Articles

Uniform’s Enterprise Visual Workspace Unifies Content, Data, AI and Technology in a Single Cloud for Marketers

matt-garrepy

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/consciaai">Conscia.ai</a> continues to orchestrate its growth in Europe by hiring top talent in the sales department.According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7112396316755861504/">recent post</a>, the digital experience orchestration (DXO) platform has acquired the talents of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAADzNjEB4H18sFonShX1lqbOTGka-pRy6e4">Martin Sandvad</a>, appointing him as Sales Director for the Nordics region. Sandvad, a seasoned professional with a track record of success in the tech industry, brings extensive expertise to Conscia.ai as the company continues its expansion and innovation in the Digital Experience sector."We are thrilled to welcome Martin Sandvad to the Conscia.ai team," said <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/sana-remekie">Sana Remekie</a> CEO at Conscia.ai. "His impressive track record, industry expertise, and passion for driving innovation align perfectly with our company's mission to empower businesses with cutting-edge DXO solutions. We are confident that Martin will play a pivotal role in expanding our presence in the Nordics and delivering value to our customers."Sandvad's appointment comes at a time of significant growth for Conscia.ai as it continues to expand its portfolio of DXO products and services. According to the company, his leadership will be instrumental in driving Conscia.ai's mission to empower businesses with DXO solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in the composable software space.<h3>A proven track record in digital experience </h3>Sandvad is a well-known figure in the tech industry, having previously served as the CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ucommerce">Ucommerce,</a> a prominent e-commerce platform, and CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://ka-ching.dk/en/">Ka-ching</a>, a leading Omnichannel POS provider. He is also the owner of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssaas-it/">SSaaS.IT</a>, a Software Sales as a Service company. Sandvad has deep knowledge and experience in the Scandinavian and Nordic markets. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a>'s sales and business development efforts across this market region, working closely with the company's leadership team to develop and execute strategies for growth, forge strategic partnerships, and ensure Conscia continues to deliver AI solutions that meet the unique needs of businesses in the region. "I am excited to join <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a> and be part of a team that is at the forefront of Digital Experience innovation," said Sandvad. "The potential for Composable orchestration to transform industries and drive value is enormous. I look forward to leveraging my experience and working with the talented <a target="_blank" href="http://conscia.ai/">Conscia.ai</a> team to help businesses in the Nordics harness the power of Digital Experience Orchestration.”<h3>Targeting growth with key leadership in sales</h3>Sandvad's news follows the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/conscia-ai-appoints-bart-omlo-to-global-head-of-sales">hiring of Bart Omlo</a> as Head of Global Sales last May. Omlo brings nearly two decades of experience in enterprise content management to his leadership role at Conscia.ai. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Sales at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/">Kentico</a> and later as CEO at <a target="_blank" href="https://kontent.ai/">Kontent.ai</a> – where he was integral to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-raises-40-million-to-bring-the-power-of-ai-to-content-management/">raising $40 million</a> in Series A funding for the startup.Omlo expressed his excitement about Sandvad's appointment, stating, “Martin's arrival at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a> signifies a significant milestone in our growth journey. His deep industry knowledge and leadership experience will further strengthen our commitment to providing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=dxo&amp;highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7112396316755861504">#DXO</a> solutions that drive real business impact for our clients.”

Conscia.ai Appoints Martin Sandvad as Sales Director for Nordics Region, Charts New Growth

cms-critic-staff

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acquia.com%2F&amp;esheet=53562233&amp;newsitemid=20230926081541&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Acquia&amp;index=1&amp;md5=46b436eac75e045c3943e4b32780e2c2&amp;_gl=1*gg94ok*_ga*MTYzMDUzNjQ4Ni4xNjk1NzYxODcz*_ga_ZQWF70T3FK*MTY5NTc2MTg3My4xLjAuMTY5NTc2MTg3My42MC4wLjA.">Acquia</a>, a leading digital experience platform (DXP), just announced the launch of its new integration hub, <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acquia.com%2Fintegrations&amp;esheet=53562233&amp;newsitemid=20230926081541&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Acquia+Exchange&amp;index=2&amp;md5=ac3e2ee75d2d4bbb36f68483690c60c0">Acquia Exchange</a> – a solution aimed at enhancing the flexibility and extensibility of its digital experience platform. Acquia Exchange offers customers a single destination to discover integrations, connectors, and modules that enhance Acquia solutions and connect them to those of other technology providers. This intuitive hub makes it easier for organizations to extend the power of their DXP using proven technology from Acquia’s ecosystem of SaaS partners.“Acquia’s DXP provides a platform that can easily integrate with products from other providers, so customers can create the solutions that best meet their needs,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaballew/">Deanna Ballew</a>, Senior Vice President of DXP Products at Acquia. “With Acquia Exchange, customers can take their Acquia products further, expand on the foundations of their martech stack, and connect those tools within their preferred digital ecosystem. Because Acquia solutions are open and connections already exist with leading martech products, our customers can maximize use of their data and content across their own digital experience platforms.”<h3>Leading the evolution in the composable era of DXPs</h3>As an open and composable DXP, Acquia allows for integrations with a wide range of third-party marketing, sales, and digital technologies. This enables customers to build the most productive digital experiences that meet the precise requirements of their own audiences. Now, with Acquia Exchange, customers can explore integrations by company name, technology category, or Acquia product.Acquia Exchange helps customers discover three different types of integrations:<ul><li>Native: Developed and supported by Acquia. For example, customers may tap into a native integration to connect multiple affiliated Brightcove accounts with the Acquia digital asset management platform (Acquia DAM) to better manage video content.</li><li>Partner: Developed and supported by an Acquia technology partner or a solution partner. For instance, customers who want to use Yext with Acquia Open DXP can sync core entity types such as articles, places, events, people, and pages from Drupal into Yext using connectors.</li><li>Community: Developed and supported by a third-party vendor. For example, customers can deploy analytics from a web-based user interface to collect data about their Drupal website’s traffic and activity, and then send it to the Google Analytics platform.</li></ul><h3>Tapping the power of partners</h3>Acquia Exchange is an enhancement to the Acquia Technology Alliance Partner program, allowing an easier way for partners to promote their solutions and connect with customers.“As a technology vendor, I hear ‘partnering’ everywhere these days; the word has become so overused it almost has no meaning,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fulmeric/">Eric Fulmer</a>, CEO of ShotFlow and Acquia Technology Alliance Program partner. “The difference when partnering with Acquia is a true commitment to [solving] client problems. Partnering is a long-term strategy to create better solutions for our mutual clients, and it’s baked into the Acquia culture.”

Acquia Launches Acquia Exchange, Adding an Integration Hub to its Open and Composable DXP

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kentico">Kentico</a> is kicking things up on the headless hybrid field.The award-winning provider of digital experience and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management</a> software just announced that Mainz 05, a renowned German football club, has successfully launched its new website using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/platforms/xperience-by-kentico">Xperience by Kentico</a>, the cutting-edge hybrid headless digital experience platform (DXP).<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mainz05.de/">Mainz 05</a>, a prestigious German football club with more than 100 years of rich history, has captured the hearts of sports enthusiasts worldwide with captivating performances and dedication to the game. Renowned for its passionate fan base and unwavering support, Mainz 05 has established a strong reputation within the football community, both domestically and internationally. With a drive to succeed, Mainz 05 continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of football.<h3>Scoring a digital triumph: Kentico passes to Mainz 05 for a goal</h3>Mainz 05 united with Kentico partners <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kuehlhaus.com/">kuehlhaus AG</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://bluesoft.com/">Bluesoft</a> to launch a new website built on the new hybrid headless platform Xperience by Kentico. The Bundesliga club’s progressive digital team was looking for an innovative digital experience platform to put at the center of its complex digital ecosystem. They wanted to reduce the size of their technology stack and replace several technologies with one multi-functional DXP. The goal was to get all the needed capabilities for less effort, lower cost, and with fewer products.Mainz 05 developed the website in phases aligned with the roadmap of the DXP. After the initial launch of the website on July 14, 2023, the project will continue with the implementation of digital marketing features such as Contact Management, Audience Segmentation, Email Marketing and Marketing Automation, and Cross-site Activity Tracking. Eventually, multiple channels – the website, an app, and social channels, will be managed from the single DXP.Given the specific needs of the football club, the solution had to be highly customized. And Xperience by Kentico was the perfect fit, thanks to its flexibility. The platform is being rapidly developed, aiming to help customers drive better business outcomes with fewer resources by minimizing overhead and maximizing ROI. It offers built-in ready-to-use capabilities to meet the company’s needs today but can be scaled and extended with integrations in the future. Although Xperience by Kentico can be implemented as SaaS (software as a service), Mainz 05 decided to deploy it on-premises, in a way that suits its specific needs better.“Xperience by Kentico’s architecture allows us to modernize and focus on the capabilities our customers really need," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-xperience-pinter/">Dominik Pinter,</a> CEO, Kentico. "It will help them build the right set of channels for their target markets and provide the tools they need as they grow and evolve.” <h3>The winning play: Kentico's Customer Success services</h3>Kentico also provides tailored Customer Success services that Mainz 05 and the implementation partners leveraged. To ensure the success of this project, Kentico’s Customer Success Managers and technical support team consulted during every step of the implementation and suggested possible solutions for challenges that arose during the process. Kentico also helped Mainz 05 with editor training.“Our collaboration with Mainz 05 was based on an agile and iterative project approach. This iterative approach enabled us to react quickly to change requests, to introduce new ideas, and to continuously improve the quality of the solution,” says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianreschke/">Christian Reschke</a>, CEO of the digital agency kuehlhaus AG. “Xperience by Kentico allowed us to hit all of Mainz 05’s project requirements, and the support from the Kentico team complemented our agile and iterative approach, which allowed us to implement the DXP at speed. With a phased approach, Mainz 05 has successfully released its website, and future plans include implementing digital marketing features and managing multiple channels from the centralized DXP. With its flexibility and scalability, the customized solution provided by Kentico perfectly aligns with Mainz 05's unique requirements. As Mainz 05 continues to excel on the field, its partnership with Kentico ensures it delivers exceptional digital experiences to fans and stakeholders alike.“The decision to relaunch our website on Xperience by Kentico marks a milestone in our digital transformation journey. Working with Kentico and partners kuehlhaus AG and Bluesoft has enabled us to map and further develop our complex digital ecosystem on a single powerful platform”, says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-sparwasser-231ba3220/">Tobias Sparwasser</a>, Director of Communication and Media at Mainz 05.  “Xperience by Kentico will sustainably improve the digital fan journey and optimize our internal processes.”

Mainz 05 Football Club Scores with New Website on Xperience by Kentico, the Hybrid Headless DXP

<hr /> It's a regular Wednesday eve, and you are rushing against the clock to update the material on your website. A product launch is approaching, and every second matters. While you're methodically fine-tuning the pages of your website, you're bombarded with consumer questions, each begging for your attention. It appears like the digital world never sleeps.A friendly AI-powered <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatbot">chatbot</a> on your <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">Content Management System (CMS)</a> is here to improve your website. It's not a human intern or an overwhelmed support person; it's designed to help.The deployment of chatbots has revolutionized AI-driven conversational interfaces in CMS. In this article, we'll delve into the evolution of chatbots and their crucial role in Content Management Systems. <h3>Defining the significance of chatbots in Content Management Systems (CMS)</h3>Chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants designed to engage users in natural language conversations. Think of them as the digital world's Swiss Army knives – capable of autonomously handling customer inquiries, providing product information, and processing orders. Chatbots have become indispensable companions for website owners and businesses of all sizes in Content Management Systems. They assume the role of intelligent gatekeepers, enabling efficient web content management while ensuring your customers' voices are heard and their needs met. Whether you're a budding software unicorn or an e-commerce startup, integrating chatbots into your CMS can yield transformative results.<h3>Advancements in technology</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence">Artificial Intelligence (AI)</a> has traversed a considerable distance, transcending its initial status as a mere buzzword to emerge as a catalytic force driving transformation across diverse industries. Within the domain of chatbots, AI's relentless progress stands as the chief catalyst propelling their evolution.Keeping this in mind, let’s have a look at some innovations in AI technology:<ul><li>Natural language processing: AI has evolved to grasp human language remarkably akin to our comprehension. NLP algorithms empower chatbots to discern context, tone, and even sentiment within the text, adding user interactions with a heightened sense of humanity and empathy.  </li><li>Machine learning: Chatbots have transcended the confines of rule-based responses. Machine learning algorithms enable them to glean insights from every conversation, progressively enhancing their intelligence with each interaction. They adeptly tailor recommendations and solutions based on user behavior and preferences.  </li><li>Voice and visual recognition: The future of chatbots extends well beyond text-based interactions. Voice and visual recognition technologies empower chatbots to communicate through speech and images, expanding their applications within CMS and across diverse domains.  </li><li>Integration with CMS platforms: Contemporary CMS platforms embrace chatbot integration with open arms, furnishing APIs and plugins that simplify the process. This mutually beneficial relationship between CMS and AI chatbots streamlines content management and augments the quality of customer interactions.</li></ul><h3>Benefits of AI chatbots in CMS</h3>Integrating chatbots into CMS platforms is transformative. Here's how it could revolutionize content management:<ul><li>Simplified content updates: Content updates and revisions are part and parcel of managing a website or application. Content marketers may additionally expedite these processes via integrating chatbots into CMS. Chatbots might also assist with content material identity, recommend pertinent updates, or even make minor modifications, releasing up human sources for extra tough obligations.   </li><li>Content recommendations: Chatbots can also examine consumer interactions with website content and provide content material writers with important information. They can propose subjects currently trending or in excessive demand, helping content managers create more relevant and pleasing content.   </li><li>Real-time analytics: Understanding user behavior is critical for developing a powerful content strategy. This is when chatbots come in handy! Chatbots utilize actual-time analytics to reap insights into personal behavior and preferences, which may be used to enhance content, layout, and the general user experience.  </li><li>SEO Optimization: <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization">Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</a> is critical for driving organic website traffic. Chatbots can assist in SEO optimization by analyzing keyword trends, suggesting relevant keywords for content material, and tracking the internet site's search engine ranking. This guarantees that the content stays visible to the target market. </li></ul><h3>Crucial challenges in AI integration to CMS</h3>While the integration of AI-driven chatbots into CMS brings significant benefits, it also presents some challenges:<ul><li>Data quality and availability: AI algorithms require outstanding and relevant data to function correctly. Many corporations seek to acquire and keep the necessary data for AI integration, and CMS systems might not usually offer clean admission to the required data resources.   </li><li>User acceptance and training: Users, including content material creators and administrators, might also withstand AI integration due to worry of activity displacement or the accuracy of AI-driven decisions. Providing good enough training and demonstrating the advantages of AI can be tricky.   </li><li>Ethical and regulatory compliance: Ensuring that AI-powered CMS solutions adhere to ethical standards and comply with relevant regulations, such as data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR), can be complex. Organizations must be vigilant in handling sensitive information and averting bias in AI algorithms.   </li><li>Scalability: Scalability is essential as organizations grow and produce more content. Maintaining the performance and responsiveness of AI-driven CMS features as the content volume and user interactions increase can be a significant technical challenge.</li></ul>Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, resources, and a clear strategy for integrating AI into CMS effectively. It also involves monitoring and adapting to evolving technologies and user needs<h3>What lies ahead for generative AI and Chatbots?</h3>The next step in generative AI for chatbots involves creating more advanced conversational agents that naturally understand and respond to human language. This includes integrating generative AI with deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing technologies.One potential advancement is enabling chatbots to recognize and respond to human emotions by integrating emotional recognition technology. For instance, a chatbot could detect when a customer is frustrated and respond empathetically.Another area of improvement is enabling chatbots to have more complex conversations. This involves integrating generative AI with advanced natural language processing to understand and respond to intricate sentence structures, idiomatic expressions, and context.<h3>Conclusion</h3>The future of chatbots in CMS involves AI and human-machine interaction. As technology advances, businesses and website owners must adapt, harnessing AI-driven chatbots to enhance user experiences and streamline operations. Don't lag; let AI-driven chatbots guide you into a future where your website thrives, and your customers always feel heard and valued!

The Future of Chatbots: AI-Driven Conversational Interfaces in CMS

hardik-shah

<hr /> As headless CMS vendors look to compete in the brave new world of AI, leadership is becoming critical to driving innovation and growth – and providing strategic market direction. To meet its ambitious objectives, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kontentai">Kontent.ai</a> – whose stated mission is to help the world’s leading organizations deliver an unparalleled return on their content – recently announced that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markruddock/">Mark Ruddock</a> has joined the organization as CEO. Ruddock, an internationally experienced leader, plans to expand Kontent.ai’s global presence and accelerate its AI-powered product offering to meet the strategic content needs of the most recognizable brands.“I’m excited to be part of this team as the talent and innovation across this organization is astounding,” said Ruddock. "I look forward to unveiling the groundbreaking new technologies we have been working on.”<h3>A seasoned CEO with deep industry credibility</h3>With over 20 years of experience at the helm of technology and fintech startups, Ruddock has both founded and shaped multiple companies – and delivered success. Prior to Kontent.ai, he held numerous CEO and board positions in VC-backed, scale-stage companies across the world, and executed several exits in the SaaS, Mobile, and FinTech industries. His most recent Chief Executive tenure was at AFINEA Corporation in Toronto, but he also previously served as CEO at Nuula (acquired by Nav Technologies). In addition to his startup experience, he has also emerged as a later-stage leader, helping established companies scale at key stages of their lifecycle. Ruddock's experience spans multi-country online financial services, mission-critical enterprise software, and consumer-focused mobile applications across a number of go-to-market models. He is also an accomplished Board Member. <h3>Navigating the future of AI and headless CMS</h3>In July of 2023, Ruddock wrote <a target="_blank" href="https://markruddock.com/">on his blog</a> about Kontent.ai's foray into generative AI powered by ChatGPT, highlighting the introduction of its first-to-market native AI capabilities. By all indications, the company's investment in artificial intelligence put it on his watch list. “The rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed the content management industry and will power exciting new ways companies can generate a return on their content,” said Ruddock. “With Kontent.ai’s native AI foundation, we are poised to lead that transformation."In a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-pioneers-native-ai-in-headless-cms-interview-with-vojtech-boril">previous interview with Vojtech Boril</a> about Kontent.ai's native integration, it was clear that the headless CMS was doubling down on high-utility features within the content and editorial workflow, investing in greater differentiation as other platforms raced to introduce their own AI capabilities. CMS Critic also broke down a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-pioneers-native-ai-in-headless-cms-interview-with-vojtech-boril">a demo of the product</a> after its initial release. “Innovation and customer-centricity are at the heart of Kontent.ai, and Mark will continue to foster that at scale,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrpalas/">Petr Palas</a>, founder and board member, Kontent.ai. “We are thrilled to take this next step in our journey with his leadership and to help our customers solve the complexities of modern content management.”

Kontent.ai Welcomes Mark Ruddock as New Chief Executive Officer

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<h4>Snapshot</h4><ul><li>Sitecore announced that it will continue to add artificial intelligence features across its products</li><li>This follows the recent launch of the company's AI-based Content Cloud</li><li>The DXP previously announced complete generative AI integration via ChatGPT and Azure Open AI</li></ul><hr /> Let's get to the core of it: <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore</a> is going all-in on AI.The global, industry-leading DXP recently announced ongoing plans to infuse artificial intelligence features across its suite of content and commerce offerings.While the announcement was made at its<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/dx-events/sydney"> Sitecore DX 2023 </a>event in Sydney last week, the company has been blazing a trail across the AI/ML frontier for some time, having already embedded AI capabilities into its content cloud and personalization software.The event – which featured Sitecore CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzikakis/">Steve Tzikakis</a> – aimed to demonstrate to brands and partners that they can quickly deploy new AI-powered digital content and commerce offerings, underpinned by machine learning software.<h3>Building on proven AI and personalization </h3>Generative AI might still be considered nascent, but Sitecore has been innovating with artificial intelligence for a number of years. In fact, in 2020, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/2020/10/sitecore-makes-ai-powered-auto-personalization-a-standard">company introduced</a> its Sitecore AI Auto Personalization as a standard feature of its DXP.“The future of marketing technology and brand experience will be AI-fuelled due to the sheer power of machine learning tools,” said Tzikakis.As AI continues to steamroll the market with undeniable hype, Sitecore has been doubling down on high-utility applications that benefit enterprise customers at scale, most recently with the launch of its AI-based Content Cloud. This complements its Automated Personalization platform, which enables brands to gain insights from previous website visitors. <h3>Adding ChatGPT to meet demand for generative AI</h3>Earlier this year, Sitecore conducted a survey of four hundred marketers in the US, revealing that generative AI is seen as a pivotal, game-changing advancement for brand marketers – specifically for those seeking rapid-fire personalization for delivering intuitive and engaging digital experiences to customers. In April, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/2023/04/sitecore-introduces-openai-generative-ai-integration-functionality-to-its-fully-composable-software">Sitecore announced</a> that Open AI's <a target="_blank" href="https://chat.openai.com/">ChatGPT</a> functionality was now available across its array of fully composable software solutions. This integration, powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ai-services/openai-service">Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service</a>, provides marketers the ability to integrate generative AI functionality into their Sitecore-powered marketing technology stack to supercharge efficiency, personalization, and content production at scale across Sitecore’s entire range of composable solutions.According to Tzikakis, generative AI developments are moving incredibly fast. “In fact, while 77% of US marketers feel their technology can handle AI demands, 45% are concerned by the significant costs they perceive will be required to maintain growth.”<h3>Leveraging composable and AI</h3>When it comes to differentiators in the AI spectrum, Sitecore’s unique, fully composable offering provides maximum flexibility to marketers. Users can essentially “build their own solution” by bringing their own AI to integrate via open APIs and configurable UIs. “Our generative AI offering has been created to integrate with our composable strategy,” Tzikakis said. “Businesses will need to move away from legacy software stacks, and infuse AI systems into composable software approaches that enable true flexibility and the ability to provide their customers with personalized and rich experiences.”Examples of this in action include the integration of ChatGPT into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/products/xm-cloud">Sitecore XM Cloud CMS</a> to create near-instant translations, and leveraging ChatGPT to rephrase marketing copy created in Content Hub to better target specific segments and destination channels. Additionally, Sitecore customers can use Dall-E to generate image variants for omnichannel campaigns being managed across Sitecore's Content Cloud.While generative AI is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, Sitecore is using its composable posture to alleviate the concerns noted about the costs of harnessing AI.“Sitecore’s composable platform helps combat this fear by giving Sitecore customers the ability to leverage our unique, composable offering,” Tzikakis stated, "which allows brands to control when and how much spend they can invest depending on customer needs.”

Sitecore Plans to Expand AI Across its Content and Commerce Offerings

<hr /> AI continues to dominate the news cycle across the digital experience ecosystem, and Digital Asset Management (DAM) solutions are no exception. While many platforms are harnessing LLMs to enhance productivity and ease the content workflow, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-dam-bolsters-search-share-and-analytics-capabilities">Acquia</a> is also leveraging AI for high-utility applications within its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM</a>. Last week, the DXP announced new integrations between its signature DAM (formerly Widen) and industry-leading generative AI solutions <a target="_blank" href="https://chat.openai.com/">ChatGPT</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.clarifai.com/">Clarifai</a>, enabling new capabilities for generating product and image descriptions.CMS Critic spoke with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/holmesnathan/">Nathan Holmes</a>, Manager, Product Marketing at Acquia, about the new features. <h3>Why it matters</h3>According to Acquia's press release, the new integrations will enable creative and marketing professionals who use Acquia DAM to create on-brand, search-engine-optimized product descriptions and image alt text via generative AI. The features will reduce the burden of creating these content elements, accelerating time to market while enhancing accessibility. It's worth noting that Acquia DAM can be utilized as a standalone solution or with content management systems such as Drupal. It can also be used with other products available in the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (Acquia DXP).“Using generative AI, marketers and creatives can improve the searchability, usability, and accessibility of their product content and asset metadata,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeathey/">Jake Athey</a>, Vice President, Go-To-Market, DAM at Acquia. “These new integrations… enable organizations to create compelling content that improves search results and drives conversions – in less time.” <h3>Built for creative and marketing pros</h3>As previously noted, the new generative AI integrations are targeted at creatives and marketers, helping them to be faster and more productive with their digital assets. The combination of both ChatGPT and Clarifai integrations delivers a complete solution that automates the generation of both product and image descriptions.With native integration between Acquia DAM and ChatGPT, product marketers can quickly create compelling product listings on their own websites and popular commerce sites such as Walmart, commerce platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/image-relay-launches-shopify-integration-streamlining-product-and-digital-asset-workflows-for-brands">Shopify</a>, and more. This solution enables teams to create on-brand content for their entire product line much faster, based on product attributes in Acquia DAM, reducing time to market and ensuring accuracy across digital channels. Teams can also use target keywords as inputs for the AI-generated description to optimize for search.Digital content managers using Acquia DAM may now leverage the native integration with Clarifai for keywords and ChatGPT to create alt text descriptions placed in a metadata field for images. Alt text is important to use because it enables images to be both search engine friendly and accessible to people with visual impairments. As an organization’s image library grows, the integration monitors all new or newly versioned image assets, ensuring no assets fall through the cracks. This advancement further supports <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/accessibility">Acquia’s commitment to accessibility</a> and enabling digital experience creation for all.<h3>Introduced at Henry Stewart DAM New York</h3>Acquia made the announcement at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/dam-new-york-2023">Henry Stewart DAM New York</a> event last week, where attendees saw 40+ DAM tools in action along with the latest product innovations at the world’s leading exhibition of DAM providers.Also at the conference, Acquia and Velir, a full-service digital agency and preferred Acquia partner, presented a session on the topic of digital asset management and generative AI called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/dam-new-york-2023/session/events-dam-new-york-2023-day-1-track-3-techlab-metadata-ai-and-chatgpt-what%E2%80%99s-dam-got-do-it">“TechLab: Metadata, AI, and ChatGPT: What’s DAM got to do with it?”</a>“Marketers in all industries are actively exploring ways to integrate and utilize AI to streamline processes and meet ever-changing consumer needs,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-valliere-4b44571/">Dave Valliere</a>, CEO of Velir. “The ChatGPT module built for Drupal is another example of how marketers can use AI to create efficiencies from a content perspective. This will free up time for teams to spend on impactful digital marketing strategies such as personalization, audience analysis, and segmentation that are proven to drive business outcomes.”<h3>Q&amp;A with Nathan Holmes</h3>CMS Critic connected with Acquia's Nathan Holmes for some additional details about the new integrations. CMS Critic (CC): How long has this feature been in development?Nathan Holmes (NH): Acquia has had this feature in development for about four months. We moved on it very quickly once we determined it would be of high value to our customers. Most digital asset management platforms use computer vision to generate keyword metadata. The new integration between Acquia DAM's computer vision technology and the large language model goes a step further to generate alt text descriptions. This saves content managers another step in making their images optimized for search in the DAM, as well as when it's embedded on the web.CC: How are users responding to it? Do you have test feedback that’s encouraging thus far?(NH): Customer response to the new integrations between Acquia DAM and generative AI technologies has been strong. Several are interested in adopting the integration and are moving to test it.It’s appealing because marketers and creatives don’t generally have the time to write alt text descriptions for their images. We think of it as "No alt text left behind." All marketers know it's important to help web visitors who use screen readers, and that image alt text is crawled by search engines, which can help improve your page rankings. Yet, with the volume of content assets being created, it can be hard to keep up. So this can be a huge time saver for teams and greatly improve their search experience. In turn, this can help them get content and digital experiences to their own customers, citizens, or students faster.Also, by doing it in the DAM, instead of waiting to apply it in the CMS, the alt text can be used on other websites or social media posts.CC: How are humans able to validate the alt text and meta descriptions in any AI-generated fields?(NH): Humans are able – and encouraged – to review and edit the alt text and metadata descriptions in the AI-generated fields. This can be done during the upload process, or using the Paths feature in Acquia DAM, [where] content managers can set up automated emails to notify subject matter experts of new assets with metadata for their review.CC: Is there an additional cost for this capability?(NH): The AI-generated keywords capability is included with all Acquia DAM subscriptions. AI-generated alt text is an additional cost for the native integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Acquia DAM Introduces New Generative AI Integrations for Product and Image Descriptions

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<hr /> We’ve covered several stories about the unique Women in MACH program, most recently at the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-two-conference-wrap-six-takeaways-from-the-composable-event-of-the-year">MACH Two</a> Conference this past June in Amsterdam – where the MACH Alliance launched a new Women in MACH <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-launches-women-in-mach-mentorship-program">mentorship program</a>.Without question, the initiative is growing and represents a continued commitment from the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-launches-women-in-mach-mentorship-program">MACH Alliance</a> and its community of companies, ambassadors, and contributors to support diversity and inclusion – including gender equality. Last year, the organization celebrated its first Women in MACH flagship event in Madrid, Spain. The conference was an overwhelming success, and the momentum built over the last 12 months has been a testament to the program.Next week, the organization returns to Madrid for its 2023 flagship event, where it plans to go “Beyond Boundaries” with its stated <a target="_blank" href="https://machalliance.org/insights/women-in-mach-manifesto-for-gender-equality">Manifesto</a> – and begin transforming the MACH technology ecosystem into a diverse and inclusive space for everyone. <h3>Going “Beyond Boundaries” </h3>According to the program’s website, the purpose of the event is to inspire and support women in MACH to develop their own skills, competencies, and career paths – and take the next step toward equal opportunities.The one-day event will draw together 100 leading women in tech as well as select “male allies” to provide mentorship, education, and support. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, acquire new skills and knowledge, collaborate on ideas, and network with other professionals. “Beyond Boundaries” will offer a packed program of inspirational speakers, masterclasses, and workshops on a range of relevant topics. The event also promises to focus on the challenges that exist for achieving the tenants of the Women in MACH manifesto and will explore actionable solutions and programs. <h3>Where and when is the event? </h3>The Women in MACH 2023 “Beyond Boundaries” event will be held on September 21, from 9:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. at Club Alma Sensai in Madrid, Spain. For more details on the program – including the complete one-day agenda – you can visit the conference website at https://machalliance.org/women-in-mach-2023-beyond-boundariesAlong with the 100 leading women and allies, organizations can pay $5,500 to be part of the grass-roots movement. The investment provides two tickets, as well as opportunities for a company’s brand to be highlighted throughout the event.

Women in MACH’s 2023 Flagship Event Plans to Go “Beyond Boundaries” in Madrid

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<hr /> DAMs and PIMs have become essential technologies in the digital ecosystem. As brands scale in multiple directions – driven in large part by growth in e-commerce and omnichannel strategies – having a single source of truth for digital assets and product information is proving invaluable.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/">Image Relay</a>, a digital asset management (DAM) and product information management (PIM) platform, is streamlining the experience for organizations by making it easier to manage assets and information while connecting with other technologies that complete the customer experience. This week, the company announced a new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/platform/integrations/">product integration</a> between its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/marketing-delivery-features">Marketing Delivery</a> – an all-in-one DAM and PIM platform – and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/shopify">Shopify</a>. “Many of our customers use Shopify as a complete commerce platform that offers the tools they need to successfully grow their businesses,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-olsen-73978646/">Jeff Olsen</a>, Director of Product, Image Relay. “As we continued to look for ways to improve our customers’ efficiency and effectiveness in managing their product information and digital assets, developing a direct integration with Shopify became an important initiative. By seamlessly connecting Shopify’s platform to Marketing Delivery, our ecommerce-business customers have a new powerful combination to ensure their product data is up-to-date, accurate, and easily accessible across their workflows.”<h3>Combining the power of DAM and PIM in one platform</h3>Siloed data is a significant challenge for organizations with large caches of digital assets and product information. Launched in April, Image Ready's Marketing Delivery effectively brings all product information and digital assets into a single solution, enabling teams to easily create and share critical information – from product catalogs to one-off reports – with only a few clicks.  Additionally, the platform eliminates cumbersome manual formatting and unwieldy spreadsheets, allowing teams to easily set up as many product channels and export templates as they have delivery outlets. Marketing Delivery then automatically creates perfectly formatted reports that include product data mapped to the attributes required by each delivery outlet. The Shopify integration allows brands to quickly and easily export product information and assets from Marketing Delivery directly into their Shopify storefronts. Companies can also edit and update information in Shopify, import information directly back to Marketing Delivery, ensure teams and partners utilize approved assets only, and provide easy partner access while guaranteeing the consistency of all materials. <h3>A growing range of valuable integrations </h3> Marketing Delivery is fully integrated with many of the most popular marketing, sales, and productivity tools that brands are already using. With a growing list of 40+ integrations, businesses can instantly connect Marketing Delivery with:<ul><li>Asset creation and editing tools such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator.</li><li>Collaboration and project management products such as Asana, Basecamp, Evernote, Slack, and Zoom.</li><li>Content file control solutions such as Dropbox, Eventbrite, and Microsoft OneDrive.</li><li>Social platform integrations with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.</li><li>Expense tracking with Expensify.</li><li>Marketing, sales and service software (connected directly to content) with HubSpot and Salesforce.</li><li>Managed and updated web content via integrations with WordPress and Webflow.</li></ul>

Image Relay Launches Shopify Integration, Streamlining Product and Digital Asset Workflows for Brands

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As composable commerce becomes a critical goal for organizations, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms">headless CMS</a> vendors are looking to expand their capabilities into the burgeoning space. Among them is <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/lights-camera-action-contentfuls-film-the-new-art-of-storytelling-focuses-on-the-composable-future">Contentful</a>, a leading composable content platform. Recently, the company announced a partnership with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-monthly-recap-mailchimp-and-shopify-launch-direct-integration-bigcommerce-launches-ads-and-listings-on-google-and-more">BigCommerce</a> – a powerhouse open SaaS e-commerce platform – to help brands build personalized shopping experiences. According to Contentful's press release, the combination will enable organizations to seamlessly integrate Contentful with their BigCommerce platform, easing the adoption of composable commerce and delivering one-of-a-kind, omnichannel buying experiences tailored to customer needs and preferences. <h3>Tapping composable commerce to drive omnichannel growth</h3>As Contenful's press release codified, today’s consumer expects a buying experience that is fast, personalized, and consistent across channels. Even the most loyal customer will quickly turn away from a brand if the experience is less than stellar. At the same time, many brands are held back by outdated content systems that lack the flexibility and scalability required to deliver engaging experiences that meet consumer expectations and drive conversion. This is where Contentful's partnership with BigCommerce provides a 1-2 punch of business scalability and acceleration, with a focus on digital commerce. “Brands want to deliver unmatched personalization and customer experience across every customer touchpoint, and our partnership with BigCommerce makes it easier for digital teams to deliver on that goal,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sloan-213515/">Steve Sloan</a>, CEO of Contentful. “With content as an integral part of a brand’s storefront, businesses can deliver truly engaging experiences at scale.”<h3>Contentful and BigCommerce increase conversion and growth </h3>With Contentful and BigCommerce, customers will now have the flexibility and openness of a composable, API-first approach to deliver best-in-class customer experiences and outpace the competition. Customers will be able to orchestrate their content and messaging across brands, regions, and channels to create seamless shopping experiences at scale. To help customers get started quickly, an accelerator is available for BigCommerce and Contentful that simplifies implementation and reduces time to market. Built by joint partners <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/myplanet-rebrands-to-orium-after-11m-investment-targets-growth-in-composable-commerce">Orium</a> and Gluo – and designed for retail and B2C brands of any size – the accelerator enables organizations to deploy Contentful and BigCommerce with confidence, dependability, and speed. “Our partnership with Contentful further illustrates our commitment to providing merchants access to the highest-caliber technologies and service providers available in the industry,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleinrussell/">Russell Klein</a>, Chief Commercial Officer, BigCommerce. “Contentful shares our desire to help merchants sell more and grow faster to maximize success, and we look forward to working together to mutually support customers.”

Contentful Teams with BigCommerce to Help Customers Ease Adoption of Composable Commerce

As generative AI continues to march its way across the digital experience stack, platforms are looking to public cloud providers like <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/aws-joins-mach-alliance-as-enabler-member-reflects-growth-of-cloud-native-solutions">AWS</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contentstack-offers-microsoft-azure-becomes-only-multi-cloud-saas-cms-qa-with-cto-nishant-patel">Azure</a>, and GCP to help scale their innovation and get AI-powered products to market faster. Now, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-brings-real-magic-to-opticon-2022-in-san-diego-kicks-off-tour-in-london-and-stockholm">Optimizely </a>– a leading digital experience platform (DXP) provider – has announced a new integration with <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-partners-with-google-cloud-to-take-experimentation-to-the-next-level">Google Cloud’s</a> large language models (LLMs) via <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=na-US-all-en-dr-bkws-all-all-trial-e-dr-1605212&amp;utm_content=text-ad-none-any-DEV_c-CRE_665735422037-ADGP_Hybrid%20%7C%20BKWS%20-%20MIX%20%7C%20Txt_AI%20and%20ML%20General-KWID_43700077225650913-kwd-553582750299&amp;utm_term=KW_vertex%20ai-ST_vertex%20ai&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw6eWnBhAKEiwADpnw9u2BMXURvDZHFlNL_A4gB-a8YkjypIddWQ1nMdG43MWUdp4TY1E6cxoCg-gQAvD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Vertex AI</a>, with the goal of building and launching new generative AI features. With this integration, Optimizely’s customers and product engineering teams will gain direct access to Google Cloud’s cutting-edge foundational models, which will dramatically increase the pace of innovation in a rapidly emergent field.<h3>Sowing the AI seeds in Optimizely's model garden </h3>According to the company's press release, Google’s PaLM 2 models from Vertex AI will be used in Optimizely’s internal model garden, supporting rapid prototyping and development of generative AI features. This pairing will span the entire portfolio of Optimizely’s products, including content, commerce, and experimentation.Coupled with Feature Experimentation, Optimizely engineers can strike the perfect balance between cost, quality, and response time across Google Cloud’s growing family of models, which are rooted in a 20-year legacy and commitment to responsibility, security and compliance. “As AI is adopted at an unprecedented clip, Google’s LLMs and Vertex AI ensure that we can innovate and implement the functionalities that our customers need to scale and deliver the best digital experiences,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anielsud/">Aniel Sud</a>, CTO at Optimizely. “With these models, we can quickly and consistently add new AI features that will greatly enhance our product suite. We are excited to highlight some of these new features at Opticon in October and we look forward to continually strengthening our partnership with Google.” Optimizely customers can expect upcoming features powered by Google Vertex AI to be far more fine-tuned for the intended use cases. <h3>Focusing on high-value AI use cases</h3>On the AI front, Optimizely is exploring high-value use cases to bring generative AI to marketing and digital teams, empowering them to transform digital experiences for customers. These use cases include: <ul><li>A knowledge bot trained specifically on Optimizely’s technical documentation, so customers can utilize a chat interface to get instant answers to questions during implementation and use </li><li>A variation generator for brainstorming, allowing Optimizely customers to utilize AI to generate new ideas when designing a test </li></ul>This innovative partnership builds upon the success of leveraging Google Cloud for Optimizely Web Experimentation and Feature Experimentation, as well as the availability of both products on <a target="_blank" href="https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/optimizely-public/optimizely-gcp-marketplace">Google Cloud Marketplace</a>.  “Users of Optimizely’s digital experience platform will benefit from new capabilities, powered by Google Cloud’s Vertex AI,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigoprocha/">Rodrigo Rocha</a>, Head of Global AI &amp; ISV App Partnerships at Google Cloud. “By building with Vertex AI and expanding access to Google Cloud’s powerful models, Optimizely will enable its customers to build new online experiences and products that add real value with generative AI.” <h3>Partnering to power experimentation with AI</h3>Optimizely and Google have already cemented a strong partnership. In February of 2022, the companies jointly <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-partners-with-google-cloud-to-take-experimentation-to-the-next-level">announced a strategic initiative</a> to move Optimizely's experimentation to the Google Cloud, leveraging a secure and scalable infrastructure for investments in AI and analytics. In 2022, Optimizely also achieved over $1B in incremental revenue for its customers. This partnership with Google Cloud and innovation with Vertex AI will continue to allow businesses to make data-driven decisions and scale their digital experiences.

Optimizely Partners with Google Cloud to Expand Generative AI Capabilities 

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