How to choose the 'right' CMS for a website

Spiros TrivizasSTiX - web based solutions

stix.gr

Internet World 2012 - April 24th

This presentation will help you

choose the most appropriate

Web Content Management System

for your (or your customers')

website!

IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?Is it so hard to choose?

Sitecore AgilityCMS EzPublish Joomla Drupal

Liferay Mambo Typo3 Wordpress Mambo Sharepoint

Autonomy OpenText Adobe CQ5 DotNetNuke

Ektron WCM ExpressionEngine Sitefinity CMS OpenCMS

WebNodes CMS Concrete5 Alfresco Magnolia

HippoCMS STiX CMS CivicSpace PHP-Nuke XOOPS e107

Open Source Proprietary SaaS Java

PHP LAMP Microsoft ASP.NET Perl

RubyOnRails Python Zope MVC ColdFusion

Too many options/technologies...

BUT WHO AM I TO GIVE ADVICE TO YOUFOR WEB CMS?

WHO AM I? = Spiros Trivizas

● Developing websites professionally since 1996● Built my first "WCMS-like" tool on 1997● Built my first WCMS on 2002 (project goes on till today

as "STiX CMS")● Developed hundreds of WCMS-driven websites using

custom or popular WCMSs and frameworks● Experience in many "worlds" (MS ASP, .NET ,PHP,

JAVA, C, Perl) and database systems (Sybase, Oracle, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL)

of WCMS

The History

The early 90's

● Most websites were "static" (html files)

● Partial non-static content using scripts and

the Common Gateway Interface (CGI)

● HTML editors did the job, e.g. HotMetal Pro,

Frontpage

The late 90's

● Again many "static" websites (html files)

● Database driven websites emerged (using

Perl, PHP and ASP mainly for scripting)

● Web content management started by "big

players", e.g. Vignette, Microsoft, OpenText

etc.

● TYPO3 emerged after 1997

The early 00's

● Open source WCMS first steps (Mambo,

TYPO3, PHPNuke, Drupal, OpenCMS etc.)

● Java frameworks and ECMs rule the

enterprise content management world

● Many custom WCMS offerings by web

development companies

The late 00's

● Open source goes wild! Joomla, Drupal,

Wordpress, TYPO3, ExpressionEngine etc.

● .Net joins Java in the ECM world

● Many web development companies drop

R&D to adopt open source WCMS

Today

● Open source kings: Wordpress, Drupal and

Joomla

● SaaS logic kicks in the WCMS market

● Proprietary software offer an attractive

bundle of marketing services as well

● Liferay and Alfresco rule the world of Java

MORE THAN 100 CMSs TO CHOOSE FROM!

Gartner's magic quadrant

Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management, Gartner

What led to WCM systems?

● For users:the need to update their website without having to be professional web authors

● For developers:the need for efficiency in database-driven websites

of choosing a WCMS

The Criteria

As a website owner

● Template driven● Easy to use● Workflow capabilities● Media and document management● Multilingual capabilities● Versioning● Comply to standards● Cost effective● Fast● WYSIWYG editor● Easily and cheaply hosted

As a website developer

● Well documented● Steep learning curve● Extensible● Modular● Scalable● Capable for user permissions and roles ● Easy to install

Common requirements

● Documentation, training, community or company supported

● Viable vendor / community

● Support server caching● Social media integration tools● Multi-device output● Content syndication tools● Integration with other tools (e.g. analytics)

Usual problems

● Awkward implementations

● Problematic support

● Lack of features

● Difficult to use

● Difficult or expensive to host

and case studies

Examples

Category #1 : small website or blog

In this category:● corporate websites or product

websites (online brochures)● landing pages● blogs or blog-like sites● personal websites(little traffic expected)

Case study: newschoolathens.org

CRITERIA:● no need for custom design● low traffic expectations● sufficient off-the-shelf widgets to do the job● low initial budget SELECTION:Wordpress with premium theme, WPML module and several free widgets

Category #2 : a content website

In this category:● large corporate websites with

corporate content● online magazines ● news websites (vertical or not)● educational websites(growing traffic expectation)

Case study: newwinesofgreece.com

CRITERIA:● Multilingual content (different in each

language)● Growing traffic expectations● Content architecture and custom design (25

different document types, many front-end applications)

SELECTION:Custom CMS based on STiX Technology

Category #3 : web application

In this category:● members-only websites● directories● portals● bespoke website development● etc.

Case study: extranet.inogate.org

CRITERIA:● members-only area● need for custom design● need to get information from public website

(Joomla)● custom roles and permissions SELECTION:STiX Framework using STiX CMS and Joomla for administrative content

for WCMS choices

Conclusions

“A content management system is not a magic bullet that solves all your content woes. However, it can be a useful tool if selected carefully”Paul Boag, (http://thinkvitamin.com/author/paul-boag/)

Small website or blogthe 'right' choice is...

WCMS

ANY

the 'right' choice is...

Custom website

(out-of-the-box WCMS)

NONE

“The two things that always kill me are upgrades to customized sites and security”Paul Boag, (http://thinkvitamin.com/author/paul-boag/)

“... a much-needed demand in the WCM market for a quality open-source offering backed by a vendor. Decision makers with whom Gartner has spoken have highlighted the growing need for support services beyond what are usually provided by an open-source software community”Gartner research (http://www.gartner.com/)

The effort and methodology of a custom website development is almost the same in any WCM! So choose your WCM partner carefully, not the WCM itself!

welcome!

Questions?

Questions and/or advice...

Here, in IW 2012, right outside the theatre:Spiros, stri@stix.grDimitris, dgeo@stix.grJohn, jmir@stix.grhttp://www.stix.gr In the U.K., any timeBilly Dertilis, http://www.MindTheNet.co.uk