Is Security And Flexibility Important To Your Business? A Custom CMS May Be The Way To Go
by Josette Millar
There are plenty of websites out there on why companies don’t need a Custom CMS, but the truth is that it depends on the needs of a company. Here a few scenarios in which a Custom CMS makes the most sense.
1. When you have a large amount of user-facing functionality or integration
High performance websites require quite a bit of functionality: websites like eBay and Amazon could never run on an open source platform such as WordPress or Drupal.
Custom functionality isn’t a concern for most small and medium-sized businesses, but it can be a challenge for websites that need multi-tiered logins, dynamic sections of the website or other high levels of automation.
2. When a Company has a complicated workflow
The strength of an open source CMS is that it can allow multiple editors and authors to handle numerous editors and authors. However, in many instances, it is easier to build a system around a business than making another system fit.
3. When a website needs to be integrated with other backend systems (P.O.S., Accounting, etc.)
When a CMS platform needs to be tied into other systems, it often requires a custom solution that open source platforms like Joomla and WordPress just can’t provide. This is especially true when you need to integrate your CMS with legacy systems.
Benefits of a Custom CMS
You can build to fit your business needs
No commercial or open source CMS will fit 100 percent of a company’s needs. There will always be capabilities missing, or an architecture that makes it difficult to achieve what you need to achieve.
For instance, if a company is a publisher, the speed of the business is essential to its success. The authoring environment needs to provide a fluid UI manipulation, and the DAM must support uploading of large groups of imaging.
You control timing and pace
When have custom CMS you dictate all features that are included, which includes what is deprecated, and when. As your company enters new markets, your developers can extend a custom CMS to meet new requirements for that market. This can begin months before entering a new market.
On the flip side, an open source or commercial CMS makes it more difficult to tackle new business opportunities, especially if you need “roadmap” features that you depend on.
You know exactly what you are paying for
Commercial CMS vendors include tons of features that you don’t need. This is so they can attract the widest possible customer base. And because you don’t need all of the feature’s offered by vendors, you will most likely end up overpaying for features you don’t need.
If you build a Custom CMS, you decide exactly where you will invest your money. You will have complete control of the features that will be included in your custom CMS.
It will give your business a competitive advantage
You know the needs of your company better than any CMS vendor. A custom CMS can be a strategic asset that you can build upon for years. Your workflow and customer experience can converge to push your company beyond competitors, similar to what Amazon did some years ago.
In Conclusion
The benefits of a custom CMS go above and beyond commercial and open source content management systems. You can completely tailor it to your needs, whether you are a large business with hundreds of employees, or a small business with under ten. Weigh your options to see if a tailor-made CMS is right for your business.