Case Study: How Agility CMS Helped Scale 10 Global Sites Without Slowing Teams Down

At A Glance

A global, multi-brand organization needed to:

• Consolidate 10+ marketing sites running on different platforms
  

• Give regional teams more control without losing governance
  

• Integrate with existing systems on Azure
  

• Improve time-to-launch for campaigns and new markets
  

They chose Agility CMS as their composable content platform. The result: one structured content hub, multiple front ends, and a faster, more predictable way to grow.

In this case study, we’ll walk through the challenge, the architecture, and what changed for their teams day-to-day.

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The Starting Point: 10 Sites, 10 Different Problems

Before Agility CMS, their digital footprint looked like this:

• Multiple CMS platforms across regions (traditional + custom-built)
  

• Different URL structures, content models, and workflows
  

• Duplicate content everywhere — same campaigns rewritten across sites
  

• Simple updates (like a global announcement) took weeks to roll out
  

• Every region had its own “way of doing things,” making governance difficult
  

Marketing wanted:

• Faster campaign launches and local flexibility
  

IT wanted:

• Fewer platforms to maintain, stronger security, and a cleaner architecture
  

They needed one place to manage content and a way to roll out global changes without breaking local experiences.

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Why They Chose Agility CMS

The evaluation team focused on three things:

1. Composable & headless architecture
   

• API-first, structured content, and integrations that fit their Azure-first strategy.
  

• Freedom to choose the right front-end frameworks (Next.js, React).
  

2. Hybrid editing experience
   

• Headless APIs for omnichannel delivery.
  

• Web Studio for editor-friendly page composition across regions.
  

3. Enterprise security & governance
   

• Azure-based infrastructure with enterprise-grade security.
  

• Roles, workflows, and environments for safe collaboration.
  

Relevant capabilities they leaned on:

• Headless CMS Product

• Web Studio

• Enterprise-Grade Security

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The New Architecture: One Content Hub, Many Sites

Here’s how the solution was designed.

1. A single content hub in Agility CMS

They centralized content into one Agility instance:

• Global content models:
  

• Article, Product, Campaign, Promotion, Location, FAQ, etc.
  

• Linked content for relationships (e.g., Campaign ↔ Regions, Product ↔ Category).
  

• Localized fields to support multiple languages and markets.
  

Resources:

• Content Models

• Linked Content

• Multi-Locale Guide

2. Multiple front ends, same content

Each site (global and regional) used its own front end, powered by Agility content:

• Global corporate site and top-level brand presence
  

• Regional sites tailored to specific countries and languages
  

• Campaign/landing sites for launches and promotions
  

Most sites used Next.js, deployed to the organization’s preferred hosting, pulling content via:

• GraphQL API

• Content Fetch API

3. Azure-powered operations

Agility CMS ran on Microsoft Azure, fitting neatly into their existing IT strategy:

• Centralized security policies
  

• Global availability and performance
  

• Compatibility with existing Azure services and monitoring
  

Read more:

• How Agility CMS Works with Azure Cloud

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Governance Without Slowing Anyone Down

One of their biggest worries: “Will we lose control if we give regions more freedom?”

Agility CMS let them do both:

• Global team
  

• Owns global components, design system, and shared content models
  

• Defines layouts and approved page modules in Web Studio
  

• Regional teams
  

• Create and manage local pages within approved templates
  

• Translate and adapt global content for local markets
  

Key features used:

• Teams & Roles

• Custom Roles

• Workflows

This meant:

• Global brand standards stayed intact
  

• Regional marketers could finally move faster without waiting on central IT
  

• Everyone worked in one system, instead of a patchwork of tools
  

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Day-To-Day Changes For Their Teams

For marketing & content teams

Before:

• “Can you build this landing page?” turned into a dev ticket and sprint.
  

• Updating a global message across sites was a copy-paste nightmare.
  

• No clear preview for how pages would look in each region.
  

After:

• Editors used Web Studio to build and publish pages with approved components.
  

• Global announcements and campaigns were created once and reused across sites.
  

• Local teams previewed their pages per region and device before publishing.
  

Relevant features:

• Introduction to Pages

• Preview & Publishing

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For Developers

Before:

• Every site had a slightly different tech stack and plugin mix.
  

• Upgrades and security patches were manual and inconsistent.
  

• New integrations (search, DAM, forms) meant rebuilding from scratch per site.
  

After:

• They standardized on Next.js patterns for multiple sites.
  

• New components could be rolled out across all sites using the same framework.
  

• Integrations were wired once at the platform level instead of per site.
  

Helper resources they used:

• Next.js Starter

• Next.js SSR & Caching

• Sitemaps & Redirects

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For IT & Security

Before:

• Multiple CMS instances to patch and watch.
  

• Different permission models and login systems everywhere.
  

• Hard to guarantee consistent compliance and auditability.
  

After:

• Centralized access control with SSO and role-based permissions.
  

• One primary content platform to monitor and govern.
  

• Better visibility into who changed what, and where.
  

Helpful capabilities:

• Enterprise Single Sign-On

• Enterprise Security

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The Impact: What Changed For The Business

While numbers will vary per organization, this kind of setup typically delivers:

• Faster launches
   Going live with new markets or campaign sites in weeks instead of months.
  

• Lower operational overhead
   Fewer content platforms to manage, patch, and support.
  

• Consistent brand & experience
   Shared models and components ensure every site feels on-brand, even when localized.
  

• Better use of content
   One piece of content can appear on multiple sites, in multiple formats and regions, without duplication.
  

To see similar stories:

• Cineplex Composable Success Story

• Compass Group Canada

• Open GI

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What This Architecture Makes Possible Next

With 10 global sites running on Agility CMS, the organization now has a foundation for:

• Launching new brand sites using the same content hub and patterns
  

• Adding new channels (apps, in-store displays, partner portals) via APIs
  

• Testing new integrations (search, AI, personalization) with far less risk
  

• Supporting M&A activity by onboarding acquired brands into the same platform
  

This is the core promise of composable: once the foundation is in place, adding or swapping pieces gets easier over time.

For more on the strategy behind this:

• Composable CMS Explained (and Why It’s the Future)
  

• Headless CMS vs Content Platforms

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Considering A Similar Move?

If you’re running multiple sites across regions or brands and your current stack feels heavy, slow, or fragmented, you don’t need a risky big-bang replatform.

With Agility CMS on Azure, you can:

• Start with one brand or region
  

• Prove the model with a pilot site
  

• Scale to more sites and channels at your own pace
  

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Talk To Our Team

If this sounds like the direction you’re headed, we’d be happy to walk through:

• Your current architecture and constraints
  

• Where a composable content hub would add the most value
  

• A phased rollout plan to avoid disruption
  

Secondary CTAs:

• Book a Demo

• Explore Enterprise Features

• Compare Agility vs Other Headless CMS Platforms