Ektron Announces eMobile Tools at the Gartner Symposium/IT Expo 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. and NASHUA, N.H., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Gartner Symposium/IT Expo 2010, Ektron announced today eMobile Tools, innovative technology that will integrate mobile application functionality into Ektron's content management system (CMS).   The built-in eMobile Tools will auto-detect both the device and browser used by a mobile-Web visitor and display content and brand images accordingly for the desktop, smartphone, tablet, etc.  With geolocation functionality similar to Google's "Near Me Now", Ektron's eMobile Tools will allow marketers to add mobile-device value to their corporate website without the added cost or developer time, since building separate device-specific Web applications no longer will be necessary.

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"As mobile-Web access grows exponentially, there is a huge opportunity for companies to evaluate their future mobile strategies and separate themselves from competitors on the Web," said Bill Rogers, founder and CEO of Ektron.  "Companies and brands must consider that the software and hardware used to access and influence Web content constantly is evolving – their Web content management system must keep pace not only with today's technology, but prepare them for the future."

By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide. According to Gartner's PC installed base forecast, the total number of PCs in use will reach 1.78 billion units in 2013. By 2013, the combined installed base of smartphones and browser-equipped enhanced phones will exceed 1.82 billion units and will be greater than the installed base for PCs thereafter.  Mobile Web users are typically prepared to make fewer clicks on a website than users accessing sites from a PC. Although a growing number of websites and Web-based applications offer support for small-form-factor mobile devices, many still do not. Websites not optimized for the smaller-screen formats will become a market barrier for their owners — much content and many sites will need to be reformatted/rebuilt.*

Ektron's development of eMobile Tools will benefit corporate websites and online brands in the following ways:

• Device Management – auto-detects both device and browser, then categorizes and customizes content for the individual device (desktops, smartphones, tablets, etc.), so individual apps for mobile devices no longer need to be built
• Device Intelligence – uses geolocation to track where the mobile Web visitor is located, integrating Google "Near Me Now"-like functionality directly into the corporate website
• Device Preview – device mode and viewing alignment automatically is modified to match the device, content and brand-image
• Device-Variant Content – intuitive content authoring interface creates device-variant content for use across multiple devices; deep context-aware capabilities personalize mobile-Web visitor content based not only on mobile-Web visitors' online activity, but also the specific device used
• Device Layout Templates – drag-and-drop mobile-customization of webpage templates so marketers don't need to tap valuable developer and IT time
• Device Analytics – offers deep knowledge about the mobile Web visitor so content is customized instantly to meet on-the-go needs
• Device Content Targeting – additional Ektron Widget technology allows drag-and-drop content targeting per device type and other website-specific customization
• Device eMail - and intranet-enablement - colleagues can communicate and collaborate with each other on the intranet, even if behind a corporate firewall -- eMail may be utilized to reply to posts in message boards, community groups and activity streams via mobile devices

"Context that is taken for granted in the physical world will continue to play a more crucial role with Web and mobile devices.  Rightfully so, consumers will continue to demand more from their Web and mobile experiences, so for example, waiting for a website to load slowly via a mobile device is just as irritating to consumers as waiting impatiently at a check-out register," added Rogers.  "Companies need to take back the power of their online brands from devices, and deliver the best context-aware content and brand impressions to all website visitors, no matter how they access the Web -- today, tomorrow and in the future."

Mobile website visitor information captured by Ektron's eMobile Tools will include data about an originating domain, GeoIP, marketing campaign ID and more.  This information, along with traditional traffic analytics, will give marketers a complete understanding of mobile website visitors – their demographics, behavior, paths and actions. With eMobile Tools, mobile Web experiences will be built and customized to reflect the missions of both the corporate website and of the mobile website visitor.

More information about the future release of Ektron's eMobile Tools may be found at http://www.ektron.com/mobile.  

*Additional information may be found in the Gartner report "Gartner's Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users, 2010 and Beyond: A New Balance." The report examines the impact these long-term changes will have in combination with the ongoing trend toward the democratization of IT capabilities. The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1268513.

About Ektron

Ektron Inc. has innovated web technology since 1998. By integrating web content management (WCM), marketing optimization and social software, Ektron's software and solutions improve operational efficiency, drive revenue growth and build customer loyalty. Ektron empowers marketers to create, publish and optimize web content that engages, converts and retains customers. Developers benefit from Ektron's extensibility and commitment to the Microsoft .NET framework. Headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, with offices in Australia, Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom, Ektron has more than 8,000 customers worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Diageo, Home Depot, International Chamber of Commerce,  Kodak, Microsoft, NASDAQ, National Health Services UK, Saint-Gobain, The Law Society, and the University of Notre Dame. For more information, please visit www.ektron.com or www.ektron.co.uk.

Ektron, the Ektron logo and eIntranet are trademarks of Ektron Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Ektron Inc.