Sitecore Version History and Features

Sitecore is the world’s leading digital experience provider. It offers a fast-growing CMS powered by .NET technology. Sitecore is known for providing seamless digital experiences with personalization.

According to Gartner, currently, the Sitecore CMS is actually leading globally. Through the Sitecore CMS, you can conduct content testing, configure automation for your marketing, personalize your offerings and scale your business.

Through Sitecore, you can build multiple websites all from one platform, get real-time customer data view, configure hyper-personalization, conduct A/B testing, and deliver extraordinary customer experiences.

You can even go for Sitecore Partnerships which will be beneficial as you get a diverse pool of talent working on achieving a smooth implementation. By partnering, you will also get Sitecore support services and Sitecore maintenance.

What is Sitecore Development? Why do you need Sitecore?

Sitecore development is basically migrating your website to Sitecore. It can be done by either launching a new Sitecore website or updating the existing one to Sitecore Experience Platform or the Sitecore CMS.

You can get a full Sitecore implementation along with Sitecore Maintenance. As to why you need Sitecore, here are the reasons why you should consider migrating to Sitecore.

• Your organization requires something out of the box that makes you stand out.
• Your website needs to be less like a brochure and more like a brand representation.
• You need extraordinary user experience on your website to make them switch to your business.
• You need a CMS that will balance economies of scale.
• You need to eliminate silos and reduce the maintenance cost.
• You need a platform that supports multiple currencies and multiple languages.
• You also need security frameworks.

Who uses Sitecore and why is it so popular?

Sitecore is used by Fortune 500 companies. Major organizations in almost all industries have used Sitecore to build their websites including the likes of L’Oreal, Atlantis, The Palm, The British Red Cross, Cricket Australia, Papa John’s, American Heart Association, Brooklyn Law School, Adani Enterprises, Aditya Birla Capital, GE Healthcare, Northwestern Kellog School of Management.

Sitecore is really popular because:

• It offers a headless CMS
• Provides a 360-degree customer view
• You can configure hyper-personalization
• Helps you in omni-channel marketing
• Offers X Connect and data integration
• Installation frameworks for Sitecore

History of Sitecore versions and their features

Sitecore has come a long way and it is always evolving and coming up with updates. It is always recommended to go for the latest version, which is Sitecore 10.2, when it comes to upgrading your website but there are major features and benefits available in all the versions as mentioned below.

Here is a brief introduction of the Sitecore versions and the features that it provides.

Sitecore 6.X

Major improvements were made to the Digital Marketing System of Sitecore. The versions with notable enhancements are 6.5 and 6.6 ones.

• Automation in marketing and engagement
• Measurable values and efficiency
• Personalization in real-time
• Executive Insight Dashboard with reports
• Content Experience Platform
• Device Simulator
• Feature to do Page preview
• MVC Support
• Rich text editor as well as page editor
• .NET Search Engine

Sitecore 7.X

This version focused merely on enhancing analytical features. Versions 7.2 and 7.5 had updates in content and experience scalability. Sitecore 7.5 version especially introduced XDB.

• Improvements in content scaling
• Introduced item buckets
• Improvements in data sources
• Content tagging
• Content faceting
• XDB with scalable analytics
• Experience profiles which allow user tracking across devices
• Enhanced Sitecore Experience Platform
• Enhanced Email Experience Manager
• Enhanced Experience Analytics
• Enhanced Experience Automation

Sitecore 8.X

The version Sitecore 8.X (including 8.1 and 8.2) had improvements majorly in UI areas with new experience profiles and advancements in content management.

• Experience profile
• New Experience Explorer
• Improved faceted search for the media library
• Content tags by profile cards
• New login screen for Single Track Login
• Path Analyzer
• List Manager
• New UI in Launchpad view
• Enhanced Marketing Control Panel
• Enhanced Social Experience Manager

Sitecore 9.X

There were improvements made in xDB analytical data access and federation authentication. The versions in this were 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3.

• Sitecore Experience Cloud
• XConnect framework directly integrated with XDB
• XDB data interchangeable with xConnect
• Sitecore Cortex
• XDB that supports SQL server 2016, SQL Azure, MongoDB, and Azure CosmosDB
• Sitecore Commerce
• Sitecore OMNI
• Sitecore Headless CMS
• Improvised Sitecore Experience Accelerator
• Sitecore Forms with drag and drop functionality

Sitecore 10.X

Digital optimization along with digital transformation was the goal here. There were also improvements in AI automation. The versions currently in this are 10.1 and the latest one 10.2.

• Container Support to run Sitecore production instances
• Headless development
• New Horizon editor
• Integration of Sitecore Content Hub
• Salesforce Integration
• Sitecore AI Video Support
• Filtering of Analytics
• Sitecore Content Serialization
• Basic personalization support for the XM subscriptions

How can you conduct Sitecore Implementation?

For Sitecore implementation, you can partner with a Sitecore Development Company. They will provide you with teams and certified developers specializing in Sitecore Implementation and Sitecore Support Services.

It is one of the best investments your business can make when you choose to migrate to Sitecore CMS. Through Sitecore partnerships, you can leverage the full potential of Sitecore.

The partners are reliable, trusted, and also vouched for by their customers. Their priority is also to maintain long-term customer relationships. They always ensure that they are the ideal fit for their customers.

The team allocated for the Sitecore implementation are one of the most trained experts in Sitecore CMS with specialization badges. They are updated with the latest stack of technology and frameworks. Their skillset is unique and one of a kind.

Some of the major skills that are possessed by Sitecore certified partners and developers are customer experience, marketing strategy, IT, Data Science, Data analytics, etc.

Maulik Dudharejia - Co-Founder & CMO - ADDACT

Sitecore MVP 3X || Digital Transformation Strategist || Marketer

Maulik Dudharejia is a visionary author, co-founder, Chief Marketing Officer, and a digital transformation expert with over 12+ years' of experience. He leverages industry certifications to translate complex tech concepts into engaging writing. His areas of expertise include Sitecore, IoT, and IT Service Management. Maulik offers valuable insights and strategies to help readers navigate the evolving tech landscape.