In one of the recent projects I worked on, there was a major challenge in integrating multiple digital systems effectively. The client had a complex technology stack comprising a CMS, an e-commerce platform, a search engine, and a personalization system, all of which needed to work together seamlessly. However, we ran into several roadblocks that made this integration far from straightforward:

• Legacy Infrastructure – The client’s existing monolithic systems were outdated and rigid, making it extremely difficult to introduce new integrations or modifications.
• Data Silos – Information was trapped in separate systems with no efficient way to sync data across platforms, leading to inconsistent customer experiences and operational inefficiencies.
• High Development Costs – Custom integrations required significant effort, as each system had its own APIs, data formats, and integration requirements, affecting both the time and cost of development.
• Scalability Issues – Without a unified architecture, expanding the solution across different channels and touchpoints became increasingly challenging as business needs grew.

Example Problem Scenario: E-Commerce (Product information management Integration)

Imagine a company that stores its product data in a Product Information Management (PIM) system but also wants to showcase featured products dynamically on its website’s homepage. Without proper integration, marketers would have to manually update product listings, leading to inconsistencies and delays in showcasing the latest promotions or inventory updates.

Many organizations struggle same kind if issues to bridge the gap between their current tech stack and modern, cloud-native solutions. This is where Sitecore Connect comes in.

Sitecore’s Composable Offerings

Sitecore has transitioned into a composable digital experience platform (DXP), providing best-in-class products such as:

• Sitecore XM Cloud – Headless CMS for dynamic content management.
• Sitecore OrderCloud – Cloud-native e-commerce solution.
• Sitecore Discover – AI-powered search and personalized recommendations.
• Sitecore CDP & Personalize – Customer data platform for real-time segmentation and targeting.

To ensure seamless integration between these products and external platforms, Sitecore Connect acts as the integration hub.

What is Sitecore Connect?

Sitecore Connect is a low-code/no-code integration platform designed to connect Sitecore products with third-party applications, services, and legacy systems. It enables businesses to:

• Automate Workflows – Synchronize data between Sitecore and external systems without manual intervention.
• Reduce Integration Complexity – Utilize pre-built connectors and workflows to eliminate custom development effort.
• Ensure Data Consistency – Maintain a unified experience across content, commerce, and marketing platforms.
• Scale Efficiently – Adapt quickly to new technologies and business needs.

When to Choose Sitecore Connect?

Organizations should consider Sitecore Connect when they:

Need to integrate Sitecore products (XM Cloud, OrderCloud, Discover, CDP) with existing systems.

Want to connect legacy system or CMS platforms with modern Sitecore solutions.

Require seamless data synchronization between Sitecore and third-party tools (ex: Salesforce, SAP, Shopify, etc.).

Aim to reduce integration costs and implementation time using low-code/no-code solutions.

Seek to future-proof their digital architecture with a scalable, composable ecosystem.

Key Advantages of Sitecore Connect

Faster Time-to-Market – Reduces development time with pre-built connectors.

Seamless Interoperability – Ensures smooth communication between different systems.  Better Data Management – Eliminates data silos for a unified customer experience.

Business Agility – Enables organizations to pivot quickly to new digital strategies.

Cost Efficiency – Minimizes the need for extensive custom development.

Basic Keywords in Sitecore Connect & Their Descriptions

• Connector – A pre-built integration component that facilitates data exchange between different systems.
• Workflow – A set of automated actions that execute integration processes between systems.
• Trigger – An event-based mechanism that initiates a workflow when certain conditions are met.
• Action – A predefined operation that modifies, transfers, or updates data across connected platforms.
• Mapping – The process of aligning data fields between different systems to ensure proper synchronization.
• API Integration – The use of REST or GraphQL APIs to enable seamless data exchange between applications.
• Event-Based Processing – A method where integration workflows are executed based on real-time events rather than scheduled intervals.

Some Real-Time Implementation Examples

Example 1: Healthcare Website Integration

A healthcare provider has an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to manage patient data but wants to offer an online appointment booking system while also providing personalized health content based on patient history.

With Sitecore Connect, they can:

1. Integrate the EHR system with Sitecore XM Cloud to pull in relevant patient details securely.
2. Sync patient appointment data with a scheduling system and display available time slots dynamically.
3. Use Sitecore Personalize and CDP to tailor content, such as recommending relevant health articles based on a patient’s medical history.
4. Ensure compliance with data security standards while maintaining seamless integration between systems.

By leveraging Sitecore Connect, the healthcare provider can offer a more personalized, automated, and efficient patient experience while reducing manual data handling.

Example 2: Integration with E-Commerce system

Returning to our PIM system example, Sitecore Connect can be configured to:

1. Automatically sync product data from the PIM system to Sitecore XM Cloud.
2. Trigger real-time updates when new products are marked as “featured” or “promoted.”
3. Ensure accurate and dynamic content updates on the homepage, removing the need for manual updates.
4. Integrate with Sitecore Discover if present to provide AI-driven personalized recommendations based on PIM data.

By using Sitecore Connect, the company can ensure that its PIM system, content management, and personalization efforts work in harmony without the need for complex custom development.

Conclusion

For organizations looking to modernize their digital experiences integrating all existing systems to share interrelated data, Sitecore Connect is the ideal solution. By enabling seamless integration between Sitecore’s composable products and external platforms, businesses can create scalable, future-proof digital experiences.

While the world of digital experience platforms continues to evolve at a break-necking pace, and exponentially more so with the evolution of technologies like AI, there are still some steps digital marketing and development teams building digital customer experiences on the Sitecore platform can take to ensure long-term growth over the next five years and beyond. This will ensure your team won’t get stuck in an endless cycle of rework, patching or updates that are no longer relevant as soon as they are deployed. While there is no crystal ball that can tell us what the future might hold (even tomorrow), consider these steps as you continue to iterate on your Sitecore ecosystem.

1. Embrace a Composable DXP Approach & Move to the Cloud

It’s not new news that Sitecore’s approach has shifted away from a monolithic CMS in favor of a Composable DXP. This allows businesses to pick and choose best-in-class solutions rather than rely on one singular system.

Why It Matters

• Composable architecture provides greater flexibility and scalability
• They allow for faster go to market, and therefore innovation by integrating with the latest AI, automation, personalization and analytics technologies
• Components can be swapped in and out or modified without wreaking havoc on the entire Sitecore ecosystem
• Reduces IT overhead and maintenance costs, while improving security via automatic updates and uptime reliability

Action Items to Take

• Consider migrating from Sitecore XP to Sitecore XM Cloud
• Apply Sitecore CDP & Personalize for advanced audience building and personalization
• Leverage auto-scaling and AI-driven analytics

2. Prioritize Headless and Omnichannel Delivery

Modern digital experiences extend beyond traditional websites to mobile apps, chatbots, voice assistants and more. A headless CMS allows organizations to manage content in one place while being able to deliver it anywhere, seamlessly.

Why It Matters

• Content can be distributed faster across multiple touchpoints
• Allows your digital experience to be easily adaptable as new channels emerge across web, search, social media (or even insert the latest, not-yet invented, channel here, because we all know that’s coming at some point)

Action Items to Take

• Explore Sitecore Content Hub to adopt headless content management
• Use GraphQL to integrate content in omnichannel settings
• When creating digital customer experiences and workflows, consider how to make the experiences channel-agnostic, so that a customer’s journey isn’t inconsistent across the various touchpoints they may have with your brand

3. Leverage AI and Machine Learning for Personalization and Conversion Optimization

Customer’s expect real-time, personalized experiences, now more than ever. In most instances, consumers are even willing to go as far as supplying personal data in order to get to this type of experience. With this data and segmentation capabilities, the leading brands must take action to deliver relevant content, offers and experiences to ensure these expectations are being met at a minimum, and exceeded wherever possible.

Why It Matters

• Boosts customer engagement, loyalty and, ultimately, conversion rates
• Enables predictive analytics, allowing anticipation of customer needs

Action Items to Take

• Use Sitecore CDP & Personalize to personalize digital experiences in real-time fashion
• Leverage marketing automation integrations within Sitecore, including Sitecore Send
• Integrate A/B testing and AI-driven content recommendations

4. Implement a Scalable Content Strategy

Especially within the digital space, content can become stale, and FAST! Content can take a while to ideate on, produce and distribute, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Finding ways to ideate, produce and distribute content as efficiently as possible is a great step in future-proofing your Sitecore implementation.

Why It Matters

• Empowers omnichannel content distribution
• Improves production workflow efficiency
• Supports consistent branding and messaging

Action Items to Take

• Implement (and use) Sitecore Content Hub for centralized digital asset and content management
• Explore incorporating Sitecore Stream to automate and enhance content workflows
• Document and govern metadata and taxonomy best practices to make content easily searchable both internally and externally

5. Build and Maintain Strong Data and Analytics Practice

Data-driven decision-making is no longer a “nice-to-have” – it is a must. It helps marketers understand user behavior and measure success. In addition to this, there are many legal considerations around data collection and storage practices, and so having defined guidelines and guardrails in place can prevent organizations from being exposed to a whole host of risks.

Why It Matters

• Helps marketers make well-informed decisions around strategy that ultimately lead to sustainable growth
• Enables teams to experiment and optimize quickly with high degree of confidence that decisions will lead to increased user engagement
• Ultimately supports the growing list of legal requirements that organizations must abide by in order to continue to globalize their presence

Action Items to Take

• Utilize analytics software like those native to the Sitecore platform, or Google Analytics to perform usability experiments – and then act on findings
• Invest in Sitecore Search or similar intelligent search technology to harness the power of data around consumer intent on your site
• Work with legal team or outside counsel to ensure that data practices are adhering to any applicable data privacy legislation

Moving Forward

The most important thing to keep in mind as you work toward applying these principles is to keep an open mind. It is an understatement to say that the DXP world and the technologies and tools that are available are constantly changing. Embrace the change. Find use cases for new best practices and technologies. Experiment, and most of all, have some fun! This will help your organization to adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape and make sure you are always there to meet your customers and prospects where they are on their journeys

A successful Sitecore implementation isn’t just about what works today – it is about ensuring long-term flexibility, success and innovation. Build for that and the rest will follow. Now is the time to assess your strategies and pivot where needed. Are you ready to future-proof your organization’s Sitecore implementation? Reach out to Perficient today!

Why Automate Sitecore Hotfix Deployment to Azure PaaS?

Sitecore frequently releases hotfixes to address reported issues, including critical security vulnerabilities or urgent problems. Having a quick, automated process to apply these updates is crucial. By automating the deployment of Sitecore hotfixes with an Azure DevOps pipeline, you can ensure faster, more reliable updates while reducing human error and minimizing downtime. This approach allows you to apply hotfixes quickly and consistently to your Azure PaaS environment, ensuring your Sitecore instance remains secure and up to date without manual intervention. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to automate this process using Azure DevOps.

Prerequisites for Automating Sitecore Hotfix Deployment

Before diving into the pipeline setup, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. Azure DevOps Account: Ensure you have access to Azure DevOps to create and manage pipelines.
2. Azure Storage Account: You’ll need an Azure Storage Account to store your Sitecore WDP hotfix files.
3. Azure Subscription: Your Azure PaaS environment should be up and running, with a subscription linked to Azure DevOps.
4. Sitecore Hotfix WDP: Download the Cloud Cumulative package for your version and topology. Be sure to check the release notes for additional instructions.

Steps to Automate Sitecore Hotfix Deployment

1. Upload Your Sitecore Hotfix to Azure Storage
   • Create a storage container in Azure to store your WDP files.
   • Upload the hotfix using Azure Portal, Storage Explorer, or CLI.
2. Create a New Pipeline in Azure DevOps
   • Navigate to Pipelines and create a new pipeline.
   • Select the repository containing your Sitecore solution.
   • Configure the pipeline using YAML for flexibility and automation.
3. Define the Pipeline to Automate Hotfix Deployment
   • Retrieve the Azure Storage connection string securely via Azure Key Vault.
   • Download the Sitecore hotfix from Azure Storage.
   • Deploy the hotfix package to the Azure Web App production slot.
4. Set Up Pipeline Variables
   • Store critical values like storage connection strings and hotfix file names securely.
   • Ensure the web application name is correctly configured in the pipeline.
5. Trigger and Verify the Deployment
   • Run the pipeline manually or set up an automatic trigger on commit.
   • Verify the applied hotfix by checking the Sitecore instance and confirming issue resolution.

Enhancing Security in the Deployment Process

• Use Azure Key Vault: Securely store sensitive credentials and access keys, preventing unauthorized access.
• Restrict Access to Storage Accounts: Implement role-based access control (RBAC) to limit who can modify or retrieve the hotfix files.
• Enable Logging and Monitoring: Utilize Azure Monitor and Application Insights to track deployment performance and detect potential failures.

Handling Rollbacks and Errors

• Implement Deployment Slots: Test hotfix deployments in a staging slot before swapping them into production.
• Set Up Automated Rollbacks: Configure rollback procedures to revert to a previous stable version if an issue is detected.
• Enable Notifications: Use Azure DevOps notifications to alert teams about deployment success or failure.

Scaling the Approach for Large Deployments

• Automate Across Multiple Environments: Extend the pipeline to deploy hotfixes across development, QA, and production environments.
• Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Leverage tools like Terraform or ARM templates to ensure a consistent infrastructure setup.
• Integrate Automated Testing: Implement testing frameworks such as Selenium or JMeter to verify hotfix functionality before deployment.

Why Streamline Sitecore Hotfix Deployments with Azure DevOps is Important

Automating the deployment of Sitecore hotfixes to Azure PaaS with an Azure DevOps pipeline saves time and ensures consistency and accuracy across environments. By storing the hotfix WDP in an Azure Storage Account, you create a centralized, secure location for all your hotfixes. The Azure DevOps pipeline then handles the rest—keeping your Sitecore environment up to date.

This process makes applying Sitecore hotfixes faster, more reliable, and less prone to error, which is exactly what you need in a production environment.

Looking back on our first-ever Women in Digital Breakfast at Sitecore Symposium, we had an inspiring and impactful gathering focused on empowerment, leadership, and allyship in the digital industry. The goal was to celebrate the achievements of women and provide a platform for them to share their thoughts and experiences from an industry that is constantly evolving.

Featured Speakers:

• Moderator: Megan Mueller Jensen, Portfolio Specialist, Perficient
• Panelist: Kathie Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore​
• Panelist: Ashley Spiro, Global Head of Website Factory
• Panelist: Elycia Arendt, Director of Application Development, National Marrow Donor Program

There was no shortage of meaningful discussions during the event. Below are a few of the memorable moments and key takeaways from our panelists about the importance of allyship, redefining success, and practical steps for change.

Watch the Highlights

1. Allyship Matters

While the event celebrated women in digital, the presence of male allies who attended was emphasized as crucial to progress. Supporting female colleagues, amplifying their voices, and advocating for inclusivity are key actions that drive real change.

2. Creating a More Equitable Workplace

Panelists highlighted the importance of supporting women in leadership roles and rethinking hiring and promotion practices, showing that challenging existing processes is both necessary and valuable. Simple yet powerful changes such as ensuring diverse interview pools and fostering mentorship can make a lasting impact.

3. The Power of Community and Giving Back

Instead of traditional event swag, donations were made on behalf of those in attendance to the American Cancer Society in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This gesture reinforced the importance of purpose-driven initiatives in the corporate space while supporting and championing the women in our lives who have been impacted by breast cancer.

4. Reshaping Definitions of Success

Success isn’t just about titles and promotions but about making an impact. Our panelists shared how their definition of success has evolved, highlighting the importance of fulfillment, mentorship, and work-life balance. They emphasized the power of leadership that inspires and supports others, encouraging professionals to be the kind of managers they once wished for in their own careers.

5. Supporting Women Re-Entering the Workforce

The pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women, many of whom were forced to leave the workforce to care for children, aging parents, or other relatives. Technology provides a strong opportunity for these individuals to re-enter the workforce and companies should make a concerted effort to actively welcome and support returning women, offering flexibility and resources to help them succeed.

6. Authenticity and Confidence in Leadership

Women frequently hesitate to take credit for their achievements, often downplaying their success. This underscores the need for cultural change that encourages women to confidently own their accomplishments and push for equal recognition. Our panelists encouraged attendees to own their success, advocate for themselves, and challenge outdated perceptions of leadership. Women need to take up space and be proud of what they’ve achieved while also acknowledging the contributions of others.

7. Practical Steps for Change

Attendees were urged to take tangible actions, such as:

• Speaking up for female colleagues, whether they are present or not.
• Encouraging women to apply for leadership roles.
• Recognizing and addressing unconscious biases in hiring and promotions.
• Offering flexibility to caregivers and parents.

Our panel served as a powerful reminder that collective efforts can drive meaningful change. By fostering inclusivity and championing one another, we can shape a more equitable and dynamic digital industry.

We look forward to seeing you at our next Women in Digital panel at Sitecore Symposium 2025 in Orlando!

One of the biggest things I come across with new and existing clients is a slow website and it impacts engagement, search rankings, and overall business performance. Whether running Sitecore XP or leveraging XM Cloud, optimizing performance is critical to delivering seamless digital experiences. While many assume slow load times stem from back-end inefficiencies, the reality is that both the front-end and back-end play a role in overall site speed.

Front-end performance dictates how quickly users see and interact with content, while back-end optimizations ensure data is processed efficiently and delivered without delays. In a headless environment like Sitecore XM Cloud, front-end speed becomes even more crucial since content is retrieved via APIs rather than rendered server-side. Understanding where bottlenecks occur and how to address them on both ends can make all the difference in creating a high-performing Sitecore implementation.

Enhancing the User Experience

A well-optimized front-end ensures that users can interact with content quickly and without friction. Slow load times and bloated assets are some of the most common culprits behind a sluggish experience, leading to frustration and higher bounce rates.

Images and videos are often the biggest offenders when it comes to performance issues. Unoptimized media files not only increase page load times but also consume unnecessary bandwidth. Converting images to modern formats, enabling lazy loading, and using a content delivery network (CDN) can significantly improve performance by ensuring media is served efficiently.

Excessive JavaScript and CSS can also weigh down the front-end. When too many scripts are loaded at once, pages become slow and unresponsive. Reducing unused scripts, minifying code, and leveraging techniques like code splitting can help streamline the experience.

For headless implementations, API efficiency is critical. Fetching large amounts of unnecessary data in a single request increases load times and puts an unnecessary strain on performance. Optimizing GraphQL queries to retrieve only essential content, caching API responses, and using server-side rendering where appropriate can make content delivery faster and more responsive.

Keeping the Engine Running Smoothly

While front-end performance shapes the user experience, back-end optimizations ensure that the system processes requests quickly and efficiently. Poor caching strategies, heavy database queries, and inefficient search configurations can all contribute to a slow site, even if the front-end is well-optimized.

Caching plays a major role in Sitecore performance. Without proper caching, every page request forces the system to regenerate content, which increases server load and slows down response times. Implementing HTML, data, and output caching ensures that frequently accessed content is stored and delivered without unnecessary processing.

Search functionality is another area where back-end inefficiencies can impact performance. Poorly optimized search queries and indexing can slow down response times, making it harder for users to find the information they need. Configuring Sitecore’s search engine properly, reducing redundant queries, and ensuring that indexes are regularly maintained can improve search speed and efficiency.

Scalability also plays a key role in long-term performance. As traffic increases, a poorly configured infrastructure can lead to bottlenecks and slowdowns. Load balancing across multiple servers, leveraging cloud-based scaling options, and monitoring system performance help ensure that Sitecore can handle growth without compromising speed.

A Balanced Approach to Performance Optimization

Optimizing Sitecore performance requires a combination of front-end and back-end improvements. A fast, responsive front-end ensures that users can engage with content seamlessly, while a well-optimized back-end ensures that the system processes and delivers information efficiently. Taking the time to address performance bottlenecks on both ends leads to better user experiences, improved search rankings, and a scalable digital presence that supports long-term business growth.

Investing in performance optimization isn’t just about speed—it’s about delivering a digital experience that meets the expectations of modern users. By refining both front-end delivery and back-end processing, businesses can make Sitecore run faster, more efficiently, and with greater impact.

Migrating to a new platform—whether upgrading from an older version or moving to Sitecore XM Cloud—is an great time to modernize your digital experience. Beneath the surface, a major challenge presents itself that some do not consider or put enough though into, content migration. Many organizations assume that migrating content is as simple as scripting your existing site, or copying and pasting, but messy, outdated, or disorganized content can lead to long-term problems and debt. If bad data makes its way into the new CMS, it can create tech debt, slow down performance, and impact the ability to deliver a seamless digital experience. So how do you ensure a migration sets you up for success? Understanding the biggest challenges and how to tackle them is the first step.

Not All Content Should Be Migrated

One of the most overlooked issues in a Sitecore migration is the quality of the content itself. Many organizations take an “everything must go” approach, assuming all existing content should move to the new platform. This often results in duplicate pages, outdated messaging, and unstructured data that doesn’t fit into the new CMS. Without a clear strategy, the antiquated content & media from the old system follows into the new one, making it harder to manage content effectively. Before migration, conducting a content audit can help determine what should be migrated, archived, or rewritten. A thoughtful approach ensures that only clean, relevant, and well-structured content moves into the new CMS, improving efficiency for marketing teams and enhancing the user experience.

Content Structure and it’s Significance

Sitecore is a powerful platform, but its effectiveness depends on how well content is structured. If the previous site had inconsistent templates, scattered media assets, or missing metadata, those issues will carry over—leading to a disorganized backend that slows down teams. Without a solid content model, marketers may find themselves constantly working around a flawed system rather than leveraging Sitecore’s capabilities to their full potential. Defining a content structure before migration ensures that pages are organized properly, metadata is applied consistently, and assets are easy to find and manage. Working closely with content strategists and developers to create a structured approach will make content creation and personalization more efficient in the long run.

SEO Challenges Without Planning

SEO can also take a hit during a poorly planned migration. When URLs change, internal links break, or metadata is lost, search rankings can suffer. Many teams assume that simply moving content over will maintain visibility, but a lack of planning often leads to missing redirects, duplicate pages, and unexpected drops in organic traffic. To prevent this, mapping high-value URLs and ensuring proper redirects are in place before migration is critical. Sitecore’s built-in SEO tools and third-party integrations can help manage metadata, maintain ranking authority, and provide a seamless experience for users who arrive from search engines.

Bad Data Creates Long-Term Debt

Beyond content structure and SEO, there’s also the issue of tech debt. When bad data moves into a new CMS without being cleaned up, it creates inefficiencies that affect content teams and developers alike. Pages become slow due to unnecessary assets, content authors struggle to find or reuse existing components, and site performance suffers. Over time, these issues compound, making it harder to scale digital efforts. A Sitecore migration shouldn’t just be about moving content; it should be about improving it. Taking the time to optimize workflows, remove outdated content, and implement governance ensures that the new environment is built for long-term success.

A Migration Empowers Future Growth

A successful migration isn’t just about getting content into the new CMS—it’s about setting the foundation for better user experiences, stronger SEO, and a scalable Sitecore implementation that supports business goals. By treating migration as an opportunity to refine content strategy, organizations can prevent common pitfalls and make the most of their investment. The key takeaway is simple: invest in content hygiene before migration to avoid long-term headaches. A little effort upfront will pay off in a cleaner, more efficient Sitecore environment that drives real results.

Have you seen the speed at which the digital landscape is shifting and evolving and thought to yourself, how can I keep up? How can I level up my organization’s digital customer experience and futureproof my website and digital ecosystem to ensure consistent growth for years to come?

The answer might just be a shift to a Composable Digital Experience Platform (DXP) like Sitecore. This is the latest approach to providing digital experiences that offer flexibility, scalability and faster iteration. Sitecore is a true leader in digital experience management and is fully embracing this composable future, while empowering businesses to create personalized experiences for their customers. Let’s take a closer look at what this means for your strategy and how Sitecore can help you navigate this transition.

What are the key benefits of a composable DXP?

We are coming from a place where monolithic DXP’s were the norm. While this type of platform offered convenience, they could be expensive, required regular upgrades and were difficult to scale, especially with the introduction of AI technologies.

Some of the benefits that migrating to a composable DXP can offer include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Greater Flexibility
• Scalability
• Faster Innovation

How can Sitecore specifically power your composable digital strategy?

Sitecore has shifted from a one-size-fits-all platform to a modular ecosystem, where companies can seamlessly integrate custom components, API’s and third-party platforms. Here are some key areas Sitecore’s composable DXP is driving results for customers across numerous industries.

1. Sitecore XM Cloud: Sitecore’s cloud-based platform supports headless content delivery. This means that businesses can expect faster time to market for strategic content publishes, reduces maintenance costs and ensures consistency across all digital channels.
2. Sitecore CDP & Personalize: Sitecore’s Customer Data Platform (CDP) and personalization features help businesses extract real-time customer insights to dynamically display content. This leads to increased conversion and improved customer experience.
3. Sitecore Content Hub & Sitecore Stream: While Content Hub provides a centralized digital asset management (DAM) system, it also helps automate content creation workflows. Sitecore Stream transforms content lifecycles with AI workflows, generative copilots, and brand aware AI.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why a composable DXP makes a lot of sense for organizations across all industry verticals, and Sitecore specifically can add a ton of value to Marketing and Technology teams alike in a world of constantly change. At Perficient, we have a team of dedicated and experienced folks ready to help you tackle the transformation and transition into the world of Composable DXP. Reach out to us today, and see how we can work with you to drive outstanding digital customer experiences for your customers.

We’re excited to share that Sitecore has honored six of our Perficient colleagues with the prestigious title of Sitecore Most Valuable Professional across all three categories—strategy, technology, and ambassador. With this achievement, our total MVP recognitions now exceed 80.

“Together, our team has continued to reach new heights and set a benchmark of excellence for our Sitecore practice here at Perficient,” Art Quinn, General Manager said. “Our six Sitecore MVP certifications are a testament to our dedication, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of innovation. Here’s to many more milestones and continued success!”

Our 2025 MVPs

Huge congratulations to our six well-deserving Sitecore MVPs:

Mark Ursino– 15x Ambassador MVP

Stephen Tynes– 13x Ambassador MVP

Joshua Hover– 4x Ambassador MVP

Megan Jensen– 4x Strategy MVP

Tiffany Laster– 2x Strategy MVP

Eric Sanner– 2x Technology MVP

This is Mark Ursino’s 15^th Sitecore MVP recognition. “I’m excited and honored to be receiving my 15^th Sitecore MVP award,” Mark said. “The Sitecore MVP community has always been a unique and fulfilling part of the growing Sitecore ecosystem and I’m humbled to be a part of a thriving community that evangelizes and educates the market on world-class Sitecore solutions. Congratulations to all the other MVPs and especially my MVP colleagues at Perficient.”

Sitecore MVP Program

Now in its 19th year, the Sitecore MVP program recognizes the most active Sitecore individuals from around the globe who share their knowledge with various Sitecore partners and customers. These MVPs represent talent from numerous countries around the world. Each year, Sitecore MVP titles award experts on the basis of three categories: technology, strategy, and ambassador.

Individuals selected for this elite honor experience several benefits including recognition within the Sitecore community, early access to product releases and resources, an exclusive invite to MVP discussion forums, and more.

Learn More About Our Sitecore Practice

We are a Sitecore Platinum Partner with specializations in XM Cloud, CDP, Order Cloud, Content Hub, and XP. With our long-standing Sitecore partnership, we look forward to continuing to elevate our Sitecore practice and work with brands to best utilize the platform. Being awarded the 2024 Sitecore Practice Excellence Award Global Winner, we will continue to implement and deliver enterprise-level sites that maximize this digital experience platform.

Congrats again to all six of our MVPs. To learn more about Perficient’s Sitecore solutions, visit our partner page, subscribe to Perficient’s blog, and follow us on LinkedIn.

Meet Neha Pasi, a lead technical consultant based in Nagpur, India, whose exceptional contributions, agility, precision, and guidance have set an example for her Sitecore development teams. Neha embraces Growth for Everyone and continuously strives to further her knowledge by taking courses, earning certifications, and applying new concepts to improve processes.

She embodies Perficient’s core values by consistently going above and beyond to mentor new colleagues and share her knowledge. In honor of this, Neha received recognition as a Perficient 2024 Excellence Award recipient, one of Perficient’s highest achievements. Continue reading to learn more about Neha’s responsibilities, career advice, and how she is enhancing Perficient’s Sitecore practice while embracing a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.

What is your role? Describe a typical day in the life.

As a Lead Technical Consultant, I work on Sitecore development projects blending hands-on development, technical leadership, team management, mentoring, and collaboration. My typical day starts with a cup of hot black coffee and stand-up meetings with team members to align on progress, plan the day, and address any blockers.

Anurag Shivhare and Neha at Nagpur GDC.

Alongside guiding my team, I actively engage in development. Whether building features based on requirements, creating custom modules, or resolving critical issues, I’m committed to ensuring smooth, scalable implementations. Coding is a significant part of my role, and I oversee the technical aspects through code reviews, troubleshooting, and solution design to maintain high-quality deliverables. I collaborate closely with project team members to ensure seamless coordination. I also work with senior colleagues and experts, constantly learning from them to enhance my skills. Since our projects often involve international teams, I regularly work with people from different cities and countries to meet shared objectives.

Beyond project responsibilities, I actively engage in Sitecore BU-level and office activities, such as conducting interviews, leading knowledge-sharing sessions, and participating in fun activities that foster both personal growth and team spirit.

Whether big or small, how do you make a difference for our clients, colleagues, communities, or teams?

For clients, I ensure the website features we build through Sitecore not only meet requirements but also provide scalable and innovative solutions to enhance the digital presence and business value. I actively identify and address challenges, suggest improvements, and guide my team to deliver high-quality features on time, building trust and long-term partnerships with clients.

For colleagues and my team, I foster a supportive and collaborative work environment. I mentor team members, help them navigate technical challenges, and ensure workloads are well-balanced. I also encourage continuous learning and professional growth, helping them stay updated with the latest technologies and best practices. Additionally, I am actively involved in the Women in Technology Employee Resource Group, organizing sessions on topics related to women’s empowerment and general professional growth.

Within the community, I run the Sitecore User Group Nagpur with three other colleagues where we conduct monthly technical sessions to share knowledge and foster learning around Sitecore.

What are your proudest accomplishments, personally and professionally? Any milestone moments at Perficient?

Neha and Mahima presenting at SUGCON 2024.

In 2017, I started my career with Perficient as an intern after graduating from college. Perficient has played a pivotal role in shaping the professional I am today. All the technology skills I’ve developed have stemmed from the projects I’ve tackled and the talented people I’ve collaborated with. This journey from intern to Lead Technical Consultant has been both rewarding and gratifying, filled with valuable learning experiences every step of the way.

One of my proudest accomplishments has been speaking at two Sitecore User Group Conferences India (SUGCON) in 2023 and 2024 alongside my colleague and mentor. It was a thrilling experience that allowed me to share knowledge with the community, connect with other experts, and represent Perficient in the Indian Sitecore community.

I have also earned three Sitecore certifications: .NET 10 Developer, XM Cloud, and OrderCloud Developer. This strengthened my technical expertise and enabled me to take on more complex challenges. A particularly proud moment was being recognized as a Perficient 2024 Excellence Award winner, a huge honor that acknowledged my hard work and contributions.

What has your experience at Perficient taught you?

I’ve learned the power of continuous learning. A large part of my job is staying updated on new technologies and trends. I spend time exploring new tools, attending training sessions, and earning certifications.

Neha and colleagues at SUGCON 2024.

One of the most rewarding parts is showing my family and friends the websites or features I’ve worked on. Seeing their excitement and appreciation makes all the effort feel truly worthwhile, and it’s a great way to share the impact of my work with them. The emphasis on professional development, including obtaining certifications and attending training sessions, has reinforced the importance of staying current in a rapidly evolving industry.

Learn More: Perficient Encourages Our Colleagues’ Professional Development

I appreciate the value of collaboration and teamwork. Working alongside talented colleagues has shown me that diverse perspectives lead to innovative and quality solutions. I’ve also realized that there’s nothing you cannot achieve with determination and the right support. This belief has motivated me to set ambitious goals and strive for excellence, knowing that I have the resources and people around me to help turn those goals into reality.

What advice would you give to colleagues who are starting their career with Perficient?

Neha celebrating International Women’s Day!

Perficient is truly one of the best companies to launch your professional journey. You’ll find ample visibility and support, which are crucial for your growth. The recognition you receive for your contributions is motivating, there are various opportunities for learning and advancement, and the culture here is amazing.

Our colleagues would do everything in their capacity to help you navigate challenges and succeed. Take advantage of the resources available to you, seek mentorship, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Embrace every opportunity to learn and grow — it’s a foundation that will serve you well throughout your career.

Why are you #ProudlyPerficient?

Perficient’s People Promise is why I’m #ProudlyPerficient. We are challenged with new opportunities, supported through obstacles, endorsed and championed for our skills, and all our small and big wins are acknowledged and celebrated. Each of these elements contributes to a positive and fulfilling work environment that motivates me every day.

Perficient’s Women in Technology India Committee

What keeps me at Perficient is everything the company embodies and stands for. It’s the people, culture, support, opportunities, and growth that make me want to continue my journey here. I’m continually amazed by the truly talented colleagues I collaborate with daily. Even though I haven’t met my U.S. colleagues in person, they are exceptionally supportive, amiable, and personable, fostering a strong sense of understanding, respect, and value in our interactions.

With Perficient’s mission statement in mind, how do you shatter boundaries?

I shatter boundaries by continuously challenging myself to grow, both personally and professionally. My journey at Perficient reflects a commitment to taking on new challenges, acquiring new skills, and stepping out of my comfort zone.

I break barriers by balancing both technical and team management responsibilities when leading Sitecore projects. I believe that no goal is unattainable, which keeps me striving to advance while also exploring opportunities to work on-site and gain international experience.

Shattering boundaries isn’t just about individual success — it’s about empowering others, recognizing achievements, and celebrating collective wins. The supportive, inclusive culture of Perficient fuels my growth and allows me to lead by example.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

Meet Neha’s dog, Cooper!

Outside of work, I focus on things that add meaning and balance to my life. Staying fit is important to me, and I’m very particular about maintaining a healthy diet. It’s something I actively work on to feel my best physically and mentally.

Recently, I adopted a dog, which has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Spending time with him has quickly become one of my favorite things to do. Whether it’s taking him for walks or just enjoying his company at home, my dog brings a lot of joy and calm to my everyday routine. Taking care of him has also helped me unwind, while adding a new sense of responsibility and happiness to my life.

SEE MORE PEOPLE OF PERFICIENT

It’s no secret our success is because of our people. No matter the technology or time zone, our colleagues are committed to delivering innovative, end-to-end digital solutions for the world’s biggest brands, and we bring a collaborative spirit to every interaction. We’re always seeking the best and brightest to work with us. Join our team and experience a culture that challenges, champions, and celebrates our people.

Visit our Careers page to see career opportunities and more!

Go inside Life at Perficient  and connect with us on LinkedIn,   YouTube, Twitter,   Facebook,  TikTok, and Instagram.

In today’s digital age, customers expect personalization. However, creating truly engaging, dynamic experiences is still a challenge for many brands. Sitecore Stream, is a game-changing platform that enables real-time content delivery, helping companies connect with their audiences on a deeper level and drive tangible business results. Lean how Sitecore Stream transforms personalization, optimizes the customer journey, and drives long-term ROI growth.

The Power of Real-Time Personalization with Sitecore Stream

Real-time personalization goes beyond addressing customers by name; it adapts content dynamically based on user behavior, preferences, and context, delivering precisely what they need in the moment. Sitecore Stream’s capabilities empower brands to create these impactful, in-the-moment connections.

• Sitecore Stream’s real-time features analyze user behavior instantly, allowing brands to adapt content in milliseconds. This dynamic adaptability fosters a unique user experience tailored specifically to each visitor.
• Personalization in real-time resonates on a personal level, encouraging higher engagement rates by delivering relevant content when it matters most.
• Imagine an e-commerce brand using Sitecore Stream to instantly adjust product recommendations based on browsing history and recent purchases, creating a smoother path to conversion.

By embracing Sitecore Stream’s real-time personalization, brands not only meet but exceed customer expectations, by fostering loyalty and setting the stage for improved ROI. When customers feel understood and valued, they’re more likely to return and recommend the brand.

Maximizing ROI Through Enhanced Customer Journeys

Beyond immediate engagement, Sitecore Stream provides a strategic advantage by refining the entire customer journey. From the first interaction to the post-purchase experience, Sitecore Stream enables companies to personalize each touchpoint, creating a seamless and satisfying journey.

• Sitecore Stream maps out user behavior, enabling brands to identify and optimize key journey points, guiding users effortlessly toward conversions.
• Real-time data from Sitecore Stream provides insights into customer preferences and actions, helping companies make data-driven adjustments for continuous journey improvements.
• Improved journeys directly impact conversion rates, average purchase values, and customer lifetime value. With Sitecore Stream’s analytics, brands can continuously refine their approach and maximize ROI.

Future-Proofing Content Delivery for Long-Term ROI Growth

Sitecore Stream is geared to help companies stay agile in a rapidly changing digital landscape. As consumer expectations evolve, brands can rely on Sitecore Stream’s real-time capabilities to continually adapt and deliver personalized experiences, ensuring sustainable growth and ROI over the long term.

• Sitecore Stream’s infrastructure is designed to evolve with emerging trends, making it an essential asset for companies looking to stay competitive.
• By continuously enhancing content delivery, brands keep audiences engaged and loyal, creating a cycle of sustained customer satisfaction and ROI.
• Long-term ROI is not just about immediate returns; it’s about positioning a brand as a leader in personalization. Sitecore Stream provides a strategic edge, empowering brands to anticipate and meet future demands.

In a world where customer expectations are constantly evolving, Sitecore Stream allows brands to meet those expectations and maximize engagement and ROI. From real-time personalization to journey optimization and future-proof adaptability, Sitecore Stream helps brands not just keep up but lead the way in delivering meaningful, impactful experiences.

We expect to see Sitecore Stream empower businesses to position themselves to achieve both immediate and long-term ROI, fostering deeper customer connections and building a future-proof content strategy. I am excited to see where this AI journey unfolds.

Welcome to my recap of Sitecore Symposium 2024! The week continued with numerous insightful sessions, informative workshops, and exciting new announcements. Here are my session notes and takeaways from the final day at Symposium, day three.

Opening Keynote

Opening keynote with Brendan Hunt

The morning kicked off on a high note with a special guest appearance by Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard on Ted Lasso. Though I haven’t watched the show myself—there are simply too many good ones to keep up with —I still found his insights engaging and relevant. He shared valuable lessons that resonate in both work and life, without needing to be star-struck to appreciate them.

• How to make work not suck
  • Connect with co-workers.
  • Surprise your co-workers.
  • Make today different than yesterday.
    • Don’t fall into the trap of the mundane.
  • Be curious, not judgmental.
    • People have lots of things going on that might not be apparent or shared with you.
  • Don’t let the wisdom of age be wasted on you.
    • Use the knowledge that you have gained.
    • This is the opposite of youth is wasted on the young.

CDP and Personalize at Scale

CDP and Personalize at Scale session

Personalization at scale holds immense potential for boosting revenue, and companies that successfully tackle the challenges of scaling personalization will gain a competitive edge. In today’s market, can your business afford not to invest in personalization? While personalization can drive growth, it comes with its own set of challenges—overcoming these will set industry leaders apart from the rest.

• Challenges faced by marketers
  • Creating the right content.
  • Creating enough content.
  • Creating quality content.
  • Technical skills to create content.
  • Understanding what the customer wants/needs.
• Data
  • Ensuring you have the data you need to personalize.
    • Data is often trapped in multiple disconnected systems.
  • Distribution
    • Coordination between channels to ensure a consistent customer experience and messaging.
  • Scaling
    • Content reuse
      • Integrate Sitecore Search to surface existing content.
    • Generative AI
      • Content creation and revision.

XM Cloud Roadmap

The benefit of a SaaS-based product like XM Cloud is that it is being continuously updated. Best of all you get the updates without having to upgrade. XM Cloud has numerous new features coming to the platform.

• Present
  • A/B Testing
  • Marketer’s Dashboard
  • Sitecore Stream content optimization
• Next
  • Updates to Pages
  • Component level personalization
  • Component Library
  • Sitecore Stream brand assistant
• Future
  • Generative AI component builder
  • Embedded Search

Sitecore Lunch

Lunch with friends in the Sitecore community

What a great way to end a great week! An in-person Sitecore lunch started as two tables and then grew to four, six, and eight tables with almost 40 people. This shows the real power of the Sitecore community because although we might work for different companies and be considered “competition”, we can still be friends and discuss Sitecore without boundaries. With my Perficient colleagues, it’s so nice to sit around a physical table with everyone that I normally see every week in little boxes on a Zoom call.

That’s a wrap!

Sitecore Symposium 2024 is over, but there is so much to look forward to in the world of Sitecore over the next year. I’m thrilled about the upcoming changes in CDP, Personalize, and Search with unified tracking, as well as the potential of Sitecore Stream for AI-driven insights, content creation, and brand-aware marketing support. I’m also looking forward to the Sitecore Marketplace, where we can build apps and expand the capabilities of XM Cloud. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. I’d love to chat and hear more about what Sitecore news you are most excited about.

Welcome to my recap of Sitecore Symposium 2024!  Day 2 at Symposium offered incredible insights and valuable information. There was no shortage of engaging sessions and thought-provoking discussions and we are so excited to bring these fresh perspectives back. Here are my session notes and takeaways from day two.

Women in Digital Breakfast

What an inspiring way to start the day! Sitecore and Perficient joined to bring the inaugural Women in Digital Breakfast to life. The morning started with a nice breakfast buffet and there was time to hang out and connect with other attendees. Perficient continued our “Skip the Swag” initiative and left notecards on the tables where each attendee could write and share how cancer has impacted their life. For each attendee, Perficient will make a donation on their behalf to the American Cancer Society. The panel discussion was very well done and the speakers had great insight and takeaways.

• How can men help support women in the workplace?
  • Create space for women.
  • Bring women along on your journey.
  • Stand up for your women colleagues.
  • Be an ally.
• How can we help to eliminate gender roles in future generations?
  • Raise boys and girls with the same standards.
  • Do not force kids into certain roles, hobbies, or toys that play to gender stereotypes.
• Many women left the workforce during the pandemic to support kids and families but now…
  • They are coming back.
  • They are changing careers.
  • They need support.
• How can we support women with families (or anyone with a family really)?
  • Be understanding.
  • Family comes first.
  • Work is a part of life, not your whole life.

Opening Keynote

Eric Stine opened the day with the announcement that Content Hub, XM Cloud, and CDP are all HIPPA compliant! This is a big deal since it allows Sitecore to be able to sign BA agreements with healthcare organizations. In today’s modern world, users expect personalized experiences but this is difficult when it comes to PHI. You cannot change your personal information like you can your credit card if you get hacked. Protecting personal information is important to a brand’s trust.

Experience Awards

The morning continued with the announcement of the Experience Award winners for 2024.  Perficient was pleased to win the Global Sitecore Practice Excellence Award. You can see a full list of all the winners in Sitecore’s official press release. Congratulations to all the winners!

Sitecore Search at Scale

This project included 6 sources, 7000 PDFs, and 44 languages! How do you scale Sitecore Search to a project that large?

• Identify your data
  • What you want to index.
• Analyze the data
  • How can you standardize your data?
• Expose your data
  • Sitecore Search uses a crawler, so it must be able to access your data in order to index it.
• How will Search help your clients?
  • What problem are they trying to solve?
  • What are they looking for?
  • Is the data useful to your clients?
• “Make it like Google”
  • Google has hundreds of developers solely focused on search.
  • Your development team is likely much smaller and has many other tasks to accomplish to launch a site.
  • Your search experience is only as good as the time and money you can devote to it.

Introducing Sitecore Marketplace

More people are moving to XM Cloud and other SaaS products. 82% of users say that an app marketplace is an important factor in choosing a DXP platform. Sitecore is taking that information to heart and creating a new Sitecore Marketplace. This will be a fully supported solution for discovering, enabling, and managing apps, plugins, and extensions.

• This gives developers
  • The tools and technologies to create add-ons for Sitecore products
    • SDKs
    • UI libraries
    • Support and documentation
    • Starter library
  • Support for app versions
  • App visibility
    • Public
    • Private (invite only access)
  • This gives customers
    • The ability to add new features and capabilities to their instance

Sitecore CDP – Unified Tracking

Sitecore’s composable suite of products are becoming easier to connect together. Unified tracking means that you only must integrate one SDK. It also means that each event triggered will persist across all Sitecore products. The first products to use unified tracking will be XM Cloud, CDP, Personalize, and Search.

• Session Tracking
  • A new session end event in CDP that allows you to update the guest profile.
• Profile Sharing
  • The guest profile can be shared across products.
    • Use the guest ID in CDP to find the same user in Search.
  • Audience segments can be shared across products.
    • Search results can be tailored to the audience segment.
  • Cloud SDK
    • One SDK to rule them all.
      • The Cloud SDK will reach feature parity with the Engage SDK.
      • The Cloud SDK will be the primary and best way to integrate

Symposium Party

Sitecore sure knows how to throw a party! We had bus service to downtown Nashville where we had space at four bars on Broadway just for attendees! There was a buffet with all the southern comforts including my favorites: chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits!  To top it off, there were three floors of entertainment and a rooftop with a view of downtown. There was live music, line dancing, drinks, and good times with good friends!  What a great night and great experience at Sitecore Symposium!