In the case of larger, dynamic web pages, CMS is unimaginable. Once set up, content can be quickly and effectively published and changed. The beauty of this: content and layout are separated during content management. So you do not have to worry about the presentation and the design of the pages. Unlike a web editor, with a CMS, it is also possible to release colleagues to the online world, whose understanding of HTML and page design is rather low.
Areas of application of CMS
So it is no wonder that many companies view CMS as an adequate means to counter the ever-increasing information flow and the growing publication pressure. However, the right system must first be found, installed and configured.
The beginning is the hard work
And this is not the case, especially in the case of CMS. There are commercial applications and open-source solutions, database-based systems and others, there are complex and rather simply knitted applications. In short, a chaotic market that is hard to overlook even for experts.
Providers and hosters offer good services
The immense dynamism, which not only affects technical innovations, but also interferes with the power relationship on the CMS market. For a long time the fist formula was "commercial systems in commercial critical processes, open-source technology in all other cases". However, this last orientation aid has also fallen for helpless IT decision-makers. In the meantime license-free software is also in the professional environment on the advance. And for this there are several reasons
But even if you focus on open source in the software selection, one thing becomes clear: With a quick shot from the hip, it is not done. The project wants to be well prepared. After all, around 300 different solutions are on the market. The winner of the "test winner" comes only to the end. First of all, it is about defining the project objectives and project requirements. On this basis solutions can then be developed in the second step.
The first question is, for example, the role of inter-, intra- or extranet, for example, sales, marketing and corporate communications. It is also necessary to clarify which positions in the company or externally which information is introduced and published in the CMS. Without crushing the organization and processes, it is difficult to find a system that optimally fulfills the application.
It is also no good to use a simple software to operate complex Web sites, as opposed to challenging a demanding system mercilessly. In addition to the actual needs of the company, resources also play a role in product selection. In this case, the existing know-how and the personnel capacities have to be assessed realistically. If both are missing, commercial CMSs are often a better alternative because maintenance and maintenance can sometimes be easier to outsource to external service providers.
Many small and medium-sized companies have neither the right nor the financial resources to update their editorial content on a daily basis. Rather, it is about presenting companies, products and services, as well as offering contact opportunities. Content that does not necessarily change daily.
The building block systems of hosting providers such as Strato, 1 & 1 or Host Europe are completely adequate for such challenges. A few handfuls are enough to click the web page together with some templates and presets. The costs are rarely higher than ten euros a month.
More creative scope with similarly high operating comfort is only available with a CMS. The prerequisite is a suitable web server - preferably Windows or Linux. Also here the offers of the various hosters. For the few small and medium-sized enterprises, a web server is worthwhile in its own data center.
Which CMS is played on the server is up to the user. Please note: The databases, scripts and operating systems that the CMS requires should be provided by the hosting service provider. In addition to PHP, Perl and Python are among the most frequently used scripting languages. To avoid premature and sometimes costly vendor changes, you should also take a look at extensions and upgrade paths.
Modern CMS adapts to a wide range of applications and scenarios. After all, it is not a matter of classic, self-contained software packages, but rather of open frameworks, which only come to life through individual extensions. The comparatively small core often consists of only a few standard functions, such as user and content administration.
The more familiar and widespread a CMS is, the larger is usually the plug-in offer. In many cases, this is a clear competitive advantage. Unlike commercial solutions like Microsoft SharePoint, there is no regular support for open source CMSs. This is the community around WordPress, Joomla! & Co. all the more active. Users will not only find support for current questions, but also a fairly good documentation on individual applications.
Customized
CMS are generally served by webbrowser. The user interface can usually be customized. Almost all CMS are based on a database, have a sophisticated user administration and a rich text editor. The systems listed in the market overview are exclusively open source solutions. However, the countless plug-ins are partly payable. As well-established solutions have advantages in terms of bandwidth and support, the focus is on market leaders.
The CMS TYPO3 saw the light of the world in 2001. The Danish web designer Kaspar Skarhoj has been developing it since 1997 for customer projects. TYPO3 is widely used in Europe. If you want to outsource your CMS project to a web agency or an IT service provider, then you will hardly have trouble finding competent support in the area.
TYPO3
TYPO3 is now available in 50 languages. The community has around 100,000 members and has produced around 5000 plug-ins and templates. The number of downloads now exceeds the six million mark. Experts estimate the number of installations to be about 500,000. TYPO3 is based on PHP, while mySQL, PostgreSQL and Oracle are supported on the database side. Thanks to numerous interfaces, common ERP and CRM applications can be easily integrated.
One of the strengths of TYPO3 is the administration of several domains with a backend. Users save themselves thereby additional single installations, in order to edit different websites. In addition, embedded files embedded in web pages - if they are referenced - can be stored on external servers, which can be an advantage in the case of voluminous web appearances. The so-called front-end editing, in which web pages can be directly modified after the login, is extremely comfortable, without detour via an editor.
There are special templates for mobile websites with touch support. To facilitate the integration into the complex system, a start package is available, which contains a sample template with some extensions. In October 2012, the new CMS Neo was presented, which should eventually replace TYPO3. A special feature in the open-source scene is the "Long Term Support" version of TYPO3, which also includes professional support.
Joomla!
WordPress
Drupal
ImpressCMS
Conclusion
Joomla! Released in 2005 from the open source project "Mambo" Is a license-free CMS, which is popular in the USA. Measured by the numbers, Joomla! Similar to TYPO3. The American Forum alone has around 150,000 members. Internationally it is far more than half a million. With the number of extensions, the software is at the top of the staircase. According to unofficial counts, there are now over 10,000 plug-ins. Many of them are free of charge. The comparatively high spread facilitates the incorporation. Beginners will also find user guides and training videos on the web.
Joomla! Is a fairly comprehensive CMS framework based on the scripting language PHP. In addition to the license-free MySQL and PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server can also be used as a database. Web sites can be implemented in several languages. As one of the first CMS, Joomla! Already in standard on smartphones and tablets.
A real unique feature is the handling of templates: You can generate as many variants as possible from a main template, for example, to represent the websites of subsidiaries or individual company areas. Web designers avoid sparing such derivatives manually.
If the look of the main template is adjusted later, Joomla! The look & feel of the extensions and templates automatically. Joomla! Is equipped with a full-text search, supports search engine optimization and barrier-free websites. Bottom Line: A user-friendly CMS that can be used to efficiently manage medium-sized Web sites.
The first version of WordPress was released in 2004. At the time, it was mainly about developing an easy-to-use blogging system. With success: WordPress has a market share of almost 50 percent among the top 100 blogs in the world. The community continued to grow steadily. At the same time, WordPress opened new application areas from the CMS environment.
About 5000 extensions are now available. In addition there are countless "Themes", so free design templates. In the United States alone, the community comprises about 45,000 members. Accordingly, it is good to ask for support in case of problems. In addition, the documentation of the software - either by freely available material on the Internet or by means of paid offers of the specialist book trade - is more than sufficient.
To work with WordPress, you need a web server with a MySQL database and support for PHP script. Requirements, which basically meets every Internet provider. A great advantage of WordPress is the ease of use: the wizard makes installation quick. Administration is also easier than most other systems.
In addition, there are some clever functions: For example, comments and articles can be published via e-mail. A simplification for external writers who write on the blog without having to deal with the backend. As far as the content is concerned, WordPress shows itself from the flexible side: besides texts, galleries, audio and video sequences can already be integrated into the standard.
The basis of the website is a theme. From these design templates, there are now several thousand, which can for example be personalized with color adjustments or background images. Web sites created with WordPress can also be displayed on mobile devices. The same applies to the operation of the CMS.
WordPress is a simple, user-friendly CMS system that is relatively easy to learn. The simple operation is, however, at least partly bought with concessions with the functional range. Some features, which are standard with other CMS, are to be retrofitted with plug-ins. This concerns, for example, the user rights or the management of multilingual web sites. While smaller branches, simply structured new pages and blogs can be implemented well with the tool, there are more comfortable solutions for larger projects.
Drupal was originally intended as a social platform for the exchange of information for web communities. Since 2001, the CMS has been available to the general public. Just like with TYPO3, Joomla! And WordPress ran the development of the tool rapidly in recent years. The download figures were last at 1.4 million per year. The lively Drupal community has developed more than 12,000 extensions so far. It currently counts nearly one million members worldwide. There is no need to worry about lack of support for beginners.
Drupal is based on the PHP script language. The database is MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite. The structure of the modular framework is slim. In addition to features from the area of content management, the basic functions include modules for communities, blogs or RSS feeds. If you need more, you must install additional extensions.
Drupal is fast, but it has to live with some less powerful functional areas like workflow management. Drupal has no problem managing multiple domains. In addition, the software has detailed roles and user rights as well as a built-in full-text search. Search engine optimized URLs are also produced. Bottom line, Drupal is the right solution for Web sites with high affinity to Web 2.0 forums. Events or social publishing are tasks that can be implemented comparatively easily with the CMS.
The ImpressCMS published for the first time in 2007 is the latest CMS in the field. Just like Drupal, the community idea is very strong. Via a dedicated rights management, the radius of movement of individual users and user groups can be restricted. ImpressCMS currently includes ten language packages, so that international web sites can be implemented.
Themes and templates determine the page presentation. They can be adapted individually to the smallest detail. For complex web pages, a full-page search is provided for quick access to the desired information.
A special feature is the distinct security awareness: Sensitive data can also be stored outside the root directory so that unauthorized persons do not have access to the domain. For 2013, the community is focusing on the development of mobile solutions. Additional features such as forums or shops can be added to additional modules.
ImpressCMS is as easy to use as WordPress and is ideal for beginners. Training videos and step-by-step instructions are a good support. ImpressCMS is a good service for smaller web sites and social communities.
The market for web content management systems is now firmly in the hands of the open source community. Right, because the many small, enthusiastic users and developers have proven to be more creative and innovative in the past than many commercial manufacturers. The growing popularity, the agile users and the willingness to help each other make up the partly missing support structures.
When investment security and innovation are given, the cost savings associated with open-source solutions are all the more attractive. However, in view of the system diversity that prevails in the CMS market, it is impossible to make a number one choice. For this purpose the focus and target groups of the individual systems are much too different.
Even if established applications such as TYPO3 or Joomla! Alone because of the high distribution, a careful project preparation is necessary to start with the right system.
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