As news about the future of Episerver and Ektron continues to roll out following the merger between the two companies, we’ve been looking at what users of both Content Management System (CMS) platforms can expect. Following the Chicago Episerver Roadshow, we looked at some of the exciting news about Episerver features that Ektron customers will soon be able to utilize, but we also wanted to examine the other side of the coin: Ektron functionality that Episerver users will be able to take advantage of.
The goal of the converged Episerver/Ektron platform is to make use of the best pieces of both platforms, but since the eventual converged platform will be heavily based on Episerver technology, customers of that platform are curious about what advantages will be gained from Ektron. As experts in Ektron, we’re excited that two of the most powerful features of that platform will be incorporated into the Episerver product: eSync and the Digital Experience Hub. Let’s look at what advantages those features bring to the converged platform:
A More Robust Synchronization Product
While Episerver has a “light” synchronization tool that provides some capability involving multi-tier environments, the addition of the enterprise-level synchronization functionality that is available in Ektron could be a game-changer for the Episerver product line.
Details on how much of Ektron’s eSync functionality will be carried over to Episerver are not yet 100%, but it is likely to include the ability to synchronize content and associated assets in multiple directions. This will allow site owners to create content in an authoring environment and sync it down to a lower tier in the server stack (such as a development server) or up to a higher tier (such as the production environment). However, we don’t expect to see the ability to synchronize website templates in the Spring 2015 release.
With the inclusion of this enterprise-level synchronization capability, Episerver users will have even more flexibility and options as they leverage the platform’s powerful content and commerce capabilities.
An Enterprise Service Bus
Ektron’s Digital Experience Hub (DxH) provides a huge advantage to site owners, allowing them to bi-directionally connect to third party solutions. While Episerver has a few third party tools that allow for connections to external applications, they do not provide the full functionality of a true Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) that can handle communication between these mutually interacting software apps.
With the incorporation of Ektron’s DxH, Episerver will be able to use this ESB functionality to handle large integrations with big data solutions. This powerful capability will allow for large-scale operations (such as mass product updates that affect hundreds of millions of records) without negatively affecting site performance. Bringing the DxH into the converged platform will make real-time integration with third-party apps more seamless than ever.
The Benefits of a Converged Platform
The converged Episerver/Ektron platform, which will be called the Digital Experience Cloud, will bring Episerver to a truly enterprise level, offering the best of both platforms to its users and providing them with an open platform that enables them to achieve the best ROI for their online strategy. The openness of the Episerver platform makes room for taking integrations to the next level, as can be seen in products like Diagram’s HubSpot-Episerver Connector.
If you have any questions about the future of Episerver and Ektron, the Digital Experience Cloud, or how you can make use of the capabilities that the converged platform will offer, we’re available to help you determine your best strategy going forward. Please contact us to speak to a Solutions Engineer, or share any other questions in the comments below.
