WCM reaps ROI

Cleantech Group, providers of global market research and financial services for the "cleantech" ecosystem, received immediate return on investment when it implemented a new Web content management solution. The organization defines cleantech as "new technology and related business models that offer competitive returns for investors and customers while providing solutions to global challenges."

Cleantech deployed CommonSpot from PaperThin, launched a new Web site within 30 days and reduced operational costs by more than $100,000 in the first year, according to a recent press release from PaperThin. When Cleantech switched the day-to-day management of Web content from IT to marketing, both marketing productivity and time-to-market are said to have improved. IT reduced the number of man-hours spent on the Web site by 98 percent, improving productivity by 1,800 percent, PaperThin reports.

Mike Ewles, managing director of IS for the Cleantech Group, says, "We went from three IT people spending 90 percent of our time on the Web site to one person spending 5 percent. And it took marketing a matter of minutes to use the system. I could take someone off the street today who knew how to use a Web browser, and tomorrow he or she could be managing content."

Bob Cellucci, senior VP of PaperThin, says, "The state of the economy has placed increased scrutiny on infrastructure purchases such as Web content management systems. Now more than ever, organizations across the board need to justify purchase decisions."

CommonSpot Web content management features an intuitive authoring interface, RSS feeds, blogs, wikis and XML publishing and rendering capabilities. Its ease of use, according to PaperThin, allows business users to be self-sufficient and productive.