Open Source CMS

A content management system (CMS) allows clients to self publish updates to their site without paying external parties to do so. We incorporate a CMS in almost all the websites we build.

Over the years we’ve developed a preference in using open source CMS systems because they not only enable us to tailor websites to meet any individual requirements, they are cost effective, stable and able to adapt as your website needs grow or change.

What is open source CMS?

This simply means that a developer of CMS software supplies (or makes available) the underlying source code of the program for a small licensing fee, or in some cases, for free.

This permits ongoing users to examine, edit, test, adapt, even improve the source code to come up with ever-improving software. Much of this tinkering and tailoring is conducted in the public domain, with any enhancements shared collaboratively.

Benefits of an open source CMS

• Total cost of ownership reduced (initial cost savings, maintenance, and training)
• Reduced dependence on ‘closed’ proprietary software
• More stable (greater up time, tried and tested, legacy support)
• Generally safer and more secure (viruses and browser hijacks, tested examined and evolved)
• Is very scalable in that it can grow with your business needs.

Selecting the right CMS

The main open source CMS platforms we recommend are  Wordpress and Symphony.

WordPress is ideal for creating functional websites. It is easy to setup, user friendly and very flexible, and best of all there are no licencing costs. Plus, there is a large WordPress development community (millions of contributors), which means that if you’d like something done on your website, chances are someone has done it before, and you can save costs by leveraging this existing work.

Check out our portfolio of WordPress powered websites, including:

• Investa (project graphic)
• Blue Mountains Hotel Management School (project graphic)
• KannFinch (project graphic)

For more complex technical builds that require a lot of functionality or large amounts of  database-driven content, we use Symphony open source CMS. Although light-weight, it is an extremely extensible content management system built from the ground up with web standards in mind.

Making no assumptions regarding how it will be used, Symphony’s data structures are flexible enough to build just about anything. Furthermore, using XSLT and XML for the front end, it puts the web’s most complex open services right at your fingertips.