A simple definition of a Content Management System (CMS) is a system that manages the content components of a Web site. The problem with this definition is the ambiguity of the word "content". First we need to define "content".

What is Content?

Content is all the things that you find on a Web site. These things can be broken down into two categories:

  • Information - things like the text,images and files you see and download when you visit a Web site.
  • Applications - software programs that run on the Web site server and provide functionality like displaying the information.

Some CMS solutions manage both the information and the applications. Most CMS solutions focus on management of the information. Managing the information makes sense because information is what is displayed, and applications determine how information is displayed. Secondly the process of managing and deploying software is quite different to that for information.

Very different skills are required to create information as opposed to creating an application. In most cases the focus of CMS solutions is managing information, with management of the software left to software development tools like source code management systems. So the definition we use for content is the information and not the applications displaying it.

What is a Content Component?

A web page comprises a title, teaser text, body text, images, hyperlinks, downloadable files and rich media including audio and video, and numerous metadata items such as keywords, descriptions, language and characterset/language information.

CMSs all have different levels of granularity for content components. Some view items such as a title, teaser or image as components. At the other extreme some view a document, made up of for example a title, teaser, body text and images, as a component. This type of CMS is often called a document management system.

Document management systems do not offer the same power and flexibility as content management systems.

CMS Elements

A typical CMS consists of three core elements:

  • Content Management Application (CMA) - manages the content components.
  • Metacontent Management Application (MMA) - manages the information about the content components.
  • Content Delivery Application (CDA) - displays the content components.

The CMS also has a repository where the content components and metacontent are stored. Typically this store is a relational database, a set of files, or most commonly a combination of both.

Relational databases are mature products in their own right so most CMSs support the use of a database from one of the leading vendors rather than developing and integrating a proprietary database in the CMS. 

AssetNow CMS architecture

The CMA, MMA and repository are commonly referred to as the back-end of the CMS. The back-end is not seen or accessed by visitors to the Web site. The CDA is referred to the front-end as it displays the information to visitors as they access content on the Web site.

Content Management Application (CMA)

The Content Management Application (CMA) manages the full life cycle of content components from creation through removal. The CMA will allow creation, maintenance, and removal of content components to and from the repository.

The management process is a sequential workflow. The CMA allows authors to develop content components without specialized technical knowledge such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or understanding the underlying Web site architecture. This allows day-to-day maintenance of the Web site without everything having to pass via a Webmaster.

The CMA is a multi-user system with each user having one or more roles through the life cycle of the content components. AssetNow provides role-based security. This means users are only allowed to do tasks allotted to them. A small Web site with only a few people working on it will have fewer roles with more tasks associated with each role. Larger Web sites typically have more roles each with limited functionality.

Metacontent Management Application (MMA)

Ideally a content component and the display of the content component should be separate. This allows you to reuse content components with different display and delivery methods. CMSs separate the CMA and MMA for this reason. Each specializes in different things: the content and the delivery of the content.

The CMA and MMA have different workflows and people using them. The CMA is primarily used by editorial staff. The MMA is used by site-design staff who manage the site architecture and usability.

AssetNow integrates the CMA and MMA providing a common user interface to both roles. Using permissions you can allow editorial staff to access the MMA for small sites. You can also streamline the workflow by allowing authors to set metacontent but not activate the content for display. Site-design staff can then verify metacontent settings before releasing the content for display.

Content Delivery Application (CDA)

The Content Delivery Application (CDA) takes content components out of the repository and using metacontent displays them to the Web site visitor. The CDA is driven by the metacontent. The metacontent determines what is displayed and how it is displayed.

The CDA also provides search functionality for active and archived content components and site navigation aids like a site map.

AssetNow provides two CDAs. The dynamic CDA automates the display of Web pages and delivery of files at all levels of the site structure. The dynamic CDA also provides search and site map functions, and e-mail newsletter delivery. The static CDA creates a copy of every Web page and associated content components. These files can then be distributed and viewed without the CDA. Typical applications redistributing, support and training information via CD-Rom disks and managing and publishing to low cost web servers that do not have to provide the application and database support required by the CMS. The static CDA does not provide search and site map functionality as these rely on CDA applications and the database.

What is a Content Management System?

A Content Management System (CMS) is a system made up of a minimum of three applications: content management, metacontent management, and content delivery. Their purpose is to manage, by way of workflows,the full life cycle of content components and metacontent stored in a repository, with the goal of delivering information to readers easily and efficiently.

Common CMS Features

  • Standard Interface for Creating, Editing, Approving and Delivering Content - a standard interface means less to learn. Additional functionality only requires learning about the task and not a new interface.
  • Common repository- putting content components in one place makes them easier to maintain, track and use.
  • Workflow - the key to a good CMS is a simple and flexible workflow system.
  • Dynamic Page Generation - this is the key difference between content management and document management. A CMs creates the page on-the-fly using content components. A document management systems store complete pages. Building pages on-the-fly gives you great flexibility in displaying content components and applying access permissions to content.
  • Content Conversion - import and convert information from existing formats to a format suitable to management by the CMS.
  • Search Integration - many CMSs use third party search engines. Integrated search tools gives better control over result ranking and indexing of content based on access permissions.
  • Monitoring, Analyzing, and Reporting - tools that allow monitoring and reporting of content usage are essential to measure performance. This allows you to prioritize content creation and discover what content should be provided.

Benefits of a CMS

  • Control and Consistency - you can leave the overall look and feel to site-design staff who can ensure that company standards including fonts, styles and layouts are implemented. Authors can no longer change the look and feel as they see fit, they focus on creating content.
  • Global Site Update Access - CMS tools are accessed using a Web browser. Site staff can work remotely which can have costs and content benefits. For example staff located close to a customer can manage the information needs for their region.
  • No Installation Required - all that you need to access AssetNow is a standard Pc and web browser. No need to install and manage client CMS software upgrades and new features are easily performed by IS staff on a common installation.
  • No Knowledge of HTML or Programming Required to Author Content - AssetNow provides a rich editing interface and automated integration of site navigation with content components at display time. So authors can focus on writing and only learn HTML if they really want to.
  • Multiple concurrent Users - users and visitors can access the CMS at the same time. User can author and manage content with the CMA and MMA while visitors view available content displayed via the CDA.

Do you need a CMS?

The most obvious factor in determining if your need a CMS is the amount of content your Web site contains. You need a CMS when there are simply too many content components to manually track and manage effectively. How many components is too many? A ballpark figure is around 500 to 1,000 different content components.

Smaller Web sites with fewer components can still benefit from using a CMS for different reasons. If content changes often and /or the cost of having someone make updates to the content are expensive, then a CMS provides a simple tool to allow non-technical staff to handle updates. Secondly features like a site search, site map and easy-to-use navigation allow you to serve customers better. These are included in many CMS solutions and the additional cost of the CMS can be insignificant compared with the cost of poor customer service resulting from an inefficient Web site lacking these features.

If you have an idea of your current web site size and staffing you can calculate your Content Management Complexity using a formula proposed by Bob Boiko. The formula takes the following variables into account:

  • Authors
  • Sources
  • Components
  • Types
  • Throughput
  • Publications
  • Personalization
  • Redesigns

CMS solutions come in a variety of flavors and some can be very expensive, so how much should you spend? With technology today, anything you buy will likely be obsolete within a year or two, so do not pay for functionality you will not need before the year is up. The best answer is that you should buy what you need for the next year and can afford now, then upgrade to a more powerful solution when you need it and can better afford it.

What about Open-Source Systems?

When looking for lower-cost solutions open-source CMS packages carry no licensing charges at all. However this does not take into account the total cost of implementation - if you do open-source packages are not cheap.

The major, well-supported open-source CMS projects are complex platforms with many features.

These systems have the potential to make sophisticated content applications in the hands of experienced developers working over several months.

Developer time is expensive and debugging software can easily result in 3x the cost of the initial implementation budget. Then you still need to deal with on-going support of the solution - open source software is continually updated in some case new builds are released weekly, making it imporatant to keep up-to-date with developemtns and assessing the need to apply updates.

In the end it does not pay to "reinvent the wheel" unless your needs are very specialized and require a custom solution and have the development resources to staff development and ongoing maintenance.

It makes better sense to focus on your business which, presumably, is not developing CMS software but using it.

About AssetNow

AssetNow integrates the core CMS applications into a single package that is easily accessed using aWeb browser.

AssetNow has been designed to automate many functions, yet give adminstrators the flexibility to limit the functions available to specific roles as required.

AssetNow NX provides exceptional support for W3C standards including XHTML, CSS and WAI accessibility. Content published and managed with AssetNow NX will be future-proof and hence your significant investment in content production will be retained.

AssetNow delivers on all the core CMS functions and adds numerous other practical features that make publishing and managing a Web site efficient and enjoyable.