How to choose an enterprise-ready headless CMS

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If your company has a strong digital presence, you know the value of a content management system (CMS) that provides the tools you need to create, manage and deliver content successfully.

And as your business grows, you need a CMS that can grow right along with you. That’s where an enterprise-ready headless CMS comes in.

But what is an enterprise headless CMS, and how can you choose the right one for your organization? Read on to find out.

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What is an enterprise CMS?

An enterprise CMS is a content management system designed to meet the diverse needs of a large business. If your company has a global presence, offers multiple products or services and reports annual multi-million-dollar revenues, you need a content management system that’s capable of handling that volume and reach. An enterprise CMS provides a centralized solution for all your departments and locations, empowering your organization to execute a successful enterprise content management strategy.

What is an enterprise headless CMS?

An enterprise headless CMS is a content management system for global businesses that separates where content is stored (the back end) from where it’s presented (the front end, or “head”). This separation eliminates the need to manually recreate, reformat and distribute each piece of content for each audience and channel. The front and back ends communicate via application programming interface (API) technology, enabling your teams to seamlessly optimize content assets and deliver them to a variety of channels. As such, an enterprise headless CMS is the ideal solution for your global business needs.

How do I choose an enterprise headless CMS

3 things to look for in an enterprise headless CMS

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Scalability
If your business has big ambitions, look for an enterprise CMS that can support your current needs as well as your future growth. A system with API-first, integration-ready architecture makes it easy for you to add, replace or remove technologies as your business needs and priorities evolve. If the system is truly extensible, you’ll be able to scale independent platform services without risk to your overall implementation. API-first enterprise content management software enables you to incorporate new technologies as they emerge and add on infinite new channels. A cloud-native CMS allows you to accommodate growing traffic by elastically scaling at peak and through demand times. And because of the separation between the front end and the back end, an enterprise headless CMS enables you to quickly update and upgrade your channels without compromising performance.
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Security
As your company grows, so does your customer base—which translates to more and more sensitive information in your system. That’s why it’s important to choose an enterprise headless CMS that prioritizes security for your company as well as your end users. Make sure the platform you’re considering meets third-party certification standards (e.g., SOC 2 certification) that demonstrate its commitment to privacy and security.

Your enterprise headless CMS should also offer options for single sign-on and two-factor authentication to keep accounts secure. In addition, you’ll want automatic backups, end-to-end encryption and a permission system that can set site-, tool- and content-level permissions for each user. And if a data leak or breach does happen, your enterprise CMS platform should offer automatic off-site backups and emergency support.
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Integration readiness
A growing business can’t afford to get bogged down with the complicated and time-consuming process of custom CMS development. Instead, your company can maintain momentum with the preconfigured integrations available via an enterprise headless CMS. These pre-built integrations are designed to suit specific use cases, seamlessly and securely connecting your critical data and services. Choose an enterprise headless CMS that offers out-of-the-box, plug-and-play integrations for analytics, artificial intelligence, marketing technology, federated search, photos, videos and more. For example, in-CMS integrations with leading third-party image and media sources allow you to find, create and publish top-notch content in just a few clicks. In this way, essential third-party software solutions enable you to extend your tech stack effortlessly, saving critical time and resources.

Are you ready to move your business forward? Choose an enterprise headless CMS with the cutting-edge capabilities you need to empower growth and drive success.

We have over a decade of experience launching headless CMS solutions for large enterprises including Bloomberg Industry Group, Televisa, Lionsgate and Whole Foods. Contact us today to learn how Brightspot can solve for your enterprise headless CMS needs.

February 23, 2023
Following its acquisition by Amazon, Whole Foods delivered on its brand promise with an engaging content-as-commerce approach built on a new API-powered headless CMS platform.
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    Robyn Tellefsen
    About the Author
    Robyn Tellefsen
    Robyn Tellefsen is a writer for Brightspot. She has 20+ years of experience creating and editing fresh, original content to help brands achieve their business goals. Robyn is a skilled communicator, with expertise across multiple verticals and media. When she’s not writing, you can find her absorbed in the pages of a novel.

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