Content management systems (CMS) — also known as Web content management (WCM) — are systems used to facilitate collaborative digital content creation. Figure 1 depicts a generic architecture for a CMS. As open source software (OSS) becomes mainstream and is backed by large vendors, OSS content management systems have become a viable option for enterprise-scale deployment. The field of CMS has seen particularly strong growth in OSS solutions, perhaps in direct response to the high prices that commercial CMS have historically demanded. There are also other benefits inherent in the use of most OSS CMS, such as ease of customization, the use of open platforms, unrivalled flexibility, remarkable extensibility, ease of integration, strong community support that leads to rapid problem resolution, and much more. Since OSS CMS have matured to the point where they should be considered side by side with commercial alternatives, they pose a sensible business alternative to commercial solutions.

In this article, I will examine all the steps of deploying a large installation of an OSS CMS, using as an example an installation I have performed for the National Technical University of Athens.

How to Select an Open Source CMS

Selecting and implementing a CMS will be one of the largest IT projects tackled by many organizations because there is no single best list of specifications.

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