Top 50: Software Solutions for Web Professionals

It's difficult to imagine what the day of a 'Net professional might look like without software (Web-based or that of any other variety, e.g. desktop).

In 2015, there are solutions for everything; from platforms for designing and developing brands' digital foundations to myriad offerings available for testing, optimizing and analyzing every aspect of the modern customer experience. It's easy to understand why spending in this important industry segment is accelerating so dramatically.

In its 2014 IT spending forecast, Gartner projected IT spending (which is already in the multi-billion dollar range annually) would increase 2.4 percent in 2015 - up from 1.9 percent growth in 2014. Gartner, of course, is not alone in its optimistic projections. Forrester Research projected 5.3 percent growth for 2015 and 5.9 percent for 2016. And the area with the highest likely growth rate? You guessed it, enterprise software - the solutions today's brands use to conduct business on the Internet and engage their audience across channels.

Software comes in so many forms that it can be exceedingly difficult for stakeholders to develop a master list of essential solutions for their enterprise. In their pursuit of 'Net success, businesses (whether they are purely digital or have a brick-and- mortar component) must first identify what specific segments of the software industry will be most valuable to their team of Web professionals when managing a digital presence. Where do you begin? Focus on the basics.

In this month's Top 50 from Website Magazine, the focus is on those solutions that, time and again, prove essential to success. Readers will find both established leaders and emerging contenders for their software dollars in six categories including Web content management systems (CMSs), ecommerce, customer relationship management (CRM), marketing, project management and help desk solutions. Let this Top 50 serve as the inspiration as you roll out your next project or replatform in the months and years to come.