How to Evaluate a CMS — Ongoing Maintenance
If you’re considering a particular Content Management System (CMS) for your own website, evaluate how much ongoing maintenance is required.
Each web CMS is a software package. It is installed on a server, which in turn runs other software.
All those different software packages work in concert to produce your website.
Are you capable of installing multiple software packages on a web server? And updating them regularly?
Do you have that level of expertise? If so, hurray! You can do it yourself.
If not, you will need to hire somebody to do it for you. You will need to be willing to pay them.
Here are the two main issues to consider:
Issue 1. How Often?
How often will you need to do this? Will it be a few times a year? Once a year?
Issue 2. Can’t I skip the updates?
Sure, you could skip the updates. But then:
- Your site will become buggy
- You will not get security updates
- You will risk being hacked
- If you are hacked, your identity will be stolen
- If you are hacked, your credibility will be destroyed
In our day, skipping updates isn’t really an option. The risks outweigh the benefits.
An example
Let’s say you want to start your own site using WordPress. You want to host it yourself.
On your own server, you will need to install five different software packages. And update each of them regularly.
Here they are:
- Linux: this is a computer operating system
- Apache: this is web server software
- MySQL: this is a relational database management system
- PHP: this is a programming language
- WordPress: this is the CMS you actually want to install
Are you capable of installing all those on a web server? And updating them regularly?
A workaround
You can avoid Ongoing Maintenance by selecting a Website Builder. No Ongoing Maintenance is required.
However, a Website Builder might not meet your needs.
Originally published on December 25, 2018
Last updated on October 29, 2022
TOPICS: CMS, Website,