On the Cutting Edge: How Ovum Drives Value from Content with the eZ Publish Platform • Creating a New Legacy • Find the Right Fit • Staying Ahead of Technology Creating a New Legacy In 2014, Informa Telecoms & Media Research merged with Ovum, an independent analysts and consulting company. The two companies have combined to create a single, market leading research and advisory business focused on converging IT, telecoms and media markets. With the merger, the Ovum brand gained valuable assets and research but also inherited the challenge of dealing with a legacy CMS. The legacy CMS that was being used was unable to keep up with the changes in technology. Ovum needed a modern CMS that was capable of handling the sizeable amount of content. “It was very old and difficult to develop on,” says Manoj Varsani, head of technology for Ovum and head of projects at Informa Telecoms & Media. Varsani began looking for a replacement CMS that was powerful enough to keep the research firm on the cutting edge of technology while remaining flexible enough to enable a smooth transition. Finding the Right Fit One challenge Ovum faced on its journey was to create a mobile-­‐friendly web experience. “Five years ago we didn’t need sites to work on a mobile device, today that’s a requirement,” says Varsani. A CMS capable of delivering a mobile-­‐friendly website was only a piece of the puzzle. The new CMS needed to be capable of growing with the business and adapting to current trends in technology. Varsani had a laundry list of other requirements that needed to be fulfilled. “How people use technology constantly changes. We needed a CMS that was always ready for that,” says Varsani. Ovum needed the following capabilities in a CMS: ● Highly scalable ● Strong search functionality ● Capable of being clustered on multiple servers ● Custom editorial workflows ● Role-­‐based access ● Platform flexibility and robust capabilities ● Configurable user journey ● Security ● Customizable design After surveying the CMS market, Ovum eventually selected the eZ Publish Platform. Staying Ahead of Technology Consistent patches and upgrades to the eZ Publish Platform are one of the biggest benefits for Ovum, according to Varsani. “The platform’s update to Symfony is great for us,” says Varsani. “We aren’t left behind in terms of technology, we aren’t left with a legacy platform any longer and we constantly get new upgrades and patches which is important.” Ovum is a thought leader in several industries, which means many businesses rely on the research that Ovum churns out. “It is important that people within those industries can easily find the content and research they are looking for,” says Varsani. Since implementing eZ Publish, Varsani says that Ovum is producing more content than ever, and users are spending more time on their site. The website is now mobile-­‐
friendly and is navigable on all devices. “Ovum is very happy with the site,” says Varsani. And so are Ovum’s clients. “The Ovum Knowledge Center gets great feedback from our clients. They love the design of our website and they like the new search functionality.” Ovum spent time researching how users wanted to navigate their site. Varsani and his team have been able to successfully customize eZ Publish to meet their business needs. By tailoring the user experience, Ovum can now put their content front and center, a critical aspect of a content-­‐driven organization. Quality content is what drives our business,” says Varsani. “eZ Publish is focused on content and delivers value to our clients and our business. Manoj Varsani can be reached on via manojvarsani.com and can be found on Twitter @manojvarsani. About Ovum Ovum is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. Through its 180 analysts worldwide it offers expert analysis and strategic insight across the IT, telecoms, and media industries. Founded in 1985, Ovum has one of the most experienced analyst teams in the industry and is a respected source of guidance for technology business leaders, CIOs, vendors, service providers, and regulators looking for comprehensive, accurate and insightful market data, research and consulting. With 23 offices across six continents, Ovum offers a truly global perspective on technology and media markets and provides thousands of clients with insight including workflow tools, forecasts, surveys, market assessments, technology audits and opinion. In 2012, Ovum was jointly named Global Analyst Firm of the Year by the IIAR. About eZ eZ Systems is a global content management and digital experience management platform provider that is dedicated to helping businesses maximize the value of their content. Our open source software, eZ Publish Platform, is designed to enable enterprises to create, manage, deliver and optimize their content. More than 250,000 websites and hundreds of enterprises rely on eZ Systems to simplify the way their users and customers interact with content. eZ Systems has 10 offices located throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Information about eZ Systems is available online at www.ez.no. For ongoing news, please visit www.ez.no/blog. Links Corporate Website: http://www.ez.no How to become a partner: https://ez.no/Partners/Become-­‐a-­‐Partner How to Find a Partner to develop your platform: http://ez.no/Partners/Find-­‐a-­‐Partner References and Case Studies: http://ez.no/Resources/Case-­‐Studies Community Portal: http://share.ez.no