Why Small Businesses Should Buy, Not Rent
Content Management Systems (CMS) are all the rage these days and for good reason. Well designed sites with up-to-date content used to reside only in the realms of larger organizations with the budgets and development resources to match. Today, however, great websites are attainable by the smallest of companies with the help of a good CMS.
There are basically two routes to go now for a business website, either a custom designed and maintained one, or utilizing a CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, SharePoint or others. While not a perfect analogy, I would describe the difference by comparing owning a home verses renting a furnished designer apartment. Each has traits that appeal to different people and organizations.
When choosing to live in a designer furnished apartment, you are paying a premium to live in an environment completely conceived by someone else. An experienced designer thought through every detail so that all aspects of the dwelling work together functionally and visually. A custom designed website can likewise be a thing of beauty, even breathtaking. The experience of living in such a space comes from an artistic mind and the inhabitant defers his own creativity in order to experience the world created by the artist.
The homeowner on the other hand, has the flexibility to exercise his own creativity. The structure might be built by professionals, but the furnishings and decorations are up to the owner. The result might not be as precise as the designer apartment, but the space can truly represent the owner. A CMS provides just that. The 'building' might be initially created by a professional, but the company can control the content of the site and keep it up to date without breaking functionality and keeping a decent, or even great, design intact.
I have been working with SharePoint for years now and have more recently jumped into the WordPress and Drupal worlds. Once organizations grasp the power controlling the content gives, a full transformation happens. Requesting and waiting for developer or designer help for any little change is maddening and counterproductive. Often great ideas are quickly discarded simply because of the pain involved in getting anything implemented. Once freed of those constraints, teams and individuals find ways to promote their product or streamline their processes that would never get past the idea phase in the designer apartment.
Caution is still required however. No one likes rooms with clashing colors and disorganized furnishings. Also, a homeowner does not start major renovations unless he has either enlisted professional help or gained the required experience himself. Likewise, a CMS may still require designer assistance when more significant changes or additions are desired. However those instances would be less often and only tackled if the ROI made it worthwhile.
The freedom and power of ownership has caused a housing boom in recent years. SharePoint exploded beyond anything Microsoft initially imagined. WordPress has progressed from a blogging platform to practically the default CMS for individuals and businesses alike. Drupal and Joomla expand on the concept to make large, robust sites easier to build and maintain.
Designers and developers like CMS projects as well. The artist can focus on the ascetics by making templates and developers do not have to be bothered by mundane maintenance tasks and small updates.
There is something to be said for the custom world as well. Some companies and industries put a premium on the 'wow factor' and talented designers can provide just that. However smaller companies would prefer to expend some of their own effort to save development costs and make their house a home. For them, interest rates are low and there is no better time to buy.
Eric @ My Tech Strategist
Business IT Strategy and CMS Services
Twitter: @mytechstrategy
Category Article Businesses, Should, Small
