Percussion Software has launched a new Web Content Management (WCM) solution,  Percussion CM1 Version 2, promising new social engagement capabilities, including advanced blogging functionality, improved content reuse, sharing and commenting capabilities, new cloud deployment options, and new ways to deploy sites faster.

The company says traditional WCM "products" are in fact technology platforms on which the customer or a third-party services firm must build their own custom WCM application. It claims Percussion CM1 Version 2 “productises” the actual WCM application itself, enabling rapid deployment of sites and web channels through pre-built Widgets and Gadgets. 

This enables organisations to eliminate the reliance on costly third-party consulting services firms to build these core features during the initial roll out, and for the ongoing deployment of new features and upgrades. Its significant advances in user-interface design makes it possible for users to take control of their WCM initiatives while maintaining the flexibility to address “What’s Next” on the web. 

A drag-and-drop interface can be used to make any kind of edit or change—such as creating new templates, modifying page layouts, integrating social content, or embedding third-party web applications.

Percussion CM1 Version 2 provides advanced blogging functionality from within the WCM to enable wider re-use of site content and rich cross linking with the blog, as well as more complete analytics from the CM1 Dashboard.

Pricing starts at $US20,000 for product license and a $US5,000 annual subscription covering upgrades and maintenance