Non-technical people who have their work relying on websites used to harangue the IT Department into churning out updates for them on a regular basis.  It isn’t a big surprise then that off-the-shelf solutions started coming out in the form of Content Management Systems or CMS.  With CMS, even non-techies can update websites easily and quite fast. 

Given the convenience and ease this tool affords, more and more companies are choosing to use CMS for corporate websites and online portals.   The wide variety of uses and applications on websites and portals presents a complexity in determining the CMS that is just right for your purposes.  Just like any other aspect of a business, careful thought must be used in determining which system would suit your needs.

How does one choose a CMS?

It is not as easy as going to a store and literally picking out a solution.  There are things for you to consider, and these are your guidelines in making your choice.

First, ask yourself what do you want your website to do.  This is essential to your decision.  By all means, go back to the original plans you had when your site was being planned.  Always go back to the architecture of your website or portal.  The applications will tell you what to look for in the CMS.  The features that you need to update and maintain in a website will require various tools from a CMS. 

If you have a blog, your CMS requirement can be considered basic.  If all the blog does is post your ideas in narratives or any other form of writing – maybe with some pictures, videos or sounds – the CMS for you would be simply an uploading system that will guide you where to place your data, and then automatically update whatever is related to that, like the “What’s New” section or the menus.

For such functions, there are CMS software that are freeware.  Some are as sophisticated as WordPress, and the others are either the beginnings or the simplified version of a more complex program.

If your requirements require more than just information updates, then you have to make sure you consider these too.  For example, do you have mailers in the form of newsletters generated from the site?  Do you have an e-commerce section?  Do you have a catalogue?  Do you have surveys, quizzes or voting systems?  Do you have a “members only” section? 

As you can see, these will require more complex applications that will make things easier for you to organize and maintain.  The more interactive the site, the more features you need to maintain.  Hence, the more complex your requirements for the CMS.  In this case, you may want to consider commercial and licensed CMS’s like Mambo.

Second, consider the support system that goes with your investment.  Personnel training,  customization of applications, and  technical support are three of the most basic features of a CMS you should make sure to have.

And third, consider this activity and processes as a full-blown project – with reporting systems, milestones and evaluation, not to mention the proper staff.

With all these in mind, only then you can go into the procedures in acquiring the CMS.  Remember, there are many vendors, and many CMS packages.  There are freeware and it would save you much to check them out first.  If your requirements fit, why not try it?  You can always convert to a paid module later.