Technology

The Future of CMS: Are You Ready?

On 08 / 05 / 2025 / by Maarten Cox

The content management system (CMS) landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by soaring user expectations and the relentless advancement of Artificial Intelligence. A recent report, "The State of CMS 2025," sheds light on the challenges and opportunities facing businesses, revealing that while many are still tethered to outdated systems, the demand for more agile, intuitive, and intelligent solutions is undeniable. If your digital strategy isn't evolving, you risk being left behind.

The Current Squeeze: High Expectations Meet Legacy Limitations

Today's CMS users need more to stay competitive. Personalization, seamless omnichannel experiences, and top-notch site performance are no longer aspirational goals but baseline expectations. However, the reality for many is a struggle with systems that are failing to deliver.

Key takeaways from the report highlight several pain points:

Outdated Systems Dominate, But Frustration is Rife: WordPress (34%), Adobe Experience Manager (15%), and HubSpot (10%) remain the most used CMSs. Yet, a staggering 61% of teams are juggling two or more CMSs, with half actively seeking an escape route. This often leads to overly complex operations, inconsistent content, and inflated costs.
Ease of Use is Paramount: Visual editing has surged in importance, cited by 65% of users as the most essential feature. This underscores a broader trend: ease of use isn't just a perk; it directly impacts workflow speed, collaboration, and the overall value derived from a CMS.
The Publishing Bottleneck: Alarmingly, 49% of users take over an hour to publish content, with an additional 14% needing a day or more. These delays are significant pipeline killers in a fast-moving digital world.
AI is No Longer Optional: The demand for AI capabilities has seen a 13% jump in importance for 2025. AI-powered content creation is the most missed feature (44%), indicating a clear gap between user needs and current offerings.
Security Concerns Persist: While automatic backups are the most desired security feature (65%), issues like time-consuming processes (43%) and security vulnerabilities (36%) remain top pain points, particularly for users of monolithic systems.

The Siren Song of Headless CMS: Agility and Future-Proofing

The report paints a clear picture: legacy systems are increasingly becoming a barrier to success. Their rigid, outdated infrastructure struggles to meet the demands for speed, flexibility, and innovation. This is where headless CMS architecture emerges as a powerful solution.

Why Headless is Gaining Traction:

Unparalleled Flexibility: By decoupling the frontend (the "head") from the backend (the "body"), headless CMS offers the freedom to use any preferred technology and deliver content across a multitude of channels seamlessly. This directly addresses the growing need for omnichannel experiences, with users planning significant increases in content distribution to voice-activated speakers, AR/VR, and smartwatches.
Enhanced Performance and User Experience: Headless architecture allows for lightweight systems and seamless integration of performance tools, tackling the poor site performance issues plaguing many legacy users.
Significant Benefits Realized: The data speaks for itself: 98% of users who switched to headless CMS experienced benefits. These include time-saving/productivity improvements (69%), improved performance (58%), better user experience (57%), and easier scaling (53%).
Higher Value in the Job Market: Skills in headless CMS command higher average salaries for both marketers and developers compared to legacy CMS skills, signaling a clear market preference for modern architecture.

Despite these advantages, the primary reason many haven't embraced headless is an education gap – 39% report not knowing enough about it yet.

The Road Ahead: Embracing AI and Omnichannel with the Right Tech

The future of content management is undeniably intertwined with AI and omnichannel strategies. Users have big plans, with significant interest in leveraging AI for content creation, automation, personalization, and omnichannel content delivery.

However, the report cautions that achieving these ambitions with monolithic systems is like "playing pro-level baseball with a whiffle bat". Legacy CMSs are simply not built for the demands of an AI-rich, omnichannel world. They present challenges in:

Speed and Agility: Slow publishing and difficulty integrating new technologies are inherent limitations.
Control and Scalability: Users face restrictions in frameworks, tech stack choices, and limited scalability.
Security: Monolithic infrastructures can be a "one-hit K.O." for security breaches.

The critical pivot window is now. Companies that don't rethink their architecture risk being forced to play catch-up. Headless CMS platforms offer a path to reduce expenditure on inefficient legacy systems and reinvest in strategic areas like AI-driven innovation and expanded e-commerce capabilities.

Is Your CMS Ready for Tomorrow?

As consumer expectations continue to accelerate, the capabilities offered by a headless CMS – speed, agility, control, and future-proofing – are no longer just perks; they are crucial for long-term success. The question every business needs to ask is: Will your CMS be up to the challenges tomorrow brings?

Interested in exploring how a modern CMS like Storyblok, implemented with the expertise of Born Digital, could benefit your organisation?

We invite you to get in touch for a conversation or a tailored demonstration. Let's discuss how your digital presence can be best equipped for the future.