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<hr /> The mantle of “CMO” is a bit of an albatross. Much like the ancient mariner, anyone fuddling in this C-level role might find the journey replete with danger.  To be sure, it’s an important job, shouldering the massive responsibility of driving revenue and swimming in the deep end of a vast data pool. It also has the distinct reputation of being the C-level position with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.marketingweek.com/cmo-tenure-falls/">the shortest tenure</a>.There are numerous reasons for this, one of which is burnout. It’s not for the faint of heart, as Chief Marketing Officers are often saddled with breathtaking responsibilities and expectations – the kind where sleep might be an elusive dream. While the CMO was once considered a less important position in the pantheon of corporate leadership, it has certainly earned an essential role. <a href="it’s%20not%20for%20the%20faint%20of%20heart,%20often%20saddled%20with%20breathtaking%20responsibilities%20where%20sleep%20might%20often%20be%20a%20luxury.">According to one study</a>, significantly more CEOs are ranking their marketing departments as “best in class,” a perception driven by CMOs who deliver on business imperatives. As enterprise leaders rely more on visibility powered by analytics and data, CMOs are also taking on a new role as Chief Data Officers. This is thrusting their value into the stratosphere – and their pay packages to boot. The hiring or transition of any C-level leader is a bonafide big deal. But there’s a strong signal being sent when a CMO is enrolled, particularly one with a high-caliber skillset and proven pedigree. It’s a throat-clearing moment that prepares the market for visible change, particularly around how a brand positions itself in an increasingly dense field of competition.  That’s what Storyblok’s hiring of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwheeler/">Mark Wheeler</a> represented this week: a full-speed-ahead, no-holds-barred investment in growing its market share. If the CMS’s <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/storyblok-is-writing-its-next-chapter-with-an-80m-series-c-heres-why-it-matters">recent $80 million Series C</a> represents a beachhead for planning its strategy, Mark is the general arriving on the scene to take the castle. Can he do it? Ah, only time will tell. There are certainly major headwinds: cooling economic conditions, tighter IT budgets, and upstream and downstream competitors that continue to befuddle buyers with a confusing morass of messages. Oh… and that pesky U.S. presidential election. Talk about instability. Still, if Mark’s history is any indicator, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikangerer/">CEO Dominik Angerer</a> should have plenty to look forward to. In my recent discussion with Dominik, we talked at length about Storyblok’s next chapter, which includes ambitious plans to grow its U.S. market footprint. This was underscored by a shift towards a “modern content management system” as a positioning foundation. By doubling down on this clarity, the company could have a key advantage in staking its market differentiation – something a CMO will need to harness, and only a seasoned and successful one can unleash with the right strategies to cut through the noise. Given Mark’s history, proximity to the CMS industry, and immersion in the category of content, he might be the right person for the job. “Having experienced leaders who can help us navigate the opportunities and challenges of our next phase of growth is critical to our success,” Dominik said. “Mark knows the CMS industry inside out and has already been on the part of the journey we’re about to embark on. His experience will help us properly educate the market on the transformative impact Storyblok has throughout the entire content lifecycle.”<h3 id="leaning-on-proven-success-at-adobe-and-sitecore">Leaning on proven success at Adobe and Sitecore</h3>It seems that (almost) all roads lead in or out of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore</a>. That speaks to the platform’s longevity and omnipresence, and its undeniable impact on the shape and course of the CMS industry at large.A big part of Mark’s origin story was forged at Sitecore, beginning as VP of Marketing and establishing a reputation as a leading B2B tech marketer in Europe. He later assumed dominion over EMEA and APAC, ultimately running the worldwide field and partner marketing out of London and San Francisco.This encompassed four years, all at a time of significant change across the CMS landscape. Prior to his Sitecore heritage, Mark also ran EMEA marketing at <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_EMC">EMC (Dell),</a> accelerating growth across mid-market, enterprise, government, and via the service provider community with the EMC portfolio of products. Before that, Mark spent seven years at the goliath that is <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe</a> in a marketing director role. During his tenure, he achieved some innovative outcomes like establishing an in-house demand gen team and leading a channel transformation strategy that significantly impacted sales bookings.Most recently, Mark was VP of Marketing at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nutanix.com/">Nutanix</a>, a cloud infrastructure software provider. That was followed by his first CMO stint at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.leanix.net/">LeanIX</a>, which was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.leanix.net/en/company/press/leanix-is-now-part-of-sap">acquired by SAP</a> during his tenure. That led to a transitional CMO role under the SAP banner, and ultimately to a break before taking the CMO job at Storyblok.Without question, Mark has a stellar resume – one that would make any tech company anxious to lock down this talent. It’s worth noting that he has also been recognized as a <a target="_blank" href="https://hottopics.ht/awards/cmo-100">Global B2B CMO 100</a> Award Winner in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Add this to his long tenures at both Adobe and Sitecore, and he is well-positioned to drive the marketing and business objectives at Storyblok.<h3 id="the-continued-struggle-to-serve-both-developers-and-marketers">The continued struggle to serve both developers and marketers</h3>Go ahead. Do a drive-by of every major DXP or CMS website, and you’ll see this line somewhere: “Finally, a platform that unites both developers and marketers…”It’s one thing to say it, and quite another to deliver on it. And in an era where <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">headless CMS</a> platforms are still working to mend the fences with content editors and marketing professionals, a lot of these statements still feel hollow. And it’s not for a lack of trying: many platforms are making headway on appealing to marketing folk with a bit of “visual editing fairy dust," and the results are beginning to speak for themselves. If only it was a simple as solving a technology problem. As Mark noted in the company’s press release, the CMS industry has come a long way, baby – but that struggle between devs and marketers is still palpable. Collaborating from concept to completion remains elusive in many systems and organizations (it’s not all on the tech), and Mark has a clear line of sight on where the breaks can be bridged and futureproofed for things like AI. “The market requires solutions that dismantle silos, optimize workflows, and accelerate the content lifecycle, making it more adaptable and ready for the era of generative AI,” he said. “Storyblok is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this by offering a platform that empowers businesses to create, manage, and deliver content at unprecedented speed and scale. By focusing on these advantages, we can drive substantial revenue growth and market share.”It won’t be easy. We’ve been struggling with this for many years, and while other challenges like interoperability have been trimmed with APIs, the human challenges of working together on experiences seem like the ever-present last mile to success. This seems to be a core focus for Mark as he takes the reins. “I'm ready to amplify these strengths by demonstrating how Storyblok empowers teams to achieve extraordinary things,” he further noted. “By truly understanding the challenges faced by content creators and developers, we can position Storyblok as the go-to platform for building exceptional digital experiences.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>As I mentioned a few paragraphs back, the hiring of a CMO is a bellwether moment. It’s a sea change that can prime the engines for a company’s brand, and I think we can expect to see some clear signals right out of the gate.This is a pivotal moment for Storyblok. When I saw their demo competition at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/">Boye &amp; Company CMS Kickoff</a> in 2023, I was blown away by the quality of the product UI and its intuitive simplicity – something they have continued to build on. It has also remained tacitly composable in its posture, allowing for more expansive growth within MACH-architected stacks (the company has been a MACH Alliance member since 2021).Despite everything it’s doing right – including a staggering Series C windfall led by U.S. investors – Storyblok’s greatest challenge might be around choice. With significant competition across the market, including DXPs that are now selling their product in a more composable fashion, the CMS needs to double down on what makes it unique. Some of that is wrapped up in AI and automation, as well as novel new features like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.storyblok.com/docs/guide/in-depth/ideation-room">its Ideation Room.</a> For my money, it's what they've always done well: understanding the customer and expressing that through their product experience. It's a big reason why Dominik Angerer claims he's never lost a customer to churn. Focusing on these attributes is where marketing can be a force multiplier. The other red flag is the persistent and lingering confusion on the headless battlefield. While it all feels less like a “race to the middle” and more like a widespread evolution (heck, we even have a “Universal CMS” entering the fray), I think it’s smart that Storyblok is reinforcing its core sediment as a modern content management system. The market desperately needs sage guidance, and cutting back on the over-engineered experiences and marketing lexicon is the best way to see the forest through the trees and deliver some much-needed clarity to buyers.As Mark Wheeler takes the wheel (sorry, it had to be done), driving that clarity will make all the difference.  <hr /> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

Storyblok just hired a CMO with Adobe and Sitecore pedigree. Here’s what it signals for the future

matt-garrepy

<hr /> In today’s competitive business environment, delivering dynamic experiences across multiple digital channels is becoming increasingly important. In the past, a traditional monolithic CMS was the go-to solution for managing website content in bulk, offering a comprehensive approach with integrated frontend and backend functionalities.However, as the importance of web channels for media distribution grew, developers within larger enterprises recognized the limitations of monolithic solutions in managing complex, structured content or delivering unique frontend capabilities. This led to the rise of custom, internal CMS solutions. Performance and extensive customization were possible but at huge engineering costs and time pressure to plan, develop, and uphold these systems.Since 2007, the rise in smart devices has welcomed a new era of content consumption across diverse channels. The move significantly burdened both monolithic CMS technology and content teams.The need for a multi-channel content strategy and a modern tech stack made the limitations of traditional CMS more apparent. Even today,<a target="_blank" href="https://hygraph.com/resources/future-of-content"> 8 in 10 tech leaders</a> think their current CMS holds them back with inefficient developer or editorial experiences.<h3 id="elevating-tech-teams-with-cms-modernization">Elevating tech teams with CMS modernization</h3>The heavy burden developers face with maintaining custom CMS platforms not only leads to burnout – <a target="_blank" href="https://blog.jetbrains.com/team/2023/11/20/the-state-of-developer-ecosystem-2023/">experienced by nearly 73% of developers</a> at some point in their careers – but also acts as a significant restriction. Consequently, organizations are increasingly looking to modernize their CMS to alleviate these pressures.An in-house CMS requires ongoing maintenance, like keeping an orchestra in tune and ensuring all musicians play harmoniously. It’s also less scalable as it’s often built by a small group of people, so they are the only ones who can access and make changes to the system. Subsequently, it’s hard to manage as the project scales, and the small group of developers who built the solution will be stuck maintaining the code base. Modern headless CMS platforms can greatly enhance the capabilities and efficiency of tech teams, freeing them from the constraints of maintenance around custom platforms and empowering them to focus on driving innovation. There are many other benefits to consider, too: <h4 id="1.-increased-developer-velocity">1. Increased developer velocity</h4>Accumulated technical debt from maintaining custom middleware can reduce developer velocity, slow release cycles, and hinder an organization's ability to maintain a continuous release schedule. <h4 id="2.-improved-app-performance">2. Improved app performance</h4>Performance is a key indicator of your project's success. It's also closely connected to your business since you lose revenue when your performance is poor. A CMS failure can be detected by business metrics such as lost revenues, which are influenced by poor performance indicators such as slow page load speed and low core web vitals. <h4 id="3.-stay-current-with-the-latest-tech">3. Stay current with the latest tech</h4>The technology landscape is ever-evolving. Naturally, some of the latest technologies work better than outdated ones. The advantage of a headless CMS is that you can choose any technology you like and easily switch the front end without changing your CMS. <h4 id="4.-future-proof-technology-strategy">4. Future-proof technology strategy</h4>A tech leader should choose IT vendors that can adapt quickly to an unknown future. A headless architecture with content federation puts data in one place so teams can scale the digital experience. Developers get all the flexibility of headless without having to build, host, secure, and ensure the performance of custom middleware.   <h4 id="5.-talent-acquisition">5. Talent acquisition</h4>Legacy systems are hard to understand, making developers less productive and less attractive when recruiting new team members. It’s much easier to handle things in-house if everything needed to work with the CMS can be easily found in any tech stack. <h4 id="6.-heightened-security">6. Heightened security</h4>Unlike a traditional CMS, a modern headless CMS decouples the backend content repository layer from the frontend presentation layer. This separation allows for greater security because the content management layer is isolated and can be protected independently.<h3 id="why-headless-is-the-way-forward">Why headless is the way forward</h3>Adopting a headless CMS with content federation can offer flexibility, scalability, and streamlined content distribution across multiple channels. Furthermore, by separating the frontend and backend, this approach lays the foundation for organizations to meet their technical and content requirements swiftly, allowing technology teams to develop with any technology for any platform.At a time when content is king, your CMS needs to be a gateway to digital transformation rather than a barrier. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24---sold-out"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a> - SOLD OUT</h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

 Roadmap to Digital Experience Success: Six Ways to Future-Proof Your CMS While Elevating Your Tech Teams

michael-lukaszczyk

Yo Ho! Gartner’s New Magic Quadrant for Search and Product Discovery is a Compass for CX

Umbraco 14 Blossoms with a Fresh Architecture, Delivering Enhanced Customization and Extensibility 

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

Untangling the CMS market in 2024

janus-boye

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

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

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Strapi Casts for Growth in the Headless Sea: A Conversation with CEO Pierre Burgy

<hr /> Sailing might not seem fast. A yawl or a sloop can’t hold a candle to a speedboat with twin outboard engines or a raging hydrofoil. But if you’ve ever seen the America’s Cup or a competitive regatta, you can’t deny that a supped-up catamaran – with the right crew – can move at dizzying speeds.   When I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/michael-lukaszczyk">Michael Lukaszczyk</a> last week about the launch of the <a target="_blank" href="https://hygraph.com/blog/hygraph-studio-beta">new Hygraph Studio beta</a>, the topic of sailing came up. It’s a subject I know something about: my father is a certified Coast Guard captain, and I grew up chipping barnacles off hulls in New England summers. Sure, I was a grunt on a mooring line, cleaning the head and emptying the ballast. But I learned other skills as well, like how to tie knots and tighten jibs in my dad’s salty shadow. One important lesson still sticks with me, and it’s never been more relevant to technology than now: The wind is always changing – and you won’t get anywhere if you fight it.  As a headless CMS in a highly competitive field, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/hygraph">Hygraph</a> has been reading the wind and tacking in the right places. With this week’s release of Hygraph Studio, the company is listening to its users and doubling down on improving performance on a multitude of levels. The beta, which went live yesterday, is expected to be a first taste of the new experience, with a general release coming later this year. But it’s more than a new paint job on a fiberglass finish. “Hygraph Studio is a complete re-architecture and upgrade of our user interface optimized for maximum global performance,” Michael said. “We've been putting a lot of effort into making the whole thing as fast as possible globally, regardless of where you are on the planet or where your content is stored.”OK, so is it really faster? If you’re comparing Hygraph Classic to Hygraph Studio, you might just think there are a couple of outboard engines strapped to it. But like sailing, it’s more about the precision tuning that’s translating into higher performance. This comes down to a combination of UX enhancements, a new content asset management engine, and more. I got the nautical read from Michael about the Hygraph Studio release and what’s in store following the launch of the beta. We also discussed the UI improvements and the benefits of having a core asset management solution and how this is impacting performance on the open water. At the end of the day, it’s all about delivering higher content velocity, a recurring theme that has come up in our previous discussions. These upgrades aren’t just about a re-architecture that delivers speed, but the additional features and functionality that make it all a smoother ride.<h3 id="pulling-up-anchors-to-achieve-global-performance--">Pulling up anchors to achieve global performance  </h3>Like any beta, there are anticipated fixes and a roadmap for releases to come. But even with this first glimpse, there’s confidence at Hygraph that the acceleration will be felt in a profound way. For Michael, this is essential to the content management experience and all of its users. “Things being very snappy is really an important ingredient for content velocity, and it should not get in the way,” he remarked. “In content management, that's a little bit of our philosophy. Every second that's in the way of you actually making a change or an update is a waste.”Playing into the equation for speed are new global performance aspirations for Hygraph Studio. Up until now, Hygraph users have relied on API calls to the management database in Frankfurt, Germany – regardless of where their Hygraph project might be stored. Now, with the introduction of a new multi-regional deployment management service, proximity is no longer a drag. According to Hygraph’s data, the regional solution not only delivers faster load times, but also a 10x reduced latency for management operations globally. Michael said this is a big improvement for global customers, providing a more distributed solution that delivers maximum geographic performance for Hygraph’s growing customer base. “Australia is actually a very strong market and we're opening up new opportunities and more performance there,” he said. “We have quite an active user base in Japan, and they also now enjoy this new global performance.”<h3 id="smoother-sailing-with-an-improved-content-api">Smoother sailing with an improved content API</h3>With Hygraph’s content API, there’s also another big release under the hood that delivers much finer granularity on cache invalidation. As Michael noted, Hygraph’s customers already have strong API performance at the CDN level – but he sees even more improvement on the way.“Our customers have a cache hit ratio of roughly 90%,” he explained. “So 90% of their API calls hit a CDN, and they get the response of the headless API data. And that’s with document-level caching – which is much more fine-grained. We hope to get to the level of 95%.”It may sound like an incremental step from 90% to 95%, but as Michael noted, if you have millions or billions of API calls, there's a huge performance gain for the end customer.Clearly, there’s been a lot of infrastructure work under the hood (or tightening of the sails). But there’s also been a smart expansion of global resources that align with the company’s goals for growth, particularly in nascent or rapidly growing markets. <h3 id="enhancing-the-instruments:-delivering-better-ui/ux-">Enhancing the instruments: delivering better UI/UX </h3>Another key part of the Hygraph Studio beta and forthcoming GA are enhancements to the user interface. These will unfold in the weeks that follow the initial launch, but Michael indicated that there are many – some large, some small – and all designed with the user in mind.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:78.38%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/03/new-intuitive-schema-view.png" alt="" /></figure> “There are macro UX improvements, but also micro UX improvements,” he said. “[For example] there's a new Command Menu, where you can hit Command+K to completely navigate throughout the application, and developers love this. In developer tooling, there's a new Field Outline in the content form, so when you're editing content in the form, you get a whole navigation outline.”And these are just a few of the upgrades you can expect from Hygraph Studio, which are tacitly designed to help users work faster and more efficiently. I had a chance to review some of the highlights firsthand, which include enhancements to content forms for faster, smoother navigation and modeling with nested components. There are also revised content tables for content-rich data.From an aesthetic perspective, there are also a few UI “facelifts” that improve on an already clean, minimalistic template. This includes upgrades to the Schema view that enhance the addition of models and fields. But the changes go beyond good looks and are keenly designed to reduce the number of clicks – accelerating each step of the modeling process.  Another notable addition: lazy loading of components, which delivers a faster load time when opening a content entry or nested components. It’s a simple thing, but one that can shave seconds of frustration when maneuvering through choppy waters.   <h3 id="improving-the-editorial-experience-and-adding-live-preview-">Improving the editorial experience and adding live preview </h3>I asked Michael what really drove the direction of the UI/UX enhancements, and what level of user will see the most benefits. Obviously, there are developers and editors on the ship, all trying to sail in a coordinated way – and historically, Hygraph has been more focused on the developer side of the crew.“So one key motivation for Hygraph Studio was improving the editorial experience significantly, because we come from a very developer-centric founder team and DNA,” he said. “We [have] always lived and breathed on the API side of things, but we’re now getting better with content creators. This has been a little bit of a weak spot from coming from such a developer-centric understanding of things, but of course, in content management, you always have those two parties. And we want to make both happy, so we're putting more and more resources into the editorial experience.”From that perspective, one of the most notable changes in the UI is with the content form, where you have an entirely new Field Outline for navigating content entries. As Michael described, it’s like using Figma or Adobe Photoshop, where you have your image layers assembled on the side. In Hygraph Studio, you can now see meta information gathered in a similar way along the left side of the editorial interface. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.58%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/03/hygraph-field-outline.jpg" alt="" /></figure>In the headless regatta, the race for the cup is getting tighter than ever. But Hygraph continues to differentiate around its focus on data, product development, and federated content. Still, user expectations are necessitating certain features – particularly when it comes to the visual layer. We’ve seen the growth of composable solutions and digital experience composition as a panacea for this missing link, but many platforms are now building their own tools. During our discussion, Michael revealed that live preview is on the near-term roadmap (although not part of the Hygraph Studio GA). However, he was quick to point out why an opinionated page builder is not the answer they’ve been after. “The one big feature on the horizon that is wished by many is the live preview,” he said. “It's a side-by-side editing [experience] where on the left you have a headless CMS interface, on the right you see the result directly. It's not a what you see is what you get editing experience. A good live preview provides a very quick feedback loop of what you're doing in the CMS and how your end results look. We don't have an opinionated page builder that’s reliant on elements that are dependent on the system, because we want to support product development for brands like Peloton or Netflix – and you don’t need pages in those use cases.”It makes perfect sense and might be exactly the right compromise for Hygraph’s target audience. As a composable platform, the new live preview feature could also complement third-party page builders that are powered by Hygraph, further elevating the value for the user.<h3 id="putting-more-wind-in-the-sails-with-core-asset-management-">Putting more wind in the sails with core asset management </h3>If the other features in Hygraph Studio are spinnakers and genoas (these are types of sails for all ye landlubbers), then the hoisting of the new Hygraph Asset Management system might be the main sail. I asked Michael why it was an important move to build a home-grown solution and how it might impact the performance and reliability for users. “We ripped out the existing asset management [system] which was provided by a third party partner, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.filestack.com/">Filestack</a>, and built an in-house implementation of asset management,” he explained, “which, in some cases, leads to performance improvements of 10x managing and operating assets. But it’s also [beneficial] when you clone projects or work within production, staging, or development environments.”On this subject of environments, Michael gave a simple and relatable example for CMS users: let’s say you want to implement a new feature and create content definitions with new schema, but you don't want to break your production environment in the process. In this case, you would use environments like “draft” or “staging” – similar to GitHub branches – to replicate, build, and develop within. Now, cloning such environments is much faster thanks to a core asset manager. “Before, we had to re-upload all the assets from one environment to the other using our third-party solution. So if you had a lot of assets – gigabytes or even terabytes – it could take minutes or even hours to build the environment. Now, it takes only seconds, because we have the asset management engine under the hood in our own realm. So it's more like ‘copy-paste’ within the system.”<h3 id="what’s-the-next-port-of-call-on-the-headless-seas?">What’s the next port-of-call on the headless seas?</h3>I think that’s weighing on the mind of every CMS “captain” who’s plotting a course for 2024. The winds they are a-changin’ – and for headless CMS vendors, there’s been a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-dxp-kerfuffle-finding-the-big-chords-in-the-2024-gartner-magic-quadrant">clear shift towards a more DXP-like composition</a>, one where resources like asset management are becoming a part of the core (so sayeth some of the analysts). This is challenging the perception of what a “DXP” is in a composable landscape, particularly as traditional DXP vendors are offering headless and decoupled solutions as well.That’s why listening to the wind has never been more important, and Hygraph is clearly doing that by listening to its customers. While the introduction of core asset management is key to a more complete vision, the addition of live preview will further expand its value while remaining steadfast in its focus on data-driven product development applications. This clarity around its competitive differentiation is key. “For CMS vendors like the Storybloks out there, it cannot get visual enough,” he explained. “This is really catering to very static use cases that are building the experience that end users see, but this is very limited in the use cases that you can model. There's a big market for that, but a lot of competition because you can pay a lot for an enterprise headless CMS with a page builder or you go very low end on the pricing and use a Webflow or Wix – and that CMS is perfectly fine for those use cases.”One other way Hygraph is tacking with wind is by amplifying the focus on the editorial experience. As Michael noted, the company has been primarily developer-centric; this has been a perceived weak spot in its holistic strategy. Hygraph Studio aims to improve this with its myriad of UX enhancements and forthcoming capabilities. A good move, and one that demonstrates a strong commitment to the customer experience.For the buyer, it’s also getting harder to know where to drop anchor amid the shifting conditions. This is where knowledge and awareness are essential, particularly around specific use cases where headless CMS delivers a great value proposition.As Michael noted, “We're on the mission to educate the architects out there on the journey to building something big.”Aye, captain.  <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.

Hygraph Studio Sets Sail with Increased Content Velocity and New Asset Management Capabilities

New Directus Marketplace Completes a Three-Legged Stool for the Composable Future

<hr /> Humans love to muse about the future. And why not? It’s veiled in mystery, replete with speculation, and full of plot twists. That makes it both exciting and terrifying. Like… a horror movie.Along those lines, a word in the composable lexicon conjures some of the same exhilaration and fear: future-proof. While fairly intuitive, it's all about anticipating what might happen and developing strategies to minimize the shocks and stresses of possible future events.It sounds great, but it also presents a bit of a quantum entanglement. How can tools or processes remain malleable enough to adapt to unpredictable changes? How do organizations accurately predict and avoid the pitfalls (and classic horror movie tropes)?This is where the past and the present can help untangle the uncertainty, and it's precisely why software platforms conduct research: to help guide a future-proof strategy and thwart any potential nightmares. To that end, <a target="_blank" href="https://hygraph.com/">Hygraph</a>, a headless CMS known for its content federation, recently published an insightful survey on the state of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management</a> and what the future might look like. There are some terrific data points, and here's the big one: according to the report, 84% of organizations believe their existing CMS limits their ability to unlock the full value of their data and content. It further suggests that only 35% of current data and content is being used effectively. If this translates to a larger scale (the sample includes 400 engineering and product professionals in the US, UK, and Germany), the numbers represent a stagnant dissatisfaction with current CMS deployments. But these figures are just scratching the surface.I recently spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/content-management-for-a-new-reality-a-conversation-with-hygraph-ceo-michael-lukaszczyk">Michael Lukaszczyk</a>, co-founder and CEO of Hygraph, about the findings. It’s all part of what his company calls the “Future of Content” report, which pulls back the curtain on CMS challenges many businesses face when delivering modern digital experiences. The survey includes real-world input from tech leaders and prescribes a few strategies for overcoming some of the industry’s key obstacles.  While no one has the exact prescription for tomorrow, Hygraph’s report provides critical insights around trends and patterns, which might prove invaluable when selecting a CMS that’s future-proofed for what’s ahead – and maybe make things a little less scary.<h3 id="siloed-data-and-content-are-major-limitations">Siloed data and content are major limitations</h3>I asked Michael what he gleaned from the “Future of Content” research, specifically around the impact of value on organizations. Most of us in the content management field recognize a ubiquitous perception of the grass always being greener when users are asked about their satisfaction with a tool or stack. “We had 84% of people being dissatisfied with the current architecture and stack,” he codified.  “Well, it's been like this forever, and we want to change it. But a lot of companies and larger organizations struggle with the change management.”In that sense, the real challenge lies in the escape vector. Stakeholders might be keenly aware of the issues but are held back by the risks associated with implementation or migration. Along with this general malaise around unlocking value from their existing setup, Hygraph’s report also indicates that 92% of organizations say their content and data sources are siloed – with nearly 40% describing it as “very siloed.” As we’ve discussed in many previous articles, data from diverse sources and legacy systems have resulted in expensive and laborious integration code, which presents a drag on growth and innovation. This is where composable strategies and technologies are emerging as solutions – with many vendors, Hygraph among them, participating in the ecosystem as members of the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-publishes-first-annual-report-showcases-industry-impact-and-plans-for-2024">MACH Alliance</a>. <h3 id="custom-software-is-an-innovation-bottleneck">Custom software is an innovation bottleneck</h3>It’s always easy to blame the CMS. It is, after all, the elder statesman of the stack – and a relatively broad target due to its essential role across a myriad of systems and requirements. While any given CMS might perform a wide range of duties out of the box, it will inevitably fall short in some areas, forcing it to be stretched in different directions based on architectural dependencies. One of the biggest obstacles has been the need to tap multiple content and data sources. To that end, the “Future of Content” report revealed that 77% of respondents need to build and manage custom software to connect diverse content and data sources with their existing CMS. The survey respondents also concurred en masse that these integrations – which, as we know, can be very complex – create an innovation bottleneck with potentially severe consequences. <h3 id="cms-challenges-negatively-impact-productivity-and-revenue">CMS challenges negatively impact productivity and revenue</h3>With just a third of respondents stating that their CMS is effective at “underpinning new digital services,” there’s clearly a gap around readiness. But the report digs deeper into the details. According to the research, over three-quarters of respondents say that the difficulty of exposing and using existing data and content in their digital services has restricted their revenue opportunities. This is where the buck stops, shining a light on the most tangible result of a limited CMS. From a productivity perspective, 76% of respondents also say that technology constraints prevent them from empowering more content creators within their organization. At the CMS level, this is just as pronounced, with almost half of respondents saying that changes can only be made by a few users with essential skills. Michael noted that these limitations underscore the need for content federation, one of the key tenets of Hygraph’s position in the headless CMS market. He said this approach – alongside a headless CMS – could accelerate both innovation and revenue opportunities.“To compete in the content economy, organizations need to unlock value from content without bottlenecks or migration and duplication issues,” he said. “Content federation leverages all data sources across business infrastructure, and delivers it exactly where needed.”<h3 id="future-proofing-cms-for-a-world-of-content-rich-applications">Future-proofing CMS for a world of content-rich applications</h3>As Michael indicated, many of the existing challenges can be rolled up to having the right tool for the right use case, particularly as the market evolves to include more content-rich applications beyond websites. In his opinion, this shapes how users and organizations choose the platforms to build, manage, and ultimately future-proof their needs. “In the ‘Future of Content’ report, I observe two main trends [in the CMS market],” he explained. “The first is that headless CMSs are being reverted to become way more visual again. That is sort of the Storyblok and the Uniform stake, and this is to try and catch the demand of the business personas. It's really the static experiences that you build at the end of the day, like websites. But there's also the other direction, such as hybrid CMSs, that are more complex in data modeling and help you build really content-rich applications.” But how are content-rich applications evolving the charter? The example Michael gave is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.onepeloton.com/">Peloton</a>, which has two key properties in its digital ecosystem. The first is the corporate website, which is most likely owned by a marketer – someone who prefers a static build experience. But Peloton is chiefly experienced through its app, where users engage on stationary bikes and treadmills in video-based classes. These experiences also need a layer of content management.“Over the past couple of years, there’s been an increasing demand for this, and we see more and more companies with requirements for content management in their applications,” Michael said. “One of my predictions is that this will become more important. And if you want to build a more complex, content-rich application, then you wouldn't build the workout application of a Peloton with a website builder using a visual component. It's an application.”<h3 id="leveraging-the-benefits-of-content-federation">Leveraging the benefits of content federation</h3>Hygraph’s evangelizing of content federation cuts through clearly and continues to be one of its unique market differentiators. Its federated content platform represents what it calls the “next generation of content management,” evolving beyond a headless CMS to help power a many-to-many relationship between different content sources and devices. With Hygraph, you can effectively federate data from various sources, streamline content processes, and eliminate the need for a separate experience composition solution or custom middleware. This is also made possible through Hygraph's robust <a target="_blank" href="https://graphql.com/">GraphQL</a> content APIs.In an increasingly dense field of headless players, Michael and his team have trumpeted the benefits of content federation via real-world use cases, specifically around the ever-present challenge of migrating legacy content and data – and tapping composable capabilities to realize the potential.“Our recommendation is not to do a one-off migration, but rather replacing pieces out of the stack and modernizing step by step what you can,” he said. “If you use content federation with Hygraph, you can plug in a few of the systems that exist within your stack while the rest live in this monolithic scope. But they can live side by side – and then, as time goes on, you pull more and more pieces out of the old world into the new. So if you use tooling or have this layer that allows you to be the middleware – which is content federation – and it's a much safer migration path.”<h3 id="why-this-report-matters">Why this report matters</h3>It's a sure bet that any vendor-sponsored research will position its own platform as the go-to solution. This is, after all, a function of marketing at some level. But Hygraph’s report provides clear and relevant metrics in the right places while weaving in guidance from technology leaders. It’s worth noting that the survey was commissioned by Hygraph but conducted independently by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.colemanparkes.com/">Coleman Parkes Research</a> in the summer of 2023.Along with the raw numbers, the “Future of Content” report also provides guidance around eliminating bottlenecks, adopting best practices, and future-proofing your content strategy to achieve optimal performance. These additional benefits highlight the report’s emphasis on education across every facet of an organization, from technical to business – which Michael sees as critical for building consensus around the modernization investment.“I think it takes a lot of education for tech leads and architects,” he expressed. “They need to get the message that the technical depth in the stack is holding them back from achieving the business results they want. But if you talk to people who are more on the business side of things about technical depth, they don't see an internal rework as necessarily positive – they see it as pricey. It takes six months to rework all this, [so] they don't push those projects forward. But the report shows that there's also education needed for owners of those architectures, so they understand that modernization will pay off. It takes some time but it will pay off – big time.”And that sounds like a future worth fighting for. To download the full report, visit <a target="_blank" href="https://hygraph.com/resources/future-of-content">https://hygraph.com/resources/future-of-content</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.

Is your CMS holding you back? Hygraph’s survey reveals insights about the future of content

<hr /> One of the key advantages of the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-publishes-first-annual-report-showcases-industry-impact-and-plans-for-2024">MACH Alliance’s</a> 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: <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/agility">Agility CMS</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/netlify">Netlify</a>. The duo just introduced an enhanced integration that harnesses the robust features of Agility’s headless CMS with <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.netlify.com/connect/overview/">Netlify Connect</a> – 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 <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">Content Management Systems (CMS)</a>. "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 <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/playing-to-win-in-the-headless-cms-game-interview-with-joel-varty-cto-at-agility">Joel Varty</a>, 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.<h3 id="netting-an-integration-with-netlify">Netting an integration with Netlify</h3>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 <a target="_blank" href="https://graphql.com/">GraphQL API</a> (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 <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/gatsby">Gatsby</a>,” 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.”<h3 id="what’s-next-for-agility-and-netlify">What’s next for Agility and Netlify</h3>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 <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.netlify.com/create/overview/">Netlify Create</a>, 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 <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js</a> to provide examples for our partners to get started with this, as well as new starters for <a target="_blank" href="https://remix.run/">Remix</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://astro.build/">Astro</a>,” 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."<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>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.  <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.

Agility CMS and Netlify Connect Launch New Unified Content Integration Solution

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