Ektron Positioned in Third 2010 Leading Analyst Firm's Magic Quadrant

NASHUA, N.H., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Ektron Inc., a web content management (WCM), marketing optimization and social software and solutions provider, today announced that Gartner, Inc. has positioned Ektron in three 2010 Magic Quadrants – Web Content Management, Externally Facing Social Software, and the newly released Magic Quadrant for Social Software in the Workplace.  Ektron's inclusion in the combination of these graphical marketplace representations underscores the convergence of Web content management and social software, and the business-critical need for forward-looking strategies that manage everything influencing both external and internal Web use.  

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According to Gartner, "Business cases and product evolution continue to extend beyond the traditional boundaries of Web content management.  In more than 80% of inquiries that Gartner has received about WCM since 2H09, clients sought higher business value from their online presence, be it Internet, extranet or intranet.  As a result, many enterprises replace their existing technology, in some cases, to interoperate with other components of their Web environment, such as Web analytics, an e-commerce engine or in-house business applications.  In fact, we urge those with WCM technology that is more than four years old to re-evaluate their online strategies because the technology has changed so much recently."(1)

"The WCM and social business landscapes continue to evolve as technologies converge.  Over the coming year, cloud and mobile computing more significantly will impact this landscape as well," said Bill Rogers, founder and CEO of Ektron.  "Ektron built its CMS400.NET platform with advanced awareness that the shift beyond point WCM solutions would take place.  Based on deep WCM industry knowledge and experience, our core strategies ensure that enterprise investments are protected with innovative solutions that continually predict the needs of our customers."

Ektron Demonstrates Market Leadership with Inclusion in Three 2010 Magic Quadrants

The Web is innately social whether it's the intranet or extranet; therefore, social capabilities are expected and require deep integration into all Web and other multi-channel experiences.  A pioneer of WCM and social software, Ektron recognizes the value and future importance of the combination of the key growing areas of this marketplace and is developing innovative technology unlike any other market offering.  As such, earlier this year, Gartner included Ektron in the Magic Quadrant for Externally Facing Social Software and the Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management and this week positioned Ektron within the Magic Quadrant for Social Software in the Workplace based on evaluation of its eIntranet.  Ektron's eIntranet is built on the Ektron CMS400.NET platform.  It combines content and knowledge management with activity streams, blogs, dashboards, discussions, profiles, social navigation, social networks, social timelines and wikis, as well as workflow, task management and an advanced server synchronization engine.  eIntranet is built on the Microsoft .NET framework, utilizes the Microsoft stack, and enables a bidirectional flow between Ektron's eIntranet and SharePoint.  

"Whether an enterprise looking to improve employee collaboration or brand looking to improve customer-experience, -satisfaction and -loyalty, Ektron uniquely combines Web content management and social business software," adds Rogers.  "We recognized early that Web content management and social business inevitably would become intertwined.  We are pleased to be acknowledged in these three Magic Quadrants and believe that the recognition underscores Ektron's vision of the future of WCM based on the convergence of organically connected technologies, rather than as stand-alone software offerings.  Customers are becoming keenly aware that to be prepared for the future of not only social business, but also other areas such as cloud and mobile computing, they need to invest in technology leaders like Ektron, not just software 'du jour' from single-solution vendors."

"The WCM software market achieved total revenue of $890 million in 2009, despite recessions in many major economies, and will likely exceed $1 billion in 2010 (see "Market Share: Content Management Software, Worldwide, 2009"). North America accounts for 60% of worldwide revenue, EMEA 26% and Asia/Pacific 11%. Gartner projects that the market will see a compound annual growth rate of 14% from 2009 to 2014. These numbers reflect enterprises' increasing emphasis on the online channel and improving visitors' experience. This level of growth has also led WCM to comprise a greater proportion of the overall enterprise content management (ECM) market than ever. In 2010, WCM will account for over 26% of this market."(1)

About the Magic Quadrant

The Gartner Magic Quadrants are copyrighted 2010 by Gartner, Inc. and are reused with permission.  The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period.  It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner.  Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant.  The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action.  Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with the respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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, www.ektron.co.uk or www.ektron.com.au.

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

(1) Gartner "Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management" by Mick MacComascaigh, Toby Bell, Jim Murphy, 19 August 2010

SOURCE Ektron Inc.