A cloud-based deployment of EidosMedia's Méthose CMS will help 650 journalists and editors at Atlanta-based Cox Media Group launch new digital products faster for its 20 newspapers and 57 radio stations.

Technology vice-president Mark Beck says it will use Méthode to integrate its nationwide brand portfolio and share content across digital properties: "The solution we were looking for was one that would cut our time to market, allow us to adopt new technologies quickly, and seamlessly integrate new systems, products, and partnerships," he says.

"We wanted to spend time innovating new products, not developing basic features."

Beck says the demand was for a solution robust enough for large-scale deployment, while having the flexibility to adapt to constantly-evolving digital requirements. "Méthode has the features, scalability, and performance of an enterprise-class system, and offers us the right combination of stability, agility, and speed."

Key to flexibility and scalability is the fully cloud-based deployment and "almost zero" footprint. Every component of the platform, from the editorial environments used by the journalists, to the web and digital delivery servers, will be hosted in the cloud and managed by EidosMedia's global support teams. It also means Cox will be freed from the need to purchase, house, and maintain physical servers and infrastructure, bringing significant cost reductions and gains in continuity and security.

Access to the platform will be exclusively through EidosMedia's new Swing interface, a browser-based application which provides a customised workspace for every user. This gives the operation geographical freedom, enabling a user can work from any location, in the field, in the newsroom or in the coffee shop. Journalists and editors in the field will also be able to file and coordinate copy and media using Swing's dedicated smartphone and tablet apps.

EidosMedia general manager Steve Ball says the project breaks a number of records: "It's the largest, most complex cloud-based digital-only operation to be built around Méthode and it sets new standards in terms of cross-channel synergies and distributed teamwork integration."



At the end of the first phase of the project, about 80 CMG brands will be integrated into the Méthode platform. These serve 650 users distributed between the group's Atlanta headquarters and local newsrooms and reach tens of millions of visitors and viewers each week.

CMG's interests also include 14 TV stations, the Valpak direct marketing operation and advertising rep firm CoxReps. It operates in more than 20 media markets and claims to reach 52 million Americans weekly.

Below: The Cox Media group corporate video