05 February 2010
Licensed vs Open Source Content Management Systems
The marketplace is packed full of feature-rich CMS
(content management system) software that allows for the rapid
development and deployment of new website content, redesigns, and
highly interactive user interfaces. Our preferred licensed software
is Alterian Content Manager CMS which a number of our clients use
successfully, including NHS City and Hackney, Royal Wolverhampton
NHS Foundation Trust, North East London HIV and Sexual Health
Network and the Care Quality Commission.
However, the one major drawback with many of today’s available
CMS software is the initial layout of costs for licensing,
professional services and ongoing support with the software
provider. These cost factors have pushed many organisations to look
at open source CMS options.
A CMS with no licensing fees obviously offers you a low
financial barrier to entry. However it’s important to note that
does not always mean an overall lower cost for development and
maintenance.
The primary risks of using an open source content management
system are that there is no support agreement to be had so when you
encounter a bug, you have to either rely on a community of
developers to release a software patch, or you’ll have to allocate
development resources to research and fix the problem.
Often a fairly high level of technical expertise is required to
maintain and edit a site created using an open source CMS. They
tend to be less user friendly for non-technical administrators and
for organisations without technical resource in-house, and they can
be difficult to use and manage.
The richest and most robust open source software stems from a
large base of users, maintainers and developers working
together. Therefore if you are looking for an open source CMS
it is best to use mature open source PHP technologies such as
Joomla!, and Drupal. We have developed a number of websites for our
clients using Joomla!, including British Society of
Gastroenterology, BMI 24/7 and mhhp.
Ben Sturt, Merchant Healthcare’s Director of Digital states:
“Ultimately, the CMS selection process requires time and energy
researching the available options. There are many good commercial
and open-source CMS products in the marketplace. Just remember that
the initial cost associated with a piece of software does not
necessarily reflect its fundamental value.”