Choosing between content management systems can be a challenging process for any enterprise. There are a variety of vendors offering different tools that may or may not fit the needs of your business, and figuring out how all of them work can be just as tricky.
Luckily at Content Bloom, we’re experts in several systems, including dotCMS. In this article, we’ll explain everything about this hybrid CMS, its benefits, and why companies opt for this headless solution.
What is a Hybrid CMS?
A hybrid CMS is a content management system that provides the flexibility of a headless architecture while also offering a user-friendly interface for editors and content creators.
It combines the benefits of a traditional CMS with the ability to publish content to any channel or device through an API. This means that content can be created and managed in a central location, and then distributed across multiple channels seamlessly.
A hybrid CMS also offers the ability to work with various programming languages and frameworks, providing limitless possibilities for customization and creating a truly unique digital experience. With a hybrid CMS, companies can easily scale and evolve their digital presence, allowing them to stay ahead of the ever-changing digital landscape.
What is dotCMS?
dotCMS is a hybrid CMS that provides developers with the freedom and flexibility of a headless CMS and marketers with the visual content authoring of a traditional CMS.
With dotCMS’ API-first architecture, companies can deliver content experiences on any channel they see fit and future-proof their business against changing customer preferences.
The open-source hybrid CMS is built on Java technology, making it an ideal choice for enterprise organizations and allowing dotCMS to cater to several use cases, including web apps, portals, knowledge bases, intranets, ecommerce, and more.
Who Uses dotCMS?
dotCMS uses its hybrid CMS platform to focus on content management which enables organizations to create, manage and deliver personalized content experiences with the help of several enterprise-grade features that boost agility, scalability, and security.
A hybrid CMS empowers non-technical teams with the flexibility to add customizations and updates without having to rely on IT. The decoupled platform means the frontend is separate from the backend, allowing marketers, content integrators, and authors more control over their content. We touch on this a bit more later on.
How Does dotCMS Work?
dotCMS offers the API-first architecture of a headless CMS, which enables businesses to deliver content to mobile devices, digital kiosks, AR/VR headsets, and any other channel they can imagine. It also blends with traditional content authoring capabilities, including drag-and-drop editing.
Here are some key features that make dotCMS the hybrid CMS choice.
dotCMS Enables Edit Mode Anywhere
Edit Mode Anywhere is dotCMS’ single-page application visual editor. It provides access to intuitive content authoring that includes inline editing, personalization, layout design, and more to help marketers work better with a headless or hybrid CMS
dotCMS’ Plugin Architecture Capabilities
OSGI plugins can extend dotCMS’ core features. Custom plugins can be developed and deployed easily on any current dotCMS system. They allow companies to add new functionality to dotCMS and extend its capabilities.
REST APIs, GraphQL, and API Builder
dotCMS’ API-first architecture allows for seamless integrations with best-of-breed tools like CRMs, marketing automation systems, ecommerce platforms, and other solutions. Everything, including content, is exposed using REST APIs that enable highly performant and secure integrations. These APIs are available for content, navigation, workflow, permissions, and other features.
dotCMS also leverages GraphQL to gain more speed and provide developers with an alternative to REST. Also, dotCMS’ API builder allows developers to create their own REST API endpoints to expose their content in dotCMS.
What are the Benefits of dotCMS?
dotCMS Core features such as Edit Mode Anywhere and various APIs, enable brands to take control of their content experiences on any channel. However, there are also several benefits dotCMS provides to customers.
NoCode
With most headless CMS platforms, marketers often need developer support for several tasks. Since dotCMS is a hybrid CMS, they offer many features that leverage NoCode tools to allow less technical users to complete tasks without technical expertise or developer assistance.
For example, with dotCMS’ content type builder, content authors can configure the layout and UI for each content type and enable agile content editing. dotCMS’ NoCode functionality can also be used for the page template builder, navigation management, personalization, and more.
dotCMS is Secure
Another benefit of dotCMS is the security it provides for users. This includes SOC 2 Type II compliance that allows organizations to control security, confidentiality, and availability.
dotCMS is Scalable
Modern enterprises need scalability to reach their customers wherever they’re located around the world and cope with increased traffic demand. dotCMS offers an enterprise CDN that delivers content across the globe at scale. Also, dotCMS applications run on a wholly containerized system with 99.98% uptime and additional support 24/7.
MACH+
The MACH approach leverages microservices, API-first architecture, cloud-native systems, and headless technology to bring several benefits to you in terms of flexibility and freedom. However, dotCMS takes those steps a bit further by offering MACH+, which includes the benefits of MACH as well as hybrid content management, content orchestration, marketing, and flexibility.
Key dotCMS Features
While Content Bloom has partnered up with numerous CMS vendors, here are some of the features we think are key to dotCMS:
dotCMS Cloud: dotCMS has a cloud offering based on Amazon Web Services (AWS), where they host everything for you, this is more cost-effective than self-hosting, and you can focus on what you want to do, building content experiences.
dotCDN: A globally scalable and secure content delivery network, dotCDN has a powerful routing engine that analyzes real-time requests ensuring fast loading times.
DAM and Image processing through their Image API.
Workflows: Enterprise-grade workflows that can be built on with their NoCode tools by anyone in your enterprise.
Multilingual and Localization: Including external translation services.
Multitenant and Microsite Support: This allows your organization to operate multiple sites from a single instance. Rather than using excessive resources, it can lower the total cost of running your business.
Go MACH+ with dotCMS and Content Bloom
Enterprise businesses can leverage dotCMS for their headless content management and omnichannel marketing needs without sacrificing marketer freedom. To truly maximize the capabilities of dotCMS, it helps to have a partner.
Content Bloom is an enterprise digital agency and dotCMS implementation partner. As a dotCMS partner agency, we can be your partner in setting up proper content management within your enterprise. We can assist with everything from integrating fully within your content and enterprise architecture to custom plugin development to integrating with all your local systems.
Interested in starting your journey towards the next generation of enterprise content management together with us? Take a look at what we do and get in touch with us.
