Major Update to WCM Vendor Evaluations
I'm excited to announce a major overhaul to our Web Content & Experience Management (WCM) vendor evaluation research — Version 23 if you're counting at home.
The new version includes updates to nearly all the vendors, with some intriguing findings we'll summarize in future posts.
- If you're already an RSG subscriber, you can access the new evaluations right away
- If you're not yet a subscriber, you can download a complimentary WCM vendor evaluation
Today I'll highlight changes to RSG's evaluation criteria, based on what you the enterprise customer has indicated will become increasingly important going forward.
Updated Scenario Criteria
For starters, we simplified and modernized our "Scenario Fit" criteria. Scenarios have served as RSG's primary means of evaluating vendors for more than a decade now.
In Version 23 you'll find a greater emphasis on mobile and omni-channel use-cases, along with a new model scenario around injecting content and experiences into disparate front-end applications (what some architects call "headless" mode).
Fig 1. RSG Scenario ratings for OpenText TeamSite (formerly HP-Autonomy)
Expanded Strategic Considerations
We know that sometimes the vendor and its ecosystem can prove more germane to your long-term success than feature and technology fit. To help you see the bigger picture, we've substantially expanded our coverage of intangible considerations, like tech support and total cost of ownership.
Fig 2. RSG Strategic Considerations assessment for OpenText TeamSite
New Feature Ratings
Of course, features still matter. We've added or modified some key feature ratings, including:
- DevOps: How can distributed teams of developers, administrators, designers, communicators, and marketers collaborate to push functional changes into production? Many WCM tools really lag here, by the way...
- Cloud Services: How does the vendor address hybrid, public, and private, as well as your options for managed cloud services in different environments?
- Page Management: How can marketers break out of strict template limitations to specially curate individual pages?
- Structured Data: How easily can you invoke Google-friendly microformats?
Create Your Own Shortlist
To summarize, we try to reflect emerging implementation patterns in our evaluation research. But every enterprise is unique, so we also give you the tools to identify and weight the importance of these criteria. Check out RealQuadrant, RSG's visual shortlist builder.
If you are an enterprise technology buyer looking for no-hold-barred advice on WCM and other digital technologies, I invite you to start a conversation with us about how your team can make the best possible decisions going forward.