There are lot of
advantages of having a CMS website. CMS websites account for 32.2% of all sites
on the web today. A few advantages of using a CMS website are:
1. End users can manage the website: Gone are those days when you have to
call your developer to make a content change or to add a new menu to your site.
With CMS it is absolutely easy to manage everything.
2. Security: With
CMS security is built in. You also have a community or a CMS developer who is
watching your back. When new vulnerabilities spotted, you get a security patch
to cover for the vulnerability.
3. WYSIWYG editor: Most
CMSs have the WYSIWYG editor capability; this removes the necessity of having a
person with HTML/CSS knowledge to make those style changes you want on your
content.
4. Extensions: When
you use a CMS platform, you get the additional features that act as extensions.
As a result, CMS platforms are attractive for any requirement that arises.
In this environment of ever changing technology, it is a
constant necessity to change and adapt with newer technologies. Relying on a
stable CMS solves most of this problem as the CMS itself generates new upgrades
that keep tabs on the changes you need. It is a constant race to stay on top
and cater to the ever demanding needs of CMS users. But to adapt to these
changes it is necessary to upgrade your CMS platforms when new versions are
released. Some CMS platforms have a predefined release cycle, whereas others
are more ad hoc. When the release cycle is predefined, it is easy for customers
to plan accordingly for new features that need implemented on the new version
per their business needs and to set aside a budget for the upgrade. The big
question is: When should you upgrade?
Decisions to upgrade are for core version upgrades and not
sub-version version upgrade which are often mandatory. Examples of core
upgrades are Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5 or 3.x upgrade, or a Drupal 5.x or Drupal 6.x to
Drupal 7.x, etc. Whereas a sub-version upgrade will be iterations within the
same core version, which will be bug fixes and security patches which in most
cases are mandatory. Here are few points that will help you decide if you need
to have your CMS platform upgraded or continue on your existing CMS version:
1. When your current version is no longer supported: This is like staying in an un-guarded
territory with bandits having the roadmap to find your treasure. When the CMS
version you have is no longer supported, the CMS provider won’t provide any security upgrades for
even the known vulnerabilities that are found after the support had stopped.
You can consider yourself safe until the cyber bandits come knocking at your
door, but why risk it? In this case change is often the only option as few
hosting companies will continue hosting out of date CMS versions.
2. When new extensions are no longer available for your current version: When CMS versions are on the end of
their life cycle, extension developers will spend their effort on newer
versions instead. In this case you can either have the new feature custom
built, which can be costly, or plan for an upgrade and have the new features
added.
3. When your site needs features available in the next version: This is another important deciding
factor when you find that the features you are trying to build on your existing
version is part of the newer version core. In this case, it is obvious that
upgrading is the way to move forward. You get the new feature added to your
site and also you get a newer shiny engine running your online presence.
4. Industry Compliance: It becomes a mandate per industry
standards to be on the latest version of the CMS to be compliant. Having the
latest version helps keep up with updates for ever changing compliance
standards, and as well upgrading your CMA platform also helps with mandates for
environments your CMS is hosted in.
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