Ektron 8.5 Now Available

NASHUA, N.H., Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ektron, empowering organizations to fully realize their website's marketing and revenue-generating potential, today announced the immediate availability of Ektron 8.5, a major upgrade to the company's flagship web content management (WCM) platform.  Ektron 8.5 empowers a new level of developer productivity and enterprise scalability, wrapped in a new, sleek user interface.

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Highlights of Ektron 8.5 include:

• A redesigned Workarea providing a modern, intuitive user experience.
• An expanded developer API improving developer productivity through a highly consistent and discoverable set of functions and methods.
• A 3-tier architecture offering unmatched scalability and availability for enterprise WCM deployments.
• .NET 4.0 support
• Enhanced search, based on the Microsoft Search Server, offering new features including faceted navigation, dynamic search relevancy tuning, federated search and automated query suggestions.
• eSync enhancements, including a diagnostic utility to generate a real-time map of an eSync network.

"An Ektron focus is to increase our presence in the enterprise," said Ektron founder and CEO, Bill Rogers.  "Creating an enterprise-ready WCM platform is the primary driver behind Ektron 8.5 and for many of its new features."

Circulated as a release candidate in late July for feedback, Ektron 8.5 has engendered both excitement and praise in the developer community.

"Over the last three years, we have seen Ektron evolve into a provider of enterprise-class WCM," said Chris Osterhout, director of Development at WSOL. "Ektron 8.5 is the most important release in Ektron's history."

"We're in the process of developing a new alumni community," said Cameron Jordan, director of E-Communication at Berry College. "The Framework API in 8.5 radically improves developer productivity, allowing us to hit our aggressive timelines."  

"We are currently leveraging Ektron 8.5 as part of a pilot program that allows iCrossing to provide a higher quality solution while reducing development costs for our Enterprise clients. By taking advantage of the Ektron Framework API we have found that whether we are accessing folders, content, members or searching; the extensive use of the Criteria Pattern and the consistency of the API allows for more efficient development and easier code reviews. This results in delivering a better overall value to our clients," said James Coleman, director of Technology Services at iCrossing.

The final version of 8.5 is available for download at ektron.com.

About Ektron

Ektron simplifies the creation, management and delivery of multi-channel customer experiences for global organizations that are looking to engage with customers online. Ektron speeds time-to-web, drives business outcomes, and builds customer loyalty through software that powers corporate websites, intranet portals, and social communities.  Ektron helps its customers deliver compelling experiences to their audiences through all digital channels – including websites,  mobile devices and social networks – by using content to engage consumers, drive business outcomes and further revenue growth. Headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, with offices in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, Ektron has thousands of worldwide customers including: The Home Depot, Kodak, Microsoft, NASDAQ and National Health Services UK. For more information, please visit www.ektron.com, www.ektron.co.uk or www.ektron.com.au.

SOURCE Ektron