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06/27/2002
By David A. Hudson
ASPstreet.com Guest Columnist
June 27, 2002
 Much like cooking, embarking on the selection of a content management system (CMS) can appear to be a "by-the-numbers" process, only to have it boil over in your hands, and usually in areas you hadn't anticipated.
On the surface, it all seems simple: you look at the vendors and select a product. Either on your own, or with the help of a consultant, you install that product within your IT environment. Equipped with the servers, the IT staff to administer the product, and a training program or expert consultant to help get it configured and functioning, the elements appear to be in place. The problem is that it is virtually impossible to understand all the ways in which installing a CMS system will affect the organization, and what it takes to get world-class performance out the CMS. Implementations are often long, costly, and prone to failure. Systems end-up being poorly managed or difficult and expensive to keep up-to-date with your changing web publishing needs.
Although you set out with the best intentions to implement a CMS solution, the in-source solution is often the riskiest and most complex route to take - akin to trying to cook a six-course meal for 40 guests in your own home. For both the meal and the CMS, the risks diminish if you opt for "take out" - that is, selecting an outsourced CMS solution.
Outsourced Solutions - Navigating the Waters
Of course, outsourcing doesn't make sense in every case. Several sticky issues still need to be considered. Suppose, for example, that you're trying to connect a back-office system to the Internet, and need a real-time connection. Or your data is extremely high security, and may not be accessible to the Internet at all right now. Or, maybe your content only changes once per quarter. In these scenarios, outsourced content management may not be the most appropriate approach.
Moreover, the market for outsourcing can be a challenge in itself. Some outsourcers are saying, "don't hire people -- we'll put our folks at your location and provide all of the hardware and technology you'll need, for such-and-such a price." Others are offering hosted application outsourcing, although many of these have struggled to offer a compelling price/service combination. Finally there is a growing list of dedicated content management systems, built from the ground-up as managed software solutions. These tend to be offered at lower prices, and, because they are intended for rapid implementation, tend to be more flexible to manage over time as well.
The Case for ASPs
Passing the test for suitability to outsource, the arguments for working with an ASP become extremely persuasive. The surprising truth is that an ASP is likely to provide you with a quicker, cheaper, and less risky solution than you could manage yourself. Also, partially due to the rapid adoption of Web Services, integration of outsourced systems with other applications is often just as rapid, or more so, than it would be with an internally installed system. When laying out the pros and cons of outsourcing your content management requirements, it is prudent to consider these factors:
Total Cost of Ownership
Combining the cost of purchasing content management software, obtaining hardware, a database and other supporting software, installing the system, implementing the system, purchasing training, paying the mandatory annual software upgrade and support fees, and then covering the internal cost of managing and updating the software, the implementation, and the physical environment, an internally-managed system can become very expensive. An outsourced solution is normally a fraction of this cost, and is often billed as a monthly system rental, making it even more cost-effective.
Deployment Time To Value
Speed is indeed a key benefit of an outsourced CMS, and this carries through to multiple aspects of the CMS solution. By selecting an outsourced solution, one of the most time-consuming steps in CMS installation vanishes: system integration. An outsourced CMS is hosted by the ASP, and thus doesn't need to be installed within your internal network. On top of this, if you choose to have the ASP implement your system, their teams can normally complete the project (probably their 20th this month) very rapidly and competently. For the same reason an ASP can implement rapidly, they can often offer high-speed (and relatively low cost) modifications over time.
High Service Levels
Most ASPs bill on a monthly basis, and therefore, have a great incentive to keep their clients happy. Review the support process and SLA from any ASP, and compare that to the service levels what you can expect from an internal project. Remember that staff for support and management of an internal system are often responsible for many things. Although they may have a desk down the hall, they can be unavailable when you need them most.
Rapid System Changes And Updates
The CMS is safely compartmentalized in the best sandbox possible: a completely different machine that's not on your network. This separation yields another speed benefit: rapid system changes and updates. This works to your advantage in two respects. First, the CMS can be upgraded independently of your environment, enabling the vendor to make upgrades when they're needed, not when it's convenient for them to send out a software update (which then needs to be installed). Second, it means that when your IT staff needs to upgrade internal systems, they have one less application about which to be concerned.
Off-Site Backup Of Web Assets
The separation of the CMS in an outsourced solution yields other benefits as well. A comprehensive backup procedure is required for any business that relies on the availability of its Web presence. And yet few companies have fully robust backup systems that include measures like off-site storage of backups in environmentally controlled storage units. With an outsourced CMS, added layers of redundancy for site content is standard procedure. Along with internal backups, the first level of redundancy provided by an outsourced solution is the CMS itself. Again, because the CMS is maintained separate from your environment, content remains intact despite any internal failure. And because the content is always in a publishable state within the CMS, restoring from a catastrophic site failure may be as simple as modifying the FTP location of the CMS, thereby reducing the potential for downtime.
System Security
In addition to the data security that a good backup procedure provides, system security is a real concern as well. An outsourced CMS can bolster the overall security of your Web environment in multiple ways. With the number of servers and applications currently operating within the company, chances are your internal IT staff is already over-burdened by monitoring and maintaining a secure network. Adding another internal system means additional responsibilities for them, and increases the chance that something could be missed. With an outsourced CMS, the vendor provides 24/7/365 monitoring and support of their system's application and network. Not only is the provider ensuring that your content (within the CMS) is safe from intrusion, but that the system is available whenever you need it. The ability to lockdown your Web server also enhances security. Because content creation and administration are handled via the CMS, your IT staff doesn't need to support multiple login accounts to your Web server just because someone in marketing needs to upload a few press releases. Now, marketing or any other department can use the CMS to handle their content needs, while IT needs only to enable one account for the CMS to FTP content to the Web server. Combine this simplification with activity logging provided by the CMS and your existing internal server logs, and you have a concise audit trail to review system activity.
Quality Assurance And Web Site Testing
Quality assurance and Web site testing can also benefit from an outsourced CMS solution. Many companies have overly simplified content workflows, which typically permit new content to immediately be placed on the live server. This inhibits a company's ability to effectively review content, as well as test new configurations with existing site content. Via an outsourced CMS, content can be staged prior to going live, adding the ability for improved quality assurance. Content can be published to staging servers that resemble the live environment, where content can be reviewed, and new aspects of site functionality can be tested independent of the live site. This service is normally included in the price of an outsourced system, but could require some serious work and expense as part of an internal project.
The Strategic Choice
Speed, redundancy, security, quality assurance, high service levels: these are the key benefits that outsourced CMS solutions are capable of delivering. Outsourcing also returns precious time that can be better allocated to other tasks - such as tending to core business issues.
Thinking strategically, outsourced content management is not only a viable option for serious businesses, it's an increasingly attractive one. There are a number of strong, established companies providing services and features that, in most cases, exceed what is available via in-sourced solutions. Contrary to the thinking in some quarters that outsourced content management is risky (in terms of security and reliability), that ASP's on the market are likewise risky (in terms of business stability and service levels), and that companies "give up control" by outsourcing, the opposite is true in each case.
With the right outsourced partner, cooking up an ASP-based content management solution doesn't have to be like making sausage. And if done prudently, it might even taste like soufflé.
David Hudson is the Director of Production for CrownPeak Technology, in Marina Del Rey, California.
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