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DRUPAL Article

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

matt-garrepy

<hr /> I have a confession: I’ve never been a fan of writing in my CMS. Any CMS, for that matter. And I've used a lot of them.Call me “old school,” but I entered the tech field at a time when computers were a lot more prone to crashing. You can only take so much of that dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” – or watching your work vaporize after an app fails – before developing a solid case of PTSD: Painfully Tragic System Deletion.Over time, things stabilized. Hardware was more reliable, machine-side applications less fidgety, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/word">Microsoft Word</a> became a de facto standard in the desktop stack. Heck, you could even auto-save your stuff… and that really brought down the blood pressure.But <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management systems</a>? Meh. They were still subject to the whims of a browser and a web connection. Sessions could be unruly, and it wasn’t uncommon to lose content while drafting a blog post or an article. As such, users like me held to a well-founded distrust of authoring directly in the tool.Of course, there’s more to it than a lack of operational integrity. For a long time, most CMSes treated the content creation experience as an afterthought. WYSIWYG editors provided a shallow proxy for what apps like Word delivered: an intuitive, page-like canvas with lots of freedom to write, comment, share, and collaborate. When <a target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/">Google Docs</a> emerged, it solved most of the persistent stability issues with web-based content creation. It also introduced the concept of real-time collaboration within a shared document – which was an all-out game changer. CMSes have certainly improved their editing experiences, stitching together more sophisticated tableaus. Every year, I see regular demos of CMS editors, and they’ve gotten remarkably better. That said, most content professionals don’t like being forced to use a specific tool when it comes to their elemental creative process. Governance notwithstanding, choice is a good thing. But for people like me who prefer a Google Doc, I’m still stuck copying and pasting into a CMS to publish. And that’s a tedious exercise replete with formatting issues that can throw wrenches in the machine.Things get more complicated for larger teams. Writing often happens in one place and design in another. Then, after going back and forth with developers, it all kind of gets “knit” together. Errors show up. Stuff gets siloed. What’s worse: If another team member has the CMS keys and is tasked with copying and pasting, you might need a string of emails or tickets to get a single typo fixed. If this all sounds disjointed, that’s because it is. And the real debt to be paid revolves around time, money, and control. This is where <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/pantheon-vision-content-operations">Pantheon’s vision</a> plays in. The company – which provides an integrated operations, workflow, and governance platform for Drupal and WordPress – has been helping organizations build, host, and secure their digital experiences since 2010.Late last year, I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshkoenig/">Josh Koenig</a> – Pantheon’s co-founder and CSO – about the company’s consulting <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/pantheon-and-tag1-support-drupal-7-websites">partnership with Tag1</a> to support Drupal 7 websites. Right on the heels of that, the company announced the launch of a new product called <a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/blog/introducing-pantheon-content-publisher">Pantheon Content Publisher.</a> Content Publisher reimagines the flow for writing, editing, collaborating, and publishing to the web. In a nutshell, this add-on feature enables writers to create in a Google Doc and directly publish to their <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>, or <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/nextjs">Next.js</a> websites – and do it all safely and securely. As a CMS user, Content Publisher satisfies the urgent need for visualization. As you type and edit in your Doc, you’re served a live preview of how content will render on your website. When you’re ready to roll, a single click pushes it to final review and publishing. Pretty slick. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:79.62%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705229313.jpeg" alt="A person standing at a podium giving a presentation

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Roland Benedetti at Boye &amp; Company CMS Kickoff 25. Source:Marta Cukierman During the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">Boye &amp; Company CMS Kickoff 25</a> in January, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolandbenedetti/">Roland Benedetti</a>, Pantheon’s Senior Director of Product, showcased this nifty tool during our “CMS Idol” competition. I’ve known Roland since his days at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ez-systems/">eZ</a> (now <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ibexa">Ibexa</a>), and he's always been one to push the envelope. Needless to say, what I saw was impressive, even at a beta stage – and seemed to address key pain points for many of us in the content ecosystem.What you’re reading right now was indeed copied and pasted from a Google Doc. But with Content Publisher, that rigmarole might be a thing of the past. Here’s a quick snapshot of what this promising new product could deliver for content creators. <h3 id="can-pantheon-fix-what’s-broken-with-web-publishing?">Can Pantheon fix what’s broken with web publishing?</h3>Hmm. Where to start? That would be my first question…Look, it's a big mountain, but Pantheon is trying to scale it. As Roland and co-founder <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyrosen/">Zach Rosen</a> stated in their official Content Publisher announcement, “The web used to be simple and fun. It’s increasingly become tedious, flaky, and frustrating.” Hard to argue with that.Also true, as I’ve pointed out in my own case: Content creators aren’t sitting down and writing web content directly into WordPress or Drupal, and there's real data to back that up. According to Pantheon's own research, 90% of writers create, edit, and collaborate on content using (you guessed it) Google Docs and Microsoft Word. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="-"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“the-web-used-to-be-simple-and-fun.-it’s-increasingly-become-tedious,-flaky,-and-frustrating.”">“The web used to be simple and fun. It’s increasingly become tedious, flaky, and frustrating.”</h4> <hr /> With such a significant shift towards Word and Docs for content authoring, little progress has been made in bridging the gap between these tools and the web layer. Given the complexity of modern CMSes, content originating from outside tools is often shifted to specific team members with CMS access and permissions. As Roland and Zach indicated, it’s possible that these human “copy-paste” stakeholders could miss some critical checks along the way – things like confirming mobile responsiveness, ensuring brand guidelines, and even validating digital accessibility. In effect, the disconnect between these entities amplifies liability.There’s also this notion of “democratizing the web” that Content Publisher is endeavoring to solve. As CMS systems become more complex and convoluted, only fully trained platform experts can facilitate the act of publishing. Further, waiting to clean up any formatting or governance issues at the publishing stage can lead to delays, version conflicts, and missed deadlines – all of which can slow down a marketing team or stymie a campaign.<h3 id="how-does-content-publisher-work?">How does Content Publisher work?</h3>I’ve already framed it, and simplicity is a key part of the appeal. First and foremost, Content Publisher has been architected with modern, API-first fundamentals. This composable posture provides the core integration with Google Docs, giving editors an augmented UI. Below decks is a scalable service operating on <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/google-cloud-platform">GCP (Google Cloud Platform)</a> that handles content discovery and publishing. This surface area exposes authoring and delivery through both REST and GraphQL APIs. Finally, Pantheon powers the core connections to leading web technologies and front-end frameworks via out-of-the-box integrations.From a deployment perspective, the setup is pretty seamless. After you enable Pantheon’s Content Publisher as an add-on in your <a target="_blank" href="https://workspace.google.com/">Google Workspace</a>, you can connect your Google Docs with any website running on Drupal, WordPress, or even Next.js.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:85.15%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image.png" alt="A diagram of a company

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Pantheon’s vision for a creation-production-delivery ecosystem. Source: Pantheon website. I quite like this workflow diagram that Roland presented during his “CMS Idol” intro, which crystallizes Pantheon’s WebOps workflow from creation through ingest to delivery. It elegantly details how they see the broader ecosystem of website and marketing technologies – and it’s clear that more innovation is on the roadmap to bring content, design, code, and teams together. <h3 id="core-capabilities">Core Capabilities</h3>Content Publisher offers some simple yet powerful features. The first is the intuitive direct publishing from Google Docs, where the add-on manifests as a tag-along sidebar while you edit your content.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:81.01%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705228530.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a website

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Content Publisher provides access to key features within Google Docs. Source: Pantheon website. This handy panel gives users quick pathways to manage their page metadata, add components like images, and more. Translation: users can deliver structured website content without leaving Google Docs – and that’s good from both a governance and time-saving perspective.  I already mentioned the real-time preview, which delivers visual confidence. As you write, edit, add images, or assemble components, Content Publisher allows you to see how everything will render on your actual website. You can also preview for mobile responsiveness, control your zoom, or even share to collaborate with other team members. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:93.05%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image-1738705228453.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Content Publisher gives users a fully-rendered preview with ample control. Source: Pantheon website. One of the questions I immediately had was about governance. This is, after all, Google Docs – and if multiple users are collaborating, how do you control things like publishing permissions? Pantheon is addressing this with a robust editorial workflow that’s built directly into the software, which will ultimately provide a deeper layer of control while checking for things like brand, accessibility, and compliance issues. Powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai">Google Vertex AI</a> – a fully-managed, unified AI development platform with access to <a target="_blank" href="https://gemini.google.com/">Gemini models</a> and more – Content Publisher also offers some dynamic features like content summaries, SEO-enhancing metadata suggestions, and advanced search, all guided by user inputs to ensure quality.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:87.2%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/02/image.jpeg" alt="A screenshot of a computer

AI-generated content may be incorrect." /></figure>Collections allow for seamless structuring of your website’s sections. Source: Pantheon website. We know discoverability is a critical facet of web experience, and there’s some cool stuff happening in Content Publisher from a structural perspective. Using what it calls “Collections,” you can organize documents into sections and sub-sections (like Marketing), curate the order, and choose to hide or reveal them to enhance navigability. You can also define custom metadata schemas, allowing for greater control over your site’s information architecture.<h3 id="the-verdict">The Verdict</h3>While every individual content creator or team works differently, there are some, shall we say, “philosophical” fundamentals we all share. Over time, opinionated tools have guided pathways while driving many of the systemic flaws in modern content operations. In other words, all CMS roads have a common breakdown lane.I applaud Pantheon for taking a bold step towards repairing the cracks in the pavement. It won't be easy, and Content Publisher is addressing just one dimension of where the tooling needs improvement. But their composable approach is driven by choice, flexibility, and adaptability – solid principles for guiding their vision of WebOps and content operations.Let’s be clear: as novel and useful as Content Publisher might be, it’s not a replacement for CMS – it’s more like a companion app that extends the existing boundaries. You still need all the foundational CMS components for your WordPress or Drupal website to realize its benefits. For obvious reasons, Content Publisher isn’t a fit for every kind of content type. It’s perfect for articles, documentation, and other long-form content – stuff you would handily write in a Google Doc (and that might be a good litmus test). Pantheon also suggests test-driving it on your website’s “About” page, and once you’ve mastered the flow, move to more editorially driven content like blog posts or press releases.Personally, I like this tool. I think it will find rapid adoption within organizations, and if you’re someone like me who uses Google Docs, you should take it for a spin. The project is still in beta (<a target="_blank" href="https://pantheon.io/platform/content-publisher#beta">you can request access here</a>), and there are facets of governance that have yet to be fully fleshed out. But the potential is there. Further, if they can unify versioned content with design and code, there could be exciting enhancements on the horizon.At the same time, we’re not really addressing the root problem: that content management systems still haven’t delivered the kinds of rich, trustworthy editing experiences that entice all creators to start within the tool. I know: It’s hard to argue with the robust omnipresence of Word and Docs. So maybe we’ll never get there. Or maybe you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Either way, I’m sticking with my Docs. And if Pantheon can kill some of the tedious, time-consuming, error-prone copying and pasting, that’s not a waste – it’s a win.   <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:30.46%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/cms-summit-25.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-summit-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">CMS Summit 25</a></h4>May 13-14, 2025 – Frankfurt, GermanyDon't miss the first European edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community! CMS Summit 25 will bring together top-notch speakers, our renowned learning format, and engaging social events. Hear from leading practitioners like Deutsche Bahn, Dr. Oetker, and more – and join customers, agencies, and CMS vendors as we discuss current trends and what's ahead for the content and digital experience fields. Connect and network at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference focused on CMS. Space is limited for this exclusive event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmssummit25">so book your seats today.</a> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

'Copy and Paste' Makes Waste? Not with Pantheon’s Content Publisher for Google Docs

<hr /> In the pantheon of DAM solutions, AI has been an undeniable game changer. Along with enhancing search and impacting overall productivity, it’s also proving valuable from a generative content perspective. The latest example of AI innovation in the “DAMsphere” is from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a>, which has been steadily infusing artificial intelligence into its platform, with a keen focus on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM</a> solution.At <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/from-accessibility-to-ai-and-beyond-five-key-takeaways-from-acquia-engage-boston">last year’s Engage conference</a> in Boston, I saw first-hand how AI was force-multiplying the potential for Acquia DAM and taking its core Widen capabilities – <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities">which it purchased in 2021</a> – to the next level. Since then, there have been continual improvements, reinforcing Acquia’s best-of-breed posture in a competitive market of DAM and PIM products. This includes other DXPs and even headless CMS or PaaS platforms with built-in offerings. Acquia’s new AI enhancements, announced just last month, are focused on video and images – and they're pretty slick. By all accounts, they should boost the productivity of creatives and marketers while enabling them to extract greater value from their digital content. Here’s a quick breakdown (there's even some video to watch):<h3 id="acquia-video-creator">Acquia Video Creator</h3>Video is already a full-time resident in the house of the DAMs, particularly as brands increase their reliance on interactive and immersive content. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/">Nearly 90% of consumers</a> say that they want more video, and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become the go-to channels for reaching new customers.Additionally, <a target="_blank" href="https://offers.hubspot.com/consumer-trends?hubs_signup-url=blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-video-consumption-is-changing&amp;hubs_signup-cta=Consumer%20Trends%20Report&amp;hubs_post=blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-video-consumption-is-changing&amp;hubs_post-cta=Consumer%20Trends%20Report&amp;_gl=1*iyn9mk*_gcl_au*MTAyMzg3NDcxOC4xNzMwOTA3MTk4*_ga*MTUzNjQ3OTAzNi4xNjg1OTEyNTQ3*_ga_LXTM6CQ0XK*MTczMDkwNzE5OC4yLjAuMTczMDkwNzE5OC42MC4wLjA.&amp;_ga=2.165247679.1431422928.1730907198-1536479036.1685912547">almost 40% of buyers</a> have cited a preference for product discovery through short-form video. Consequently, brands are ramping up their production, publication, and management resources to serve up video-centric content and campaigns at scale – and looking for platforms that provide greater automation. With the new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam/video-creator">Acquia Video Creator</a>, marketers have a dynamite tool for meeting these demands. Powered by AI, the Video Creator allows users to easily produce professional-quality, brand-compliant videos via a simple drag-and-drop interface. Videos are composed of existing content in a company's digital asset library, and users can access features like customizable templates and a vast cache of graphics, animations, and video clips. Here's a quick overview of the features: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/aq7v00IH64E"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aq7v00IH64E" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> It’s worth reinforcing that this isn’t just a video editor. It is, indeed, a creator, giving professional video editors a canvas for generating templates with customizable zones for things like product promos. The UX is fairly robust, delivering a complete video interface with scene layers and timelines. The functionality evokes the familiarity of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe After Effects</a>, or even some elements of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/webflow">Webflow</a> relative to the granular styling capabilities – but without feeling too overwhelming. Bottom line: it’s enough tooling to assemble a solid experience.   <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:83.01%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/acquia-video-creator.png" alt="" /></figure>Composing a video with customizable zones in the Acquia Video Creator From here, marketing team members (or almost anyone for that matter) can use the simple drag-and-drop editor to add content, transitions, and animations – as well as audio tracks or music from your library or other integrated sources. You can also pop in a transcript with ease.  <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:82.81%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/11/acquia-video-creator-templates-screen.png" alt="" /></figure>Selecting templates in the Acquia Video Creator One of the big benefits is the presence of “guardrails” to help keep content on brand. We’ve seen this in other CMS and DXP platforms with restricted learning pipelines or knowledge bases that train only on a company’s content or licensed IP. This AI governance helps democratize video creation across an organization while ensuring that large, distributed teams stay on brand.The other key value is acceleration. In minutes, you can create entirely new projects, edit existing videos, and use the Video Creator’s AI features to generate scripts, voiceovers, subtitles, and even translations. There are also collaboration tools for internal sharing and review, so organizations can rapidly create, approve, and deliver videos across websites, e-commerce channels, social media, events, and more.Acquia Video Creator is powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.moovly.com/">Moovly</a>, and is currently available as an add-on module to both the Acquia DAM and PIM solutions.<h3 id="ai-video-transcription-and-automated-color-filtering">AI Video Transcription and Automated Color Filtering</h3>Along with the Video Creator, Acquia also introduced a new AI Video Transcription feature directly within its DAM, making it easier to manage, find, and share video and image assets. This is a super-handy resource and one that should complement every DAM. It enables users to add an AI-generated video transcript that is stored on the video’s asset digest page, eliminating the need to send videos to a separate transcription service (this can be a real hassle factor). What’s cool is that the transcripts are all time-stamped and available via general and advanced searches within the DAM. They can also be downloaded – another perk that can prove to be invaluable when utilizing transcripts in multiple places.Acquia’s new Automated Color Filtering is also a new AI-powered boon to productivity. It removes human error that can arise in manual tagging by using AI to analyze an image's color profile. It then provides filtering and search of specific HEX (hexadecimal) color values without any administrator work required.<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>When it comes to harnessing AI in CMS, DXP, and other digital experience tools, the value quotient has been all over the spectrum. I’ve watched AI features blossom from the end of 2022 as vendors scrambled to remain in parity, and there have been hits and misses. In my opinion, DAMs have been a shining example of where AI has paid dividends and brought order to the data chaos. They synthesize AI's tangible benefits, applying them to high-utility services like search and filtering. They also enable automation that delivers a more scalable and uniform experience for marketers. Within the landscape of platform choices, Acquia has been pushing the innovation edge – and making Acquia DAM a jewel in its expanding digital crown. It offers an elegant, team-oriented solution that elevates collaboration. Their streamlined approach and drag-and-drop interfaces also enable marketers to be more responsive, productive, and prolific while staying on brand.Video is a key part of the content ecosystem, and Acquia’s new features are enhancing both creation and access in profound ways. AI has been essential to the amplification, but the DXP has clearly put its ear to the ground and listened to both customers and community – particularly at the enterprise level. This is where the growth of Content Marketing Platforms (CMPs) is accelerating, which assembles the assets and digital tools for managing large-scale integrated campaigns. It’s worth noting that Acquia participated in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/optimizely-leads-gartners-2024-mq-for-content-marketing-platforms-as-more-dxps-join-the-game">Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for CMPs</a>, presenting as a Challenger. Of course, there's also the net benefit of having the Acquia <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> community as part of the testing and feedback loop. As with previous AI ventures within the Acquia DXP, much of the early gains came from Drupal community engagement and nascent plugins for ChatGPT that accelerated the marketable innovation. As <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/buytaert/">Dries Buytaert</a> shared during our Keynote at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect Conference</a> last August, Drupal and Acquia were at the forefront of AI in the CMS realm, well before the generative explosion.According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeathey/">Jake Athey</a>, Vice President of Go-To-Market and Sales for Acquia DAM &amp; 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,” he said. “Our latest innovations accelerate campaign delivery by empowering teams to create content more easily, organize assets more accurately, and find relevant assets more quickly. They are just the start of a steady stream of forthcoming innovations that distinguish Acquia DAM for its ability to consistently increase business value.”<hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-acquia-or-acquia-dam?--talk-to-us.-">Looking for guidance on Acquia or Acquia DAM?  <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to us. </a></h4><hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Acquia Introduces New AI-Powered Video and Image Features for Acquia DAM

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fedramp.gov/">FedRAMP</a> is one of those squashed-together government acronyms that most laypeople will never be privy to. It stands for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which empowers agencies to use modern cloud technologies to securely handle federal information – which, as you can imagine, is some of the most sensitive data in the world. FedRAMP has been somewhat of an enigma for CMS and DXP software solutions and how they’re hosted. Don’t get me wrong, there are a plethora of compliance requirements platforms already wrestle with satisfying (think about the rise of <a target="_blank" href="https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa">CCPA</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/index.html">HIPAA</a>). However, as more federal agencies are requiring FedRAMP for specific applications, platforms are having to weigh the challenges of attaining this benchmark against the potential rewards of serving federal customers. Speaking of rewards, it’s worth noting that the U.S. federal government is the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/selling-greener-products-and-services-federal-government">world's largest single purchaser of goods and services</a>, clocking in at almost $700 billion. IT represents a big piece of that pie, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/605501/united-states-federal-it-budget/">almost $80 billion</a> (not including the DoD). And it’s growing rapidly, particularly as more agencies modernize and digitize their legacy systems with cloud-based technologies. Earning FedRAMP status is an exceedingly arduous process, requiring meticulous documentation, third-party audits and assessments, and continuous monitoring once achieved. From an investment perspective, the cost of compliance can range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars – and take up to a year or more to complete. Ugh. Not for the faint of heart.So what’s driving this drift to FedRAMP? It’s simple: federal agencies want the same best-of-breed solutions and access to cutting-edge services. Sure, the goals might differ from commercial entities; the public sector’s motive is to support critical functions for constituents like emergency response in the aftermath of a hurricane. But the opportunity is huge, particularly as federal agencies build applications that leverage open source technologies like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.docker.com/">Docker</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://kubernetes.io/">Kubernetes</a>, and other scalable frameworks.Here's a quick primer on FedRAMP, and you can find a library of resources from the agency on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@FedRAMP">YouTube channel</a>:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3YFkmGTt4"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I_3YFkmGTt4" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure>FedRAMP’s requirements might seem draconian to some, but there’s a lot at stake. Just ask the Department of Defense about its security clearance protocols. It’s a perilous world with lots of bad actors, so cloud solutions trusted by the federal government have to be put through the wringer – things like 3PAO readiness and <a target="_blank" href="https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/fips/199/final">FIPS 199 assessments</a> that govern how data is stored and transmitted. It’s not very glamorous stuff, but nonetheless crucial to safeguarding government data and maintaining operations.With such high expectations – and potentially high costs – it’s no wonder that enterprise vendors are typically the platforms to achieve FedRAMP status. There are certainly a few methods for fast-tracking the journey, but larger DXPs are in a class that enables them to attain these standards. Consequently, it creates a smaller pool of available options, making it a key differentiator for winning long-term contracts that can be, in a word, lucrative. To meet these opportunities head-on, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a> just announced that its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/introducing-acquia-cloud-next-kubernetes-native-drupal-hosting-platform">Acquia Cloud Next</a> has achieved FedRAMP Authorized status. With this benchmark, the open digital experience platform has reinforced its commitment to serve the public sector as the only commercial <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> hosting company to meet U.S. federal government security standards.“Acquia is fully committed to delivering the industry’s strongest assurances around Drupal security, scalability, and performance for our federal customers,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertformer/">Robert Former</a>, Chief Information Security Officer at Acquia. “At the same time, upholding the industry’s most stringent information security and reliability standards benefits all organizations who operate on Acquia technologies, whether in the public or private sector, that require the highest levels of security.”<h3 id="enterprise-grade,-kubernetes-native-drupal-hosting">Enterprise-grade, Kubernetes-native Drupal hosting</h3>Acquia Cloud Next is an enhanced, Kubernetes-powered version of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-cloud-platform">Acquia Cloud Platform</a>, a market-leading Drupal hosting platform. It synthesizes Acquia’s innovation with key technologies powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/aws">Amazon Web Services (AWS)</a>. Built for speed, security, and resilience, Acquia Cloud Next sports a self-healing infrastructure that continuously and automatically monitors application uptime and performance. No matter the size or breadth of an enterprise's demands, Acquia Cloud Next provides a number of key benefits, including fast dynamic auto-scaling to handle traffic spikes. It also detects failures, reroutes traffic, and dynamically scales experiences to deliver optimal application performance – with no need for human intervention.With Kubernetes in the mix, Acquia Cloud Next leverages container orchestration that enables maximum scalability, security, and resilience to mitigate unexpected risks. By partnering with AWS security experts, the Cloud Next infrastructure is automatically patched and routinely scanned to maintain the highest levels of protection for applications – a key requirement for FedRAMP. <h3 id="now-available-in-the-fedramp-marketplace">Now available in the FedRAMP Marketplace</h3>One of the benefits of achieving FedRAMP status is being listed on the exclusive <a target="_blank" href="https://marketplace.fedramp.gov/#/products?sort=productName">FedRAMP Marketplace</a>, a browsable repository of approved cloud services available for federal government use. FedRAMP Marketplace supports the operational resilience needs of dozens of federal agencies, giving buyers a portal to confidence when evaluating software solutions. You can now find Acquia Cloud Next in the Marketplace, joining a fraternity of authorized solutions. Since its founding in 2011, an adage has emerged within the FedRAMP lexicon: “Do once, use many times.” In the spirit of this axiom, the FedRAMP framework strives to provide a standardized approach to security assessment – meaning that once an organization has been authorized, other federal agencies can use the same assessment results for rapid and cost-effective procurement of information systems and services.Acquia has long invested in the concerns of modern security practices, working diligently to stay ahead of threats and give content ops teams greater confidence in their technology. In addition to FedRAMP, Acquia’s information security program also helps customers operate in a cloud environment that complies with a wide array of industry standards and regulations. This includes ISO 27001, HIPAA, SSAE18/SOC 1/ISAE-3402, SOC 2, and PCI-DSS.<h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Government agencies are notorious for implementing regulatory and compliance hurdles, often in reaction to a crisis (vis-à-vis <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act">Sarbanes Oxley</a>). These hurdles create headaches for vendors but also opportunities. As security and data privacy continue to be weak links in the chain for technologies of every kind – including <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management</a> and DXP platforms – reinforcing standards and best practices is critical.While <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> certainly has a footprint within the U.S. public sector, Drupal is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.webfirst.com/blogs/why-drupal-10-optimal-platform-federal-websites">more widely used</a> among federal agencies. There are several reasons for this, like an abundance of highly performant modules or security designed to protect personally identifiable information. Above all, it’s open source, meaning the licensing is free and flexible. These have all made it an attractive go-to for websites and applications. Of course, it needs to be hosted somewhere reliable, and using highly scalable solutions is a basic tenet in a world where traffic can spike on a dime during a crisis. This is where Acquia has excelled, partnering with a trusted cloud provider like AWS – which has invested heavily in federal compliance around its own services – to provide an innovative hosting environment to meet this mission-critical benchmark.And by embracing a container-based framework powered by Kubernetes, Acquia is meeting the needs of agencies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cncf.io/blog/2020/05/07/with-kubernetes-the-u-s-department-of-defense-is-enabling-devsecops-on-f-16s-and-battleships/">like the U.S. Navy</a>, which has been hyper-focused on leveraging cloud solutions with an open source stack built on Kubernetes, Docker, and other highly scalable services. In fact, they're using this mix to power other exotic initiatives like DevSecOps on F-16s and battleships. I'd say that's as mission-critical as you can get.   Government data can be just as vulnerable as commercial, and solutions with a FedRAMP status bring peace of mind to the evaluation and purchasing process for agencies. In a competitive field, offering FedRAMP solutions has also become a key differentiator, one where a DXP like Acquia can establish a stronger case for hosting Drupal workloads and accessing its services. At the end of the day, it also reinforces the core federal policy foundation of achieving efficiency, transparency, and innovation through reusable and open source software.To learn more about Acquia’s solutions for government agencies, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/solution-by-industry/government.">click here</a>. <hr /> <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2025"><a href=" https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25">CMS Kickoff 2025</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">so secure your tickets today.</a>

Acquia Cloud Next Achieves FedRAMP Authorized Status

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://accessibility.day/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)</a> is an annual event that focuses on access and inclusion. Each year, it draws attention to the vital role of digital accessibility, encouraging communities to think and discuss its impact on the one billion people worldwide with disabilities and impairments. GAAD will take place on May 16th, enshrining this as “Digital Accessibility Month.” Many organizations use this opportunity to promote and reinforce their efforts to support accessibility, so the channels are aflutter with messaging. Heightened awareness is a good thing. It's also a stark reminder that we're still struggling with digital equality. Case in point: In 2020, <a target="_blank" href="https://webaim.org/">WebAIM</a> – a not-for-profit practice within the <a target="_blank" href="https://idrpp.usu.edu/">Institute for Disability Research, Policy &amp; Practice</a> at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University</a> – analyzed one million website homepages for accessibility issues. According to its report, over 98% of the scanned sites had at least one failure based on the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) internationally recognized <a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).</a>The causes of the compliance errors were broad, but the biggest offenders were low-contrast text and missing ALT tags for images. Very basic issues that could be addressed in a matter of seconds without complex coding or refactoring. And therein lies the problem: developers and content creators still don't fully prioritize the importance of ensuring digital equality – nor are they incentivized to do so. Further, the momentary nature of “compliance” remains a challenge, as web content isn't always persistent. As such, a site can lose its error-free status with the addition of a single blog post. It would be easy to blame the tools, but we have a plethora to choose from and several are exceedingly good. Spotting most (if not all) of the critical errors can be fully automated and reports produced with a predictable cadence. And while humans are required to remediate many of the issues, we wouldn't have as many to correct if we simply took the right steps from the beginning. No, the problem lies with us. The builders. The creators. The practitioners. For too long, we've stoked a culture of disregard for embracing accessibility at a foundational level and de-prioritized education and awareness. We shouldn't be thinking about it on just one day every year; accessibility must be elemental to how we create and care for every experience in our digital ecosystem. The good news is that we're making progress, and not just as a result of <a target="_blank" href="https://accessibe.com/blog/knowledgebase/ada-website-lawsuits">class-action lawsuits</a>. We have better systems and structural processes than ever before. More institutional guidance is emerging, and the WCAG standards are continuing to evolve and expand. The GAAD Foundation (part of Global Accessibility Awareness Day) has also been on a mission to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement. The policy landscape is shifting, too, as more governance enters the equation. Europe's <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/web-accessibility">Web Accessibility Directive</a> has been in force since 2016 but was reviewed in 2022 following the pandemic's unprecedented acceleration of digital commerce. It complements the broader European Accessibility Act, which is similar to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ada.gov/">U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act</a>, but provides deeper monitoring and reporting of websites and digital properties. Of course, there's still confusion. And while some litigation has been “settled” (see: <a target="_blank" href="https://adasoutheast.org/court/robles-v-dominos-pizza-llc/#:~:text=Robles%20sued%20Domino's%20Pizza%2C%20LLC,did%20not%20have%20fair%20notice.">Robles v. Domino's Pizza</a>), private businesses still aren't hitting the mark. There's also the emergence of AI tools, which promise to streamline scanning and automatically generate ALT tags. That's cool – but even in light of these advances, there's still a major gap to backfill.Here's the bottom line: we have an ethical and moral obligation to reinforce accessibility. It's the right thing to do, and will ultimately impact everyone (it's true that with age, a great deal of us will likely develop one or more disabilities or impairments). But as I heard from many attendees at <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/from-accessibility-to-ai-and-beyond-five-key-takeaways-from-acquia-engage-boston">Acquia Engage</a> last fall – just after the DXP announced its acquisition of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-tackles-accessibility-and-optimization-as-it-completes-monsido-buy">Monsido</a>, a best-of-breed web accessibility and optimization platform – there's a business imperative as well: people with disabilities are customers, and experiences that aren't accessible will almost certainly drive them to another brand.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/">Acquia</a> made accessibility a core theme of its annual conference in 2023, and it's continuing to provide users with the knowledge and resources to be successful. In fact, they just announced that Monsido now offers support for WCAG 2.2, the latest set of web content accessibility guidelines recommended by the W3C. By using its signature Accessibility Module in Monsido, Acquia customers can automatically scan their websites, obtain an accessibility score, and receive actionable recommendations to help ensure the accessibility of their digital content for individuals with disabilities. By reducing the friction and making it part of the flow, Monsido is helping to ensure accessibility. “WCAG 2.2 stands as the globally recognized benchmark for digital accessibility, and marks a pivotal step toward a more accessible and inclusive digital world,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/acquia-and-the-art-of-the-possible-interview-with-chief-market-officer-jennifer-griffin-smith">Jennifer Griffin Smith</a>, Chief Market Officer at Acquia. “Keeping pace with the latest guidelines as they emerge is a major challenge but a necessary one."Necessary indeed. As Jennifer cited, 51% of consumers are willing to pay more to companies committed to digital accessibility while 41% are willing to pay up to 10% more. “Monsido simplifies this process,” she said, "making it easy to identify and proactively fix accessibility issues, avoid penalties for non-compliance, and most importantly maximize the return on marketing investments by improving the digital experience for all users to ensure wider reach and more audience engagement.” <h3 id="evolving-with-the-wcag-standards">Evolving with the WCAG standards</h3>If you're not familiar with the WCAG, it's worth noting that the guidelines have been developed through the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/w3c-process/">W3C process</a> in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world. The goal is simple: provide a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.The WCAG documents explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring they are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (the guidelines get more granular from here). Web “content” generally refers to the information in a web page or web application, including natural information – such as text, images, and sounds – as well as code or markup that defines structure, presentation, and other variables.WCAG 2.1 addressed key accessibility issues for individuals with blindness, deafness, and mobility requirements, improving upon its previous benchmarks. WCAG 2.2 builds on these efforts, adding new criteria to make the web more productive for those with low vision and cognitive disabilities, as well as those using tablets and other mobile devices. New device form factors present challenges for the WCAG; as mobile and IoT continue to evolve, the guidelines must also adapt to how users interface with new kinds of hardware. With so many factors at play – and so much content across channels – brands and organizations are seeking solutions like Monsido to address the scope and scale of managing an accessibility strategy. Having best-of-breed technology that's integrated with their DXP makes the entire process easier and faster, but also more trustworthy. “Customers who see accessibility as a foundation for digital experience want a solution that’s a core part of their DXP provider’s portfolio, not a tool off to the side as an ad-hoc consideration,” Jennifer said, “We’re seeing increased adoption because we’re putting our customers in a position to address digital accessibility proactively as part of a broader effort to create digital experiences that are also frictionless, relevant, and safe – or, as we often say, productive.”The Monsido platform addresses common accessibility issues against these latest WCAG guidelines and enables errors to be filtered by the desired level of compliance (e.g. A, AA, or AAA) for easy prioritization. Comprehensive reports explain how to resolve issues, and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/products/monsido/features/accessibility">Accessibility Fast Track</a> feature empowers teams to instantly fix repetitive errors across multiple pages. This includes elements such as links, images, and text. It also addresses accessibility issues in bulk – all with the touch of a button.For additional support, teams will also have access to Acquia's <a target="_blank" href="https://help.monsido.com/en/articles/4891170-accessibility-help-center">Accessibility Help Center</a>, which breaks down the more technical WCAG 2.2 checks in plain language. This is key, as accessibility still requires human support to help unpack and remediate certain issues like keyboard tabbing for focusable elements. <h3 id="spotlighting-the-importance-of-digital-accessibility">Spotlighting the importance of digital accessibility</h3>Acquia’s stated mission is to help customers build a better digital future – one that's more inclusive, accessible, and sets new benchmarks for performance and innovation. With GAAD just a few days away, Acquia is using this month to spotlight digital accessibility as a critical element of every organization’s digital practices.  “We’re seeing a real shift in organizations who acknowledge that digital accessibility is a priority, which is wonderful because it never should have been seen as a nice-to-have," Jennifer shared. “Of course, there are varying states of maturity here. For some, increased regulatory pressure is still the forcing function. But more often, we’re seeing more business leaders who want to embed digital accessibility into their marketing programs because they recognize that’s the clearest pathway to maximizing the business benefits. And that’s ultimately what differentiates Monsido.” Throughout May, Acquia will offer opportunities for technology and marketing professionals to learn about the state of digital accessibility and get inspired to make meaningful improvements. This includes a host of webinars on subjects like “The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Digital Accessibility,” “The Digital Accessibility Dilemma,” and "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/events/webinars/achieving-near-perfect-web-accessibility-salvation-army-story">Achieving Near Perfect Web Accessibility</a>, which features a use case with the Salvation Army. Collaborative workshops at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/engage/london-2024">Acquia Engage London</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/engage/paris-2024">Paris</a> – as well as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.acquia.com/drupalcon">DrupalCon Portland</a> – will give attendees the opportunity to learn accessibility fundamentals and how to apply them in website design and development. Acquia is also promoting daily accessibility facts across its social channels and even offering downloadable animated American Sign Language emojis for Slack and social media. <h3 id="why-it-matters">Why it matters</h3>Simply put: because people matter. Every one of us. We all deserve dignity and respect, and accessing digitally equitable experiences should be a basic, fundamental expectation. By all accounts, brands and organizations are waking up to this, albeit slowly. Governments have been exerting pressure, but not evenly or in all places. There's also the persistent lack of understanding around digital accessibility, and whether customers have choices or options to utilize other channels (vis-à-vis making a call versus using an app). At these moments, we should remind ourselves of the impact that ramps and accessible bathrooms have had on our culture, allowing people with disabilities to know a level of freedom and independence they are entitled to. Should we not demand the same from digital experiences?There are great tools out there, and Monsido is certainly among the top of the list. At the same time, it would be shortsighted to pin all hope and responsibility on the tool. Companies need to instill a culture of accessibility at the foundational level – and for those vendors building websites, we need to think about accessibility first and not treat it like an afterthought. Not only will it deliver better results all around, but it will save money in the long run by avoiding labor-intensive remediation or costly fines.A quick side note: We spend a lot of time talking about website accessibility, but native mobile apps should also meet the same benchmarks as places of public accommodation. Not all tools are capable of crawling and identifying issues within mobile apps, but several options, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.deque.com/">Deque</a>, offer a blend of AI-powered technologies and professional services for mobile app accessibility testing. What's clear is that Acquia is making good on its own commitment to accessibility. The Monsido acquisition was a sage investment, but the company has influenced its optimization strategy by infusing it with accessibility, which brings a cadre of structural standards that can improve a website's SEO health and performance. Keeping in lockstep with the WCAG's evolving standards is another example of how they are delivering greater confidence for customers. And of course, good accessibility is good business – and making Monsido an easy add-on within its DXP ecosystem helps solve problems faster and more efficiently. Jennifer gave us a clue that more of this interoperability and ease of integration is driving Acquia's future roadmap. “Looking ahead, we’ll soon have other announcements that make Monsido even more connected and easy to use in <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> implementations," she said, "as well as integrations that provide customers with more flexibility and extend our compliance with global accessibility guidelines.”Finally, I'll leave you with this: at Acquia Engage Boston, I had the opportunity to see <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/habengirma/">Haben Girma</a> give a presentation called The Univeral Benefits of Inclusive Design. As the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, Haben has long been a champion for digital accessibility. During her session, she stood in front of a crowded room and delivered a powerful talk – all without seeing or hearing the audience. This would have been impossible without the physical cache of accessible resources, but equally so without digital assistive capabilities.Using her braille keyboard, she shared how technology has unlocked so much for her, even though most tech is developed with non-disabled users in mind. “Disability sparks innovation,” she said. “It spurs creativity that ends up helping everyone.” So the next time you need to add an ALT description to an image, remember that you're not just doing your part to help one person – you're helping one billion.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

Acquia Enhances Website Accessibility with Monsido, Now Supports WCAG 2.2 Guidelines

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/jonstewart">Jon Stewart</a> is president and co-founder of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/zensource">ZenSource</a>, and CMS Critic contributor.  Both <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">Content Management Systems</a> (CMS) and Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) play pivotal roles in the education industry. They share many of the same features, however they serve different purposes in managing and delivering digital content. The complexity arises from the overlap of functionalities, compounded by the fact that many CMS vendors have evolved into DXPs, and DXP-first platforms now include a CMS. This makes it increasingly confusing for marketers and IT professionals to decode which to use and the benefits of each. Despite this, both CMS and DXP have an important and powerful place in MarTech and higher education. But there's no need to invest in costly and complex DXP-first platforms to achieve scale. By utilizing open-source <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a> with a composable approach to MarTech architecture, these two systems can be combined to deliver a comprehensive omnichannel marketing platform. This article aims to clarify the key differences and advantages of both tools, offering tips on building a fully open DXP.  <h3 id="the-difference-between-a-cms-and-a-dxp---">The difference between a CMS and a DXP   </h3>In short, while a CMS is primarily focused on content creation and management, a DXP extends its functionality to provide a holistic digital experience by incorporating various tools and capabilities to engage users across multiple touch points.  <h4 id="content-management-system-(cms)">Content Management System (CMS)</h4><ul><li>Focus: Primarily focuses on content creation, management, and publication. </li><li>Purpose: Designed for organizing and handling digital content such as text, images, videos, and documents. </li><li>Features: Provides tools for content creation, editing, version control, and workflow management. Typically used for websites and blogs. </li><li>User Experience: Centers around content editors and publishers who create and update content. </li></ul><h4 id="digital-experience-platform-(dxp)">Digital Experience Platform (DXP)</h4><ul><li>Focus: Encompasses a broader scope, going beyond content management to deliver a comprehensive digital experience. </li><li>Purpose: Aims to create seamless, personalized, and engaging digital experiences across various channels. </li><li>Features: Combines CMS capabilities with additional tools like customer data management, analytics, personalization, e-commerce, and more. </li><li>User Experience: Targets a wider audience, including marketers, developers, and IT professionals, to enhance overall digital experiences.    </li></ul>There doesn’t have to be a choice between a CMS and a DXP platform. Depending on the specific needs and goals of your organization and with proper planning and architectural design of your platform, a Drupal CMS can act as the base. Over time, additional features can be incorporated to create a full suite of DXP components. Shifting away from a monolithic approach to a single code base and process, IT professionals can opt for a decoupled system. This approach facilitates the gradual integration of features, ensuring smoother scalability, upgrades, and time-to-market advantages.            <h3 id="strategy-#1:-start-with-drupal-at-the-core">Strategy #1: Start with Drupal at the core</h3>Starting with Drupal at the core of the platform of your DXP offers significant benefits. Drupal is a powerful and flexible open-source CMS, particularly when used in higher education. It has gained exponential popularity for its versatility and extensibility. Drupal provides a highly flexible framework that allows developers to customize and tailor the platform to meet specific project requirements. Its modular architecture enables the creation of custom features and functionalities, making it suitable for a wide range of web applications that can be integrated over time such as behavioral analytics with personalization and marketing automation. It offers a user-friendly interface for content creators, allowing them to easily publish, edit, and organize content and the content modeling and structuring features make it efficient for managing diverse types of content.           Drupal is well-suited for projects of varying scale which is why it can be so powerful for scale across a multi-channel DXP content delivery model. Whether you are building a small website or a complex enterprise-level application, Drupal's scalability ensures that the platform can grow with your project's needs and publish content from one database to all your channels. It also offers strong support for APIs, facilitating integration with third-party services and applications which is crucial for creating interconnected systems that a DXP will rely on.The Drupal ecosystem includes a vast library of modules and extensions that extend the platform's functionality. This rich repository allows developers to leverage pre-built solutions, saving time and effort in development. Lastly, Drupal is committed to continuous innovation, regularly releasing updates and new features. This ensures that projects built on Drupal can take advantage of the latest technologies and trends in web development. Therefore, as the Drupal community actively expands its product roadmap, there are increasingly more modular components that help with creating core DXP features.           <h3 id="strategy-#2:-optimize-drupal-for-decentralized-authoring">Strategy #2: Optimize Drupal for decentralized authoring</h3>Optimizing Drupal for decentralized authoring while maintaining centralized brand consistency involves strategic planning, configuration, and the implementation of specific features. This will act as the authoring foundation for your enterprise-scale higher ed DXP, accommodating users with varying levels of access and roles as the platform extends. The key is to allow for users to grow within the system, striking the right balance between control, scalability of content and marketing activities, and the preservation of brand consistency. Starting this process involves establishing a well-defined content structure and modeling strategy, including a clear definition of content types, fields, and relationships to ensure consistency across various content creators and website sections. The design should be separated from the data structure, so that authors do not have to worry about breaking UI whether they’re creating content or setting up rules for marketing automation.        Leverage Drupal's role-based permissions capabilities to assign specific roles and permissions to different content authors. Ensure that decentralized authors have appropriate access levels based on their responsibilities while maintaining control over critical brand elements. Implement a content moderation workflow to control the content lifecycle. Define stages such as draft, review, and publish to enable centralized oversight and approval before content goes live. This ensures brand consistency and quality control.     Store brand assets (logos, images, style guides) in a centralized location within Drupal. Provide decentralized authors with easy access to these assets through a media library or asset repository to maintain brand consistency in visual elements. Develop custom content templates to guide content authors in creating consistent content. Templates can enforce standardized layouts, styles, and branding elements, ensuring a cohesive user experience across the site. Maintain consistency in categorization and tagging by using shared taxonomies and vocabularies. Centralize the management of categories to avoid content fragmentation and ensure that similar content is categorized uniformly. Using permissions, you can define which assets can be shared among users within the central Drupal instance. Lastly, provide training and ongoing support for content authors to ensure they understand and adhere to brand guidelines. Foster a collaborative environment where decentralized authors feel empowered to contribute while respecting brand consistency.                <h3 id="strategy-#3:-extend-drupal-over-apis-using-microservices-">Strategy #3: Extend Drupal over APIs using microservices </h3>Extending Drupal over APIs can transform the CMS into an open Digital Experience Platform (DXP) tailored for higher ed, providing flexibility, and delivering a seamless and personalized user experience across various channels. A major advantage of a microservices approach is the ability to scale individual services independently. By extending Drupal with microservices, you can ensure that specific components, such as authentication or search functionality, can scale horizontally based on demand, optimizing performance and resource utilization. This allows Drupal to offer personalized content recommendations, dynamic layouts, and targeted experiences based on individual user preferences and interactions. First, break down Drupal's monolithic structure into smaller, independently deployable services. Each microservice should represent a specific business capability, such as content management, user authentication, or personalization. This decomposition allows for agility and scalability, as each microservice can evolve independently. With APIs at the core, seamlessly integrate third-party services and applications into the DXP, enabling Drupal to act as a central hub orchestrating interactions and ensuring a cohesive user experience.Adopt an API-first design approach to expose microservice functionalities through well-defined APIs. Drupal, serving as the central content management microservice, provides APIs for content creation, retrieval, and modification, promoting smooth communication and data exchange with other microservices. Integrate user authentication services, recommendation engines, or analytics platforms as separate microservices, fostering a modular and extensible higher ed DXP.Implement DevOps practices for continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), enabling independent development and faster release cycles, while also reducing the risk of system-wide failures during updates. Monitor and analyze the microservices architecture using centralized tools to gain insights into performance, reliability, and user interactions for quick issue identification and continuous improvement.Engage with the Drupal and broader higher education community, collaborating for knowledge sharing and adopting best practices. This approach ensures that the higher ed DXP remains open, extensible, and aligned with industry standards. Extending Drupal over APIs using a microservices approach enables the creation of a flexible, scalable, and personalized higher ed DXP, preserving Drupal's renowned content management capabilities.<h3 id="strategy-#4:-build-with-security-as-your-foundation">Strategy #4: Build with security as your foundation</h3>Securing your higher ed DXP is crucial in the evolving digital landscape, where cyber threats persist and grow more sophisticated. As your DXP scales, it becomes an attractive target for cyber attackers. Adopting a security-first approach ensures resilience, safeguards sensitive data, and mitigates risks.Drupal prioritizes security with a robust security model and dedicated team, following best practices and regular updates. Enhance DXP security with thorough threat modeling, incorporating secure design principles, and adopting a defense-in-depth strategy. Identify possible threats, vulnerabilities, and attack vectors specific to your solution. Understanding the potential risks allows you to proactively design security measures. Incorporate secure design principles from the outset. Embrace the principle of least privilege, implement proper data encryption, and follow the principle of defense in depth. Design your solution with security controls at multiple layers, making it more challenging for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities. Train developers in secure coding practices, conduct regular code reviews, and adhere to data protection regulations, industry standards, and legal requirements. Make sure your team stays informed about changes in compliance standards and update your security measures accordingly. Implement robust authentication and authorization mechanisms. Use strong and adaptive authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), to verify user identities. Define and enforce granular access controls to ensure that users and systems have the minimum necessary privileges. Perform regular security audits and penetration testing to assess the effectiveness of your security controls. Identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses through simulated attacks, allowing you to remediate issues before they can be exploited in real-world scenarios.  Develop and regularly test disaster recovery and business continuity plans. In the event of a security incident or a system failure, having a well-defined plan ensures a swift response, minimizing downtime and data loss.            Encrypt sensitive data both in transit and at rest. Use industry-standard encryption algorithms to protect data from unauthorized access. Implement secure key management practices to safeguard encryption keys. Implement robust security monitoring tools to detect and respond to security incidents in real time. Set up alerts for suspicious activities and establish an incident response plan to quickly contain and mitigate security breaches. Since Drupal requires regular module updates for security patches, deploy a dedicated team to keep up with this process. Keep all software components, frameworks, and libraries up to date.For developers, marketers, and authors of your DXP, educate them on security best practices and raise awareness about social engineering tactics. Human error is a common cause of security breaches, and a well-informed workforce is a crucial line of defense.Engage with the broader security community, participate in information-sharing forums, and stay informed about emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Collaborating with the community enhances your organization's ability to stay ahead of evolving security challenges. By integrating security into the core of your solution, you create a robust and resilient fortress against potential threats. This proactive approach not only safeguards your higher ed organization but also establishes a foundation of trust in your solution's security posture.      <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

Empowering Higher Ed: 4 Strategies to Transform your Drupal CMS into an Open Source DXP at Scale 

jonstewart

<hr /><h4 id="snapshot">Snapshot</h4><ul><li>Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress have formed the new Open Website Alliance</li><li>The organization coalesced after the group penned an open letter to the EU regarding the Cybersecurity Resilience Act</li><li>This marks the first leadership-led coordination to establish a shared structure around common values</li><li>Goals focus on supporting the advancement of FOSS and leading with a “choose open source first” message</li><li>Future plans include greater collaboration and the development of open source standards and best practices</li></ul> The term alliance receives a fair amount of love in technology circles. It makes perfect sense: software companies and organizations have long relied on partnerships to build awareness and grow channel relationships, and having friends can make it easier to scale. One might call such agreements “pacts” or “treaties,” especially if the partnership is between two competitors – or my favorite permutation, cuspetitors. But alliance evokes something distinctly positive. A spirit of assembling strengths, building consensus, elevating numbers, and rallying around a common vision or goal.Of course, as a well-documented Star Wars fan (read any of my previous pieces, I guarantee there's a nod in most), I can’t help but associate alliance with the idea of rebelling against something, of bringing unlikely bedfellows together to stand against an existential threat… like an Empire. Sometimes, it's a bit of David versus Goliath – Luke versus Vader – and there’s an implied scrappiness to that. One that’s indelible to the ethos of the cause.In the case of the new Open Website Alliance, an interesting confluence of ideologies is at play. The newly formed cabal betwixt the world’s leading open source CMSs – <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/joomla">Joomla</a>, <a href="TYPO3">TYPO3</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a> – is very clear in its charter to advance open source interests. But there’s more, and it has to do with the very real challenges that exist for these platforms in an uncertain future of regulatory governance.To get an inside view of the freshly-minted alliance, I spoke to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathias-bolt-lesniak/">Mathias Bolt Lesniak</a> – an open source evangelist at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.toujou.com/">toujou</a>, a SaaS website building platform with TYPO3 services based in Norway. Mathias also has TYPO3 in his DNA; he is a previous consultant for the organization, a key part of the TYPO3 association, and a leading voice for the Open Website Alliance. I’d say a trusty blaster is good in any fight. But Star Wars references aside, an alliance is a solid place to start when building a movement. And if any part of the CMS market is focused on “freeing the system,” it’s the open source community. <h3 id="building-on-a-coordinated-response-to-the-eu’s-cyber-resilience-act">Building on a coordinated response to the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act</h3>Perhaps it’s apropos that <a target="_blank" href="https://typo3.org/project/press/press-releases/open-website-alliance/english">TYPO3’s press release</a> announcing the Open Website Alliance was issued from Switzerland. The idea of “neutral ground” further reinforces the compact that connects these otherwise competitive CMSs – which collectively power 50% of all online websites today.As the press release points out, the Open Website Alliance was founded to promote choice across the open source software marketplace and facilitate collaboration between free and open source (FOSS) web content management projects – thus furthering the core values of openness, trust, and quality. But where did this air of collaboration begin? As Mathias pointed out, the Alliance owes its genesis to a coordinated response from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.drupal.org/association">Drupal Association</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.opensourcematters.org/">Open Source Matters (Joomla)</a>, the <a target="_blank" href="https://typo3.org/project/association">TYPO3 Association</a>, and the <a target="_blank" href="https://wordpress.org/">WordPress Project</a>. The organizations pooled their collective resources to pen an <a target="_blank" href="https://typo3.org/project/press/press-releases/open-letter-to-eu-legislators/english">open letter to the European Union</a> regarding its concerns about the EU’s proposed <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/cyber-resilience-act">Cyber Resilience Act</a>. “The Open Website Alliance started out with this letter to the EU,” Mathias said. “We weren't an alliance six months ago, but that was really when Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress got together at a leadership level to do something together. Because we shared a concern – and we had shared values. Of course, there's been collaborations between our communities previously, but this was really the first time that we met on a leadership level – board members and executives, meeting together on one call.<hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“i-think-if-you-want-an-open-web,-you-also-want-to-work-differently-with-your-partners-or-friends-in-open-source.”">“I think if you want an open web, you also want to work differently with your partners or friends in open source.”</h4><hr />At question was the Act’s ban on what it classified as ”unfinished software” and a bevy of muddled definitions surrounding “commercial activity.” In the original text, there's an implicit obligation for software to address all known exploitable vulnerabilities, and maintain a secure default configuration. The latter is particularly problematic, as there’s no way of knowing where and how open source software will be used in projects.  With FOSS products unaccounted for in the original language, open source systems could be liable for safety and security in an untenable manner. These regulations – while viewed as important for maintaining security standards – could potentially hamper European innovation and, as TYPO3 pointed out, drive activity toward U.S. tech giants.“With the Cyber Resilience Act, we discovered there was a real danger for operating as a nonprofit, free and open source content management system – and within the EU, that might actually become very, very hard,” Mathias reflected. “And what hadn't been mentioned yet were two things: first, content management systems within the EU actually represent a little more than half of all websites. Many small to medium-sized businesses use our systems – also larger ones – but that means it would have a great financial impact. The other thing that we saw was that being free and open source means we have certain values, things that we believe in, like openness and free speech. These values very much aligned with the core values of the European Union, so we thought it was an important message to give. It isn't just about business, it's also about the values behind what we do.”The open letter to the EU was issued in July of 2023. In early December, the language of the Cyber Resilience Act was agreed upon, paving the way for its adoption this year – and obligations being phased in through late 2025 and into 2027. As the Act continues to unfold, the Open Website Alliance aims to stand in solidarity against any measures that might impact their collective viability – and together, help shape solutions for all open source communities. <h3 id="collaborating-at-a-leadership-level">Collaborating at a leadership level</h3>In addition to the general community participation, the Alliance is guiding its breadth of members on a leadership level. This means the respective organizations can more easily coordinate on strategy and actions, creating a unified platform that powers new and existing cross-community collaboration projects.Leadership of the organization is also based on collaboration. While by-laws and other institutional practices have not yet fully gestated, the presidency will rotate among the members, and all decisions will be consensus-based. That said, it is by no means an established authority with centralized control or governance. Given that, I asked Mathias how he might describe its makeup and structure. “The Open Website Alliance is a very simple construction,” he relayed. “It doesn't have a formal legal body, so it’s more of a collaboration space – a community of communities, as we say. So it’s up to each member to do what the Alliance encourages.” While still nascent, Mathias did share that some of the operational components of the Alliance are already taking form. As someone who has been involved with numerous associations like this – including the well-established <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-publishes-first-annual-report-showcases-industry-impact-and-plans-for-2024">MACH Alliance</a>, which shares common traits with this new organization – I’ve seen how the right operational bedrock is key to building success.<h3 id="expanding-to-include-other-open-source-cmss">Expanding to include other open source CMSs</h3>I asked Mathias about the roadmap beyond the quintet of founders. While the four open source software communities represent a significant part of the market, many other technologies have embraced FOSS. As part of its charter, he said that the Open Website Alliance is also encouraging other FOSS CMS platforms to apply for membership.“We have seen interest from other free and open source projects or content management systems that would like to join the Alliance,” Mathias reported. “So it's open for anyone who has an <a target="_blank" href="https://opensource.org/">OSI (Open Source Initiative)</a> and a verifiable free and open source license. But in addition to that, the charter also specifies that members have to agree to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.drupal.org/association/open-web-manifesto">Open Web Manifesto</a>, which I know that Drupal and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/buytaert/">Dries Buytaert</a> (CTO and founder of Drupal and Acquia) have been promoting previously.”It's true: the vision of a free and modular web has long been part of the open source zeitgeist, due in no small part to the contributions of Dries Buytaert and the Drupal community. As Mathias said, the Alliance has taken the core Drupal manifesto and generalized it – a bit – to render it less specific to a single platform, and more reflective of the Alliance makeup.“I think if you want an open web, you also want to work differently with your partners or friends in the open source.”<h3 id="standing-together-for-open-source">Standing together for open source</h3>The <a target="_blank" href="https://typo3.org/fileadmin/t3o_common_storage/documents/press_releases/2024-02_Open_Website_Alliance/Open_Website_Alliance_Charter.pdf">purpose statement</a> the Alliance has developed provides the most basic tenets of its goals. It states, “members commit to jointly encourage prospective website owners and developers to always choose open source software over proprietary systems, and to educate why this decision is the first and most important one in a website project. Through this advocacy, we are expanding opportunities for all open source CMS projects.”As previously noted, the collaboration also seeks to benefit the public perception of open source projects – that they lean on the reliability of open source software, and are supported by the “quality and safety of open source communities.” This community aspect is key, as it speaks to the potential for members to share and discuss best practices in an open source vein. But there’s more. Accounting for the distributed and collaborative nature of open-source software – even beyond content management – the Alliance strives to support the growing reality of upstream dependencies. I asked Mathias to elaborate on this, and he focused on the evolving need for standards.“We see upstream dependencies that are increasingly dependent on much of the same technology, but in different ways,” he said. “That will be interesting as soon as we get in Alliance members that don't use PHP, but I think it's also at an idea level. If you look at what the European Union is doing today, they are putting requirements on people who work with open source, just as they do with closed source – and that means we have to develop standards. We have to develop common ways so that we're not all standing by ourselves when there's suddenly a [new] requirement for data interchange, which is a part of the new data regulation."By being proactive, Mathias believes the open source communities of interest can now plan more effectively and coordinate how they work. Through consensus, they can agree on suitable standards to help govern things like security and maintenance, which involve increasingly more upstream dependencies. “It means that we have to care just as much about each other as we care about the systems that we use.”<h3 id="what’s-next?">What’s next?</h3>As someone who has built and managed projects in both Drupal and WordPress, I’m deeply familiar with the advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of their inherent differences – or how proprietary systems might challenge them – I’ve always viewed their “open sourceness” as an innate strength. Perhaps the most valuable asset for each is its fiercely loyal community, which represents the real power and potential for the Open Source Alliance to realize change at an industry and regulatory level. When I make the obvious comparison to other industry alliances, I can’t help but think of lofty goals woven around voluminous mission statements. But open source is a different beast, beating its own drum and operating at times like a distributed hive mind. The users and contributors are vast and diverse, and the wheels of change often grind more slowly in these corners. At the same time, they're also tacitly independent – part of its democratic appeal, in truth – and that could stymie the adoption of rules and practices.I asked Mathias a logical question: what’s ahead? What do the next 12 months look like? His answer was refreshing – because it was simple and honest:“We don't have that written down,” he said, “but there are things we are talking about at a leadership level. Having an Alliance means that it's much easier for us to say, well, we want to do something together to improve how we standardize security, and then that can be disseminated from a leadership level down into the community. Another is a very simple thing, and that is attending each other's conferences. I've been attending a few other CMS conferences, and there is so much we can learn just from how our communities are organized. So community best practices are a very important thing to improve quality. We have good quality, but we can always improve on that.”For Mathias, education is also a big part of the equation. From his perspective, shifting the narrative is paramount, and leading with an “open source first” mentality is key to helping businesses, agencies, and users make better decisions. “I had the idea that what we need to do is educate the bits,” he said. “Tell people first what open source is instead of haggling about which system is best versus proprietary. So we agreed to collaborate on promoting open source as sort of a ‘white label’ thing that incorporates a lot of benefits that are common [to] all our systems, and that's where choosing open source first came in. We encourage decision-makers who are looking for content management systems to make that choice first. And once they're there, they have a lot more choice.”Mathias reinforced that collaboration underscores everything, and how the founding systems and communities are going beyond sharing best practices and working to understand each other better. “We think it's a benefit for all open source that we know each other, and that we can help every client choose the best open source CMS or find the best agency that has the experience that they need.”Alliances often present themselves as business opportunities. But sometimes, they emerge at a moment of great change or crisis, when hope is running low and great threats stand in the way of progress. When considering the more altruistic motives of open source – of the free and open web – it’s clear that this new alliance is focused on more than just the financial implications of impending regulation. In this case, open source is more like an open force for good – and one to be reckoned with.  <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-conferences">Upcoming conferences</h3> <img style="width:29.67%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-connect-2024-logo.png" alt="CMS Connect 24 logo" /><h4 id="cms-connect-24"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect24">CMS Connect 24</a></h4>August 6-7, 2024 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present our first annual summer edition of our prestigious international conference dedicated to the global content management community. Join us this August in Montreal, Canada, for a vendor-neutral conference focused on CMS. Tired of impersonal and overwhelming gatherings? Picture this event as a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. <img style="width:29.58%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2024/01/cms-kickoff-2025-logo.png" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-25"><a target="_blank" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff25/tickets">CMS Kickoff 25</a></h4>January 14-15, 2025 – Tampa Bay Area, FloridaJoin us next January in the Tampa Bay area of Florida for the third annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, so secure your tickets today.

Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress Join Forces in New Open Website Alliance

<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities/">Acquia</a> – the digital experience platform built with open source <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a> at its core – continues to innovate around its award-winning digital asset management (DAM) capabilities.
Yesterday, it announced new enhancements have been added to its <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM</a> (formerly <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-widens-its-dxp-stack-with-widen-acquires-dam-and-pim-capabilities/">Widen</a>), empowering marketing and creative leaders to find and collaborate on digital assets faster.
The new capabilities – which revolve around search, sharing, and analytics – are slated to help marketing and creative teams maximize the value of their content investments across brands, regions, campaigns, and personas, even as budgets are squeezed. 
“Marketing and creative teams turn to DAM systems to rein in content chaos and gain insight into how their content performs, particularly across global brand portfolios,” said <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-and-the-art-of-the-possible-interview-with-chief-market-officer-jennifer-griffin-smith/">Jennifer Griffin Smith</a>, Chief Market Officer at Acquia. “The new Acquia DAM updates empower teams to create, find, and share assets faster, giving them better control over revenue-generating digital marketing campaigns and the ability to ensure better brand consistency.” 
<h2>Giving marketers and creatives more DAM power </h2>
As Acquia outlined in its press release, marketing and creative teams are responsible for building and maintaining increasingly larger and more complex catalogs of digital assets. They need to be able to find assets quickly so they can get campaigns and products to market faster, understand which content performs best so they can use it again (or create more content like it), and drive brand consistency.
The new updates to Acquia DAM help customers rise to these challenges with:
<ul>
<li>Enhanced search experience: A redesigned search experience presents teams with more relevant results and filtering capabilities, enabling them to find the assets they need faster so they can launch campaigns and products faster. Redesigned cards on the search page display file naming conventions, making asset identification simpler and clearer.</li>
<li>More options for sharing assets: Teams can now share results for common searches to support better cross-team collaboration, so colleagues can see asset options in real time, regardless of their location. Users can copy and paste a link to search results, which includes search terms, sort, pagination, and filters applied. Also, new asset share links give the recipient the choice to pick the size and format they need.</li>
<li>Keyword and tag improvements: Teams can leverage tags for improved keyword search, making assets simpler to find. Entry of keywords now uses a familiar tag UI, with clickable tags on each asset, directing users to a search results page with all assets sharing the same tag. Admins retain editing control over these tags. This feature can help teams more efficiently manage very large collections of content assets.</li>
<li>Increased analytical insights: Acquia DAM analytics enhancements give teams faster access to asset usage and performance insights via an improved backend data pipeline. New asset insight charts provide more options to filter and group asset data. Asset insights now has API endpoints to connect with other marketing data in a data warehouse or business intelligence tool. This directly supports marketers who want to understand how content is being used and how well it’s performing so they can focus on the best-performing assets.</li>
</ul>
<h2>A modular, composable platform</h2>
Acquia DAM is available standalone or within Acquia DXP, and supports composable strategies through integrations with other Acquia and third-party marketing products. It is foundational to the industry’s only open digital experience platform, which brings together content and data to create world-class customer experiences. 
You can learn more about <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-dam">Acquia DAM,</a> view the new <a href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/acquia-dam-search">Acquia DAM search experience</a>, and explore how customers are using Acquia DAM – including <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/crayola">Crayola</a>, <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/livewire">LiveWire</a>, <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/novavax">Novavax</a>, and <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/case-studies/san-francisco-international-airport">San Francisco International Airport</a> 
<h2>About Acquia</h2>
Acquia empowers the world’s most ambitious brands to create digital customer experiences that matter. With open source Drupal at its core, the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (DXP) enables marketers, developers, and IT operations teams at thousands of global organizations to rapidly compose and deploy digital products and services that leverage their content and data assets to engage customers personally and at scale, enhance conversions, and help businesses stand out. Learn more at <a href="https://www.acquia.com/">https://acquia.com</a>.

Acquia DAM Bolsters Search, Share, and Analytics Capabilities

cms-critic-staff

CMS Summit 26

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

What's ahead for CMS in the agentic era?

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Europe's <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/cyber-resilience-act" target="_blank">Cyber Resilience Act</a> (CRA) has been a lightning rod of hope and controversy for some time. The proposal, which would regulate cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, is meant to bolster rules for hardware and software and help enhance security in a world of evolving threats.
The CRA legislation targets a broad array of categories, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, computers, smartphones, and applications – and institutes a range of new requirements for manufacturers to improve their product security. 
At the same time, the CRA has been viewed by some as a <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/eus-proposed-cyber-resilience-act-raises-concerns-open-source-and-cybersecurity" target="_blank">threat to open source software</a>, which has enabled innovation and fueled the growth of the modern internet. Open source projects like <a href="https://kernel.org/" target="_blank">Linux</a> and <a href="https://www.apache.org/" target="_blank">Apache</a> are used freely and integrated into a bevy of products, where they power digital services for billions of users across the globe. 
Given these concerns, representatives from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/what-do-industry-experts-expect-for-the-drupal-10-launch-heres-what-they-told-us/">Drupal</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/joomla-cms-turns-16-celebrates-with-long-awaited-release-of-version-4-0/">Joomla</a>, <a href="https://typo3.org/" target="_blank">TYPO3</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wp-engine-releases-worlds-first-study-of-the-wordpress-economy-cites-awe-inspiring-numbers/">WordPress</a> communities have banded together to address EU legislators amid the ongoing CRA amendments process. This week, the consortium penned an open letter highlighting the possible impacts of the CRA on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software" target="_blank">Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)</a> Content Management Systems (CMS).
Combined, these four CMSes power more than half of all websites around the world and play a critical role in driving a competitive European economy and enabling cross-border collaboration.
<h2>What are the concerns for open source CMS under the CRA?</h2>
One of the core issues with the CRA deals with proposed liabilities for commercial activity that results in security vulnerabilities. This would impact open source developers who solicit support or donations, making them responsible for damages due to a security issue even if they didn't produce the product itself. Such costs could put an unfair burden on smaller shops and individual developers that can't afford the operational and administrative costs to meet these requirements. 
There's also chatter about the risks involved with a proposed 24-hour reporting mandate for disclosing actively exploited vulnerabilities – which may, ironically, result in more threats from heightened visibility and inadequate remediations. 
It goes without saying that open source content management systems have profoundly impacted the evolution of digital experiences. WordPress – the most popular in the field – powers roughly 810 million websites globally, representing <a href="https://kinsta.com/wordpress-market-share/" target="_blank">43% of the overall category</a>. CRA could irrevocably change how open source CMS platforms are used in Europe, sending a ripple effect across the software industry with myriad consequences.  
<h2>Open source matters in the CMS market</h2>
To be fair, the CRA isn't being demonized by this consortium of open source projects. As advocates for enhanced security in European hardware and software, <a href="https://www.opensourcematters.org/" target="_blank">Open Source Matters</a> (a non-profit supporting Joomla) and the FOSS CMS communities behind this letter commend the legislative goals of the CRA. However, there are concerns regarding the potential negative impact of the proposed regulations on FOSS development and innovation within the EU.
"Individuals, SMEs, and institutions will be hampered either by enormous administrative burdens or a chilling effect on their activities (and a potential rush towards the American Tech Giants) for fear of risking penalties under the CRA. [...]", the letter states. "As mentioned by many other commenters...large and enterprise-class businesses may be the only ones able to profitably sustain the administrative burden of CRA compliance, quelling EU innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic livelihoods."
The letter proposes solutions to ensure continued success and alignment with the EU's goals. This includes clarifying the CRA’s exemption for FOSS and supporting users’ rights and freedoms. The letter also emphasizes the alignment of FOSS with EU core values – including human dignity, freedom, democracy, and equality.
<h2>Meeting with stakeholders to voice concerns </h2>
The proposed CRA regulation joins a platform of digital governance that the EU is spearheading. This includes the <a href="https://www.hrpo.pitt.edu/european-union-eu-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr#:~:text=The%20General%20Data%20Protection%20Regulation,of%20individuals%20in%20the%20EEA." target="_blank">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)</a>, which was adopted in 2016 to provide a strong data privacy framework for European citizens.
GDPR was fully enacted in 2018, and has vigilantly handed down fines to entities small and large. The CRA is following a similar track, giving the EU's cybersecurity agency real teeth to enforce policies as part of its new charter. 
Open Source Matters and the <a href="https://www.thedroptimes.com/tag/inter-cms-working-group" target="_blank">Inter-CMS Working Group</a> (ICWG) have invited EU Commission members and other stakeholders to participate in a seminar in Brussels early this fall, fostering a collaborative dialogue to address the concerns raised. The seminar presents a cooperative motion from the coalition of open source communities, with the hope that friendly dialogue and collaboration might yield changes to the proposed legislation. 
The letter was signed by:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-dionysopoulos/" target="_blank">Crystal Dionysopoulos</a> – President, <a href="https://opensourcematters.org/" target="_blank">Open Source Matters, Inc</a>. (Joomla)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephahaden/" target="_blank">Josepha Haden Chomphosy</a> – Executive Director, <a href="https://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress Project</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierdobberkau/" target="_blank">Olivier Dobberkau</a> – President, <a href="https://typo3.org/project/association/" target="_blank">TYPO3 Association</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/timdoylempa/" target="_blank">Tim Doyle</a> – CEO, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/association" target="_blank">Drupal Association</a></li>
</ul>
As events unfold, more information about the debate and the proposed seminar will be shared.
To read or download the full open letter, visit <a href="https://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5891-open-letter-foss-cms-cyber-resilience-act.html">https://www.joomla.org/announcements/general-news/5891-open-letter-foss-cms-cyber-resilience-act.html</a>
<h2>About Open Source Matters</h2>
Open Source Matters (OSM) is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the Joomla! open-source project. Its mission is to empower and unite a global community of Joomla users and contributors to cultivate and sustain an innovative and reliable content management system. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.opensourcematters.org/">www.opensourcematters.org</a>.
<h2>About Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress</h2>
Drupal, Joomla,  TYPO3, and WordPress are leading open-source Content Management Systems (CMS) that have significantly impacted the digital landscape. Each platform boasts its unique approach to web content management, catering to diverse user needs. Despite their different approaches to building websites, they share common values, emphasizing collaboration, accessibility, and community-driven development. Together, their collective strength fosters innovation and empowers website creators worldwide.

Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3, and WordPress Address EU with Concerns over Cyber Resilience Act

When I first hopped on Zoom with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaballew/" target="_blank">Deanna Ballew</a>, Senior Vice President of Product at <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-upgrades-open-dxp-capabilities-to-expand-composable-enterprise-features/">Acquia</a>, we bantered casually about her home near Madison, Wisconsin – and the dark beauty of Midwestern thunderstorms.
At the time, we were both being treated to unstable spring weather, mine of the Southeastern U.S. variety but equally temperamental. It was an apropos reflection of what’s happening in the technology market as fears of recession and the specter of AI loom menacingly across the horizon.
But there's opportunity in that tornadic frenzy. As composable strategies continue to rain across the legacy landscape, DXPs have been repositioning their offerings in a bid to be more, well… composable in an increasingly omnichannel world. Heck, last year, Salesforce unveiled a new service called <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/salesforce-headless-commerce-composable-storefront/" target="_blank">Composable Storefront</a> – a fully headless commerce solution that features an ecosystem of integrations.
Does this make Salesforce a “composable” platform? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s a bit of a misnomer, really, when you consider that all DXPs were essentially composed to begin with.
Such is the case with Acquia. Over the years, it has expanded beyond its <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a>-powered CMS to comprise an ecosystem of integrated technologies, including cloud services, CDP, a marketing studio, and other goodies. By all accounts, the company fits the monolithic bill.
But as co-founder and CTO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/buytaert/" target="_blank">Dries Buytaert</a> described in his <a href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/composable-digital-experience-manifesto" target="_blank">Composable DXP Manifesto</a>, Acquia has been evangelizing modular architectures that align with Drupal’s concept of the <a href="https://dri.es/the-assembled-web" target="_blank">Assembled Web</a> for over a decade. In that sense, they’re not newcomers to the composable game. In fact, in 2021, the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-upgrades-open-dxp-capabilities-to-expand-composable-enterprise-features/">company expanded</a> its open capabilities by introducing a set of composable enterprise features.
Still, Acquia seems focused on the sum of its DXP parts to help customers grow. Most recently, it purchased <a href="https://www.widen.com/plans?utm_term=widen%20dam&amp;utm_campaign=US+-+Brand+-+New&amp;utm_source=adwords&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=4148602931&amp;hsa_cam=19965617942&amp;hsa_grp=151430066111&amp;hsa_ad=656770360925&amp;hsa_src=g&amp;hsa_tgt=aud-2053871145734:kwd-23382924646&amp;hsa_kw=widen%20dam&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gad=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw04yjBhApEiwAJcvNoRz0NfJzgGc3qeATnNzF5WrjQs4GtIXBa8j5R7dCSXE3d_haybCWyhoCIi4QAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Widen</a>, a digital asset management (DAM) solution that is proving to be a key activator in its completeness of vision (it’s worth noting that the service can be procured separately). Deanna, who came along for the ride from Widen as its Chief Innovation Officer, is now working across the Acquia portfolio on the company’s vision and M&amp;A strategy.
Given all this, where does Acquia fit on the composable spectrum? Lately, I’ve been listening to many voices across the industry use this term in different ways, and I wanted to hear from a platform with a long-established leadership role in the DXP topology – and one striving to be more modular than monolithic. 
Deanna and I were also joined by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretschroeder94/" target="_blank">Maggie Schroeder</a>, Acquia’s Director of Product Marketing. We talked at length about composable, the hyperbolic explosion of AI, and the importance of their “Acquian” community as accelerators of innovation and success.
<h2>Finding growth as a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader </h2>
For those who don't consult the analyst reports, Acquia held firm to its Leader position in the 2023 <a href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/acquia-named-leader-2023-gartner-magic-quadrant-digital-experience-platforms" target="_blank">Gartner Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a>, trailing only behind <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/optimizely-partners-with-google-cloud-to-take-experimentation-to-the-next-level/">Optimizely</a> and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/adobe-experience-cloud-adds-new-headless-cms-capabilities-updates-to-commerce-integration/">Adobe</a>. The triad has persistently battled it out over several cycles in a bid to dominate the space, although Adobe – a much larger competitor – continues to wear the crown. 
So how did Acquia join this exclusive league of leaders? It's been a long road, and community and innovation played a big part. But it doesn't hurt that the company was <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/24/vista-equity-partners-buys-acquia-for-1b/" target="_blank">purchased by Vista Equity Partners</a> in 2019 for $1 billion, boosting its quest to build market presence. 
While these rivals all deliver industry-leading foundational technologies (CMS, CX, CDP, analytics, personalization, customer journey management, and more), Gartner highlighted Acquia’s synergy between its product innovations and acquisitions, as well as its uncommon support for intranet and employee portal applications. There was also a footnote about Acquia’s <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/acquia-site-factory" target="_blank">Site Factory</a> toolset, which eases the burden of scaling deployments.
Analyst observations aside, I asked Deanna what was putting the wind in Acquia’s sails (or sales, n'est-ce pas?) in 2023.
“One of the core pieces to why we’re winning is that we continue to thrive and focus on content and data,” she said. “The foundation and flexibility of Drupal as our CMS delivers us over 46,000 modules, and by combining our CMS with Acquia Cloud, we can now give our customers the ultimate balance of enterprise security, stability, and scalability. And that's kind of the sweet spot where they can start small and grow, or they can start big and really scale up. So that's where we've grown.”
Deanna also underscored the impact of the Widen acquisition, and how pairing an award-winning DAM with Acquia’s ML-powered CDP – formerly <a href="https://www.acquia.com/newsroom/press-releases/acquia-acquire-agilone-deliver-powerful-customer-experiences" target="_blank">AgilOne</a> – is at the heart of the company’s composable promise to provide an open set of solutions that play well with other technologies.
“I think that's really key to what we're seeing with composability,” she explained. “You can't do everything with a single vendor. It has to work within our customers’ current systems and technologies when they need it and scale and grow as it goes.”
Maggie also touched on Acquia’s commitment to helping customers make technology work for them, suggesting it all comes back to the ease of use the company is building into its products.
“We’re providing low code capabilities for marketers, but also really advanced tools for our developers who we know are at the core of creating experiences – so those who are less technical and those who are very technical can work together to create experiences that are outcome-driven.”
<h2>What’s the best roadmap? Open source, of course</h2>
As a well-established open source vendor, Acquia’s community has been a wellspring for continuous innovation. I asked Maggie how the heritage of Drupal is impacting the company’s plans for the future.
“Drupal is at our core, and it’s part of the beginnings of Acquia,” she said. “We've really stayed true to that, throughout the duration of Acquia’s existence.”
But enhancing that legacy has been a key focus, and Maggie noted a series of very strategic acquisitions and innovations that have complemented the open source engine. For example, the <a href="https://www.acquia.com/newsroom/press-releases/acquia-acquires-cohesion#:~:text=BOSTON%20and%20BRIGHTON%2C%20England%20%E2%80%93%20September,low%2Dcode%20Drupal%20website%20builder." target="_blank">purchase of Cohesion</a> in 2019 and its subsequent transformation to Site Studio has made Drupal more accessible to low-code business users – what Dries calls an “ambitious site builder.” As Deanna echoed, the goal has been making things easier for users across the collective community.
“We put a lot of emphasis into content and really making that experience as seamless as possible. And then of course, giving our customers that foundation helps them get even closer to leveraging data and more complex use cases as well.”
As for that community, it’s quite expansive: <a href="https://www.acquia.com/drupal/why-drupal" target="_blank">according to the company’s website</a>, Acquia boasts more than 800 customers and over a million users worldwide, buoyed by a Drupal footprint that includes one in eight enterprise websites and over 10,000 active community contributors. Oh, and there’s also those 46,000 modules to boot.
While open source brings its own set of challenges from security to stability, it offers key benefits that are attractive in a composable world – like no vendor lock-in. But there’s more to it: this open community is helping Acquia and its customers jump ahead and drive delivery on their own terms.
“They don’t have to wait for our roadmap,” Deanna said. “And that's a really key thing to be able to do what you need to on your own timeline.”
<h2>AI: Acquia Intelligence</h2>
It’s a no-brainer to ask about the new brain driving this hype cycle: <a href="https://chat.openai.com/" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a>. It’s undeniable. In less than six months, countless platforms across the digital experience and martech stack have harnessed <a href="https://www.openai.com/" target="_blank">OpenAI’s</a> generative service to improve content operations and workflows.
While Acquia is already leveraging machine learning and predictive models in its CDP, I asked how this latest permutation of AI is transforming the strategy. Once again, it came back to the community.
“We see that even with all the AI stuff going on right now, our community and customers are doing it themselves,” Deanna said. “They're making it work when they want to do it.”
To that end, the Drupal community has already launched an <a href="https://www.drupal.org/project/openai" target="_blank">OpenAI initiative</a> that aims to provide a suite of modules and an API foundation for ChatGPT, <a href="https://github.com/features/copilot" target="_blank">GitHub CoPilot</a>, and more. This would include a bevy of features for powering generative text, content editing, audio transcribing, text prompts, and more.
“All of our sales engineers are enabled to leverage the Drupal OpenAI module as part of their demo to show ‘the art of the possible’ with ChatGPT,” Maggie explained. “It can create anything from text content, images, content analysis – there’s a lot. And this goes back to having the power of the Drupal community behind us, really helping our customers get ahead of the trends. So while others in the market are waiting for additions or integrations to ChatGPT, the Drupal community was, I'd say, first to market with the ChatGPT integration.”
<h2>A hybrid approach to omnichannel and headless</h2>
During my recent trip to the <a href="https://www.boye-co.com/groups/cms-experts/" target="_blank">Boye &amp; Company</a> CMS Experts summit in New York City, there was an epic debate about headless CMS and the challenges that exist with visualization. While <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wrestling-with-category-confusion-in-the-dxc-slackdown/">DXC platforms</a> like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/is-the-birth-of-dxc-the-death-of-dxp-a-conversation-with-darren-guarnaccia-president-at-uniform/">Uniform</a> are providing an answer for pure headless solutions, traditional CMS platforms are espousing the value of their APIs to reinforce the value of a hybrid play. This comes at a time when even WordPress is offering a <a href="https://wpengine.com/resources/headless-cms-and-wordpress/" target="_blank">headless backend</a> to power any kind of frontend framework.
With Acquia’s Drupal CMS falling into the traditional CMS and DXP column, I asked Maggie how omnichannel fits into Acquia’s strategy, and how it stacks up to purely headless contenders.
“First of all, I love that you're saying ‘omnichannel’ and you're not leading with headless, because headless is the technology that makes omnichannel possible,” she said. “However, something I want to acknowledge is that not all experiences we talk about are truly omnichannel, right? Omnichannel implies these experiences are connected and they're consistent across all the channels where you're delivering content. And I think that is where we've really stepped in to provide differentiation.”
As Maggie explained, business users are often seen as a “pain point” for pure-play headless competitors in the market. Acquia’s ability to supply both low code business features – as well as a completely headless experience to frontend developers – gives users the freedom to choose whatever framework they prefer.
“We see a lot of our customers adopting a hybrid approach to omnichannel,” Maggie said. “They’re asking, ‘What is the outcome we're looking to drive with the experience? Is it really going to be content dependent? And is it owned by, say, a marketing team?’”
A great example she cited: marketing campaign pages. A stakeholder probably doesn’t want to be dependent on a developer to update the content, especially if it needs to be changed frequently. This is different from a digital sign, which is highly dependent on a frontend developer to create.
“We want to give freedom to all the different contributors who are working on the same team to deliver experiences. I think those are really the two key differentiating factors for us: enabling the whole team and then also having the ability to provide low code and headless.”
<h2>Partnering on the composable journey </h2>
Dovetailing on the hybrid versus headless discussion, Maggie shared the importance of aligning with a customer’s goals and growing with them over time. Having a more composable approach seems to benefit this on multiple levels, particularly when a large migration or transformation is part of the program. But it also requires the right mindset – which Acquia champions for its users.
“Instead of painting this picture of ‘oh, you have to rip and replace everything,’ we say, ‘let's do this one at a time, let's focus on content first,” or ‘let's focus on your digital assets first,’ or ‘let's focus on product inventory first.’ I think that’s a huge benefit for our new and existing customers.”
From a roadmap perspective, Maggie said the various products and capabilities that Acquia offers can be rolled out over time, making the journey less overwhelming. For example, year one could include CMS, followed by year two with DAM, and year three with CDP and personalization. This is where the benefits of a composable DXP come into play.
Maggie also shared a customer use case for Anheuser-Busch/InBev, which pushed the limits of a composable approach to create new experiences. Working with Acquia, they created decoupled components for a game application, allowing any marketer to add it to new sites. The entire experience is low code and completely composable.
I asked Maggie where these high-touch professional services fit in the business model, and if Acquia plans to invest more in that level of relationship.
“I think being consultative is kind of end-to-end for Acquians,” she said, conjuring the mantle reserved for its team and community members. “Our sales team is very well versed in having those conversations. We try to go in as more of a trusted advisor.”
<h2>Consulting the crystal ball for 2023</h2>
In today’s macroeconomics, there’s no telling if we’re at the precipice of a global recession or knee-deep in a soft landing. While the pandemic resulted in a buying spree for Acquia and its contemporaries, the last 12 months have seen a softening in IT budgets and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/01/30/the-real-reasons-for-big-tech-layoffs-at-google-microsoft-meta-and-amazon/?sh=1218f5612b67" target="_blank">layoffs</a> from the likes of Google, Meta, and Amazon. 
So does Acquia see 2023 through rose-colored glasses? I asked Deanna to weigh in.
“In the environment we’re in with the recession – are we in it or are we not – we’re really leaning into our existing customers to ensure they have great CX,” she said. “We’re seeing an increased focus on the customer journey, on CDPs. Focusing on customer retention and customer upsell has been a key trend.”
“I think we’re in a really great position because we’re empowering teams,” Maggie added. “I think the question that everyone is asking themselves is, ‘how do we do more with the same?’ Or maybe even ‘more with even less’ budget or team resources. We’ve really maximized what their team can do instead of bogging them down with maintenance and other types of menial tasks. They can get straight to the value and the mission they set forth.”
As we rounded the corner to the end of our conversation, I asked what’s on the horizon – and what gets this team excited about the prospects ahead. Deanna jumped in, and once again focused on the importance of community.
“I think about 40 percent of our customers now have a TAM – technical advisor manager – to help them grow in year one, year two, year three, and advise them along the way,” she said enthusiastically. “But I’m most excited about launching a broader Acquia community. Not only do we help them, but our customers help each other, giving [each other] ideas and advice to help them grow along the way. That’s really exciting for me.”
Exciting indeed. And even if 2023 turns into a Midwestern thunderstorm, Acquia seems well positioned to ride it out.

Acquia Taps its Modular, Open Source Legacy to Drive the Composable Future

Acquia logo with inset images of Deanna and Maggie in shapes of the Drupal logo icon - a water droplet.

The holidays are right around the corner, and if the newest version of <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drupal</a> is on your wish list, you’re in for a treat.
December will usher in the highly anticipated launch of Drupal 10, the open source CMS platform’s first release since 2020. Many industry experts have been preparing for months, and at CMS Critic, we had an opportunity to hear from <a href="https://pantheon.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pantheon</a> and several digital agencies about the upcoming release—and what has them excited.
<h2>Improvements for PHP, Symfony, and JavaScript</h2>
“We can’t wait to work with a new and refined version of Drupal that bakes in upgraded versions for PHP, Symfony and uses more modern Javascript,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwestuk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark West</a>, engineering manager with TPXimpact. “This will all make it even easier to develop large complex websites. Additionally, there are lots of improvements for admins and users too. These include a better authoring experience using CKEditor 5 and UX improvements in the new Claro admin theme.”
West, along with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/volker-baisch-17a0b52/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Volker Baisch</a>, managing director of the BitBase Group, were each happy to see the changes made to jQuery through the update.
“Reducing reliance on jQuery will make a big difference—jQuery was great at the time, but these days, it represents a bit of a hurdle to adopting modern Javascript like React.”
Baisch agreed. “For developers, the upgrade to PHP 8.2 and the removal of jQuery are major steps towards improved performance—even if it comes here and there with some additional work,” he said. “And the seamless upgrade from version 9 to 10 is a great relief.”
<h2>Evolving website UX and digital experiences</h2>
In addition to applauding specific, updated features that accompany the release, some experts looked even more broadly for what the future might look like for Drupal sites.
“This new Drupal version should enhance Drupal’s significant influence on the future of the web,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-garcia-domenech-02921573/?originalSubdomain=es" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandra García Domenech</a>, manager CMS with Hiberus Digital Business. “Upcoming new features will take Drupal’s usability and adoption to a whole new level. Currently [Drupal] is used by 1 in 30 websites in the world, and our goal is to significantly increase this number. With Drupal 10, the transition from just a CMS to an Open Source Digital Experience Platform (DXP) will be very close to completion and will allow digital agencies to create better sites quickly.”
West also expressed excitement over Drupal’s enhancements for accessibility and internationalization.
“The support for better accessibility and internationalization will be very useful in the future, along with paving a path forward as a headless CMS taking an API first approach with better GraphQL support.”
<h2>A fond farewell to Internet Explorer</h2>
There’s no question that Internet Explorer—Microsoft’s legacy web browser—has been a thorn in the side of many SaaS platforms from an interoperability perspective. As Microsoft Edge supplants the retiring property, many platforms like Drupal are leaving it behind.
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottlmassey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scott Massey</a>, managing director of international markets at Pantheon, thinks this update to Drupal 10 is a noteworthy move for the CMS, one that will pay dividends around efficiency and performance.
“Removing support for Internet Explorer might not sound like the biggest change, but it will free up time spent working on legacy tech,” Massey said. “Because it does not have to look at backward compatibility with IE, Drupal 10 will require less time spent on outdated browsers.”
<h2>What’s next for Drupal?</h2>
While Drupal 10 is still fresh from the beta launchpad, Massey is already looking ahead—and sharing what he would like to see in the next release.
“I’d like a first-time user to have better choices in the look of their site from the start,” Massey said. “The theme marketplace has become inscrutable, and it’s a subtle barrier to entry for organizations who might choose Drupal for a proof of concept or a small site. I am hoping the project browser makes it easier for those new to Drupal to get a site launched first—then discover the amazing possibilities over time.”
Domenech echoed that sentiment. “For a newcomer to the Drupal community, it is often difficult to choose between a number of modules offering similar functionality. Another area for improvement would be a more intuitive rating system than the current one.”
<h2>Unwrapping a new release for the holidays</h2>
The anticipation for the new release is obvious, but experts also called attention to Drupal’s longstanding commitment to being an effective CMS authority.
“For me, Drupal remains one of the most powerful tools for organizations, not because of any particular new features (which are all well and good, keep them coming!), but because of its core data model,” Massey said. “I believe ‘the journey is the destination,’ and I have seen Drupal implementations that have helped companies better understand their organizational structure, data, content, and the interactions between all three. It is an unexpected and transformative by-product of carefully rethinking the CMS as the hub of how people communicate internally and externally. It’s part of the magic of Drupal that’s kept me around for over a decade now.”
With new features and enhanced functionality on the way, it is easy to see why users think Drupal 10 will make this a “December to remember.” We’ll be watching to see how Patheon and digital agencies around the globe leverage Drupal’s next wave of capabilities in 2023 and beyond, particularly as composable solutions continue to gain ground across the market.
<h2>About Pantheon</h2>
Pantheon is the platform for extraordinary websites, running sites in the cloud for customers including Stitch Fix, Okta, Home Depot, Pernod Ricard, and The Barack Obama Foundation. Modern organizations choose Pantheon to empower their digital teams to continuously optimize and innovate to deliver more engaging digital experiences. Using Pantheon’s WebOps platform, developers, marketers, and IT are empowered to work together to develop, test, and release website changes quickly and reliably, knowing their sites will remain stable and secure – even during the biggest traffic spikes.

What Do Industry Experts Expect for the Drupal 10 Launch? Here’s What They Told Us

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<a href="https://www.acquia.com/">Acquia's</a> putting the pedal to the metal in the headless race. 
Recently, the digital experience platform provider released an open source headless starter kit within the company’s <a href="https://www.acquia.com/platform/content-management-systems">content management system, Acquia CMS</a>. The kit expands existing Acquia CMS offerings, which empower organizations to accelerate the building of traditional Drupal-based applications.
Dubbed the "Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit," the new solution gives developers a powerful set of tools to speed time to market, reduce operational costs, and gain flexibility in launching new digital initiatives quickly. Acquia introduced the new kit to developers at its customer and partner event, <a href="https://www.acquia.com/engage">Acquia Engage</a>.
<h2>Building on the growth of headless and hybrid Drupal apps</h2>
According to the company's press release, Acquia has many customers who have already built <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless</a> and hybrid Drupal applications to create innovative digital experiences. Headless and hybrid architecture makes it possible for organizations to deliver content to more than just a traditional web browser. With a headless CMS architecture, organizations can deliver content to digital signage, wearable devices, chatbots, mobile applications, kiosks, and more.
The Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit gives organizations the tools they need to build a modern headless or hybrid application up to 50% faster, with Drupal as the backend that powers one or more frontends. Existing Drupal users can also leverage the Headless Starter Kit to extend their existing Drupal application. 
“Managing content across current and emerging channels and devices is a major challenge for many organizations,” said Dries Buytaert, creator of Drupal and co-founder and CTO of Acquia. “As an accelerator for developing hybrid and headless applications, the Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit offers out-of-the-box optimizations to reduce time to market with new and innovative digital experiences. This flexibility makes it possible for developers to use the components of Acquia CMS and Drupal that they need most—with the ultimate goal of getting the right content to the right user in the right channel at the right time.”
A headless approach works well for organizations that want to provide content through multiple API endpoints and modern JavaScript frontends. Others may prefer a hybrid approach, which provides similar API access for developers while empowering business users with low-code and no-code tools for application building. Acquia CMS provides the best of both worlds, giving organizations the freedom to choose the right path for their needs.
<h2>Leveraging Next.js to power frontend experiences</h2>
As headless strategies power more of the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">JAMstack</a>, companies are turning to static site generators to deliver faster websites that are decoupled from a traditional CMS. To complement the Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit, Acquia has also released a <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/">Next.js</a> Starter Kit to help accelerate the build of frontend applications that display content created in the headless CMS. This combo gives organizations the ability to support both the front and backend of their digital content experiences. 
"Headless and hybrid CMSes give organizations the freedom to use the newest frontend technology, while retaining their investment in their legacy systems and content backend,” said Marci Maddox, Research Vice President, Digital Experience Strategies, IDC. “This could be particularly attractive for commerce users, such as retailers, CPG companies, and others where brand managers require full control over the content that appears across multiple sites, or want the flexibility to change things such as site navigation or product categorization over time. The Acquia CMS headless starter kit can help organizations experience the benefits of a headless CMS; bringing together developers and content creators in a modern environment."
<h2>Key features of the Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit</h2>
Here are a few of the noteworthy features in the Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit:
<ul>
<li>Specialized Headless Developer Role: Frontend developers have a dedicated role inside the CMS for accessing API docs and managing access for frontend applications connecting to the CMS.</li>
<li>Marketer-friendly Content Preview: Users can preview content through their Next.js application from inside the CMS.</li>
<li>Omni-channel Made Easy: Connect content to multiple frontends that communicate across multiple channels.</li>
<li>Robust API Dashboard: A dedicated dashboard for frontend developers to manage all headless integration aspects with the CMS.</li>
<li>Flexible Headless and Hybrid UI Modes: Users can operate in a pure headless mode or in hybrid mode where Drupal is still used to render a frontend.</li>
<li>Simplified Data Modeling: Revamped admin navigation brings all the data modeling controls under a single menu that makes sense in a purely headless CMS.</li>
</ul>
The open source Acquia CMS Headless Starter Kit is freely available for download. To learn more about Acquia CMS, visit <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/drupal-cloud/acquia-cms">https://www.acquia.com/products/drupal-cloud/acquia-cms</a>.
<h2>About Acquia</h2>
Acquia empowers the world’s most ambitious brands to create digital customer experiences that matter. With open source Drupal at its core, the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (DXP) enables marketers, developers, and IT operations teams at thousands of global organizations to rapidly compose and deploy digital products and services that engage customers, enhance conversions, and help businesses stand out. Learn more at <a href="https://www.acquia.com/">https://acquia.com</a>.

Acquia DXP Releases Open Source Headless CMS Accelerator

"Composable" is becoming the operative word across the DXP marketplace. And rightly so: a composable platform has huge benefits, enabling users to build dynamic web and app experiences more efficiently by reusing content and other components that can be personalized at scale. 
Composable systems also allow for more iterative testing across multiple variants, enabling marketers to optimize performance and gather critical insights faster than ever. We've seen a number of platforms embrace this "composable revolution" over the last few years, and it seems to be paying off. 
Now, Acquia – a leading DXP – on Gartner's Magic quadrant – has announced major updates to its <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/digital-experience-platform" target="_blank">Acquia Open Digital Experience Platform</a> (DXP) that aim to accelerate the development and optimization of composable digital experiences. According to the company, these innovative new features will weave together the workflows of once-siloed digital marketing and development teams in a single platform, making composable strategies more extensible. 
<h2>Expanding the composable value with Acquia Open DXP</h2>
The Acquia Open DXP is an umbrella brand that comprises both the <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/marketing-cloud" target="_blank">Acquia Marketing Cloud</a> and <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/drupal-cloud" target="_blank">Acquia Drupal Cloud,</a> integrating their combined capabilities – including AgilOne, Mautic, and Cohesion – with its existing core. 
This pairing was designed to bring marketers and developers together in a comprehensive, easy-to-use platform powered by machine learning features in both Drupal Cloud and Marketing Cloud – making it faster and easier to launch new websites, applications, and marketing campaigns with modular components.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/acquia-dxp.png" alt="Acquia Drupal and Marketing Cloud Diagram" />
Acquia started making its move to composable enterprise back in July by <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/acquia-introduces-composable-enterprise-features-in-latest-version-of-dxp/" target="_blank">introducing composable features</a> in its last version of its DXP.
"The movement toward the composable enterprise is growing as organizations look to gain agility with plug-and-play services, and velocity with simpler application development and delivery," said Dries Buytaert, creator of Drupal and co-founder and CTO of Acquia. "Executing on this strategy requires a new technical architecture and way for teams to work. Acquia is connecting and automating organizational workflows, spanning content and data, to speed development of digital experiences at scale." 
<h2>What is a composable enterprise?</h2>
The concept of a "<a href="https://www.akana.com/blog/composable-architecture" target="_blank">composable enterprise</a>" is becoming more popular as digital transformation enters its next wave. And it makes sense: leading up to Covid, digital stacks were already becoming decoupled and less monolithic, all driven by the rise of the <a href="https://www.openapis.org/" target="_blank">open API</a>. Much of this investment in a composable enterprise is driven by the rise in composable commerce and its impact on the application landscape. 
Gartner defines a composable enterprise as:
An organization that delivers business outcomes and adapts to the pace of business change. It does this through the assembly and combination of packaged business capabilities (PBCs). PBCs are application building blocks that have been purchased or developed.
Gartner also predicts that by 2023, organizations that embrace composability will <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3986490/composable-commerce-must-be-adopted-for-the-future-of-ap" target="_blank">outpace the competition by 80%</a> in implementing new product features. This underscores the rapid adoption we're seeing across the market for more composable architectures and frameworks – something the <a href="https://machalliance.org/" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a> has been focusing on from an industry perspective. MACH is an acronym for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless, which crystallizes the core tenants of the modern composable enterprise. 
<h2>What else is new in the Aquia DXP Cloud?</h2>
<h4>Drupal Cloud upgrades accelerate digital experience development </h4>
Updates to the Drupal Cloud developer experience streamline and connect workflows to empower fusion teams with no-code/low-code solutions that span DevOps, WebOps, ContentOps, and ExperienceOps. All new products and features are available on <a href="https://www.acquia.com/blog/introducing-acquia-cloud-next-kubernetes-native-drupal-hosting-platform" target="_blank">Acquia Cloud Next</a>, the newest version of Acquia's cloud platform. Key innovations include:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/drupal-cloud/code-studio" target="_blank">Acquia Code Studio</a>: A new, 100% cloud-based development environment that integrates with GitLab and Acquia Cloud IDE. Developers can now log into Acquia Cloud Platform, spin up an IDE and then click to connect to GitLab (the platform of choice for application development) using frameworks such as <a href="https://reactjs.org/" target="_blank">React</a>, <a href="https://angularjs.org/" target="_blank">Angular</a>, or <a href="https://vuejs.org/" target="_blank">Vue</a>. With Acquia Code Studio, developers have all the tools they need to plan, build, review, test, and deploy any Drupal application—all from a familiar GitLab environment.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://docs.acquia.com/customer-data-platform/actions/" target="_blank">Acquia Cloud Actions</a>: A new, collaborative release management system that automates the process of deploying and managing code to the Acquia Cloud environment. Once development teams write code, Acquia Cloud Actions manages the build, test, and deploy phases to get code into production. By eliminating manual processes, Acquia Cloud Actions fuels faster digital innovation at scale.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.acquia.com/why-acquia/acquia-digital-commerce" target="_blank">Acquia Digital Commerce Integrations</a>: Powered by the no-code Acquia Site Studio, pre-built integration components make it easy for anyone to assemble digital commerce experiences leveraging Acquia's DAM and PIM. Support for <a href="https://graphql.org/" target="_blank">GraphQL</a> and Node.js allows developers to easily extend and enhance Acquia's pre-built integrations with any MACH-compliant commerce vendor and cut the time required to deliver experiences to as little as 90 days.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Marketing Cloud enhancements increase efficiencies and insights across hybrid teams </h4>
Acquia is announcing key innovations to its Acquia Marketing Cloud, including several features focused on composable machine learning, analytics, privacy, and multi-tenant distributed marketing to empower teams across CampaignOps and MLOps. 
<a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/marketing-cloud/customer-data-platform" target="_blank">Acquia Customer Data Platform</a> (CDP) now has several new capabilities that drive citizen data science and analytical insights across the organization. Building on Acquia CDP's world-class data modeling and analytics platform, Acquia now provides more intelligence, ROI insights, and ML-driven efficiencies across more teams and in more ways than any other customer data platform on the market. New features in this release include:
<ul>
<li>Multi-touch attribution: As the first attribution solution built on top of a CDP, this new capability allows marketers to visualize campaign performance through a range of attribution windows and timeframes to understand the true ROI of marketing investments.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ML Studio: A first-of-its-kind, low-code/no-code machine learning workbench that enables data scientists to build custom ML models on top of unified data, all within Acquia CDP.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>ML Launchpad: As part of Acquia CDP analytics, Launchpad surfaces ML-driven insights into a visual and highly intuitive dashboard for non-technical marketers, so they can see at-a-glance key insights such as audience propensities, recommended actions to take, and more. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Privacy Management: This new tool supports compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and more by allowing faster data erasure.</li>
</ul>
Acquia is also introducing new capabilities in Acquia Campaign Studio and Acquia Personalization, including: 
<ul>
<li>Multi-Tenant distributed marketing automation: This first-of-its-kind capability enables brands using Campaign Studio to scale centralized campaigns across multiple brands, geographies, and teams while adhering to compliance and governance requirements. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Visual email and landing page builder: An extension of WYSIWYG capabilities in <a href="https://www.acquia.com/products/marketing-cloud/campaign-studio" target="_blank">Acquia Campaign Studio</a>, this drag-and-drop interface makes it easier than ever to build emails and landing pages for campaigns.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Enhanced A/B testing: Acquia Personalization now has more powerful A/B testing capabilities, including automated self-optimization, which auto-promotes winning variants without requiring any time or effort from marketing teams – and increased website conversion and revenue. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Growing validation with analysts</h2>
Acquia has been named a Leader on the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) for two consecutive years. Additionally, International Data Corporation (IDC) has recognized the usability, extensibility, and enterprise-grade capabilities of the Acquia platform and recently named Acquia a Leader in the inaugural <a href="https://www.acquia.com/resources/report/idc-marketscape-content-management-systems" target="_blank">IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Content Management Systems for Persuasive Digital Experiences 2021 Vendor Assessment</a>.
<h2>About Acquia</h2>
Acquia empowers the world's most ambitious brands to create digital customer experiences that matter. With open source Drupal at its core, the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (DXP) enables marketers, developers, and IT operations teams at thousands of global organizations to rapidly compose and deploy digital products and services that engage customers, enhance conversions and help businesses stand out. Learn more at <a href="https://www.acquia.com/" target="_blank">https://www.acquia.com</a>.

Acquia Upgrades Open DXP Capabilities to Expand Composable Enterprise Features

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Acquia logo against a composite background of Tetris-like pieces fitting together, reinforcing the concept of composable DXP

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