“We are continuing our investment in providing business and marketing solutions that make the customer experience more personalized and engaging,” said Michael Seifert, CEO, Sitecore. “The way in which we retrieve information has changed immensely. As consumers, we expect our interactions with companies to be consistent whether via the Web, email, mobile phone or reading collateral. Our acquisition of Pectora allows us to bring consistency and personalization to print and digital communications.”

The Pectora technology enables marketers and Web designers to utilize Sitecore’s Web platform as a central hub for all Adobe InDesign content as well as all document layouts and settings. The offering brings rich content management capabilities to print designs in the InDesign and InCopy products, including team collaboration, multi-lingual management, security and workflow control and dynamic document delivery.

The combined solution brings the best of digital marketing capabilities to the offline world, allowing marketers to utilize content across all channels. Marketers can also deliver highly relevant and targeted content and offers to users based on interests, behavior, location and buying – in a channel independent way. Furthermore, it is now possible for organizations to connect customer behavior through collateral pieces directly into websites and campaigns. By taking advantage of rich document capabilities of InDesign, InCopy and Adobe’s Creative Suite, including dynamic linking and QR (Quick Response) code embedding, it’s possible to close the loop on marketing performance in the offline world.

For example, by utilizing the Pectora technology integrated with Sitecore’s Customer Engagement Platform, a consumer can read a printed piece of collateral or signage, scan it with a smartphone camera and be automatically brought to a relevant Web page for a mobile experience, while tracking the campaign performance for the marketer.

About Sitecore

Sitecore redefines how organizations engage with their customers online, powering experiences that can sense and adapt to a customer’s needs to increase revenue and customer lifetime value and satisfaction. Sitecore was the first Web Content Management system (WCM) to incorporate marketing automation, intranet portal, e-commerce, Web optimization, social media and campaign management technologies into a cohesive, integrated open platform. Sitecore’s software makes it easy for businesses to identify, serve, engage and convert new customers online.

Sitecore’s broad choice of capabilities enable marketing professionals, business stakeholders and information technology teams to rapidly implement, measure and manage a successful website and online business strategy. Its powerful development platform, integrated marketing automation tools and intuitive editing workspace enables successful websites of all types.

Thousands of public and private organizations have created and now manage more than 27,000 dynamic websites with Sitecore including ATP World Tour, Austrian Airlines, CA Technologies, Ergo Insurance Group, Heineken, ISS, Lloyd’s of London, Microsoft, National Suisse, Nivea, Thomas Cook and Visa Europe.

Connect in the Sitecore Community to experience Sitecore’s success and that of its customers, partners and developers.

“The Customer Engagement Platform is a major step towards Digital Intimacy and it marks the coming of a new era of online business,” said Michael Seifert, CEO, Sitecore. “This is not an evolution, it is a revolution. Our customers can achieve results that were otherwise not possible before. Moreover, they will be so much better informed on which marketing and outreach initiatives are bringing value to their organization and customers.”

The Customer Engagement Platform provides new and magical ways to orchestrate customer needs and solutions previously unattainable due to complexity hurdles. It does so through the addition of three new major and integrated products; Engagement Analytics, Engagement Automation, and the Personalization and Experience Editor.

Continue reading this story on CRM Critic: Sitecore Announces a New Era of Digital Intimacy with its Customer Engagement Platform

Generally, when a company releases a new version of its software, there is at least one major new feature. With Hedgehog Development’s 3.0 Version of TDS, there are four major new features that dramatically enhance the Sitecore development experience. The 3.0 Version also marks the longest span of development time between releases of TDS, and its release comes after extensive beta testing by some of Hedgehog’s largest customers.

Integration with Sitecore Rocks: For Faster Speed and a Browser-free Experience

The 3.0 Version of TDS automates the process of syncing updates to one’s source control system when using Sitecore Rocks (“Rocks”), which is a streamlined developer efficiency plug-in created by Sitecore for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010. With TDS 3.0 installed as a plug-in, the need for time-consuming browser interfaces is eliminated. Sitecore developers can now create and edit Sitecore items inside Visual Studio with Rocks, and those changes are automatically synced to the Visual Studio Project. This creates a seamless experience for the developer.

“Hedgehog has truly brought the Sitecore experience to the ultimate level with this 3.0 Version of TDS,” said Lars Nielsen, Sitecore co-founder and senior vice president of technical marketing. “By combining TDS with Sitecore Rocks, developers can now experience all the power and flexibility that Sitecore provides in the comfort and familiarity of their preferred work environment,” added Nielsen.

“We’re always looking at ways to further enhance the Sitecore experience that will make a developer’s life easier, and the release of Version 3.0 marks several key milestones,” stated Peter Madsen, TDS Product Manager. “The 3.0 Version of TDS saves developers valuable time that can be spent more productively on other key aspects of their Sitecore projects, and shows our continued commitment to both TDS and our partnership with Sitecore” noted Madsen.

File Path Shortening: Ensures Nothing Gets Lost in Translation

For many developers, the file path length limitation inherent with the Windows operating system has been a challenge. Now, with TDS Version 3.0, the original file path name chosen by a developer is captured and safely

stored in the TDS project, and the developer can then create a shorter, more universal file path nickname for everyone on the team to use when storing the item on a file system – all without compromising the structure
of the content within Sitecore and Visual Studio. The new shortened name only appears in the file system
and source control system, while the original name is retained in Sitecore and Visual Studio.

Field-Level Syncing: Change Field Values Automatically Without Changing Entire Item

Sitecore development teams and content editors can now enjoy a more harmonious and productive relationship while eliminating the risk for error thanks to TDS 3.0’s new field-level synchronization feature. It extends the “Deploy Once” feature on previous versions of TDS and gives more flexibility to the development team without compromising the field values set by editors.

With field level syncing, the development team can change or set specific field values for content items like security workflow, and rendering values, even after a skeleton hierarchy has already been deployed. This is all done seamlessly, without overwriting field values set by content editors. A valuable time saver, TDS 3.0 ensures an error-free sync, letting you manage all the different types of items offered by Sitecore at any time.

Template Diagrammer Tool: Document Solutions Down To the Smallest Detail

Gone are the days of seeing only “the forest” and not the “trees” within the hierarchy of a solution architecture in Sitecore. With Version 3.0 of TDS, you can visualize the depth of every single relationship within a site’s entire architectural structure down to the smallest detail with our enhanced template diagrammer tool. Plus, now when you zoom in, you will see color-coded dotted lines that serve to more clearly distinguish between different relationships. Also adding to viewer clarity in Version 3.0 is the ability to move items around, filter down and isolate sections, and even print them. With the 3.0 Version of TDS, you can see the DNA of each template and document every solution on each Sitecore project.

Pricing

The per-seat cost for a TDS 3.0 license is $695.00 and includes one year of free upgrades (major and minor releases) and technical support. A client can also purchase a maintenance agreement for 40% of their purchase, entitling them to another year of technical support and upgrades.

About Hedgehog Development

Hedgehog Development is a recognized leader in Sitecore Web Content Management implementations, custom application development and integration services. The company is headquartered in Holbrook, Long Island, NY and serves clients around the world. Hedgehog’s specialties include .NET development and Visual Studio Team System, SQL Server, Cloud Services Development, and SharePoint 2007 development and implementations. A field-managed Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, and three-time recipient of the Customer Satisfaction Award, Hedgehog was also recognized as a Partner of the Year in Microsoft’s New York/New Jersey Area Partner Awards Program for Excellence in Application Development. Hedgehog is also part of Microsoft’s Inner Circle program for Visual Studio Team System. These hard-earned distinctions represent a host of exclusive benefits for Hedgehog clients ranging from access to early adopter software to priority customer support services.

In 2010, Hedgehog Development’s client The Knot, was awarded the North American Sitecore Site of the Year, and the North American Sitecore Media Site of the Year. Additionally, Hedgehog’s celebrated Team Development for Sitecore product recently earned it the coveted position of Technology Partner in the Sitecore Partner program, making it one of only three worldwide partners that are both Sitecore Implementation and Sitecore technology partners. Learn more about Hedgehog Development at www.hhogdev.com.

Well-suited for organizations with an increasing amount of content and a geographically distributed workforce, Sitecore’s Intranet Portal 3.2 improves collaboration internally and externally with the same level of performance and reliability expected from a customer-facing website. Organizations can more effectively respond to global markets, improve productivity and accelerate innovation in real-time, across diverse teams and borders.

“Successful business results come from tapping information from a diverse community of people – internally and among customers, partners, prospects, etc.” said Darren Guarnaccia, senior vice president product marketing, Sitecore. “Sitecore’s Intranet Portal technology helps human resource managers, marketing communications directors and other business users manage corporate data and build an internal community. Furthermore, as websites and intranets become more integrated to serve the real-time needs of today’s sophisticated, mobile worker, Sitecore helps companies rise to these demands to improve business performance at lower operating costs.”

Sitecore Intranet Portal features a highly intuitive editing interface with the look and feel of Microsoft Office®, reducing the need to train business users. Pre-built templates including fully customizable page layouts help expedite corporate communications projects and facilitate employee engagement across an entire organization or department. Templates for wikis, blogs and other social networking features are included as well.

Take a quick tour of Sitecore Intranet Portal.

Built on the foundation of Sitecore’s CMS, the e-commerce software platform provides a wide range of e-commerce functionality integrated with powerful marketing automation features and designed for business users. Unlike traditional e-commerce solutions that offer limited Web capabilities and sacrifice buyer engagement, Sitecore provides a Web experience that is more personalized based on a site visitor’s profile and order history.

The Sitecore E-Commerce platform gives marketers the tools to track and optimize customer actions with specific e-commerce site goals including account creation and order completion. The software also includes a wizard-driven process for building a customized checkout, creating sophisticated forms, managing account data and maintaining purchase history for targeted promotions. Marketers can create traffic-generating email campaigns, and manage the product selection process – including securing payment processing and shipping.

Dierbergs, an upscale supermarket with more than twenty stores, relies on Sitecore CMS and Sitecore E-Commerce for their retail-marketing oriented website that provides an engaging experience for online buyers.

According to Sitecore partner, Jeremy Ziegler, Chairman and CEO, Aware Web Solutions, “We needed to make sure Dierbergs’ unique retail culture was properly translated to the Web, and the flexible features of Sitecore covered the critical marketing and sales requirements. We’ve moved a 150-year-old, family-run business and its traditional, high-quality values into a high-touch online shopping experience complete with cooking videos, blogs and social media integration. The new Web presence has strengthened Dierbergs’ brand and increased sales.”

With Sitecore, organizations can easily manage online product offerings using faceted search to locate and update specific product details, group related products and automate inventory levels. Sitecore offers a full range of options to support both entry- level and enterprise-class e-commerce sites. The solution can scale from a simple e-commerce site to organizations that have existing, mature systems in place and want to further integrate Web applications to drive e-commerce revenue and growth.

“The key to any successful e-commerce business is a website that attracts new visitors, optimizes conversion rates and keeps customers coming back for more,” said Paul Markun, CMO, Sitecore. “With Sitecore’s integrated e-commerce approach, marketers can offer their customers a high-touch shopping experience that generates revenue and differentiates their business from competitors.”

About Sitecore

Sitecore’s Web Content Management System (CMS), portal and marketing automation software solutions enable companies to deliver compelling Web experiences. Sitecore’s award-winning CMS software makes it easy for businesses to create and update dynamic, full-featured websites of all types. Sitecore’s industry leading flexibility and scalability allow companies to better leverage their content, improve customer experience and drive business growth.

Sitecore’s dynamic delivery architecture has evolved to a fully balanced architecture that is well-suited for cloud deployment or with a more traditional server configuration. To maintain consistency between the content management and content delivery layer, Sitecore CMS 6.3 is designed with load-distribution, redundancy and scalability – a benefit for content owners and website visitors.

When using a cloud-based delivery model, Sitecore provides the ability to quickly scale to additional needs without the costs associated with a 24X7 environment for hosting Web applications.  Furthermore, a cloud computing strategy can shorten time to market and can be more adaptive as new capabilities and functionality are added to a Web solution.

“Speed matters when it comes to managing websites for global audiences with varying content and device preferences,” said Michael Seifert, CEO, Sitecore. “By offering a cloud computing solution, Sitecore continues to innovate for customers and partners to improve their online business results.”

Learn more at http://sitecore.net

So what exactly does the OMS do?

Real Time Site Personalization

So what does this mean to you? Well, in a nutshell, the system lets you set up variables that change the content and layout of your website based on those variables.

Sound complicated? It’s not. Here’s an example.

Let’s say you have a page on Sports and you decide that if visitors to your site click on a certain link related to hockey, then you want the site to restructure the main page around Hockey and put less focus on the other sports. It will do all of this, in real time.

What it does is show a different type of site, based on the different type of visitor you receive, increasing your ability to target your site towards the different groups of visitors you receive. Anyone who knows marketing knows this is a powerful tool.

Do you ever ask yourself the following questions: What are my visitors doing? How are they navigating my site to get the content they need and is there a better way I can restructure my site to help them find that content quicker? That’s where the new advanced analytics come in to play.

Advanced Analytics

You’ll know the sources they came from, what they searched for on and off site, the goals they reached and content they consumed.

You can also setup and structure campaigns around this data:

You can also help your sales staff by providing them with advanced analytics, alerts and more using the new Sales enablement features.

Sales Team Alerting with Prospects

I could try to describe this myself but the Sitecore team does it in a way I can’t really reword better:

The Online Marketing Suite transforms your website into an extension of the Sales team by identifying new and active prospects on the site, detailing the experience in understandable terms, and immediately providing this intelligence to Sales. With our GeoIP tracking abilities, your sales team will know the lead’s Country, State, City, and potentially their Company name. You’ll get quick notification, well scored and qualified leads, and have insight into your website visitors’ experience on the site.

This can be integrated into leading CRM systems, so you can leverage and control this new information in your familiar environment.

This video explains it best and gives you a good rundown of the Sitecore CMS features (Warning: 75 minutes in length):

Sitecore CMS from mike johnston on Vimeo.

After watching the video, if you aren’t convinced that this is revolutionary and a must have for your CMS, then I must be missing something.

Learn more at Sitecore

MS: I was President of a successful multimillion dollar custom software development company and while there, I envisioned the need for a Microsoft-centric system for creating and managing websites that could take the online experience far beyond the then present technology. In 2002, with four fellow Internet zealots, I started Sitecore. We developed a product with functionality and appeal that was completely disruptive in the market at that time. All five of us continue to be key contributors to the company today.

CC: How would you define the term “Content Management System”?

Michael Seifert - Sitecore CEO

MS: I feel compelled to say that I sincerely dislike the term. CMS does a really good job of defocusing everyone on what is important, namely measurably driving your online success. Content doesn’t help you do that. Management of content doesn’t help you do that either. And system surely doesn’t.

Secondly, the term is ambiguous since it is used as a cover for both the area of ECM (Enterprise Content Management) and WCM (Web Content Management). From a business perspective nothing could be farther apart. ECM should help you be more efficient in your internal business processes. WCM should help you measurably driving your online success. A lot of businesses unfortunately still believe that it is a great strategy to centralize the management of all content in a CMS. There is a big difference between the processes of creating and managing a legal contract, to creating persona optimized content that will dynamically drive a personalized experience for the marketing department. The only thing in common here is that you can use a keyboard to author your text.

Even with this ambiguous term, Sitecore is selling CMS for a broad range of clients with great success. We will change the name when the customers, market and analysts are ready to suggest a new industry term.

CC: As the CEO, you have no doubt seen a shift in the way content management has advanced in the last few years, what do you feel can be expected in the near future and where will Sitecore fit into this picture?

MS: CMS, as a platform for driving your online success, is undergoing a radical change. Content is shifting to a measurable experience – crafted around personas. Delivery is no longer just Web pages but spanning all digital channels. Marketers need measurable results and ROI ,while sales departments and customer service departments need to tie together what is happening in the offline world with what is happening in the online world. Customer relationship management databases are becoming a focal point for realizing this. Real-time personalization is finally a manageable reality that doesn’t need to involve huge IT projects.

CC: If you were to compare Sitecore with similar CMS in the marketplace, what would you say distinguishes it?

MS: Sitecore is the iPhone of the Web content management industry. We are fusing many of the technologies that are integrations in other platforms. Our vision is to deliver a powerful, coherent, easy-to-use platform. A platform focused on measurably driving your online success through personalized experiences across all online marketing channels.

CC: How has Sitecore fared in the face of the current economic situation facing the global economy?

MS: Remarkably, Sitecore grew global revenue last year at over 40%. Our team and partners responded to the economic environment by working even more than the 40% reflects, so I think we are well positioned to have that same hard work reap even higher rewards as the economy recovers.

CC: What successes has Sitecore had this year? Any new, large customers? What do you attribute these successes to?

MS: Fueled by our 40%+ revenue growth, we have opened up a number of offices around the world, perhaps most notably in Japan. We have a very solid team in Japan with significant Microsoft enterprise experience.

We also opened up an office in Australia, expanded our presence across Canada with service and sales people, and our UK and European operations have really bubbled up new and exciting business.

We inaugurated two global in-person events called Dreamcore, with our customers and partners that include Interactive Agencies, Web Development firms and major Systems Integrators – literally filling these events to capacity.

This year has also been the year of the Enterprise customers for us. I wish I could mention all of the fantastic companies, but they include the likes of Costco in North America, Lloyds of London, and ISS in Europe. Our technology delivers answers for marketing automation, for eCommerce, social community – all the key business needs that now go through a website.

CC: You recently introduced a new product called the Sitecore Online Marketing Suite. What can you tell us about this product? What made you decide there was a need for this kind of solution in the marketplace?

MS: The Online Marketing Suite (OMS) has generated enormous excitement with prospects for us. When people see how it connects measurable campaign results, the personalized experience, and marketing across digital channels they discover immediate value. The OMS is essentially transforming the CMS into a next generation business platform.

CC: As you are aware, there have been a number of fairly high profile acquisitions in the last couple of years that have affected both the CMS community and the IT community as a whole.  Some of these acquisitions have caused nervousness and a sense of insecurity within the “acquired” client base about the future of their chosen platforms. What is Sitecore doing to ensure a stable and secure platform for it’s users?

MS: Sitecore is both financially and by license revenue one of the global top performing WCM vendors on the market today. And we love what we do and see a very bright future continuing ahead.

Sitecore’s clear focus, cutting edge technology, extensive partner channel and strong developer support community make us a vendor to count on.

CC: What plans does Sitecore have to ensure that new customers can choose the platform with a knowledge that it will continue to be supported for years to come?

MS: Sitecore is the only WCMS vendor where 95% of our revenues come from the sale of software licensing. That obviously means that Sitecore has a very large partner channel and development community. Sitecore customers aren’t dependant upon Sitecore to implement it – they have many choices. There are thousands of certified developers worldwide. And remember, we are built with Microsoft technology.

The fact that Sitecore’s business model is not based on revenues from Sitecore’s own services means our products are scalable and crafted to be best of breed, usable by anyone with familiarity with Microsoft technology.

CC: Can you provide a sneak peak of what we can expect from upcoming releases from the Sitecore product line?

MS: Full blown large scale personalized email marketing tightly integrated to the CRM, CMS and online marketing suite is up next. Providing site level measurable results and instant ROI out of the box.

CC: Do you have any parting comments?

MS: The Web industry as it exists today will undergo a dramatic change over the next decade. New online marketing platforms akin to business level CRM and ERP will arise.

Corporate intranets can help build employee loyalty, and break down traditional organizational barriers. In addition, Sitecore Intranet Portal makes it easier and more efficient to manage and monitor compliance and standards processes with structured publishing and workflow that can adjust to any business logic, with security available at every level.

With a Wizard-driven starter kit, Sitecore Intranet Portal features a highly intuitive editing interface, which dramatically reduces the need to train content managers, including full integration with Microsoft Office® applications. Moreover, managers can easily customize their department’s intranet desktop to fit specific business needs.

“Our customers, across all industries, need to consistently communicate detailed information, in key areas that range from employee self service, rules and regulations to team building – often across multiple languages,” said Darren Guarnaccia, VP Product Marketing, Sitecore. “Sitecore Intranet Portal offers ease-of-use through prebuilt features that push corporate communications projects forward much more quickly and help facilitate employee engagement across an entire organization or department.”

With Sitecore Intranet Portal it’s easy to build corporate culture using Enterprise 2.0 techniques. For example, the employee directory can become a true social networking tool where each individual user can expand their profile, update their personal information, find experts, and share information with their colleagues. Sitecore can automatically map this data to a wide range of related functions, including the organization chart, the company phone book, the editor of a Web page, and much more. Furthermore, Sitecore Intranet Portal integrates to Microsoft Active Directory® accessing AD user profiles for easy login and user information.

Some of the key features of the new release include:

• Ability to use Microsoft Word to create rich, compelling content. Leveraging all the power of Microsoft Word and other MS office applications to build pages.
• Inline document management and drag and drop file attachment allows user to edit documents while the intranet automatically tracks and versions content.
• Integrated draft mode workflow allows for staging and collaboration of pages without publishing them until content is ready.
• RSS helps to organize and view the latest news and update on the intranet from a variety of sources.

Read more about Sitecore Intranet Portal 3.1 http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Sitecore-Intranet-Portal.aspx

Sitecore currently provides Web CMS software, online marketing automation, Web analytics, intranet portals and other Web solutions to some of New Zealand’s leading organizations including Statistics New Zealand, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Auckland Airport, Barfoot & Thompson and Canon New Zealand.

“The demand for Sitecore CMS in New Zealand made it clear we needed to have an in-person presence,” said Michael Seifert, CEO, Sitecore. “Once again we are expanding in key global markets by leveraging strong local talent to drive success.”

The new Sitecore sales office, based in Wellington, provides New Zealand organizations and partners with valuable local technical and sales support.

“This means on-the-ground support for our partners – from end user demonstrations and collaboration on new business pitches, to training and technical support,” said Philipp Heltewig, Managing Director, Sitecore Australia and New Zealand. “When we introduce new tools and functionality, like the recently released Sitecore Online Marketing Suite, there will be locally provided training available to partners and end users. Our goals for the immediate future are to provide innovative solutions in the New Zealand Web CMS market, build on our existing partnerships and greatly expand our New Zealand partner network.”

Sitecore was evaluated and positioned in the Visionaries quadrant of a recent Gartner report, “Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management.”¹ The report evaluated numerous Web content management (WCM) vendors based on a rigorous set of criteria that includes completeness of vision and ability to execute.  Among the other criteria used for evaluation were innovation, market understanding, marketing and sales strategy, product strategy, and business model.

“Sitecore’s expansion in New Zealand is a very positive result for the local CMS market,” said James Fraser, WCM Specialist, Datacom, a Sitecore partner. “The Sitecore product is innovative and intuitive and offers unique personalization features. It is a flexible and reliable solution for our customers. We welcome the opportunity to work with a local sales and technical team to deliver winning solutions to New Zealand organizations.”

“It is exciting to establish our presence in New Zealand and create new jobs in the local IT economy,” said Philipp Heltewig, Managing Director, Sitecore Australia and New Zealand. “We already hold successful relationships with New Zealand customers and partners and we will continue to build on these achievements. Sitecore’s innovative solutions are an excellent fit for the many New Zealand organizations who value their online presence”

1. Gartner, Inc. “Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management” by Mick MacComascaigh et al, August 5, 2009

Many organizations are successfully expanding their revenue, membership and service levels with Sitecore’s CMS solutions. Sitecore offers the architecture, power and personal usability to work within any organization to deliver results through Web properties and campaigns.

“To keep pace and excel in today’s marketplace, websites have to provide more than just content and marketers and content editors demand more capabilities to stay competitive,” said Darren Guarnaccia, VP Product Marketing, Sitecore. “The latest version of Sitecore CMS gives our customers the tools to deliver websites that compel visitors to take action”

New in Sitecore CMS:

Web Forms for Marketers: The new Web forms puts marketing teams in complete control of the forms creation, campaign integration and optimization processes. The tool allows non technical users to build rich interactive forms, configure campaigns and conversion goals and provides a suite of reports to better understand user behavior for usability analysis and optimization. The tool also allows marketers to capture incremental data from abandoned forms and track form dropout statistics.

Outlook Based Workflow Management: New Outlook integration allows users to receive workflow notifications from within Outlook in real-time, and take action on those workflow requests without ever having to log into the CMS. All workflow actions, status and version comparison information is provided to the user, and dynamically adjusts should a workflow state change.

(WebDAV) Media and Document Management: Drag and drop image uploads are now available – upload files from a users
local computer to the media library without upload wizards. Files can be uploaded directly in the page editor and can be stored within Sitecore CMS. Files can also be edited with native applications such as Microsoft Word, Photoshop and PowerPoint and version controlled automatically.

Inline Word Editing: Natively edit content inline using full Microsoft Word functionality with full support of rich content pages.

More info: Sitecore Announcement

In the survey of 83 U.S. web content management customers, Sitecore found the number of organizations implementing Web 2.0 functionalities increased by over 250 percent.

Enterprises are finding that it is important that they make it easier and quicker for people to share news, have discussions and get information via social networking tools. The ability of Sitecore’s Web CMS to effortlessly add applications such as wikis, forums, blogs and surveys has helped its customers meet their social computing goals. Although Web 2.0 has been a recurring topic in the press, Sitecore’s survey now indicates integration with websites is rapidly growing and expects that it will see continued strong growth in 2009.

Another growing trend is the integration of portals with public websites. The predominant type of portal being integrated with Sitecore’s public websites was Microsoft’s SharePoint, with a 100 percent growth rate in portal to public website integrations noted. While content sharing is a stated goal of many web projects, to see such a high growth rate of actual implementations indicates the trend is now established.

The final key trend was the use of web content management to integrate e-commerce tools into websites. The percent of such
integrations increased 39% year to year, with the two most frequent e-commerce solutions used being Microsoft Commerce Server and InSite Commerce.

Ecommerce is becoming increasingly popular as is the need for B2B as opposed to business to customer marketing. In fact, there has been a drastic increase in the profit margins of most ventures that focus on business to business transactions.