Agility CMS and Netlify Connect Launch New Unified Content Integration Solution

One of the key advantages of the MACH Alliance’s best-of-breed open ecosystem is the propensity for like-minded composable systems to join forces – and together, bring unified solutions to market.

The latest heroic team-up: Agility CMS and Netlify. 

The duo just introduced an enhanced integration that harnesses the robust features of Agility’s headless CMS with Netlify Connect – a data unification layer designed to give teams greater freedom and control when creating websites, online stores, and applications with data from any new or existing content source. 

According to Agility’s press release, this collaboration sets out to redefine how enterprises manage their content and modernize their web architecture, bridging the gap between legacy content and modern Content Management Systems (CMS). 

"Bringing Agility CMS and Netlify Connect together is a game-changer for enterprises looking to embrace the future of content management and modern web architecture," said Joel Varty, CTO at Agility CMS. “This approach not only streamlines content integration but also ensures that organizations can easily adapt and evolve their digital strategies with a phased approach that leads to fast ROI.”

The general availability of the Agility CMS Connector with the Netlify platform is a significant step forward for both MACH vendors, giving enterprises a more agile and future-proof approach to content management and web architecture.

Netting an integration with Netlify

Agility, a cloud-based, API-first headless CMS, has been blazing trails with its built-in layout management capabilities. By giving users a clear visual “blueprint,” they have greater control and confidence over their content placement. 

At the same time, Netlify Connect has gained traction as a go-to solution for integrating content from multiple sources into a single data unification layer – one that’s easily accessible through a GraphQL API (another fixture that’s become increasingly popular). 

Netlify Connect is particularly ideal for enterprises that have data spread across multiple data sources, enabling updates to sync websites and web apps automatically with the latest content. Connect’s scalable, no-code approach to content integration also makes it an attractive play. 

This is where the impact can be felt with a robust headless CMS that’s designed as the next step in a stack’s composable modernization. And while Netlify Connect supports multiple data sources on the CMS level, it’s worth noting that this new integration represents the first Partner Developed Connector with Netlify – a real feather in Agility’s cap, and a clear commitment to its shared innovation with its development platform partner. 

“This integration is remarkably similar to the integration we previously developed for Gatsby,” said Varty. “It’s built on top of our Sync SDK, and provides incredibly fast access to your content, now with the framework of your choice. We’re expecting folks will appreciate the unified data access experience.”

As Varty further pointed out, Netlify Connect is one way to solve the “many data sources” conundrum in a way that assures fast access to data, given that Netlify caches it in their layer. “Depending on your solution, this can help solve a lot of problems, especially if you have private connectors accessing data that’s previously been locked away somewhere without a decent API, or maybe your API just doesn’t perform well under load. Netlify Connect can really help there.”

What’s next for Agility and Netlify

Part of the secret sauce for Agility and Netlify is having a shared vision. Both companies empower enterprises on their journey to manage and migrate from legacy monolithic systems to composable, cloud-native solutions – but doing so in a systematic, phased approach. The benefit is clear: enterprises want to remain in control, and being forced to immediately adopt a completely new ecosystem is counterproductive.

Along with Connect, Agility is looking ahead to additional opportunities with Netlify. This includes aligning with Netlify Create, a visual experience platform for building and operating enterprise websites with a decoupled architecture.

“Netlify has expanded its product ecosystem with both Connect and Create,” Varty shared. “I think Connect is the most compelling piece of the puzzle for organizations that want to unify how they bring content and data to their web properties, so I’m hoping the Agility integration – which is open source – can serve as an example for others on best practices here. As for Create, we’re working with Netlify closely on an Agility solution that brings the best of both platforms to the forefront.”

I asked Varty about the reaction from Agility’s partners and customers, and if any feedback had emerged during the beta phase of the connector’s development. It’s clear that it’s still early days, but he’s bullish about the potential – and Agility is gearing up to support its channels with the right resources, including additional web frameworks that are amplifying site performance.

“We’re actually working on updates to our reference solutions for Next.js to provide examples for our partners to get started with this, as well as new starters for Remix and Astro,” he explained. “There’s been a ton of requests for those updated starters, so we’re expecting lots of folks will either migrate existing solutions there, or use these references packages on new solutions and rebuilds."

Why it matters

As many vendors look for terra firma in a rapidly evolving marketplace, alliances are being forged up and down the stack to deliver greater value. For headless CMSs facing an increasingly competitive and commoditized ecosystem of offerings, intangibles like MACH Alliance certification are helping to up the ante and create differentiation.

Still, the biggest challenge is the buyer. While the addressable US market looks more promising in 2024, enterprises are focusing on optimization – vis-à-vis speed and performance – to enhance the customer experience and improve outcomes. They’re also impeded by a growing cache of data and content sources from a myriad of places, including legacy systems, that must be harmonized. 

Agility’s headless features and novel layout capabilities are a boon to teams, but the Netlify Connect integration gives them an edge in addressing the “many data sources” conundrum that Varty referenced, helping to further optimize and accelerate access to data. This also gives organizations greater choice and flexibility as they expand their digital strategies. 

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