Editorial
CMSWire reporters and contributors created an impressive body of work in 2016, sharing insights, strategies and news about a broad array of digital experiences, the digital workplace and information management.
As we close the year we'd like to extend our gratitude to the CMSWire community for its support, encouragement and readership — especially during a year Merriam-Webster recently concluded was "surreal."
We invite you to stay with us in the year ahead to share ideas, discuss trends and stay informed with the latest technology news. We have big things planned, including the launch of our first Digital Workplace Experience in June and our third annual DX Summit in November.
CMSWire Hits
For now, let's turn our attention to the past one last time with a count down of CMSWire's Top 10 stories of the year.
No. 10
Every business has plenty of data these days, but far fewer know how to capitalize on it. Sundeep Sanghavi, co-founder and CEO of DataRPM, a pioneer in cognitive data science, addressed the issue in a story that explained how to Operationalize Your Data Like Your Life Depends On It.
Enterprises need to follow in the footsteps of companies like Netflix, Uber and LinkedIn, which have integrated data into their business models. Otherwise, they risk falling behind the competition, which can gather vital insights quicker and more effectively than they can.
No. 9
SharePoint 2016 was a source of unending interest this year, and a story by CMSWire reporter David Roe that explained how Microsoft was Shaking Up Its Strategy With its SharePoint 2016 Release was no exception.
“It tweaks some things that proved problematic in 2013 (such as mobile and user experience modifications), and belatedly starts to address an increasingly urgent need around hybrid SharePoint deployments,” Tony Byrne, founder of Real Story Group told CMSWire.
No. 8
CMSWire reporter Virginia Backaitis gave CMSWire readers a scoop with a story that predicted EMC (Finally) Is Selling Documentum, calling it part of a plan to shed assets before its takeover by Dell later in the year.
Documentum isn’t a great fit within EMC to begin with, as CMSWire has been explaining for the past two years. It will be even less of a fit if EMC finalizes the merger with Dell, creating more of a computer hardware/data center business.
No. 7
Digital transformation is more than buzzwords: It's a critical component of business survival, according to digital analyst, speaker and author Brian Solis. CMSWire Chief Editor Noreen Seebacher shared his reasoning in an article that explained How to Be More Agile, Competitive & Innovative in a Digital Era.
"Digital transformation is one of the most important movements in business today. But at the same time, it’s also one of the least understood and consistently debated across the enterprise and throughout the industry," Solis said.
No. 6
Both business intelligence and data science focus on deriving business insights from data. In an article headlined Data Scientists vs. BI Analysts: What's the Difference? Ian Swanson, co-founder and CEO of DataScience, a company that combines human intellect and machine learning, explained how they differ.
While many of the responsibilities, techniques and goals of analysts and data scientists closely match, major differences exist between the required skillsets — and expected outputs — for each job.
No. 5
How can companies optimize their content management systems now and best position them for the future? Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer, CMO and co-founder of Hippo, explained in 7 Web CMS Trends for 2016 and Beyond.
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How organizations can design, build and run Generative AI into the Customer Experience
Discover how to drive enhanced CX through Generative AI
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The Future of Social Media: Emerging Trends and How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
The impact of emerging technologies like AI on social media
The real driver of content management today is the ability to track goals to measure content’s performance. CMS systems should provide a feedback loop to illuminate advanced information on the content performance, both from a consumption and management perspective.
No. 4
OpenText's decision to acquire EMC assets sparked intense interest, skyrocketing CMSWire Chief Editor Noreen Seebacher's breaking news story — OpenText to acquire EMC's Enterprise Content Division (ECD) — to one of the top articles of the year.
Documentum was always an odd fit for EMC and never moved the needle for it in terms of either innovation or hardware sales. As Marko Sillanpaa, co-founder of the Big Men On Content blog and former EMC and Documentum employee, put it, the synergies between Documentum and ECM were just never realized.
No. 3
Material design, card-based minimalist design, microinteractions and more: Nick Patel, head of marketing at WebbyMonks, touched a nerve with his post on Top Web Design Trends for 2017.
Here are some fast emerging web design trends you can expect to see more of in the year ahead — trends that will propel your website to the top in user experience.
No. 2
CMSWire reporter Derek Walter said a lot of companies that are struggling to make sense of the leading collaboration platforms — then proved it through the popularity of his article, Slack vs. HipChat vs. Yammer.
Slack is the current darling among startups and established companies alike for its ease of use and ability to integrate with other services. But Atlassian’s HipChat still has a substantial following, with some new features on the way to try and steal a bit of Slack’s thunder. And you can’t count out Microsoft’s Yammer, which has deep ties into Office 365.
No. 1
And finally, CMSWire's most popular story of the year: a look at what Microsoft appeared to be doing with Yammer, the collaboration platform it acquired for $1.4 million. Carrie Basham Young, principal and CEO of Talk Social to Me, gave her point-of-view in So Now Microsoft Axes the Yammer Community Team.
Microsoft bought the community-building product Yammer for a billion dollars in 2012, and less than four years later, it has laid off about 40 remaining community-building Customer Success Managers (CSM). These are the people whose blood, sweat and tears helped companies like yours turn collaboration into a success at your company.
Looking Ahead
So there you have it — our Top 10 stories of the year. May you enjoy re-reading them or discovering them for the first time. And may all of you have a peaceful, productive and happy New Year!
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