Sitecore’s flagship CMS product is based on .NET, and the vendor is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. In 2009 it added the Online Marketing Suite to its core platform, and more recently it added Email Campaign Manager to enhance its solutions around marketing and sales execution, particularly in the B2B domain.
Strengths
- Sitecore has made strides in context-aware computing by pursuing mobility, with native handling of devices for multichannel capabilities such as content syndication. A new office in Japan, where mobile is key in online strategies, will help solidify Sitecore’s mobile capabilities. If it regards this development as a laboratory for future innovations, it could differentiate itself more in the WCM market as mobile devices become more ubiquitous, varied and preferred for online interaction.
- The usability of Sitecore’s offering continues to be one of the best within the market and is highly acclaimed by the many different user types that work with the solution. Interfaces for managing, creating workflows and contributing resemble those of Microsoft technologies (such as Windows 7). This usability has since extended to the ease with which Sitecore’s offering can interoperate with adjacent components such as CRM or lead generation.
- Sitecore continues to capitalize on the growing popularity of the .NET architecture and the availability of skilled resources for content management initiatives, especially around SharePoint. Sitecore supports WCM where buyers do not find the required capabilities in SharePoint, particularly for the external domain, online marketing and e-commerce. Gartner has received feedback that Sitecore improves SharePoint’s page assembly, content reuse, multisite management and multichannel delivery.Cautions
- Reports provided to Gartner suggest that the maturity of Sitecore’s operations and partner channel has not universally kept up with its success in the mid-market and large enterprises. These reports suggest that customers approve of the core technology but not always of the partner operating on their behalf. Sitecore would be wise to continue to step up direct interactions with key prospects and clients for sales and deployment, especially with large enterprises.
- Microsoft’s improved WCM capabilities may expose Sitecore to increased competition from SIs and small independent software vendors promising to deliver a complete SharePoint WCM experience.
- Sitecore’s pricing level may come under strong pressure from .NET competitors, particularly in the mid-market. Sitecore must be more proactive as a provider of industry-specific know- how. The vendor needs to articulate more effectively how the successful deployment of its offering can relate directly and measurably to the business goals of the enterprise, and then follow up consistently.