The Umbraco Winter Keynote 2025 is today. We are excited to hear what future growth looks like at Umbraco HQ. We attended the keynote and here are our highlights:
2024 in Review: Laying the Foundation
Umbraco saw significant growth and transformation in 2024, highlighted by:
- 30% Growth Year: Fueled by a rapidly expanding team (+33 employees) and the opening of a U.S. office in Charlotte.
- uMarketing Suite & Engage Acquisition: Empowering personalization and conversion optimization with advanced tools for analyzing visitor behavior.
- Key Product Launches: Releases of Umbraco 14 (March) and 15 (November), alongside the planned end-of-life for Umbraco 8.
- Support Enhancements: Almost 24-hour global coverage, the rollout of second-level support for Platinum Partners, and a focus on enterprise reseller models.
- Community and Marketplace Expansion: With 450 add-ons available, including a growing category of AI solutions, and a renewed focus on community engagement.
However, 2024 wasn’t without its challenges. Sustainability goals weren’t fully realized, and Umbraco’s brand awareness remained a concern, especially in the U.S. These reflections will undoubtedly inform the focus for 2025.
The Predictions Realized and What’s Next
Our earlier predictions aligned closely with the announcements at Codegarden 2024. Here’s how those predictions evolved and what they suggest for the future:
1. AI and Personalization
2024 Recap: The acquisition of Umbraco Engage and early steps in personalization tools signal a strong commitment to AI-driven solutions. While the leadership took a cautious approach to generative AI, the marketplace’s growth in AI-related add-ons highlights increasing demand.
2025 Outlook: Expect Umbraco to focus on:
- Localized AI Models: More sustainable, brand-specific AI tools to address personalization without the heavy resource demands of large models.
- Enhanced Personalization Features: Building on Engage’s capabilities, look for advanced content variation tools and deeper visitor behavior analysis.
2. Sustainability Goals
2024 Recap: Despite making strides with CO2 tracking in Umbraco Cloud, sustainability goals weren’t fully achieved. Lazy-loaded object caching and distributed caching emerged as key priorities.
2025 Outlook: Sustainability will likely remain central, with potential announcements around:
- Expanded Green Hosting: Further development of lazy-loading and caching technologies.
- Sustainability Dashboard Enhancements: More robust tracking and optimization tools in Umbraco Cloud.
- Cloud Efficiency Improvements: Features like environment hibernation for static sites and better integration with Docker.
3. Composability and Orchestration
2024 Recap: Umbraco’s efforts to strengthen orchestration and content reuse were evident through initiatives like content release-sets and global blocks.
2025 Outlook: Look for:
- Library Section: A new area within the CMS to manage reusable blocks, tags, and templates.
- Composable DXP Push: Enhanced orchestration features to appeal to enterprises seeking flexibility and scalability.
- Headless Advancements: Improvements to APIs and tools that support developers working with composable architectures.
4. Developer Tools and Marketplace Growth
2024 Recap: Updates included CI/CD integrations in Cloud, the launch of the Developer V2 platform (Q2 2025), and plans for Heartcore enhancements (Q3 2025).
2025 Outlook: Key areas to watch include:
- Third-Party Login Support: Streamlined integrations with providers like Google and Microsoft 365.
- Expanded Marketplace Offerings: Continued growth in AI add-ons and tools supporting orchestration.
- Load Balancing on Demand: Expected by Q4 2025, offering scalable hosting solutions.
5. Community and Ecosystem Engagement
2024 Recap: With five community teams up for renewal and the formation of a new orchestration team, Umbraco’s focus on engagement was clear. Meetups and knowledge-sharing initiatives are growing worldwide.
2025 Outlook: Anticipate announcements tied to:
- Renewed Community Teams: Updates on orchestration and sustainability teams.
- Thought Leadership Goals: Efforts to solidify Umbraco’s position as a leader in open-source CMS through knowledge-sharing programs.
- Enhanced Training: Continued focus on developer training, including on-demand certifications and the Umbraco Sales Academy.
6. Security and Privacy Enhancements
2024 Recap: Security updates included OpenID support and efforts to improve permissions granularity.
2025 Outlook: Expect deeper investments in:
- Granular Permissions: More flexible content and user access controls.
- API Credentials: System-to-system authentication for management and delivery APIs.
- Cybersecurity Support: Possible formation of a dedicated incident advisory team.
2025 Goals: Raising the Bar
Umbraco CEO Mats Persson emphasized that 2025 would be about “Raising the Bar.” The goals include:
- Expanding the global footprint.
- Attracting more partners and enterprise clients.
- Achieving sustainability objectives.
- Focusing on composability and scalability.
- Ensuring Umbraco is not just an underdog but a leader in the CMS space.
Final Thoughts
As Umbraco builds on its successes and addresses its challenges, the 2025 Winter Keynote promises to showcase how the company is evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing industry. From AI and composability to sustainability and community engagement, Umbraco’s trajectory suggests a future rich with innovation and impact.
Stay tuned as the next chapter of Umbraco’s journey unfolds.
Get updates on all the latest Umbraco news:
2024 Recap: A Transformative Year for Umbraco
Our Umbraco Winter 2025 Keynotes:
A Year of Growth and Investments:
- 30% growth year
- 33 new employees
- U.S. office established in Charlotte
G2 Report Success:
- Ranked No. 3 out of more than 300 competitors
- Highlights include go-live time and time to ROI
uMarketing Suite and Umbraco Engage:
- Acquisition of Umbraco Engage in August 2024
- Focus on personalization, analyzing visitor behavior, and increasing conversions
Major Software Releases:
- March: Umbraco 14
- November: Umbraco 15
- Umbraco 8 reached its end of life
Support and Training Enhancements:
- Nearly 24-hour global support coverage
- Q1 rollout of second-level support for Platinum Partners
- Enterprise Support Reseller program (partners can resell Umbraco support)
- On-demand training addressing the shortage of Umbraco developers
- Improved partner performance with updated Umbraco certifications
- Launch of the Umbraco Certified Masters program and Umbraco Sales Academy
Code Garden 2024:
- Celebrated the 20th anniversary of Umbraco
Challenges Faced in 2024:
- Unmet sustainability goals
- Low brand awareness, especially in the U.S.
- Struggles to fit the traditional analyst model for open-source CMS
- Aspiration to transition from underdog status to industry leader
2025 Predictions: Key Trends and Opportunities
1. Tackling AI Challenges:
- “AI Slop”: Addressing the proliferation of poor-quality content
- Emphasis on ROI-driven solutions
2. Industry Dynamics:
- “Race to the middle”: Pure headless companies adding CMS capabilities
- Umbraco’s advantage as a leader in orchestration and composability
3. Orchestration Focus:
- Simplifying update management through enhanced orchestration capabilities
2025 Goals: Ambitions for the Future
Raising the Bar:
- Expanding Umbraco’s global reach
- Growing the partner network
- Attracting more enterprise clients
Driving Scalability and Sustainability:
- Achieving composable and scalable solutions
- Advancing sustainability objectives
Prioritizing Enjoyment:
- “We do things for true, we do things for real.” — Mats Persson, Umbraco CEO
2024 Product Roadmap Recap:
Key Improvements:
- Backoffice enhancements
- Full management API
- Improved multi-lingual capabilities
- Faster startup times and lower memory pressure
- Lazy-loaded object cache
- Compatibility with .NET 9
- CI/CD integrations in Umbraco Cloud
- CO2 tracking in Umbraco Cloud
2025 Roadmap:
- Generative AI, personalization, orchestration, and advanced search features
- Content reuse improvements
- Content release-sets for workflow bundling (similar to Optimizely Projects)
- Flexible environments for Umbraco Cloud
- Third-party login providers (Google, Microsoft 365)
- Umbraco Cloud Developer V2 (Q2 2025)
- Umbraco Heartcore updates (Q3 2025)
- Load balancing on demand (Q4 2025)
Marketplace and Community Highlights:
Marketplace Growth:
- Launched two years ago, now hosting 450+ add-ons
- AI category experiencing rapid growth
Umbraco’s Approach to AI:
- Leadership’s cautious yet forward-thinking stance on AI features
- Discussions on AI maturity and strategic use cases
Umbraco’s Commercial Journey:
Partner Program Success:
- Conversion of registered partners to paying tiers (Silver, Gold, etc.)
- Intensified focus on brand awareness and positioning
- Launch of the Umbraco Sales Academy (free for paying partners)
Customer Success Enhancements:
- Best-in-class support
- Extended office hours to cover 21 of 24 hours globally, targeting the West Coast USA and Australia
- Partner Pulse Sessions to address support and training needs
New Cloud Regions:
- Launch of a Canadian data center in mid-Q1 2025
Umbraco Community Updates:
Emma Burstow, Director of DevRel:
- Increased attendance at Umbraco events
- 2025 focus: growth, engagement, and impact
- Formation of a new orchestration community team
- Renewal of five community teams
- Encouraging knowledge sharing to strengthen implementations
- Expanding meetups globally
Umbraco Down Under:
- Scheduled for April 15, 2025, in Australia
MVP Program Growth:
- Inviting MVPs to HQ to help expand the program
Code Garden 2025:
- The premier Umbraco developer conference
- Features include a hackathon, award show, and early bird ticket sales at Code Garden Website