SDL Selling Off Products, Refocusing on Translation Services

Mar 22, 2016


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We have heard about the perils of technology suites--as opposed to best-of-breed point solutions--from experts for years. Now, SDL is realizing just how hard it is to compete with the big products suites. CMSWire reported that SDL is selling its social intelligence, campaign management, and e-commerce optimization platforms-which the company says have struggled to compete with giants like Adobe and Sitecore.

With bigger losses than expected in 2015, SDL told CMSWire that "it is refocusing on its language translation services and technology products." As far back as January, SDL wrote on its blog, "Our legacy has been in language and global content. And, to continue this legacy and deliver world class Global Content Management solutions maximizing Language as our key differentiator, we have taken steps to divest in the areas that don't support our unique value proposition and reinvest in areas that do. As such, we will divest the following: Fredhopper (our eCommerce optimization solution), Social Intelligence and Campaigns." 

It seems widely agreed that SDL's products were not the problem--the marketing was. That being said, the language translation services continue to be profitable and the company is doubling down on the future of global content. 

(sdl.com)


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