Dezinerfolio

There are tons of Content Management Systems out there. From free applications such as WordPress to commercial versions such as RedDot CMS, it is hard to choose which one suits your individual needs. When deciding on your CMS, you need to keep track of certain criteria. Of course this is not an exhaustive list, but it should build the ground work for where you or your company needs to go:

1. Time: This includes time for installation, setting up and writing up the content to go into the CMS.

2. $$$: How much are you willing to pay for this application? This should also include the cost of having individuals enter in data, or the services the CMS providers provide.

3. The backend: Keep track of what sort of backend the CMS requires. If it needs MS SQL, then chances are you'll need to pay for that sort of database and you can forget about hosting on a Linux OS, at least to my knowledge. You also need to keep track of the skillset required to install and maintain said CMS'

4. Compatibility: This is a no-brainer. Don't bother working on a CMS that requires a particular programming language when most of your other applications is written in another language which is not portable to the incoming language. XML was created to eradicate the issues of transferring data, but there is a limit of building too many bridges to cross one river (wait - did that make sense?)

There is one site that tries to help with your decision making. CMSMatrix.org is THE Content Management System comparison site out there which shows detailed notes on what a CMS can and cannot do. It has an excellent engine to help you compare two or more CMS engines side by side, and in short, life is easy with this one.