When it comes to cycle counting, the first thing that comes to mind is ABC classifications of the items and then a cycle count program to count items throughout the year on a continuous basis.

There is nothing wrong with the ABC classifications if the organization is mature enough with its items and the classification criteria is going to be somewhat stable during the year. For example, the classification criteria is the on-hand quantities, that classification is only good at the time of creation. Three months later, the classification could be different. What if the company adds new items and starts transacting? There are a few challenges with the traditional ABC Classifications.

Category-based Cycle Counts

Oracle recently rolled out Category-based cycle counts in Oracle Fusion. In my opinion, it’s a powerful tool that could easily replace the ABC model.  I believe that the Category-based Cycle Counts has various advantages over ABC Classification:

· If all items are the same for cycle counting purposes, use an existing catalog, or see if any of the other catalogs can be used

· If none of the existing catalogs work, then create a Cycle Count Catalog

· Assign your items to the catalog: in our experience, this approach is more intuitive for most companies than performing the ABC classifications.

· Create a Category-based cycle count and let Oracle create counts based on the categories

The clear advantage with this approach is the flexibility of adding items and changing the item’s classification or category at any given time without cumbersome setups and IT work.

Another added benefit is that Oracle Fusion Cycle base can be used to perform highly accurate counts, if performing manual counts.

We will cover the newly improved Cycle Count pages with Redwood Experience in out next blog.  As a sneak pick that blog, Oracle is not improving direct manual classification that may make the usage of ABC Classification attractive again.

This new approach to perform Cycle Counts in Oracle Fusion Supply Chain is a powerful tool worth exploring.

Contact Mehmet Erisen at Perficient for more introspection of this functionality, and how Perficient and Oracle Fusion Cloud can digitalize and modernize your ERP platform.

In Part 2, we integrated Azure AI Search with Azure Personalizer to build a smarter, user-focused experience in Optimizely CMS. We used ServiceAPI to send CMS content to Azure AI Search. In Part 3, we’ll take things a step further: enabling users to ask natural language questions and get AI-powered answers. But here’s the twist: instead of using ServiceAPI, this time we’ll explore how to query indexed content directly using Azure AI Search’s REST API.

Why Natural Language Q&A?

Sometimes users don’t know the exact keywords. They ask things like:

“How do I return a product?” “Can I book a demo?”

With OpenAI on Azure and the semantic capabilities of Azure AI Search, your website can now understand those queries and provide helpful, contextual responses.

Architecture Overview

1. CMS content is indexed by Azure AI Search (via ServiceAPI or crawler).
2. The search index is enriched with semantic settings.
3. A user types a natural language query.
4. Your backend uses Azure Search’s Semantic Search + Azure OpenAI (chat/completion API) to return a contextual answer.

Using Azure Search API to Extract Content

You can directly access indexed content using the Azure Search REST API. Here’s an example of how to fetch top 5 results:

public async Task<List<string>> SearchAzureContentAsync(string query)
{
    var searchServiceName = "<your-search-service-name>";
    var indexName = "<your-index-name>";
    var apiKey = "<your-api-key>";

    using var client = new HttpClient();
    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("api-key", apiKey);

    var url = $"https://{searchServiceName}.search.windows.net/indexes/{indexName}/docs?api-version=2021-04-30-Preview&search={query}&$top=5";
    var result = await client.GetStringAsync(url);
    
    var json = JsonDocument.Parse(result);
    var docs = new List<string>();

    foreach (var item in json.RootElement.GetProperty("value").EnumerateArray())
    {
        docs.Add(item.GetProperty("content").GetString());
    }

    return docs;
}

Generate Answer Using Azure OpenAI

Once we retrieve relevant documents, we’ll pass them into Azure OpenAI to generate a contextual answer:

public async Task<string> AskOpenAiAsync(string question, List<string> context)
{
    var prompt = $"""
You are a helpful assistant. Based on the following content, answer the question:

{string.Join("\n\n", context)}

Question: {question}
Answer:
""";

    var openAiKey = "<your-openai-key>";
    var endpoint = "https://<your-openai-endpoint>.openai.azure.com/openai/deployments/<deployment-name>/completions?api-version=2022-12-01";

    var payload = new
    {
        prompt = prompt,
        temperature = 0.7,
        max_tokens = 200
    };

    using var client = new HttpClient();
    client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("api-key", openAiKey);
    var response = await client.PostAsync(endpoint, new StringContent(JsonSerializer.Serialize(payload), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json"));

    var result = JsonDocument.Parse(await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync());
    return result.RootElement.GetProperty("choices")[0].GetProperty("text").GetString();
}

Integrate with Optimizely CMS

You can create a controller like this:

public class QnAController : Controller
{
    [HttpPost]
    public async Task<ActionResult> Ask(string question)
    {
        var docs = await SearchAzureContentAsync(question);
        var answer = await AskOpenAiAsync(question, docs);
        return Json(new { answer });
    }
}

And on your view:

<form method="post" id="qnaForm">
  <input type="text" name="question" placeholder="Ask a question..." />
  <button type="submit">Ask</button>
</form>
<div id="answer"></div>

<script>
  $('#qnaForm').submit(function(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    const question = $('input[name=question]').val();
    fetch('/QnA/Ask', {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
      body: JSON.stringify({ question })
    })
    .then(r => r.json())
    .then(data => $('#answer').text(data.answer));
  });
</script>

Summary

This wraps up the final puzzle piece: letting users speak freely with your Optimizely site, while AI interprets and responds in real-time. From content indexing to re-ranking to full-on Q&A, your CMS is now intelligent, conversational, and user-first. Want to see this in action? Stay tuned for the sample repo and video walkthrough!

The blog is also published here Natural Language Q&A in Optimizely CMS Using Azure OpenAI and AI Search

As technology continues to advance, patients and care teams expect to seamlessly engage with tools that support better health and accelerate progress. These developments demand the rapid, secure, scalable, and compliant sharing of data. 

By aligning enterprise and business goals with digital technology, healthcare organizations (HCOs) can activate strategies for transformative outcomes and improve experiences and efficiencies across the health journey. 

IDC Market Glance: Healthcare Provider Operational IT Solutions, 1Q25 

Perficient is proud to be included in the categories of IT Services and SI services in the IDC Market Glance: Healthcare Provider Operational IT Solutions, 1Q25 report (doc #US52221325, March 2025). We believe our inclusion in this report’s newly introduced “Services” segmentation underscores our expertise to leverage AI-driven automation and advanced analytics, optimize technology investments, and navigate evolving industry challenges. 

IDC states, “This expansion reflects the industry’s shift toward outsourced expertise, scalable service models, and strategic partnerships to manage complex operational IT and infrastructure efficiently.” 

IDC defines IT Services as, “managed IT services, ensuring system reliability, cybersecurity, and infrastructure optimization. These solutions support healthcare provider transformation initiatives, helpdesk management, network monitoring, and compliance with healthcare IT regulations.” The SI Services category is defined by IDC as, “system integration services that help deploy technologies and connect disparate systems, including EHRs, RCM platforms, ERP solutions, and third-party applications to enhance interoperability, efficiency, automation, and compliance with industry standards.”  

Advanced Solutions for Data-Driven Success 

We imagine, engineer, and optimize scalable, reliable technologies and data, partnering with healthcare leaders to better understand consumer expectations and strategically align digital investments with business priorities.  

Our end-to-end professional services include: 

• Digital transformation strategy:  The healthcare industry’s rapid evolution requires attention in several areas – adopting new care models, capitalizing on disruptive technologies, and affecting regulatory, operational, financial, and organizational change. We equip HCOs to recognize and speed past potential hurdles in order to maximize ROI by making the most of technology, operational, and financial resources. 

• Cloud-native environments: Cloud technology is the primary enabler of business transformation and outcomes-focused value. Investing in cloud allows HCOs to overcome limitations of legacy systems, improve stability, and reduce costs. It also leads to better solution quality, faster feature delivery, and encourages a culture of innovation. Our expert consultants tailor cloud solutions to unique business needs, empowering teams and fueling growth, intelligence, and long-term profitability. 

• Hyper-scalable data infrastructures: We equip HCOs to maximize the value of information across the care ecosystem by uncovering the most meaningful, trustworthy data and enriching it with critical context so you can use it to answer difficult questions, power meaningful experiences, and automate smart decisions. Trusting data begins with having trust in the people, processes, and systems that source, move, transform, and manage that data. We partner to build data into a powerful, differentiating asset that can accelerate clinical, marketing, and operational excellence as information is exchanged across organizations, systems, devices, and applications. 

• AI ecosystems: HCO’s face mounting competition, financial pressures, and macro uncertainties. Enhance operations with innovative and intelligent AI and automation solutions that help you overcome complex challenges, streamline processes, and unlock new levels of productivity. Holistic business transformation and advanced analytics are front and center in this industry evolution, and generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI have fundamentally shifted how organizations approach intelligence within digital systems. According to IDC, “GenAI will continue to redefine workflows, while agentic AI shows promise to drive real-time, responsive, and interpretive orchestration across operations.” Position yourself for success now and in the future with enhanced customer interactions, reduced operational costs, and data-driven decision-making powered by our AI expertise. 

• Digital experiences: Digital-first care options are changing the face of healthcare experiences, bringing commerce-like solutions to consumers who search for and choose care that best fits their personal priorities and needs. We build high-impact experience strategies and put them in motion, so your marketing investments drive results that grow lasting relationships and support healthy communities. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve – with organizational consolidations and new disruptors reshaping the marketplace – we help you proactively and efficiently attract and nurture prospective patients and caregivers as they make health decisions. 

We don’t just implement solutions; we create intelligent strategies that align technology with your key business priorities and organizational capabilities. Our approach goes beyond traditional data services. We create AI-ready intelligent ecosystems that breathe life into your data strategy and accelerate transformation. By combining technical excellence, global reach, and a client-centric approach, we’re able to drive business transformation, boost operational resilience, and enhance health outcomes. 

Success in Action: Illuminating a Clear Path to Care With AI-Enabled Search 

Empower Healthcare Experiences Through Innovative Technology 

Whether you want to redefine workflows, personalize care pathways, or revolutionize proactive health management, Perficient can help you boost efficiencies and a competitive edge.  

We combine strategy, industry best practices, and technology expertise to deliver award-winning results for leading health systems: 

• Business Transformation: Transform strategy into action: improve operations, lower costs, build operational resilience, and optimize care. 

• Modernization: Provide quality, cost-effective tools and platforms that enable exceptional care. 

• Data Analytics: Enable trusted data access and insight to clinical, operational, and financial teams across the healthcare ecosystem. 

• Consumer Experience: Harness data and technology to drive optimal healthcare outcomes and experiences. 

Discover why we have been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. Explore our healthcare expertise and contact us to learn more.

In a time of constantly evolving customer expectations, Perficient has established itself as a leader in delivering high-impact customer service solutions to the world’s leading brands. This dedication was recognized by the Business Intelligence Group’s 2025 Excellence in Customer Service Awards, where Perficient proudly claimed the title of Organization of the Year in the Internet and Technology category. 

A Commitment to Transforming Customer Experiences 

Perficient has been consistently collecting awards across categories, from industry awards like the eHealthcare Leadership Awards to partner awards like our Coveo Relevance: Accelerator Award. This year, Perficient is excited to be once again recognized, this time for the collaborative work around customer service and contact center we do with the world’s largest enterprises and favorite brands. By specializing in modernized customer service with AI-driven strategies, cloud solutions, and data insights, our experts bring innovation and impact from strategy to execution and beyond.  

When it comes to contact center and customer service solutions, our expertise spans omnichannel support, including phone, email, social media, chatbots, and messaging apps. We don’t just stop at providing tools—our experts craft tailored, proactive customer experiences that align with individual preferences. From reducing call volumes through AI-powered virtual assistants to streamlining operations, Perficient drives efficiency while elevating satisfaction. 

What truly differentiates Perficient is its people and partnerships. With thousands of skilled professionals worldwide and partnerships with leading technology companies like AWS, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe, Perficient excels in implementing effective, enterprise solutions. Our industry-first approach ensures deep understanding of our clients needs and customized strategies that drive real results. customized strategies that drive real results. 

Adopting AI to Overcome Contact Center Challenges  

In the last 12 months, Perficient has tackled industry challenges head-on. As businesses faced growing demands for seamless customer service amid logistical and operational hurdles, we’ve introduced innovative solutions to help clients overcome obstacles. These included AI-powered tools, site reliability engineering for eCommerce platforms, and enhanced customer outreach strategies to prevent lost sales due to out-of-stock scenarios. 

Additionally, Perficient guided enterprises through the complexities of adopting AI, helping brands scale solutions efficiently with streamlined deployment processes. 

Delivering Impactful Results 

The results we’ve been able to deliver for our partners speak for themselves. From deploying an AI chatbot for a global automaker, which increased site engagement by 76%, to handling 75% of patient calls for a nationwide urgent care provider, we’ve redefined what excellence in customer service looks like. 

Our work contributions and expert interviews have also garnered analyst recognition. Gartner and Forrester recently highlighted Perficient for its expertise in scalable AI deployment and its innovative use of GenAI in customer interactions. 

Driving the Future of Customer Service 

Winning the 2025 Excellence in Customer Service Award as Organization of the Year is a testament to Perficient’s transformative impact on how enterprises connect with customers. With a relentless focus on innovation, partnerships, and tailored solutions, we’ll continue to lead the way in reshaping customer service for the better. 

Perficient’s ethos inspires a future where businesses not only meet but exceed the expectations of their customers, one scalable, data-driven solution at a time.

Explore our contact center expertise and learn about other recent awards won.  

The Future of Work: Letting AI Handle Responsibility While Humans Maintain Accountability

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, we’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how we conceptualize the division of labor between artificial intelligence and human workers. Rather than viewing AI as simply another tool in our arsenal, forward-thinking organizations are reconsidering the entire paradigm of responsibility and accountability in the workplace.

Redefining the Division of Labor

The traditional approach to implementing AI has focused on automating discrete tasks while keeping humans firmly in control of processes. However, this limited vision fails to capitalize on the true potential of these intelligent systems.

What if instead, we reconceptualized this relationship entirely? AI systems excel at consistent execution, tireless monitoring, and operating within defined parameters – in other words, they are ideally suited for responsibility. Humans, meanwhile, bring judgment, ethical reasoning, and the ability to evaluate outcomes against broader societal values – making them perfectly positioned for accountability.

AI as the Responsible Party

AI systems are naturally suited to handle day-to-day responsibilities due to several inherent advantages:

1. Consistency and reliability in execution
2. Absence of cognitive biases that plague human decision-making
3. Ability to operate continuously without fatigue
4. Capacity to monitor and process vast amounts of data simultaneously

Consider a healthcare setting where AI systems handle medication administration scheduling, vital signs monitoring, and protocol adherence. The AI doesn’t forget doses, doesn’t get distracted by emergencies elsewhere, and doesn’t suffer decision fatigue at the end of a long shift. It reliably executes its responsibilities according to established parameters.

Human Accountability as the New Paradigm

While AI handles the execution, humans maintain accountability for:

1. Defining success criteria and acceptable parameters
2. Evaluating outcomes against broader societal values
3. Adapting systems based on real-world impact
4. Taking ultimate responsibility for system performance

This arrangement leverages the strengths of both parties. The AI doesn’t need to understand why certain protocols exist – it simply needs to execute them flawlessly. Humans don’t need to personally perform every task – they need to effectively evaluate whether the outcomes align with organizational and societal goals.

Strategic Implementation Considerations

For organizations looking to implement this model, several critical elements must be addressed:

Transparency Mechanisms – Humans cannot be accountable for systems they cannot understand. AI responsible for daily operations must provide clear audit trails and explanations of key decisions.

Intervention Frameworks – Accountable humans need established protocols for when and how to intervene in AI-managed processes.

Success Metrics – Organizations must clearly define what constitutes success beyond simple efficiency metrics, incorporating ethical considerations and alignment with organizational values.

Cultural Adaptation – Perhaps most challenging is the cultural shift required, moving from a mindset where “being responsible” means “doing the work personally” to one where accountability is about ensuring appropriate outcomes.

The Path Forward

This paradigm shift represents not just an optimization of existing processes but a fundamental rethinking of how we organize work. By allowing AI to be responsible for execution while humans maintain accountability for outcomes, organizations can achieve unprecedented levels of operational excellence while ensuring systems remain aligned with human values.

The most forward-thinking organizations are already moving in this direction, recognizing that the future belongs not to those who simply adopt AI as a tool, but to those who reimagine the entire relationship between human and artificial intelligence.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform our workplaces, but whether we will have the vision to transform our understanding of responsibility and accountability to match.

Note: I am accountable for the ideas in this article; Claude was responsible for putting all the right words in the right order.

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you are probably familiar with the “winter is coming” phrase.  When it comes to Oracle Fusion, the Redwood experience has been coming for years, but now it’s almost here.

Oracle is in the process of overhauling the whole fusion suite with what they call the “Redwood Experience.” The newly designed Redwood pages are not only responsive and more powerful than their ancestors, but they bring great capability to the table.

• Redwood pages are built for the future. They are all AI-ready and some come with pre-built AI capabilities.
• They are geared toward a “Journey Guide” concept, so enterprise-level software implementations are no longer full of “technical jargon.”
• The new AI Studio and the Visual Studio give Oracle Fusion clients the ability to modify the application for their business needs.

How to Move Forward with the Redwood Experience

Adopting to Redwood is not a straightforward task.  Every quarterly release, Oracle will add more and more pages with the Redwood design, but how do you adopt and take on to the Redwood experience and explore AI opportunities?

1. First, deploy the setup screens where Redwood experience is available.
2. Second, review quarterly updates and decide what screens are mature enough to be deployed.
3. Third, review is the new design is beginning new functionality or lacking any functionality. For instance, Oracle Work Definition Redwood pages are bringing new functionality, whereas the newly designed Order Management pages won’t support certain flows.  Having said that, Order Management screens brings so much when in comes to AI capabilities, if the “not yet available” features is not a business requirement, moving to the Redwood experience will bring efficiency in customer service and much better user experience.
4. Fourth, have a game plan to roll out with your pace. With the cloud, you are in total control of how and when you roll out the SCM pages. According to Oracle, there isn’t yet a definitive timeframe that Oracle will make the Redwood pages mandatory (04/2025).  Please note that some of the pages are already in play and some made have been mandatory.

User acceptance and adoption comes with time, so the sooner the transition begins, the more successful the implementations will go. Perficient can help you with your transition from traditional Fusion or legacy on-prem applications to the SCM Redwood experience. When you are ready to take the first step and you’re looking for some advice, contact us. Our strategy is to craft a path for our clients that will make the transition as seamless as possible to the user community and their support staff.

New modern looking newly designed Manage Manufacturers Redwood Experience with built-in AI Assist

Below are the Supply Chain features Oracle has released from release 24D to 25B. (2024 Q3- 2025 Q2) only for Inventory Management and yet it is an overwhelming list.  Please stay tuned for our Redwood series that will be talking about select features.

The 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report, titled “The Year the Frontier Firm Is Born,” explores the transformative impact of AI on business and knowledge work. This comprehensive report delves into how AI is reshaping organizations, creating new roles, and redefining workflows. “Frontier Firms” are redefining how we perceive teamwork by synergizing human judgment and AI agents.

Understanding Frontier Firms

The term “Frontier Firm” refers to companies that are seamlessly integrating AI into their workforce, revolutionizing traditional operations. According to the Work Trend Index, these firms are twice as likely to be thriving as their counterparts. This success is reflected in the optimistic outlook of their employees—93% of workers in these firms feel positive about the future, compared to 77% in other companies.

Becoming a Frontier Firm

The journey to becoming a Frontier Firm involves three different levels of maturity:

1. Human with Assistant: AI acts as an assistant, helping employees work better and faster.
2. Human-Agent Teams: AI agents join teams as digital colleagues, taking on specific tasks at human direction.
3. Human-Led, Agent-Operated: Humans set direction for agents that run entire business processes and workflows.

New Terms for a New World of Work

The report introduces several terms:

• Agent: An AI-powered system that can autonomously complete tasks or workflows with human oversight.
• Agent Boss: A human manager of one or more agents.
• Capacity Gap: The deficit between business demands and the maximum capacity of humans alone to meet them.
• Digital Labor: AI or agents that can be purchased on demand to scale workforce capacity.
• Human-Agent Ratio: A business metric optimizing the balance of human oversight with agent efficiency.

Human-Agent Teams

Human-agent teams are upending traditional organizational structures. The report highlights the importance of getting the human-agent ratio right to ensure optimal performance. Leaders must balance the number of agents per person to avoid underutilization or overwhelming human capacity.

Employee Mindset

The report stresses the need for employees to adopt a thought partner mindset when working with AI. This involves treating AI as a teammate capable of initiating action, managing projects, and adapting in real time.

Rise of the Agent Boss

As AI agents join the workforce, the role of the agent boss emerges. Leaders expect their teams to redesign business processes with AI, build multi-agent systems, train agents, and manage them within five years.

Starting the Journey

The journey towards becoming a Frontier Firm doesn’t require perfection from the outset. The organizations that are thriving today are those that are not only adopting AI but are also intelligently restructuring their workflows around these technologies.

To fully leverage AI’s potential, organizations must play both offense and defense. AI can boost employee productivity and drive cost efficiencies, but it should also be used to grow revenue and cut costs. Here are some considerations as we move forward:

1. Begin with Your Most Significant Pain Point: Determine one or two key processes that, if optimized for speed, cost, or efficiency, would significantly enhance your business operations. This method enables prioritization of AI initiatives that yield the highest impact.
2. Play Offense and Defense: A winning AI strategy requires leveraging AI to grow revenue and cut costs. Organizations that apply AI to enhance their key differentiators will gain a competitive advantage
3. Integrate AI with Your Company Data: For Agents to be effective, they must use your company’s data and knowledge.  It is necessary to have suitable tools like Microsoft Purview to address oversharing concerns, protect against data loss and insider risks, and govern agent activity to enforce regulations and policies.
4. Consider a Growing Number of Agents: AI transformation is accelerating! In the last year many organizations have been focused on giving employees access to an LLM in a way that satisfies security and compliance requirements. As we progress, we will need to consider how we can secure, govern and support a growing number of agents. We should consider how solutions such as the Copilot Control System can support these efforts.

The 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report underscores the pivotal role of AI in transforming business and knowledge work. Organizations should consider AI’s potential, redefine workflows, and prepare for a future where human-agent teams drive innovation and growth.

What will your first digital employee do?

You can download a copy of the 2025 Work Trend Index report here.

In the ever-evolving world of web development, the term “headless” is as popular today as it ever has been. But what does it really mean, and why should you care? Let’s dive into the concept of headless architecture, its benefits, and why Sitecore is leading the charge in this space.

What is Headless?

At its core, a headless CMS is a software design approach that separates the front-end (what users see) from the back-end (where content is managed). Unlike traditional CMS platforms that tightly couple content management with presentation, headless CMS’s use APIs to deliver content anywhere—web, mobile app, kiosk, or a smart device. In many ways, the originator of headless architecture is Jamstack – which stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup. Instead of relying on traditional monolithic architectures, Jamstack applications decouple the web experience from the back-end, making them more scalable, flexible, and high-performing. JavaScript handles dynamic interactions on the front-end, allowing developers to build fast and modern user experiences. API’s provide a way to pull in content and services from various sources and the website can also push data to API’s such as form submissions, custom analytics events and other user driven data. Markup refers to pre-built HTML that can be served efficiently, often generated using static site generators or frameworks like Next.js.

Why Go Headless?

You might be wondering, “Why would I build my website entirely in JavaScript when it’s mostly content?” That’s a valid question and I thought the same when Sitecore JSS first came out. Headless though is less about “building your site in JavaScript” and more about the benefits of the architecture.

Flexibility

Headless CMS’s allow developers to work with any front-end framework they choose, whether it’s React, Vue, Angular, or whatever your favorite framework might be. This means teams are not locked into the templating system of a traditional CMS or the underlying backend technology.

Performance

Speed is everything in today’s digital landscape. Studies show that even a slight delay in page load time can significantly impact user engagement and conversion rates. Headless CMS’s improve performance by enabling static site generation (SSG) and incremental static regeneration (ISR)—both of which ensure lightning-fast load times. Instead of a server processing each request from a user, static content can be served from a global CDN – which is a modern composable architecture. Of course, server side rendering is also still an option and can also by very performant with the right caching strategy.

Omnichannel Delivery

Content today is consumed on more than just websites. Whether it’s a mobile app, smart device, digital kiosk, or even a wearable, headless architecture ensures content can be delivered anywhere through API’s. This makes it easier for brands to maintain a consistent digital experience across multiple platforms without duplicating content.

Security

Traditional CMS’s are often vulnerable to security threats because they expose both the content management system and the front-end to potential attacks. In contrast, headless CMS’s separate these layers, reducing the attack surface. With content served via APIs and front-end files hosted on secure CDNs, businesses benefit from enhanced security and fewer maintenance headaches.

Scalability

Handling high traffic volumes is a challenge for traditional CMS platforms, especially during peak times. Since headless solutions rely on cloud-based infrastructure, they can scale dynamically without requiring expensive hardware upgrades. Whether you’re serving thousands or millions of users, headless architecture ensures your site remains stable and responsive.

Why Sitecore for Headless?

There are plenty of options in the headless CMS market, but Sitecore offers a unique blend of features that make it stand out. With XM Cloud, Sitecore provides a fully SaaS-based solution—no more infrastructure headaches, no more costly upgrades, and uptime and reliability are now handled by Sitecore.

Sitecore’s hybrid headless approach allows organizations to transition at their own pace, leveraging the benefits of headless while maintaining familiar content management workflows. Hybrid headless gives content authors complete freedom and flexibility to build content however they’d like – where most purely headless content management systems are more rigid on how pages are built.

As digital experiences become more dynamic and user expectations continue to rise, headless CMS solutions offer the agility businesses need. If you’re looking to modernize your digital strategy, now is the time to embrace headless.

From Exploration to Integration

When the co-founder and “Senior Maverick” at Wired magazine, Kevin Kelly, speaks, you listen.

In our latest episode of What If? So What? Jim Hertzfeld sits down with Kevin Kelly, the Co-Founder of Wired magazine and one of the most respected observers of the digital age. Their conversation spans AI, organizational change, emotional technology, and the importance of staying endlessly curious.

It’s not about where the frontier is—it’s about how we navigate toward it.

“We discover things by using them.”

Kelly is quick to push back against the idea that insight can come from speculation alone.

“I think there’s a lot of Thinkism… the fallacy that you can figure things out by thinking about them,” he explains. “I think we discover things by using them.”

That simple shift—from theorizing to experimenting—is at the heart of innovation. He encourages direct interaction with new tools as the only real way to grasp their potential. “If I can’t use it, I want to talk to someone else who’s actually using them in some way. Because that’s where we’re going to learn.”

Innovation moves fast. Adoption moves differently.

While headlines often suggest exponential speed, Kelly brings the conversation back to reality.

“The frontier is moving very, very, very fast,” he says. “But the adoption is just going to take a long time… You can’t just introduce this technology nakedly. You have to adjust workflow, organizational shape… you have to adjust the infrastructure to maximize it.”

It’s not resistance. It’s pacing. And it’s a pattern we’ve seen before—he compares it to the slow but transformational adoption of electricity, which reshaped industries not just functionally but structurally. That same shift is playing out now with AI.

From digital to cloud to AI

Kelly observes that many companies aiming to embrace AI first seek to digitize, but that step alone may not be enough.

“There’s a step after digitization… which is they have to become a cloud company,” he says. “That’s really the only way that the AI is going to work at a large scale in a company like that.”

It’s not a warning. It’s a reflection—on what’s required to unlock the full potential of these tools.

When AI becomes emotional

There’s one dimension of AI that Kelly believes most people haven’t fully anticipated: the emotional bond.

“People will work with [AI] every day and become very close to them in an emotional way that we are not prepared for,” he explains. “It’s like… those who don’t have their glasses, and they need them to function. So, it’s not like falling in love with their glasses—it’s like, no, you are at your best with this thing.”

In that sense, AI won’t just reshape productivity. It may reshape the way we relate to technology altogether.

What does “digital” even mean anymore?

When asked to define “digital,” Kelly pauses. “At least in my circle, I don’t hear that term being used very much more,” he says.

But if pressed? He points to pace as the key distinction: not just whether something is digital or analog, but how fast it’s moving, how quickly it evolves.

That framing helps explain why some technologies feel modern and others feel legacy—it’s not just the format. It’s the momentum.

“You’re going to be a newbie for the rest of your life.”

Kelly closes the conversation with one piece of advice that applies to everyone, at every stage:

“No matter what age you are, you’re gonna spend the rest of your life learning new things,” he says. “So, what you want to do is get really good at learning… because you’re gonna be a newbie for the rest of your life.”

It reminds us that in a world of constant transformation, our greatest advantage isn’t what we know—it’s how we grow.

Listen to the full conversation

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Meet our Guest – Kevin Kelly

Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living, a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers’ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kelly include 1) The Inevitable, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2) Out of Control, his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3) The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4) What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology, and 5) Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia.  He is best known for his radical optimism about the future.

Learn More about Kevin Kelly

Meet our Host

Jim Hertzfeld is Area Vice President, Strategy for Perficient.

For over two decades, he has worked with clients to convert market insights into real-world digital products and customer experiences that actually grow their business. More than just a strategist, Jim is a pragmatic rebel known for challenging the conventional and turning grand visions into actionable steps. His candid demeanor, sprinkled with a dose of cynical optimism, shapes a narrative that challenges and inspires listeners.

Connect with Jim:

LinkedIn | Perficient

Data Summit 2025 is just around the corner, and we’re excited to connect, learn, and share ideas with fellow leaders in the data and AI space. As the pace of innovation accelerates, events like this offer a unique opportunity to engage with peers, discover groundbreaking solutions, and discuss the future of data-driven transformation. 

We caught up with Jerry Locke, a data solutions expert at Perficient, who’s not only attending the event but also taking the stage as a speaker. Here’s what he had to say about this year’s conference and why it matters: 

Why is this event important for the data industry? 

“Anytime you can meet outside of the screen is always a good thing. For me, it’s all about learning, networking, and inspiration. The world of data is expanding at an unprecedented pace. Global data volume is projected to reach over 180 zettabytes (or 180 trillion gigabytes) by 2025—tripling from just 64 zettabytes in 2020. That’s a massive jump. The question we need to ask is: What are modern organizations doing to not only secure all this data but also use it to unlock new business opportunities? That’s what I’m looking to explore at this summit.” 

What topics do you think will be top-of-mind for attendees this year? 

“I’m especially interested in the intersection of data engineering and AI. I’ve been lucky to work on modern data teams where we’ve adopted CI/CD pipelines and scalable architectures. AI has completely transformed how we manage data pipelines—mostly for the better. The conversation this year will likely revolve around how to continue that momentum while solving real-world challenges.” 

Are there any sessions you’re particularly excited to attend? 

“My plan is to soak in as many sessions on data and AI as possible. I’m especially curious about the use cases being shared, how organizations are applying these technologies today, and more importantly, how they plan to evolve them over the next few years.” 

What makes this event special for you, personally? 

“I’ve never been to this event before, but several of my peers have, and they spoke highly of the experience. Beyond the networking, I’m really looking forward to being inspired by the incredible work others are doing. As a speaker, I’m honored to be presenting on serverless engineering in today’s cloud-first world. I’m hoping to not only share insights but also get thoughtful feedback from the audience and my peers. Ultimately, I want to learn just as much from the people in the room as they might learn from me.” 

What’s one thing you hope listeners take away from your presentation? 

“My main takeaway is simple: start. If your data isn’t on the cloud yet, start that journey. If your engineering isn’t modernized, begin that process. Serverless is a key part of modern data engineering, but the real goal is enabling fast, informed decision-making through your data. It won’t always be easy—but it will be worth it.

I also hope that listeners understand the importance of composable data systems. If you’re building or working with data systems, composability gives you agility, scalability, and future-proofing. So instead of a big, all-in-one data platform (monolith), you get a flexible architecture where you can plug in best-in-class tools for each part of your data stack. Composable data systems let you choose the best tool for each job, swap out or upgrade parts without rewriting everything, and scale or customize workflows as your needs evolve.” 

Don’t miss Perficient at Data Summit 2025. A global digital consultancy, Perficient is committed to partnering with clients to tackle complex business challenges and accelerate transformative growth. 

Read our connected products research.

Consumer and commercial demand for connected products has risen steadily by 15% since 2000 and is projected to grow another 14% by 2027 according to projections by IoT Analytics Gmbh. Features that were once considered nice to have or premium functionality are now table stakes. This trend indicates a time sensitive opportunity for manufacturers to forge new avenues of revenue generation. It is therefore crucial for manufacturers to continue pushing the envelope of capabilities the market has come to expect, depend on, and demand more of in the future.   

Perficient recognizes the value of thought leadership when competing for market share in a growing market.  To provide key insights that would inform connected product manufacturers’ strategies going forward, we surveyed end users and manufacturers of connected products to discover the factors impacting their sales, user behavior, and future trajectory. Over 1,300 responses across industries, departments, and seniority levels reveal intriguing commonalities and discrepancies.  We share in this piece some of the insight we gained from researching our survey returns.      

Explore our manufacturing industry expertise.

AI & ML is Where Manufacturer, Consumer, and Commercial User Interests Converge

Currently, emerging innovations enable completely new ways of leveraging connected products. Analysis of our results across manufacturers, commercial users, and consumers revealed that AI & ML are recognized by all groups as important, particularly with a market agreement on healthcare, home, and automotive automation and monitoring.     

AI, ML, and 5G technology enable the next era of capability extending well beyond connected thermostats and remote start automobiles many of us have adopted already.  Imagine an AI chatbot on your screen that can answer questions about how much gas money you should budget for your next road trip based on your route and vehicle mileage, fuel efficiency, and localized fuel costs by your designated octane rating.   

Differing Perspectives on Interoperability 

Our research uncovered a surprising gap between manufacturers and end-users in the perception of product interoperability within connected ecosystems. There was a strong proportional alignment among all manufacturer respondents on their products connecting “very well” or “well,” while a disproportionate number of responses from the market indicate a potential disconnect when it comes to products that connect “somewhat well.” 

Knowledge is power.  One of our hypotheses posits that the disconnect between manufacturers and their end users is lack of awareness of the connected features already enabled in their current devices.  This not only impedes demand-side innovation but also inhibits adoption of new technologies because upgrade costs may be perceived as “not worth it.”  This stimulated our curiosity to investigate the considerations our survey results indicate impact adoption.     

Explore our Connected Product Strategic Position.

How Does This Affect Connected Product Strategy? 

The above insights only cover a few of the many key takeaways that our team was able to derive from the research, but even diving into these alone will help uncover a wealth of opportunity. The results from our research highlight the clear need to take a step back and assess more deeply which areas of connected product innovation require more investment, such as rethinking data collection and utilization, product experience, and unlocking new business models. 

Opportunity for Improved Product Experience, Data Strategy, and Revenue Streams

There are many opportunities to improve connected product functionality, usability, and transparency. For example, a companion app can make it easier to change settings and improve personalization from the app instead of directly interfacing the product. The app would also enable remote monitoring, which can enhance safety and convenience for consumers who want to check in on their property or devices while away or get alerts for hazards like fire, carbon monoxide, open doors and windows, or air quality-related issues. ​ 

Not only should manufacturers consider how connected capabilities and opportunities can improve the user experience but also look internally about how they’re organizing and utilizing incoming data from those products. For example, automotive OEMs can create automated, cloud-agnostic data processing platforms that support that help improve the process of making cars by studying telemetry data driver behavior and machinery functionality insights.  In collecting and analyzing this data, manufacturers can then use it to inform new product features or improvements to issues like design flaws or poor user experience.  

Ultimately, manufacturers should look closely at exploring new revenue streams using their improved data strategy and interfaces to increase profitability and enhance customer loyalty. Making some features freely available and upgrades available through subscriptions, for example, is an opportunity to improve user experience and customer retention while bringing in recurring revenue. 

Do these insights resonate with you or ignite curiosity?  Download our guide outlining the research and   reach out to us  today to schedule a workshop or briefing to collaborate on how all of our insights and more can inform your connected products strategy.   

JavaScript is single-threaded. That means it runs one task at a time, on one core. But then how does it handle things like API calls, file reads, or user interactions without freezing up?

That’s where Promises and async/await come into play. They help us handle asynchronous operations without blocking the main thread.

Let’s break down these concepts in the simplest way possible so whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned dev, it just clicks.

JavaScript has something called an event loop. It’s always running, checking if there’s work to do—like handling user clicks, network responses, or timers. In the browser, the browser runs it. In Node.js, Node takes care of it.

When an async function runs and hits an await, it pauses that function. It doesn’t block everything—other code keeps running. When the awaited Promise settles, that async function picks up where it left off.

What is a Promise?

• Fulfilled – The operation completed successfully.
• Rejected – Something went wrong.
• Pending – Still waiting for the result.

Instead of using nested callbacks (aka “callback hell”), Promises allow cleaner, more manageable code using chaining.

 Example:

fetchData()
  .then(data => process(data))
  .then(result => console.log(result))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

Common Promise Methods

Let’s look at the essential Promise utility methods:

1. Promise.all()

Waits for all promises to resolve. If any promise fails, the whole thing fails.

Promise.all([p1, p2, p3])
  .then(results => console.log(results))
  .catch(error => console.error(error));

• Resolves when all succeed.
• Rejects fast if any fail.

2. Promise.allSettled()

Waits for all promises, regardless of success or failure.

Promise.allSettled([p1, p2, p3])
  .then(results => console.log(results));

• Each result shows { status: “fulfilled”, value } or { status: “rejected”, reason }.
• Great when you want all results, even the failed ones.

3. Promise.race()

Returns as soon as one promise settles (either resolves or rejects).

Promise.race([p1, p2, p3])
  .then(result => console.log('Fastest:', result))
  .catch(error => console.error('First to fail:', error));

4. Promise.any()

Returns the first fulfilled promise. Ignores rejections unless all fail.

Promise.any([p1, p2, p3])
  .then(result => console.log('First success:', result))
  .catch(error => console.error('All failed:', error));

5.Promise.resolve() / Promise.reject

• resolve(value) creates a resolved promise.
• reject (value) creates a rejected promise.

Used for quick returns or mocking async behavior.

Why Not Just Use Callbacks?

Before Promises, developers relied on callbacks:

getData(function(response) {
  process(response, function(result) {
    finalize(result);
  });
});

This worked, but quickly became messy i.e. callback hell.

 What is async/await Really Doing?

Under the hood, async/await is just syntactic sugar over Promises. It makes asynchronous code look synchronous, improving readability and debuggability.

How it works:

• When you declare a function with async, it always returns a Promise.
• When you use await inside an async function, the execution of that function pauses at that point.
• It waits until the Promise is either resolved or rejected.
• Once resolved, it returns the value.
• If rejected, it throws the error, which you can catch using try…catch.

async function greet() {
  return 'Hello';
}
greet().then(msg => console.log(msg)); // Hello

Even though you didn’t explicitly return a Promise, greet() returns one.

Execution Flow: Synchronous vs Async/Await

Let’s understand how await interacts with the JavaScript event loop.

console.log("1");

setTimeout(() => console.log("2"), 0);

(async function() {
  console.log("3");
  await Promise.resolve();
  console.log("4");
})();

console.log("5");

Output:

Let’s understand how await interacts with the JavaScript event loop.

1
3
5
4
2

Explanation:

• The await doesn’t block the main thread.
• It puts the rest of the async function in the microtask queue, which runs after the current stack and before setTimeout (macrotask).
• That’s why “4” comes after “5”.

 Best Practices with async/await

1. Use try/catch for Error Handling

Avoid unhandled promise rejections by always wrapping await logic inside a try/catch.

async function getUser() {
  try {
    const res = await fetch('/api/user');
    if (!res.ok) throw new Error('User not found');
    const data = await res.json();
    return data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching user:', error.message);
    throw error; // rethrow if needed
  }
}

2. Run Parallel Requests with Promise.all

Don’t await sequentially unless there’s a dependency between the calls.

Bad:

const user = await getUser();
const posts = await getPosts(); // waits for user even if not needed

Better:

const [user, posts] = await Promise.all([getUser(), getPosts()]);

3. Avoid await in Loops (when possible)

Bad:

//Each iteration waits for the previous one to complete
for (let user of users) {
  await sendEmail(user);
}

Better:

//Run in parallel
await Promise.all(users.map(user => sendEmail(user)));

Common Mistakes

1. Using await outside async

const data = await fetch(url); //  SyntaxError

2. Forgetting to handle rejections
   If your async function throws and you don’t .catch() it (or use try/catch), your app may crash in Node or log warnings in the browser.
3. Blocking unnecessary operations Don’t await things that don’t need to be awaited. Only await when the next step depends on the result.

Real-World Example: Chained Async Workflow

Imagine a system where:

• You authenticate a user,
• Then fetch their profile,
• Then load related dashboard data.

Using async/await:

async function initDashboard() {
  try {
    const token = await login(username, password);
    const profile = await fetchProfile(token);
    const dashboard = await fetchDashboard(profile.id);
    renderDashboard(dashboard);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error loading dashboard:', err);
    showErrorScreen();
  }
}

Much easier to follow than chained .then() calls, right?

Converting Promise Chains to Async/Await

Old way:

login()
  .then(token => fetchUser(token))
  .then(user => showProfile(user))
  .catch(error => showError(error));

With async/await:

async function start() {
  try {
    const token = await login();
    const user = await fetchUser(token);
    showProfile(user);
  } catch (error) {
    showError(error);
  }
}

Cleaner. Clearer. Less nested. Easier to debug.

Bonus utility wrapper for Error Handling

If you hate repeating try/catch, use a helper:

const to = promise => promise.then(res => [null, res]).catch(err => [err]);

async function loadData() {
  const [err, data] = await to(fetchData());
  if (err) return console.error(err);
  console.log(data);
}

Final Thoughts

Both Promises and async/await are powerful tools for handling asynchronous code. Promises came first and are still widely used, especially in libraries. async/awa is now the preferred style in most modern JavaScript apps because it makes the code cleaner and easier to understand.

Tip: You don’t have to choose one forever — they work together! In fact, async/await is built on top of Promises.