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Ektron in a crowded WCM field of competitors - where do you stand out?
February 19, 2014

Ektron in a crowded WCM field of competitors - where do you stand out?

Chris Chodnicki | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller

Software Version

Ektron Web CMS

Modules Used

  • eSync
  • Blog
  • Calendar
  • Smart Forms
  • RSS
  • Media
  • Marketing Connector

Overall Satisfaction with Ektron Web Content Management System (Discontinued)

Ektron is used from a core perspective for content publishing and distribution basis. In addition it functions as a document repository for digital assets for public access, customer and internal access. Finally as a lead gen marketing campaign with landing page, marketing automation integration and visitor tracking.
  • Content Publishing. Control is intuitive and very distinct from a workflow perspective. Advanced features such as tagging & taxonomy may be introduced for more personalization
  • Mobile. support for responsive design / adaptive sites is imperative and Ektron provides device based support to control the mobile experience relative to content, images, navigation, etc...
  • eSync. the ability to replicate from multiple environments at both an app level and content as well as in a bi-directional manner is very powerful and a differentiator for the WCM to competitive platforms
  • Need to expand on external system integration to where they are more automated. This ranges from the marketing Automation platforms to analytical / social platforms.
  • Document Repository could be improved to be a complete Digital Asset Management tool that includes in depth usage data/analytics.
  • Better efficiency and control over content. Faster creation of content specifically marketing campaign based landing pages. Easier implementation and tracking site visitor info and support for mobile has been easier to maintain.
  • Ektron has a wealth of features. implementing these requires in depth training and planning.
  • dnn,Acquia Drupal,Adobe CQ,Sitecore Web Content Management,Sitefinity,WordPress
Ektron fares well against each of these from a CMS perspective and distinguishes itself from the add-ons provided such as experience hub connectors, mobile support and eSync. Pricing is substantially different from the open source based products but lower than Sitecore and Adobe CQ. Adobe CQ is the leading WCM in this world especially with their full marketing cloud offering and integration with other products. Ektron has done a good job recognizing that marketing departments are driving the spend and tailoring their product and features sets to support those internal organization stakeholders. In addition from an IT perspective shifting to support not only on-premise but cloud based environments is matching the trend especially for public facing websites.
This depends on the client and their budget to start. Ektron relative to several lower cost and open source products is expensive. on the other hand many direct competitors are equal or substantially more expensive. Ektron often is positioned because of the technology stack - .net which would put it against a more limited selection of competitors. We hit the cost question on a TCO over a period of 3 to 5 years (and not just year 1) where Ektron based on its model fairs well when cost is an issue.

Using Ektron Web Content Management System (Discontinued)

Most WCM implementations can be expensive to replace especially if they have customizations and integration. They become embedded at times within the organization. We find that evaluations occur when the organizations go through a re-structuring or re-design. Typically this occurs every 2-3 years. Cost, feature sets and ease of implementation will factor into staying with Ektron. Other factors are the company health, support structure and direct relationship.