Web O.No: Metaverse and Web 3.0 stunted by internet chaos, warn 87% of business leaders

Forrit report uncovers the internet is at breaking point, thanks to open source vulnerabilities, siloed web management systems, and poor website governance.

LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study launched by Forrit, the next-generation, global content management system (CMS) provider, reveals that 89% of senior marketers and tech leaders are optimistic that Web 3.0 and the metaverse have the potential to revolutionise the way we interact with the web. However, the report, titled Web O.No: your business' bleak online future and how to avoid it uncovered that 87% believe the current state of the internet will stunt these innovations - and none of the respondents have websites that are currently equipped for this transformative new internet era.

As we near the 31st anniversary of the World Wide Web's entry into the public domain, UK business decision-makers unanimously agreed that "the Internet today is a mess," citing security flaws, vulnerabilities with open source web management systems, ungoverned websites, and multiple layers of legacy CMS systems.

Despite the report focusing on heavily regulated industries, financial services, utilities, and the legal sector, over half of the respondents (57%) revealed they have website security flaws. They also admitted customers would lose trust if they were exposed. Security vulnerabilities were most prevalent among those who run their websites on open source solutions, rising to 79% in this group. Expert respondents underscored the specific risk of open source plug-ins. Created by multiple third-party developers, they leave websites open to malicious compromise.

Beyond cyber-attacks, the report highlights the heightened risk of outages, dysfunctional interfaces, and hazardous content hidden within neglected pages of reputable websites. The latter is a risk for those operating multiple website management (CMS) systems - a common practice among the participants. Shockingly 44% admitted they don't have control of the website content as a direct result of this practice.

With the internet spiralling out of control, Forrit labels this chaotic online future Web O.No.

Peter Proud, CEO and Founder, Forrit, explains the role of composable CMS platforms in putting the brakes on this doomsday scenario, "Forget Web 3.0, we're heading towards Web O.No - a grim reality of an internet unfit for purpose unless we act now. It's time to stop layering on outdated, vulnerable web management systems, which exacerbate the problem. Embracing a next-generation composable web management platform would introduce a new era of security, flexibility, and scalability for the internet, empowering businesses to embrace the future."

The respondents reinforced this sentiment, with 89% asserting that composable architecture would empower their organisation to future-proof their digital infrastructure. This includes granting them the flexibility to adopt AI into the website—a capability that is inhibited by their current web management system, according to 72% of respondents.

Gary Roberts, CRO, Forrit, underscores this significance: "Your website management platform (CMS) should be an enabler of digital innovation, not a barrier. Embracing composable web architecture removes the current barriers, providing a clear pathway to the future - whether that's the metaverse, Web 3.0, or any other pioneering tech advancement as yet undiscovered."

Click here to download Forrit's report - Web O.No: your business' bleak online future and how to avoid it.

About Forrit
UK-based, global content management system provider, Forrit, has been helping large businesses in highly-regulated industries keep their web estate secure, simple-to-scale and easy-to-manage, for the last 10 years.

Our mission? To allow IT and marketing to manage their digital estate in perfect harmony. Through Forrit's intuitive UI, low code CMS and content management configuration platform (Service Delivery Hub), the CMO and CTO can take joint control of their web estate.

An Azure-native solution, through which businesses can leverage any and all Azure Cloud Services, including AI-powered translation and automated migration, Forrit CMS is future proof and can be scaled or de-scaled as needed.

Sound technical? Not at all. Forrit's platform requires no prior Azure knowledge or technical expertise to get everything needed from it. The plus to this, the strain is taken off the IT team, and the marketing team can create unrivalled digital experiences and manage content with ease.

With enterprise-grade security to top it off, Forrit's cloud-native CMS helps businesses simplify their workflows, streamline their marketing efforts and scale at speed, securely.

About the research
Censuswide conducted the research with 505 UK IT and marketing decision-makers between 01.03.24 and 12.03.24. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles, and is a member of The British Polling Council.