Frequently Asked Questions
- What and who is CMS Watch?
- How do I know your evaluations are truly independent?
- I want to buy the report; can you help me justify the expense to my boss?
- What makes your reports different from low-cost buyers guides?
- What's the difference between Web CMS and Portals?
- What's the difference between CMS and ECM?
- I'm interested in SharePoint, but what about its competitors?
- How much do the various reports cost?
- What are my payment options?
- What happens if I buy a report and you publish an updated edition?
- Do I receive a discount if I buy more than one report at a time (e.g. Search and CMS)?
- Can't I just subscribe to all your reports like I do with other analyst firms?
- What is your refund policy?
Have another question? Write us.
What and who is CMS Watch?
CMS Watch™ is a buyer's advocate for enterprises looking to invest in content technologies. We publish independent reports that help you sort out suitable technology choices for your particular needs. Our reports are known for their technical depth, readability, and absolute neutrality. Separately, we publish articles and a blog on this website about content management practices to help educate the broader community.
CMS Watch was founded in 2001 by Tony Byrne, a reporter-turned-developer who led the content management practice at a systems integrator during the 1990s. CMS Watch is supported by a global network of independent consultants and practitioners, who inform our reports and frequently publish on our site. We never consult with vendors. You can read more about our approach here.
How do I know your evaluations are truly independent?
CMS Watch is not affiliated with any vendor, period. None of the analysts on our team consult or otherwise work with the vendors they review. Other analyst firms frequently struggle to reconcile potential conflicts of interest between consulting for buyers and advising vendors. We have decided to make our lives simpler by never advising -- or working in any capacity -- with vendors. We don't publish their white papers. We won't speak at their conferences or sanctify their webinars. We don't wine and dine on their tab. We work only for you, the technology buyer.
You can read more about our distinct approach here.
I want to buy the report; can you help me justify the expense to management?
Sure. Explain that for likely less than 1% of your total project expense, you can substantially reduce your risks by:
- Understanding vendor pricing and mitigating potential cost surprises.
- Reducing the likelihood of selecting a vendor or product that proves ill-suited for your needs.
- Making sure that you are considering all the plausible vendors for your project size and scope.
- Educating you about the many pitfalls encountered by those who went before you.
You can also reduce your company's time and resources by:
- More quickly coming up with an accurate vendor shortlist without sitting through mind-numbing demos.
- Having ready access to a list of questions to ask yourself (and your bidders).
- Being guided by a step-by-step solution selection approach focused on finding the right match for your needs.
- Keeping at your fingertips detailed technical and historical information about dozens of vendors.
What makes your reports different from other buyers' guides?
We provide more than simple checklist charts; we explain the real differentiators among products and vendors, which stem from how they execute certain features and what makes certain offerings better or worse suited to particular use-cases. We talk to real customers and dig into the products at depth, to explain how they work and whether they might be right for you. See See what else makes us different.
What's the difference between Web CMS and Portals?
You can find a variety of definitions for content management systems and portals, and most of them will overlap; hence so much confusion in the marketplace.
An enterprise portal generally delivers content so it can be consumed, but portal software also typically aggregates content and data from a variety of locations. Perhaps more importantly, portals are designed to deliver a variety of services as well: include search, collaboration, document management, business intelligence, business process management, and more.
A web content management system generally supports the production of content, but some products deliver content as well, which can make them "portal-like." This is especially the case in the open-source world, where the systems often grew out of dynamic page delivery systems.
In the marketplace, you'll find distinct portal and content management products, although some vendors offer both. For a list of portal products, click here. See a very different list of web content management solutions here.
What's the difference between CMS and ECM?
CMS (or Web CMS, or WCM) technologies manage web content publishing and, to some extent, website management. ECM generally refers to processing and collaboration use-cases involving document and image files.
From the perspective of operational practice, there are many similarities between web content management and enterprise content management. As a practical matter, however the different tools are designed to perform very different tasks, and solve different business problems.
In the marketplace, you'll find distinct ECM and Web CMS products, although some of the largest vendors offer both. Note that ECM vendors typically have distinct Web CMS products, and vice-versa. For a list of ECM products, click here. See a somewhat different list of web content management solutions here.
I'm interested in SharePoint, but what about its competitors?
We cover Microsoft SharePoint in two ways. The SharePoint Report evaluates the product on its own, as a multidimensional information management platform offering a variety of different services -- some better than others.
Our other reports that cover a particular technology sector, and evaluate SharePoint in the form of a single chapter comparing its strengths and weaknesses against its peers in that sector. The following reports have such SharePoint evaluations: The ECM Suites Report, The Web CMS Report, Enterprise Search Report, and the Enterprise Portals Report.
How much do the various reports cost?
Pricing depends on license type. There are two tiers of licenses:
- Team Use: up to 12 employees
- Intranet Site License: enterprise-wide access.
All figures below are in U.S. Dollars.
| The Web CMS Report 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | Team Use $975 | Intranet Site License $1875 |
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1975 | Intranet Site License $2975 |
| European Standard Edition | Team Use $1425 | Intranet Site License $1975 |
| European Enterprise Edition | Team Use $2425 | Intranet Site License $2975 |
| Combined Edition | Team Use $3225 | Intranet Site License $3975 |
The Web CMS Report 2008 comes in 5 Editions: Standard as well as extended Enterprise, European Standard and European Enterprise Editions, and a Combined Edition. A more detailed comparison of the 5 Web CMS Report 2008 editions and licensing options (PDF) is available.
| The Enterprise Portals Report 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1950 | Intranet Site License $2950 | |
| Open Source Edition | Team Use $950 | Intranet Site License $1750 | |
Compare the 2 editions (small PDF file).
| The ECM Suites Report 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $2950 | Intranet Site License $4500 | |
| SMB/Departmental Edition | Team Use $985 | Intranet Site License $1885 | |
The ECM Suites Report comes in two editions: Enterprise and SMB/Departmental. The latter edition is better suited for a single departmental project or a mid-sized business with a project budget under $300k. Consult this chart (pdf) to contrast the two editions and find out which one is best suited for you.
| Web Analytics Report | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1175 | Intranet Site License $1850 | |
| The Enterprise Search Report 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic Search Edition | Team Use $975 | Intranet Site License $1475 |
| Enterprise Search Edition | Team Use $1925 | Intranet Site License $2925 |
The Enterprise Search Report 2008 comes in 2 Editions: Basic as well as extended Enterprise Editions. A more detailed comparison of the 2 Enterprise Search Report 2008 editions and licensing options (PDF) is available.
| The SharePoint Report 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1450 | Intranet Site License $2450 |
| The Digital & Media Asset Management Report 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1975 | Intranet Site License $2500 | |
| SMB/Departmental Edition | Team Use $895 | Intranet Site License $1475 | |
The Digital & Media Asset Management Report comes in two editions: Enterprise and SMB/Workgroup. The latter edition is better suited for a single departmental project or a mid-sized business with a project budget under $50k. Consult this chart (pdf) to contrast the two editions and find out which one is best suited for you.
| The XML & Component Content Management Report 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1450 | Intranet Site License $2475 | |
| XML Editor Edition | Team Use $850 | Intranet Site License $1450 | |
Compare the 2 editions (small PDF file).
| The E-mail Archiving & Management Report 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | Team Use $1950 | Intranet Site License $2950 | |
| The Enterprise Social Software Report 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | Team Use $1475 | Intranet Site License $2475 |
| Wiki & Blog Edition | Team Use $875 | Intranet Site License $1675 |
The Enterprise Social Software Report 2008 comes in 2 Editions: a Blog & Wiki Edition as well as Standard Editions. A more detailed comparison of the 2 Enterprise Social Software Report 2008 editions and licensing options (PDF) is available.
| Subscriptions to CMS Watch Reports | |
|---|---|
| Any 2 reports | Intranet Site License $4,900 (no analyst time) |
| Any 4 reports | Intranet Site License $9,500 (includes 1 hour analyst time) |
| Any 6 reports | Intranet Site License $13,000 (includes 2 hours analyst time) |
| All 10 reports | Intranet Site License $18,000 (includes 4 hours analyst time) |
All subscriptions include current version and updates of reports for one year.
Note: analyst time not available for technology vendors or anyone developing their own technology product.
What are my payment options?
You can pay by credit card at our secure online store and download your report immediately.
Alternatively, you can acquire a report via purchase order by simply submiting a P.O. number and any other instructions via e-mail, or faxing a P.O. to us at +1 214 242 3048. You will be sent download instructions via e-mail. If you have any questions about this process, call our customer care line at +1 301 570 6788, or 800 325 6190 (North America only).
What happens if I buy a report and you publish an updated edition?
If you have purchased the report within 8 weeks prior to a new edition, you will receive the update for free, without asking (we just send it to you). All other previous customers automatically receive an offer to purchase the latest version of any report at a 50% discount.
Do I receive a discount if I buy more than one report at a time (e.g. Enterprise Portals and Web CMS)?
Yes. You receive a 10% discount on each report when you purchase multiple reports at the same time. This discount is applied automatically when you use our secure storefront. You may also take the discount if you order multiple reports via an institutional purchase order.
Can't I just subscribe to all your reports like I do with other analyst firms?
Yes, you can. We offer year-long subscriptions that entitle you to all CMS Watch reports at a substantial discount.
What is your refund policy?
We offer a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with a report, write us within 30 days
and we'll provide a 100% refund. Simply fax or mail us a signed letter on your company's letterhead explaining the reason for your return
and certifying that you have destroyed all electronic and print versions.
Fax: +1 214 242 3048
CMS Watch
P.O. Box 8338
Silver Spring, MD
USA 20907
Have another question? Write us.
Contact Customer Care
For any questions or problems with report ordering, please contact CMS Watch customer care by:
- E-mail: info@cmswatch.com
- Phone: +1 617 763 5336
Toll-free: 1 800 325 6190 (USA/Canada only) - Fax: +1 214 242 3048
- 18113 Town Center Drive, Ste 217
Olney, MD, USA 20832