What are the Components of a CMS?

Content Management Systems (CMS) are used to create, collaborate, store, and publish content. It is much more than just managing a website these days. The latest user-friendly CMS enables a user to create, edit and publish data without the use of writing entire code from scratch.

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems with a market share of 43%.

While widely used, WordPress has disadvantages as well as benefits, so it's a valuable exercise to compare leading CMS platforms on features, pricing, and services when choosing a CMS. Some of the major benefits of using a content management system include publishing the content without the knowledge of any technical or coding skills. The ability to scale, customize and control your content on the website. It makes it easier and cheaper to maintain and manage an online website. 

While its core function includes format management, indexing, search, editing, updating, and publishing the content. 

The purpose of a CMS is to effectively create and publish content, the two main components of a content management system are Content Management Application and Content Delivery Application. 

CMA (Content Management Application) deals with the actual management which includes data storage, creating, editing, and removing the content from a website or app. CMA in a Content management system allows users to perform all these activities without the knowledge of HTML or other programming languages 

CDA (Content Delivery Application) on the other hand deals with the display, distribution, and publishing of the stored data. These two components work together in any CMS to enable its users effective content management. 

The important components of a CMS include database, workflow scheme, user interface, editorial tools, and output utilities. All these components are the subcomponents of either CMA (Content Management Application) or CDA (Content Delivery Application). 

One of the main advantages of CMS is it offers a database that stores the data and allows its access to multiple users with certain permission to view, edit or publish the data. The user interface component allows multiple users to view and perform the workflow and process according to their specific needs. Editorial tools allow the editors and authors to create and edit the content in the database. The workflow schemes keep track of each element working in a CMS so that the user can track and access the content at any given point. The output utilities provide the tools that help publish the content. 

A good Content management system should always be user-friendly, with the current evolution of content consumption businesses needs features like security, scalability, and integrated solutions to be incorporated in their content management systems. 

• Security 

Cybersecurity is an important aspect of any online business in today’s time. A content management system should be resilient enough to provide protection against vulnerabilities. A Content management system should be built on a secure application service infrastructure in order to protect the data of its users. On user ends they can secure their CMS by using a strong password, installing a firewall, creating backups, and SSL certification. 

• Scalability 

Scalability is another component of an effective CMS. You should choose a CMS that you know you can scale with the growth of your business. Dupral and Wordpress are highly scalable content management systems. You can also choose a custom-built CMS for scalability according to the growing needs of your business. 

• Customization & Integration 

Open-source CMS like WordPress and Drupal are best known for their customization and easy integration of thousands of plugins and API interfaces. With these plugins and third-party apps, you can significantly enhance the performance of your content management system. Cloud-based content management systems can be accessed anywhere on multiple devices through the internet 

The main difference between a CMS and a CCMS is in the granularity of content management. A Content management system works at the document level, while a Component content management system works at a component level.

A component is made of the independent and self-contained structure of the content. A component is built in the modular form which is easily trackable by the CCMS. The component content management system also tracks the location of the component within the workflow and its relationship with other components. 

Component content management system works on a single source system to centralize the content which makes it easy to write, edit, and publish your content using a single system. Because of its modular nature, it makes it easy to reuse the content through linking. It allows the publication of content simultaneously on multiple channels which significantly reduces the time used for publishing. 

Some of the key features of Component Content Management Systems are centralized content management, Omni Channel publishing, streamlined design & format, content reuse, collaborative authoring, personalization, and integration.

Using a CCMS significantly improves your speed to the market with a centralized collaborative workflow. It makes it simple and easy to reuse the content and enhances collaboration among the team. It also makes search faster and easier for the user, users can search for different components like Title, Author, Date, Keyword, etc. 

The demand for content consumption is ever higher in modern times. Choosing the right CMS can be crucial for the success of your business. CMS can make your business more secure, accessible, user-friendly, and cost-efficient. CCMS takes it one step further because it is future-ready for all its efficiency and a centralized structure.