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<a href="https://the.machalliance.org/" target="_blank">The MACH Alliance</a> has announced the finalists of its <a href="https://machalliance.org/mach-impact-awards" target="_blank">2023 MACH Impact Awards</a>, highlighting innovative and impactful technology projects that utilize a MACH (microservices-based, API-first, Cloud native SaaS, Headless) strategy.
The finalists were narrowed down from hundreds of entries and judged by an independent panel of judges with expertise in applying MACH technologies.
The awards finalists represent global brands that impact thousands of consumers across various industries. The winners will be announced at the MACH Alliance annual <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-announces-speakers-for-mach-two-conference-in-amsterdam-june-13-14/">MACH TWO</a> conference in Amsterdam on June 13 - 14.
<h2>2023 MACH Impact Awards Finalists</h2>
Best Retail Project
<ul>
<li>Primark</li>
<li>John Lewis Partnership</li>
<li>River Island</li>
</ul>
Best B2B Project
<ul>
<li>Wavin</li>
<li>MKM Building Supplies</li>
<li>Sonepar</li>
</ul>
Best Digital Experience
<ul>
<li>Paul Smith</li>
<li>Anheuser Busch</li>
<li>Dutch Railway</li>
</ul>
Best Health/Pharma Project
<ul>
<li>Bulk Nutrients</li>
<li>Thommen Medical</li>
<li>Integria Health</li>
</ul>
Best Hospitality Project
<ul>
<li>Just Eat</li>
<li>Gordon Ramsay Restaurants</li>
</ul>
Best Overall Change Project
<ul>
<li>American Bath Group</li>
<li>WWF</li>
<li>Mars</li>
<li>Primark</li>
<li>Belcorp</li>
<li>Alamy</li>
</ul>
Contributor of the Year
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhornby/" target="_blank">Paul Hornby</a>, The Very Group</li>
<li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-thomas8/" target="_blank">Justin Thomas</a>, Kraft Heinz</li>
</ul>
Team of the Year
<ul>
<li>TaxFix</li>
<li>Mars</li>
</ul>
<h2>Register for MACH TWO</h2>
If you’d like to get a closer view of the MACH Impact Award finalists, it’s not too late to register for <a href="https://the.machalliance.org/machtwo/#about" target="_blank">MACH TWO</a> at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam on June 13 and 14. The conference is free to attend and promises 48 hours of solid instruction, workshops, speakers, and more all centered around MACH technologies.
With multiple tracks that fit your goals, chances to network with like-minded peers and plenty of opportunities to hear from the brightest MACH practitioners in the game, MACH TWO is the premier annual event of the year.
<a href="https://the.machalliance.org/machtwo/#register" target="_blank">Register here</a>
<h2>About the MACH Alliance</h2>
The MACH Alliance is a [501(c)(6)] non-profit organization governed by an independent board and does not endorse specific vendors, members, or otherwise. The Alliance was formed in June 2020 to help enterprise organizations navigate the complex modern technology landscape. It aims to guide and show the business advantage of open tech ecosystems that are Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless. All MACH Alliance members meet certification principles that are published on the website. The MACH Alliance welcomes technology companies and individual industry experts with the same vision for the future. Learn more at machalliance.org, read here about MACH certification, and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/MACHAlliance" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/machalliance/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.

MACH Alliance Announces 2023 MACH Impact Awards Finalists

mk-patterson

MACH Alliance Awards imagery - stacked award

Things are heating up for the <a href="https://machalliance.org/">MACH Alliance</a> as it prepares to host its annual global conference in Amsterdam. 
Kicking off the summer season, <a href="https://the.machalliance.org/machtwo/" target="_blank">MACH TWO</a> will be held June 13-14, 2023, and promises “48 hours of solid MACH” for attendees at the <a href="https://delamar.nl/en/" target="_blank">DeLaMar Theater</a> – located in the heart of one of Europe's most iconic cities.
MACH TWO will focus on the "art &amp; science" powering the future of business. The event will feature keynotes, workshops, and networking opportunities focused on MACH principles – and practical applications for executive leaders, technology decision-makers, and MACH practitioners.
The two-day event will offer a range of speakers across a variety of industries, each sharing examples of successfully “MACHifying” their tech stacks.
<h2>Meet the speakers</h2>
While more presenters are expected to be announced, the MACH Alliance has released the bios of five technology and business leaders speaking at the conference.
<h4><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffdesandre/" target="_blank">Jeff DeSandre</a> – Chief Information Officer, AmerCareRoyal</h4>
Jeff is a results-driven technology executive with 15+ years of experience leading complex IT transformations. As CIO of <a href="https://amercareroyal.com/" target="_blank">AmerCareRoyal</a>, Jeff spearheads innovative digital transformation initiatives that optimize operational efficiency and enhance customer experience. With a strong background in consumer goods, Jeff's strategic direction and technology solutions ensure alignment with business objectives. Jeff also sits on the advisory board for UCX.
<h4><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anca-iordanescu-3756971/" target="_blank">Anca lordanescu</a> – VP of Engineering, IKEA Retail</h4>
Anca is an award-winning engineering leader. As the VP of Engineering at <a href="https://www.ikea.com/us/en/" target="_blank">IKEA</a> Retail, Anca is leading the charge to transform IKEA into a retailer that provides products to consumers wherever and whenever they want by implementing agile, simple, and future-focused technologies. With a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Anca previously modernized the IT landscape at Maersk Line from a monolithic to a decoupled, microservice-based architecture. Actively involved in the "Women in Tech" community in Sweden and various programs around mentorship, diversity, and uplifting women and girls in the technology sector, Anca has been recognized as a top 100 Woman in Tech – and winner of the Digital Transformation Leader award 2022.
<h4><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjmontgomery/" target="_blank">Mindy Montgomery</a> – Associate Director of Product Marketing, ASICS Digital</h4>
Mindy has 20 years of experience in IT, strategy, and product/business management. As Associate Director of Product Marketing at <a href="https://www.asicsdigital.com/" target="_blank">ASICS Digital</a>, she leverages her expertise in delivering innovative solutions across various industries and focuses on developing foundational infrastructure that advances ecosystem-wide solutions and creates exceptional customer experiences.
<h4><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmnotenboom/" target="_blank">Hans Notenboom</a> – Tribe Leader B2B Platform Experience &amp; Conversion, Philips</h4>
Having spent the past 30 years working at the intersection of IT, innovation, marketing, new media, and digital technology, Hans is responsible for delivering the <a href="https://www.usa.philips.com/" target="_blank">Philips</a> global platform experience for healthcare customers – connecting digital marketing, eCommerce, and self-service portals. By decoupling internal complexity and technology from external customer experiences, Philips’ goal is to increase speed and agility and improve its ability to personalize the customer experience and create internal efficiencies. 
<h4><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-valade/" target="_blank">Dylan Valade</a> – Head of Global eCommerce Technology, PUMA</h4>
Dylan is a technology leader with 20 years of experience defining digital transformation strategies and rolling out systems worldwide. He's a survivor of crises, mentoring teams through recessions, a bull market, and the pandemic-fueled e-commerce growth spree. At <a href="https://us.puma.com/us/en" target="_blank">Puma</a>, Dylan takes charge of budgets, infrastructure, applications, and business processes, serving millions of users on the web, apps, and marketplaces. He expanded PUMA's direct-to-consumer business from 7 to 25 markets and provided management consulting for digital transformation with packaged and custom software. Previously, Dylan created a SaaS content management system and multi-tenant hosting platform, leveraging it to start five businesses. 
<h2>MACHing your way to Amsterdam? </h2>
Fantastische! CMS Critic will see you there.
If you haven’t registered for MACH TWO, it’s not too late. Find logistics details, conference insights, and more when you <a href="https://the.machalliance.org/machtwo/" target="_blank">register here</a>.
<h2>About the MACH Alliance</h2>
The MACH Alliance is a [501(c)(6)] non-profit organization governed by an independent board and does not endorse specific vendors, members, or otherwise. The Alliance was formed in June 2020 to help enterprise organizations navigate the complex modern technology landscape. It aims to guide and show the business advantage of open tech ecosystems that are Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless. All MACH Alliance members meet certification principles that are published on the website. The MACH Alliance welcomes technology companies and individual industry experts with the same vision for the future. Learn more at machalliance.org, read here about MACH certification, and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/MACHAlliance" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/machalliance/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.

MACH Alliance Announces Speakers for MACH TWO Conference in Amsterdam, June 13-14

MACH Alliance MACH Two logo against geometric background

Over the last two years, we've covered a lot of insights published by the <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3749828-1&amp;h=1474142029&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.machalliance.org%2F&amp;a=MACH+Alliance" target="_blank">MACH Alliance</a> as it continues to chart the course for composable.
While the Alliance represents a group of independent tech companies advocating for open, best-of-breed technology ecosystems, it has also become a trusted source for data and trends impacting the trajectory of MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, Headless). This is driven by a cabal of thought leaders and industry experts tracking the movement of everything from <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/">headless CMS</a> to the emergence of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/is-the-birth-of-dxc-the-death-of-dxp-a-conversation-with-darren-guarnaccia-president-at-uniform/">DXC</a>.
This week, the MACH Alliance published the results of its third-annual <a href="https://machalliance.org/assets/pdf/mach-global-research%202023.pdf" target="_blank">Enterprise MACHified research</a> conducted by independent firm <a href="https://melresearch.co.uk/" target="_blank">MEL Research</a> in December and January. The charter was clear: gain a deeper understanding of how MACH investments have accelerated over the past 12 months and how these investments impact organizations as they face the headwinds of a challenging economy – or even the specter of a global recession.  
The study surveyed 500 tech leaders from Australia, France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. The research indicates an urgency to innovate in a rapidly changing business environment – with MACH as a key mechanism for responding to economic volatility.
<h2>MACH-advanced companies move faster</h2>
According to the research, four in five decision-makers state that economic volatility has impacted their organizational attitudes toward MACH. This has been a key driver behind a major shift in planning and technology investments, with 85 percent of organizations increasing their MACH infrastructure in the past 12 months.
These companies cite multiple benefits to MACH, including the ability to respond to market changes faster, build and implement new functionality quicker, and reduce costs. The study also reveals that they’re more likely to say their infrastructure is keeping up with customer demands and that they’re ahead of their competition than those with lower MACH adoption rates.
<h2>The US is catching up with Europe</h2>
Regarding MACH adoption, there has been an established disparity between the European and United States markets – but that appears to be shifting as the US gains ground. 
According to the research, a lack of board or leadership support is more likely to be a barrier to MACH adoption in the US than in the overall sample (32% versus 27%). This could signal that MACH faces a perception challenge in the US among non-IT professionals, indicating the need for education and awareness to highlight its value and benefits.
At the same time, US organizations that believe they are significantly ahead of their competition are more likely to have increased the proportion of MACH within their infrastructure (47 percent) than those who haven’t (26 percent).
While the survey shows a decline in the proportion of budgets that are being spent on technology upgrades since 2022 in the UK and Germany (from 39 percent to 32 percent in the UK, and from 36 percent to 31 percent in Germany), this has increased in the US (from 37 percent to 41 percent).
Companies in the US also report the largest proportion of legacy tech. On average, 41 percent of IT ecosystems are still considered legacy, establishing a clear need for tools enabling them to improve and upgrade infrastructures at greater speed.
<h2>Time and money spent on upgrades is an expensive ongoing problem</h2>
In the economic vein, the new research uncovered that not much has changed from a year ago regarding the time and money spent on upgrade projects.
Upgrading is a burden that organizations are struggling to solve, and over a quarter are running over 20 projects each year. One in five spend over half of their IT budget on upgrades, and the same number say upgrades take up over half of their IT teams’ time.
In 2021, respondents said 40 percent of their teams’ time was spent delivering front-office upgrades, indicating that the impact of operating with outdated tech is snowballing.
<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-01-18-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-grow-2-percent-in-2023" target="_blank">Gartner has forecast that</a> global enterprises will spend about $856 billion on software in 2023. If a quarter of that was spent on upgrades, it would represent more than $200 billion that could be spent on innovation and improvement of digital experiences. 
<h2>Investment is increasingly moving from front-end to back-end</h2>
The research also found front-end solutions are still receiving the most focus for investment. However, this is changing year over year. While 54 percent prioritized front-end investment in the 2022 report, just 39 percent stated this in 2023.
“The data tells us that too many companies are stuck keeping the upgrade wheel turning," said <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen/">Casper Rasmussen</a>, MACH Alliance President. "If you add the cost of time and business stands still, the absolute cost is much higher. At the same time, fewer companies see themselves as agile early adopters, and fewer also see themselves as being ahead of the competition compared to our research a year ago."
In countries interviewed in the 2022 and 2023 reports, the proportion that believe their front-office infrastructure is ahead of the competition has fallen from 75 percent to 68 percent. Organizations with 25,000 or more employees also have the lowest adoption of MACH in their front-end infrastructure – and take a more long-term view on making MACH investments.
“The pace of transformation is relentless, but the cost of not innovating is much higher," said Rasmussen. "While transitioning to MACH is no small undertaking, continuing the status quo is an ongoing, big undertaking, especially for larger organizations, which needs addressing. We’re not going to wipe legacy out of the picture overnight. However, those moving toward MACH are better equipped to mitigate future obstacles.”
<h2>What’s ahead and methodology </h2>
The report was executed by independent market research leader MEL Research. Respondent titles included CIO, CTO, Vice President, Senior Vice President, and Senior Manager. All represent organizations with at least 5,000 employees and have a revenue of at least $500 million annually.
You can <a href="https://machalliance.org/assets/pdf/mach-global-research%202023.pdf" target="_blank">download the full report</a> and review a detailed <a href="https://machalliance.org/assets/pdf/2023-annual-research-infographic.pdf" target="_blank">infographic</a> that covers the findings.
You can also schedule a meeting with MACH Alliance leadership at <a href="https://shoptalk.com/" target="_blank">ShopTalk 2023</a> in Las Vegas to learn more about the research. The Alliance will be hosting several days of networking, educational sessions, podcasting, and more at the <a href="https://machalliance.org/machevents/mach-haus-las-vegas" target="_blank">MACH HAUS</a> located in the Delano Hotel, adjacent to Mandalay Bay where ShopTalk will take place.
Email press team member Megan Lampros to arrange a meeting: <a href="mailto:megan.lampros@machalliance.org">megan.lampros@machalliance.org</a>.
<h2>About the MACH Alliance</h2>
The MACH Alliance is a [501(c)(6)] non-profit organization, governed by an independent board and does not endorse specific vendors, members or otherwise. The Alliance was formed in June 2020 to help enterprise organizations navigate the complex modern technology landscape. It aims to guide and show the business advantage of open tech ecosystems that are Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless. All MACH Alliance members meet certification principles that are published on the website.
The MACH Alliance welcomes technology companies and individual industry experts who share the same vision for the future. Learn more at <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3749828-1&amp;h=349526954&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fcts.businesswire.com%2Fct%2FCT%3Fid%3Dsmartlink%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmachalliance.org%252F%26esheet%3D52478831%26newsitemid%3D20210818005487%26lan%3Den-US%26anchor%3Dmachalliance.org%26index%3D5%26md5%3Ddb9d7bdff8c8646152c1923d3ff4adc2&amp;a=%C2%A0machalliance.org" target="_blank">machalliance.org</a>, read here about <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3749828-1&amp;h=1674984232&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fcts.businesswire.com%2Fct%2FCT%3Fid%3Dsmartlink%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmachalliance.org%252Fblogdetail%252Fbltfc0a3afbca44303e%26esheet%3D52478831%26newsitemid%3D20210818005487%26lan%3Den-US%26anchor%3DMACH%2Bcertification%26index%3D6%26md5%3Dba1c5d6e1bf42963a3a8bb59771d09da&amp;a=%C2%A0MACH+certification" target="_blank">MACH certification</a> and follow us on <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3749828-1&amp;h=3336969077&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fcts.businesswire.com%2Fct%2FCT%3Fid%3Dsmartlink%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.twitter.com%252Fmachalliance%26esheet%3D52478831%26newsitemid%3D20210818005487%26lan%3Den-US%26anchor%3DTwitter%26index%3D7%26md5%3Ddfeea3f8422d14d51b860d90329a6837&amp;a=%C2%A0Twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/machalliance/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.

MACH Alliance Releases Survey from Global IT Leaders Analyzing Impact from MACH Investments

cms-critic-staff

Yesterday, <a href="https://machalliance.org/newsroom/google-cloud-joins-the-mach-alliance" target="_blank">the MACH Alliance announced</a> that Google Cloud will join its ranks as a MACH Enabler, becoming the latest addition to the organization's fast-growing community of composable platforms. 
Google Cloud will play an important role as a foundational cloud and infrastructure provider alongside other Enabler members, including <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/netlify-to-host-headless-commerce-summit-for-talks-on-building-world-class-e-commerce-experiences/">Netlify</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-monthly-recap-mach-alliance-announces-new-enabler-category-glassbox-and-optimizely-partner-gutenberg-updates-and-more/">Mongo DB</a>, <a href="https://vercel.com/" target="_blank">Vercel</a>, <a href="https://www.webscale.com/" target="_blank">Webscale</a>, and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/aws-joins-mach-alliance-as-enabler-member-reflects-growth-of-cloud-native-solutions/">Amazon Web Services (AWS)</a>. The MACH Alliance now boasts more than 70 members in its best-of-breed technology ecosystem.
“The MACH Alliance has quickly become the face of advocacy when it comes to pushing for a new standard for IT architectural excellence,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-colyer-4129214/" target="_blank">Chris Colyer</a>, Worldwide Head of Retail Industry Partnerships at Google Cloud. “We see the future in headless and composable commerce and it’s important for us to be a part of the community to which a number of our partners belong. Through our membership, we can truly support those partners while championing open and cloud-native technology ecosystems as they grow in relevance and competence.”
<h2>“Hey Google, what's a MACH Alliance Enabler?”</h2>
No need to consult your Google Home assistant – we've got the answer.
The MACH Alliance added its specialized Enabler membership category in December 2021, reserved for companies that provide an essential platform or infrastructure solution to MACH Alliance members. Enablers typically provide monitoring, data storage, cluster or container management, tracing, service meshing, API gateways, and orchestration.
While they don't offer a direct MACH product or service, Enablers help power MACH solutions for other vendors – making them an integral part of the ecosystem. 
“Having a brand like Google Cloud aligned with our organization is a powerful indicator that the market shift toward composable is speeding up and becoming mainstream,” said <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/the-future-is-composable-a-conversation-with-new-mach-alliance-president-casper-rasmussen/">Casper Ramussen</a>, MACH Alliance president. “This shift represents a major challenge to the position of long-established enterprise suites, and we’re in the right place at the right time for our movement to really scale. The Enabler category is ripe for growth over the next 12 months and critical to the success of MACH across all industries.”
<h2>Rapid Growth for MACH</h2>
The adoption of MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, and Headless) has continued to disrupt the previously monolith-dominated tech landscape. With leading global brands like AWS – and now Google Cloud – joining the MACH Alliance Enabler category, it's clear that MACH has achieved a new tier of industry validation, likely leading to more adoption in the future. 
In just under three years, the MACH Alliance has transitioned from four founding members to 15 at launch, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/bloomreach-emporix-and-kontent-ai-join-mach-alliance-pushing-member-total-over-70/">to now more than 70</a>. This is due in no small part to the rising demand for composable solutions that eliminate vendor lock-in, decrease the need for re-platforming, accelerate time-to-market, improve personalization and experimentation, and more. 
<h2>About the MACH Alliance</h2>
The MACH Alliance is a [501(c)(6)] non-profit organization, governed by an independent board and does not endorse specific vendors, members, or otherwise. The Alliance was formed in June 2020 to help enterprise organizations navigate the complex modern technology landscape. It aims to guide and show the business advantage of open tech ecosystems that are Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless. All MACH Alliance members meet certification principles that are published on the website.
The MACH Alliance welcomes technology companies and individual industry experts who share the same vision for the future. Learn more at machalliance.org, read here about <a href="https://machalliance.org/insights/mach-certification-a-seal-of-confidence" target="_blank">MACH certification</a> and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/machalliance" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/machalliance/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.

Google Cloud Joins MACH Alliance as Enabler Member

When it comes to content management systems, there's one platform that makes headless "like butter."
Of course, we're talking about <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/dynamic-landing-pages-with-components-and-buttercms/" target="_blank">ButterCMS</a>, an aptly-named brand that's been making solid gains over the years, particularly around the rise in popularity of <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank">JAMstack</a> and MACH-related microservices. The platform powers static site generators like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gatsby-unveils-v3-0-cloud-hosting-and-more-at-gatsbyconf-2021/" target="_blank">Gatsby</a>, for example – and makes it incredibly easy to connect their CMS to a fast, secure, high-performing frontend site.
Recently, the company announced some slick new additions to its <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#fastcontentupdate-localization" target="_blank">content localization capabilities</a> that aim to simplify the workflow, allowing users to translate content to any language right within the Butter UI.
Not to spread it on too thickly (pun intended), but this is exactly the kind of feature that CMS platforms need to serve global initiatives. The new functionality empowers international teams collaborating on projects to access information and quickly translate it for their specific region – all with just a few clicks. It also prevents any duplication of effort, allowing projects to be completed faster and more efficiently.
We've got more details below, but we'll butter you up with a little something extra: a brief Q&amp;A with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lumetta/" target="_blank">Butter's CEO, Jake Lumetta</a>. Read what the company's founder had to say about their new localization capabilities, composable CMS, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank">JAMstack</a>, and the <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank">headless</a> frontier. So grab your toast and dig in.
<h2>A new tool for clients with international teams and topics</h2>
There's no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2021/12/27/this-is-the-future-of-remote-work-in-2021/?sh=6f9e6f441e1d" target="_blank">growth of remote work</a> – and consequently, the rise of remote teams. This has been felt on a local level, but international teams have been working from a distance for quite some time.
According to Butter, companies with growing international interests need products that make working with their remote teams easy and effective. As such, their new localization enhancements are targeted at taking the work out of managing distributed teams, specifically marketers and translators across the globe.
The expanded set of features is a big leap forward in both speed and convenience for ButterCMS customers, giving them the option to import content in English – or any other language – as a base template to work from for any project. Once this base version is created, individual users can then copy that content and translate it for any region using simple features in the navigation menu.
<h2>Butter CMS localization: process and options</h2>
On a more granular level, the process of importing and translating content in ButterCMS is designed to be very intuitive. For example, when modifying content for a specific region, a user can select “Copy From” in the menu, and import existing content from any other locale. There's also a scrollable drop-down menu that includes all the languages that have been configured in a user's account, making it easy to select options on the fly.
After the base content has been imported, the content can be translated manually by local experts, via API by Google, or through another third-party service of your choice. Another point of convenience: regions that have already been translated are highlighted for quick recognition.
<img style="max-width:706px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image001.jpg" alt="localization settings - languages dropdown" />
There's no limit to the number of languages you can support. That means your team members from any corner of the world can translate content to accommodate local languages and meet cultural-specific content requirements.
From a permissions perspective, another new feature is the ability to <a href="https://buttercms.com/kb/enabling-localization-and-creating-localized-content" target="_blank">control editing privileges</a> for various regions at the user level, allowing teams on the ButterCMS Enterprise plan to ensure that only approved members in a designated region can make changes to their specified content. This feature streamlines the interface for international teams, minimizes confusion, and prevents unauthorized changes.
<img style="max-width:502px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image003.gif" alt="locale access checkboxes" />
<h2>Additional CMS features and updates</h2>
For Butter, "convenience" has always been a key attribute. Their interface is familiar and intuitive, making it easy to learn and use. Along these lines, they've made several recent updates that improve the content production process – making it more flexible and less time-consuming.
For example, there’s a new <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#fastcontentupdate-preview-changes" target="_blank">resizable preview panel</a> that lets users preview live content inside the same window where they are currently editing. You can also use the same click-and-drag functionality to control the size of the API explorer window. This prevents the hassle of toggling back and forth between windows while working.
<img style="max-width:600px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/09/image004.gif" alt="Resizable review panel" />
<a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#flexiblecontentmodeling-components" target="_blank">Reusable components</a> help keep the development process as simple as possible with a unique component picker tool, allowing marketers to build dynamic landing pages using pre-defined, pre-styled components. It’s a powerful feature for building dynamic landing pages without relying on a developer.
Another is Butter’s pre-configured <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#flexiblecontentmodeling-blog-engine" target="_blank">blog engine</a>, which makes it really easy to add an SEO-friendly blog to an existing website or app. It supports all of the popular frontend frameworks, with drop-in SDKs for any language.
Users can also take advantage of Butter's native <a href="https://buttercms.com/features/#medialibrary" target="_blank">Media Library</a> to host all the files necessary for a blog, app, or website. The Media Library can hold images, videos, audio files, PDFs, and more – and all files are distributed securely via <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/cloudfront/" target="_blank">Amazon CloudFront’s CDN</a>.
<h2>Summary and pricing</h2>
ButterCMS has just upped its game with some great content localization enhancements. Whether you’re managing content for a mobile app, a hybrid web app, a static site, or just a blog, the platform provides an array of tools and features to improve your development and marketing efforts.
When it comes to pricing, there are several <a href="https://buttercms.com/pricing/" target="_blank">plans</a> available that meet the needs of everyone – from freelancers and startups to enterprises and agencies – and can be scaled as your organization grows.
<h2>Q&amp;A with Jake Lumetta, CEO and founder of ButterCMS</h2>
CMS Critic had a chance to connect with Butter's CEO and founder, Jake Lumetta. We asked about their growth opportunities, composable and reusable CMS trends, and what makes their headless CMS stand out in the crowd.
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CMS Critic (CC): With localization being such a key focus in your recent update, it seems fair to say that ButterCMS is growing globally. What are your core markets? Where are you seeing the most growth internationally?
Jake Lumetta (JL): Butter has customers around the globe and in every vertical you can imagine.  If you need to manage content for a modern, highly performant application, then Butter is a great fit for your team. We've seen amazing growth in e-commerce, marketplaces, SaaS, e-learning, and financial services.
CC: Composable and reusable components are becoming essential to a CMS. Can you tell us more about your component strategy? What aspects are low code/no code? And how customizable is the framework?
JL: We heard early on from our customers that they wanted to build with components in Butter.  We built a field type called Components which enables our users to group related fields together in an intuitive way. A simple example might be an SEO component that contains all SEO meta information you might want to control for a page.  Butter Components work nicely alongside the concept of reusable components for your Front-end.  Design and marketing can work hand in hand to determine and build out beautiful and customizable experiences using Butter Components. We've made using Components really intuitive for non-developer users with another concept called a Component Picker as well. This allows any marketers to build out a custom, unique page or section of a website or mobile app using any components that they need.
CC: Headless is fast becoming the focus of the CMS market. What would you say is Butter’s most unique advantage when considered against the landscape of options – particularly those that are growing rapidly in the JAMstack?
JL: One of Butter's unique advantages is our laser focus on superior customer support and experience. Our customers want to get their hands on the product and quickly get a proof of concept running with their preferred tech, and we allow every person to easily do that. Our Customer Success team aims to promptly support all folks at any stage of using Butter. We provide resources for learning, using, and scaling the use of Butter so that people can answer their own questions quickly. Our product is also simply more intuitive than most on the market – for both developers with our straightforward API and for marketers with our intuitive and clean interface.
<h2>About ButterCMS</h2>
ButterCMS offers a modern content management solution that helps companies across several markets tackle projects and manage content with ease. Their API-driven headless CMS has enjoyed strong success in several verticals, including e-commerce, agencies, SaaS, and marketplaces. Butter offers extensive documentation and a convenient API explorer interface for quick and painless integration with any application or website. If you need additional help, they offer live, personalized support for all clients.

New Content Localization Capabilities from ButterCMS: Q&A with CEO Jake Lumetta

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