Tom Cranstoun, The MX Guy.

About

Digital Domain Technologies is the engagement vehicle for Tom Cranstoun — independent CMS architect, member of Boye & Company's CMS Experts Group. Known in CMS circles as The AEM Guy for over a decade. Now The MX Guy.

I have been solving content distribution problems across every generation of technology since 1977. I co-authored Superbase, a database and content management system that predated the CMS category. I worked on the BBC's electronic newsroom system. I spent over a decade with Adobe Experience Manager, and recent years with Edge Delivery Services.

My current focus is Machine Experience (MX) — the practice of adding metadata and explicit structure so AI agents do not have to guess. Working with EDS taught me that the patterns which break for AI agents (hidden state, ephemeral notifications, incomplete information) also break for humans with disabilities, cognitive load, or non-ideal conditions. Design for machines, benefit humans.

Track record

Strategic content architecture for organisations including:

• BBC News — electronic newsroom
• Twitter (now X) — AEM strategy
• Nissan-Renault — global rollout, hundreds of websites
• EE — UK telecom AEM strategy
• Ford
• MediaMonks

I have established AEM practices from scratch. Strategic decisions have prevented platform crashes and delivered significant cost savings. Teams gain capabilities to maintain and evolve solutions independently.

What I offer

I take on interim consultancy roles and advisory engagements where strategic experience makes the difference. I am not seeking full-time positions.

Plan reviews

Identifying gaps between intention and reality before implementation begins, particularly around agent compatibility.

Architecture strategy

Frameworks that balance corporate control with team flexibility while ensuring agent-ready foundations.

AI integration

Ensuring automation enhances rather than complicates workflows, with focus on clarity infrastructure — explicit state, persistent feedback, complete information.

Team mentoring

Building strategic thinking capabilities that outlast any single project.

Audit

Where things went well, and where they could be improved — with concrete next steps.

Machine Experience

Machine Experience is the strategic foundation for everything I now build. It is published under the CogNovaMX Ltd brand and lives at mx.allabout.network.

• The MX bookshop — all MX books, samples, and pricing.
• MX: The Handbook — the practical implementation guide. Published 2026.
• MX: The Protocols — the comprehensive reference. Publishing 1 July 2026.
• MX blog — ongoing essays on AI agent compatibility, semantic structure, and content systems.
• The Gathering — the MX community at tg.community. Manifesto, resources, and people building agent-ready systems together.
• MX-Gathering on GitHub — open-source community resources repository.

Contact

I work exclusively through Digital Domain Technologies, focusing on engagements where experience and objectivity matter most. If you are evaluating Edge Delivery Services for agent readiness, planning major AEM changes in an AI-native world, or need architectural guidance that prevents problems before they are expensive to solve — let's talk.

• Email: tom.cranstoun@gmail.com
• LinkedIn: tom-cranstoun
• X / Twitter: @ddttomtom
• MX work: allabout.network
• Professional profile: mx.allabout.network