Content management or Internet publishing software like CMS is designed to help multiple workers or teams within an organization collaborate to create complex Web sites.

Web sites are typically implemented on a Web server as a file hierarchy of HTML, script (e.g., JavaScript, Perl, or Active Server Pages), and graphics files, and are sometimes linked to one or more database servers containing dynamic data such as product data, purchases, inventories, customer information, and schedules. Although a skilled Web developer can create and manage a small Internet or intranet site with only text and graphics editors, this method does not scale to large sites when multiple authors and thousands of pages are involved. Simpler Web authoring tools, such as Microsoft's FrontPage or Macromedia's Dreamweaver, are similarly unhelpful.

Content management software, on the other hand, is designed to facilitate collaboration and help manage the complex Web sites that result.

Facilitate Collaboration

The process of creating and maintaining a large, complex Web site involves four primary groups of people, who must all be able to contribute and collaborate efficiently:

Site builders—architects, developers, and business analysts who design and code the overall site.

Content creators—writers, graphic artists, and product managers who create the text and graphics. Many content contributors are not proficient in HTML and are more efficient if they can use tools that shield them from the layout code,

Reviewers—editors and managers who review, edit, and approve what gets published to the site.

Administrators—system administrators, Webmasters, and database administrators who ensure that the site is functioning properly and that the correct content is presented to users.

Depending on the size and complexity of the site, the entire team could range from tens to hundreds of individuals. Large teams work well only if roles, responsibilities, workflow, and change control procedures are clearly defined and enforced. Content management software facilitates collaboration while enforcing workflow processes.

Manage Complexity

Content can grow to thousands or even millions of pages, many of which change frequently. No single individual can realistically monitor and manage such a vast site; even relatively mundane tasks such as maintaining hyperlinks would be endless without some kind of automation.

A content management system provides Web site operators with tools to automatically enforce versioning and change control, maintain hyperlinks and site maps, and schedule publication of content. It also allows content providers to submit text and graphics without knowing HTML, while enforcing a consistent look and feel across the site. Additionally, some systems support personalized content based on the users’ display devices, language, preferences, or previous visits. The net result is that content creators and reviewers are shielded from the labyrinthine details of implementing the site, teams can do their jobs without running into logistical gridlock, and IT departments are freed from managing site content.

Expensive to Implement

Content management systems use a database to store nearly all elements of a Web—not just structured business data, but also unstructured content (text, graphical images, and sounds), user-interface elements (page templates, links, and controls such as buttons and drop-down lists), and rules governing when and how pages are built. Pages are then built dynamically on the Web server using data, content, and user interface elements extracted from the database according to rules contained therein. Some content management systems, such as Microsoft’s CMS 2002, store some presentation and business logic in files referenced by database entries.

Any organization that maintains large, complex, Web sites is a candidate for a content management system, no matter whether it is a corporate intranet, an Internet-facing public site, or an extranet for business partners.

However, content-management systems are typically expensive to both purchase and implement. Because they tend to completely replace manual systems, they require a lot of up-front consulting, customization, and training before Web site operators can begin to see the benefit of lower support costs. Prices start in the tens of thousands of dollars and can grow into the millions once consulting and services are thrown into the mix. For example, Microsoft’s CMS 2001 is one of Microsoft’s most expensive products, currently priced at US$43,000 per CPU, yet it is one of the least expensive content-management solutions on the market. Many consider Vignette the pioneer in the content management field, but now the arena has become crowded with players, including BroadVision, Interwoven, and many others.

Back to associated article: Content Management Server 2002 Goes .NET