Content Management Systems (CMS) have cut down the way content is published on websites and intranets these days. A CMS is an easy-to-use tool that involves minimum technical skills. Any lay-man can simply create text and multimedia rich web pages this system. Though, you are not just restricted to designing and publishing web pages. It also permits maintenance of documents and other content.
A CMS can also be used for precise reason like document management, knowledge management, website content management, and so on. There are many systems existing that are package with more or less parallel features and are equally effective. Most of these can be modified for a precise type of working environment and are generally referred to as bespoke content management systems.
Generally they can be classified as enterprise level CMS and Open Source CMS. Enterprise content management systems have superior elements like workflow management and security features. Open source CMS are free-to-use tools with all the necessary basic functionalities. A content management system also relies on the type of platform used like the programming language (ASP, PHP, JAVA, and so on) and the supported databases (MySQL, Oracle, and so on).
Much of CMS triumph can be recognized to its usability feature. The easiness of use does not necessarily mean how easy it is for the author to get the content published on the web page. The usability factor of a content management system also takes into account the following:
- Easy to design layout, publish the content, and fast deployment.
- The easiness with which the CMS can be learned.
- The way in which the errors are reported and controlled.
- Portability between versions and scalability on various platforms.
Separately from easy functionalities, a content management system should preferably include the following features:
- Customizable templates that can voluntarily applied to content.
- Work flow management and document management.
- Advanced plug-ins and upgrades that meet the terms to latest web standards.
A bespoke CMS permits the users to renovate the content on any page or portion of the website. Bespoke content management systems are most excellent used when there are individual requirements like multi-lingual support, automatic link check, access rights depending on the roles, convoluted database systems, and so on. It is positive to have requirements and implementation objectives without a doubt defined before selecting and conclude a content management system.
