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<hr /> If there’s a song lyric that captures the ethos of Switzerland, this one comes to mind from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozl3L9fhKtE">Fleetwood Mac</a>: “You can go your own way…”This classic was spinning on turntables and jukeboxes in the mid-1970s, but the Swiss have been rockin’ to the beat of their own drum for over 500 years – back when the country first established its venerated stance on neutrality. With a rich history of non-conformist geopolitical leanings, it’s not surprising that Switzerland is embracing open source software (OSS) with greater purpose and intention, while much of the West remains hesitant – particularly in government circles. Just how serious are the Swiss about OSS? Last year, the country passed what it calls the <a target="_blank" href="https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/new-open-source-law-switzerland">Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Means for the Fulfillment of Government Tasks</a> (EMBAG for short), a law requiring public sector entities to provide their software as open source. This applies to any code or applications they’ve developed (or had developed by a third party) provided it doesn’t compromise any rights or create security issues. While many of the tenets are still being implemented, the Swiss government and its contractors must release their software code under an OSS license, promising an entirely new level of transparency around government practices. A year after the law’s final adoption, EMBAG continues to challenge existing perceptions of OSS across the EU, and might just be the model for the future. That may sound wildly ambitious to some – foolhardy to others – but it also makes perfect sense. Like the Swiss, OSS is steeped in a deep legacy of democratic and social idealism, embodying the spirit of freedom and community.But in a world where trust can be easily exploited, is it a good idea for government agencies to be so open about their software?I recently caught up with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-bolt-lesniak/">Mathias Bolt Lesniak</a>, an open source evangelist at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.toujou.com/">toujou</a> (a SaaS website building platform based in Norway) and Project Ambassador at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/typo3-association/">TYPO3 Association</a>. We’ve spoken previously about his involvement with the <a target="_blank" href="https://typo3.org/project/press/press-releases/open-website-alliance/english">Open Web Alliance</a>, a cabal of the world’s leading open source CMSs – <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/joomla">Joomla</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/TYPO3">TYPO3</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> – which assembled in the wake of the <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/cyber-resilience-act">EU’s Cyber Resilience Act</a>. The Alliance perceived this emerging policy as a threat to free and open source software like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems</a>, assigning responsibility for safety and security considerations regardless of how their CMS software is being utilized or customized. Their efforts culminated in an open letter to the EU about a myriad of issues – including the financial implications – and reinforced the benefits of open source. As an expert in OSS (or “FOSS” when it's free), Mathias had some thoughts on the evolution of Switzerland’s law and what it signals about the future. While other countries in the EU are also investing in the promise of open source, governments abroad are less bullish about the prospects. WordPress, the open source CMS goliath, continues to <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/about/features/">power over 43% of all websites</a> on the planet. Despite this staggering reach, there’s much work to be done to advance OSS principles in all corners of the globe, particularly in the public sector. But EMBAG just moved the ball further down the field – and if the Swiss don't miss, it could change the game. <h3 id="the-long-road-to-open-source">The long road to open source</h3>The adoption of EMBAG was certainly a legal milestone, and more than a decade in the making. Over that period, the Swiss government was embroiled in lengthy political and legal battles. There were numerous questions about existing agreements and the weight of international law. But in the end, the Swiss government achieved cooperation, applying radical changes to its e-government practices – specifically as it relates to the free reuse of its open source code.Unlike other legislation efforts, EMBAG also breaks new ground by mandating the release of broader government data. While this precludes personal or highly secure information, its Open Government Data (OGD) model goes beyond transparency – easing the friction around reusing data for other applications and encouraging greater innovation and collaboration between government agencies. <h3 id="an-alignment-of-democratic-ideals">An alignment of democratic ideals</h3>I asked Mathias about the promises and pitfalls of EMBAG, and where the potential of success – or failure – might exist. He had some strong observations on the role of governance in the equation, and how that could influence the overall trajectory. “My primary reaction, of course, is that this is great,” he said “I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of it, because this is a project that can go really well, or it can go not so well. I think it depends on the governance aspect of how it's actually implemented. Switzerland, of course, is one of these places that has a really strong democratic tradition – and democracy is what I usually point to when I talk about the positive things open source can bring into countries. It's a kind of ‘learning ground’ for democratic practices. And Switzerland, of course, has had this amazing, direct democracy for hundreds of years.”As Mathias codified, one might say that the Swiss were “culturally prepared” for a shift towards OSS, making it an ideal stage for employing such a groundbreaking piece of legislation. Other countries like France have professed a predilection towards open source, but none have gone this far with their public sector standards.  <hr /> <h4 style="text-align:center" id="“democracy-is-what-i-usually-point-to-when-i-talk-about-the-positive-things-open-source-can-bring-into-countries.”">“Democracy is what I usually point to when I talk about the positive things open source can bring into countries.”</h4> <hr /> The cards might be stacked against any country willing to dive this deep with open source. According to Mathias, there are several things that might help ensure positive outcomes as Switzerland looks to successfully execute this policy.“One of the things I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing is the Swiss building expertise around open source systems, as well as their small to medium supplier market,” he observed. “Open source has this ability, because it gives people the possibility to learn and use it outside of the originally intended use case.” Mathias also sees a runway for expanding the reuse of government software by other entities within Switzerland as well as outside the country. To his point, the Swiss have long cultivated a reputation for superior products and technologies (watches come to mind). As he sees it, there may be a heightened demand for Swiss OSS that far exceeds its current charter – perhaps even a “Swiss standard” for government software. To that end, Mathias sees the adoption of EMBAG as a clear signal that Switzerland recognizes the true potential of open source, widening the aperture well beyond its peers in the EU and abroad. <h3 id="the-struggle-with-security">The struggle with security</h3>Despite the palpable pros, open source has wrestled with the central challenge of trust. And it makes sense: you open your code to the world, and the question of security naturally follows. Accountability is also a major point of friction, as any issues with code or functionality often belong to a community, which can present barriers to solving critical problems.To be fair, all software is vulnerable – and we’re seeing just how vulnerable on a daily basis. Hacks and threats are becoming commonplace, and large open source systems like WordPress provide a much larger surface area for exploits. That said, proprietary software is target-rich and bountiful for likes of ransomware. Just take a quick peek at <a target="_blank" href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/acknowledgement">Microsoft’s security update guide</a> and you’ll get a long and troubling list of vulnerabilities that have cropped up over time.No software should ever be deemed completely secure. But relative to proprietary platforms, open source can hold its own – and in some instances, might even be considered a safer bet. One example: because OSS isn’t controlled by a single vendor, anyone can monitor, locate, and remediate vulnerabilities. This can be a force multiplier for security and governance.At the end of the day, does this build enough trust for public sector agencies to open their code? Do the rewards outweigh the risks?“I think it definitely builds trust,” Mathias said. “Any country that adopts open source so fully is really a sign that its government understands all of the good stuff that you can do with it.”<h3 id="why-is-the-u.s.-less-bullish-on-open-source?">Why is the U.S. less bullish on open source?</h3>The European market teetered on the brink of recession throughout 2023. There were certainly a few bright spots, but by in large, the entire continent struggled as the U.S. boomed, losing pace in the race for AI and suffering setbacks in areas like electric vehicles. According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/europe-regulates-its-way-to-last-place-2a03c21d">Wall Street Journal article</a> published in January, there is one field where the EU still leads the world – and that’s regulation. This has been a benefit in areas like controlling carbon emissions and advancing data privacy. But its penchant for draconian rulemaking has also stymied its economic agility when competing with China and the U.S.Of course, it’s not all about competition. There is this thing called humanity, and countries like Switzerland seem interested in policies that protect citizens and serve the public interest while promoting digital sovereignty and stoking innovation. Many would claim that doing good and driving economic growth aren’t mutually exclusive, but some EU companies are proving the opposite. <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/umbraco-publishes-annual-impact-report-reinforcing-commitments-to-sustainability-and-community">A great example in the CMS world is Umbraco</a>, which is investing deeply in sustainability and DEI strategies while activating growth (it also happens to be an open source platform).We’ve already established that open source can overcome questions about its security and stability – and based on <a target="_blank" href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/open-source-software-the-nine-trillion-resource-companies-take-for-granted">research from Frank Nagle</a> at the Harvard Business School, 96% of commercial programs include some form of OSS in their mix – making it absolutely critical to the global economy. Now, the Swiss are advocating open source for government at the highest level.So why has it been slow to catch on in the U.S. public sector?Well, for starters, there’s certainly support for it. Just a few years ago, the <a target="_blank" href="https://thenewstack.io/how-the-u-s-air-force-deployed-kubernetes-and-istio-on-an-f-16-in-45-days">U.S. Air Force began deploying applications</a> on F-16s utilizing a hybrid cloud strategy via Kubernetes – an open source system for pushing, scaling, and managing containerized apps. The U.S. federal government also requires agencies to release a percentage of its custom code as OSS. That said, there are no mandates like the one Switzerland has introduced – and very little incentive for public sector agencies to invest heavily in open source. I asked Mathias about this marked difference between the U.S. and Europe, and what the underlying factors might be.“I think there's a difference in tradition,” he said. “The U.S. and Europe have different ways of funding for open source projects, to be very black and white. Europe has much more of a government-centric funding model, where the public sector supports projects. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/">German Sovereign Tech Fund</a>, for example, is a government construct for capitalizing open source projects. And in the U.S., it seems that it's much more reliant on private capital. I think both of those can work as funding solutions, but governments are going to be motivated by public service to a much larger degree than private funding.”That said, the EU's well might be running dry on public funding for OSS. In July, the European Commission <a target="_blank" href="https://fossforce.com/2024/07/is-the-european-commission-dropping-support-for-important-open-source-funding/">neglected to include</a> any Next Generation Internet (NGI) programs in its budget for 2025. NGI has been fiercely committed to building a trustworthy internet by funding over a thousand open source projects through its NGI Zero Commons Fund. If this disappears, many OSS projects may come to a halt.<h3 id="opening-up-the-open-source-promise-">Opening up the open source promise </h3>While EMBAG is providing a template for other EU nations – and the world – it’s still early days. There are aspects of the policy that still need shaking out. But as Mathias observed, the news is sparking great interest around open source and its potential for continued growth.There are clear benefits for the Swiss as they embark on this journey. Aside from the foundation of greater openness and transparency, OSS eliminates inhibitors like vendor lock-in and other compromises that come with selecting proprietary software. More importantly, it drives efficiency by enabling the reuse of code and improving productivity through collaboration. As Mathias sees it, open source can provide governments with greater choice and control –  the essential ingredients for accelerating time to mission and supporting the needs of citizens and communities. Being able to share and reuse OSS code can help activate the potential. “Selecting open source doesn't have to mean you select a single model or one open source piece of software to rule them all,” he explained. “You can also create and fund a collaboration between different projects so that they can reuse the same kind of code. And I think that's an opportunity that is much more relevant when the government is participating. We share information openly, and that’s something that can benefit existing platforms and the development of new platforms for things like government ID.”Mathias is also predicting unexpected ways that open source might deliver greater impact and value.“Governments have an opportunity to support some of areas that are often forgotten, or that receive little focus from open source developers, and one of those is UX,” he said. “For example, many open source systems have been built by developers who build them in a ‘developer way.’ The first thing they think about is functionality and not UX, and governments have the possibility to fund that missing layer of making open source so usable that everyone will adopt it. If that happens, we might see open source platforms that are being compared beyond their feature sets.”We’ve had numerous discussions in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/">Boye &amp; Company CMS Experts Group</a> about Gartner’s persistent “overlooking” of open source platforms on its MQ reports. We know revenue is an obstacle (among other requirements), but there’s also a latent undercurrent of negative perception around OSS when it comes to enterprise software decisions.As the Swiss swing for the fences and once again “go their own way,” perhaps more OSS solutions will attain a new level of respect in the minds of market watchers. Of course, that shift will require a deeper understanding of the true nature of open source:It’s less about code – and more about culture.  <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.

The Swiss Don’t Miss on Open Source: How Switzerland's EMBAG Law is Evolving the OSS Landscape

matt-garrepy

Contentstack just acquired Lytics, a real-time customer data platform. Here’s why it matters

<hr /> There's no denying that 2024's Wicked is an Oscar-worthy flick. In fact, it's already been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/12/17/oscars-shortlists-announced-emilia-prez-and-wicked-lead/">shortlisted for multiple categories.</a>But hey, we think CMS is pretty wicked, too. And there are a few platforms that might be spellbinding enough for a trophy or two. Of course, it’s not up to us – at least not during the annual <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards">CMS Critic Awards</a>. During this contest, we put you in the judge’s seat, so you can tell us what CMS and related DX tools really defied gravity in 2024.Keep scrolling for more background and the house rules, but here's how it works: Make your nominations at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/nominate">www.cmscritic.com/nominate.</a> We take the top five contenders across a range of categories, open that up to general voting, and announce the victors in late February.Hollywood can have its glam and glitz, but it doesn’t hold a candle to schema and workflows. Content is the real star of this musical, and the CMS Critic Awards is an opportunity for you to sing the praises of the platforms that power your digital experiences. <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew02JL1FcZg"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ew02JL1FcZg" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="it's-all-about-community">It's all about community</h3>If you’re not familiar, the CMS Critic Awards is an institution in the content management industry. It unites rabid fans across the globe to rally around the tools they love – no small feat in today’s fleeting technology landscape. But CMS is its own sort of bewitching ecosystem. With well-established enterprise vendors and a plethora of open source platforms, CMS enjoys some of the most loyal user communities in the tech pantheon. That’s why we’ve had such incredible participation over the past 12 years, making ours one of the longest-running awards programs in our industry (you can check out<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards"> all the previous winners here</a>).While CMS is our Emerald City, we also make space for the expanded ecosystem of products. Over the last decade, we've seen the tornadic rise of digital experience technologies, from pure-play to fully integrated. To that end, we include categories for e-commerce, digital asset management, and even product information management. If it's a system that manages content, we want to celebrate it.In a land where technology can feel like it’s riding a broomstick, the CMS Critic Awards is proof that loyalty still lives – and people make all the difference.<h3 id="what-to-expect-with-this-year’s-categories">What to expect with this year’s categories</h3>2024. Man, what a whirlwind. This was the year <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/wp-engine-wins-an-injunction-against-automattic-is-the-wordpress-scorched-earth-campaign-over">WordPress turned open source upside down</a>. The drama surrounding Matt Mullenweg’s contentious and public battle with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wp-engine">WP Engine</a> took the tech world by storm, and the future feels decidedly unsettled. That said, WordPress still represents a crucial part of the market, and we want to know what your favorite tools are in this category, from <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> to proprietary platforms with free and open source versions of their software.This was also the year that many platforms “moved to the middle.” Traditionally headless players like Contentstack <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/seeing-in-a-headless-world-contentstack-introduces-new-visual-building-capabilities-for-marketers">introduced visual builders</a> and preview capabilities, evolving into composable CMSes and DXPs. Meanwhile, pre-composed DXPs continued adding <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-introduces-new-saas-cms-with-visual-builder-for-marketers">headless capabilities and SaaS options</a> to become… well, more composable. From a category perspective, 2024 was a critical tipping point – and one that created more features and greater flexibility for buyers and customers. What does this mean for this year’s Awards categories? When nominating, the spectrum for “Best Headless CMS” can certainly be applied to more than just the pure play platforms – and likewise, a DXP can be inclusive of previous headless players that have advanced their feature sets. Tell us what you think.There were also a lot of moves in the DAM world, with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/canto-pim-unites-dam-and-product-information-management-streamlining-asset-and-data-workflows">Canto gobbling up Image Relay</a> and Cloudinary adding <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cloudinary-assets-brings-new-ai-powered-features-to-its-api-first-intelligent-dam">more AI-powered capabilities</a>. Still, there are DXPs with built-in DAMs that can hold their own – and now with greater composable flexibility (think <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities">Acquia’s acquisition of Widen</a>). To that end, you can nominate your favorite pure play or composed solution. And we’ve even made space for your top PIM picks, whether they’re part of a combined DAM/PIM solution or a standalone product. CMS and DXP platforms offer multiple features and capabilities. As always, if you feel a single vendor can live in more than one category, it’s your choice to nominate it. During last year's CMS Critic Awards, we had a huge showing in our “Best Composable Solution” and “Best AI Solution” categories. They're back again, so feel free to nominate any vendor in our space that delivered the most innovative composable or generative AI experience. <h3 id="a-note-about-integrity">A note about integrity</h3>The CMS Critic Awards are intended to be fun and friendly. But they do, at times, get a little fiery. Every year, we receive thousands of ballots. Users come together like wolfpacks, championing the platforms they love. We also intercept a number of, shall we say, “passionate” pleas, demanding to know why certain platforms were in a specific category, or why their tool wasn’t in the running. As always, we try to operate in a space of respect and integrity. Obviously, if a platform isn’t truly open source, it won’t be considered for “Best Open Source CMS.” But now more than ever, we're blurring the proverbial lines – and let’s face it, the analysts are also compounding the problem. So, our editorial team endeavors to stay out of the nominating process. As a reminder, we only take the top five in each category by nomination count, so anything below that won’t be featured in the final voting. <h3 id="how-to-make-your-nominations-for-the-2024-cms-critic-awards-">How to make your nominations for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards </h3>Drum roll… nominations for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards are officially open! Here’s how you can participate:<ol><li>Visit <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cmscritic.com/nominate">www.cmscritic.com/nominate</a></li><li>Fill out the required fields and enter the names of your nominees in each category. You don't have to include a nomination for every category – only complete the fields that you care about, and your ballot will be counted. Remember that you can nominate the same vendor in multiple categories.</li><li>Once completed, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the form. </li><li>You can only nominate once, and companies or brands that offer incentives of any kind will be disqualified.</li><li>Spread the word! Remember to share and encourage others to participate, especially across your social channels.</li></ol>Nominations close on January 24, 2025, so get out there and rally your communities! Once we tabulate the results, we’ll announce the top five for general voting in early February via email and social. Don’t be green with envy. Show us how wicked your communities really are – and make your nominations today! <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – St. Petersburg, FloridaJoin industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Your Voice, Your Choice: Nominations are Open for the 2024 CMS Critic Awards

cms-critic-staff

What's the MACH vibe in 2025? Here are 3 predictions (and more)

<hr /> It wouldn’t be December without a Christmas story that warms your heart. Especially if it’s three sizes too small. Of course, every good holiday tale needs a protagonist who experiences some magnificent transformation. So let’s start with a little Scrooging before pouring the spiked egg nog.Our merry friends at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/storyblok">Storyblok</a>, a headless CMS that has positioned itself simply as a “content management system,” recently published some sobering survey data. The big takeaway: 93% of marketers and developers say their current CMS is falling short of expectations, and a lot of the frustration stems from integrations.To that end, the consensus among survey participants is that platform integration failures could impact revenue this holiday season, a time when brands and retailers are banking on digital commerce to stuff their annual stockings. ‘Twas the nightmare before Christmas? Indeed. And it's likely to result in an urgent call-to-action to improve reliance on the stack – specifically the CMS layer – in 2025. Ho, ho, hold on a minute. It’s not to say that cheeks aren’t rosy in other areas of the digital marketing machine. The study indicated that businesses are spending an average of over $453,000 on martech per year. That’s healthy by any measure, but the effectiveness of that investment could be in jeopardy if <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems</a> aren’t living up to their fullest potential. So what’s a brand to do? It’s not as simple as asking Santa for a solution. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/storyblok-is-writing-its-next-chapter-with-an-80m-series-c-heres-why-it-matters">Storyblok’s CEO Dominik Angerer</a>, whom I’ve spoken to multiple times this year, the core challenges can be traced back to legacy systems that lack flexibility and interoperability – and a move to headless could turn that lump of coal into a diamond.“This survey shows that many companies are hitting the limits of their current CMS,” he said. “They are dreaming of a CMS that’s keeping all their systems in sync without constant workarounds.”And dreaming of sugar plum fairies who deliver an easy transition, right? Therein lies part of the problem: moving to a new CMS can be costly and time-consuming, and embracing composable architectures (more the domain of large enterprises) can take years to fully realize. Time is also tight, and organizations need to move quickly, especially when the holiday blitz is a 'Blitzen. This is why many platforms have embraced a multi-CMS ecosystem – with a strong reliance on headless platforms – to roadmap a more holistic solution. But is headless really the panacea for all these challenges? Let’s unwrap some of the data that Storyblok left under the tree.<h3 id="deck-the-halls-with-integration-frustration">Deck the halls with integration frustration</h3>With customers like Adidas, Netflix, and Disney on its roster, Storyblok has cultivated deep insights around use cases and patterns for headless CMS at a global enterprise level. That was clearly a benefit when conducting the research, which reflects how some of the world’s biggest brands feel stymied by outdated legacy tech stacks that can’t keep pace with their evolving needs.For the research itself, Storyblok surveyed 300 IT and marketing leaders at global businesses, a third of which had stated revenues of over $100 million. Participants were asked a range of questions about their company’s CMS with an explicit focus on the arc for integrating new tools and applications as part of their existing tech stack. One important note, which speaks to the reality of the enterprise market and a smidge of headless bias: all surveyed companies in the report use monolithic CMSes. That’s not a shocker, but it’s a relevant assumption that the data might be telegraphed around inherent criticisms of large enterprise CMS and DXP platforms. To that end, 93% of respondents aired grievances, specifically around the limited integration options with other services and tools in their tech stack. Two in five also stated that they are constantly in need of a better integration experience, while a quarter found integrations “difficult,” illustrating the urgency for more flexible solutions.So much for the “seamlessly integrates” tagline that often accompanies the marketing around many platforms in the ecosystem. Humbug.<h3 id="all-i-want-for-christmas-is-up-to-date-content">All I want for Christmas is up-to-date content</h3>Outdated content is an epidemic, particularly for highly distributed global organizations – and it’s not just at the CMS layer. Maintaining up-to-date digital assets has been a precarious function as well, which is why we’ve seen significant investments in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cloudinary-assets-brings-new-ai-powered-features-to-its-api-first-intelligent-dam">AI-powered capabilities across DAMs and PIMs</a>. As Dominik Angerer stated in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/storyblok-is-writing-its-next-chapter-with-an-80m-series-c-heres-why-it-matters">one of our previous interviews</a>, “A CMS can’t just be a place where your content is sent to die." And yet, it often is for so many companies – something the research also manages to codify. According to the study, frustration over outdated content continues to be a widespread problem. Most respondents reported that 20% to 30% of their CMS content is no longer relevant, with only one-third updating content on a monthly basis – or less. To make matters worse, 37% admitted to not having an audit or update process that works for them. Translation: there’s no reliable governance, which can result not only in poor experiences for users but also financial and even legal liabilities. <h3 id="jingling-with-marketers-and-developers">Jingling with marketers and developers</h3>The elves aren’t playing nicely in the workshop – a fact we’ve been abundantly aware of for quite some time. As headless CMS platforms rose in popularity, marketers were left in the cold, becoming more reliant on developers to modify their digital experiences. At the same time, monolithic CMS and DXP platforms inherited more complexity (often through acquisitions), resulting in a similar paradigm.I’ve been chatting about this with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/uniforms-enterprise-visual-workspace-unifies-content-data-ai-and-technology-in-a-single-cloud-for-marketers">industry leaders like Darren Guarnaccia</a> for the last few years. In 2023, he noted that while composable headless technologies are a boon for developers and technical audiences, “it’s been kind of horrible for the businesses.” This reality underscored the mad rush to add visual building, previewing, and editing capabilities to CMS tooling – from <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-introduces-new-saas-cms-with-visual-builder-for-marketers">Optimizely</a> to <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/agility-cms-web-studio-aims-to-streamline-content-creation-and-collaboration">Agility</a> – and nearly every platform now has it as an expected feature. But these new capabilities are still catching up, and technology isn’t the only sore spot. According to Storyblok’s research, the collaboration between marketers and developers continues to be strained, with 40% saying it’s either “ineffective” or “nonexistent.” That’s a big number, and likely reflects some of the cultural challenges that exist between marketing and IT functions.What’s at the core of this rift? Basic stuff, really. For example, a marketer might want to update a post or make fast edits across multiple pages. Unfortunately, in many legacy CMS deployments, that might require the help of a developer each time (Darren referred to these instances as “tickets,” which those of us with support experience know all too well). This is because certain types of changes in a CMS are often complex and can ripple across an entire site. Of course, this back-and-forth can create huge bottlenecks and delays, utlimately adding months and potentially extra zeroes to the cost of a project. But Dominik feels this is where a modern headless CMS can differentiate and solve the problem. “A headless CMS can eliminate these holdups,” he said. “These flexible, integration-friendly systems meet the needs of both marketers and developers.”<h3 id="last-christmas,-i-gave-you-my-content…">Last Christmas, I gave you my content…</h3>And the very next day? Well, at least some users start a slow, downward slide toward CMS regret. In fairness, the honeymoon might last a little longer. But when you’re sold on the potential of “seamless integrations,” only to find that things aren’t so seamless, it feels like Krampus coming down the chimney. At this time of the year, brands are under increased pressure to drive conversions and sales. Clearly, some teams are disillusioned by their experiences and most of the blame lands in the boots of the tech stack. And yet, the problems persist. Storyblok published a previous study that revealed almost half of all businesses are literally “embarrassed” by their website. Ouch. That same report also found that business leaders estimate a poor website UX leads to $72,000 in lost sales each year.To be sure, there’s some predictable marketer’s lament in all of this (every brand pro is on a quest for what they don’t have). But it does codify how disappointing a legacy CMS experience can be for many users and organizations – despite spending all that previously mentioned cheddar on martech. Looking ahead, integration will continue to scale in importance. This is due to the accelerating growth of new technologies and the persistent need to manage data from multiple systems. According to Storyblok, this must be prioritized – because what’s at stake is the continued erosion of time, money, and resources.There are many choices when it comes to CMS platforms. Most are solid in their own way, and it’s usually not just the architecture or functionality that makes them naughty or nice – it’s how they’re applied as part of a broader stack. In some cases, headless is an ideal solution. But when a decision about any CMS isn’t carefully approached, it can result in a less-than-satisfying outcome.In terms of reaching the limitations, some practitioners might be approaching their problems from the wrong vector – and certain strategies could be employed to resolve the bottlenecks and challenges. In this case, headless CMSes have an advantage when it comes to integrating with other solutions that displace the issues or extend capabilities in the right way. That said, large enterprise DXPs have made significant headway when it comes to delivering more modular solutions for their customers, which can offer some of the same benefits of interoperability and API-driven integration. Do you mine a lump of coal, hoping it keeps burning? Or do you make the leap to something new? This realm of optimization is something that many organizations will be wrestling with as they assess the 2024 holiday season and beyond. The good news: we’re talking about the challenges, and working to overcome them.Who knows? Maybe next Christmas will bring some cheerier numbers. Until then, we'll be making our list and checking it twice. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-storyblok?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Storyblok?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaMeet industry leaders at our third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a>

Legacy CMS leaving a lump of coal in your stacking? Research says the best gift could be headless

<hr /> A logo can be an incredibly divisive thing. Think about it: A person or business endeavors to crystallize its brand tenets with a singular pictographic touchpoint, balancing legibility with artistic flare – and hopefully communicating something about its purpose.Accomplishing that is a tall order. Then you realize everyone has an opinion. It makes the whole prospect of creating a good identity feel challenging and risky. And yet, it's a vital and elemental fixture in every brand ecosystem.In an age where a logo's price has been vastly diminished (you can buy one for peanuts on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fiverr.com/">Fiverr</a> or use free tools to make one yourself), their value is conversely increasing. Why? Because good logos, reinforced by a cohesive brand architecture, can help break through the digital noise and build a solid foundation for integrated marketing programs. OK, but striking gold with a subtle “arrow” in your FedEx typography? Hard to replicate. Even more precarious are logo makeovers of established marks, which are often met with mixed fanfare. But when done right, a refresh can reinvigorate a brand’s perception and energize a moment of change.That was clearly part of the calculus for the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-expands-certification-scope-to-include-offerings-within-larger-vendors">MACH Alliance</a> this week. The not-for-profit industry body – dedicated to advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems – just unveiled its refreshed identity to the world. Along with the updated mark, which still manages to evoke some “quirkiness” while growing up (more on that in a bit), the Alliance revealed an updated mission statement that reflects its steadfast commitment as composable stewards for enterprises making the journey to MACH.In tandem, the Alliance announced several key initiatives to strengthen its position as a technology leader and reflect the maturity of MACH and composability across the broader market. As MACH technologies become a strategic mandate for more business leaders, the Alliance is staying in lockstep, dedicating its resources to supporting wider adoption around business considerations.To that end, the Alliance has elected a new board that includes its first business leader Chairperson: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobhowland/">Bob Howland</a>. As the former Chief Digital Officer at Dawn Foods, Howland will head up the Alliance’s Executive Board, providing the organization with external perspective to help bolster its strategy, align priorities, and reinforce its accountability and expectations as a neutral industry body.“The MACH Alliance is at a key inflection point,” Howland said. “These appointments and new mission and vision reflect the organization’s understanding that MACH principles are no longer radical but an established approach to enterprise business. Composability and MACH are the new norm, and the MACH Alliance must step up and support businesses to not only leverage but embrace the opportunity.”<h3 id="new-leaders-join-seasoned-board-members">New leaders join seasoned board members</h3>As part of this news package, the Alliance announced four appointments to its Executive Board, representing diverse backgrounds in both business and technology. Board members are staunch evangelists and ambassadors of MACH, vocalizing its benefits of open and transformative composable architectures. The Alliance board includes nine seats, with each appointee elected for two-year terms. Members went through a comprehensive nomination process that began in August, culminating with voting in September. The new board held its inaugural meeting in Chicago last week.In addition to Howland’s appointment as Chairperson, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen">Casper Rasmussen</a> – global SVP at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.valtech.com/en-us/">Valtech</a> – was re-elected to the board and will remain as president of the Alliance. Rasmussen drives the association’s global strategy and has been chartered with leading the Alliance’s continued growth and revamped mission. Board members <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jguthmann/">Jasmin Guthmann</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/krithikaganesamoorthi/">Krithika Ganesamoorthi</a> have also been appointed as co-vice presidents who will serve on the Executive Board’s leadership team. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-selvon-1488958/">Dom Selvon</a>, CTO at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.applydigital.com/">Apply Digital</a>, was also re-elected to the board and appointed as a co-vice president. Selvon has made great strides in supporting the Alliance’s Technology Councils and Interoperability Taskforce.In terms of new members, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlymatenchuk/">Kimberly Matenchuk</a>, managing director at <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/">Cloudinary</a>, has joined the board. Matenchuk is based in the UK and will lead the Alliance’s DEIB strategy – including the fast-growing <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-empowers-gender-equality-with-new-women-in-mach-deib-scoring-tool">Women in MACH initiative</a>. Additionally, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/malteubl/">Malte Ubl</a>, CTO at <a target="_blank" href="https://vercel.com/">Vercel</a>, will bring a new voice to the board, providing high-level expertise on AI and MACH’s role in working with innovative technologies. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amertali/">Amer Ali</a>, VP of finance at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/netlify">Netlify</a>, has also been appointed as the Alliance’s Treasurer.<h3 id="leveling-up-the-mach-mission">Leveling up the MACH mission</h3>As the Alliance rounds the corner to its fifth year in service, the organization has overhauled its mission, vision, and branding to reflect its maturity – and support the scaling demand for open, composable technology solutions. The MACH Alliance has seen consistent growth since 2020, partnering with industry leaders like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mach-alliance-announces-paypal-is-the-first-company-to-join-new-supporter-membership-category-301866133.html">Paypal</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/j-p-morgan-joins-mach-alliance-fueling-the-importance-of-composability-in-a-future-ready-digital-ecosystem">J.P. Morgan</a>. It has also expanded beyond its European roots to North America – which represents a much larger addressable market for MACH solutions. The Alliance has also <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/mach-alliance-announces-mach-impact-award-winners">championed</a> high-impact global companies leveraging MACH like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/clarks-kraft-heinz-take-top-honors-in-mach-impact-awards-at-mach-three">Kraft Heinz and Clarks</a>.To maintain pace and better serve its members and the market, the Alliance has been steadily expanding its educational programs, tools, and community resources – something we’ve covered over the last year. Its foundational learning platform, <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/ridemach">rideMACH</a>, has seen over 1,100 registrations since its launch, reflecting the growing interest among industry professionals to elevate their MACH skillset.Also worth noting: the Alliance launched an <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/interoperability">Interoperability Hub</a> for resources and best practices, which it plans to fortify into 2025. Looking ahead to next year, the Alliance has also chosen Chicago for its <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/events/composable-conference-25">MACH FOUR flagship event</a>. “The Composable Conference” is slotted for April 22-24, and we can expect more details over the coming months. If you’re curious about attending MACH FOUR, you can <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/events/composable-conference-25">register your interest</a> now.<h3 id="refreshing-a-logo-from-its-“rebellious”-roots-">Refreshing a logo from its “rebellious” roots </h3>It’s hard to imagine the MACH Alliance without its signature graffiti-style logo. Suffice it to say, the 1.0 version captured the zeitgeist of the composable movement as it roared on the scene. It was irreverent, disruptive, a little pedestrian, and reflected a rebellious spirit that crystallized its intent. There was also an organic fluidity and a humanizing quality that counterbalanced its representation of tech. All unique attributes of a memorable mark. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:48.51%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/10/mach-alliance-1.png" alt="" /></figure> At the same time, I recall some voices that “mocked” the MACH styling, suggesting it was too cavalier for a professional organization. That might have played into some of the decision-making as it introduced its new graphical solution.To be clear, it's not a wholesale transformation; the colors have been maintained, and other dimensions of the brand template are intact. Does the refreshed text make it a bit more predictable? To a degree. At its core, it feels more “tech conventional,” normalized from a radical state. On the plus side, this renders the logo more legible than its predecessor. The edges are sharper and stronger, and the whole mark evokes maturity. While it's a far cry from its previous skin, it still manages to be a little funky with its interconnected typography. But here’s where it shines: the configuration embodies composability. The letters represent an amalgam of diverse geometries orchestrated by uniform typography. That's not overly intuitive on its face, but this video helps outline the blueprint of shapes defining its structure: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiw4QhOWMfQ"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aiw4QhOWMfQ" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> While this evolution sheds some of the rambunctiousness of its heritage, it still retains a quirky sensibility – like it’s dressing for the office but still wearing its Chuck Taylors. And that might be exactly the right blend of visual flare to reflect where the Alliance is in its lifecycle: a place where business and technology considerations are coexisting and even thriving.I didn't intend to get hyper-analytical about logo aesthetics. But again, there's more value and subtext here than we might realize. It's evident that a lot of careful thought and creativity went into this transformation, even if it meant departing from a well-established identity. It's also worth reminding ourselves that change is always uncomfortable. It should shift us, force us to reexamine things. With this brand refresh, it’s clear that the MACH Alliance is aiming to do just that – while maintaining aspects of a legacy that ignited growth.In a digital ecosystem where many software platforms and products are embracing composability, this grand experiment – born from a place of disruption – is looking for new ways to deliver guidance, expertise, and value. And of course, evoke trust while remaining relevant to its members and the market. There's more to it than a logo. Bringing business stakeholders into the mix further reinforces the Alliance's commitment to growing beyond its original charter. Another reason why change is good. For what it’s worth, this is a bold and successful move for an organization that has never been afraid to shake things up.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2024"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">Sitecore Symposium</a> 2024</h4>October 15-18, 2024 – Nashville, TennesseeStandout digital experiences start here! Sitecore Symposium is the leading industry conference for digital professionals to learn about digital experience management, digital customer experience, and related marketing topics. Featuring 100+ sessions, 40+ top customer brands, and Sitecore's largest gathering of marketing leaders, technologists, and our partner ecosystem. <a target="_blank" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today!</a> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

New Logo, New Leaders: MACH Alliance Announces Key Board Appointments and Brand Refresh

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

<hr /> The MACH Alliance has always maintained a fiery passion for challenging the status quo and tearing down walls. Its zeal has been reflected in the championing of composability and a persistent quest for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems. Since its founding in 2020, the organization has also become an ambassador for change within the “human” architectures of technology organizations, specifically around the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This commitment is manifested in the Alliance's core values and expressed in the development of programs and resources to help guide technology companies to a more meaningful posture around social responsibility, sustainability, and DEI. Initiatives like the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/women-in-machs-2023-flagship-event-plans-to-go-beyond-boundaries-in-madrid">Women in MACH</a> program best exemplify its motivations, elevating the voices of women across their MACH membership community and serving as a template for the broader technology landscape.Last week, the not-for-profit advocacy group introduced a new resource to help tech companies gain clarity and divine actionable insight for improving their DEI efforts. <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/deib-maturity-assessment">The Women in MACH DEIB Scoring Tool</a> is a novel solution designed to accurately measure, track, and improve an organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – specifically in the MACH space. That last piece about “belonging” is a differentiated aspect of the tool’s ethos. While not a new addition to the traditional DEI TLA (three-lettered acronym), belonging has gained traction in certain corners of organizational culture. <a target="_blank" href="https://deib-rise.ctb.ku.edu/deib-understanding-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging/">A number of universities</a>, for example, have been spearheading the evolution of DEI and wrapping the concept of belonging into their toolboxes. In this vertical use case, belonging speaks to an individual student or faculty member’s perceived sense of connectedness and the feeling of being accepted, respected, and valued by their peers and community.The same holds true for employees at tech companies, where belonging has taken on a new imperative within the DEI rubric. Measuring how an organization supports and engages with team members is becoming a key component for reinforcing the well-being of its people, which ultimately translates into better performance and outcomes. HR departments are embracing more of an intersectional lens to support employee growth, and adding belonging to the classic DEI methodology is becoming an important part of an evolving strategy.  While many enterprises have invested in DEI – including the appointment of dedicated executive leadership – there is still significant work to be done. This is where the DEIB Scoring Tool comes in, providing a layer of insight for organizations to enhance the maturity of their programs.“Launching a simple yet powerful tool to advance efforts around DEIB has been our overall goal in developing the DEIB score,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rabea-tamm-53218178/">Rabea Tamm</a>, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion &amp; Belonging at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/commercetools">commercetools</a>. “I am convinced that the tool will provide clear guidance on the next step for any organization on their journey towards more equity. Offering it for free for MACH Alliance member companies is our contribution to pushing for progress broadly.” <h3 id="identifying-the-need-for-a-deib-solution">Identifying the need for a DEIB solution</h3>The primary goal of the new MACH DEIB Scoring Tool is to break down any barriers to success within a tech company’s DEI initiatives. It does this by providing an easy-to-use online survey that collects, aggregates, and scores your results in a neutral manner. It then prescribes actionable resources in the form of best practices and strategies.As Rabea Tamm noted, the DEIB Scoring Tool will be completely free for members of the MACH Alliance. This is a big benefit given that comparable products in the market can sometimes be quite expensive. For example, research tools <a target="_blank" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/support/employee-experience/creating-ee-project/common-use-cases-ee/diversity-equity-inclusion-solution/">like Qualtric's XM Platform</a> provide granular capabilities for tracking DEI metrics but require some pricey commitments.Downstream from more robust enterprise solutions, an organization could certainly launch its own DEI survey via marketing apps like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/">Survey Monkey</a> (they have an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/toolkit/dei-leader/">existing DEI template</a> for this specific use case). The problem? It would lack the industry focus and MACH-centric intimacy the Alliance brings to the table.  Leaders within the Women in MACH program were motivated to implement a DEIB scoring tool that served its MACH membership. Given the available options, it became abundantly clear that a homegrown solution was the way to go.“When looking at the existing DEIB tools, we were underwhelmed,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jguthmann/">Jasmin Guthmann</a>, Executive Board Member of the MACH Alliance and Sponsor of Women in MACH. “The expensive ones didn't deliver enough value, and the free tools were weak. We didn't want to wait for change – we rolled up our sleeves and built our own. Because of a world without accessible, actionable DEIB insights? That simply doesn't compute.”<h3 id="how-the-deib-scoring-tool-works">How the DEIB Scoring Tool works</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://mach-alliance-new-git-feature-map-165-intro-933f9d-machalliance.vercel.app/deib-maturity-assessment">The survey itself</a> takes about 15 minutes to complete. The flow is broken into clear categories around topics that include Awareness &amp; Communication, Policies &amp; Processes, Learning and Development, Belonging &amp; Engagement, Benefits &amp; Services, Inclusion, and Hiring. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:89.4%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/09/mach-alliance-deib-tool-setup.png" alt="" /></figure>The login interface for the DEIB Scoring Tool Most surveys leave little to be desired. And if we’re being honest, most of us would prefer to skirt participation (unless we’re over the moon or have an axe to grind). The fact that this is kind of enjoyable is a testament to its design and structure: the app’s UX is elegant, and the content is light-hearted and engaging. Everything is easy to navigate, and there’s a progress bar at the bottom that shows you exactly where you are in the flow – making it feel less cumbersome to complete. Specific attention is paid to an organization’s maturity around substantive and declarative foundations for their DEI platforms, including questions about disability and neurodiversity statements. This might feel like table stakes, but many organizations still don’t have these DEI mechanisms built into their code of conduct or accompanied by any real enforcement. It also touches on the presence of anonymous reporting for policy infringement, which might be an overlooked component in many strategies. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:67.6%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/09/mach-alliance-deib-tool-question.png" /></figure>Survey question example from the DEIB Scoring Tool There’s also a section on assessing your <a target="_blank" href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/audit/articles/esg-materiality-assessment.html">Environmental, Social, and Governance</a> program, which consulting firms like Deloitte charge big bucks to develop. ESG is something of a hot potato in our current business and political climate, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ucem.ac.uk/whats-happening/articles/criticism-of-esg/">drawing criticism</a> from certain corners of the private and public sectors. To be fair, some of the feedback is relevant, particularly around its lack of standardized measurement or value-based results.Despite its naysayers, forward-thinking companies are taking a clear stand to be better citizens of the world by engaging in more sustainable practices. In fact, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/umbraco-publishes-annual-impact-report-reinforcing-commitments-to-sustainability-and-community">CMS vendors like Umbraco</a> are publishing reports on this topic, providing transparency and reinforcing their commitments.One highly relevant area of the survey deals with paid family and special leave care. This is a major topic across geographies, but also one coming under scrutiny in the U.S. presidential race, particularly around working families and affordable child care. More proactively, the survey also asks if there are mental health resources on staff, which might be reserved for large enterprises but could also manifest in third-party services.<h3 id="tallying-up-the-score">Tallying up the score</h3>Before submitting your survey, you have a chance to review and edit your full scope of replies. Once submitted, the data is tabulated and analyzed in a few seconds. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:88.61%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/09/mach-alliance-deib-tool-review.png" alt="" /></figure>Reviewing results from the DEIB Scoring Tool The report itself includes a simple histogram accompanied by a clear DEIB maturity scale that scores your performance. It also includes the individual results within each of the aforementioned categories.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:76.89%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/09/mach-alliance-deib-tool-histogram.png" alt="" /></figure>A visual model mapping your DEIB maturity There’s a dynamite stinger: participants who achieve a “Mature” ranking are provided with a Women in MACH badge reflecting their status. The graphic can be downloaded and shared publicly to promote your organization’s MACH DEIB achievement.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:36.36%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/09/deib-badge-large.png" alt="" /></figure>For participants who still have work to do (and let’s face it, we can all do better), the tool provides guidance in the form of a DEIB Playbook. The idea is to develop pathways for improvement that lead to rescoring and ultimately earning a “Mature” status. Like any survey, there are a few things that could be augmented or streamlined. While this tool might appeal to multiple roles within an organization, it’s clear that DEI, HR, and cultural agents might be the most keen on its potential. For anyone outside those walls, it would be helpful to feature informational prompts within the survey itself – like what formalized Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) might encompass. Stuff that's easily Googled, BTW. Aside from that, it’s a very lightweight experience, focusing on the most pertinent challenges relevant to DEIB success through a MACH lens – and delivering relevant, enlightening, and actionable results. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>In 2023, I attended a conference where <a href="casper%20aagaard%20rasmussen">Casper Rasmussen</a>, Global SVP at Valtech and (at the time) President of the MACH Alliance, guided an interactive discussion on social responsibility.Throughout his talk, Rasmussen hammered home a simple mantra: “It's not just what's best for me, but best for we.” This seemed to wrap neatly around his call for modern businesses to make strong commitments to being open, sustainable, and “future fit” around goals that aren’t just commercially motivated.What stayed with me was a comment from an attendee that surfaced during the open forum. I’m paraphrasing, but this individual reflected a level of anxiety around progressive programs – particularly those within ESG – suggesting that they sounded good, but only if the current economics permitted such an investment. Said more plainly: if a recession were impacting tech and the broader market, these kinds of programs would be out the window.Is that the reality?Perhaps it has been – but it shouldn’t be. That mindset represents the easy path, not the right one. The fact is, we have far more to gain by embedding sustainability, diversity, and equality into our business practices at a fundamental level.Over the years, I’ve taken a keen interest in the Women in MACH program because it’s doing great work. But more importantly, it needs allies – particularly from those of us who are white, cisgender males in an industry where we have dominated leadership roles. Likewise, technology businesses need allies to guide the shape and direction of these investments. Having tools to codify progress and achievement is one way to reinforce the bedrock, especially if those systems are purpose-built for the industry and available in an open source vein.To be clear, women have fought to achieve so much. But as we saw at the MACH Two conference last year, the vast majority of attending companies were still represented by men. This resulted in a public challenge to include more diversity across the ecosystem. As the new DEIB Scoring Tool queries in the survey: Do you have an underrepresented group as part of your executive team? If not, what are you willing to do about it?While the MACH Alliance’s new tool is a terrific resource for auditing your posture, it’s far from being a panacea. It reminds me of how companies might use Siteimprove or Monsido to scan their websites for accessibility – it's a great first step, but real accessibility requires more humans in the loop, and a philosophical and cultural approach to design, implementation, and continued maintenance of their digital experiences. In other words, a tool is just the beginning. It’s what you do with it that matters.I previously mentioned the urgent need for “allies.” Perhaps it’s fitting that these programs are coming from an industry “alliance” within the MACH community, where diverse technologies – and people – find harmony. From DEIB tools to education, it says a lot that the MACH Alliance is continuing to invest heavily in this part of the equation. It is, after all, the reason why we’re building and innovating: to improve the lives of humans. <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 href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

MACH Alliance Empowers Gender Equality with New Women in MACH DEIB Scoring Tool

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<hr /> Skip the intro and directly access my <a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/Responsible-AI-Guidelines-For-Content-Teams">downloadable Responsible AI Principle worksheet</a> for your team now.<h3 id="an-introduction-to-responsible-ai-for-digital-marketing-teams">An Introduction to Responsible AI for Digital Marketing Teams</h3>In today's digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become a cornerstone of marketing strategies and tactics, driving innovation and efficiency across various tasks that marketers must complete. However, as AI technology becomes increasingly integrated into digital marketing teams, the need for ethical guidelines and responsible usage is also becoming increasingly crucial.I’m just going to say it: As powerful as AI is, in my opinion, content creation and digital teams are rushing headstrong into using tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://chat.openai.com/">ChatGPT</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://copilot.microsoft.com/">Copilot</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://gemini.google.com/">Gemini</a> without considering how to use them responsibly. I think there is a need to have a prudent approach and set of guidelines in place to ensure these tools are integrated correctly into their content operations. Does your digital marketing team have an AI Policy in use? Mine didn’t. In fact, I’d wager that most teams haven’t even prioritized having such a policy. I believe it’s time to start thinking about implementing one. Below is some context and background that may help. I’ve also listed some of the main factors you should consider when developing guidelines for your team's responsible use of AI.<h3 id="the-rise-of-ai-in-digital-marketing">The Rise of AI in Digital Marketing</h3>AI has revolutionized the marketing landscape, offering tools that can write content, translate from one language to another, automate content delivery, and optimize campaign performance. These advancements have enabled digital marketing teams to achieve high levels of efficiency, leading to more effective writing and improved ROI. CMS platforms and tools such as <a target="_blank" href="http://kontent.ai">Kontent.ai</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/">Sitecore</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com">Kentico</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/">Contentful</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.optimizely.com/">Optimizely</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.storyblok.com/">Storyblok</a>, etc., are all rushing as fast as possible to add more value with AI-enabled features in their products. I’ve seen it firsthand in many of them. All of these platforms want to be seen as the market leader in the space through AI innovation.In fact, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.futurepedia.io/ai-tools/marketing">Futurepedia</a>, a tool that tracks new AI tools as they come on the market, has over 211 AI tools listed in the Digital Marketing category.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.28%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXftvTU4IabsW3KwL1ga2eWKlnhaDjSgAxG64tQEQ8O_vHarNdLMXPU70heYHuek2Loa9bVU5ln_WmC8Da2JE_QKs8avuqLGXZ6I8l1tmTE_rb0GS-8OhSoqZRQPubq6c1S2cUvye4yoQJMEY3uM996fRQLd?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> Heck, by the time I publish this article, there will probably be 212 or more listed. The pace of change and innovation is impressive. However, with great power comes great responsibility. The reliance on AI-driven tools necessitates a framework that ensures these technologies are used correctly, both from a vendor perspective and a digital team perspective.How do we place some governance on all this change? The answer is to be prudent in the approach to AI by leveraging Responsible AI as a core theme.<h3 id="what-is-responsible-ai?">What Is Responsible AI?</h3>Responsible AI refers to the development and use of artificial intelligence in ways that prioritize ethical, fair, and safe outcomes. Major tech companies like Google, Meta, IBM, and Microsoft emphasize that organizations should follow a set of key principles when leveraging AI. The principles listed below are the most common ones I see. They combine to be a set of guiding principles when using AI.<h3 id="six-key-principles-when-leveraging-ai">Six Key Principles When Leveraging AI</h3><ol><li>Fairness: AI systems should treat all people fairly.</li><li>Reliability and safety: AI systems should perform reliably and safely.</li><li>Privacy and security: AI systems should be secure and respect privacy.</li><li>Inclusiveness: AI systems should empower everyone and engage people.</li><li>Transparency: AI systems should be understandable.</li><li>Accountability: People should be accountable for AI systems.</li></ol>I actually completely agree with the way that Microsoft and others have laid this out. All of those large tech giants have complex resource sites or large PDFs that spell out even more detail around the idea of Responsible AI. The challenge is that these resources are extensive. As an example, the <a target="_blank" href="https://ai.meta.com/static-resource/responsible-use-guide/">Meta Responsible AI guide</a> is over 25 pages. Motivating myself to read all of that or browse multiple pages on the Microsoft Responsible AI site is hard enough. I can’t see my team or my client’s team going through all of that information. That’s why I really like focusing on the main six principles above.I believe that having a responsible approach to using or producing any AI tool in an organization is critical. It is also something that is needed in digital marketing/content teams as well. That’s why I started down this path. I wanted to put a policy in place at my own agency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bizstream.com">BizStream</a>. <h3 id="why-an-ai-policy-is-essential">Why an AI Policy is Essential</h3>Adopting AI in digital marketing isn't just about leveraging new technologies for improved outcomes; it's also about acknowledging and mitigating the potential risks associated with AI's autonomy and influence. Issues such as data privacy, bias, and the chances of hallucinations (errors by a generative AI tool) pose significant challenges. Without a comprehensive AI policy, organizations risk breaching ethical standards, violating customer trust, and potentially facing legal consequences.In fact, to me, the clearest example of where generative AI can go wrong is the published information around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2024/02/18/air-canada-airline-chatbot-ruling/">Air Canada’s chatbot failure</a>. An earlier ruling this year ended in favor of the end customer, and now Air Canada is on the hook for AI that was not used responsibly.An AI policy serves as a guiding beacon for digital marketing teams, ensuring that every AI-driven initiative is aligned with ethical principles and corporate values. It helps establish clear boundaries and standards for AI usage and addresses concerns like fairness, transparency, and accountability.<h3 id="the-role-of-principles-in-ai-deployment">The Role of Principles in AI Deployment</h3>Drawing inspiration from established frameworks like Microsoft’s six principles for responsible AI—fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability—digital marketing teams can develop a robust policy that governs AI use. These principles are not just theoretical ideals; they can be necessities that shape how AI tools are selected, deployed, and managed within a team.As digital marketing continues to evolve with AI advancements, having a well-defined, responsible AI policy should reduce friction with AI usage. It can ensure that while organizations pursue technological innovation, they remain steadfast in their commitment to ethical practices, full transparency, and working within societal norms.<h3 id="my-responsible-ai-principles-worksheet">My Responsible AI Principles Worksheet</h3>Bringing us back to my situation specifically, as 2024 has progressed, I witnessed more and more AI tools being used by my team. On the one hand, this was great because we were seeing the benefits firsthand of faster content creation on our website, email, and social media channels. On the other hand, I was getting a little concerned about two things. First, as more tools were added to our digital marketing stack, my SaaS tool spend was climbing quickly, and second, I questioned if all of these tools being used safely and responsibly.In an effort to ensure my own team at BizStream is adequately trained on the benefits and risks associated with using AI in a marketing context, I created the following tool for us internally. The idea is that I wanted to ensure each of my team members working with these types of tools had a set of guardrails or guiding principles. I used the key Responsible AI principles (Fairness, Reliability, and safety, Privacy, and security, etc. etc.) as the main set of information. From there, I pivoted a table across those principles to include the category or type of activity that we perform in our digital marketing efforts. Then, I added a description to explain further what kind of considerations to take around that type of activity that align to a principle. It started to look like this: <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:88.25%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcyan4Kp5V4ui62GBclk3PRP2zf896t_SA2ud9i9Vpo_1v8qPrOQWfOp9xqD3WxN5ckXvPxyMRKoZXo45T-gZ4IY7D5nxcx73So7V4Ke7Bcqg63hunm9UIdd7i0AKnJKRkW2_kd8D0TMDctuawkQD6vaJ0c?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> After the first draft, my marketing specialist asked me some questions about this, so I added some guiding questions in the last column to help kick-start the brainstorming process. The current incarnation ended up looking like the screenshot below: <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.97%"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfbgC_IIHSM1GTgfHUuYOxyKFikNuvB0mTdJu7oMB-maSSu0PxyYEKSKqJKnAsyS94qwbCMs_0wXMkIwpNfpD7wAei-G3vA7zYCH1yfadhC_eCth-Qa2Eiyk3OZI2MxajJ9EdHKKf2iiOIC-44Dc2pjylVL?key=CLw_KJ6KxDiqOvRg30VM1w" /></figure> You can <a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/Responsible-AI-Guidelines-For-Content-Teams">download the editable version of my Responsible AI Principles &amp; Guidelines for Content Teams</a> for free. My goal for this tool is to ensure that Responsible AI practices are considered when selecting third-party vendors, tools, platform features, and subscription services. I also aim for it to add governance to both our adoptions and those of our clients.Additionally, as we onboard new marketing team members or interns, I believe they will come up to speed faster with how we operate as a team. We are working to improve this process, but only time will tell.<h3 id="periodic-reviews-of-your-ai-policy-on-a-schedule">Periodic Reviews of your AI policy on a Schedule</h3>One other note. Don’t be fooled into thinking that an AI policy or single document is a ‘set and forget’ thing. The AI and especially generative AI world is constantly changing, as are the laws and regulations around it. You must treat your AI policy as a living, breathing document. Schedule time to review it regularly, considering the changes that are coming in at a rapid pace.<h3 id="feedback-wanted">Feedback Wanted</h3>As with any new idea, I’d love to gather feedback on it and improve it. If you download the worksheet and have thoughts on it, please let me know via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmckeiver/">LinkedIn</a> or email.<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>Using AI in digital marketing and content creation comes with many benefits and responsibilities. By following clear guidelines and responsible principles, we can use AI ethically and efficiently. I recommend that all digital marketing teams strive to implement a responsible AI policy. Note: The above information has been written to provide general guidance only. It does not equate to legal advice. Varying legal requirements exist in different locations, and laws and regulations governing AI, privacy, and cybersecurity do not exist in a consistent manner.Note: Generative AI was used to edit this document for grammar and spelling. <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.

Responsible AI Principles for Digital Marketing and Content Teams 

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<hr /> A Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is a comprehensive solution designed to efficiently store, organize, manage, retrieve, and distribute an organization's digital assets. It combines software and business processes to centralize and streamline asset management, offering a more structured approach to handling media and content.DAM encompasses both a business strategy and a technology platform. Its primary function is to create a centralized repository where organizations can access, update, and distribute their digital assets efficiently. These assets include any digital file that holds value and is searchable through metadata. Some examples of digital assets include:<ul><li>Documents</li><li>Images</li><li>Audio and video files</li><li>Animations</li><li>Graphics</li><li>Presentations</li><li>Media files with usage rights</li></ul><h3 id="the-strategic-value-of-a-dam">The Strategic Value of a DAM</h3>Modern organizations leverage DAMs to repurpose creative assets, reducing production costs and avoiding duplication of effort. The search and retrieval capabilities of DAM systems are also crucial for optimizing workflows. In the context of digital transformation, where brand visibility and messaging consistency across platforms like social media are vital, DAM platforms play an essential role in maintaining brand integrity and fostering growth.By centralizing asset management, DAM systems provide a single source of truth, supporting a unified approach to content deployment and audience engagement. As such, they have become indispensable tools in the digital era, empowering businesses to adapt and thrive in competitive markets.<h3 id="key-benefits-of-a-dam">Key Benefits of a DAM</h3>A DAM system supports various organizational goals by improving asset management. It enhances operational efficiency, particularly for marketing and sales teams, by facilitating the production and distribution of rich media. This leads to better brand consistency, as assets are automatically updated and aligned with brand guidelines, ensuring a cohesive experience for both internal stakeholders and external audiences.Implementing a DAM system offers several advantages that improve operational efficiency, brand consistency, and customer engagement.<ul><li>Lower Production Costs and Optimized Resource Use: By centralizing assets, DAM systems help organizations quickly locate and reuse existing files, reducing the need for redundant production. This cuts costs and allows resources to be redirected to other strategic areas. The increased efficiency speeds up time-to-market for new content and solutions.</li><li>Enhanced Transparency: DAM provides a clear view of all digital assets, improving project management and content planning. It fosters better collaboration by eliminating redundant projects and creating more efficient workflows. Stakeholders can easily track asset usage and status, ensuring alignment across teams.</li><li>Elevated Conversion Rates and Customer Retention: Proper organization of content based on the customer journey allows businesses to deliver personalized, on-brand materials at the right time. DAM helps nurture stronger customer relationships by tailoring the user experience, accelerating movement through the sales funnel, and improving retention.</li><li>Consistent Branding: DAM ensures brand consistency by providing a single source of truth for all messaging, visuals, and creative assets. Teams across different departments can access and reuse approved assets, maintaining uniformity in market communications.</li><li>Governance and Compliance: DAM systems support regulatory compliance by organizing critical assets like licenses, contracts, and legal documents. This capability not only simplifies audits but also minimizes disruptions to business processes, saving time and reducing risk.</li></ul><h3 id="industry-use-cases">Industry Use Cases</h3>Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems offer versatile solutions across industries by enabling efficient storage, organization, and distribution of digital content. Here are some diverse use cases for DAM beyond the traditional marketing and branding contexts:Media and Entertainment<ul><li>Streamlined Production Workflow: DAM simplifies access to scripts, storyboards, and production notes. By centralizing assets like video clips, graphics, and promotional materials, teams can collaborate seamlessly across various locations.</li><li>Content Monetization: Media companies can organize and license content more effectively, enabling quick distribution to multiple platforms.</li></ul>Healthcare<ul><li>Patient Education and Training: DAM stores and categorizes multimedia resources, such as instructional videos or brochures, which healthcare providers can use to educate patients.</li><li>Regulatory Compliance: It ensures secure access and version control of sensitive documents like patient records, medical imaging, and compliance reports, streamlining audits and adherence to privacy laws.</li></ul>Retail and eCommerce<ul><li>Product Information Management (PIM): Retailers use DAM to store high-quality images, videos, and descriptions of products, ensuring consistent branding across eCommerce platforms.</li><li>Dynamic Content Delivery: Retailers can personalize customer experiences by delivering tailored content based on user behavior and preferences.</li></ul>Higher Education<ul><li>Course Material Management: DAM allows institutions to store and distribute digital textbooks, lecture recordings, and other educational resources, improving access for students and faculty.</li><li>Alumni and Fundraising Campaigns: Universities can manage and reuse promotional content, maintaining consistency in messaging across campaigns.</li></ul>Manufacturing<ul><li>Technical Documentation: Manufacturers utilize DAM for storing and sharing product manuals, CAD designs, and maintenance videos, aiding field technicians and partners.</li><li>Training Resources: Training modules for workforce development can be centrally managed and distributed.</li></ul>Public Sector<ul><li>Public Records Management: Governments can organize and provide access to historical records, legal documents, and public notices.</li><li>Crisis Communication: DAM systems help maintain up-to-date materials for public announcements, ensuring timely and accurate communication during emergencies.</li></ul>These varied applications highlight DAM's adaptability, enabling organizations to manage their digital content efficiently while supporting specific business goals<h3 id="what-to-consider-when-evaluating-a-dam">What to consider when evaluating a DAM</h3>Most modern DAM solutions are cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) platforms, making them easier to deploy and integrate. A DAM can be procured as a pure-play, stand-alone product, or as part of a Digital Experience Platform (DXP), and selecting a DAM is highly dependent on your existing product stack and architecture – as well as your market and business goals. When selecting a Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution, organizations should ensure it meets their current operational requirements and future growth needs. A robust DAM system should offer the following essential capabilities. By focusing on these attributes, organizations can ensure their DAM solution supports seamless content management and drives operational efficiency.<ul><li>Comprehensive Asset Lifecycle Management: A DAM platform should support the entire lifecycle of digital assets, from initial creation to archiving. This includes tools for version control, updates, and expiration management. </li><li>Strong Governance: Security and compliance are essential, and any good DAM system should provide role-based permissions, ensuring that access to assets is tightly controlled to preserve integrity. For organizations requiring high benchmarks for regulatory compliance, governance can include auditability and compliance tooling at the DAM level.</li><li>Seamless Integration and API Access: The DAM system should integrate with existing tools, such as content creation, distribution platforms, and project management systems. It should also be compatible with future technologies to ensure the organization can scale and adapt its digital ecosystem without significant overhauls. Best-of-breed solutions often include marketplaces of pre-existing connectors and integrations with third-party tools and plug-ins. </li><li>Rich Search Capabilities: An agile DAM solution allows for both metadata-to-asset and asset-to-metadata searches. This bidirectional search capability supports efficient asset discovery and reuse, empowering different functional teams to locate and repurpose content quickly.</li><li>Extensible Sharing Features: To avoid data silos, a DAM platform should facilitate the sharing of digital assets and related data across the organization. This includes exporting search results, metadata, or entire asset collections for use in other systems or for external collaboration.</li><li>Speed: Fast and reliable file transfer is critical for maintaining business agility. A DAM system should enable rapid sharing and deployment of assets to ensure they are available where and when needed, minimizing delays and enhancing productivity.</li><li>Cloud Storage and Infrastructure: The storage infrastructure – whether on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid – should be stable and secure. Key considerations include flexibility, scalability, performance, and data recoverability to protect valuable assets and support business continuity. Modern cloud-based systems provide the most scalable solutions.</li><li>High-Utility AI Tools and Capabilities: Modern DAMs are embracing AI and matching learning, providing both complex and practical applications that are accelerating productivity, enhancing control, and improving governance. DAMs that feature AI prominently to impact functions like search and workflows are typically more performant. To that end, AI is an essential ingredient when considering a DAM.</li></ul><h3 id="need-help-evaluating-a-dam-solution?">Need help evaluating a DAM solution?</h3>If you're currently considering a DAM – either as a pure-play solution or part of a DXP – you can explore the best-of-breed solutions in our CMS Critic <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/digital-asset-management">Product Directory for Digital Asset Management systems</a>.  Looking for assistance with your evaluation? <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Contact us.</a>

What is a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system?

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

<hr /> If it feels like you’re drowning in AI, you’re not alone.ChatGPT might only be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/30/chatgpts-one-year-anniversary-how-the-viral-ai-chatbot-has-changed.html#:~:text=Nov.,human%20than%20an%20AI%20system.">a year old</a> (and acting a bit like a toddler), but the wave of innovation it spurred is dominating every conversation. To complicate matters, the ecosystem dynamics are evolving on a daily… er, hourly basis. One possible life raft on these stormy seas has emerged: data provenance. But before we drop anchor on that, let’s review the last few weeks of “AI headwinds,” shall we? And try to keep your head above water…First, we had the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/22/technology/openai-board-capitalists.html">epic drama at OpenAI</a> as Sam Altman played musical chairs with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-sharepoint">Microsoft</a>. The market is still unpacking what it means, but the hit left more than a black eye for both brands.Synchronously, AWS opened the proverbial floodgates at <a target="_blank" href="https://reinvent.awsevents.com/">re:Invent,</a> the cloud juggernaut’s annual confab in Las Vegas. AI felt like the only show on the strip, with Amazon introducing a slew of new models, services, and its hyper-connective <a target="_blank" href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-amazon-q-a-new-generative-ai-powered-assistant-preview/">Amazon Q assistant</a>. Finally, not to be bested by its cloud rivals, Google just unveiled its highly anticipated <a target="_blank" href="https://blog.google/technology/ai/google-gemini-ai/#sundar-note">Gemini AI</a> last week, an advanced LLM built for multimodal reasoning across text, images, video, and code.And that’s just scratching the surface. Floodgates… drowning… is there a lifejacket on this boat?  Despite the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/technology/eu-ai-act-regulation.html">EU’s landmark agreement</a> to limit the use of artificial intelligence, we can all agree that the genie isn’t going back in the bottle. And with businesses set to increase their AI investments by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/north-american-businesses-plan-to-invest-67-more-in-generative-ai-in-2024-to-drive-efficiency-experience-and-growth-infosys-research-301967370.html#:~:text=The%20research%20forecasts%20that%20companies,67%25%20in%20the%20next%20year.">almost 70% next year</a>, the pros currently outweigh the cons.  Still, there are challenges aplenty. As more organizations dive into AI, big questions linger around accuracy, security, and governance. Between rampant hallucinations, unsavory biases, and other “shenanigans,” organizations are wrestling with existential issues as they lean more heavily on AI to crunch their data. It’s worth pointing out that machine learning technologies have been around for quite some time, and data has always been the lifeblood. The recent AI acceleration is due in part to the advent of new LLMs, but also the growth of compute capabilities and cloud services to manage more of the heavy lifting. Now, enterprises can rapidly build and train their own AI models and leverage more datasets for critical use cases – like <a target="_blank" href="https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/predict-diabetic-patient-readmission-using-multi-model-training-amazon-sagemaker-pipelines/">predicting diabetes</a> based on procedure data from diagnoses and medical claims.  But what about the trustworthiness of the data they’re feeding to AI? Do they know where, when, and how it was collected? If they rely on third-party entities, how do they ensure the data they inherit is clean and complete?This is one of the questions the <a target="_blank" href="https://dataandtrustalliance.org/">Data &amp; Trust Alliance</a> is endeavoring to answer. The not-for-profit consortium is comprised of Fortune 500 businesses across multiple industries (IBM, Pfizer, Nielsen, Walmart, Meta, just to name a few) – all focused on learning, developing, and adopting responsible data and AI governance.I recently spoke with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinapodnar/">Kristina Podnar</a>, Senior Policy Director for the organization, about the Alliance’s proposed <a target="_blank" href="https://dataandtrustalliance.org/our-initiatives/data-provenance-standards">Data Provenance Standards</a>. Kristina is an industry authority and one of the sharpest, most passionate voices on the subject of Digital Policy. She walked me through the proposed standards and the elegant role of metadata in delivering this essential layer of transparency.   <h3>An alliance built for trust</h3>A bit of history for context: The Data &amp; Trust Alliance was formed in 2020 by two heavy hitters: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-chenault/">Ken Chenault</a>, General Catalyst chairman and managing director, and former American Express chairman and CEO; and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_J._Palmisano">Sam Palmisano</a>, former CEO of IBM. In addition to helming some of the world’s largest brands, these pioneering luminaries have served on numerous boards – including Airbnb, NCAA, Berkshire Hathaway – and continue to be influential figures across industries. As Kristina recalled, both Chenault and Palmisano observed that the next era of business won’t be dependent on data and AI, but on trustworthy data and AI. To help guide the responsible use of data and intelligent systems, they formed the Data &amp; Trust Alliance – which resides within the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thecge.net/">Center for Global Enterprise</a> (CGE), a New York-based non-profit.The Alliance is built on a core belief that every enterprise in every industry is (or will soon be) a data enterprise, and must be responsible stewards of their data, algorithms, and AI. To support this mission, the organization doesn’t lobby or advocate on public policy issues; instead, it maintains a fierce commitment to developing tools and sharing practices to enhance learning. “Unlike other coalitions that publish a lot of guiding principles, the Data &amp; Trust alliance is all about actually creating tools, which member companies can adopt,” she said. “In the coalition are folks like American Express, Deloitte, Nike, Starbucks, AARP – the list goes on. These organizations get together around a table and ask, what are the biggest challenges we're facing right now? And then let's actually create a solution and adopt it.”According to Kristina, there have been several initiatives that the Alliance has taken on since its inception. This includes a data assessment resource for mergers and acquisitions, and a toolkit for preventing or detecting bias in HR hiring practices when using AI. The latter predates <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/about/automated-employment-decision-tools.page">NYC’s Automated Employment Decision Tool law</a> – the first of its kind in the country, and a potential indicator of future legislation (the bill has also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/08/04/1030513/podcast-beating-the-ai-hiring-machines/">garnered criticism</a> from a range of entities).<h3>The Data Provenance Standards initiative </h3>According to the Data &amp; Trust Alliance, having clear data provenance – understanding the origin, lineage, and rights associated with data – is vital to establishing trust around the insights and decisions coming from data-enabled systems. This includes AI applications. As it stands, data scientists <a target="_blank" href="https://www.anaconda.com/resources/whitepapers/state-of-data-science-report-2022">spend</a> nearly 40% of their time on data preparation and cleansing tasks, which is a huge drag on productivity. Further, 61% of CEOs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/c-suite-study/ceo">cite</a> the lack of clarity into data lineage and provenance as the central risks preventing the adoption of AI across their businesses.All these factors led to the development of the Data Provenance Standards, which were co-created by 19 Data &amp; Trust Alliance member organizations, along with multiple third-party industry partners and ecosystem experts. The organization took a “for industry, by industry” approach when developing the proposed standards, identifying provenance pain points from 25 use cases across its diverse members. The resulting set focuses on the eight most essential, valuable, and feasible standards for small and large enterprises to implement – irrespective of industry.“The interesting thing about these data provenance standards is they’re built on top of AI use cases,” Kristina shared. “But in reality, they apply to any data, including traditional data. It's the first set of standards really targeted at trustworthiness.”Unlike other principles and industry guidelines that are voluntary in compliance, the Data &amp; Trust Alliance’s provenance standards were designed to be actionable specifically for data governance practitioners. When implemented, they will provide transparency into the origin of the datasets used for both traditional data applications and a rapidly growing number of AI applications – which will ultimately enhance AI value and trustworthiness. <h3>It’s all in the metadata</h3>The word policy might give you the shivers, but that’s where the Data Provenance Standards provide an elegant solution: metadata.“First of all, it's not policy,” Kristina explained. “They are a set of standards, and it's rich metadata that goes along with that. They extend the concept of metadata into a set of trustworthy considerations. At the root of all eight standards, there's a provenance metadata unique ID, and that unique label tracks the history and origin for each data set.”As she further pointed out, the standards apply at the dataset level – not at the element row or table level – acting as an overall “fingerprint” for divining the lineage of the dataset. The eight proposed Data Provenance Standards surface metadata and associated values for: <ol><li>Lineage: Provides the provenance metadata unique ID, along with a blockchain ledger ID or other identifier. </li><li>Source: Contains information about the user, organization, software systems, and even IP address of the originator. </li><li>Legal Rights: Includes details about attribution, copyrights and trademarks, and any laws or regulations that are applicable. </li><li>Privacy and Protection: Covers any protected data classifications or if any privacy-enhancing techniques were applied.</li><li>Generation Date: Codes the year, date, month, and timestamp for the data. </li><li>Data Type: Delineates if the data is structured or unstructured.</li><li>Generation Method: Provides info on how the data was created, via web crawling, data mining, or other methods. </li><li>Intended Use and Restrictions: Details how the data should be used and by what audiences. </li></ol>To see example values, you can download the <a target="_blank" href="https://dataandtrustalliance.org/Data-Provenance-Standards-Information-pack.pdf">Standards information pack</a> from the Data &amp; Trust Alliance website. <h3>Helping enterprises make informed choices about data </h3>Providing information about the origin and rights associated with datasets gives enterprises more confidence in the data they source and use. This can have significant benefits, like improving operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, collaboration, and value generation.“If you think about the biggest challenge that corporations or any entity face today, everybody will tell you it’s data quality,” Kristina injected. “We were originally asked to develop a set of standards around data quality, but quality is very subjective. With our Data Provenance Standards, what we can all agree on is where data originated, and the attributes that it actually has.”To illustrate the impact of the Data Provenance Standards, Kristina narrates <a target="_blank" href="https://www.loom.com/share/d94d162418b3485890efdf8b330164ee?sid=9a21dae1-ea68-4ee7-b22b-9fa93f908511">a short video</a> that outlines a hypothetical use case in the healthcare industry. The story focuses on a researcher at a fictitious company that is using predictive AI modeling to study Hepatitis C in young women. The researcher acquires data regularly from third-party sources and needs to ensure that the dataset is reliable. Using the Data Provenance metadata, the researcher is able to inform her decision-making based on a number of key variables. By examining the lineage standard, she sees that the current dataset is derived from multiple sources. The generation date also indicates how fresh the data is and how much cleaning might be involved. With the intended use and restrictions, the researcher is also able to identify blockers for sharing the data with specific entities, such as the federal government. It's a fantastic video and use case. I’ll let you watch it to hear the researcher’s verdict, but the point is clear: armed with this metadata, enterprises can rely on essential information and attributes to make a decision with greater confidence – and ultimately improve outcomes. <h3>Why it matters for DX applications</h3>It’s easy to see how the proposed Data Provenance Standards will impact the digital experience ecosystem. First and foremost: DX applications rely on data. The list is long, but for starters, think about acquiring outside datasets to power digital advertising and marketing initiatives.“It will be interesting for third-party data procurement purposes,” said Kristina. “But I think in due course, it’s going to start to impact adtech and martech. It can't help but impact it.”AI is also being woven across every layer of the digital stack, so enhancing transparency will be key to trust at every level – particularly in a decoupled, API-first world that taps lots of data sources. This includes CMS and DXP platforms that are becoming training grounds for AI and connecting with a myriad of external services driven by data.  The new standards are still in a “proposed” mode as the Data &amp; Trust Alliance continues to gather feedback from the market. You can participate in the process by <a target="_blank" href="https://dataandtrustalliance.org/our-initiatives/data-provenance-standards">reviewing the standards</a> and providing input on the metadata and values <a target="_blank" href="https://us14.list-manage.com/survey?u=f2c4b0ec47814ddee58d70038&amp;id=fb47ee5e98&amp;attribution=false">via an online survey</a>.  As a resident Digital Policy rockstar, Kristina seems bullish on the potential impact – namely because the Data &amp; Trust Alliance represents leading global brands that are committed to ensuring this vital transparency.“The reason why this matters is because around the table are the largest procurement entities for data in the world,” Kristina said emphatically. “So if they start to adopt these standards and apply them to their data in the form of metadata, what you actually have is a huge ecosystem play.”That ecosystem won't stop the AI floodgates from opening further, but it might help keep things afloat.   <hr /><figure class="image"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/11/cms-kickoff-2024-banner.jpg" /></figure><h3>See Kristina Podnar at CMS Kickoff 2024 - January 16-17</h3>CMS Critic is a proud conference partner at this second annual edition of the prestigious international Boye &amp; Co conference, dedicated to the global CMS community. This event will bring together top-notch speakers, Boye &amp; Company's renowned learning format, and engaging social events.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. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move forward in 2024. Along with Kristina Podnar, hear from leading voices across the industry on a wide range of topics, including:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/speakers/andrew-kumar">Andrew Kumar</a>, GVP at Uniform</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/speakers/becky-brown">Becky Brown</a>, Content Strategy Lead at Johnson &amp; Johnson</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/speakers/marli-mesibov">Marli Mesibov</a>, Content Strategy at Verily</li></ul><h4> </h4><img style="width:39.13%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/11/don-cesar-hotel.jpg" /><h4>The Don CeSar: a world-class venue</h4>Is there a better location for a winter kickoff than Florida's beautiful, sugary sand beaches? CMS Kickoff 2024 will be held at the iconic Don CeSar, just steps from the Gulf of Mexico. Dubbed the “Pink Palace,” this majestic hotel and resort provides a stunning backdrop to the conference, along with access to the local food and culture of St. Petersburg Beach. <h4>Get your tickets today</h4>CMS Kickoff offers an intimate, highly focused experience. Space is limited, and only a few seats remain. Don't miss this exclusive opportunity!<a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff24/tickets">Purchase tickets now &gt;</a>

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