Articles

OPEN SOURCE Article

Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Here's Why CMS Is Your 'Unsung Hero' in 2025

janus-boye

A Tale of Two Phils: Exploring Umbraco’s Open Source Vision for AI, MCP, and the Agentic Future of CMS

matt-garrepy

Orchestrate and Create: Umbraco Compose Streamlines Integration of New Technologies and Agentic AI

<hr /> Security will always be a critical pillar for modern software, particularly as more threats permeate the perimeter. But security is more than just a technology consideration, and requires the fortification of best practices and policies to complete the picture. As an open source content management system with multiple products in its ecosystem, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco</a> continues to invest in bolstering its own security posture – and just announced that it has achieved the globally recognized <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.iso.org/standard/27001">ISO/IEC 27001:2022</a> certification.According to Umbraco CEO <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-right-person-to-lead-umbraco-appoints-mats-persson-as-ceo-reflecting-growth-ahead">Mats Persson</a>, this certification reflects the CMS’s growth and adoption by larger, multinational enterprises and organizations operating in highly regulated industries. It also enhances an already strong foundation of security-focused benchmarks that the company has attained.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:36.25%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2026/01/image-1769732833624.png" /></figure>Umbraco CEO Mats Persson “We already implement robust information security processes to comply with the NIS2 Directive and EU Cyber Resilience Act,” Persson said. “ISO 27001 certification provides our global partners and customers with the reassurance that Umbraco follows international best practices governing the way that our products process, store, and protect sensitive data.”<h3 id="setting-a-higher-bar-for-security">Setting a higher bar for security</h3>ISO – the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.iso.org/standard/27001">International Organization for Standardization</a> – maintains a rigorous process for achieving ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation. It’s well-regarded as the world's best-known standard for information security management systems (ISMS), and defines the core requirements it must meet.The ISO/IEC 27001 standard provides companies of any size – from all sectors of activity – with guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system.ISO 27001 provides a proven framework for several key requirements, starting with identifying and managing security risks and ensuring consistent and documented security practices are in place. Recipients of the certification must also support accountability and transparency across their teams, and continuously review and update their security systems and practices as their products and organizations evolve.Meeting ISO/IEC 27001 means Umbraco has instituted a system to manage risks related to the security of data that is owned or handled by the company, and that its system respects all the best practices and principles outlined in this standard.<h3 id="enhancing-security-to-support-the-partner-ecosystem">Enhancing security to support the partner ecosystem</h3>The ISO/IEC 27001 certification applies specifically to Umbraco’s product organization and follows an extensive audit of its people, processes, and technologies by an independent security specialist. It validates the company's fierce commitment to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data within its products.While the accreditation is a technical achievement, the investment in the process was also part of Umbraco’s ongoing support for its digital agency partners, which are increasingly winning deals with global enterprises – particularly brands and organizations with large workloads handling sensitive data. This includes complex websites and e-commerce sites.“Gaining the ISO 27001 certification shows that independent auditors have scrutinized the processes used to develop, operate, and maintain Umbraco products, and confirmed that the company reviews and manages security risks on an ongoing basis,” Persson added. “This is a milestone on a continuous security journey.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Umbraco is already demonstrating its ambitions for global growth, and this ISO certification is further evidence of its drive towards the enterprise layer. Having already complied with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=NIS2+Directive&amp;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS763US764&amp;oq=NIS2+direct&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgAEAAYQxiABBiKBTIMCAAQABhDGIAEGIoFMgYIARBFGDkyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyDAgIEAAYQxiABBiKBTIHCAkQABiABNIBCDMyMTFqMGo3qAIAsAIA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiYhOmJg7KSAxV-1fACHXraPBYQgK4QegYIAQgAEAM">NIS2 Directive</a> (the comprehensive, EU-wide cybersecurity legislation that strengthens security for critical infrastructure and digital services) as well as the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cyber-resilience-act">EU Cyber Resilience Act,</a> Umbraco is well-positioned to sell into regulated industries with the most important product of all: trust. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:34.15%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2026/01/logo_jday_hor.png" /><h4 id="joomladay-usa-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jdayusa.com/">JoomlaDay USA 2026</a></h4>April 29 - May 2, 2026 – Delray Beach, FloridaBe part of the Joomla community in one of the most iconic cities in the world! JoomlaDay USA 2026 is coming to Delray Beach, and you can join us for a dynamic event packed with insights, workshops, and networking opportunities. Learn from top Joomla experts and developers offering valuable insights and real-world solutions. Participate in interactive workshops and sessions and enhance your skills in Joomla management, development, design, and more. And connect with fellow Joomla enthusiasts, developers, and professionals from across the world.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jdayusa.com/"> Book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:30.06%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2026/01/cms-summit-26-logo.jpg" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-26"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit26">CMS Summit 26</a></h4>May 12-13, 2026 – Frankfurt, GermanyThe best conferences create space for honest, experience-based conversations. Not sales pitches. Not hype. Just thoughtful exchanges between people who spend their days designing, building, running, and evolving digital experiences. CMS Summit brings together people who share real stories from their work and platforms and who are interested in learning from each other on how to make things better. Over two days in Frankfurt, you can expect practitioner-led talks grounded in experience, conversations about trade-offs, constraints, and decisions, and time to compare notes with peers facing similar challenges. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit26/tickets">so book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:30.13%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1765546475634.png" /><h4 id="umbraco-codegarden-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Umbraco Codegarden 2026</a></h4>June 10–11, 2026 – Copenhagen, DKJoin us in Copenhagen (or online) for the biggest Umbraco conference in the world – two full days of learning, genuine conversations, and the kind of inspiration that brings business leaders, developers, and digital creators together. Codegarden 2026 is packed with both business and tech content, from deep-dive workshops and advanced sessions to real-world case studies and strategy talks. You’ll leave with ideas, strategies, and knowledge you can put into practice immediately. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Book your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:36.69%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2026/01/open-source-cms-26.jpg" /><h4 id="open-source-cms-26"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/opensourcecms26">Open Source CMS 26</a></h4>October 20–21, 2026 – Utrecht, NetherlandsJoin us for the first annual edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to making open source CMS better. This event is already being called the “missing gathering place” for the open source CMS community – an international conference with confirmed participants from Europe and North America. Be part of a friendly mix of digital leaders from notable open source CMS projects, agencies, even a few industry analysts who get together to learn, network, and talk about what really matters when it comes to creating better open source CMS projects right now and for the foreseeable future. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/opensourcecms26/tickets">Book your tickets today.</a>

Umbraco Lands ISO 27001 Certification, Bolstering Its Security Posture

cms-critic-staff

Hard? Hardly. Drupal CMS 2.0 evolves open source content management with AI, visual building – and simplicity

<hr /> Umbraco is opening a new gift in this post-holiday season: a new office in Melbourne, Australia.This is just the latest in the open source CMS vendor’s global ambitions, beginning with the opening of a US office in Charlotte back in August of 2020. Since then, the company has expanded its regional hosting for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-cloud/">Umbraco Cloud</a> users in both Australia and Canada – and most recently established a UK office in September of 2025.This is another big move, demonstrating Umbraco’s confidence as it looks to grow across multiple markets in the Asia-Pacific region. To get the job done, the company has tapped <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanueltissera/">Emmanuel Tissera</a> to create and lead a team of dedicated professionals tasked with supporting Umbraco’s partners and enterprise customers in Australia, New Zealand, and the APAC territory. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:37.85%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2026/01/image-1767719899828.png" /></figure>Umbraco's Head of APAC Emmanuel Tissera. Source: Umbraco Tissera comes from solid Umbraco stock. As the previous Technical Director at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.luminary.com/about">Luminary</a>, the first of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/partners/find-a-solution-partner/?skill=&amp;sector=&amp;country=australia&amp;level=platinum">three digital agencies in Australia</a> to achieve Umbraco Platinum Partner status, he led and grew a team of developers building digital experiences for enterprise clients. He was also instrumental in establishing Umbraco’s regional hosting in 2023 to provide data residency for Umbraco Cloud users in Australia and New Zealand.“I’m genuinely excited about taking on this new role, which is the culmination of fifteen years working with the Umbraco CMS on both the client and agency side,” Tissera said. As the company framed in its announcement, a growing number of APAC partners are building highly scalable digital experiences on the Umbraco CMS platform for a wide range of organizations with enterprise-grade requirements. This includes <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.calicoagency.com.au/our-work/zoos-victoria/">Zoos Victoria</a> (which serves 2.25 million visitors a year), <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.koben.com.au/projects/australia-for-unhcr">Australia for UNHCR</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.remade.org.au/">ReMade in Australia</a>. To provide partners with essential local support for RFPs, technical demos, and PoCs, Umbraco decided to open an office in Melbourne's central business district.According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mats-persson-296a66/">CEO Mats Persson</a>, the addition of Tissera is a key part of the success quotient, providing seasoned leadership and broad industry expertise – all underscored by a strong Umbraco foundation.“We are thrilled to have someone with Emmanuel’s depth of technical expertise, business acumen, community involvement, and interpersonal skills to lead, grow, and strengthen the Umbraco APAC team,” Persson said. “He brings more than two decades’ experience of guiding strategy, implementing technology, and shaping solutions architecture for leading enterprises. Clients, colleagues and the community can be reassured that they are in safe hands.<h3 id="a-deep-heritage-of-cms-expertise">A deep heritage of CMS expertise</h3>As a member of Umbraco's Management team reporting directly to Persson, Tissera will lead the strategy and execution for growing the Umbraco footprint across the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the development of high-value relationships with partners, clients, and the open-source community. Leveraging his breadth of hands-on experience – crystallized by earning Umbraco MVP status six years in a row – Tissera plans to demonstrate the power of Umbraco as a scalable, performant, and friendly CMS for businesses and developers in the region. During his decade-long tenure at Luminary, he built enterprise-scale websites for leading Australian brands, including Snooze, Metricon, and the Melbourne Airport. He also provided solutions architecture for Schneider Electric and Netwealth, and led discovery projects for the New South Wales Government and UNICEF.Tissera brings proven insight to this new role. For the last 23 years, he has worked as a software engineer, building experience across the market’s leading content management systems. From the client perspective, he has worked with a bevy of notable organizations, including Emirates in Dubai and the Australian Associated Press. Tissera’s success is built on a solid Umbraco foundation, and he credits the company for helping to unlock his personal journey into the development field. He continues to pay that forward as a highly regarded contributor to the open source community, organizing regular meetups with fellow Umbraco developers across the APAC region. “My Umbraco expertise helped me to land my first web developer role in Australia, and I’ve been organizing developer meetups for the past eight years,” Tissera said. “The opening of the Melbourne office demonstrates Umbraco HQ’s commitment to APAC. I’m proud to be leading and growing the team to provide boots on the ground for Umbraco partners, enterprise customers, and the wider Umbraco community in Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific region.”<h3 id="the-verdict-">The verdict </h3>Umbraco is opening 2026 with a strong commitment to its global strategy, building methodically and mindfully. By tapping a proven talent with Tissera, the company is leaning on a local expert with a worldwide reputation – someone who can help frame the benefits of the open source platform and its roadmap as it edges further into AI, orchestration, MCP, and other initiatives. There’s wind in Umbraco’s sails, and for good reason. In my <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-right-person-to-lead-umbraco-appoints-mats-persson-as-ceo-reflecting-growth-ahead">previous conversations</a> with Persson – including a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3EYipUWEPc&amp;t=102s">recent webinar we co-hosted</a> on the future of composability – the company is harnessing its differentiated value to enable enterprises with a complete ecosystem of capabilities. Much of the innovation and traction is coming from its highly engaged community of more than 250,000 open-source contributors and an international network of digital agency partners, with trust being reinforced by the Umbraco commercial organization – which ensures the platform remains supported, updated, and resilient.As 2026 blossoms, agentic AI will undoubtedly be a critical requirement for enterprises. But it must demonstrate value. Umbraco’s roadmap continues to drive innovation in key areas, and its open source posture gives it a unique angle when it comes to customization and experimentation. Further, as digital sovereignty becomes a more central topic for organizations, having options for localized cloud hosting provides an added dimension of confidence and trust. These are all points in its value equation. Umbraco has always been smart, patient, and intentional with its strategy, and this latest expansion demonstrates an intelligent focus on reinforcing support for people and partnerships – which is always the best place to activate growth. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:30.13%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/12/image-1765546475634.png" /><h4 id="umbraco-codegarden-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Umbraco Codegarden 2026</a></h4>June 10–11, 2026 – Copenhagen, DKJoin us in Copenhagen (or online) for the biggest Umbraco conference in the world – two full days of learning, genuine conversations, and the kind of inspiration that brings business leaders, developers, and digital creators together. Codegarden 2026 is packed with both business and tech content, from deep-dive workshops and advanced sessions to real-world case studies and strategy talks. You’ll leave with ideas, strategies, and knowledge you can put into practice immediately. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://codegarden.umbraco.com/">Book your tickets today.</a>

Umbraco Accelerates Global Growth with New Melbourne Office, Appoints Emmanuel Tissera Head of APAC

<hr /> When <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco’s</a> community talks, its HQ listens – and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bolette-kern-2436ab57/">Bolette Kern</a> helps turn those transactions into action. As Senior Product Manager for the legendary open source vendor, Bolette is at the front line with users, embodying what makes Umbraco “The Friendly CMS.” In fact, when news broke that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-17-lts-release/">Umbraco 17</a> was being released last week, she joined me for a call from a partner summit. She’s busy. And rightly so. Umbraco has been blazing trails recently, going back to this year’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sowing-the-seeds-of-love-umbracos-codegarden-2025-celebrates-20-years-of-community-and-innovation">CodeGarden event</a> – where everything from a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/unveiling-umbraco-mcp-server/">new MCP server</a> to orchestration features via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-compose/">Umbraco Compose</a> were unveiled.But one of the jewels in the crown has been the hotly anticipated, long-term supported (LTS) version 17 of Umbraco, which Bolette calls a “major and milestone release.” As she noted, it follows the predictable six-month cadence for releases. But it’s also the realization of a two-year journey that began with its new backoffice architecture in Umbraco 14. Now, all of the pieces have aligned in this latest LTS, including a mature backoffice experience, a modernized content platform, and a concurrent ecosystem – from extension APIs to package compatibility. As Bolette said, this LTS version is an ideal fit for agencies and organizations craving stability, longevity, and growth. Making the move will give developers a host of new capabilities and essential updates, which is what makes this leap so critical.“It's really important that we have people moving forward with us on this new LTS, because we’ve introduced quite a lot of necessary changes in 14,” she said. “Going from 13 up to 17, we have a job of making sure that people are joining us on this journey into a more modern platform that also supports what Umbraco is best at, which is being the most extendable and ‘Friendly CMS’ that's out there.”While Umbraco sees this LTS as evolutionary, it still reflects the core pillars of freedom and flexibility, allowing developers to work with their preferred technologies and frameworks to build and customize their digital experiences. It’s the embodiment of a truly composable posture, allowing its community to build in almost any direction.One of the big benefits of this LTS is the glide path to upgrade, and how Umbraco has reduced the friction associated with the move. “Organizations that have built projects on Umbraco 13, our previous LTS version, will have a direct upgrade path to Umbraco 17,” Bolette said. Customers upgrading to Umbraco 17 LTS will also benefit from its new backoffice architecture, extensibility, security, headless capabilities, scalability, and performance enhancements brought into the core CMS over the past two years.Part of the impetus for upgrading is having a future-proofed foundation. As Bolette pointed out, the underlying <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/whats-new/dotnet-10/overview">.NET 10</a> is also an LTS version of Microsoft’s software. As such, customers will be on the latest .NET version – ensuring that any optimizations and improvements at the Microsoft layer are also reflected in Umbraco 17. “Both are LTS versions, which means that your Umbraco 17 projects will be future-proofed for at least three years,” she stated.One really great attribute worth elevating: Umbraco has been focused on delivering an accessible backoffice throughout 2025, engaging with an accessibility consultant to review and improve its editor-facing workflows against <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/">WCAG standards.</a> According to Bolette, most issues flagged in the audit have been remediated in 17, or are targeted for 17.1.<h3 id="what’s-new-in-umbraco-17">What’s new in Umbraco 17</h3>Overall, there’s a lot. And if you’re up for a deeper technical review of repository caching or system date migration, I suggest reviewing this <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/release-candidate-umbraco-17/">Release Candidate blog post</a>. It’s a fantastic granular accounting of everything, from small upgrades to big features. Here's a video segment that unpacks the biggest improvements in Umbraco 17, featuring <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottepitcher/">Lotte Pitcher,</a> Head of Developer Relations, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/niels-lyngs%C3%B8-01b159272/">Niels Lyngsø,</a> Technical Product Manager, and Senior Developers on the CMS team – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-neto/">Laura Neto</a> and Nikolaj E. Lauridsen: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/EfC9jWUaIXk"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EfC9jWUaIXk" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> What really stands out in Umbraco 17 is the introduction of comprehensive backoffice load balancing and enhanced search functionality. While both features will appeal to a range of use cases, they further reflect Umbraco’s tacit focus on growing its enterprise portfolio, especially in the addressable North American market. As Bolette explained, many of the new features in Umbraco 17 are tailored to enterprises, offering advanced capabilities that are fit for large-scale organizations and global teams.“There’s wind in the sails for moving upmarket right now,” she said. “So everything we do, including some of the features that we’re introducing in Umbraco 17, is catering to the more enterprise-scale projects. For example, load balancing in the backoffice really caters to projects that have 100-plus editors.” <h4 id="backoffice-load-balancing">Backoffice Load Balancing</h4>Without question, the ability to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/fundamentals/setup/server-setup/load-balancing">load balance the backoffice</a> in Umbraco is a major step forward – and a big win for enterprise workloads. Previously, only a public-facing website could run across multiple servers, while the backoffice was restricted to a single machine. This killed performance for larger teams that swarmed one server for all content creation and media management, severely impacting scalability and resilience.Now, with Umbraco 17, you have one unified application that can scale horizontally to meet your needs. Effectively, your entire backoffice can run across multiple servers – just like a front-end website. This gives content teams greater confidence over performance, improved resilience by eliminating a single point of failure, and a simpler infrastructure to worry about.Load balancing provides the elasticity that enterprises rely on for performance, particularly in high-volume editorial workflows. The benefit to large, distributed teams and organizations is clear, hence why <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/filip-larsen">Umbraco CTO Filip Bech Larsen</a> called it a “game-changer for enterprises” that have multiple content editors working on their website at the same time. <h4 id="enhanced-search">Enhanced Search</h4>Semantic search is driving a large share of the customer engagement across digital experiences. By some accounts, as much as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.coveo.com/blog/what-is-site-search/">43% of website visitors opt for the site search</a>, with a clear preference for natural language.Umbraco’s enhanced search is helping to meet this demand. The feature arose from digital agency partners who were tasked with adding semantic search to customer sites. Obviously, there are numerous tools across the market that provide site search, and with Umbraco 17, you can plug in abstractions that deliver those capabilities via your preferred search provider. <h4 id="mcp,-cloud,-and-more">MCP, Cloud, and more</h4>I already alluded to the additional granular features of the updated backoffice, specifically as it relates to the new load balancing capability. On top of that, the Umbraco 17 LTS also benefits from a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/performance/caching/hybrid?view=aspnetcore-10.0">HybridCache feature</a> that optimizes content loading and multi-site support features introduced in Umbraco 15. Further reflecting the enterprise focus, there are Block Level Variations that enable global organizations to make local language content changes while maintaining their core brand standards with consistency. There’s also role-based permissioning that’s accessible via the Client Credentials feature.Another big change worth noting is the replacement of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/tinymce">TinyMCE</a> with a new open-source rich text editor, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tiptap.dev/product/editor">TipTap</a>. The transition is designed to improve not only the content editing experience, but also handle license compliance out of the box. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/tinymce-releases-2025-state-of-rich-text-editors-report-and-cms-use-cases-are-fading-why-it-matters">I recently wrote</a> about how CMS use cases for RTEs are diminishing, and open source options like this do offer clear advantages.I mentioned MCP earlier, but it’s a vital part of the growing agentic strategy for Umbraco. The final version of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-cms-developer-mcp-for-umbraco-16/">Developer MCP is live,</a> which delivers full API parity with Umbraco’s Management API and a host of refinements. While the Developer MCP is largely designed for technical folks, forthcoming capabilities will be focused on weaving AI across everyday editorial workflows. This includes enhancements like Tools Collections, an Editor MCP, and more.With the rebrand of uMarketing Suite complete, 17 now aligns its backoffice experience with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/introducing-umbraco-engage/">Umbraco Engage,</a> which introduces Deploy support – making it easier to transfer configs like segments, personas, and more while maintaining analytics data in each environment. Umbraco 17 is also available on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-cloud/">Umbraco Cloud</a> immediately and provides some key enhancements for enterprises. This includes a Custom Identity Provider support for the Cloud Portal that centralizes authentication and daily bandwidth insights to improve operational visibility and capacity planning.<h3 id="maintaining-openness">Maintaining openness</h3>Umbraco 17 might be a technical evolution, but the company hasn’t changed its fierce commitment to community. Maintaining engagement and supporting open source contributions remain at the heart of Umbraco’s strategy, which firmly roots the trust that users and enterprises rely on. I asked Bolette how the changes in this latest version – or any version for that matter – are telegraphed with the community to build consensus and adoption. “I think it really comes down to being very honest and transparent about what it is that we see as the key benefits,” she said. “When we say we’re the most friendly and most extensible CMS, that’s really true to the bone. Being very transparent about what we do is helping us along the way to get this message out.”The last few years have seen solid growth and expansion for Umbraco. As it looks ahead, partnerships will be a critical ingredient in the recipe for success. As such, the company is focused on reinforcing its relationships to fuel innovation and opportunities.“It’s really been such a great experience seeing how this started in the community,” Bolette said. “Now, we’re sitting in conversations with partners that are building things on top of MCP, and they’re just so proud of showing off what they have built. Having that super close connection to what our ecosystem and what our partners and the community are doing is key.”Like all software, CMS platforms are in a constant state of improvement. What makes Umbraco different is its open source community and the ideation and innovation it brings to the evolutionary track. The resulting DNA offers stronger bonds, passing down the best traits of human thinking, connection, and inspiration – even as technology continues to change. With Umbraco, you're not just leveraging a product or an LTS. You're investing in the people behind it. And that core of community is one of its greatest assets. You can get more details on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/umbraco-17-lts-release/">Umbraco 17 here.</a>  <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-more-guidance-on-umbraco?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for more guidance on Umbraco? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Umbraco 17 Energizes Digital Experiences with Enterprise Load Balancing, Enhanced Search, and More

<hr /> When I spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/filipbech/">Filip Bech-Larsen</a> before Umbraco’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sowing-the-seeds-of-love-umbracos-codegarden-2025-celebrates-20-years-of-community-and-innovation">2025 Codegarden event,</a> he was ecstatic about a lot of things. And rightly so. The open source content management system – which has long been dubbed<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/about-us/values/why-the-friendly-cms/"> "The Friendly CMS”</a> – was on a roll. Along with a years-long stretch of remarkable growth and an expanding ecosystem of offerings, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco</a> was plotting an ambitious course in the evolving landscape of AI.Of course, as an open source vendor in a landscape of proprietary solutions, Filip reminded me why Umbraco’s approach to AI was markedly different from other commercial solutions.  “Our strategy is a little bit different to most of our competitors, and it basically comes down to Umbraco being a platform that you build on top of, instead of being the tool that does everything for you,” he explained. “Like the Lego bricks metaphor, we give you the base plate, and all the blocks, and then you build whatever you want on top of that. And since we're open source, we can't really take a commercial dependency and just integrate directly with ChatGPT because that's not how open source licensing works. So we have a few different tracks around this.”And the primary vehicle for accessing these tracks is the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://marketplace.umbraco.com/">Umbraco Marketplace,</a> which features a wide range of artificial intelligence plugins, from translators to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/tinymce-brings-advanced-ai-to-cms-text-editing-interview-with-fredrik-danielsson-elise-bentley">TinyMCE’s</a> premium package that includes a super handy accessibility checker. He went deeper into the details, which you can <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/sowing-the-seeds-of-love-umbracos-codegarden-2025-celebrates-20-years-of-community-and-innovation">read about here.</a> Along with these advancements, Filip also shared the first glimpse of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/unveiling-umbraco-mcp-server/">Umbraco’s new MCP server,</a> crystallizing the company’s bold steps into the realm of agentic AI. In fact, since Codegarden, MCP has exploded in adoption, with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro">thousands of options</a> now available across a multitude of servers. Now, with MCP reaching a fever pitch and becoming a central part of the agentic horizon, Umbraco is doing what it has done over the past twenty years: looking to its open source community. There have already been sparks of AI innovation from across Umbraco’s 250,000 contributors and its international network of digital agency partners. Now, the company’s core team has brought dedicated talent to its inner circle to accelerate the MCP frontier. Effective today, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-whittaker-82481716/">Phil Whittaker</a> has been appointed Senior Software Engineer at Umbraco, where he will be focused on the continued development of its MCP server and the maturing of its overall AI strategy.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:77.21%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1760413085606.png" alt="" /></figure>Phil Whittaker. Source: LinkedIn With over 25 years of experience, Phil brings a deep resume to the role, having held positions as a software developer, digital agency founder, CTO, and lead engineer. He’s also worked extensively with Umbraco, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ucommerce.net/">uCommerce</a>, and other platforms to build complex, highly integrated websites and digital experiences. Phil is also a prominent fixture within Umbraco’s open source software ecosystem, sharing his knowledge with fellow developers and organizing Umbraco user meetups. His commitment to the community has earned him an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://community.umbraco.com/mvp-program/current-mvps/">Umbraco MVP</a> five times. “Being part of the Umbraco open-source community over the past fourteen years has made a huge difference to me professionally and personally,” he said. “I’m delighted to join a team of people whose work I have admired for many years.”“Phil Whittaker is a major contributor within our open-source community and is at the very heart of Umbraco MCP Server development,” said Filip Bech-Larsen. “We’re excited to be able to work alongside him at Umbraco HQ to support organizations as they learn how to harness the power of agentic AI, while retaining full control and transparency over its operation.”<h3 id="focused-on-mcp">Focused on MCP</h3>A quick reminder if you’re new to MCP: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://modelcontextprotocol.io/docs/getting-started/intro">Model Context Protocol</a> is an open standard that enables large language models to connect and communicate with external tools, data sources, and other services. Think of it as a USB-C port for AI, providing a vehicle for LLMs to access and share information. This, in turn, enables the development of rich AI agents that can be enlisted to perform complex, real-world actions – and that runs the gamut from ecommerce transactions to wildly imaginative tasks.Despite all the fervor, the phenomenon of MCP is still pretty fresh. In fact, the standard was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol">launched by Anthropic</a> in November of 2024 and made available as an open source framework. But it caught on quickly, and by spring of this year, the buzz around agentic commerce was palpable – and MCP was seen as a gateway for expanding the agent-to-agent vision.As Phil explained, he was already developing AI apps and harnessing AI for content generation and coding before ChatGPT was launched. This gave him more of a solid foundation as MCP came on the scene. “I started experimenting with Model Context Protocol at the start of this year and was hugely impressed by its potential when combined with a CMS,” he said. “This led me to the development of an MCP Server for Umbraco. It’s incredibly powerful, while providing strong control. We’ve built the right tool in the right way at exactly the right time. As a developer, you don’t come across anything this momentous more than once or twice in your career.”In September, Phil wrote about the beta release of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/announcing-the-beta-release-of-the-developer-mcp-server-for-umbraco-cms/">Developer MCP Server for Umbraco CMS,</a> which provides a pathway to AI-powered content management capabilities directly in the Umbraco CMS workflow. This was a milestone moment in the continued development of Umbraco’s MCP strategy, signaling his future role in shaping the continued trajectory. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>MCP is a clear game-changer as we move full throttle into the era of agentic AI. For CMS and DXP vendors, having an MCP server has become a strategic imperative, and Umbraco is taking a sage course by elevating an experienced AI pioneer from its own community to shape the next steps of its MCP evolution.Umbraco continues to enjoy a unique position within the CMS category as the most widely-used open source content management system built on .NET. The platform is trusted by well-established global enterprises like Rubbermaid, but is also a go-to for public sector organizations – reflecting its secure, scalable, and future-proof posture. Umbraco’s commitment to accessibility and sustainability is also a testament to its culture, and further reinforces the loyalty of its highly-engaged community of users and developers – clearly one of its strongest attributes. It has also made some smart moves with the rollout of its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/">Umbraco Cloud</a> strategy, which features enterprise-grade scalability and regional hosting. While Umbraco is cementing its position as a CMS with MCP capabilities, it’s important to understand your own agentic goals as you evaluate solutions. What I like about the elevation of Phil to the UmbracoHQ team is his proven track record of documenting the value of these tools through a legacy of proven Umbraco experience – and that should translate into greater confidence. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <figure class="image image-style-block-align-left image_resized" style="width:28.08%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image-1759840698475.png" /></figure><h4 id="raise:-lifting-content-into-the-future-with-agentic-cms"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS</a></h4>November 11, 2025 – London, UKJoin Kontent.ai at RAISE: Lifting Content into the Future with Agentic CMS, a premier free event for forward-thinking marketing and technology leaders shaping the way today’s most ambitious brands create and deliver content. Expect bold ideas, discover innovative strategies, engage with industry leaders, and gain insights that will lift your content strategy to new heights. At RAISE, you'll learn how to deliver faster, more engaging content experiences while AI does the busywork of audits, compliance, and localization with Agentic CMS, built to give you and your teams more time on creativity that matters. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://kontent.ai/events-and-webinars/raise/">Reserve your seat today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Umbraco Accelerates AI Transformation by Appointing Senior Software Engineer to Focus on MCP

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

<hr /> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wagtail">Wagtail</a> is literally for the birds. Because everything about it is fly.If you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat. First, it’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.python.org/">Python-based,</a> which is universally popular and offers a fun framework for creative play. In minutes, you can use their starter kit to spin up a virtual environment, isolate your dependencies, and install the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://github.com/wagtail">CMS package from GitHub.</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.wagtail.org/en/stable/index.html">The docs</a> are clean and easy to follow, and there are simple templates for kicking things off. Oh, and there’s a great community backing things up via <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtailcms.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-32p71hq4n-FC9dYEwKlKdEdgDX5u~tjA#/shared-invite/email">Slack</a> (and more). Like it said, it’s fly.As a former builder who sometimes pines for Dreamweaver and still gets giddy at the sight of code, Wagtail is a great open source tool for managing content at enterprise scale. It’s trusted by tens of thousands of organizations worldwide, including visible brands like NASA, Google, and MIT. It’s also earned nearly 20,000 stars on GitHub. So it’s fun – but it’s also fully equipped to power some serious sites. From a usability perspective, Wagtail brings a clean, intuitive, and inviting UX to the table, offering some nice bells and whistles to make the editing experience a breeze. Everything is within arm's reach, so you can really stretch your wings when managing pages, editing blogs, and more.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:86.81%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/10/image.png" /></figure>Creating and editing a blog in Wagtail CMS. Source: Wagtail YouTube channel. Wagtail appeals to a diverse range of organizations, from governments to businesses to cultural organizations. As an open source project, it has carved a unique niche in the landscape, often as an alternative to more established staples like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>. It also focuses keenly on accessibility as a foundational tenet.  What’s in a name? The word is the bird. The brainchild of UK-based <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://torchbox.com/">Torchbox</a> – a global agency that offers digital marketing solutions for charities and public sector organizations – the identity was fashioned after the charming <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagtail">Wagtail bird.</a> These avians were fixtures on the lawn outside the company’s offices, and reflected the light, easy, and delightful sensibilities of the software.Torchbox is part of that rare breed of mission-focused businesses. It’s employee-owned, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification)">B Corp Certified,</a> and has cultivated a culture that’s dedicated to making a difference in the world. They have an inspiring story, and Wagtail is just one chapter of it. Wagtail has flown into our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards">CMS Critic Awards</a> over the last few years, rallying its global community to participate. It’s clear that the platform has amassed a loyal “flock” of users, and that’s a tribute to its flexibility and ease of use. Along with its Django-style models for customizing data structures and functions, Wagtail’s CMS has some great features in its 7.0 release. I spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagenvoss/">Meagen Voss,</a> a member of the Wagtail Core Team and the Partnership and Community manager at Torchbox, and she shared some of the latest “chirps” from the platform. From workflow enhancements to its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://docs.wagtail.org/en/stable/topics/streamfield.html">Streamfield</a> updates that power improved previews, you can get a tight overview of what’s taking flight in this latest version: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/r5RbV7TveFU"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r5RbV7TveFU" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="learn-more-at-wagtail-space-2025">Learn more at Wagtail Space 2025</h3>Whether you’re a veteran user or new to Wagtail, you can get the lowdown on current innovation and what’s ahead at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/">Wagtail Space 2025</a> – the organization’s annual shindig. It’s a free virtual event designed for creators aiming to learn more about the platform or level up their Wagtail skills. The event is happening next week from October 8 – 10, and is drawing a collective of educators, publishing professionals, developers, open source evangelists, and digital leaders from across the globe. The format offers an array of talks from community members, some dynamite use cases, and networking with fellow Wagtailians. Highlights include sessions like The State of Wagtail with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibaudcolas/">Thibaud Colas</a> of the Wagtail Core Team, Matt Westcott on Where Next for Wagtail Search?, and Juan Aguayo sharing the Bogotá Digital Library’s Wagtail success story. With AI being a central focus across the CMS industry (and everywhere else), Wagtail Space is weaving it into the conversation. Sage Abdullah and Tom Usher will lead a session called Wagtail: Responsible Innovation for Content Editors, while Trish Thomas will share strategies for creating connections between stories and objects using AI.Other talks dive into AI-driven content editing, government design systems, and innovative approaches to publishing. You can check out the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/schedule/">full schedule here.</a>If you’ve been curious about Wagtail, this might be a good “first flight” in a friendly formation. The community is fun and welcoming, which is one of the great benefits of open source projects like this. It’s also a breeze to get started, so I encourage checking it out. Interested in joining the flock? Learn more and register <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://wagtail.org/wagtail-space-2025/">on the event website.</a> <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-wagtail?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on Wagtail? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Birds of a Feather: Wagtail Space 2025 Offers 3 Days of Open Source Exploration

Can we heal the ‘open sores’ in open source? For WordPress, Karim Marucchi has a prescription

Sowing the Seeds of Love: Umbraco's Codegarden 2025 Celebrates 20 Years of Community and Innovation

Umbraco Shines on Sustainability and Growth in Third Annual Impact Report

<hr /> What does it mean to be “The Friendly CMS”?I don’t ask to be coy or sarcastic. This tagline has reached legendary status at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/umbraco">Umbraco</a>, permeating its messaging for years. There’s clearly something sticky about it. In the most reductive sense, one might conclude it’s a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management system</a> that’s easy to use. Or, as the mantle suggests, “user-friendly.” But that’s too one-dimensional. Lots of platforms could claim user-friendliness. That’s why Umbraco has infused this tagline with more gusto, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/about-us/values/why-the-friendly-cms/">there’s an origin story</a> that sheds more light on the subject. According to mythology, “The Friendly CMS” was conceived by one of Umbraco’s community members, Hudson Maul, back in 2006 (almost two decades if we’re keeping score). He included the now-famous moniker in his mockups for a new Umbraco.com website. When asked about it, he reflected: “Everything about Umbraco is friendly. The UX, the community, and the pricing.” Simple. Elegant. Universally understood. That’s what makes it sticky.I’ve followed Umbraco for many years – they’ve certainly stood the test of time – and this idea of being friendly goes far beyond the confines of its open source .NET technology. Which, by the way, continues to be a novel arrow in its quiver.Here’s the deal: being “The Friendly CMS” has as much to do with its global spirit and fiercely passionate community as its products. From what I’ve observed, Umbraco has consistently committed to being a people company first – one that endeavors to democratize its innovation, support its builders, and make a positive impact in our world.This impact is crystallized in the company’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/umbraco-publishes-annual-impact-report-reinforcing-commitments-to-sustainability-and-community">2024 Annual Impact Report</a>, published in April. It illustrates a fervent internal and external focus on achieving measurable strides in sustainability while nurturing a culture of diversity and inclusion at a global level. It certainly helps cement the case for being “friendly” in a palpable way. But as Hudson Maul codified, their CMS is about people, too. It’s engineered with purpose and provides a clean, clear, intuitive experience that still wins hearts and minds. For all these reasons, finding the right person to lead the next chapter of Umbraco’s story is clearly vital to its future. And it seems that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mats-persson-296a66/">Mats Persson</a> is, indeed, that person.  The timing couldn’t be more apropos. Umbraco has experienced triumphant growth over the last few years. With a stellar reputation, it now counts itself among the top web CMS platforms serving the UK public sector, and among <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.g2.com/best-software-companies/emea">G2’s Top 50 EMEA Companies</a>. Perhaps more importantly, Umbraco is an open source CMS, competing in a landscape of large proprietary enterprise systems, composable DXPs, and a mele of headless platforms. As it turns out, Umbraco offers solutions that can go toe-to-toe across the market, like its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-heartcore/">Heartcore Headless CMS</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/products/umbraco-cloud/">Umbraco Cloud</a> – all connected to a wellspring of open source to provide support, innovation, and more.As Persson steps into his new role, he faces headwinds in every direction: shrinking IT budgets, shaky economic signals, and shifting buying patterns (to name a few). And of course, there’s the continued challenge of helping buyers see the forest through the composable trees and weed out confusion. Setting the negative acoustics aside, the evolving preference for open source solutions at an enterprise level could be a real game changer for Umbraco. Being open is, after all, its bread and butter. But the real key here is Umbraco’s partners, who have closed more enterprise opportunities with its products – and Persson has his sights set on the channel to amplify growth. <h3 id="a-fond-farewell-to-the-kim-years">A fond farewell to the Kim Years</h3>There’s something about a bow tie that exudes class. And <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/umbraco-cms-acquired-by-software-investor-monterro-interview-with-ceo-kim-sneum-madsen">Kim Sneum-Madsen</a>, famous for sporting this overlooked fashion accouterment, is a class act all around.As Umbraco’s previous head of state, Sneum-Madsen embodied the friendliest attributes that have defined the company’s ethos. Since 2016, he has served as Umbraco’s eponymous “Chief Friend Maker” and provided ambassadorial duties to the community at large. In 2019, he took the reins as CEO, navigating Umbraco through the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic and its subsequent digital acceleration – a tumultuous period across the tech frontier. At that time, Umbraco had just 56 employees. In the years that followed, Sneum-Madsen grew the company substantially, tripling the headcount while focusing on scalable processes and products. This included the development of Umbraco Cloud and regional hosting services situated around the globe. During his tenure, Sneum-Madsen also facilitated several key acquisitions that strengthened Umbraco’s product offerings and developed a robust partner network. The growth spurt was also fueled by a Westward drift to the larger U.S. market, supported by a beachhead in Charlotte, NC. Fear not: Kim will remain on Umbraco’s board of directors, lending his continued knowledge to a company that is imprinted with his DNA. “Umbraco has achieved consistent, strong growth over the past two years,” said Martin Henricson, Chairman of the Board at Umbraco and Managing Director at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.monterro.com/">Monterro</a> (an investment firm that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://umbraco.com/blog/swedish-software-growth-investor-monterro-acquires-a-majority-stake-in-umbraco/">acquired a majority stake</a> in Umbraco in 2021. “Kim believes that now is the right time to hand over the baton.”<h3 id="from-ad-tech-to-cms">From ad tech to CMS</h3>Persson will marshal thirty years of leadership experience into his new job as CEO. With a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor’s in economics, he brings a unique combination of technology and financial considerations that can generate value and create sustainable growth for both early-stage and established companies.  Persson comes to Umbraco from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cavai.com/products">Cavai</a>, where he was CEO for just over two years. An award-winning global interactive advertising cloud, Cavai works with agencies, publishers, advertisers, and other platforms across ten markets and three continents. It specializes in conversational ad tech like banners, video, and commerce solutions with a clear focus on privacy.Persson’s resume includes impressive stints in senior leadership positions at IBM and PWC, but one of his longest tenures was at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/adform/">Adform</a> – an established leader in online advertising media services. As SVP, he helped shepherd a 50% ARR and the expansion from 5 to 18 offices worldwide from 2011 to 2017, a period of accelerated growth, innovation, and rising compliance and privacy considerations in the ad tech field. <h3 id="building-on-the-open-source-advantage-">Building on the open source advantage </h3>As Umbraco’s new CEO, Persson will undoubtedly blend his extensive experience and leadership with the company’s teams, community, and partners. Based on the company’s recent traction, his roadmap will likely build on Umbraco’s diverse solutions and global expansion – all reinforced by its open-source posture. “This is a really exciting time to be joining the company,” Persson said in the company’s press release. “Umbraco has steadily grown to 150 people, with its international presence reinforced by a well-established partner network and a global community of highly-engaged open-source software contributors. Over the past thirty years of working in this industry I’ve seen that once a company reaches this size, that’s when it really gains momentum in the market.”Persson also pointed to the growing adoption of open-source software within the enterprise and public sector as an opportunity for Umbraco – specifically to build on the growth achieved in the past year and increase its international expansion. “I’ve spent decades working with proprietary software enterprises and start-ups, so I am looking forward to applying my experience within an open source CMS company that allows digital organizations the freedom to build exactly what they need,” he said. “Umbraco is also a truly international company and that’s where I bring particular value, having worked in the UK, US, and Nordics.”Along with its vigorous open source community, Persson sees Umbraco’s digital agency partner network as a force multiplier for its ambitions, and that leveraging its footprint and ability to deliver local support as decisive attributes.“Umbraco already has partners and customers throughout the EU, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, India, Vietnam, and Nepal and I’m looking forward to helping the company to build on that global presence,” he said. “The open-source CMS platform is also highly flexible and scalable, giving customers the freedom to build digital experiences that meet evolving business needs. When we support our partners and help them to grow their business with solutions that solve customers’ problems, increase transactions, and enable transformation, everyone profits.”<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>In my recent keynote Q&amp;A with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/buytaert/">Dries Buytaert</a> (the acclaimed founder of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>) at the Boye &amp; Company <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect Conference</a> in Montreal, we discussed open source at length. One of the biggest questions on the docket: why industry analysts continue to look past these CMS platforms when surveying the market for their various grids and waves (you know of whom I speak). There isn’t one answer to this conundrum. Yes, there's an explicit formula based on revenue and other metrics. But the fact is, enterprise software platforms spend big bucks to engage with analysts, thus reinforcing their visibility and, perhaps, their preference. It’s impossible to eliminate all the biases. We are, after all, only human.But open source has come a long way, and the dominance of OSS (open source software) platforms like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> is simply undeniable. When I last spoke to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/drupal-joomla-typo3-and-wordpress-join-forces-in-new-open-website-alliance">Mathias Bolt Lesniak of the Open Alliance</a>, we discussed the ripple effect of the Swiss government’s EMBAG legislation – a law that requires public sector entities to provide their apps as OSS. EMBAG was not without controversy, and some of the biggest opponents gumming up the works were proprietary platforms. This predilection towards OSS is also manifesting in a broader movement across enterprises as more companies begin to reassess the pros of open source – instead of the entrenched cons around stability, scalability, and, of course, security. The fact is, open source tools are being used across tech stacks: Kubernetes, Docker, MySQL, Linux… the list goes on. You can read more about these considerations <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-swiss-dont-miss-on-open-source-how-switzerlands-embag-law-is-evolving-the-oss-landscape">in my recent article</a> about the EMBAG law and its implications.Persson has a unique opportunity on his hands. Umbraco is an established and well-respected brand with a solid European footprint. As it looks West, there are opportunities to snare more of the addressable U.S. market – and building a stronger partner network could be key to its success. But if it can harness the market winds as they shift towards open source, there could be bigger fish on the line. Bringing on a new CEO is also a bold statement to the market, establishing Umbraco's intentions to shake things up. Culling a candidate with a strong background in digital advertising, media, and agency-focused services is a smart move, sending a further signal that Umbraco is focused on enriching its partnerships. In terms of his leadership style, Umbraco’s press release highlighted Persson's proclivity towards trusting and empowering his teams, which should gel nicely with Umbraco’s existing culture.“Umbraco is branded as ‘The Friendly CMS,’” he said. “Those core values of making things easy for users, and taking care of its partners, open-source community, and people, are demonstrated at every level of the organization.”That's what makes Umbraco so friendly: the right people.And of course, the right person to help lead the way.  <hr /> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

The Right Person to Lead: Umbraco Appoints Mats Persson as CEO, Reflecting Growth Ahead

CMS Summit 26

Find out at CMS Summit 26, May 12 - 13 in Frankfurt, Germany

What's ahead for CMS in the agentic era?

Explore a wide range of informative articles on OPEN SOURCE, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry

News

Power your CMS on AWS

What's ahead for CMS in the agentic era?