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s been on the move for over 25 years. 

The first version of imperia CMS was developed in 1995 in Cologne, where PIRONET AG was also founded. Today, more than 40,000 websites worldwide use our technology. The history of pirobase imperia is the history of the modern Web.

1995–1999

The Beginning: Two Visions from Cologne

1995: The Web consists of blinking text, table-based layouts, and “Under Construction” GIFs. In Cologne, two companies are founded at the same time with the goal of making the Web usable for businesses: Mehrdad Piroozram founds PIRONET AG, and Felix Höger founds NDH IT Services AG. At the same time, the first version of imperia CMS is being developed.

★ imperia CMS 1 & pirobase 1 ★

1995: First version of imperia CMS
1995: PIRONET AG was founded in Cologne
1996: pirobase CMS 1 released
1997: Development of pirobase PIM begins
1999: Imperia Software Solutions GmbH was founded (Hürth/Berlin)
Static Publishing as a Guarantee of Security

Optimized for Netscape Navigator 4.0 and Internet Explorer 5

2000–2004

Initial Public Offering & Consolidation 

In August 2000, NDH IT Services and PIRONET merged to form Pironet NDH AG and went public on the Neuer Markt in Frankfurt. The dot-com bubble bursts, but the enterprise CMS business continues to grow. In 2001, Imperia Software Solutions GmbH becomes Imperia AG. The first major clients from the public sector and the financial industry place their trust in Imperia.

Pironet NDH AG & Imperia AG

2000: Pironet NDH AG IPO on the Neuer Markt
2001: Imperia GmbH becomes Imperia AG
Multi-site capable for complex organizations
Advanced Permissions & Workflow Control
LDAP & Active Directory Integration
First Steps Toward a Web Without Barriers (BITV)

Milestone 2004: Pironet NDH operates Sinfos GmbH in partnership with GS1 Germany (master data synchronization for 1,800 companies in 6 countries).

2005–2014

Three Products, One Company: Pironet NDH & Imperia AG

In January 2005, Pironet NDH acquired a majority stake in Imperia AG. Two CMS product lines (pirobase CMS and imperia CMS) are now operated under one corporate umbrella. In 2013, CANCOM SE acquired Pironet NDH AG. At the end of 2014, CANCOM decided to spin off the CMS and PIM divisions under the umbrella of imperia AG, laying the foundation for independence.

Three product lines, one vision 

imperia CMS

Perl-basiert, statisches Publishing, sichere Plattform für Behörden, Banken und globale Marken. Über 350 Kunden.

pirobase CMS & PIM

Java-basiert, Full-Suite Content & Produktdaten-Management für Omnichannel-Kommunikation.

2005: Pironet NDH holds a 97.19% stake in Imperia AG
Responsive design is becoming the standard for customers
~450 employees in the Pironet NDH Group
2013: CANCOM SE acquires Pironet NDH AG
2015–2022 

The Rebirth: pirobase imperia GmbH

On June 30, 2015, Imperia AG was acquired by Allegra Capital, converted into a GmbH, and renamed pirobase imperia GmbH. For the first time, the company name combines both product lines.

The Combined Product Portfolio

imperia CMS

v11: Neues UI, Docker

pirobase CMS

v10.x: Cloud-First

pirobase PIM

Product Data Hub

2023 - Today

The Next Generation: Part of the axxessio Family

In May 2023, axxessio GmbH of Bonn will acquire pirobase imperia GmbH. With many years of project expertise and experienced development teams, this merger will create a powerful entity for enterprise content and product experience management. The integration of AI and a strong focus on product modernization will help the company shine in a new light.

Enterprise Platform Suite 2026

pirobase CMS: Quarterly Releases for the First Time
imperia CMS: A New Approach to SSR
pirobase PIM: Complete technical overhaul and new UI
Integration of AI features across all products
ISO 27001 and 9001 Certification
0 Vision
0 Products
0 Years of experience
0 Satisfied Customers

Write the next chapter with us. 

25 years of experience, ready for the next 25. Let’s work together to modernize your content infrastructure.

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