Customer expectations are soaring, budgets are tightening, and content is multiplying. Your content management system (CMS) needs to keep up – helping you deliver smarter, faster and more personalized customer experiences across every channel.
But here’s the catch: not all CMS software is created equal. Some focus only on web pages. Others are cobbled together and can’t scale. And many weren’t built with today’s omnichannel world in mind.
With so much content being created and delivered online – as web pages, digital documents, social media and email, an effective CMS is crucial to the success of your content strategy. This blog breaks down what matters most when choosing CMS software in 2025.
What is a content management system?
We’re now in the fourth generation of CMS solutions, and they’ve come a long way from their web-only ancestors. In the first generation, CMS software was designed to only create and publish content on websites displayed on desktop PCs or laptops. Think static, brochure-style experiences.
Second generation CMS solutions introduced the ability to customize content for different channels. However, these were still primarily web-based as websites, microsites, intranets and extranets. This generation of CMS solutions started to embrace mobility and move towards responsive design.
The third generation of CMS tools are still the most common. Designed to provide a seamless omnichannel experience, it enables content to be highly personalized and customized to drive that customer – and employee – experience. At its core lies Web Content Management (WCM) software. The fourth generation of CMS solutions are composable, experience-driven digital experience platforms.
The best WCM tools comprise content management software to manage content for creating, publishing and distribution. However, we can define an enterprise CMS platform that goes a step further. It combines WCM software with systems and strategies to gather, manage, store, distribute, and analyze content from a broad range of sources. This includes dedicated content creation of course, but also incorporates other sources such as social media, internal communications and direct communications with customers.
What makes a CMS enterprise-ready?
A modern, enterprise CMS helps you:
- Create, manage, and distribute content at scale
- Personalize experiences for each user
- Connect content across systems and teams
- Keep content secure, searchable, and measurable
Key enterprise CMS features
So, what are the key capabilities that you should look for in the best CMS software? Some of the key aspects when selecting your CMS tool include:
Smarter content sourcing
Pull content from wherever it lives, inside your company, or beyond.
- Combine structured and unstructured content in one hub
- Integrate social media feeds, partner content, and syndicated sources
- Ingest rich media (video, audio, 3D) and capture metadata automatically
- Meet security, governance, and compliance requirements
Make sure your CMS plays well with your existing tech stack and supports the formats you’ll need now and in the future.
Seamless content management
Managing content shouldn’t feel like herding cats. Auto-tag and categorize content using extensive metadata capabilities
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- Support multiple content types (docs, pages, video, audio, 3D images, etc.)
- Assign user permissions to control access
- Track workflow, approvals, and edit history
- Localize content in multiple languages with translation built in
Going global? Choose a CMS with strong multilingual support and translation automation.
Omnichannel delivery, done right
Meet your audience where they are, on any device or channel.
- Deliver responsive experiences across web, mobile, email, social, and more
- Personalize at scale using profiles, behavior, and rules-based targeting
- Integrate with social platforms and relevant third-party websites to push content into the right conversations
Think big: Your CMS should deliver personalized content experiences to one or one million users without breaking a sweat.
Embedded and intelligent digital asset management
Trust is low online, so brand consistency is the name of the game. Digital asset management (DAM) solutions fuel creativity as the engine of the content supply chain.
- Simplify with a single source of the truth to ensure omni-channel brand consistency
- Seamlessly surface the latest brand assets from the DAM easily within the CMS user interface
- Accelerate content creation
- Automate content tracking and reporting while improving content re-use
Content analytics to measure your impact
You can’t optimize what you can’t measure.
- Track engagement across channels and content types
- Use built-in analytics or integrate with your preferred tools
- Monitor what’s performing and what’s not so you can pivot quickly
Look for CMS software that surfaces actionable insights, not just raw data.
Why choose OpenText for your enterprise CMS solution?
OpenText is a leader in CMS and WCM with a suite of solutions designed to reduce costs involved with the growth of content and the increasing complexity within your enterprise. OpenText™ Web CMS (TeamSite) is a leading digital experience platform. As a specialized Web Content Management system, it gives your organization the ability to:
- Target, segment, and personalize, content for richer customer experiences at scale– leading to better business outcomes.
- Deliver true omnichannel digital experiences
- Optimize every customer interaction
- Adapt to fast-changing digital trends
Choosing the right CMS isn’t about checking off features. It’s about finding a platform that can grow with you, delight your customers, and make life easier for your teams. If you’re ready to deliver standout web content experiences and streamline the complexity behind the curtain, we’re here to help. Let’s talk CMS.
