What is Content Mgt? The Encyclopedia definition of Content Mgt (taken from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) is that a content management system (CMS) is a system used to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation. Basic Content Mgt Any good content management system allows end users (authors typically) to provide new content easily and effectively – usually in the form of ‘articles’. These articles may not contain any html/markup or they may contain some limited html to indicate for example where a picture may be placed within the article. The CMS system then uses ‘rules’ to style the article (so separating the content from the display, but ensuring a consistent look and feel). Many articles together form a ‘publication’. Before a publication can be published, it must undergo some kind of predefined workflow (usually an approval process of some kind). There should also be some facility for managing versions – of both ‘articles’ and ‘publications’, so that it is possible to retrieve an old version if there is a problem with the new version for example. Extra Features that May be Provided A Content Mgt tool may provide additional features in addition to the basic content management functionality – for example, it may automatically determine who the ‘approver’ is for any article/publication or it may automatically generate keywords or attributes for each article/publication (such as date created, author etc.) These can later be used to retrieve articles. Most CMSes provide some kind of admin tool allowing an admin user to give access/edit/approval rights to different users according to different criteria, and to determine the rules of the workflow etc. This admin tool can be quite complex or simple depending upon the CMS – it can include full ‘object level security’ features, sometimes incorporating LDAP integration, enabling access to be assigned at the individual file level, to an individual user or to group both users and files into a hierarchy of folders/directories/categories/groups and attribute permissions at that level. In addition, some CMS tools make it easy for developers to extend the core functionality, some integrate effectively with a wide range of other products or Open technologies (such as XML, SOAP, etc.) and the high-end tools allow the CMS to become, or to become part of, a much larger system, including portal creation features, full workflow system features, and interoperability and extensibility to a greater or lesser extent with ERP products such as SAP, or suites of products such as the Microsoft .Net Server range.
For example, Vignette offers the ability to ‘streamline processes’ using its content mgt system – which includes document /workflow and collaboration features. It is also possible to develop a portal view of the website, with customized views of the content for each user, using Vignette. Tools on the Market Enterprise platforms for Content Mgt include Vignette, Documentum, Broadvision and Interwoven. They cost around $200-250k for entry level licensing The Upper Tier of Web Content Mgt systems, targeted at large depts/corporations, include Microsoft Content Management Server and cost between $125-175k. Merant is an example of a Mid range Content Management solution, targeted at midmarket firms, and costs around $40-100k. These offerings tend to offer ease of implementation but less customization. ATOMZ Publish is a midrange offering also, and it is an ASP hosted solution, meaning that you do not have to manage the technology – you simply use the tool! Development-oriented CMSes include IBM Websphere, BEA Weblogic, Plumtree and Oracle Oracle9iAS. These solutions often require a fair amount of customization and technical expertise, but typically provide dynamic page generation, personalization, caching, and other run-time features. Category Guidelines Enterprise Platform Vignette, Documentum, Broadvision and Interwoven for enterprise wide implementations $200 – 250k base initial cost Upper Tier of Web Microsoft Content Mgt Server for large Content Mgt depts/corporations $125-175k base initial cost Systems Mid-level Merant for self hosting or ATOMZ for ASP Hosting $40-100k base initial cost Ease of implementation but less customization Delivery-oriented IBM Websphere, BEA Weblogic, Plumtree, Oracle 9iAS, Tibco Portalbuilder (various costs) – these require a fair amount of custom development and technical expertise, but offer dynamic page generation, personalization, localization, caching and other runtime features Open Source Zope, Midgard, OpenCMS and Lenya (many others CMSes also). Midgard boasts rapid deployment, full localization, full accessibility, can support multicompany websites and is scalable. Benefits include free support and the ability to change the code to customise to your needs if necessary. For more about
Open Source CMSes go to http://www.lagrange.net/cms
Simple CMSes
Macromedia Contribute – simple editing by nontechnical staff - $99 per seat Apogee Verbatim – simple approval process - $500 per seat
When you SHOULD buy a development oriented solution Development platforms, however, serve a specific segment of the marketplace. You should consider a platform product if you:
Have extremely specialized publishing requirements not met by any other tool Have the time, money, and desire to build a custom Web publishing solution Have under-utilized technical resources who can use the platform tool's application programming interface (API) to build client-server applications for managing Web content Want to keep technical resources engaged in the Web publishing process
Open Source offerings There are a number of open source CMS offerings. The benefit of using an open source solution is that there is lots of free support out there for any problems, and your own developers can change the code themselves if there are problems. Apache Lenya is an open source CMS that is currently being developed on top of the infamous Cocoon framework. Although the product is not mature enough currently for serious consideration, it should be watched closely. Other Open Source solutions that are currently available include Midgard, Zope, OpenCMS and TikiWiki. To learn more about Open Source options see http://www.la-grange.net/cms There is an open source content management system called Midgard http://www.midgard-project.org/cms/ It boasts rapid deployment, full localization / internationalization features, full accessibility features, it can support multiple companies’ websites, and claims to be very scalable. Evaluation of CMS tools
If you are planning on evaluating the CMS tools that are available on the market for your requirements, here are some ideas that may help you in your evaluation. It is important, before you start your evaluation, to be very clear about the objectives of the evaluation – what you are trying to achieve. What are the ultimate requirements of a CMS within your organization – do the requirements really only apply to your department or could the CMS be used enterprisewide? Will it be used just for intranet (internal) web sites, or will it ultimately be used on internet and extranet sites also? Although initially it may only be used for simple pages, could it one day be used for more complex pages, dynamically generated from a database? Will it one day be an integrated part of your workflow, will it need to integrate with other systems you have internally? Have you been sure to include all possible stakeholders in the requirements gathering process? Right now, only people within your department may be seen as stakeholders but should you take into account the requirements of other business units? Business Partners? Customers?
List Business Requirements Once you think you know all your requirements, try to organize them into groups – a sensible categorization might divide them into: Content Creation requirements Content Management requirements Publishing requirements Presentation requirements Contract/business requirements Technical requirements
To help you to identify requirements, a list is provided below which contains a great many of possible requirements you may encounter. Select from the list which requirements you have.
Categorizing Requirements Multiple authoring environments (intranet/internet, Content inside and outside organization) Fully-integrated Creation authoring Template-based authoring Authoring using desktop applications Web-based authoring XMLbased authoring User-friendly interface Usability Faster publication Consistent interface Non-technical authoring Online help Separation of content and presentation Single-sourcing (content reuse) Many contributors and Reviewers Static and interactive content to be created by non technical content editors Metadata support Index support Global taxonomy or topic map Pervasive linking Team authoring and library management Global search & replace Spell checking Cross-platform authoring Navigation aids Table support Immediate previews Support for varying content types Support both centralised & decentralised authoring Extranet access Compatibility with SOE workstations Importing external content Support for personalisation & customization Branding Multiple languages Content migration Collaborative authoring Version control & archiving Workflow Proactive Content notification Syndication of content to 3rd parties management Aggregation of content from 3rd parties Support varied publishing models Audit trails and activity logs Automated release & expiry of topics Automated archival of topics Managed processes for content mgt/publication Role-based management Complete export of content Replication Routing feedback Enterprise portal Records management Library management Powerful publishing engine Automatic Expiration of Publishing Content Pre-publication of content Stylesheets Page templates Extensibility Support for multiple formats Content deployment Real-time publishing Batch publishing Hybrid publishing Error reporting Integrated search engine Browsable index and glossary Image conversion Integrating webbased applications Support for existing web platform Outsourced hosting Usability Accessibility Cross browser support Limited Presentation client-side functionality Speed Valid HTML Effective navigation Metadata
Contract/ business
Technical
Training Documentation Warranty Maintenance Service-level agreements Software upgrades IT resources required Third-party software required Skills required Cost IT constraints Need to decrease dependence on IT resources for publishing content Reference sites Vendor staff & resources Change management Project management Partnership role Support for knowledge management Business rules Scalability Security/Privacy Reliability Integration with other data sources (databases, operating systems, file formats, web servers, ERP software etc) Reporting Personalization Localization E-mail notifications Network management (SNMP) Integration with corporate directory or authentication service Integration with existing databases Open standards Usage statistics Backup Load Balancing Disaster Recovery Contingency Redundancy Network bandwidth Accessibility Cross browser support Performance Availability Effective navigation Support for multiple formats – pdf, html, wap, xml, doc, xls, ppt etc. Operating systems supported Imaging standards supported Authoring tool support Browser based admin Auto conversion of document formats Development environment (e.g. .Net or J2EE)
Evaluation Process Once you know your requirements, you can commence comparing the offerings on the market. Determine which evaluation process you will use in order to carry out this comparison: Use a formal tender process o Produce an RFP o Eliminate vendors that cannot meet requirements o Ask those who can meet requirements to present their solution Demos from a number of vendors Use comparable products for a limited period of time on a trial basis
Whichever of these you use, it will be useful to see the standard RFP format Use a standard RFP format for collecting and evaluating information about the suitability of different vendors’ products for CMS requirements at http://document-managementsoftware-system.net/rfp_template_db-gen.html#ecms
It will also help to make your evaluation more objective if you create a ‘scoresheet’ based upon the requirements list which you use to carry out your evaluation. Cost Justification Once you have determined the product that best suits your requirements, you will most likely need to justify the spend internally. Microsoft offer a Return On Investment calculator to help you to justify spend on Content Management http://www.microsoft.com/cmserver/evaluation/roicalculator.xls Beware of taking this calculator too literally – it was, after all, designed by Microsoft, a vendor very keen to ensure that you anticipate a high ROI because they want you to buy their Content Management product! Note that this calculator assumes that productivity of employees goes up, there is a reduction in ‘direct costs’ such as consulting, communication charges etc. and that there is a reduction in the number of admin staff needed to support processes, and a reduction in IT/outsourcing costs. Be aware that choosing the wrong tool can actually cost a great deal more than the base product cost – in support, training and consultancy needed to get it working effectively to meet your needs. Ensure you take this into account as part of the evaluation process. Benefits/Disadvantages There are many benefits of using a CMS system, but there are also some disadvantages with some of the products on the market. Search the newsgroups, articles on Ebusiness sites, etc. for the pros and cons of each product and be fully aware of both before inviting the vendors to present their products, or before making a decision. Microsoft claims that the top 10 reasons for using its Content Management Server include: Enhanced employee productivity Increased customer/partner satisfaction Reduced operating costs Enhanced developer productivity Reduced time to value Improved Scalability and Reliability Increased integration with other MS technologies Greater interoperability Based on Industry standards Integrated management of code and content
However, they fail to mention some of the problems experienced by users/implementers of CMS systems. Listed below are the most commonly experienced problems found when using CMSes.
Many end users find that the CMS they have selected is just too complex for their needs, or requires too much technical expertise to customize. If you do not need a complex security/access system to control access to documents and content, having to use one can be irritating and annoying for end users. For end-users who simply want a way for non-technical users to be able to add content to web sites without needing to teach them html, Macromedia Contribute ($99 per seat) is probably perfectly adequate. If an approval process is also required, Apogee’s Verbatim ($500 per seat) may be all that is needed. To keep up to date with the latest developments around Content Management, go to http://www.cmswatch.com . For more help with selecting/evaluating a CMS, go to http://www.em3.com/object/googlerightCMsystem.html Michelle Johnston is available for consultancy on selection of Content Mgt software or other Ebusiness software. Call her on 678 357 3661. See http://www.firebirdservices.com