Episerver Cms 5 News & Articles

EPiServer (news, site) is preparing to go public on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Being one of the few in its Web CMS market segment to be public, this move gives the company a certain advantage.

For buyers, it is going to be easier to evaluate a public company, since all the financials will be out in the open. One might say that no one cares about that, but the reality shows a different picture. No one wants to indulge in guesswork when investing in a Web CMS product and vendor. As we know, this deal is just like marriage.

And these are some of the numbers EPiServer is sharing today:

• Average growth 35% per year over the past 5 years
• License revenue growth for 2009 at 46%
• Revenues for 2009 were US$ 29.9M
• EPiServer has been profitable since its inception in 1994

And here are some of the contributing factors to the state of current affairs at EPiServer:

• Customer and partner growth with fastest growing markets being the U.S., U.K. and Scandinavia
• Market expansion with new offices in Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, the U.S., Australia and South Africa in addition to the existing ones in Sweden and Norway
• Open-source-like community -- EPiServer World -- with more than 8500 active members and marketplace called EPiMore
• Expansion of the product portfolio that includes web content management, social media, eCommerce, marketing and sales, event and meeting management and hosting capabilities
• 50% of the recent growth is attributed to the new products that have been released over the past two years (see our coverage here)

There’s not much more to say really, except to congratulate EPiServer. The numbers are fairly impressive; especially, given the recent economic slump -- and the competition in the likes of Ektron (news, site) and Sitecore (news, site) is most likely aware of that. We’ll just have to wait and see how EPiServer builds on this momentum and, most importantly, manages the growing pains.

EPiServer (news, site) has been working diligently to spread its Web CMS love throughout the world via partnerships with a handful of digital agencies and consultants. From the U.S. alone, Imano, Kohorts, Level 2 Marketing Group, Lightmaker, Orckestra, Oshyn, MarketNet and Yoodle are just a few that have recently latched onto EPiServer’s platform.

The rapid expansion has been made possible in part by EPiServer's  U.S. office, which opened its doors last June. At the time, the company reported more than 2,500 customers using EPiServer CMS around the globe. With even higher present numbers, it looks like EPiServer has found a way to compete in a cutthroat market.  

“Companies worldwide are seeking to improve their connections with customers, partners and the community at large on the web," explained AJ Harring, President, EPiServer U.S. "This shift towards a more engaged web creates a tremendous opportunity for EPiServer to expand its global footprint. Our flexible, cost-effective platforms enable EPiServer and our partners to uniquely address this need for customers by creating compelling online experiences that enhance brand, foster customer loyalty and drive revenue, helping them more efficiently turn website visits into sales.”

EPiServer currently delivers its platform through a network of over 330 partner companies in 30 countries. Their offices are located in the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and the United Kingdom. 

If you'd like to jump on the EPiServer bandwagon, you can get started here. 

EPiServer (news, site), on its ongoing quest in "the new era of the Engaged Web," has news for marketers, who are looking to deliver dynamic, personalized, optimized and measurable web experiences.

EPiServer Marketing Arena is a new product designed to do just that, and then some.

Swedish Web CMS vendor EPiServer (news, site) is increasing its European reach beyond the Scandinavian home base. Recently, EPiServer signed 11 new implementation/reseller partnerships in the United Kingdom.

As we know, EPiServer works through resellers/partners only. And now, through more of them, including UK’s Byte Art, Charteris, Cimex Media, Corporate Document Services, IMGROUP, Kieon, Nucleus, Obergine, Ogilvy Action, The On Connection and STEEL. The majority of them are interactive/digital agencies specializing in website building and web content management.

Neal Perry, Country Manager of EPiServer UK & Ireland said: “Our partners include some of the largest and most well known agencies in Europe. They all know that we provide them with a straightforward way to create websites, which engage the visitor and are easy to manage.”

Good move, eh? For EPiServer’s growth, it is crucial to sign the right implementation partners, as much of the overall success in the CMS market depends on them. You might’ve noticed that it is not always easy to find skilled EPiServer integrators, especially outside of Sweden.

EPiServer says there are more than 2,500 customers worldwide using EPiServer CMS. A bit hard to believe, but the vendor also notes, “Two new commercial sites built using EPiServer CMS go live every 24 hours.”

The current count of EPiServer’s partner network is around 300 companies in 25 countries, including U.S., where EPiServer has recently opened its North American HQ office.

After what seemed like much deliberation and preparation, EPiServer (news, site) has finally announced its official U.S. presence.

There is a good chance that competitive temperature is going to rise in the North American web content management market.
 

More often than not web content management vendors are trying to offer ways to manage social media, user-generated content and web 2.0 technologies in the context of their CMS's.

EPiServer's (news, site) Relate+ is built on top of their CMS 5 web content management system and provides a common framework for incorporating social media features, community building and e-mail marketing into websites.

The product was released just in time before the upcoming grand opening of the U.S. office.

The makers of EPiServer CMS 5 have announced EPiServer Day 2009 -- a conference that gathers together Sweden’s Web experts, international analysts, EPiServer customers and all those interested in Web Content Management and EPiServer CMS.

The highlight of this event is a deep dive into what the vendor calls “the Engaged Web” and experiences surrounding content management and social media.

Swedish CMS provider EPiServer decided to grab a Web agency called Dropit. While some other Web Content Management vendors are shedding extra weight (i.e. agencies), EPiServer does the exact opposite. Why?

Editor's Note: After the news went out, we've heard from EPiServer with clarification on the acquisition. The product section and the actual products from Dropit were acquired, but not any consulting resources and not the entire Dropit organization, which will remain intact and maintain their focus of developing Web sites for their customers.

The Swedish WCM vendor EPiServer is finally making it to our side of the pond. Exclusively, our contacts at EPiServer told us the company is actively pursuing an ASAP office opening in the U.S. Watch out, competition!

It is all going to be done the “EPi way.” Which means starting up in new markets in a “lean way,” until there is enough business to go full throttle.

Function-wise, the .NET-focused EPi is planning to start in the U.S. with, of course, sales. So, if you think you can sell Web CMS, the vendor is looking for a Sales Manager. The current EPi CEO used to be a CEO for Pointsec in the U.S., before moving to Sweden. So, he may explore some sales prospects of his own. Hurry up!

Geographically, EPiServer is looking either at the appl-y New York City or the windy Chicago. I, personally, prefer Manhattan views (looking out of the window). Chicago, however, may be a good central EPicenter point in the middle of the country. In addition to the Sales Manager, there’s also an opening for a Technical Sales Engineer with Product Support team to follow. The direction it grows (or not) from here is hard to predict at this point.

Hopefully, with a new partner recently signed on in South Dakota, things for EPiServer will take off in a jiffy.

We recently gave you an overview of the latest version of EPiServer’s Web CMS software, when they released the second installment of CMS 5.0 R2. And, of course, we plan to give you even more insight into EPi very soon.

EPiServer, a Swedish Web CMS vendor, announced the introduction of multiple new features for its content management system EPiServer CMS 5, including the mobile industry solutions (think the iPhone here), new environment support and improved usability for editors.

EPiServer CMS 5 R2 is yet another step in the evolution of this Web CMS that promises to speed up the development of web sites and make it easier to manage and update them.