CMS Critic

Miami in November? Talk about the perfect spot for a conference… A lust for palm trees (among other Miami “vices”) might have attracted Kentico to land here last week. The CMS vendor just wrapped the North American leg of its 2024 Connections conference series, and Guest Critic Janus Boye was on the scene. I covered the Nashville Connection event in 2023, which featured (among other things) some dynamite perspectives on #AI from Scott Brinker. This year's shindig was a little different, offering a clear reflection of where Kentico is focusing its energy: digital agencies. In today’s post on CMS Critic, Janus provides a detailed overview of his year-end “field trip” to Connection, outlining key takeaways and digging into Kentico’s roadmap. Security and trust were big topics, and CEO Dominik Pinter and VP of Product Debbie Tucek unveiled AIRA, the platform’s new?#AI-enabled digital co-worker. As Janus observed, “It was refreshing to see an AI-powered feature that seemed easy to get value from.” This is a comprehensive summary from one of the smartest analysts in the business, and it gives us a clearer picture of where Kentico is headed. Bonus: there’s also some great insight from CMS Critic contributor Matthew McQueeny, who was also looking for shade under the swaying palms. Read it here:?https://lnkd.in/ec5BYqFX

When does a field trip turn into a connection? ?? When Janus Boye is globetrotting ?? Our fearless CMS Critic contributor and analyst was just at the Kentico Connection conference in Miami, where agency partners got the download on #websites, #security, and a new #AI coworker called AIRA. Janus summarizes everything and gives us a glimpse of where Kentico is headed. Read it here: ?? https://lnkd.in/ey5dhSTr ??

CoreMedia is calling its new KIO #AI the “biggest leap” in CMS productivity in decades. That's a bold proposition. Can it live up to it? I talked to CEO S?ren Stamer before today's announcement, and he seems ultra-bullish about KIO’s prospects to change the game. For him, it’s not just the innovative technology, but its propensity to bring people together across the experience landscape. “I think one of the big bets we’re making is that the customer experience of the future will be unified. Not just the digital parts. Not just the website, apps, and the like, but the human interaction – the human touch that will also be integrated into this one unified customer experience.” As a pioneer in the CMS industry, S?ren has experience and wisdom on his side –?essential ingredients for building the right kinds of tools for today’s customers, even along the AI horizon. In today's post on CMS Critic, we delve into CoreMedia’s journey as a composable #DXP and the evolution to KIO. We also break down the bevy of new features and why it all matters: https://lnkd.in/eYEehQ3K

Could it be the “biggest leap” in CMS productivity in decades? ?? CoreMedia thinks so. Today, the composable #DXP unveiled its new KIO #AI, which aims to transform how brands manage #content, #personalize experiences, and improve #CX. CoreMedia's CEO S?ren Stamer gives us the 411 on KIO's new features, and we break down why it matters. Read it here ?? https://lnkd.in/eYEehQ3K

Digital #personalization just got a little more engaging ?? Umbraco – an #opensource .NET CMS – just unveiled its new Umbraco Engage, an add-on for personalizing #digitalexperiences and optimizing #content to boost conversions and ROI. We dig into the details and why it matters ?? https://lnkd.in/eQpHhGar

#AI has made its way into (almost) every CMS and DXP on the market, from #content generation to automated workflows. In the case of #digitalassetmanagement (DAM) systems, the high utility impact can be felt on a number of levels –?and it’s paying off in dividends. Acquia has been steadily innovating with its own #DAM solution, introducing a slew of AI-powered capabilities. At the company’s 2023 Engage event, I saw the promising potential of its new AI features, and what they could mean for brands and marketers in terms of enhanced productivity and effectiveness. Now, the open #DXP has introduced some slick AI capabilities that focus on #video and imagery within its Acquia DAM. On CMS Critic, we unpack the new Acquia Video Creator in detail, as well as the AI Video Transcription and Automated Color FIltering capabilities. According to Jake Athey, Acquia’s VP of Go-To-Market and Sales for its DAM and PIM, this is just the beginning of the innovation cycle. “AI creates new opportunities for creatives, content authors, and marketers to drive efficiency and create immersive?digital experiences that drive greater customer engagement.” Read more about these new features and why they matter: https://lnkd.in/eMsXzv_t

Lights... camera... AI-powered action ?? Acquia introduced new #AI #video and image features for its #digitalassetmanagement system, including a slick Acquia Video Creator, AI Video Transcription, and more. We dig into the #DAM details ?? https://lnkd.in/egdspR8c

Since 2018, Sanity has cut through the #headless humdrum with a novel focus on #content repositories – and a clear vision for projecting content as data (and vice versa). That positioning and platform approach helped them net almost $52 million in funding and drove their adoption by leading global brands like Puma and AT&T. While not a new player in the #contentmanagement landscape, the company is about to "begin" a new chapter –?literally. Last week, Sanity announced it was acquiring the team behind Begin.com, a company that specializes in deploying full-stack web apps to Amazon Web Services (AWS). Along with its deep #cloud mindshare, Begin also earned a reputation for developing #opensource frameworks like Architect. By combining Begin’s expertise in compute and modern app deployment with Sanity’s automated and resilient Content Operating System, CEO Magnus Kongsli Hillestad sees a huge opportunity to redefine what’s possible in content management. We had a chance to connect with Hillestad about the news and what it means for Sanity. We touched on the impacts of automation and #AI –?and how the addition of Begin's brainpower will benefit not just #developers, but all of Sanity's users. "The real win is in enabling tighter collaboration between developers and the rest of the content organization to deliver better digital experiences.” You can read more on CMS Critic here: https://lnkd.in/gJGcxXTG

You might say Sanity is about to Begin... ?? The #content operating system announced it has acquired the team behind Begin.com, a company specializing in deploying web apps on?Amazon Web Services (AWS). We spoke to CEO Magnus Kongsli Hillestad about the news, and how automation and #AI ?? will play key roles in shaping the future. Read it here ?? https://lnkd.in/g_DTtN5u ??

There’s a whole universe of CMS options out there. But can there truly be a "Universal" CMS? In August, vendors, agencies, and customers gathered in Montreal for the first-ever Universal CMS Summit. The event –?conceived by dotCMS – explored the future of #contentmanagementsystems and the nascent concept of a Universal CMS. Over the last few months, this topic has been widely discussed and debated. Despite injecting a new term into the lexicon (a bold proposition often fraught with danger), it certainly reflects the general direction of the industry – particularly as #headlessCMS capabilities become a staple of almost every platform. It goes without saying that the goal is beautiful. Universal CMS envisions an ecosystem where #marketing and #developer teams can work together on any stack, with any tech, and across any channel through features like universal visual editing, universal content delivery, universal deployability, and more. In a word: Utopia. To be sure, many of these promising features are materializing, and we see it happening in real-time. But where are the potential gaps? And can we effectively abstract the hype from the hope? According to Andrew Kumar, a CMS Critic contributor, “Several developments are needed for Universal CMS to live up to its name.” ? In today’s opinion piece on CMS Critic, Andrew provides a deep analysis of the opportunities and challenges – and proposes how to put the “Universal” back in “Universal.” Regardless of how you see this concept evolving, he raises some interesting points. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e5JTsUTM