In the 14th edition of Emerce 100, Kentico is listed for the fourth time as one of the top providers of e-business solutions in the Dutch market. As we celebrate our 15th year on the market, we couldn’t be happier.
Looking back on 15 years of Kentico innovation, there is one thing that has underpinned everything we do: pushing our users’ content further. Whether it be on a website, smart device, or via a full-blown omnichannel approach, we have strived to be a leader and innovator in all that we do and help our customers deliver exceptional digital experiences.
Freedom to Innovate
Kentico’s freedom from external funding has meant that it has been able to focus on long-term innovation. Where investors are too fixated on the bottom line, we have taken the fresh approach that whatever it takes to help our customers tell their stories and tell them well, we’ll do it. That has led to such innovations as Kentico EMS, an all-in-one web content management, e-commerce, and online marketing platform to give users the tools to integrate everything into one highly connected solution. Also borne of such innovation is Kentico Cloud, a Content as a Service solution that pushes content to all channels to deliver a highly consistent and channel-specific experience.
“Around 2014, we realized the market was changing,” says Petr Palas, Kentico’s CEO and founder. “Customers moved to the cloud, and they looked for higher agility and flexibility. They wanted to deliver content to any channel, not just web. That’s why we decided to build a brand-new headless CMS – Kentico Cloud.”
Experience Something Better
Most headless CMSs are built for developers, allowing them to use the latest technologies and front-end frameworks. However, Kentico sees an even bigger opportunity for the business. “Talking to our customers, we realized many companies are worried about how to maintain their growth,” explains Palas. “They feel threatened by digitally native startups that disrupt whole industries. They realize they must provide the same experience as Amazon, Uber, or Netflix. Content is a critical part of the customer journey. Yet, many organizations struggle to create engaging content. They rely on various legacy solutions, they have to copy and paste the content across systems, and they’re missing a holistic view of their content production and its ROI.”
Bringing Your Content to Life
Based on this realization, Kentico decided to evolve its Kentico Cloud into the first end-to-end content management solution. “Our vision is to provide customers with a Content as a Service solution that allows them to consolidate their content in one place and manage it throughout its whole lifecycle,” Palas says. “A solution that covers content strategy, content planning, collaborative authoring, delivery to any channel, performance analytics, personalization, and optimization. And we want this solution to integrate smoothly with their existing marketing technologies.” The solution is already used by many enterprise-level organizations, including Vrije University, Kramp, Konica Minolta, UK Parliament, Oxford University, and Starbucks.
Another Feather in Our Cap
In 2015, Kentico opened an office in Amsterdam, led by Bart Omlo, to be closer to its customers. The latest success of Kentico in the E-100 shows its growing popularity. “We’re very grateful for this recognition, and I’d like to say thank you to our customers and partners for their trust and support,” says Palas. And with this latest endorsement by Emerce100, it seems Kentico’s most significant innovations still lay in front of them! You can see Bart's article here.