There are still a lot of Ektron clients out there that have not made the leap over to the Episerver platform. This could be for a variety of reasons including lack of budget, lack of business drivers, lack of confidence in the platform, etc. With a vast majority of digital budgets (including websites) being shifted from IT to Marketing, it is very likely that your website's business drivers will be evolving sooner rather than later. In which case, we have put together a list of the top ten things Ektron customers should know about Episerver:
1. Episerver is kind of a big deal
Episerver recently received a major private equity investment valuing the company at 1.16B. This majority investment puts Episerver in a great position for the continued growth of its platform and its client base.
2. Migration = Rebuild
Regardless of what anyone has said or what you have been told, there is no magic button that will take your Ektron website and simply convert it to the Episerver platform. We get a lot of calls from prospective clients asking about how they can upgrade from Ektron to Episerver and while I agree that migrating to the Episerver platform from the Ektron platform is most certainly an upgrade, they are two completely different platforms. This means, if you want to migrate to Episerver from Ektron, you will need to rebuild your entire website.
3. It's Cloud first
If you have been frustrated that your Ektron website cannot run as an Azure Web App or you have been looking for a PaaS solution, Episerver has you covered. So no matter which route you want to go, the platform can help you support your business goals.
4. Content personalization is standard
Creating personalized content that meets the needs of a site’s individual users is a valuable tool for site owners, but many Ektron clients have not been able to utilize this feature since it requires additional configuration of the CMS. However, Episerver provides robust content personalization capabilities out of the box, allowing site owners to easily implement personalization that provides great value for their users.
5. Email, campaigns, and more
Episerver has several tools that you can add-on if your business drivers dictate the need to run omnichannel campaigns, targeted emails, abandoned cart retargeting, and more. The beautiful thing about the Episerver platform is that these tools all work together and when implemented correctly can yield enormous results. Rest assured, you won't have to look for ten different platforms to complete your digital strategy; with Episerver, you can just turn their's on.
6. Content meets commerce
Episerver’s combination of content and commerce has long been one of the key selling points of the platform. It was one of the first products on the market to integrate these two often-separated aspects of websites, and it continues to help site owners provide a seamless experience for their users across their entire site.
7. Improved security
Episerver takes security seriously, and their continuous release cycle allows them to quickly and easily address security issues. With this process in place, security updates and other features are made available on a regular schedule, allowing site owners to rest assured that their sites are safe from any new security issues that arise.
8. A real content preview feature
Episerver’s content preview feature gives content authors the power to meet the needs of all their users. This feature allows them to not only view how a page will appear before publishing it, but they will also be able to preview entire sections of the site based on screen dimensions, device, personalization, or project. With this capability, they will be able to ensure that the site meets the needs of every user, regardless of how they are accessing the site.
9. The product roadmap is solid
Episerver's product roadmap is not only solid, but it's also exciting. Unlike other platforms on the market that keep buying other software companies and attempting to integrate them, Episerver found the few pieces of technology they needed, acquired them, folded them into the core software and stopped acquiring. They then shifted their focus on to how to leverage all this great technology to provide business value to their clients.
A recent independent study showed that Episerver customers realize more than 400% return on investment after implementation of the software. This is simply an outcome of the clearly directed and strong roadmap Episerver has in place for its platform and its clients.
10. Ektron clients love it!
If you are an Ektron client and you haven't actually seen the Episerver platform, don't hesitate to do so. We have had many of our own clients who, after seeing us demonstrate Episerver, could not wait to get moving on a migration. I truly believe this is a direct result of the almost immediate perceived business value it offers. Whether that be a reduced time to market on campaigns or a more full-featured (and integrated) commerce experience, Episerver is leading the way in both digital experience and providing value to its customers.
If you aren't sure if Episerver is right for your business, or if you are ready to see the product first hand, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're happy to help you navigate the complexities of what a migration from Ektron to Episerver would look like for your organization.
