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What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
A content management system (CMS) is a system used to manage the content of a Website. Typically, a CMS consists of two elements: the content management application (CMA) and the content delivery application (CDA). The CMA element allows the content manager or author, who may not know Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), to manage the creation, modification, and removal of content from a Website without needing the expertise of a Webmaster. The CDA element uses and compiles that information to update the Website. The features of a CMS system vary, but most include Web-based publishing, format management, revision control, and indexing, search, and retrieval.
How will using a CMS benefit my department?
A CMS will make it much easier for non-experts to develop and maintain sites that meet guidelines for branding and accessibility and will streamline the workflow for experts and non-experts.
Responsibility for site maintenance falls to many people in different locations and with varying skills. The CMS will greatly reduce the number of technical staff and other resources required to maintain a site and will empower staff who already author and manage content to do so directly without extensive specialized technical training.
A CMS separates the Web creation and update processes from the design and technology needed to maintain a site. By making content management less dependent upon technical coding skills and local IT resources, the publication process is streamlined and the maintenance workload greatly reduced.
Additional benefits include:
- Speed and ease of content updates
- Content stays timely
- Permission-based publishing (improved security)
- Design and brand consistency