A Content Management System (known as a CMS) is website authoring software which is installed on your web hosting server that enables users to write and publish their content in a transparent, straightforward way, using just their web browser.

Content Management Systems have grown rapidly over the years in terms of the variety of packages, level of complexity and numbers of users, from chess clubs to schools, to enterprise level global organisations.

The big advantage of a CMS is that it takes the hassle out of web page creation and publishing. Before the CMS, web page creation and publishing was managed by programmes such as “Front Page” and “Dreamweaver”. However, it soon became clear that where sites required upkeep by more than one or two individuals, licensing and software training issues became awkward impediments to progress. Paying what could easily run into thousands of pounds for web development software to enable users to publish their pages to a site was not a pleasant prospect for businesses. It is easy to see why the CMS option has gone mainstream in the past decade or so.

There are however a vast range of CMS solutions to choose from: from “Open Source” packages best hosted on a Linux server, and commercial packages such as Microsoft’s “Sharepoint”, best hosted on a Windows Server.

Take advice from an IT expert on which package is best for you. At CWCS we support both Windows Server and Linux server web hosting, so can cater for the full range of CMS requirements.