Why to Invest in a Content Management System?

Statistics shows that out of those business managers who are satisfied with their web sites 80% have extranet functionality implemented.

Nowadays more and more managers recognize the importance of the Internet for growing their businesses and staying ahead of competition. According to InSites, over 80% of companies in Belgium already have a web presence in one form or another. Do they reach their objectives when corporate web sites are implemented and are all of them happy with the solutions they have today? Statistics shows that out of those business managers who are satisfied with their web sites 80% have extranet functionality implemented.

Extranet allows companies to deliver specific information on products and services to their customers, support after sales activities as well as traditional buying decision processes, provide online ordering, develop products and services together with customers and suppliers.

But can small and medium sized companies afford this extranet functionality? What does it take to implement one? Well, obviously it depends on a business model and how many processes you want to automate. One of the most common solutions is to consider implementing a content management system with the extranet functionality.

Content management systems provide means to update web sites using online editing capabilities. Basically you do not need anything else, except of an Internet connection and a browser to add news, update price lists, display new products or services on your site. This is a database driven technology that has Word-like editors, special client areas, multiple levels of security, and in some cases workflow approval cycles with e-mail notifications.

So can a small company afford a content management system? The analysis shows that there are several types of solutions available on the Belgian market. Some ASP products with a do-it-yourself approach may cost as little as €50 per month. On the other hand some enterprise level products with unique functionality and special interfaces can cost tens of thousands of euros.

You can also find content management solutions for small and medium sized enterprises in the price range of €5K - €10K. This budget covers a unique graphic design, special customer/vendor areas, and even content update approval cycles, which allow a number of selected users to submit content, and others to publish it. In addition to that, some content management systems, such as PortalFS (http://www.portalfs.com), demonstrate higher search engine ratings with Google and Yahoo due to pre-built functionality for meta tags and key words maintenance.

According to META Group over 60% of Global 2000 organizations already had a content management system in place in 2002. Is it still a growing trend nowadays? Yes, and the reasons are very obvious: corporate web sites should always contain current and fresh information; product catalogues and prices have to be up to date; accidental, obsolete and sensitive information should not be publicly available; content editors should have easy and efficient means to monitor and authorize content updates.

With all the advantages content management systems bring to businesses it is important to understand what is the return on the investment. Reduced administration time related to optimised processes and easy content updates is one of the measurable components in the return calculation formula. And of course do not forget the companys image! Special functionality and extra services delivered to customers online do make a difference.