EVALUATION OF TECHNOLOGIES

Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies



Reflection and Evaluation of Technologies

Content Management Systems (content stored and retrieved from databases)]

Introduction

Content Management System (CMS) has become an essential requirement of the organizations that promote collaborative work environment. Using this computer system, the users can publish, edit and modify the content. CMS provides a collection of procedures for managing the collaborative workflow efficiently. The employees of organization can share, contribute and edit the stored knowledge easily, by making use of CMS.

In addition to publishing of content, the CMS today also allows flexibility to the user for conceiving, indexing, editing the content. Many popular content management software required advanced user requirements to operate, however, designers have been trying to offer the software that could provide balance between design, code, and end-user usability.

Evaluating Criteria

The content management system must be evaluated on the following seven criteria (Reyes J., 2009).

Intuitiveness: Understandability and Usability

The CMS must be easy to use and understand. The user must be provided with the graphical user interface (GUI) that does not include complicated or hidden options, and its administrations should be easy. The interface that makes overall process of content management, quicker and easier will be considered as a good interface. Thus, a good interface plays an essential role in saving time, while performing routine content management tasks.

Flexibility

The CMS software should not make it necessary for the users to use the built in templates, rather it should allow the user to customize the templates without major restrictions. A good quality CMS must provide the users with flexibility, otherwise they would not be able to alter design or templates according to their requirements and their websites will look like other existing ones.

Extensibility

The CMS must be extensible and must allow the use of plug-ins. Using plug-ins will enable the users to extend the default configurations of the existing website. The plug-ins/ extensions/modules may be the required feature of many clients, since these features improve the site's ability by allowing users to interact with the site easily. If a user requires writing his own extensions, then the CMS must provide with Application Programming Interface (API).

Requirement of Programming Knowledge

Using and managing CMS must not require the users to have advanced programming skills or knowledge, since more users are design oriented. The CMS must provide the users with opportunities of editing without editing the actual code, for example the CMS may have WYSIWYG editors.

Performance and Speed

The CMS must work with the optimal speed, with which the pages are loaded into the browser, or the connection of site is made with the server. If CMS will be bulky, the customers of the websites will drive away, due to the long waiting time and slow response. Various tools such as YSlow can be used to determine the CMS page response time.

Security

The CMS must allow installing additional plug-ins and granting permissions for installing files or software to enhance the security levels of the website. The simplest solution provided by the CMS could let the client assign ...