In an increasingly digitized capital markets environment, companies are under pressure to deliver secure, customized digital experiences not only for clients, but also for boards, shareholders, and internal stakeholders. Two platforms, Liferay and Diligent, represent different ends of the spectrum when it comes to building and managing those digital experiences. Both are designed for complex organizations, but the similarities stop there.

Liferay is a digital experience platform (DXP), built for developers and architects tasked with designing bespoke portals and integrations that serve a wide array of users; investors, customers, employees, partners. It’s open source at its core, meaning the platform is highly configurable and ideal for enterprises that need control over every aspect of their digital architecture. It supports robust user segmentation, content targeting, workflow automation, and third-party system integrations. For institutions looking to build investor portals, compliance dashboards, or data-rich digital interfaces that sit atop legacy infrastructure, Liferay offers the building blocks.

But the trade-off is complexity. Liferay is not plug-and-play. Implementation can be time-consuming, often requiring development resources and ongoing maintenance. Its flexibility is its value, but also its cost.

Diligent, on the other hand, is designed for governance professionals. Its core value proposition lies in board communication, secure file distribution, ESG oversight, and compliance workflows. The platform has evolved from a board portal into a full-featured governance cloud, serving C-suites, compliance officers, and investor relations teams who need a secure environment to distribute materials, log activity, and maintain audit trails. Its strength lies in predefined workflows, user-friendly interfaces, and a closed-loop ecosystem tailored to executive and regulatory audiences.

Unlike Liferay, Diligent is not built to power public-facing digital experiences or integrate deeply with custom business logic. It is built to standardize sensitive interactions: board approvals, conflict tracking, compliance certifications, and investor disclosures. Where Liferay is a toolkit, Diligent is a system of record.

Choosing between the two depends on the digital maturity of the organization. For firms with strong in-house engineering and a mandate to create unique, dynamic client-facing environments, Liferay offers unmatched flexibility. For firms prioritizing governance, control, and speed to deployment, especially those operating in regulated sectors, Diligent is purpose-built to meet those needs.