Widen Recognized as a Leader in Forrester Wave™: Digital Asset Management (DAM) For Customer Experience, Q1 2022 Report

Today, Widen, an Acquia company, was named a “Leader” in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Asset Management For Customer Experience, Q1 2022 Report.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated digital transformation across all sectors, and the world found itself consuming more and more online content — be it photography, video, words, or graphics. As a result, companies have faced mounting pressure not only to create more content but to publish more frequently and on more channels.

That situation has only underscored the business case for DAM, as Forrester analysts attest. Repeatedly, brands lament their reliance on older technologies to create and publish content, as well as the limits of their cloud storage solutions. And, while customer data platforms (CDPs) allow brands to build in-depth customer personas, they’d like to be able to personalize content with the same confidence — but lack the right solutions to execute their digital strategies successfully.

As businesses research potential DAM systems to implement or consider updating their existing martech stack, it’s worth highlighting the ways in which we believe Widen stands out.

Connection to a broader digital experience platform (DXP)

Together, Acquia and Widen can offer customers the breadth and depth of a full DXP. From supporting employee experiences (EX) on Drupal-powered intranets to Personalization and Campaign Studio products that enable marketers to customize and automate omnichannel campaigns, Acquia gives Widen and our customers the opportunity to serve both internal and external stakeholders a meaningful, consistent digital experience. In turn, Widen rounds out Acquia’s DXP by enhancing capabilities in areas such as workflow, asset management, and more.

The ability to integrate an array of creative tool sets

Besides traditional tools like the Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office, Widen supports stock photography libraries that supplement in-house digital libraries through integrations. That’s possible because of our partnership with CI Hub. In fact, Widen and Acquia benefit from a robust partner ecosystem that expands not just our capabilities but, critically, implementation. It’s that last step that breathes life into the digital experience.

A key capability: digital rights management (DRM)

Chief among the content-lifecycle management capabilities Widen enjoys is DRM, which includes applications based on third-party DRM integrations. That kind of functionality is top of mind for companies that license content and need to monitor rights to avoid lawsuits and pricey fees.

Raising the hood on pricing

And speaking of costs, the Forrester report states that Widen also “offers a clear commercial model and transparent pricing.” For large enterprises, that kind of clear commercial model can simplify the buying journey. What’s more, those unfamiliar with our DAM can tinker with Widen because we offer a free trial option and customized demo.

Participatory engagement that informs roadmapping

Instead of a hierarchical approach in which customers are presented with pre-planned product enhancements, Widen invites customers to comment, vote, and watch developments in our published roadmap. Customer testing and feedback on potential enhancements furthers this participatory planning process, leading to a roadmap informed by industry and market needs.

Validation across audiences

Indeed, that relationship with customers has been critical to Widen’s success throughout our history. Chosen by hundreds of iconic brands including Elsevier, Brooks Running, and Hootsuite, Widen consistently receives high marks from verified customer reviews on G2. We even scored top marks from the peer-to-peer user review site, sitting atop the G2 Enterprise Relationship Index.

With our placement as a Leader in the 2022 Forrester Wave™ report, we believe Widen moves our market standing forward among analysts. Now, our DAM finds, in our opinion, validation among both independent researchers and customers. To learn more, download the report today.