Articles

Kentico Kontent Article

Queue the fireworks.
Amidst the explosion of acquisitions and partnerships across the CMS and DXP industries, <a href="https://kontent.ai/" target="_blank">Kontent.ai</a> – now formerly Kontent by Kentico – has officially <a href="https://kontent.ai/blog/kontent-ai-has-raised-40-million-in-growth-capital/" target="_blank">declared its independence</a>.
After securing a whopping $40 million investment from Expedition Growth Capital (EGC), the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/tag/headless/">headless</a> Content Management System is now a standalone enterprise for the first time. The next stop on the growth path: enhance its product by bringing AI deeper into its CMS.
Currently powering over 2,000 projects – from websites to apps to <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/">headless commerce</a> experiences – Kontent.ai came from humble beginnings. Originally started in 2015 as a business unit of its elder bootstrapped parent, <a href="https://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank">Kentico</a>, Kontent now boasts a roster of global brands, including Algolia, Anaplan, SonarSource, and Zurich Insurance. 
Kentico's fledgling division already employed over 120 staff across five offices on four different continents before the announcement. As a newly-minted independent company, Kontent.ai already has plans to increase its headcount by 100 over the next 12 months. 
By channeling investment into "human power," Kontent will have the resources to expand its global footprint by amping up marketing and sales. It will also have ample funds to further innovate and enhance composable AI across its modular content platform.
<h2>Kentico's rise in the headless CMS market</h2>
Let's face it: headless is hot. In fact, the headless CMS market alone is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2027. 
In its "<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3994550" target="_blank">Adopt a Composable DXP Strategy to Future-Proof Your Tech Stack</a>" report, Gartner estimates that organizations that have adopted a composable approach will outpace the competition by 80% in 2023 – specifically when it comes to new feature implementation. 
CMS and DXP vendors are rapidly embracing <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-releases-study-on-adoption-of-mach-technologies-by-tech-leaders-qa-with-sonja-keerl/">MACH and the composable revolution.</a> With this spin-off, Kontent.ai appears to be taking a major step towards becoming a composable DXP. While competition across the stack has been increasingly fierce, Kontent has a critical advantage by not being "the new kid on the block." 
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/tag/kentico/">Kentico</a> has been helping to shape the CMS landscape for almost two decades. As a stable fixture in Gartner's Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms, it has juiced Kontent's prospects significantly – giving it an edge towards success. 
 
<img style="max-width:700px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2022/03/gartner-mq-dxp-2022.jpg" alt="Gartner Magic Quadrant for DXP graphic 2022" />
 
Despite the blessing of Kentico's DNA, the dream of Kontent.ai has been seven years in the making. During that time, Kontent has established itself as a contender in the headless CMS market, powering content delivery and collaboration at scale. 
<h2>Kontent.ai brings advantages to marketers and developers</h2>
These days, it may sound cliché to position a CMS or DXP as a platform that "unites" marketers and developers. But Kontent.ai believes that both parties have a stake in the digital experience – and by adopting Kontent as their platform, a business can unlock the potential for both parts of its team. 
From a marketer's perspective, Kontent's modular capabilities help organizations unify, organize and manage all business content in a cloud-based repository. Its intuitive authoring experience allows for simultaneous, collaborative work at every phase of the content lifecycle. Using Kontent.ai, content teams can easily plan, create, and review content with streamlined workflows and approvals. Editors can also focus on content without being blocked by structural design choices that govern how and where their content will be displayed.
From a developer's perspective, Kontent's modern, microservices-based architecture allows for seamless integration with other applications and technologies. Robust APIs, webhooks, and flexible content models give developers full control over the structure of their content and how it's delivered to their websites and applications. This ensures clean, organized content can be pulled into any experience or technology stack, saving developers time and allowing them to focus on the best way to display information. Meanwhile, the cloud-based infrastructure means there are no concerns over maintenance – and virtually no downtime or performance issues.
<h2>Delivering centralized content to distributed organizations</h2>
According to the company, there has been an ever greater need for Kontent following the rise of hybrid and remote work. As global companies shifted due to the pandemic, they needed to centralize content and reproduce digital experience at scale while employees leveraged and produced across different locations. 
Using Kontent.ai, multinational organizations are able to ensure consistent content across languages and regions, with no need to jump in and out of other apps. The result: improved real-time collaboration and planning that saves both time and money.
<h2>Using composable AI to evolve content management</h2>
It's clear that Kontent.ai is looking to push the boundaries on technology. Following its recent investment news, the company has been doubling down on the development of its composable AI features. 
So what is "Composable AI" anyway? According to Kontent, it's the application of machine learning capabilities directly within its CMS, so it's available where its needed – and can be distributed to support specific teams, workflows, use cases, or delivery channels. 
Kontent believes that for AI to bring true value, it needs to be purposeful, targeted, and actionable. In achieving these things, AI will enable Kontent's customers to improve all aspects of content operations, from creating more relevant content to optimizing results to automating repetitive tasks. 
<h2>Rapid change ahead as Kontent.ai and Kentico appoint new CEOs</h2>
As part of the announcement, the separation of the two companies will also bring changes to the captain's chairs: the newly formed Kontent.ai will be led by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartomlo/" target="_blank">Bart Omlo</a>, while <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-xperience-pinter/" target="_blank">Dominik Pintér</a> will take the helm at its former parent. Kentico's current CEO and founder, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrpalas/" target="_blank">Petr Palas</a>, will become Chairman of the Board for both companies.
"With this investment into Kontent.ai, now as its own company, we're excited to expand our global footprint helping enterprise teams scale their content operations, make the most of machine learning and AI, and deliver exceptional digital experiences," said Omlo. "With Kontent.ai's modular content platform, we push the boundaries of content management to give our customers the competitive edge."
Kentico recently introduced a new cloud-native version of its digital experience platform called <a href="https://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank">Xperience by Kentico</a> – which was chosen as <a href="https://www.kentico.com/discover/blog/kentico-xperience-received-gartner-customers-choice-for-dxp" target="_blank">Gartner's Choice for DXP</a> last year. Xperience is a separate tool designed for midmarket companies, and Kentico plans to continue supporting its growth and enhancement. Additionally, the company is investing heavily in product development – and as part of the funding announcement, will also receive an additional $20m of committed capital from EGC that will be used to support its growth in the future. 
<h2>About Kontent.ai</h2>
Kontent is the world’s leading cloud-based headless CMS platform. Robust APIs, webhooks, and flexible content models give developers full control over the structure of their content and how it’s delivered to their websites and applications. The APIs deliver clean, structured content that can be pulled into any experience and technology stack. On top of this headless foundation, Kontent includes an intuitive authoring experience that lets marketers focus on content creation, allowing developers to focus on building engaging online experiences that look great in every channel. Kontent’s customers include AC Milan, Oxford University, Konica Minolta, REWE Group, and Vogue. Learn more at <a href="https://kontent.ai/" target="_blank">www.kontent.ai</a>
<h2>About Kentico</h2>
Kentico Software is an established global company with two award-winning content management and digital experience products: Kentico Xperience, a fully integrated DXP platform, and Kentico Kontent, an enterprise headless CMS. Kentico has customers in over 120 countries, with offices located in six countries on four continents. Over the last 16 years, a community of 1,000+ partners has formed around Kentico. Learn more at <a href="https://www.kentico.com/" target="_blank">www.kentico.com</a>

Kontent.ai Raises $40 Million to Bring the Power of AI to Content Management 

paris-tuzun

Kontent.ai logo against a white and turquoise background

April brought Spring to many of us. While Covid-19 continues to cast a shadow of uncertainty over the world, it’s safe to say that the digital field is in full bloom.Last month was full of new announcements about upgrades and updates, primarily focused on content teams. Adobe, Contentful, Strapi, and Kentico Kontent all released new features that are designed to break down silos and deliver greater efficiency to users.Here are some of the highlights from the stories we’ve been tracking: <h2>Adobe Introduces Adobe Experience Manager Assets Essentials, Announces New Solutions to Improve E-commerce Experience for Adobe Commerce</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/05/36391-benefits-media-library-essentials2xpngimg_.png" alt="Adobe media library essentials" />Adobe introduced its new <a target="_blank" href="https://business.adobe.com/products/experience-manager/assets/assets-essentials.html">Adobe Experience Manager Assets Essentials</a> – a lightweight edition of <a target="_blank" href="https://business.adobe.com/products/experience-manager/assets/aem-assets.html">Adobe Experience Manager Assets</a>. It offers a simplified user experience for marketing and creative pros to store, discover, and distribute digital assets across their teams. Assets Essentials will serve as the default asset management experience across Experience Cloud apps, starting with the new Adobe Journey Optimizer and later this year with Adobe Workfront.The new Assets Essentials provides a centralized workspace for the asset repository to store, share, and manage images, videos, documents, and other assets. It allows teams to create, assign, track, review, and approve tasks in a collaborative workspace. And of course, being an Adobe product, it supports all file types including full-sized Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, XD, and more.On the same day, Adobe also announced new capabilities for <a target="_blank" href="https://business.adobe.com/products/magento/magento-commerce.html">Adobe Commerce powered by Magento</a> (formerly Magento Commerce) that extend the intelligence of features like Product Recommendations and Live Search. An upcoming integration with <a target="_blank" href="https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/sign.html">Adobe Sign</a> means a more seamless commerce experience for any transactions that require e-signatures as part of the checkout process. <h2>The Digital World Mourns the Passing of Chuck Geschke, Co-found of Adobe and Father of the PDF</h2>There are many icons in the computer and software world, and some of the earliest pioneers have made significant contributions that we take for granted every day. One such notable creation: the ubiquitous Portable Document Format, otherwise known as the PDF.Today, we pay homage to Charles “Chuck” Geschke, the co-founder of Adobe, who died on April 16th at the age of 81. Not only did he help develop the PDF, but he drove innovation across desktop publishing, turning Photoshop into a cultural Webster’s reference – and Adobe into a powerhouse. Chuck radically changed the way people create, view, and share documents and images, and his impact cannot be overstated.Farewell to the Father of the PDF, and one of the great digital innovators of all time. <h2>Contentful Unveils New Features and Partner Apps at Second Annual Blueprints Conference</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/05/contentful-logo-dark.png" alt="Contentful logo - dark" /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/">Contentful</a>, a leading enterprise headless CMS provider, <a target="_blank" href="https://press.contentful.com/197449-contentful-unveils-new-features-and-partner-apps-at-second-annual-blueprints-conference">announced</a> the release of new features and partner-built apps at its second annual <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/blueprints-2021/">Blueprints</a> user conference.The new features include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/blog/2021/04/08/governance-tagging-metadata/">tags and permissions</a> that provide content teams greater flexibility and control over how they organize, find, and edit content – and manage permissions across the organization.These platform enhancements build on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/blog/2021/03/16/launch-compose-release/">the recent release of Compose + Launch</a> – two new Contentful apps that allow content authors, editors, and planners to adapt and publish content independently without having to rely on developer resources.Contentful also announced the release of several partner-built apps in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/marketplace/">Contentful Marketplace</a>, including an app built by digital services provider <a target="_blank" href="https://portaltech.reply.com/portaltech/en/">Portaltech Reply</a> that connects Contentful with SAP Commerce Cloud – enabling businesses to adapt quickly to changing market conditions to deliver direct-to-consumer and omnichannel experiences.Other recently released partner-built apps for Contentful extend the platform's capabilities across personalization, e-commerce, translations, and video, including Uniform Optimize, Saleor Commerce, GlobalLink Connect by Translations.com, and Qencode Video Transcoding.Contentful recently earned the highest score possible in the partner ecosystem criterion – along with five other criteria – in the recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/resources/forrester-wave-agile-cms-2021-report/">Forrester Wave™ Report for Agile Content Management Systems (CMSes)</a>. <h2>Crownpeak and ilumino Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Digital Accessibility</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/crownpeak_ilumino.jpg" alt="Crownpeak and ilumino logos in lockup format." /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.crownpeak.com/">Crownpeak</a>, a digital experience platform (DXP), <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/crownpeak-and-ilumino-announce-strategic-partnership-to-advance-digital-accessibility/">has announced</a> a strategic partnership with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ilumino.co/">ilumino</a>, a digital accessibility services and consulting firm. The two companies will offer an integrated solution that helps improve digital experiences for users with disabilities while evolving accessibility strategies for organizations.Together, Crownpeak and ilumino offer a single, integrated approach that evolves the accessibility model. The solution combines Crownpeak’s DQM technology, providing automated and ongoing scanning and auditing against WCAG guidelines, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ilumino.co/solutions/">ilumino’s expert services</a> – which focuses on nurturing a company’s “culture of accessibility.”Some noteworthy highlights of the Crownpeak + ilumino solution include:<ul><li>Accessibility and compliance dashboard – providing a “single source of truth” for automated and manual accessibility monitoring</li><li>Automated site scanning (enriched by manual testing) – enterprise-grade, multi-site scanning technology</li><li>Manual testing and consulting – performed by certified accessibility experts</li><li>In-house or guided remediation – tailored to each organization’s unique design and development workflows</li><li>Ongoing support – ensuring sustained compliance through a proactive approach</li><li>Accessibility pattern library – simplifying remediation and establishing long-term organizational assets</li><li>Litigation support – with expert review and consulting on any accessibility-related legal actions received</li><li>Accessibility statement – drafted to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to digital inclusion</li><li>Enterprise strategy – assisting with a prioritized roadmap and risk management</li></ul> <h2>Strapi Headless CMS Announces v3.6 with Free Content Internationalization</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/i18n-2.png" alt="content internalization" />Strapi, a leading open-source headless CMS, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/strapi-headless-cms-announces-v3-6-with-free-content-internationalization/">has announced</a> the release of Strapi v3.6, which includes a highly anticipated content internationalization (i18n) feature as part of their Community Edition. Now, Strapi users will have the ability to create and manage content in multiple languages and locales for free and without limitations – and personalize messages delivered to target audiences based on language and geographic data.Leveraging integrations with Strapi’s draft and publish system and role-based access control, users will be able to manage their editing and publishing permissions based on specific locales. With Strapi’s internationalization, content is displayed for each locale based on content types. For example, if a company has an e-commerce website, they can select which product pages are displayed in French, Portuguese, or Mandarin. This level of localization is what enables a global digital strategy to work across borders and languages.In our exclusive discussion with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorcoisne/">Victor Coisne</a>, Strapi’s Vice President of Marketing, it’s clear that internationalization was a big part of the CMS vendor’s roadmap, and of significant importance to their growing base of global users. <h2>Kentico Kontent Gets a Fresh New User Interface, Adds Features to Streamline Enterprise Content Operations</h2><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/kentico-new-ui-1.png" alt="The new Kentico content UI" />Kentico Kontent, a headless CMS, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/kentico-kontents-new-user-interface-streamlines-enterprise-content-operations/">announced</a> the launch of their new user interface, designed to help enterprise content teams execute their content operations faster.The new UI has a fresh, modern design approach that fuses an array of vibrant colors with plenty of contrast to emphasize important elements.Kentico Kontent also unveiled new upgrades in their latest release, including the Collections feature – which lets enterprises manage all their content in a single repository, allowing the content to be shared across teams and channels without losing any control.With the Collections feature, teams can share content items across departments, websites, and experiences to ensure consistency and eliminate error-prone duplication. The goal is to improve efficiency and minimize the frustration that many enterprise content teams experience.

CMS Monthly Recap: Adobe Experience Manager Assets Essentials, Contentful Unveils New Features, Crownpeak Announces Partnership, and More

Despite evident backing from the likes of Apple and Samsung, Smartwatch technology is still viewed by many to be a passing fad.However, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/">Kentico</a>, the enterprise-grade CMS, CXM and eCommerce solution, has thrown its weight behind the Smartwatch industry by setting out some research-backed marketing guidelines.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kentico_rgb_bigger_400x0.png" /></a>Brands as large as Starbucks, Mazda and Twinings all trust Kentico with their online presences.Kentico carried out their research in aid of their newly released White Paper, entitled, “Smartwatches: The Opportunities &amp; Challenges for Marketers“<h2>The Marketing Era of Respectfulness</h2>The White Paper highlights a number of key points surrounding Smartchwatch marketing, although one of those points in particular stood out for me.<blockquote>“More than anything, advertisers and marketers will need to learn how to be even more respectful of their audiences.”</blockquote>This statement from Kentico is in reference to the hyper-personal (and perhaps one might argue, hyper-public) nature of Smartwatches.Push notifications sent to a smartphone are typically viewed when the user is alone, or at least in an environment where viewing messages and marketing material are appropriate. In other words, the user gets to choose when and where to start reading notifications.When it comes to Smartwatches though, marketers must realize that those same push notifications will be seen almost immediately, and perhaps by more than just the Smartwatch owner.Unlike with other smart technology, the owner has far less choice over their environment when receiving such messages, thanks to instant wrist vibrations and the ability to quickly glance down at whatever just popped up on their Smartwatch screen.Marketers will have to further consider the timing of their content, its wording and the importance of each push notification. Because without a doubt, even semi-regular messages that disturb a user's day or environment will be enough to warrant them tapping the unsubscribe button.<h2>Too Expensive &amp; Not Enough Functionality</h2>Kentico's research also included a survey, conducted around the question, “Which of the Following Reasons Are Keeping You from Buying a Smartwatch?”Respondents mostly opted for the answer, “Too expensive” (69%). The second most selected answer though, was “Not enough reasons to use one” (38%).To be fair to the Smartwatch industry, those same two obstacles are traditionally faced by new tech. The iPod was, once upon a time, a fairly expensive and one-dimensional piece of equipment. Many thought it was too expensive, while others couldn't find enough functionality to warrant any cash at all.With this research, and with the resulting marketing guidelines, Kentico is a company that sees a future for the Smartwatch. And I for one, totally agree with them.Download Kentico's White Paper here.And as always, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/kentico">Kentico via our CMS Directory</a>.

More Than a Fad: Kentico Research Implies That Smartwatches Are Here to Stay

mike-johnston

Please introduce yourself and your position with Kentico.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/petr-palas-500x500200x0-is.png" />I'm the founder of Kentico Software, one of the leading CMS vendors. I started Kentico in 2004 with a vision of making content management easier for both developers and business users. Over the past 13 years, we grew into one of the leading vendors with 230 employees and a partner network of over 1,000 digital agencies in 80 countries that use our products to create websites and online stores with a personalized digital experience. We're headquartered in the Czech Republic, with sales and support offices in the United States, UK, Australia, and the Netherlands.
Please tell us a bit about your product and its latest release.
We launched our completely new product Kentico Cloud in November at our user conference in Las Vegas. It's a cloud-first headless CMS. Cloud-first means that it was built as a true multitenant SaaS product from the very beginning. We take care of the CMS, including its upgrades, security, performance, etc. As a result, customers can focus on developing their applications and managing their content. Headless means that you store all the content in our cloud-based content hub and you can use it through our API on any channel—on your website, in your mobile app, or even in your chatbot. Since we provide a standard REST API, you can use your favorite platform and programming language to build your applications.
What do you think businesses need to keep in mind when selecting a platform?
They should certainly start with their business needs and look how the CMS supports them today, but also how it fits the latest trends. Many traditional CMS products were built for managing web pages, but we have seen a growth in the use of mobile, virtual reality, IoT, etc., which requires a more granular content model so that you can reuse that content across channels. The other major trend we see is a growing need to be more agile—companies want to launch new projects in a matter of weeks, not months, so they are increasingly looking for cloud-based solutions.
What makes Kentico the go-to choice for the enterprise?
Actually, Kentico Cloud aims to support a broad range of customers—from small to enterprise. You can start with a free plan and upgrade it when needed. For the enterprise customers, we provide a strong product as well as all the extras they need for mission-critical projects, like 24×7 support provided by our experts on three continents, SLAs, training, consulting, and a dedicated customer success manager who takes care of their onboarding and long-term success. Plus, they can choose from a growing number of Kentico Cloud partners—digital agencies who can build the projects for them if they do not have an in-house development team.
What do you consider to be the biggest trend for CX vendors in 2017?
We already see vendors moving to the cloud, and that will continue in 2017. However, most traditional CMS or CX vendors just take their existing products that were built for the on-premise world and offer them as managed hosting or PaaS, which is certainly not the most efficient model. We expect more customers are looking for true SaaS CMS options, which will give rise to new cloud-first headless CMS offerings.
How is Kentico positioned to be at the forefront of these trends?
We've been preparing for this for a couple of years as we always believed the cloud is the future. Our experience with the cloud started back in 2011 when we were the first CMS certified for Microsoft Azure. In the past two years, we built Kentico Cloud from scratch as we wanted to provide a true SaaS product and make sure it's ready for the multi-channel world we live in. At the same time, we leverage our experience, our skilled team, and the market presence we've built over the past years.
How do you see the market changing in the next five years?
I believe the CMS market is at just another inflection point. The cloud-first headless CMS will start replacing traditional CMS products as customers realize the benefits of the SaaS model. The vendors who don't make the shift to the new architecture and business model will disappear from the market. It will be similar to the shift from on-premise document management systems to cloud-based file sharing services. In five years from now, we will laugh at how we used to install and babysit a CMS.
What kind of evolution can we expect to see from Kentico?
We will continue enhancing our existing product, Kentico EMS, that fits well to customers who want a sophisticated all-in-one solution or do not feel ready for the cloud yet. At the same time, we will invest in the future and make progress with Kentico Cloud—we will grow its capabilities every week, and it will become a mature CMS during this year.
Final thoughts?
I would wrap up with a quote by Clayton Christensen, the author of Innovator's Dilemma, who said: “You may hate gravity, but gravity doesn't care.” Cloud-first headless CMS is a major change for many, but it's inevitable. We're at the very beginning of a new era of the CMS industry. The vendors, customers, and digital agencies who adopt this model first will gain a competitive advantage by being more agile and ready for the new communication channels that will go mainstream in the upcoming years.

Interview with Petr Palas, CEO of Kentico

Kentico 8.1 is due to be released on August 22nd 2014. But as of right now, Kentico users can get their hands on a beta version.
The popular ASP.NET enterprise Web Content Management System and Customer Experience Management solution got a major update when <a href="/kentico-8-introduces-slick-new-interface-and-improved-marketing-suite/" target="_blank">version 8.0 was released</a>. Now, Kentico 8.1 s about to add to what's already quite new and exciting.
When I covered <a href="/kentico-8.1-release-date-revealed/" target="_blank">Kentico's announcement of the release date of version 8.1</a>, I made mention of some of the new planned features. Now though, let's take a closer look at what the Kentico 8.1 is set to bring.
<h2>Dashboard &amp; Marketing Suite Enhancements</h2>
Below is a GIF of Kentico's newly tweaked dashboard, a feature users can make use of with the Kentico 8.1 beta. Simply click on the image below to view.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dashboardcustomization700x0.gif" alt="Kentico 8.1" />
Here's the list Kentico released, outlining what the Kentico 8.1 beta contains:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://devnet.kentico.com/articles/sell-more-with-new-buy-x,-get-y-discounts" target="_blank"> Buy X, Get Y discounts</a>:  This update allows Kentico store managers to configure their cross-selling promotions in a more sophisticated way, e.g. Buy any 3 clothes, get the cheapest for free</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://devnet.kentico.com/articles/live-tiles-and-dashboard-customization" target="_blank"> Dashboard improvements</a>: This update allows Kentico users to easily personalize the dashboard with frequently used applications. Furthermore, some dashboard tiles display real-time data, e.g. Number of running order discounts.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>LinkedIn integration: This update allows marketers to manage the company profile directly from Kentico including the ability to use automated workflow for content publishing on LinkedIn</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>SharePoint integration improvements: This update brings support for the latest SharePoint versions including SharePoint Online and other improvements. e.g. the ability to set up the multiple SharePoint connections for the same Kentico site</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Online marketing performance improvements: The Kentico team have lowered the performance footprint of Kentico Online marketing modules such as Contact groups and Scoring. This means that your web site will respond more quickly and will be able to handle more traffic during peaks.</li>
</ul>
You can <a href="http://devnet.kentico.com/articles/try-kentico-8-1-beta-!?feed=Kentico" target="_blank">download the Kentico 8.1 beta right here</a>.
Also, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/kentico/" target="_blank">Kentico via our CMS Directory</a>.

Kentico 8.1 Beta Now Available

Are you tired of having a CMS that just doesn’t do what you want it to? Do you feel like you are just babysitting your CMS, taking care of the web servers, upgrades, hotfixes, backups, and constantly dealing with a growing list of plugins? Isn’t it frustrating when you have to rewrite your awesome code because your CMS just refuses to play nice? Are you tired of creating different versions of the same content to optimize it for various channels? Wish there was another way? Now, there is.
Kentico Cloud is the cloud-first headless CMS for digital agencies and their clients.
It’s Not Just a CMS Dropped into the Cloud
Many CMS vendors have caught onto the Cloud movement that is currently occurring. But what most do is simply to pick up their CMS and drop it into the Cloud. Sure, it works, but it lacks the elegance and agility of a truly cloud-first CMS. In fact, in 2013, we created Kentico+, which was just that—a CMS deployed in the Cloud—but we could not make it work efficiently for all users. We realized that if we wanted to provide agencies and their clients with all the benefits of the cloud, we needed to go back to the drawing board and rethink the entire CMS architecture.
Kentico Cloud is a completely new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product. By taking care of the service, it allows agencies and their clients to focus on what matters most—driving their business goals by creating truly wonderful digital experiences.
Manage All Your Content in the Cloud
Kentico Cloud works as a centralized content hub where you can produce all your structured content in one place. It provides customizable content types, taxonomy, site map, workflow, versioning, and comments—everything you need to work and collaborate on when creating your content.
Once the content is ready, you can either export it to your existing CMS (if you do not want to redesign the site) or use our content delivery API to publish the content directly on your website or in your mobile application.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kentico_draft1063x0-is.png" />
Deliver Content to Any Website or Mobile Application
Kentico Cloud provides a super-fast API for developers to display the content on websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, and any other channel. It uses the headless approach, which means you have full control over your presentation layer.
As a developer, you can use our API on any platform, using any programming language, and with your favorite development tools—just the way you like it.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kentico_deliver869x0-is.png" />
Provide a Personalized Experience
Kentico Cloud goes beyond content management. It allows you to personalize the content displayed to customers based on their profiles. It allows you to track customers on your website and personalize their experiences based on the data it collects. It can tell you which pages the customer visited, which forms they submitted, and what they bought.
Unlike with traditional web analytics tools, Kentico Cloud also creates profiles of individual users with a complete history of their activities. You can then use it to personalize the content on your website or export the data to other systems.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kentico_engage_profile869x0-is.png" />
Kentico Cloud—the Solution to Digital Agency Problems
Kentico Cloud is a set of fully integrated cloud services built from the ground up in the headless CMS architecture. As a hassle-free cloud platform that eliminates complex technology, Kentico Cloud helps agencies and their clients to be more productive while also increasing the scope of content delivery to any device or platform. Instead of wasting time looking after your CMS, put that time to greater effect and focus on delivering successful, profitable projects for your customers.
The Future Is Now
Stop babysitting your CMS and get started with Kentico Cloud now. It allows you to tackle the future of the digital landscape head on and gain a competitive advantage. From websites to virtual reality, bots to digital assistants, and augmented reality to Internet of Things devices, the possibilities are endless. Let Kentico Cloud make it easy for you—go to <a href="http://www.kenticocloud.com">www.kenticocloud.com</a> and sign up for a free trial.

Kentico Cloud - What’s It All About?

Forks up! We've got one more slice of news as we leave November in the rearview.
Along with the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., it was a month full of "stuffing" at the CMS and DXP table. We shared the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/postman-releases-2021-state-of-the-api-report-shows-global-trend-towards-api-first-digital-era/" target="_blank">Postman "State of the API" report</a>, which further cemented the global trend towards an API-first digital era. We also covered <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/kontent-by-kentico-aims-to-take-enterprise-headless-cms-to-a-new-level/" target="_blank">Kontent by Kentico's continued efforts to transform headless CMS</a> for the enterprise through committed innovation.
From a mergers and acquisitions perspective, November was a bit cooler than in previous months. But there was one piece of news to dish about: <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/commercetools-acquires-frontastic-adds-composable-frontend-capabilities-to-headless-commerce/" target="_blank">commercetools devoured Frontastic</a>, adding composable frontend capabilities to its headless commerce offering. We'll be following the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-headless-commerce-platforms/" target="_blank">headless commerce</a> sector throughout 2022 as we expect to see more consolidation, investment, and expansion – particularly as Omicron reinforces the focus on digital transformation.
Finally, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/solodev-cms-for-kubernetes-now-available-with-contract-pricing-in-aws-marketplace-for-containers-anywhere/" target="_blank">Solodev launched its CMS for Kubernetes with contract pricing</a> options in the AWS Marketplace. Announced at <a href="https://reinvent.awsevents.com/" target="_blank">AWS re:Invent</a>, this heralds a new era of container offerings, allowing users to deploy in-cloud or on-premises in almost any environment. Solodev was the only CMS in the mix to offer the new capability.
Enough on the leftovers. Here are a few more tidbits to chew on:
 
<h2>MACH Alliance announces eight newly certified companies as Global Membership nears 50</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/mach-alliance-new-members.jpeg" alt="MACH Alliance new members logos" />
The <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3366290-1&amp;h=2364601792&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.machalliance.org%2F&amp;a=MACH+Alliance" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a>, a group of independent tech companies dedicated to advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems, announced that it has certified eight new members in its ecosystem: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.actindo.com/" target="_blank">Actindo AG</a>, a digital operations platform enabling efficient e-commerce</li>
<li><a href="https://www.appnovation.com/" target="_blank">Appnovation</a>, a global digital consultancy specializing in the design, development, and support of engaging experiences</li>
<li><a href="https://www.builder.io/" target="_blank">Builder.io</a>, a platform to visually create and optimize high-speed app and website experiences</li>
<li><a href="https://www.convictional.com/" target="_blank">Convictional</a>,  a supplier enablement platform for retailers and marketplaces</li>
<li><a href="https://www.fast.co/" target="_blank">Fast</a>, a one-click and headless checkout solution making it easier to buy and sell online.</li>
<li><a href="https://graphcms.com/" target="_blank">GraphCMS</a>, the GraphQL Content Federation System</li>
<li><a href="https://www.objectedge.com/" target="_blank">Object Edge</a>, a consultancy that builds digital experiences for enterprise B2B/B2C/D2C commerce and content</li>
<li><a href="https://www.storyblok.com/" target="_blank">Storyblok</a>, a fast-emerging headless content management system. You can check out <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/interview-headless-cms-storyblok-expands-partner-program-with-u-s-agency-campbell-ewald/" target="_blank">our interview with Barry D'Arcy</a>, VP of Partners at Storyblok.</li>
</ul>
The Alliance estimates that roughly 100,000 tech professionals around the globe are now involved with MACH. This is based on the headcounts of member companies and in-house tech teams of enterprises deploying MACH initiatives. 
The Alliance's growth comes as IT budgets are expected to rise faster in 2022 than they have in over a decade – and spending in support of flexible, composable business and IT initiatives will be prioritized as organizations struggle to be digitally agile and meet consumer demands.
"We've reached a moment of reckoning where digital leaders are realizing legacy technologies pose greater risk than reward, and the pandemic has made it more clear than ever that composable architecture is the way forward for the enterprise," said Sonja Keerl, MACH Alliance president. "Even big tech has started slowly moving in this direction, which is all the more reason why the Alliance upholds its high certification standards since MACH-washing has become increasingly common. The Alliance exists to help organizations weed through that noise and be their guide throughout their MACH journey."
MACH stands for Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless. The move towards MACH has accelerated in the past few years, leading to the start of the <a href="https://machalliance.org/" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a> in 2020. Founded by commercetools, Contentstack, EPAM Systems, Valtech, and 15 members at launch, the MACH Alliance is a non-profit cooperation focused on introducing a new, open, and best-of-breed enterprise technology ecosystem. 
Maintaining Exclusive Certification Standards
The MACH Alliance maintains the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3366290-1&amp;h=2299048448&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmachalliance.org%2Finsights%2Fmach-certification-a-seal-of-confidence&amp;a=highest+standards" target="_blank">highest standards</a> in order for companies to become certified. The high bar provides enterprises with essentially an insurance policy that guarantees future-proof technology. Choosing a certified MACH vendor helps ensure the following:
<ul>
<li>Connectability: other applications connect easily through API</li>
<li>Scalability: cloud-native SaaS ensures seamless rolling upgrades that don't require human intervention</li>
<li>Swapability:  companies can easily add and replace software and make changes on the fly without disrupting front end UX/UI</li>
<li>Adaptability: the functionality of the software can be used with multiple front ends</li>
<li>Flexibility and Transparency: prevents vendor lock-in, allowing companies to stay in charge of their own technology and be able to respond to any situation</li>
</ul>
Gaining Investor Attention
MACH Alliance vendor members have accumulated more than $2.5 billion in funding, and the valuation of the category just by its vendors is estimated at over $20 billion.
The Alliance has played a key part in fueling this interest, with the group referred to by Forrester analyst Joe Cicman as being "...the bouncers controlling the velvet rope at the entrance of the Coolest Tech in Town Club." In his July write-up, "<a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3366290-1&amp;h=3090673364&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forrester.com%2Fblogs%2Fbuy-an-integrated-platform-not-a-box-of-rocks%2F&amp;a=Buy+An+Integrated+DXP+Platform%2C+Not+Just+A+Box+Of+Rocks" target="_blank">Buy An Integrated DXP Platform, Not Just A Box Of Rocks</a>," Cicman noted how the MACH Alliance enforces the definition of modern technology. He also reinforced the importance of composable set-ups, stating the only practical playbook today is one that is cloud-native.
Learn more at <a href="http://www.machalliance.org/" target="_blank">www.machalliance.org</a>.
<h2>GoDaddy data breach impacts over 1.2 million WordPress accounts</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/binary-g2d4825f8f_1280.jpg" alt="Hacker and binary numbers" />
Alas, there are WordPress woes in the land of GoDaddy...
In a statement released by <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1609711/000160971121000122/gddyblogpostnov222021.htm" target="_blank">the Securities and Exchange Commission</a>, GoDaddy's Chief Information Security Officer Demetrius Comes said they discovered unauthorized third-party access to their managed WordPress hosting environment.
<div>Comes also stated that upon identifying this incident, they immediately blocked the unauthorized third party from their system. They have determined that beginning on September 6, 2021, the culprit used the vulnerability to gain access to the following customer information:</div>
<ul>
<li>Up to 1.2 million active and inactive Managed WordPress email addresses and customer numbers: The exposure of email addresses presents a risk of increased phishing attacks.</li>
<li>The original WordPress Admin password set at the time of provisioning: If those credentials were still in use, GoDaddy reset those passwords.</li>
<li>sFTP and database usernames and passwords for active customers</li>
<li>SSL private key for a subset of active customers: GoDaddy is in the process of issuing and installing new certificates for those affected.</li>
</ul>
<div>The investigation is ongoing and GoDaddy is contacting all impacted customers directly with specific details. If you're concerned, contact GoDaddy via their <a href="https://www.godaddy.com/help">help center</a>.</div>
 
<h2>WordPress 5.9 Release Date Gets Delayed to January 25, 2022</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/wordpress-59.jpg" alt="WordPress 5.9" />
Keeping up with WordPress version releases is a bit like playing pool with a rope. While Gutenberg gets new enhancements almost every two weeks, bigger releases are much less reliable. 
Case in point: the latest version of WordPress – 5.9 Beta – <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/5-9/" target="_blank">was scheduled for release</a> on November 16th. Apparently, that news was a bit premature, and the organization <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/11/17/wordpress-5-9-beta-1-delayed/" target="_blank">shifted the release to January 25, 2022</a>, to accommodate 5.9's new features.
Perhaps this is understandable given that WordPress is the most widely used open-source CMS on the planet. Maintaining standards is key, and even the most minor changes can impact users. That said, WordPress has a documented philosophy around development: <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2010/04/20/deadlines-are-not-arbritrary-theyre-a/" target="_blank">deadlines are not arbitrary</a>. Schedules can shift if results demand it, but there's a clear focus on making commitments and sticking to timelines. 
Such is life. We hope to see 5.9 on January 25th.
What is included in WordPress 5.9?
According to WordPress, 5.9 is expected to be a ground-breaking release. It will introduce the next generation of themes with <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2021/10/06/introducing-twenty-twenty-two/" target="_blank">Twenty Twenty-Two</a> joining the party and over 30 theme blocks to build all parts of your site.
Here's a sneak peek video of 5.9:
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XvEG9XWD4JI" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
 
<h2>commercetools Acquires Frontastic, adds composable frontend capabilities to headless commerce</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/11/commercetools_frontastic_featured.jpg" alt="Composite image of the commercetools and frontastic logos on a blended background" />
commercetools, a leading headless e-Commerce platform, recently <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/commercetools-acquires-frontastic-adds-composable-frontend-capabilities-to-headless-commerce/" target="_blank">announced</a> the acquisition of Frontastic, a composable frontend platform.
The purchase comes just a few months after commercetools announced a $140 million <a href="https://commercetools.com/press-releases/commercetools-secures-140m-series-c-funding-round-to-accelerate-global-growth" target="_blank">Series C funding round</a>. The company hopes it will broaden the reach of its game-changing commerce technology for creating differentiated user experiences.
"We've been partnering with the Frontastic team since the very beginning and see a huge market opportunity for their Composable Frontend Platform around the world," said Dirk Hoerig, CEO and Co-Founder of commercetools. "With this powerful combination, we're bringing the MACH (Microservices, API, Cloud, and Headless) movement to the mid-market as well as to digital business teams so that more companies can benefit from modern commerce experiences."
It's worth noting that commercetools was one of the earlier headless commerce platforms on the scene, helping to shape the modern standards for headless commerce. Their decoupled environment now enables a multitude of commerce capabilities across an ever-growing network of channels and endpoints. Like other platforms in the composable field, commercetools also embraces the <a href="https://machalliance.org/" target="_blank">MACH principles</a> – providing a truly open, modular environment that enables businesses to embrace innovation and respond to change quickly.

CMS Monthly Recap: MACH Alliance Announces New Members, GoDaddy Data Breach, commercetools Acquires Frontastic, and More

cms-critic-staff

Monthly Recap featured image with title text against a photo of a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

Kentico has been helping to shape the CMS landscape for almost two decades. A timeline on their website suggests that the company was born prior to 2004, out of the senior thesis of Petr Palas – Kentico's founder and CEO. It even spins lore about this hallowed thesis living on a floppy disc somewhere, presumably in an underground vault, where it acts as the company's "lucky charm."
A lot has happened in CMS since Kentico became a market-leading solution, but they've always managed to forge their own path through innovation. Most recently, a big part of that innovation has been focused on their <a href="https://kontent.ai/" target="_blank">Kontent by Kentico</a> enterprise headless solution. 
To that end, the company has just unveiled some new and notable functionality in the Kontent platform, including advanced asset management, central oversight of users, and other updates that significantly improve the way content operations are managed and governed. Kentico shared these new features – as well as a number of industry insights and best practices for content professionals – at <a href="https://horizons.kontent.ai/?utm_source=pr&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=pr-november-2021&amp;_ampl=9f080f5c-6c7f-4ee7-8f19-93b7f5b84159R&amp;_ga=1547659104.1636408894" target="_blank">Kontent Horizons</a>, a free virtual event that took place last week.
This past September, Kontent also became the first and only certified enterprise <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless CMS</a> available for purchase through Microsoft Azure Marketplace and AppSource for customers with the Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC). 
With these investments in the growth of their Kontent platform, it's clear that Kentico has doubled down on providing large-scale headless content operations for enterprises. 
<h2>Focusing on headless at the enterprise level</h2>
Content is at the core of every digital experience, and the headless model is enabling an omnichannel approach to scaling content to almost any endpoint. That said, when large volumes of content are being delivered through many channels, managing that content can quickly become a nightmare. This is especially true at the enterprise level.
Supporting large-scale content operations continues to be a key focus for the Kontent team. With the recent news about their Microsoft Azure affiliation, Kentico is enabling customers to make use of the Azure Marketplace for easy and secure discovery, implementation, and management of Kontent as an integral solution in their enterprise-grade microservices architecture. 
“We’re delighted to work with Microsoft as the only headless CMS on Azure Marketplace," said Martin Michalik, VP of Product at Kontent by Kentico. "It’s great that we can provide customers a way to get the most business value out of their consumption commitments.”
<h2>Enhancing scalability</h2>
As more businesses look to transform their content delivery through the headless model, Kontent by Kentico is experiencing exponential growth. In 2021 alone, global giants like Algolia, Wolf Oil Corporation, and Zurich Insurance joined Kontent’s enterprise customer base. 
“As our customers continue to evolve their digital strategy, how to scale up efficiently is still a top-of-mind concern," said Monica Raszyk, Director of Product Marketing at Kontent by Kentico. "More users, assets, and content can certainly be seen as an opportunity – if managed well. That’s why these past few months, we worked closely with our customer base to specifically address their complexities of scale. With the recent platform updates, content teams can now more easily organize and manage assets using taxonomies, keep workspaces secure with complete oversight of users, or quickly review complex content items. 
To further support their content community and make the world of headless content management more accessible, Kentico hosted their second annual <a href="https://horizons.kontent.ai/?utm_source=pr&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=pr-november-2021&amp;_ampl=9f080f5c-6c7f-4ee7-8f19-93b7f5b84159R&amp;_ga=1547659104.1636408894" target="_blank">Kontent Horizons</a> event earlier this month. This year’s free virtual conference was designed for a growing global audience of content professionals and web development experts – and featured a wide range of topics, including omnichannel content, user experience, website architecture, and more. 
With over 1,000 attendees, the three-day event was focused on helping teams strategize around the challenges of 2022, with insightful sessions led by industry experts such as Colleen Jones, President at Content Science, Jason Lengstorf, VP Developer Experience at Netlify, and Nick Barber, Senior Analyst at Forrester. 
<h2>New Kontent features</h2>
As mentioned, Kentico unveiled a number of new features in Kontent, including a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/kentico-kontents-new-user-interface-streamlines-enterprise-content-operations/" target="_blank">new user interface</a> to help enterprise teams execute their content operations faster. 
One of the other noteworthy upgrades is the <a href="https://kontent.ai/specials/collections?menu=true" target="_blank">Collections</a> feature, which lets enterprises manage all their content in a single repository. This allows the content to be shared across teams and channels without losing any control. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/kentico-new-ui.png" alt="Kentico Kontent's new user interface" />
<h2>What's next for Kontent</h2>
Some of the biggest challenges that enterprises face are the sheer scale of content and the number of users spread across an organization. Headless has helped to expand the omnichannel capabilities, but there are still significant headwinds, particularly around previewing content destined for different endpoints. 
Continuing to invest their focus on enterprise content management, the Kentico Kontent team aims to deliver even more improvements in the areas of content operations, advanced asset management, and custom multiple workflows. It's clear that they have a strong commitment to innovation, and we can expect more on the horizon when it comes to enhancing the headless experience. 
“Using the Kontent platform, companies around the world can unlock the full potential of their content and not only meet but exceed their customers’ expectations, which gives them a competitive edge in today’s digital world,” said Bart Omlo, Kontent’s Managing Director.
We'll be watching as they continue to evolve their own "Kontent operations."
<div>
<h2>About Kontent by Kentico</h2>
</div>
<div>Kontent by Kentico is the world’s leading cloud-based headless CMS platform. Robust APIs, webhooks, and flexible content models give developers full control over the structure of their content and how it’s delivered to their websites and applications. The APIs deliver clean, structured content that can be pulled into any experience and technology stack. On top of this headless foundation, Kontent includes an intuitive authoring experience that lets marketers focus on content creation, allowing developers to focus on building engaging online experiences that look great in every channel. Kontent’s customers include AC Milan, Oxford University, Konica Minolta, REWE Group, and Vogue. </div>

Kontent by Kentico Aims to Take Enterprise Headless CMS to a New Level

Kontent by Kentico featured image of schema, a workflow diagram with small icons

<a href="https://kontent.ai/">Kentico Kontent</a>, a leader in the Headless CMS market, announced the launch of their new user interface, designed to help enterprise content teams execute their content operations faster.
Kontent’s UX team stated that the new interface incorporates direct feedback from their customers and partners. After conducting deeper usability tests and analyses, the platform now features an enhanced, more intuitive UI with a minimal learning curve.
<h2>Streamlining Content Operations</h2>
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s the mantra software vendors wrestle with when considering any change to their UI/UX. The challenge exists because users sometimes react negatively to changes – no matter how small – as they can disrupt their workflow.
Content operations within an organization are especially sensitive to UI/UX modifications, as CMS users can quickly become frustrated with new or different processes that delay their publishing rhythm. Kontent believes it has overcome potential objections by listening to users and focusing on key areas of improvement.
“The new look makes it easier for editors to find content and action items, helping them stay focused on the task at hand,” said Tadeas Kubat, VP User Experience at Kentico Kontent.
<h2>A fresh design approach</h2>
At first glance, Kontent’s new visual design is quite different from the previous. It is more modern and appealing, sporting an array of vibrant colors with plenty of contrast to emphasize important elements. Overall, it feels more “app like” in its appearance, which projects a more mature experience.
Here’s a before and after image:
Before
<img style="max-width:1280px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/home-your-content_before.png" alt="Kentico Kontent UI Before image" />
 
After
<img style="max-width:1280px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/kentico-new-ui-1.png" alt="The new Kentico content UI" />
As previously noted, the new UI is designed to help enterprise teams find what they need and share their content across other departments. The updated design helps deliver on that promise by simplifying a familiar framework – allowing users to make the leap with limited friction.
<h2>Kontent Collections</h2>
Originally branded as Kontent Projects, one of the new upgrades in the latest release is the <a href="https://kontent.ai/specials/collections?menu=true">Collections</a> feature – which lets enterprises manage all their content in a single repository, allowing the content to be shared across teams and channels without losing any control.
Having a single repository brings multiple benefits. First and foremost, it eliminates content silos that lead to inconsistent brand standards and content duplication. It also centralizes governance around configurations, content models, and policies.
One of the biggest content challenges for enterprises is the sheer scale of content and the number of users spread across an organization. This is especially true for organizations with multi-national websites that need brand consistency across global regions.
<img style="max-width:858px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/collections_content_sharing.png" alt="Collections Content sharing" />
Kontent’s Collections offers centralized governance, where organizations can set user access in a single location. This minimizes the complexity while providing greater flexibility for different teams with varying requirements.
With Collections, organizations can:
<ul>
<li>create collections instead of separate projects</li>
<li>share anything between collections</li>
<li>restrict access to collections</li>
<li>customize collections governance</li>
</ul>
You can also create collections for teams, regions, websites, microsites, initiatives, and even cross-platform content hubs.
<img style="max-width:1283px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/create-collection.png" alt="image of the create collection screen" />
After you create a collection, you can configure access to it by assigning roles to individuals. This includes read access to global content, editorial access to team content, and more.
<img style="max-width:672px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/04/user-roles-collections-languages.png" alt="image of users roles screen" />
With the upgraded <a href="https://kontent.ai/specials/collections?menu=true">Collections</a> feature, teams can share content items across departments, websites, and experiences to ensure consistency and eliminate error-prone duplication. The goal is to improve efficiency and minimize the frustration that many enterprise content teams experience.
Kentico also features noteworthy capabilities like <a href="https://kontent.ai/specials/simultaneous-editing">Simultaneous</a>, which allows multiple editors to work on the same content without worrying about overwriting each other’s changes, and <a href="https://kontent.ai/blog/in-context-editing-the-best-way-to-update-website-content">In-Context Editing</a>, which lets editors update the website content right within the pages of their preview site.
If there’s one thing evident in this latest upgrade, it’s that Kentico is listening to their customers. While some platforms might forge ahead with uninformed enhancements, Kontent represents a true reflection of how a CMS platform engages with their users to shape the future of their product. They clearly understand the meaning of customer experience.
<h2>About Kentico Kontent</h2>
<a href="https://kontent.ai/">Kentico Kontent</a> is a leading headless CMS that empowers enterprise content teams to manage all their content in a single repository. Flexible content models, real-time collaboration, and workflow lead to faster content production, better consistency, and higher quality. Content is managed completely independent of the presentation, freeing developers to build engaging digital experiences using the technologies of their choice. Kontent’s customers include AC Milan, Oxford University, Konica Minolta, PPG Industries, and Vogue.

Kentico Kontent’s New User Interface Streamlines Enterprise Content Operations

Kentico Software (<a href="http://www.kentico.com">http://www.kentico.com</a>), the Web content management system vendor, announced at the Kentico Connection Conference in Denver a new Customer Experience Management product – Kentico Enterprise Marketing Solution (EMS).
<blockquote>“I’m happy to announce a new Customer Experience Management product – Kentico Enterprise Marketing Solution (EMS). Attendees of Kentico Connection conference in Denver are given a special release of Kentico EMS that empowers marketers of mid and large size companies to easily optimize their websites and achieve higher campaign ROI,” said Petr Palas, CEO and founder of Kentico Software.</blockquote>
“Version 6 of Kentico CMS converts the software from a state-of-the-art content management system to a modern online engagement platform. Presently, only the leaders of the enterprise-level CMS market offer the tools necessary to develop truly user-centric websites: built-in real-time analytics, A/B and multivariate testing, and user segmentation with real-time personalization,” said Ralph Spandl, Information Architect at r42 communication Inc.
“The new user interface really improves the user experience for content managers and the Widgets and Dashboards makes it easy for us to extend and unlock customized features to our clients,” said Bram den Boer, Software engineer at Datacon BV. “It's great to see that Kentico is not just adding new features, but also keeps improving the existing functionality following our needs.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/20140909_193540_cc8jvb-scaled.jpg" alt="Kentico - Editing a Site" />
Kentico Enterprise Marketing Solution is an integrated Customer Experience Management solution that enables marketers to deliver and optimize real-time customer centric marketing across multiple channels. Unlike other products, Kentico EMS provides a complete and fully integrated set of tools for marketers who need to quickly deliver their campaigns, get useful and actionable data and increase their ROI. Some of the main features are:
• A/B Testing and Multivariate Testing 
• Campaign and Conversion Management 
• Lead Scoring and Engagement Scoring 
• Web Analytics 
• E-mail Marketing 
• Contact Management 
• Content Personalization 
• Segmentation
The official release of Kentico CMS 6 and Kentico EMS is planned for October 10. Attendees of the Kentico Connection conference are treated with special release to begin their development.

Kentico Sets a New Standard for Customer Experience Management

Kentico have released the latest version of their popular web content management solution.
Kentico 8 represents a significant improvement over previous releases with a completely redesigned and improved interface and a number of enhancements to their integrated marketing suite as well.
<blockquote>“Digital marketing today requires a unifying brand identity and faster level of responsiveness to the ever-changing needs of customers, wherever they might be,” said Kentico CEO and Founder Petr Palas. “With Kentico 8’s enhanced integrated marketing solution, our customers get a sophisticated but easy-to-use and affordable set of tools that allow them to quickly launch and manage highly personalized and integrated digital marketing activities across all digital mediums.”</blockquote>
Kentico has added quite a bit to this release and we'll go through them here to get you up to speed but first, here's a quick video showcasing the new version.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0vkTXiK9rn8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<h2>The New Interface</h2>
The new interface of Kentico 8 has almost a Windows 8 Metro look and feel to it, as you can see below. Clean and clear buttons and typography make it very visually attractive.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/moodboard_ui.jpg" alt="Kentico 8 screenshot" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dashboard.png" alt="Kentico 8 screenshot" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/applist.png" alt="kentico 8 screenshot" />
<h2>Reworked Help Section</h2>
Another very important change in this new release is the brand new help section. Completely reworked from previous versions, the new help provides special how-to instructions and tips &amp; tricks related to the application you are using. Take a look:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/help.png" alt="Kentico 8 Help" />
<h2>Marketing Suite Additions</h2>
The integrated marketing suite has also seen some cool new additions including:
<ul>
<li>Persona-based recommendations for boosted engagement and loyalty.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/users.png" alt="Kentico 8 personas" /></li>
<li>A/B Testing Improvements 
Test variants of pages on particular audience segments, for deeper insight and more targeted results.</li>
<li>Social marketing 
Post content on and get analytics from Facebook and Twitter all from within the UI.</li>
</ul>
These are just a few of the changes and improvements in this new release. To get the full experience, check out their website <a href="http://www.kentico.com/kentico8">http://www.kentico.com/kentico8</a>

Kentico 8 Introduces Slick new Interface and Improved Marketing Suite

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

Kentico EMS+ Managed CXM in the Cloud

In keeping with <a href="/kentico-8-2-release-date-set/">Kentico's announcement last year</a> pointing to an early 2015 release, Kentico 8.2 has now officially arrived.With its headquarters in the Czech Republic, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/">Kentico</a> is a respected Enterprise Web Content Management System and Customer Experience Management solution, available on-premise or via the cloud. Founded in 2004, Kentico offers solutions for website building, intranets, community sites, and e-commerce websites.<a href="/kentico-8-1-release-date-revealed/">Kentico 8.1 was recently released</a> back in August 2014, and that version brought about its own set of features, including SharePoint integration and social marketing improvements. Kentico 8.2 has built upon those marketing features somewhat.<h2>Kentico 8.2 Enhances eCommerce, Marketing &amp; Collaboration</h2>Kentico 8.2 allows marketers to quickly deliver the right marketing message, at the right time, via the right digital channel. Here's an overview of what's new.Bi-Directional SharePoint Synchronization: Kentico’s new SharePoint Integration module streamlines collaboration while facilitating better file sharing. Kentico’s new bi-directional SharePoint synchronization feature means that all changes made in Kentico will be made automatically on the SharePoint server. So, your files are always up to date, and everyone has the latest versions.Easy Shipping Calculations: With shipping costs affected by order value, size, weight, geography, shipping provider, and customer, providing shipping discounts and free delivery to certain customers can be difficult to calculate. One-size-fits-all solutions are not for everybody, so Kentico has made it easy to create a shipping module that presents all the tools you need to calculate shipping costs in your own custom user interface.Enhanced Contact Management: The newly introduced Kentico Contact Management module provides a 360-degree view of all your website visitors and customers as well as their behavior across all channels and devices. If you are using multiple tools to manage your leads, contacts and recipients, it can be a headache to sync them, import them and reuse them across all the platforms in use. With Kentico 8.2, you can easily import Contacts from a CSV file, segment them, and leverage them in the system.Upon the release of version 8.2, Kentico's CEO and Founder Petr Palas made the following comments.<blockquote>“With the new features contained in Kentico 8.2, we continue to show we not only listen to our customers, we respond to their needs.We are constantly working to enhance our product to bring our customers the easy-to-use and affordable set of tools they need to launch and manage integrated digital marketing activities that are highly personalized, dynamic, and effective.”</blockquote>To find out more about Kentico, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/">visit their website</a>, or check out their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/Company/Press-Center/2014/Kentico-8-2-Features-New-Collaboration-and-Ecommer">Kentico 8.2 announcement</a>.Plus, you can explore more of <a href="/products/kentico/">Kentico via our CMS Directory</a>.

Kentico 8.2 Released With eCommerce & Marketing Improvements

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