Tom Dudfield

My tech ramblings

Cover Image for Provision a Sitecore 9 PaaS environment

In this article I am going to run through how to provision Sitecore 9 XP on Microsoft Azure in a PaaS configuration. This is probably the most common scenario for deploying Sitecore to the cloud however it can easily be configured based on size and topology.

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Cover Image for Sitecore 9 and the Sitecore Installation Framework

Sitecore 9 and the Sitecore Installation Framework

Prior to Sitecore 9, setting up an instance of Sitecore either relied on running the Sitecore installer or extracting a ZIP file and jumping through a few hoops. This process was simplified with the introduction of Sitecore Instance Manager but it was still tedious when configuring different server roles. I will show you how to setup a Sitecore 9 instance, while it is not completely straightforward it is a lot more flexible.

Cover Image for Sitecore PaaS using Azure App Services

Sitecore PaaS using Azure App Services

Since Sitecore 6.3 there has been Microsoft Azure support through the separate Sitecore Azure Module.

Cover Image for How machine learning can enhance your e-commerce experience

How machine learning can enhance your e-commerce experience

Nowadays everybody takes sites like Google and Amazon for granted, whether it is to quickly find relevant information or to upsell relevant products, we barely notice how machine learning optimizes every day experiences for us.

Cover Image for Computer Vision Alt Tags in Sitecore

Computer Vision Alt Tags in Sitecore

Creating alt text for every image on your site can be a bit of a nuisance. Reviewing each image, coming up with accompanying text and checking each one all takes time, but it is essential. Now what if there was a way to magically suggest alt text when uploading images to Sitecore?

Cover Image for Why upgrade to Sitecore XP 8.2?

Why upgrade to Sitecore XP 8.2?

If you are currently running a solution on Sitecore 6.x or 7.x now is a great time to consider upgrading to 8.2.

Cover Image for Should I go to uni?

Should I go to uni?

At Digital Wave the other week I spoke to lots of young people interested in starting a career in software development. One question that kept coming up was, "Should I go to uni?".

Cover Image for Sitecore Symposium 2016

Sitecore Symposium 2016

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Sitecore Symposium this year hosted in New Orleans. It is a two-day event aimed at Sitecore developers, marketers and business users. Sitecore showcases the latest features in the platform, outlining the product roadmap and providing inspiring keynotes.

Cover Image for Sitecore User Group Dorset

Sitecore User Group Dorset

I am organising the first Sitecore User Group in Dorset, it will be held in Redwebs Loading Bar on Thursday 29th September from 6pm.

Cover Image for Sitecore shared placeholders

Sitecore shared placeholders

Having recently attended SUGCON Europe 2016 in Copenhagen, I arrived back in Bournemouth buzzing with different ideas that we could make use of at Redweb.

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Promoting teams

Since I joined Redweb 3 and a half years ago, I have seen the agency develop and grow significantly. When I joined the agency there were 80 staff. We are now heading over 120! With that has come many problems and challenges.

Cover Image for Why is development hard?

Why is development hard?

We often see high profile failures, massive budget overruns, and lengthy project delays in the IT sector. In fact, only about 34% of projects meet scope, cost and schedule goals. But most of the challenges we face in IT are not unique to agencies – a lot of these issues are common throughout the software industry.