Web CMS Tasting Notes

I'm always looking to find new ways to summarize the quite detailed findings in RSG's research. Our Web Content & Experience Management vendor evaluations can run to 10 to 20 pages each. We do include summaries and comparison charts, some of which you can now query online (subscribers only).

But in the interest of summarizing still further, what if we could do simple "tasting notes" for certain WCM vendors, like wine critics do? What would we say?

Quite tongue-in-cheek, here's a sampling.

WCM Vendor Logo Graphic

Adobe

A veritable orchard on the nose: anjou pears, braeburn apple, sour cherries, and satsuma plum....Extraordinarily complex tannins but structurally quite imbalanced and overpriced....Unusually long finish with alternating notes of wood shavings, drywall dust, and fresh paint....

Bloomreach/Hippo

Deep aromas of ironfruit, XML, and tulips....Forcefully structured, more of a linear march of flavors across the tongue than an integrated bouquet...Strong tobacco finish.

Contentful

Vintner describes it as woody, complex, and round, but we experienced short and light,  with deliberately thin finish...

Drupal

Inky and opaque in the glass, showy and rather fantastic on the nose, with a boozy core....Herbs, rough gravel, PHP, and shoe leather lead to an uncomfortable mixture of content and presentation in the mouth....Varies dramatically by vintage.

Episerver

Honeyed minerality and bronzed musculature soon give way to undertones of warm lime jello....Highly quaffable, best uncorked with a light lunch than a serious dinner party.

IBM

Very large vintner likes to blend....Distinct identity goes missing behind boutique-looking labels....Once exclusive and upscale, now available at your corner bodega....

Kentico

Good value, but a little sweet, even cloying....Higher than usual cork taint....Tends toward youthful; decant immediately....

Magnolia

Darkly-oaked intensity laden with heavy overtones of dried fruit and JAR files....Reliably low acidity will appeal to conservative tastes....Deeply connected to traditional Swiss terroir.

OpenText TeamSite

Initially bright, with emphatic lavender and rose....Transitions uneasily from nose to mouth, becoming shallow and gamey on the palette.....Traditional Robert Parker favorite does not age well...

SDL-Tridion

Long message queues of aromas: peach, C#, and black licorice....Unique blend of white and red varieties to pair with that occasional experiment in grilled lima beans or deep-fried mutton....Do not open early....

Sitecore

Big and bold, avoiding the cloudiness of similar offerings....But still lacking in clarity on the front of the palate, and sometimes confusingly complex on the finish.

TerminalFour

Hints of limestone, clover, and mid-February dorm room....Short but accessible finish....Will appeal to lovers of older, more reticent, and well-matured spirits....

WordPress

Classic chardonnay nose (caramel and JavaScript), light-medium bodied....Must be precisely chilled or degrades quickly....Tannins can feel slippery, almost yoghurty....But finishes more spicy than creamy, with strong notes of clove, comment spam, and turmeric....

Well, Actually...

Evaluating software is quite different than sampling wine. But if there's one similarity, it's this: wherever possible, try before you buy -- especially since most enterprise technology gets sold by the case.

And as part of your broader digital engagement architecture, you'll want to play ever-closer attention to pairings [Discloure: we can help you there].

Meanwhile, to get a more serious view into what RSG thinks about these and twenty-four other WCM packages, consult our Web CMS evaluation research, or sample it here.

 


Our customers say...

"The Web CMS Research is worth every penny!"


Gil, Partner, Cancentric Solutions Inc.
iStudio Canada Inc.

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