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Which EPiServer versions are the Solution Partners running?

EPiServer Solution Partners are supposed to be at the forefront of EPiServer consulting and license sales. They are expected to be experts in the latest and greatest EPiServer versions and add-ons. However, looking at the partners' own websites, it seems not everyone is practicing what they are preaching.

Arild Henrichsen
 

by: Arild Henrichsen 29 December 2010

With the New Year and the release of CMS6 R2 just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to take a look at which EPiServer versions the (Premium) Solution Partners are running on their own websites. It was interesting to see that some of the Premium partners are severely outdated, while other Premium partners are not even running EPiServer at all.

Please note this post is not intended to either glorify or mock any of the mentioned partners, just to present an overview of current facts.

The list of partners was collected from the official EPiServer Partner list, and I focussed on the countries which have the most, or most active, number of partners. To determine EPiServer version, I simply tried to add /util/login.aspx to each website's URL. (Sites that returned a 404 were deemed Non-EPiServer - please correct me if I'm wrong!) The list consists mainly of Premium Solution Partners, but I have thrown in some of the "regular" Solution Partners I recognized, to indicate that company size does not necessarily equal updatedness.

NORWAY

Premium Solution Partners


Solution Partners (selection)

  • Bouvet - Non-EPiServer
  • Geta - Non-EPiServer
  • Emagine - Non-EPiServer
  • Logica - Non-EPiServer

 

SWEDEN

Premium Solution Partners

  • Avantime - Non-EPiServer
  • Ciber - Non-EPiServer
  • Logica - Non-EPiServer


Solution Partners (selection)

  • Cap Gemini - Non-EPiServer
  • Inexor - Non-EPiServer
  • LBi - Non-EPiServer
  • Steria - Non-EPiServer

 

UK

Premium Solution Partners

  • LBi - Non-EPiServer
  • NetCel - Non-EPiServer
  • RAPP - Non-EPiServer
  • RedWeb - Non-EPiServer
  • Syzygy - Non-EPiServer
  • TwentySix Digital - Non-EPiServer


Solution Partners (selection)

  • CubeWorks - Non-EPiServer
  • Interakting - Non-EPiServer

 

USA

Premium Solution Partners

  • Adage Technologies, American Eagle, Associated Computer Systems, Avantgarde Media, Aware Web Solutions, BGT Partners, BlueBolt, ComSys, Consejo, DesignKitchen, Engine Digital, First Line Software, G2, Gesfor USA, HDNY, Imano, InfoStrat, LBi, LightMaker, MarketNet, MindShift, MindTree, Opus Interactive, Orckestra, Oshyn, Simple Truth, SiteWorx, Space 150, SpeedShape, YoodleCorp - Non-EPiServer.

 

Interesting notes

  • In Norway, one of the Premium partners selling the most licenses, is the only Premium partner worldwide still running EPiServer 4.
  • In USA, while I had no idea there were so many Premium partners, there are no "regular" Partners listed.
    Ufortunately, the list of US Premium partners does not include the number of ECDs per company. Surely these companies couldn't achieve Premium status based on license sales alone?
    Update: Allan Thraen informed me via Twitter that some new markets like USA, currently only have one partner level.
  • In Norway, 8/8 (100%) of the Premium partners are running EPiServer.
    In Sweden, 18/21 (85,7%) of the Premium partners are running EPiServer.
    In the UK, 3/9 (33,3%) of the Premium partners are running EPiServer.
    In the US, only 2/32 (6,2%) of the Premium partners are running EPiServer.
  • Using statistics from Norway, Sweden, UK and USA (a combined total of 70 Premium partners):
    11 of 70 (15,7%) Premium partners are running CMS 6.
    19 of 70 (27,1%) Premium partners are running CMS 5.
    1 of 70 (1,4%) Premium partners are running EPiServer 4.
    39 of 70 (55,7%) Premium partners are not running EPiServer at all.
  • Norway have 8 solution partners, and 7 Premium partners.
    Sweden have 25 solution partners, and 21 Premium partners.
    Finland have 22 solution partners, but no Premium partners.
    Denmark have 16 solution partners, but no Premium partners.
    UK have 19 solution partners, and 9 Premium partners.
    Australia have 13 solution partners, but no Premium partners.
    India have 11 solution partners, but no Premium partners.
    USA have no solution partners, but 32 Premium partners.
    The mighty technology nations Botswana and Tanzania have the same number of solution partners as France, Japan and Singapore (1).


What can these statistics tell us?

For starters, a great number of partners are not using EPiServer for their own site. Also, a great number of partners have not updated their own website to the CMS 6 version.

I'm sure there are many good reasons for this, but from a customer perspective I would rather put my trust in a vendor who themselves are using the product they are trying to sell me.
From a professional perspective, a company not investing time and money in their own website, is not likely to attract the most qualified employees.

Do you agree with these views?

 

Statistics in this blog post are based on the information gathered from the EPiServer Partner list as of Dec 29th 2010, and includes only a selection of countries.

 

Tags:

Comments:

  1. I do not agree :) Many partners are companys running a lot of sites, some sharepoint some episerver ans so on. And looking for util/login.aspx is not the best way when you can have sites where visitors only access pure html and the editors logon to other servers or you just simple do not use that login page. But yes if you are running episerver and selling episerver you should run the latest :)
    Permanent link

    29 December 2010 15:13 by: Eric

  2. Eric, I am aware that util/login.aspx is not a 100% method of detecting an EPi site, but since I did not have time to dig deeper, I simply labelled them all Non-EPiServer. I suspect the number of EPiServer sites with a different login approach are not high enough to have a big impact on the stats, though. Although the last paragraph is rather tabloid, I still think there's an element of truth to it. At least for Scandinavia, where the Premium partners seem to focus more exclusively on EPiServer than in the UK and US, the vendors selling EPiServer really should have an updated website.
    Permanent link

    29 December 2010 16:08 by: Arild Henrichsen

  3. I do not agree either :) Larger companies sell services on multiple CMS systems. Many larger customers even have multiple CMS systems for different parts of their activities. Should they judge just on EPiServer because thats what I like ? Also, I value the information presented on a site and how it is designed & kept up-to-date as vital. Not the technology behind it. If you chose solely from the partners having their site on CMS6 from the list above, you would exclude some of the best EPiServer soultion partners out there (in my opinion). I'm sure their customers would disagree with you too :) I even bet some of the EPiServer solution partners keep their website on the latests version only to use it as a marketing pitch, even if they don't actually need or use the new functionality. (Not saying you do though! :) That being said: I personally feel that if you sell it, and you use it for your own website, you should be at least on one of the latests versions.
    Permanent link

    29 December 2010 20:35 by: Bjørn

  4. Thanks for your opinion, Bjørn! As an end-user, I would agree that the information and usability factors are more important than the technology behind it. However from a business perspective, choice of platform (and version) makes a statement to customers, partners and developers. Everything is marketing, and marketing is everything :) Just kidding, I know that many companies who will feel "picked on" by these stats, have an outstanding reputation and track record regardless of platform.

    I realize that many bigger companies focus on multiple platforms, but if they have chosen EPiServer for their main company website, it kind of signals that EPiServer is "wise choice for us, wise choice for our customers". With that in mind, I find it strange that they would not upgrade to the latest version - if nothing else, to show that they trust the latest version themselves.

    Permanent link

    29 December 2010 22:11 by: Arild Henrichsen

  5. Very cool. Check out www.mkse.com tomorrow morning ;)
    Permanent link

    03 January 2011 15:47 by: Martin Edenström

  6. After mkse.com relayed the contents of this blog post here:
    http://www.mkse.com/2011/01/04/trogna-och-otrogna-episerver-premium-solution-partners/ , there has been some activity amongst the Partners. Swedish partner Circuit has upgraded to EPiServer CMS6 - congratulations to them! Whether it was because of this blog post or not, remains to be seen :-)

    Permanent link

    12 January 2011 12:58 by: Arild Henrichsen

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