What does this mean for me?

As a Business Practitioner

Our SaaS CMS will represent:

  • Better enablement for a headless solution
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) will be reduced (implementation and maintenance)
  • Improved editorial experience
  • Always get the latest features and updates

As a Developer

Our SaaS CMS will represent:

  • Same core code base, but better support for headless solutions
  • Removing the need and heavy dependency on .NET developers and  .NET specific configurations
  • Expand the support of more front-end coding framework
  • More out-of-the-box integrations
  • Reduced learning curve required to get started with the product

How is this different from the original (PaaS) CMS?

One of the main differences between the PaaS CMS and the SaaS CMS, is how we've decoupled the head from the core. As you can see from the diagram below, the presentation layer used to be embedded in the solution using MVC framework, forcing the dependency of a .NET developer to integrate the front-end into the solution. Not to say that was the only way to implement the PaaS CMS, but in most cases, that is how it's typically done. With the SaaS CMS, we've pulled that out, and now, you can host your front-end completely on platforms such as Vercel and Netlify.

The next biggest difference, which is one of the common selling points for any SaaS product, is that it is versionless. With PaaS, you are dependent on the .NET developer to apply an upgrade, and fix any issues that might appear with the upgrade on any of the customizations. Whereas with SaaS, your CMS is managed and automatically upgraded by Optimizely.

CMS-PaaS-SaaS-Difference.png

Feature Comparison

PaaS CMS

SaaS CMS

Automatic Upgrades
CMS will be upgraded automatically to the latest release.
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.NET Dependency
Requiring .NET developer and framework.
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Customization
Advanced customization capabilities such as custom properties and scheduled jobs.
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Implementation Effort
The level of effort needed from a development/coding perspective to set up and implement.
High Low
Rule Based Personalization via audiences / visitor groups via audiences
Editing Experience
The content editing experience within the CMS.
via pages / blocks via Visual Builder
Front-End Rendering
How the front-end is implemented by default.
ASP .NET MVC Your front-end framework of choice
Forms checkmark.png via ODP forms
Headless APIs Built-in Requires additional implementation (such as Content Definition API, Content Delivery API, and Content Management API) via Optimizely Graph and REST API
REST Content Management APIs REST Content Management APIs REST API
Multi-language Support checkmark.png checkmark.png

  

Visual Builder

What is Visual Builder? Optimizely Visual Builder is our latest editing experiences for users in our CMS. It's a sleek, new visual editor built for the marketer that makes creating and editing pages a breeze with side-by-side editing of your website, tablet, or mobile experience.

Visual Editing:
State-of-the-art, side-by-side editing with intuitive drag-and-drop functionality built for marketers, no code required.

Multi-Language Management:
Ability to create and preview content in various languages.

Interactive Preview:
Test forms, buttons, and other interactive elements before publishing in the preview mode and interact with these elements just as visitors would on the live website.

Custom Elements:
Build reusable components like buttons, banners, or hero sections that can be created and managed both in the UI and in code, providing maximum flexibility to marketers and front-end developers alike.

Template Management:
Save and re-use experience and section templates

Multi-Step Workflows:
Content Approval process to match your team's needs

Developers

Are you a developer? Here is what you need to know:

Existing Customers

Are you an existing Optimizely Content Management System customer? Here is what you need to know:

New Customers

Are you a new or soon to be an Optimizely Content Management System customer? Here is what you need to know:

Last updated: Aug 12, 2024