Content Management Systems (CMS)

Imagine having the ability to edit and publish your own website content without the requirement of contacting a developer or understanding HTML. These types of systems are called CMS and they can save companies thousands of pounds.

Not all businesses require a CMS built website but if you need to update your content on a weekly basis then you should consider having the ability to do so. A few companies who would benefit from CMS are :

• Recruitment ( advertising jobs , accepting online applications / CV’s )
• Property ( advertising houses , customer database )
• Photographer ( displaying portfolio / photo samples )
• Restaurant ( menu prices / special offers / promotions )

How does a CMS site function ?

The most common types of CMS systems use a LAMP ( Linux , Apache , mySQL and PHP ) solution. The website data is stored within a database which consists of multiple tables , each table is configured to keep the data valid and consistent.

Once the data is stored in the database we need a way to access it , update it and if required delete it. Using XHTML and PHP programming languages this database data can now be controlled in a web-page layout.

In summary your entire website data can be accessed from any Internet connection , updated and edited without the typical FTP process.

Custom CMS vs Software (GPL)

CMS has been around for quite a while and already there are some very stable free CMS platforms available such as WordPress , Drupal and Joomla which are all free to use under the General Public Licence (GPL).

This website is using WordPress and this page was written within a CMS application which took less than 10 minutes to create. Imagine having the ability to create your own pages within hours and edit them at your convenience.

Unless your requirements are specific and unique or if your business model requires a custom built CMS system we would advise clients choosing an existing CMS platform which can be customised to your requirements for an additional fee.