Content Management Systems

Content Management Systems (CMS)

What is a Content Management System?

A content management system, or CMS, is a web application that allows non-technical users to modify the content of a website without needing years of training like a computer programmer would need. Instead of the page content being stored in complex, individual code files as in a traditional website, the content is stored in a database and is managed by the CMS. A user friendly user interface is provided to the content editors so they can easily create content and maintain all of the features of the website.

When deciding to build a new web presence, many companies will receive the most value for their development dollars by leveraging a pre-existing portal development platform such as DotNetNuke or WordPress instead of developing everything from scratch.

There's no need to reinvent the wheel

We can simply “configure” many of your requirements and save your development budget for features that require custom programming.

CMS users can immediately go about managing all aspects of their new website. That's because the CMS application provides all of the key features and tools required to operate the site, giving the administrator complete control of the content, layout, user management, and much more.

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Choosing Between DotNetNuke and WordPress

Both advanced, scalable and versatile open source content management systems, WordPress and DotNetNuke significantly reduce the development time required to create engaging, user-friendly web sites. WordPress is a CMS geared towards publication, whereas DotNetNuke is more industrial strength, designed to facilitate the building of online communities and increasing user engagement. Both of these technologies are incredibly valuable for companies interested in building their brands.

WordPress has a fairly narrow focus compared to other popular content management systems, such as DotNetNuke. This narrow focus can be either detrimental or beneficial depending on what a company wishes to do. For companies and professionals interested in creating a blog-based or simple content site with easy management and customization, WordPress is the perfect tool: a hammer for a nail.

But for those who are looking for advanced customization options and to develop a more powerful, robust website, DotNetNuke is the better option. DotNetNuke can facilitate a more complex content environment with well-developed communities. DotNetNuke can be used to drive more complex web solutions such as eCommerce and be used as a foundation for custom web applications built on top of Microsoft ASP.NET. Consequently, DotNetNuke may be a little more complicated to develop on and maintain but is well worth it in the long run.

Customizing DotNetNuke and WordPress

Both DotNetNuke and WordPress can be customized at their code level. DotNetNuke runs on an ASP.NET code base while WordPress runs on PHP. Of course, customizing either of these content management systems on a code level is rarely necessary. Both of these CMSs allow for easy changing of simple aspects of the platform without any programming at all. DotNetNuke has "skins" which can be applied to change the appearance of the site, whereas WordPress has "themes." We develop both. Many 3rd party software development firms make off-the-shelf add-ons for DotNetNuke and WordPress that extend their capabilities. In WordPress lingo these are known as “PlugIns”. In the DotNetNuke world these are known as “Modules”.

Rudimentary CMS sites can be created with no programming at all -- but more advanced websites will require some level of custom programming or custom graphic design. Companies interested in a more unique look for their website may want to consider hiring a software team that is experienced doing both custom CMS graphic design as well as CMS custom programming.

It is not uncommon that 80% of a custom web application project disappears when we reevaluate it in the context of DotNetNuke. We leverage the built-in CMS features, use low cost third party modules, purchase low cost yet stunning skin designs and use the savings to fund the custom software development. This combined with our hybrid team approach gives us an unmatched ability to deliver quality systems for an exceptional price. We deliver value with Content Management Sytems!