Sitecore Accelerate: What It Is, Benefits, Resources, and Community Impact

Sitecore Accelerate is a strategic program designed to simplify and guide businesses as they transition from traditional Sitecore platforms like XP (Experience Platform), XC (Experience Commerce), or XM (Experience Manager) to modern SaaS-based solutions such as XM Cloud, XM Cloud Plus, or OrderCloud. By leveraging Sitecore’s expert guidance and resources, Accelerate helps both customers and partners streamline their digital transformation journey.

What Is Sitecore Accelerate?

Sitecore Accelerate serves as a structured navigation plan to guide businesses in adopting Sitecore’s composable SaaS platforms. It aims to address challenges that often accompany major transitions, such as lengthy setup times, understanding new integrations, and managing the complexity of implementing a new SaaS model.

The first version of the accelerator was released last year to provide a more open, sharable, and accessible resource globally, allowing people to pick it up, provide feedback, and facilitate conversations on implementation

Since Accelerate's launch, it has helped to solve the problem by documenting high-level topics, providing an approach, and making it quicker for implementation teams to follow directions and focus on detailed requirements

Key components of the program include:

• Assessment of Requirements: Sitecore advisors and technical specialists evaluate existing systems and formulate the rationale for transitioning to SaaS.

• Strategic Rollout Planning: A clear roadmap for migrating to XM Cloud or OrderCloud is provided, ensuring alignment with business goals.

• Post-Launch Support: Continuous guidance and support help businesses optimise their new environment after going live.

The program is built on collaboration, leveraging expertise across Sitecore’s product, engineering, and customer success teams.

Benefits of Sitecore Accelerate for Customers and Partners

For Customers:

• Faster Time-to-Value: By following the structured approach and resources, customers can accelerate their migration to Sitecore’s SaaS products and achieve quicker results.

• Reduced Complexity: Clear documentation and best practices minimise confusion and streamline the setup and implementation process.

• Ongoing Support: Sitecore provides sustained assistance to ensure smooth operations post-migration, reducing the burden on internal teams.

For Partners:

• Guided Implementation: Sitecore Accelerate provides partners with a proven methodology and tools to simplify customer projects.

• Improved Collaboration: Partners gain insights and recommendations directly from Sitecore experts, enhancing project outcomes.

• Access to Resources: Partners can leverage Accelerate’s resources to deliver faster, more efficient solutions for their customers.

Available Resources for Sitecore Accelerate

Sitecore Accelerate provides a wealth of resources to assist businesses, including:

1. The Accelerate Cookbook:

• A practical guide available on the Sitecore Developer Portal.

• Recipes for key areas such as:

  • Pre-development planning

  • Content audits and Edge publishing

  • xField implementation

  • Building new components

  • Troubleshooting containers

2. Community Recipes and Contributions:

• Businesses and partners can submit their own recipes or provide feedback to enhance the program.

• A collaborative process allows the program to grow with input from real-world use cases.

3. Detailed Documentation:

• Comprehensive guides for integrating XM Cloud with search functionality and working with tools like Goli.)

• Example code and appendices to support development teams.

Why Sitecore Accelerate Benefits the Community

Sitecore Accelerate is not just a program; it is a collaborative initiative designed to bring together Sitecore’s experts, partners, and customers. The program’s community-driven approach ensures it continues to evolve, meeting the needs of everyone involved in the Sitecore ecosystem.

• Knowledge Sharing: By documenting strategies and best practices, the program becomes a shared knowledge base for the community.

• Innovation: Community feedback helps identify gaps, improve processes, and refine tools, making the platform better for everyone.

• Collaboration: Partners, customers, and Sitecore teams work together, ensuring smoother transitions and stronger project outcomes.

• Accessibility: Resources are freely available on the Sitecore Developer Portal, ensuring businesses of all sizes can benefit.

The collaborative nature of Accelerate fosters growth, empowers the community, and accelerates digital transformation across the ecosystem.

Conclusion

Sitecore Accelerate simplifies the move to Sitecore’s cutting-edge SaaS solutions, providing a structured plan, extensive resources, and ongoing support. For customers, it reduces complexity and accelerates results; for partners, it enhances project efficiency and collaboration. By encouraging community involvement, Sitecore Accelerate becomes a dynamic, evolving program that benefits the entire Sitecore ecosystem. Whether you’re migrating to XM Cloud, OrderCloud, or beyond, Sitecore Accelerate could be a useful tool to utilize.