Management Systems | Web Systems | Automation | Multimedia

Most web site development tools have one common flaw: they store all the information describing a web site in HTML files.

Because the site's content, page layout and structure definitions are all inter-mingled and repeated throughout the HTML files, even a minor change in any one of these definitions often requires recoding of each and every one of them.

For most organizations, the web is but one medium for their message. Much of the content in a web site is also used to produce print pieces or CD-ROMs. This content is hardly ever static - it grows and develops as the organization and marketplaces change. The only effective way to keep this content current and accurate is to store it in a format that is independent of any delivery medium.

Web Broadcasting
The purpose of a content management system (CMS) is to solve these problems by storing the site's content, page layout and structure rules separately, and then using a flexible software system to automatically re-combine them into HTML files whenever anything changes.

The HTML files are no longer viewed by the organization as a permanent storage medium. They become a transient product of the system, a snapshot of the organization's message to the world at a specific point in time.

The content management system can therefore be thought of as a mechanism for web-based broadcasting. When properly implemented, a content management system can reduce the turn-around time for content additions and revisions from a matter of days to a matter of minutes.

Think Big!
Most large organzations have been making use of CMS technology for some time now. Unfortunately, small businesses and virtual corporations who can benefit from this technology the most are the least likely to take advantage of it. They are far less likely to be able to afford the dedicated HTML programming resources required to maintain web sites by traditional approaches, and yet they are most likely to depend on a dynamic, high-volume flow of content to their web site to reach their audience.

The reason for this disparity is simple: small organizations are either unaware of the advantages this approach can offer them, or are under the misconception that such systems are expensive to develop and implement.

By making use of low-cost, readily-accessible technologies, we have assembled a number of components that can be used to implement CMS capabilities for a variety of organizations at a cost that is often comparable to or even below that of the original web site development.

Can We Help?
If your organization has ambitious goals for its web site, or has trouble keeping the information flowing efficiently to its audience, give us a call.