CMS Integration: 32 service provider in comparison

Implementing content management systems (CMS) is becoming increasingly complex due to the multitude of channels that are served. It is advisable to get your own IT on board and heavily involved, but above all to rely on the expertise of specialized implementation partners. We have compared 32 service providers for you in our new market overview. As always, a summary of the comparison is available for download.

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Implementing a new CMS can be complex

The amount of content that companies produce and publish has increased dramatically in recent years. The reasons lie primarily in the triumph of social media and mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and the associated growth in media consumption.

Content is being produced with greater frequency. At the same time, the number of channels through which this content is played out has also risen sharply. Those who manage each channel individually quickly lose track of what’s going on and incur high time and organizational costs. Most companies therefore now rely on comprehensive content management solutions as a central place to manage content and from there orchestrate it to the various channels. This makes many things easier and more performant. The downside of this is that content management systems with all their functionality (-> see our Content Management Systems market overview) can become very complex. If you want to get the most out of the possibilities, you should therefore not shy away from an initial implementation effort.

Since the implementation of a new CMS does not take place very often, it is advisable to get your own IT on board and heavily involved, but above all to rely on the expertise of specialized implementation partners. These have the experience of many projects and know the individual CMS solutions from the “FF”. But at the beginning there is first the question whether it should be an open source CMS or an enterprise solution. 

32 CMS implementation service providers at a glance

In the current market overview, a total of 32 implementation service providers for content management systems are examined and compared with each other in terms of their scope of services. The analysis is based on more than 100 criteria, which we have assigned to 11 different categories. The individual categories present the various service providers in detail, examine the different services they offer, and describe other relevant criteria. This comparison provides you with a very nuanced comparison to help you find your orientation. 

Over 100 criteria in 11 categories

When designing the market overview, we drew up a catalog of questions that, in our view, presents the most important criteria for decision-makers when selecting a service provider. The result is over 100 criteria, which we have divided into 11 different categories.

• General information about the providers: Where are they based? How long has the company or product been on the market? How many customers are already using the product?

• The Pitch: When they ask companies what they are very good at, what their strengths are and what they specialize in, the list of answers is usually very long. We therefore asked CMS implementers to formulate their pitch for us to the point in just a few words. What makes your company and its services so special?

• References: As individual as the task may be, you should always look at the implementation partner’s reference projects. What has he already implemented? What was the task and how did they reach their goal? We asked the companies for their references.
• Industry specialization of implementers: we have compiled for you which service provider has already been successful in which industry.

• Core services: The key question when selecting an implementation partner is the range of services. Who can best help me as a company with the tasks at hand? Larger projects such as implementing a content management system usually require a wide range of different disciplines that a suitable partner must cover. We have gathered for you which core services the companies offer.

• Experience with different CMS solutions: As a selection criterion for a suitable partner, experience with different systems is very important. We have asked the implementers what experience they have in dealing with both open source and enterprise CMS. In doing so, you can also see where the companies see their focus.

• Certified specialists: Many software vendors offer training and partner programs for implementation service providers. These then lead to certification, which you can use to identify specialists. There are different levels of certification depending on the software vendor. In our overview, you can see which implementer has specialized knowledge in which software and has received a certificate for this.

• DSGVO and legal criteria: The Data Protection Regulation has left its mark. At the latest since the DSGVO came into force, server location and data processing are particularly delicate and very sensitive selection criteria. Do DSGVO-compliant processes exist? What about security in general and cyber attacks in particular? Especially in critical legal situations, the competent jurisdiction (Germany or abroad) can contribute significantly to the decision-making process.

• Additional services of the service providers: Your project starts with the decision for an implementation partner. For the cooperation, it is important to question which service levels the companies offer. These are presented in this section.

• Price approach: Performance offering, service level and software setup – these are all very important selection criteria. However, budget planning also takes an important part in the decision-making process. Which implementation partner fits both your ambitions and requirements as well as the financial framework you are willing to invest? Our compilation will give you an overview.

Who are the service providers at a glance?

We have compared a wide range of service providers. From small to large, from regional to international. There are also major differences in the pricing approach and industry specializations. The focus on certain CMS providers (as evidenced by certifications) also varies greatly. As a result, there should be a suitable partner for every task and budget. We have included the following service providers in our market overview: