Sitecore's Cost Window To Insure ROI Is Higher Than Is Advertised.
October 30, 2015
Sitecore's Cost Window To Insure ROI Is Higher Than Is Advertised.
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
7
Modules Used
- DMS, SEFE, SEO Toolkit, API, GEO IP, Explorer, Dev Tools
Overall Satisfaction with Sitecore Web Content Management
In my experience, a marketing department is the main stake holder in choosing a CMS such as Sitecore and relies on Executive and IT leaders approval. The user base is mainly in marketing, development obviously coming from of IT with executive analysis happening in upper management. There are always one-off company's that implement all aspects of the Sitecore CMS such as daily production usage, development and Analysis in IT or marketing .
Marketing benefits are found in daily implementation of public content for absorption or horizontal integration with partners. This can be accomplished by a stable but performance driven IT implementation of a marketing vision. Greatly reducing daily tasks to provide an end company solutions. But this can be said for any correctly implemented CMS product.
Marketing benefits are found in daily implementation of public content for absorption or horizontal integration with partners. This can be accomplished by a stable but performance driven IT implementation of a marketing vision. Greatly reducing daily tasks to provide an end company solutions. But this can be said for any correctly implemented CMS product.
- Solid Technical Mold: The technical side of the product is held together from version to version with a cemented API, development component and Interface. This does NOT include "marketplace" modules and only speaks to official Sitecore supplied and built products.
- Easy End User Interface: Sitecore relies on a Tree type of explorer interface or a WYSIWYG in site editing experience. If implemented correctly for the specific company a user will be proficient very quickly.
- Scaling and Performance: Even despite following best practices from Sitecore, Microsoft and development community an IT department can produce a successful website. The base rendering engine, end user tools and content delivery system will hide an enormous amount of bad design and coding before being noticed by management and web users.
- Analytics Bundled or Third Party: Bundled analytics system is very difficult to implement. But this is not entirely a systems problem but due in large part to the comparison to data from other already implemented, used and trust systems. Also implementation is likely put aside or given less priority due to focus on difficult website requirements, which is understandable. There is a gap in training and early inclusion of company analytic and optimisation departments. Sitecore has rebranded and drastically modified this DMS, OMS and Experience over and over out of frustration of low adoption.
- Core Database Exclusion: A certified developer is trained to use the system entirely through the provided official API's and content tree. Complex business requirement such as e-commerce and user to user interaction can be forced into tree structures and implemented with out-of-box API's, There are instances this fails and a more complex systems integration is needed, which becomes a better fit but in hind site make a Sitecore CMS expensive and unjustified.
- Page Editor is a powerful tool for editing content within a more user friendly environment but is not intended as an end all solution for all editing needs.
- ROI depends so much on implementation. Its would be difficult to comment in a positive or negative regarding CMS product to direct ROI. A non-technical user would be surprised at what a basic installation of Sitecore looks like. "Hello World" comes to mind. With that in mind we can look at two things, Sitecore Support and Sitecore Partners.
- Certified Internal Developers and Sitecore Support: This depends on the qualifications of your existing departments regarding implementing a enterprise CMS. No experience to some experience, this is a no brainer, rigorously vet top and middle partners and hire one to lead this effort. If your experienced still hire a partner and vet them but hire a middle to small partner and have them help, not lead.
- "Sitecore Window": You could equate Sitecore in some implementation as throwing expensive parts at a car problem. If your business requirements and data consumption needs are not within this cost window then in the end on paper it will be difficult to see ROI or that there just wasn't a return. Then it will be time to look at other lower cost alternatives The initial cost is just the start. Over engineering and expensive horizontal integration partners can cost someone a promotion or job.
- If your content workflows are complex, sites rendering data requirements are large and performance and scalability are paramount. Sitecore should be in your top 3.
Every product has a cost window it fits in. Umbraco is perfect for small to mid-enterprise implementations. However Sitecore is more stable from a developement standpoint.