Sitecore Symposium 2024 Wrap-Up

Quo Vadis Sitecore?

The biggest buzzword at the Symposium was “AI.” Sitecore is moving beyond just digital experiences and web creation. They want to turn their platform into something marketers use every day, expanding its functions beyond just posting on a website. Designed by marketers for marketers, Sitecore is all about building more features while keeping things simple. It was impressive to see AI features in action, showing how they can boost marketing efforts in real time. 

Sitecore Stream

Sitecore's Intelligent DXP Vision took centre stage with the introduction of Sitecore Stream. This innovation, built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, is designed to orchestrate a seamless marketer experience across Sitecore solutions. It reflects Sitecore's ambition to build an "Intelligent DXP", which brings the power of generative AI into the hands of marketers. 

Brands like Nestlé have already seen the potential of Sitecore Stream. Nestlé’s global CMO, Aude Gandon, shared how their AI brand assistant, trained within Sitecore’s Content Hub, helps manage over 3,000 strategic documents and campaign toolkits across 188 markets. This GenAI solution enhances brand consistency and streamlines collaboration, with one simple prompt like “What are our brand colours for Nescafé?” helping ensure compliance across the board. 

These changes show Sitecore’s commitment to giving marketers more control and intelligence over their digital environments, making marketing operations easier, sparking creativity, and helping brands stay agile in today’s fast-paced world. The first place where Stream should be available will be Content Hub. 

Sitecore Marketplace

Among the exciting announcements, Sitecore introduced their Marketplace, a platform for extensions and customizations for XM Cloud. This marketplace allows developers and users to tailor their solutions to meet specific needs, providing more freedom in a cloud- and API-driven space. This move helps both Sitecore and its community deliver a better and more connected authoring experience. The Marketplace should be available for partners soon.

HIPAA Readiness

Sitecore’s HIPAA readiness for its digital experience platform is a big deal for U.S. healthcare organizations, as it shows they can meet strict rules for protecting patient data under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, this doesn’t matter much for European customers, where GDPR is the main focus. GDPR sets rules for how personal information is collected and handled in the EU, and Sitecore’s solutions already meet these requirements. 

Sitecore’s business approach

The Symposium made it clear that the US market remains Sitecore's primary focus, evident from the numerous American partners and clients present. Despite this US dominance, the European region still has a strong Sitecore presence with a solid base of professionals. 

Sitecore also made it clear that they expect more from local partners in Europe, encouraging them to be more active in bringing in new business and expanding their reach.

With the increasing focus on cloud solutions, composable intelligent DXP, and commerce solutions, Actum’s growing position in Europe, along with Sitecore’s product lineup, puts us in a great spot to drive growth and help European companies transform their digital strategies with Sitecore products.