Cms Solutions Are They Right For Your Business And How Do You Find A Good One

What is CMS? CMS stands for content management system. It is basically a system by which you store and make files available to multiple users. The files stored can be just about any type of file from documents to audio or video files to databases and images. The purpose behind many content management systems is to enable collaboration. For example, a content management system can store company documents maybe a proposal for a sale. If a company has several branches, authorized people from any branch can access the file and make adjustments, comments, or simply view the file. This works well for companies that out source projects as well as internal uses like legal documents, sales bids and proposals and even website development. One of the basic strengths and uses of content management systems is that they facilitate collaborative environments. Where can you find a Content management system for your business? To begin, there are a large number of options from freeware to high end expensive solutions costing more than $15,000 on up. Then there are also open source options which while free can take many many hours to set up yourself and may not be the best solution for a proper business. Some of your open source options include: DotNetNuke which runs on an ASP.NET platform and supports Microsoft SQL Server databases Apache which runs on a Lenya Java, XML, or Apache Cocoon platform. Fedora runs on a Java and supports MySQL or Oracle database solutions WordPress runs on PHP and supports MySQL PHP-Nuke which runs on PHP and also supports MySQL There are of course more than 50 open source Content management systems. Now not all open source solutions are created equal and each need to be evaluated by what they can do for you, note that their price tag of free doesnt take into consideration your time on setup, fixing bugs and making them all fit together to run a proper business. Experts agree that you will want to evaluate the following criteria: 1. Web application platform. Look for a programming language that you are familiar with or that is widely accepted and easy to use. Additionally, the more operating systems and database solutions it is compatible with, the better for you and your business. 2. Software license. If you are going to change the software and redistribute it, you will absolutely need to investigate the particular licenses attached to the software. Dont assume because it is labeled open source that it is license free. 3. Stability and development activity. Many open source products are supremely stable because developers worldwide have the ability to improve, enhance, and strengthen the software without restriction. That, in essence, is the core of open source products. That being said, it would be foolish to assume that all open source products are stable and being consistently developed. Some projects simply get abandoned. Check to see when the latest version has been released and how many versions were released prior. That is a good indication of the activity level. Also, and active bug list on the website as well as a current list of bug solutions is a good indicator of developer activity. 4. User community. The more people using an open source product, the better generally because this means people are actively striving to improve it and commercial enterprises are likely to partner with it to provide compatible software solutions. For example, Google and Yahoo partner with Apache, the pioneers of open source. 5. Documentation and source code are also good signs of continuous development and a working and viable product. The documentation also reassures you that if you have problems or questions, there is documentation to help you out. 6. Web standards, accessibility. Yes, there are open source web standards and the World Wide Web Consortium is one of the governing bodies. Visit the WWWC website and make sure the content management product youre considering checks out. 7. Suitability and usability. This shouldnt be last on the list because if a product doesnt offer the features you need, then it isnt a product you should evaluate. Make sure the content management system youre researching meets your needs and provides the features you will need. These may be accessibility features, tracking features, assigning tasks, formatting etc Outside of open source content management systems you will find some commercial options such as MemberSpeed. These generally range in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand depending on their options. Like open source options, commercial options support various platforms from PHP to web based content management systems and they support a variety of databases. If you are considering an entry level commercial system you will want to evaluate them by the same basic criteria youre evaluating open source options. One factor that wasnt mentioned in open source criteria is tech support. This is often because open source tech support is not your standard call and get an answer type situation. Open source products generally ask you to report a bug and a developer will work on a solution. However, when youre paying for a solution, tech support is a key component and something you will want to evaluate. It wont do you much good if your CMS goes down on a busy Monday morning and tech support isnt answering your calls. For example, MemberSpeed has a fully dedicated support desk manned by experts who are ready to help its customers 24/7. There are quite extensive CMS solutions offered by large companies like IBM and Oracle. These products generally cost upwards of $15,000 on up and are extremely powerful and often beyond the scope of most small to middle sized companies. However, there are many small to mid sized business CMS solutions like MemberSpeed that are very robust and powerful yet affordable for even a home based business to use. If you outsource any aspect of your business, rely on employees working off site, or operate in multiple locations, a content management system will make your workflow more seamlessly. It will enable people to collaborate quickly and easily on a variety of tasks and your production will increase. While there are many commercial CMS options, the open source options available will likely meet most or all of your content management needs. File sharing becomes as easy as logging onto the system and opening a document. Collaboration is as easy as posting comments or making changes to documents, images, and even audio files.


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About the Author:
Jeremy Gislason is a leading expert on membership sites, marketing and online business. Check out the world's leading client and content management system to skyrocket your sales at http://www.memberspeed.com