Introduction
Almost undeniably, every single commercial site we build and launch is accompanied by some sort of Content Management System (CMS).
Often we are asked to define the many different types of CMS solutions available. Each solution varies in both cost and development time, often influencing the overall decision.
As each solution provides varying levels of budgetary considerations, so do the compromises vary with each iteration.
The literature review aims to research and critically analyse web content management systems. It researches into existing content management systems and the different types ranging from open source, commercial and customised CMS’s.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
A content management system is a tool that enables a variety of technical and non technical staff to create, edit, manage and finally publish a variety of content such as text, graphics, video, documents etc. There are three main types of web content management systems to choose from; commercial, open source or customised.
In order to justify developing and using a CMS, users must understand what it is exactly they are getting into in order to justify their decision. Content management systems provide many benefits. For example, a CMS is database driven, hence allowing users to create and store a large amount of pages. It also allows one to separate the design from the content, allowing users to change the design of the web page without affecting the content via cascading style sheets (CSS). In addition, a CMS allows non-technical users to easily and quickly add and edit content and it also attracts visitors as the website is constantly and rapidly updated.
Commercial CMS
A commercial CMS is a licensed software package requiring the client to purchase a licence to use the software. The main advantage of using a commercial CMS is that the client has access to dependable support. It also normally offers better documentation and training over open source CMS’s.
However, the main disadvantage of a commercial CMS is its cost as commercial CMS’s require a licence to be purchased. In addition, commercial CMS’s come as a package and therefore there may be components which are not required and extra costs would be incurred in order to customise and build more components. It also raises the issue of paying for features not required.
An additional disadvantage of using a commercial CMS is the rigidity of its templates, often providing you with strict rules with regards to the layout of pages etc, removing the flexibility of customised solutions.
Open Source CMS
An open source CMS is a freely available software package to manage web content which is in turn its main advantage over a commercial CMS. Open source CMS are attractive and beneficial for small websites, non-profit organisations and government departments.
However, like commercial CMS’s, open source CMS’s have features and components not required by clients thus complicating its use and management. Although it is argued that open source CMS’s lack support, many of the open source CMS’s are supported by an active community of hundreds if not thousands of developers. It allows for knowledge sharing.
An example of open source CMS solutions is Joomla and Drupal, a popular application used by us on many occasions.
Customised CMS
A customised CMS is a software package developed to cater for specific needs for a client. It has features customised to the client’s requirements, helping to ensure client satisfaction. Customised CMS’s can be developed to bridge the gap between open source and commercial CMS’s.
The primary benefit of a Customised CMS and the single reason why we continue to recommend this, is that a CMS solution should be built to cater for the needs of the business, not the other way around.
However the main disadvantage of customised CMS’s is that it is costly to keep them up-to-date as opposed to open source and commercial which offer free upgrades as required. In addition, the development of a customised system from scratch is a lengthy process and may require significant manpower thus resulting in a poor return on investment (ROI) depending on shelf life of website.
Summary
There are already various commercial and open source content management systems available for organisations to use. Deciding on which is best for a client depends on budget, technical abiltiy and requirements of the project.
