessible, and sets new benchmarks for performance and innovation. With GAAD just a few days away, Acquia is using this month to spotlight digital accessibility as a critical element of every organization’s digital practices.  “We’re seeing a real shift in organizations who acknowledge that digital accessibility is a priority, which is wonderful because it never should have been seen as a nice-to-have," Jennifer shared. “Of course, there are varying states of maturity here. For some, increased regulatory pressure is still the forcing function. But more often, we’re seeing more business leaders who want to embed digital accessibility into their marketing programs because they recognize that’s the clearest pathway to maximizing the business benefits. And that’s ultimately what differentiates Monsido.” Throughout May, Acquia will offer opportunities for technology and marketing professionals to learn about the state of digital accessibility and get inspired to make meaningful improvements. This includes a host of webinars on subjects like “The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Digital Accessibility,” “The Digital Accessibility Dilemma,” and "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/events/webinars/achieving-near-perfect-web-accessibility-salvation-army-story">Achieving Near Perfect Web Accessibility</a>, which features a use case with the Salvation Army. Collaborative workshops at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/engage/london-2024">Acquia Engage London</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/engage/paris-2024">Paris</a> – as well as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/drupalcon">DrupalCon Portland</a> – will give attendees the opportunity to learn accessibility fundamentals and how to apply them in website design and development. Acquia is also promoting daily accessibility facts across its social channels and even offering downloadable animated American Sign Language emojis for Slack and social media. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Simply put: because people matter. Every one of us. We all deserve dignity and respect, and accessing digitally equitable experiences should be a basic, fundamental expectation. By all accounts, brands and organizations are waking up to this, albeit slowly. Governments have been exerting pressure, but not evenly or in all places. There's also the persistent lack of understanding around digital accessibility, and whether customers have choices or options to utilize other channels (vis-à-vis making a call versus using an app). At these moments, we should remind ourselves of the impact that ramps and accessible bathrooms have had on our culture, allowing people with disabilities to know a level of freedom and independence they are entitled to. Should we not demand the same from digital experiences?There are great tools out there, and Monsido is certainly among the top of the list. At the same time, it would be shortsighted to pin all hope and responsibility on the tool. Companies need to instill a culture of accessibility at the foundational level – and for those vendors building websites, we need to think about accessibility first and not treat it like an afterthought. Not only will it deliver better results all around, but it will save money in the long run by avoiding labor-intensive remediation or costly fines.A quick side note: We spend a lot of time talking about website accessibility, but native mobile apps should also meet the same benchmarks as places of public accommodation. Not all tools are capable of crawling and identifying issues within mobile apps, but several options, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deque.com/">Deque</a>, offer a blend of AI-powered technologies and professional services for mobile app accessibility testing. What's clear is that Acquia is making good on its own commitment to accessibility. The Monsido acquisition was a sage investment, but the company has influenced its optimization strategy by infusing it with accessibility, which brings a cadre of structural standards that can improve a website's SEO health and performance. Keeping in lockstep with the WCAG's evolving standards is another example of how they are delivering greater confidence for customers. And of course, good accessibility is good business – and making Monsido an easy add-on within its DXP ecosystem helps solve problems faster and more efficiently. Jennifer gave us a clue that more of this interoperability and ease of integration is driving Acquia's future roadmap. “Looking ahead, we’ll soon have other announcements that make Monsido even more connected and easy to use in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> implementations," she said, "as well as integrations that provide customers with more flexibility and extend our compliance with global accessibility guidelines.”Finally, I'll leave you with this: at Acquia Engage Boston, I had the opportunity to see <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/habengirma/">Haben Girma</a> give a presentation called The Univeral Benefits of Inclusive Design. As the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, Haben has long been a champion for digital accessibility. During her session, she stood in front of a crowded room and delivered a powerful talk – all without seeing or hearing the audience. This would have been impossible without the physical cache of accessible resources, but equally so without digital assistive capabilities.Using her braille keyboard, she shared how technology has unlocked so much for her, even though most tech is developed with non-disabled users in mind. “Disability sparks innovation,” she said. “It spurs creativity that ends up helping everyone.” So the next time you need to add an ALT description to an image, remember that you're not just doing your part to help one person – you're helping one billion.  <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 Enhances Website Accessibility with Monsido, Now Supports WCAG 2.2 Guidelines

In yet another active week for technology movers and shakers, Nordic Capital has signed a deal to become the majority shareholder in Danish-based <a href="/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/">Siteimprove</a> – an enterprise SaaS company with solutions for improving website governance and performance.
Founded in 2003, Siteimprove has been focused on web usability, providing an all-in-one, cloud-based Digital Presence Optimization (DPO) platform. Their suite of tools and services help organizations enhance their digital accessibility, data privacy, compliance management (such as <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/">GDPR</a>), content quality and search engine optimization.
<h3 id="leaders-in-website-accessibility">Leaders in Website Accessibility</h3>
Siteimprove has built a strong reputation around their industry-leading accessibility solutions, helping websites deliver an equitable digital experience to people with disabilities. 
One key to Siteimprove’s growth has been an elevated demand for accessibility scanning and monitoring, as websites in places like the U.S. have been under fire for <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/ada-website-litigation-likely-to-increase">ADA compliance litigation</a> – particularly in the public sector. As accessibility awareness has grown, Siteimprove has also matured its training and partner programs, and developed integrations with content management systems (CMS) to help accelerate adoption.
Additionally, Siteimprove’s SEO and analytics tools are powering digital marketing programs and helping brands to enhance their overall website performance. As more businesses pivot to digital transformation in a COVID-19 world, the value of search and website health are becoming more critical than ever.
<h3 id="why-did-nordic-capital-decide-to-invest-in-siteimprove">Why did Nordic Capital Decide to Invest in Siteimprove?</h3>
Nordic Capital stated that Siteimprove has significant long-term growth potential, driven by increasing market penetration, expansion in key customer segments, and past investments in product development and platform solutions. Their goal is to fund Siteimprove’s continued innovation and expansion while elevating awareness for their social mission.
“We have long admired Siteimprove as one of the top SaaS companies globally, with great potential for further growth due to its world-class product offering, strong customer base, and expanding market coverage,” said Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology &amp; Payments, <a href="https://www.nordiccapital.com/">Nordic Capital Advisors</a>.
“Nordic Capital will draw upon its significant experience and success in developing technology companies, working closely with the management team to continue Siteimprove’s journey as a strong and sustainable company. We are impressed by the Company and how its products reduce inequality in society by helping people with disabilities gain access to a digitalized world and drive growth across essential digital disciplines.”
<h3 id="more-acquisitions-and-outside-investment">More Acquisitions and Outside Investment</h3>
The last few years have certainly seen a “buying spree” across the digital experience and eCommerce landscape, with Adobe <a href="https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2018/Adobe-Completes-Acquisition-of-Marketo/default.aspx">acquiring Marketo</a> <a href="https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2018/Adobe-Completes-Acquisition-of-Magento-Commerce/default.aspx">and Magento</a>, Acquia <a href="/acquia-launches-new-open-digital-experience-platform/">receiving a major investment from Vista Equity Partners</a>, and Episerver recently <a href="/episerver-to-acquire-optimizely-the-worlds-leading-experience-optimization-platform/">announcing</a> its plans to acquire Optimizely. 
In a fierce race to acquire customers and compete against commoditization, leading platforms are relying on M&amp;A and outside equity to grow their market value. Leading enterprise platforms – from CRM to email marketing – also appear to be consolidating, offering more all-in-one solutions in a monolithic manner. MailChimp, ConstantContact, and <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/">Salesforce</a> are just a few platforms that are now offering digital marketing, CMS, and other capabilities all in one place.
With this recent announcement, it appears Siteimprove is the latest player to enter the investment game in a world gone digital.
<h3 id="about">About</h3>
<a href="https://siteimprove.com/">Siteimprove</a> offers the world's most comprehensive cloud-based Digital Presence Optimization (DPO) software. The Siteimprove Intelligence Platform provides eye-opening insights that empower more than 7,500 teams to create higher quality content, drive better traffic, measure digital performance, and work towards regulatory compliance – all from one place. They also offer best-in-class technical support, academy courses, services, and technology integrations.

Nordic Capital Invests In Siteimprove, Plans International Expansion and Development

paris-tuzun

<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/">Siteimprove</a>, the enterprise SaaS company with solutions for improving website governance and performance, <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/company/press/siteimprove-s-enterprise-platform-delivers-275-return-on-investment/" target="_blank">announced</a> the findings of a new Forrester TEI study – demonstrating that their platform delivered a 275 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years for a composite organization. 
The study also suggests that the Siteimprove investment could be paid back in less than six months – an impressive ROI by any measure and a testament to the accessibility leader's value across the digital stack. 
Despite being known for their best-of-breed <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/accessibility/" target="_blank">accessibility scanning and monitoring solutions</a>, Siteimprove also offers a robust <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/seo/" target="_blank">SEO platform</a> with a range of powerful enterprise features, including enhanced search capabilities. 
Siteimprove has also added two new tools to their ecosystem – <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/ads/" target="_blank">Siteimprove Ads</a> and <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/performance/" target="_blank">Siteimprove Performance</a> – which help simplify Google Ad management and make website performance data more understandable and actionable. This <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/" target="_blank">combined suite</a> provides marketers with greater control and insight across their martech stack. 
"Siteimprove's performance-with-a-purpose optimization allows marketers to spend more time on efficient, effective content creation that truly impacts revenue," said Shane Paladin, CEO of Siteimprove. "The Forrester [TEI] analysis validates our core mission: helping marketing teams consistently deliver the most accessible, inclusive, relevant, discoverable and usable content."
<h2>Making sense of TEI and ROI</h2>
TEI, short for Total Economic Impact, is a methodology developed by <a href="https://www.forrester.com/policies/tei/" target="_blank">Forrester Research</a> that's been used by technology consumers and businesses for over 20 years. TEI provides business value justification analysis to help organizations understand the financial impact of a technology investment. It consists of four components for evaluating the impact of an investment: cost, benefits, flexibility, and risk. 
The Siteimprove TEI study included clients from across North America and Europe that are focused on providing a more consistent and elevated digital experience for their customers. Based on the findings, prior to using Siteimprove, the interviewees noted how their organizations lacked the necessary capabilities to deliver cohesive, high-quality digital experiences across their websites. 
By using Siteimprove to identify errors and performance issues within their digital experiences, participants in the study were able to:
<ul>
<li>Refine their site design and UX, leading to nearly $415,000 in savings: With Siteimprove, users were able to methodically apply an insights-driven approach to page redesigns, content creation, and marketing campaign spending. This led to an increase in site visits, higher registrations, and a reduction in marketing spending.</li>
<li>Improve accessibility, resulting in almost $179,000 in savings: By addressing key accessibility concerns such as readability and inclusivity, companies enabled website visitors with disabilities to interact with their brand more effectively. In addition, customers were able to expand their audiences by offering a more seamless experience to a broader base of users. </li>
<li>Automate monitoring and workflow capabilities, leading to more than $75,000 in savings: By leveraging Siteimproves's automated tools and resources, organizations were able to reduce the average time spent on error detection and content monitoring by 90%.</li>
<li>Bolster traffic from SEO, leading to nearly $110,000 in savings: Through web content optimization – primarily the identification and remediation of technical, content, user experience (UX), and mobile issues – Siteimprove users were able to enhance their website content, improve search engine rankings, and drive more traffic. </li>
</ul>
<h2>What customers had to say in the Forrester TEI study</h2>
TEI has become an invaluable resource for many organizations – and with the Forrester name behind it, the quality goes well beyond other independent research sources.
Still, there's no better indicator of success than the voice of the customer. To that end, the study also featured comments from interviewees that codified the benefits of Siteimprove. Here's one from the head of web marketing for an information technology company:
"We have multiple in-country based [sic] websites, all with different teams. I needed a solution that could help us centrally understand the quality of these sites and provide them with easy-to-understand actions to rectify the identified problems."
And another from a marketing analyst in the education field:
“I spend more time now planning optimizations and providing insights to the business. Previously, I was spending a lot of time collecting and manipulating data and not as much time learning from the data. Siteimprove definitely helps with that.”
There's more to glean from the full TEI study. Siteimprove provides a <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/tei-of-siteimprove/" target="_blank">free copy</a> on their website.
<h2>About the Forrester TEI Study</h2>
Total Economic Impact ™ (TEI) is a methodology developed by Forrester Research that enhances a company's technology decision-making processes and assists vendors in communicating the value proposition of their products and services to clients. The TEI methodology helps companies demonstrate, justify, and realize IT initiatives' tangible value to senior management and other key business stakeholders.
<h2>About Siteimprove</h2>
Siteimprove's enterprise platform transforms content into the foundation of winning customer experiences that drive revenue. Marketing teams using Siteimprove's data-driven approach to consistently deliver content that meets strict digital accessibility requirements and is optimized for SEO, and marketing campaigns. Siteimprove works alongside DXPs, giving marketing and web teams end-to-end visibility throughout the content lifecycle. By automating time-consuming tasks, Siteimprove empowers marketers to deliver highly optimized content faster. Over 7,500 companies use Siteimprove to transform their content into revenue and is regularly recognized as a G2 leader across the board.

New Forrester TEI Study: Siteimprove Enterprise Platform Delivers 275% ROI

Image of Siteimprove logo with graphic showing ROI and payback of less than 6 months

Optimizely Leads Gartner's 2024 MQ for Content Marketing Platforms as More DXPs Join the Game

<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

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<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 /> As we turn the corner towards summer in the Northern Hemisphere, things are heating up in the composable world.Fresh off the publication of chiefmartec's <a target="_blank" href="https://martechmap.typeform.com/MartechDay2024">2024 State of Martech Report</a> – where composability was a key topic across the 14,106 products in the marketing technology landscape – we're also a month away from the industry's premier composable conference: <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/events/mach-three">MACH THREE</a>.This is the third edition of the annual event hosted by the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.machalliance.org/">MACH Alliance</a>, a group of independent tech companies dedicated to advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems. Buoyed by an array of sessions that aim to educate and elevate the understanding of MACH (Microservices, APIs, Cloud-first SaaS, Headless), the MACH THREE event promises to inspire attendees to “supercharge their composable journey."Today, the organization announced some juicy details regarding the roster for MACH THREE, which will be held in New York City from June 17 - 18. This is the first time the conference is slated for North America, signaling an important shift in focus toward the U.S. – which has been slower to adopt MACH but is now showing accelerated growth. In fact, an analysis provided in the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-publishes-first-annual-report-showcases-industry-impact-and-plans-for-2024">MACH Alliance's first annual report</a> – published in January of this year – underscores the opportunities ahead for the addressable U.S. market, and where the Alliance sees future potential to expand the MACH footprint. <a target="_blank" href="https://register.machalliance.org/hubfs/Agenda%20MACH%20THREE.pdf">The MACH THREE agenda</a> will feature heavy hitters like IKEA, MARS, and Ulta Beauty. But it will also include presentations from influential global brands like H&amp;M, Kraft Heinz, Mattel, Rally House, Clarks, Saks Fifth Avenue, and OBI. During the two-day conference, these industry leaders will discuss the innovative digital experiences they have created using MACH architectures, as well as the many benefits and challenges of embracing digital transformation with a composable strategy. “MACH THREE is not about technology providers sharing sales pitches or demos, it’s about brands showcasing their digital strategies, what worked and what didn’t,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-hall-4b14a945/">Holly Hall</a>, managing director at the MACH Alliance. “MACH THREE is an essential part of the MACH Alliance’s commitment to being a facilitator of education and advocacy around MACH principles, especially in the U.S. as this market becomes a strong advocate and adopter of MACH technologies.”The conference is free, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">registration is open</a> to business and technology leaders by application. They even offer a rebate program to cover travel expenses, which is a limited offer but nonetheless an attractive give (better act quickly on this one).CMS Critic attended last year's MACH TWO conference in Amsterdam and covered it in detail. For a glimpse at what to expect in New York, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">read what this world-class event offered in 2023.</a><h3 id="a-packed-agenda-focused-on-mach">A packed agenda focused on MACH</h3>As retailers and brands strive to create a flexible, future-proofed digital ecosystem that promotes the best customer experience possible, MACH architecture has emerged as a leading differentiator. According to the 2023 MACH Alliance Annual Report, 85% of respondents have increased MACH investment in the past 12 months – and the U.S. has now surpassed Europe in the rate of MACH adoption. This trend was already being felt at last year's MACH TWO Conference. During the media session, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellygoetsch/">Kelly Goetsch</a> – former MACH Alliance Chair and CSO of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/commercetools">commercetool</a> – observed that MACH “now feels like the default,” and that “we’re no longer advocating from the sidelines.” The MACH Alliance's annual conference series provides the connective tissue for the MACH movement, bringing together a community of members and customers to highlight successful use cases and real-world applications. This year's MACH THREE promises to explore and educate about the continued evolution of MACH through the voices of industry-leading brands. This includes mainstage keynotes from Kraft Heinz, H&amp;M, and more that will showcase MACH successes from initial deployment to long-term results.Along with the keynotes, MACH THREE will feature leadership sessions and peer-to-peer discussions that will provide insights into how brands can succeed in their composable journeys with unparalleled agility. As with previous events, there will be focused “MACH in Practice” workshops to help educate attendees on real-world MACH implementations that foster competitive advantages.Attendees will also have access to “MACH Creates” sessions, which will highlight how a MACH foundation can give brands the flexibility to experiment with the next generation of AI-driven SaaS.“From listening to the head of digital experience at The Kraft Heinz Company talk about the CPG revolution to hearing the senior director of digital engineering at Ulta Beauty explain how to innovate under pressure, MACH THREE will be an educational and inspirational experience for attendees,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen">Casper Rasmussen</a>, president of the MACH Alliance. “By being open and transparent about all facets of MACH technology, attendees will leave feeling confident they have the 360-degree picture needed to approach their own digital transformations.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Despite its meteoric rise, MACH continues to be an exotic topic in the annals of techdom. While it has appreciated significant growth, it still represents a small piece of the overall pie. The trend of composability is certainly more ubiquitous, but it, too, struggles to be clearly understood due to a myriad of mixed marketing messages. As we've reported, this is visible in the competitive morass betwixt legacy monolithic DXPs and headless CMSes, many of whom claim to be composable, though not all MACH. In an open letter to the market, the Alliance <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-openly-invites-companies-claiming-mach-to-apply-for-certification">openly invited companies</a> that are claiming to the MACH (affectionately referred to as “MACH Washing”) to apply for certification in an effort to reduce confusion for buyers. That's why education is so important – and why it continues to be a key pillar of the MACH Alliance. Expressing this through digital content is table stakes, but live events provide a tangible backdrop for focusing on solutions, sharing ideas, and experiencing the real people behind the successes and failures (it's true, not all MACH stories have a happy ending). As Holly Hall also pointed out, this isn't a typical tradeshow where the primary motion is sales – and that's a refreshing distinction. Networking and the precipitous “elbow-rubbing” are par for the course; as such, connections and deals may emerge effervescently. But the agenda is laser-focused on learning, and that makes the experience more enriching. With over <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-surges-past-100-members-caps-2023-as-a-milestone-year">100 members in its composable cabal</a>, the MACH Alliance keeps demonstrating its relevance to the market. That said, it isn't without its detractors, and that feedback has resulted in a heightened commitment to transparency and a resolve to open its membership to products within larger brands. It's evolving, and the vision for its roadmap is best experienced by inspirational leaders like Casper Rasmussen during an interactive keynote with Q&amp;As.  The bench of brands on display will provide robust examples of MACH at scale. More importantly, these industry leaders lend greater credibility to the adoption of MACH, and having so many assembled in one place is a great opportunity to learn and reflect, regardless of where you might be on your MACH journey. It will be difficult to one-up the MACH TWO event from an experiential perspective. Last year's conference was world-class in every dimension, from substance to location to accouterments. Even the food reinforced the organization's commitment to DEI with catering from a European B-corp focused on sustainable practices. Hosting the event in a cosmopolitan city like New York aligns with the tenets of the MACH Alliance, announcing its focus on U.S. soil with an elevated level of sophistication. The Big Apple is at the epicenter of technology and retail, and multiple industry brands are headquartered here. It's also a city of experiences, and we can be assured that many of its best features will be on display when the event kicks off next month.<h3 id="mach-takes-manhattan">MACH takes Manhattan</h3>Will we see you at MACH THREE in NYC? If so, we'd love to hear about your experiences with MACH and composable.CMS Critic's <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/matt-garrepy">Matt Garrepy</a> is judging the MACH Impact Awards for the second year in a row. These awards celebrate the best of the best in composable use cases, with some incredibly innovative examples of MACH in action. <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">Check out an overview</a> of last year's awards and the winners. To learn more about MACH THREE and register to attend, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.machalliance.org/events/mach-three">www.machalliance.org/events/mach-three</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.

IKEA, MARS, Ulta Beauty and Influential Brands to be Featured at MACH THREE Conference

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Painting by numbers: Where CMS fits in the 14,106 products on the 2024 Martech Supergraphic

<hr /> “I don’t like being bored.”That was one of the first things <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-king-author/">Christine King</a> said to me during our recent chat. Take a quick gander at her resume and you’ll see it’s true. This powerhouse of a woman hasn’t stopped since 1973 – and that’s just the way she likes it. Before her breakthrough role as the first female CEO at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.onsemi.com/">AMI Semiconductor</a>, Christine spent over 25 years at the venerated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibm.com/us-en">IBM</a>, eventually becoming the VP of Semiconductor Solutions. How could you be bored when you own P&amp;L for a $6 billion business unit with 12,000 people to manage?As it turns out, that wasn’t quite enough. Christine wanted to try her hand in the captain’s chair, and did so in a spectacular way. After taking the helm at AMI, she made a series of shrewd business moves that resulted in significant growth, leading to a nearly $1 billion acquisition by <a target="_blank" href="https://eepower.com/news/on-semi-to-acquire-amis-holdings-in-all-stock-transaction-valued-at-approximately-915-million/">ON Semiconductor in 2008</a>. That was followed by another CEO gig at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/SMSC:US">Standard Microsystems</a> and an executive chairmanship at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marvell.com/">QLogic</a> (now part of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marvell.com/">Marvell</a>). Since then, she’s been filling her dance card with numerous board duties, restlessly searching for the next big challenge. That came in 2017, when she accepted her first software leadership role as Co-Chairman at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.henryschein.com/">Henry Schein</a>, a dental practice management platform. A bit out of her comfort zone, sure, but status quo for a trailblazer. Without question, these gigs established Christine as a preeminent CEO across the hardware and software fields. And within the tight cabal of the semiconductor industry, she’s the cream of the crop – what you might call “tech royalty.”But being bored also sent Christine to the farm. And I mean that literally: she became a dairy farmer.“I have to say that dairy farming is way harder than being a CEO,” she exclaimed delightedly. “The results are in the milk pail. You get measured every day for whatever you do, whether it's strategy or execution. It just makes you honest all day long.”And so Christine milked cows every morning for 12 years, taking up the chore before logging in at Big Blue. As she noted, it was a great learning experience, balancing out the intense rigors of being a technology leader.At CMS Critic, our core focus is on content management. But I’ve spent my career in tech, consulting with IBM, Microsoft, Verizon, and even semiconductor companies like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.micross.com/">Micross</a> (I'm deficient in dairy farming, but hay, the day is young).When Christine’s team approached me for an interview, I jumped at the opportunity. She’s now a content creator, promoting her new book, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.christineking.com/">Breaking Through The Silicon Ceiling</a> – which is due out June 28th. We talked about it at length (the video is below) and what convinced her to tell this story.  I thought this would be a fascinating complement to what we typically cover, but it's also downright inspiring. We can all do more to support the advancement of women in tech, and Christine is the template. The shining example of what’s possible. For me, sharing her story is part of the charter.     <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZmKkySH6k&amp;t=306s"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9HZmKkySH6k?start=306" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> In her forthcoming tome, Christine chronicles her incredible journey. Like something out of a movie, she details how a 20-year-old single mom in the early 1970s climbed a shifting ladder out of a trailer park – and into an intimidating, male-dominated world of technology.Along with the plight of being a solo parent at a time when social stigmas were far more severe, the story is filled with unexpected twists and turns that will have your heart cheering. Throughout the book, Christine relays the lessons learned from a life spent fighting through emotional turmoil, eventually finding respect and equality as an engineer turned business leader. Her big message: the seeds of success are within you. And she’s evidence of that. <h3 id="breaking-through-the-silicon-ceiling">Breaking through the silicon ceiling</h3>To suggest that Christine’s story has a humble beginning would be to sell it short. As you’ll hear in our interview, she overcame significant obstacles before rising into her role as a chief executive of a semiconductor company.As she detailed the genesis, I was struck by how large the mountain must have loomed. And yet, despite her many challenges, she dared to climb. “I didn't have any money, and I didn't have an education,” she remarked. “I had a high school [diploma], but that was it. And so my journey began in that trailer park, then going to college first, of course, to be a teacher – which is what women did in those days. Then I [went] into electrical engineering and got my degree, and that led me to my first job at IBM. And then I spent 40 years pretty much being the only female in the room.”Even with the odds stacked against her, Christine persevered and thrived in dual roles as a technologist and a business leader. In the interview, we talk about how much she enjoys both sides of the ledger and how she unlocks the value of people – without whom there would be no business. I asked Christine what motivated her to become an author and turn her life's story into a book. “I really felt that I learned so many lessons along the way, including those I learned in dairy farming,” she said. “You don't necessarily have to have an Ivy League education, or privilege or connections. You can be successful at what you do, even if it's being the first female CEO of a semiconductor company. I wanted to share that story and those lessons.”The book explores the myriad of setbacks along Christine’s path to the CEO’s seat. In her own words, she frames the adversity as “getting kicked in the gut quite a few times,” but she hung on – and wants everyone to know there's a way to get it done.In our conversation, we also delve into the many challenges faced by women like herself, and what it took to scale the walled garden around high-level leadership roles – and how there’s still work to be done. “There was certainly a ‘boys club,’ if you will,” Christine explained. “Although there were opportunities, it got harder and harder as you went up the ladder. And I would say even in the 2000s, when I started participating in public boards, it was quite a while [before] women were even part of the community and becoming directors. It certainly has been a journey, but sometimes, it's still a rough road. So I think we still have a ways to go.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>I won’t wax philosophically here. Instead, I’ll urge you to watch the interview and hear this amazing woman talk about her journey. It’s less than 30 minutes, but the story is a lifetime of gold. I usually draw big conclusions at this point in the prose, but Christine really nails it in our interview. She could easily retire from the whole shootin’ match, but she stays in the game because her passion is immeasurable. Henry Schein is now her fourth leadership rodeo; maybe she's still getting warmed up?Never one to rest, Christine has now put pen to paper and written a book, intimately sharing the struggles of growing up poor and battling limiting beliefs – all with the intention of helping others. As a technologist and business leader, she is unrivaled. As a messenger, she is revelatory. And as a human, she is the motherlode of potential and possibility. And yes, she is an iconic female CEO, but above all, she's an amazing person. One more note: in our conversation, I shared some of the incredible work being done by the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-expands-certification-scope-to-include-offerings-within-larger-vendors">MACH Alliance</a> – the industry organization advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems – and its fervent commitment to DEI. For several years, they have championed what it calls the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-launches-women-in-mach-mentorship-program">Women in MACH</a> movement, elevating awareness and promoting women in tech and STEM fields. Despite the progress we’ve made, the gaps persist. As I told Christine, we saw a lack of female representation on stage at last year’s <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">MACH Two event in Amsterdam</a>. Given the clear efforts made to celebrate and promote diversity, this was disappointing – and a reminder that tech is still very much an industry dominated by men.Should we be surprised? We have pundits and talking heads who continue to challenge equitable pay for women (just one dimension of the inequity). On average, they still earn 16% less than their male counterparts. In recent weeks, we saw the dichotomy of <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caitlin_Clark">Caitlin Clark</a>, the college basketball phenom who single-handedly generated millions of dollars for the state of Idaho, but is being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/caitlin-clark-gender-pay-gap-womens-sports/">paid a salary of $76,000</a> to play in the WNBA – far less than star rookies in the NBA.We’re making progress, yes. But as my guest observed, we still have more work to do. Christine’s book, Breaking Through The Silicon Ceiling, will be released on June 28th, but you can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Through-Silicon-Ceiling-Semiconductor/dp/1803415053/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DTFMT2UJCF82&amp;keywords=breaking+through+the+silicon+ceiling&amp;qid=1698151298&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=breaking+through+the+sili%2Cstripbooks%2C447&amp;sr=1-1">pre-order it now on Amazon</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.

From Trailer Park to First Female CEO of a Semiconductor Company: A Conversation with Christine King

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence">Artificial intelligence</a> keeps steamrolling almost every part of the tech conversation. Even as litigation heats up around copyright issues – with authors like Margaret Atwood and Dan Brown <a target="_blank" href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/news/366544611/A-look-at-writers-battle-to-get-AI-vendors-to-pay-them">demanding</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI</a> (and others) stop training on their content – the AI machine is full speed ahead. And it makes sense: there are already numerous provable benefits to AI, namely around automation at scale. This is an area where <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/solodev">Solodev</a>, a cloud platform for developers with CMS products, has frequently run ahead of the pack. Working closely with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/aws">AWS</a>, they have a history of deploying specialized services from the Amazon AI/ML stack, including a <a target="_blank" href="https://aws.amazon.com/personalize/">cloud-based recommendation engine</a>. Today, the company announced a new offering called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.solodev.com/platform/ai/">Solodev AI</a> – a cloud platform for building, training, and hosting custom AI apps and foundation models in one place. From search to chat and beyond, Solodev AI enables organizations to start their AI journey with customizable off-the-shelf apps from an AI marketplace or host their existing AI apps in a secure, scalable cloud environment powered by AWS. One of the big challenges with building custom AI apps is figuring out where it put it. Scalability is a big concern, but so too is security. Without understanding the unique DevOps requirements, the cloud can get awfully expensive. Solodev AI seems to be easing these challenges for AI developers, promising the right resources to connect almost any Large Language Model (LLM) – including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=mZZscIvHdlJxNZw0eGA31GfGh3Gvs35hVYsktUsJPk0XW-RMzILYUFuTHux6COjtSfHMQwtz7uEpmAuvA6isMA==">GPT-4</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=s76p5OKjo-A7PPxq5gykSabnUQJDbjYS78S_y9dCJoycsf8EsQsq2EFY8CgYToPumy0Vi4kOg40iAyLOEBJDqq1TARa6uV54UqBchBOq8yA=">OpenLLaMA</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=_LROvpsAF9KnzbJ0VGofMc-MvQoXiwM2MQxs3mBlK-XDSXA25MOIuzE0ICM3gPjKuo8_BArcc8FzzpMRy5B8-1HnK46nhl9gJ68oVuvczCM=">Amazon Titan</a>, and more – so users and organizations can train their apps all in one place.While almost anyone can play in the sandbox on OpenAI or jump into <a target="_blank" href="https://huggingface.co/">Hugging Face</a>, there are numerous considerations when going custom, and much of it depends on where you're at in your AI journey. Along with its platform features, Solodev offers consulting and professional services to help set up, manage, and support early-stage or advanced AI app strategies with experienced AI engineers and cloud solution architects at the ready.<h3 id="demand-for-ai-apps-is-driving-growth-in-the-cloud">Demand for AI apps is driving growth in the cloud</h3>We already know that AI has taken the world by storm. From <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">ChatGPT</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://gemini.google.com/">Google Gemini</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.midjourney.com/home">Midjourney</a>, AI-powered apps are being harnessed by millions of users across every business sector. Generative AI is on target to become a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=vyln-fRIcorWP8muYo98topGkbSU7h8NStKWzis6KaMN_QWerIqHstjQrgeJVI3Jxl1RP6s69TIh4Omwxvat1VWRb5lRBBCYCbK97l6tVr1hyN3IcKVow8Ht4Gc5uLvwl4v0zurP2SJguASGIKqlqXGrirdUzgOnVFBwkPkKWuxqnCAr9LSBr0Cr3eULG1_zoiP04oWXzCw0Z1954cwKcwp67gZFF8q0wEddCAm3v0c=">$1.3 trillion market by 2032</a>, with a CAGR of 42% over the next decade. As organizations look to build their own solutions, like custom chatbots and search assistants, the market is expecting compounded growth of 38.3% in the AI app sector through 2028. This is why dizzying levels of investment are still saturating this tech segment. While developing custom apps is a primary goal, developers and companies struggle with the requirements to deploy, build, and maintain their AI strategy. Picking the right model can be challenging given the breadth of choices, and few model options offer dedicated support. Further, training a foundation model requires a significant amount of compute resources to process large datasets via deep learning algorithms – and although cloud solutions exist, the cost of hosting and leveraging AI services can be exorbitant. Many organizations are feeling the combined pinch and, in some cases, abandoning AI initiatives due to cost and a lack of demonstrable value. <h3 id="a-cloud-platform-for-powering-ai-app-strategies">A cloud platform for powering AI app strategies</h3>Solodev AI provides a complete, cloud-based platform for building and training AI apps with total control. That begins with everything being hosted in a developer's or organization's own AWS account as opposed to a closed system. As previously noted, Solodev AI offers a blend of advanced cloud technologies and expert resources to guide and scale an AI app – regardless of where a customer might be in their cloud journey. The engagement is process-driven, starting with a consultative discovery session with a team of AI and cloud architects, working to understand an app's purpose and vision. From here, Solodev outlines the essential cloud DevOps and services, including containers and serverless technologies, that will be required. Solodev’s AI engineers also help recommend the right LLM for an app’s features and functionality, from leading models like OpenLLaMA – an open reproduction of Meta’s LLaMA – to up-and-coming solutions like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=PYEM7VGvITQOnpTmiO1R0baluzzY7MZrI7GRHgAvhaRQB6jgZFjzIF578EuCxe0HfvNj5SEwstuWfalniASCQA==">Mistral</a>.Even if you “bring your own model,” Solodev delivers a turnkey setup of automated tuning and monitoring to train a selected LLM in the cloud and optimize the required compute resources. They also provide access to a dedicated global AI help desk.For organizations that are just starting out and don’t have an existing app, Solodev AI includes a marketplace of basic AI “shells” to deploy with. These include handy features like chat, search, and even a custom app option.Solodev also offers consulting services to help map out an AI strategy. Regardless of where a company might be in its development or execution, Solodev's team of experienced engineers can add AI services to an existing app – including the most advanced stack of solutions from AWS – or help explore and develop a go-to-market strategy for an emerging concept.“If your business doesn’t have an AI strategy, you might not have a business in the future,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=WogXmFMMvQRwxO_zTb9S8W5CRHgIzEF5LhDVbez3fzoD8wDUOgQ3TA7lHBvYWo4efk6G7HO5HBbXi6LKswmNLw_wTC-ZwLSZbXtOtnUpZ4Q=">Shawn Moore</a>, CTO at Solodev. “Now is the time to get on board, and Solodev AI is the answer. We’re helping forward-thinking developers and organizations harness the power of AI for a wide range of apps and use cases – including mobile, metaverse, blockchain, and IoT. It’s an AI world, and we’re here to help you navigate it successfully.”From a pricing perspective, Solodev AI includes cloud technology and services, one-time setup fees, and ongoing support.  <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.

Solodev Launches New AI Cloud Platform for Building, Training, and Hosting Custom AI Apps and Models

<hr /> “If you build it, they will come…”Maybe the team at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/builderio">Builder.io</a> was channeling that phrase as they forged their roadmap for innovation. It’s clearly working.And if the apotheosis isn’t self-evident, “they” refers to the almighty <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-azure">Microsoft</a>.Pedagogy aside, “they” just delivered a Field of Dreams to the AI-powered “visual headless CMS” to the tune of $20 million. The injection is courtesy of Microsoft’s <a target="_blank" href="https://m12.vc/">M12 Venture Fund</a>, a well-respected brand in the hallowed halls of tech-vesting.According to the company’s website, the funds will help the company expand its global team, accelerate its go-to-market strategy, and provide resources to support its extensive organic demand. I’m sure Kevin Costner (star of the aforementioned Field of Dreams and restless cowpoke) would agree this is a home run. But it’s also a signal of what’s stirring in those golden headless cornfields, particularly as vendors add more visual building, editing, and preview features to enhance their offerings.As a tool, Builder.io accelerates the production of digital experiences, allowing users to free up developer capacity to focus on other higher-level tasks, like developing algorithms that predict the curve on a spitball. A big part of its winning play: an AI pitch with some real fire. This is where Microsoft could stack the bench with innovation – and another reason why <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssewell/">Steve Sewell</a>, Builder.io’s CEO and co-founder, sounds bullish about the match. “Having the confidence and backing from such an innovative leader in tech – and more recently, the artificial intelligence revolution – further validates our mission,” he noted in a blog about the news. He went on to explain how his company is pushing the boundaries of AI to create visual development solutions that optimize workflows and empower anyone to be part of the building process. It’s true that visual development of this ilk is still relatively new. The UX similarities to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/webflow">Webflow</a> aside, the new breed of composable builders were born out of the broken editing experiences that headless left in its wake. In the race to make things faster and better, developers felt the headless heat while marketers were left in the cold, dreaming of drag-and-drop features as they opened laborious IT tickets to add things like basic buttons to a page.I’ve been talking to a lot of headless vendors since the start of 2024, and most are on the journey towards “healing” this rift, regardless of their audience or market focus. Obviously, Builder.io has its own niche, but even more pure-play headless vendors are adding editing and preview features. It wasn’t so long ago that a headless CMS didn’t sport any of these attributes. Now, it’s starting to look like a requirement to compete – and a must-have for users evaluating tools.  Are we seeing an evolution of the “headless CMS” category? If so, what will buyers expect in this new landscape, and how do vendors avoid creating even more confusion? In the case of Builder.io, the answer seems to lie in the pursuit of value. Their growth and investment opportunities are being driven (in part) by a hunger for greater freedom and control, and platforms that understand where they truly deliver their greatest value will be loading the bases.<h3 id="building-on-success">Building on success</h3>Launched in 2019, Builder.io has been firing line drives up the middle of the market, delivering continued year-over-year growth. This latest round follows an infusion of <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/18/builder-io-aims-to-make-developers-happy-with-its-no-code-approach-to-digital-storefronts/">$14 million</a> from Greylock and a cohort of investors in 2021 – that’s akin to a respectable ERA for any player in the league.  A bit of backstory: the journey to Builder.io started with Sewell and co-founder <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentlocks/">Brent Locks</a> while working together at ShopStyle, an e-commerce fashion company. The duo embraced headless architectures to power web apps and streamline their development, which was great for them, but not so much for marketers who wanted to update pages and run tests.With code standing in the way of testing and development, retailers (in particular) got resourceful, drawing on their survival instincts to solve problems. This resulted in the use of third-party tools that dragged down performance and governance. With Builder.io, business teams get everything they want in a page builder, from managing the right web flow to a rich drag-and-drop visual editor for building and editing. At the same time, developers get the benefits of a headless CMS that’s API-driven and tech-agnostic, so it works with any tech stack – from Angular to React. You can also connect with any data source, including commerce platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/shopify">Shopify</a>, CDPs, legacy homegrown systems, or even another CMS.As we’ve heard from other visual-focused platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/is-the-birth-of-dxc-the-death-of-dxp-a-conversation-with-darren-guarnaccia-president-at-uniform">Uniform</a> (once champions of the now less-amplified “Digital Experience Composition” cabal), development and code are often the bottlenecks for many customers, specifically those in commerce. Builder.io promises that marketers, product managers, or designers can use existing components – or create their own – to build out content, run A/B tests, and measure conversions.<h3 id="an-ecosystem-of-freedom-and-control">An ecosystem of freedom and control</h3>One of the things I’ve always liked about Builder.io is its focus on simplicity. The UI is incredibly intuitive, with navigation access to a range of features and resources. This includes a myriad of design tools as well as A/B testing, versions, history, and more. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.45%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/05/builder-io-screenshot-2.png" alt="" /></figure> With its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.builder.io/m/visual-headless-cms">Builder Visual CMS</a>, you have a component-based block system that enables almost anyone – literally – to create experiences in a snap. Users have full control over exactly what a team can drag and drop to create bespoke designs or pages that are conformant with existing design systems. Everything is built around responsiveness at its core, with the ability to add custom animations and theme assets that fit with your brand. Anything you build can also be saved as a template.There are a host of collaboration tools, including granular roles and permissions and real-time “multiplayer” editing that avoids conflicts when more than one user is making changes (that one is super handy for teams). You can also track and roll back to previous iterations.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.52%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/05/builder-io-screenshot-3.png" alt="" /></figure> I think the optimization features really stand out. Builder.io weaves in both multivariate testing and analytics, so you have the complete lifecycle for managing your A/B testing initiatives. Even cooler: they offer heat maps to help reveal key insights about user engagement.<h3 id="from-figma-to-functional-code-with-visual-copilot">From Figma to functional code with Visual Copilot</h3>Design-to-code workflows are notoriously slow, impeding go-to-market strategies for enterprises and digital retailers. With the rise of design tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/figma">Figma</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/uxpin">UXPin</a>, the process has accelerated to be sure (in the case of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/uxpin-merge-review-sync-react-components-with-prototypes">UXPin’s Merge</a>, there’s even a design library that syncs with React components in Git). But it’s still mired in that complex step of turning visual ideas into functioning web and mobile experiences. There are a few platforms out there that are doing yeoman’s work to streamline the journey from prototype to product. I’ve seen some great demos for platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1139976468567117030/kajoo-ai-design-to-code">Kajoo AI</a> that export Figma designs to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021">Jamstack</a> code – including HTML, CSS, React, NextJS, Vue, and Angular.The Figma translation is also a big part of Builder.io’s focus. With its AI-powered <a target="_blank" href="https://www.builder.io/m/design-to-code">Visual Copilot</a>, you can move designs into clean, reusable code in 80% less time with a single click. You read that right: one click. Visual Copilot really bridges the gulf betwixt developers and marketers, allowing anyone to utilize a simple plugin to convert their Figma designs to semantic code that’s automatically responsive. Components in Figma can then be synced with Visual Copilot for use in the future. The AI code editor is a massive timesaver and eliminates a ton of complexity, but developers can work in Builder.io to directly refine the code as needed – so there are no compromises on control and output.Next up on the roadmap? Builder.io is already <a target="_blank" href="https://www.builder.io/m/accelerate-feature-waitlist">thinking about new features</a> like instant component set generation, and even a prompt-to-design solution for creating high-fidelity Figma designs that utilize your existing design system. This is now blending into the domain of products like <a target="_blank" href="https://dorik.com/">Dorik</a>, where AI is being used to create fully functional experiences with nothing more than a field and a few words.                                                                                                               <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>A quick note on Field of Dreams: if you’re not familiar with the classic 1989 film, it’s a peculiar mashup of existential fantasy, theology, faith, and family – all draped in the Great American Pastime.Said another way, it’s about baseball… and what lies beyond.This movie is a great tableau for how Builder.io is transforming the space, specifically with its focus on AI. For those of us who remember building websites with nothing but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html">Dreamweaver</a>, we pined for a magical solution that converted visual designs into working code. Seeing it finally materialize is, in a word, dreamy. I encourage you to try it for yourself; it’s quite stunning to see how seamlessly the Figma processing occurs. Obviously, the more complex a design, the more tweaking that might be involved. But overall, it’s pretty darn polished – and a quick <a target="_blank" href="https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/747985167520967365/builder-io-ai-powered-figma-to-code-react-vue-tailwind-more">read of the comments</a> on the Figma plugin page validates that fans are cheering. We could spend a lot of time discussing the visual builder's numerous benefits, which are impressive in themselves. And yes, this is a novel approach to creating digital experiences, but it’s also content management – and Builder.io positioning its platform as a “visual headless CMS” is indicative of the change we’re seeing across the category. When <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kontentai-aims-to-lead-a-new-era-of-content-management-relaunches-brand-and-website">Kontent.ai</a> relaunched its brand last week, the company’s leaders were quick to point out that the definition of a headless CMS was being challenged by all sides of the market, with traditional and composable DXPs muddying the waters (hence why they’re calling this a “new era of content management”).The shift is real – and with so many platforms bringing their own visual building, editing, or preview features online, buyers are likely to expect or demand these capabilities. Even open source headless CMSes like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/strapi-casts-for-growth-in-the-headless-sea-a-conversation-with-ceo-pierre-burgy">Strapi</a> are introducing their own visual tools in an effort to maintain parity and improve the editing experience. There’s also the rest of the stack to consider, and like its peers, Builder.io is bringing asset management and other “DXP Lite” features to the table.Still, as Builder.io touts, it’s part of a composable play: use the frameworks you want, integrate with a range of third-party apps, bring in existing data and personalization tools. Heck, you can even use a different headless CMS. Choice – and the ease of making said choices – is key to composability.If you’re feeling confused about categories, you’re not alone. Along with Builder.io’s visual headless CMS, we have advanced headless CMSes, composable DXPs and content platforms, and other permutations among the dense field of competitors. A great example is <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sanity">Sanity</a>, which positions itself as a Composable Content Cloud while reinforcing that it’s a “headless CMS and so much more.” Much to the chagrin of headless CMS vendors, traditional DXPs are also offering a headless CMS as part of their product ecosystem (or positioning their web API as a kind of headless expression), capitalizing on the surge around omnichannel messaging.  And herein lies the problem: how do buyers find what they’re looking for? The answer: they have to do more work.To help ease that burden, a headless CMS needs to be focused on establishing its value with clarity. I think Builder.io has a distinct advantage with its focus on the visual web layer, but it’s still leaning hard on the benefits of being headless. Nonetheless, M12 sees how that glimmering patina of value can translate into future subscriptions, particularly with users that want simple, drag-and-drop solutions – so this is where the dollars are drifting. Making your value meaningful to the market is the key. While pure headless platforms might still have their place, the expanded surface area of features is amplifying the value message. As buyers shop around, many will select tools based on the presence of these features – even if they’re planning an ultra-composable approach to their stack. With so much confusion on all sides, it’s hard to say where “headless” will end up as a distinct category. In the beginning, many argued that it was just a feature of composed content management systems (oh, the irony). Some players even attempted to distance themselves from the moniker. But that’s proven challenging given its weight within the industry lexicon, particularly relative to SEO. As such, it’s still here. Even if the path to home plate is a bit uneven. But who knows? Maybe we’ll just start calling it “CMS” again. Wouldn’t that be dreamy.   <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.

Builder.io nets $20M from Microsoft's venture fund. What it means for the future of headless CMS

Kontent.ai Aims to Lead a 'New Era of Content Management,' Relaunches Brand and Website

<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

CMS Summit 26

Find out at Open Source CMS 26, October 20-21 in Utrecht, Netherlands

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