Build or Buy a CMS?

Creating a content management system either from scratch, or using pre-existing building blocks, may sound like the ultimate way to get the exact solution you require.

However, careful analyses often reveals dangerous pitfalls and serious short comings with many custom built content management systems.

In comparison to today's mature, tested and carefully designed products, most home-grown systems are quirky, poorly thought-out, and difficult to maintain.

However, even now many will seriously consider custom development. Like any IT custom development project, you could be taking on serious risk when it comes to delivering your project on time and budget, not to mention the downside of expensive support and the lack of upgrades in the future.

Two main reasons organisations choose to build

Perceived Flexibility

The decision to build rather than buy is frequently based on the assertion that no off-the-shelf product could possibly meet the specific business needs of the organisation.

For many developers, customisation efforts quickly mean abandoning consistent architectures, or processes, in favour of meeting seemingly complex requirements. Such an approach is short-sighted, paying no respect to the need for change, and a consistent model to ensure scalability, security and true-flexibility.

In reality, the information management and publishing requirements of a broad range of possible applications can be successfully contained in a well thought out system. If requirements are found that do not fit the system, instead of developing at a tangent to meet some specific unusual need (and thereby creating an island of development investment), we rather prefer to adjust the system, so the need can be met predictably again and again.

With that in mind:

• .A good CMS should offer a dynamic Information Store that allows any conceivable structure of content to be created. Any number of meta-data fields can be defined and complex database record structures can be configured, enabling structured data to be managed with the same ease as free-form articles. All this without any custom programming, and in a consistent interface for managing information.
• The template system must truly separate presentation and content, and eliminates the need for any programming in order to create flexible page functionality. This may be made possible through a system of Skins (the HTML) and Views (the rules that bind information to presentation), and some form of rendering or mark-up language.
  The end result is a template building system with extraordinary flexibility, enabling complex web applications including online catalogue based shops, portals and directories to be deployed rapidly, with no custom-ASP programming.

Cost

Some web development firms frequently promise to deliver a powerful CMS for an up front cost that may sound attractive.

It is a well known fact that IT development projects frequently run well over time and budget expectations. Heading down the custom development path is almost guaranteed to result in project blow-outs, missed deadlines, and unexpected complications.

Close examination of many custom CMS implementations reveals serious oversights in the design of the publishing engine and the flexibility of the system.

Considering a robust product based solution represents many person- years of development time, it is little wonder a comparable custom system cannot be constructed in a matter of a few weeks or months from scratch.

For example, many custom-built systems lack the following important features:

• 100% audit trail and roll back: Quickly built custom systems frequently present live database records to the web site visitors, rather than versioning approved content, and moving into a flat file format that can be more quickly served, with less load on your live web server.
  This is risky from a security point of view, and could leave your organisation exposed to unnecessary legal risks because of a lack of historical data on your web site publishing.
• True separation of presentation and business logic. Instead, templates are custom built with programming code, and presentation, in a single page, creating a tightly inter-dependent code base that is complex to maintain. Design changes need to be made by programmers rather than designers, meaning the cost of change is time consuming and expensive. There is system for managing template functionality, therefore change require further development. Cost of ownership rapidly escalates as the inevitable need for changes continues.
• Consistent user interface for managing different structures of information, or content. Instead, many systems bolt-on separate modules, that don't truly integrate into the core platform, function differently, and don't work with the same security or publishing model.
• Integrated security, down to the field level. Unless there is a consistent model for managing user permissions across all aspects of the system, security is difficult to manage, let along understand.
• True support for concurrent users, with proper record-locking, and item check-out. In a complex web based client-server environment, proper management of concurrent attempts to edit information is critical to ensuring authors do not stomp on each others work.

The face of custom development

Heading down the custom development path is not for the faint hearted.

• Custom development is time consuming, and requires considerable diligence in scoping and planning requirements to avoid becoming an iteratively resource hungry monster.
• Web development is not like building desktop applications. The nature of the Internet creates inherently complex requirements from a client-server perspective. There are many layers of technology ranging from client-side browsed based code (such as DHTML, JavaScript, Flash) to Server-Side languages (VBScript, Jscript, PHP etc), query languages and procedures (SQL), server components (C, Java, VB) and more. Development of a sophisticated solution demands a clear understanding of all these layers.
• Managing web based application and database servers running a customised solution is more complex than managing a documented product.
• Testing on different platforms, and loads, can be extremely time consuming.
• Documentation may never be written to cover 100% custom systems, or elements of a customised system. Working with pre-existing building blocks that are not properly documented, or are really only code libraries, can be as time consuming as building from scratch.
• Support for a non-standard custom system can be painful to extract, and expensive to continue.
• Maintenance is more complex, more time consuming and more likely to be fraught with the problems of undocumented functions, that have been long forgotten by programmers that have moved onto other projects.

Working with a proven solution

Better CMS products are not merely tools, or a collection of loosely defined modules. They are proven, solid solutions, that can be installed and operated out of the box.

• Deploying a product leverages the expertise of a team focussed on development of a solution that has enjoyed the attention and tuning of thousands of hours of development.
• Through minimal levels of configuration, a good system can meet the content management needs of a broad range of applications.
• Customisation of your business presentation layer is fast, thanks to a well defined flexible template system that is managed by the product.
• Deployment times are typically weeks not months, and cost a fraction of the product license cost ? not a multiple of it ? like some so-called heavy weight solutions.
• Training and support, plus the on-going commitment to provide you a working solution that can grow with your needs, is a core part of the products vision.
• Documentation is consistently organised, and growing as the system expands.
• Online training is growing and becoming more sophisticated.

In comparison: Buy vs Build

Buy

Build

· Lower cost of ownership

· Higher cost of ownership

· Rapid deployment

· Lengthy deployment

· Rapid integration

· Slow integration

· High level of functionality

· Low-moderate functionality

· Easy to use and maintain

· Harder to use, complex maintenance

· Follows best practices

· Custom design may be poor

· Features you could never afford to build

· Lacks sophisticated features

· Committed support

· Contingent support

· Upgrades and improvements

· Limited or no upgrades

· High quality

· Low Quality

Andy Farrell is Managing Director of Gravitymax, a content management system developer based in Sydney, Australia.

---

Top 7 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website

A website provides invaluable advantages for businesses who have one.7... Read More

The Top Ten Benefits of Having a Web Site

Do you need a web site? Are you considering getting... Read More

Things to Consider Before Starting a Website

In the time that I have been using the Internet,... Read More

What and How to choose the Right Keywords for Mega Traffic

Keywords in Search Engine Optimizing and Search Engine Marketing are... Read More

Web Accessibility Myths

With more and more countries around the world passing laws... Read More

Guidelines for Web Page Optimization

Below, I have listed 8 simple steps that you can... Read More

Why Should Your Business Go O.N.L.I.N.E.

Optimize your time. How much time each day must you... Read More

The Cost Of A Web Site

Just starting out, you can start with a simple informational... Read More

How to Draw Icons or Images on a Mapserver Generated Map

In this example I have used the map of the... Read More

Using Psychology Easily on Your Website to Make More Sales!

Psychology is a long word which everyone thinks, "no, that's... Read More

Are You Being Scammed By Your Web Design Company?

This is a growing concern amongst many business owners. Does... Read More

Getting a Web Site Can Be Fast, Easy, and Inexpensive When You Know Your Options

So what do you do if need to get a... Read More

1 Simple Solution to All Internet Marketers about Their Website Design Needs

It is an undeniable fact that not everybody is keen... Read More

Build It and They Will Come

Build it and they will come is not always true;... Read More

4 Marketing Tips for Resourceful Webmasters!

The internet is a sea of knowledge. Getting your information... Read More

Website Strategy!

A website lets you put your products in front of... Read More

Web Measurement: What You Don?t Know Would Make A Great Book

"What's in it for me?" you ask. "Why should I... Read More

Websites: You Get What You Pay For!

So you finally decided to invest in a web presence... Read More

Top 7 Tips for Building an Antique Car Website

Like wine cars get more attractive to collectors as years... Read More

10 Simple Steps: Its Magic If You can E-Mail You can Update Your Web Page Dynamically

Dynamically Update Your Web Pages Via E-MailIf you can Send... Read More

Setting Up A CGI Script On Your Web Site

Before you set up any scripts you will need some... Read More

Your Website Should Be Selling

It may come as some surprise to a traditionally off-line... Read More

Abandonment - Why Visitors Don?t Turn Into Customers

Every good Internet business understands the value of conversions versus... Read More

How Web Templates Are Helping Online Businesses to MultiplyTheir Income

Web templates by nature are created to aid and ease... Read More

If Its Done Its Done for: Make Your Website Part of Your Business before You Build

Web sites are an Ongoing Part of Business.All too many... Read More

Introductory PHP For Non-Programmers

When you started reading this sentence you assumed lo acabaría... Read More

Three Things Every Website Should Do

When I started my company in 2002, I knew I... Read More

Building a Web Store on Shoestring Budget in less than Four Hours

Starting a business online is no longer as difficult as... Read More

Planning Your Website for Success

Most people know they need a website in order to... Read More

Launch Your Own Website Today - Its Easier Than You Think!

Thousands of people are now making a living online and... Read More

Sticking To Your Plan

So you have a good idea for a business and... Read More

What Hosting Companies Dont Tell You, Could Hurt You?

Did you know that hosting companies overcrowd their servers despite... Read More

Building eCommerce Websites that Work - Part 3

An interesting eCommerce success factor that isn't precisely overlooked, but... Read More