Articles - Page 130

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

Since its launch in 2005, Google Analytics has been the ‘go-to’ analytics tool for most online businesses – it seems like everyone is using it or has used it.
Google Analytics is easy to access and it’s free, making it one of the most popular analytics tools on the market, but does that mean it’s right for your business?
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/analytics-925379_1280548x0-is.jpg" /> Well, that’s the thing – it may not be. There are lots of alternative options out there and it’s worth doing a bit of research to see if any of these are a better fit for your business.
I’ve put together a few of the most popular choices on the market to narrow down your search.
<h2>1. Kissmetrics</h2>

Kissmetrics is one of the more popular alternatives to Google Analytics and it has gained definite approval from the online community.
Kissmetrics is ‘people based’ and it differs from GA by focusing more on customer retention and actionable metrics, rather than cold, hard data. Kissmetrics will find out where your customers are coming from, how they got to your site, and what journey they took to the checkout. If they didn’t check out, Kissmetrics will identify the obstacles that got in their way.
With this knowledge, you can increase your sales by improving the customer journey – from the moment they ‘check in’ to your site, right to the moment they ‘check out’ with your product/service. Kissmetrics price plans range from $200 for the starter package to $2000 for the pro deal. And if that seems a pricey for your budget, you can also sign up for a free trial and ‘try before you buy’.
Find out more about Kissmetrics <a href="http://www.kissmetrics.com">here.</a>
<h2>2. Clicky</h2>

Clicky is one of the most cost effective premium options on the market, with prices starting at $0 per month. It’s a little basic in comparison to GA in terms of data monitoring, but it provides easily accessible information with no learning curve involved.
There’s a little irony in the name too, because Clicky is much easier to navigate than some of its competitors – you can get a lot more done in a lot less clicks! Clicky takes a different view on bounce rates to many other analytics providers and it doesn’t see a 5 minute viewing time on one page as a bounce. A bounce will only be registered if the visitor spends less than 30 seconds on that one page. This makes a lot of sense for websites that promote short articles which most users will click in and out of quickly.
All of the data is up to date and in real time, so you’ll always have a complete view of what’s happening on your site. Clicky offers a free option to start off with, but if your site starts bringing in over 3,000 visitors a day then you’ll have to upgrade your account. That said, paid options start at $9.99 for up to 30,000 annual visitors, so it’s still a very inexpensive option.
Find out more about Clicky <a href="http://www.clicky.com">here</a>.
<h2>3. Mint</h2>

Mint is a tracking tool with a sophisticated design that’s both premium and affordable.
This tracking tool will help you to identify where the most interest is being generated in your site. An at-a-glance view will show you the visitor count, top referring websites, most popular pages, and the most popular search terms for your site. However, it doesn’t track some of the usual stats such as bounce rates or time on site.
Although it’s a little lacking in the features department, Mint offers businesses unlimited site tracking and an extensive plug-in option (peppers) for added functionality. Prices start at $30 per single site.
Find out more about Mint <a href="http://www.haveamint.com">here.</a>
<h2>4. GoSquared</h2>

The GoSquared dashboard is made up of 3 categories: live stats, ecommerce data, and historical data.
GoSquared focuses on real time stats and identifying trends. The initial overview will show you the number of current site visitors, most popular content, top traffic sources, visitor geo locations, and more.
You can also view daily, weekly, and monthly comparisons of historical data on the ‘trends’ board. GoSquared offer a ‘Free Tier’ package for entrepreneurs, which has a limit of up to 100 people and 1,000 data points. After this, price plans start at $18 per month for 100,000 data points. 
Find out more about GoSquared <a href="http://www.gosquared.com">here</a>.
<h2>5. Heap</h2>

Heap is designed with the user in mind and it’s a great option for users who aren’t very tech savvy. The simple point and click interface makes it easy for anyone on the team to monitor your website data.
This tool is set up to automatically capture everything, and it then shows users how to design their own reports based on their individual business requirements. Heap also charges per visit instead of per data point, which differentiates it from a lot of its competitors. The free plan allows for up to 5,000 sessions per month and the startup option costs $99 per month for 25,000 sessions.
However, you can also upgrade to the startup plan for free – by simply joining the Heap Badge Program and adding the badge code to your website.
Find out more about Heap <a href="https://heapanalytics.com/">here</a>.
<h2>6. StatCounter</h2>

StatCounter is has been around for a while and it’s a bit of a veteran in analytics game. It doesn’t have the prettiest interface but it does have all of the basics that you need in an analytics tool – and it’s free. StatCounter provides pretty general reports, including stats such as customer visits, visitor paths, popular pages, and keywords.
Whilst it doesn’t provide a drilled down data overview, it offers more than enough information to get a good picture of your website activity without much hassle. StatCounter is a decent option for anyone who wants to dip their toes into the world of analytics.
Find out more about Statcounter <a href="http://www.statcounter.com">here</a>.
<h2>7. Hootsuite</h2>

Hootsuite is well known for its social media management tool, but did you know that it also offers a great analytics package? Hootsuite acquired uberVU in 2014 to expand its services and the new analytics tool has become popular with regular users.
Hootsuite offers unlimited real time alerts and customized reports, making it a great option for any business that generates most of its traffic via social media. The increased functionality allows businesses to monitor the way the customers find them via social media, which helps businesses to target their advertising to the correct audience. Pricing isn’t listed on the website, but you can contact them directly for a custom quote.
Find out more about Hootsuite analytics <a href="https://hootsuite.com/products/social-media-analytics/ubervu-via-hootsuite/pricing">here</a>.
<h2>8. OpenWeb Analytics</h2>

OpenWeb is free, open source, and easy to set up. The interface is quite similar to the old Google Analytics style in terms of color scheme and layout, so if you’ve been using GA for a while it may feel familiar.
Although it’s free, OpenWeb offers a variety of features including goal tracking, heatmaps, and mouse tracking. There are also a great range of statistics available such as browser type, top pages, search terms, geo-location and search engines. OpenWeb also offers some great visual graphs to represent various statistics.
Find out more about OpenWeb Analytics <a href="http://www.openwebanalytics.com/">here.</a>
<h2>Decision Time</h2>

As you can see, there are a variety of analytics tools on the market right now opposing Googla Analytics, and it’s essential to choose the one that’s most suited to your own business. So make use of the free trials where you can, and choose wisely!
Have any of these analytics tools captured your interest? Do you have a recommendation of your own to pass on? Why not let us know in the comments below.

8 Awesome Alternatives to Google Analytics

grainne-logue

Following up from an <a href="/cms-critic-interviews-dotcms-ceo-tim-brigham/" target="_blank">interview with CEO Tim Brigham</a> and a <a href="/a-walkthrough-of-dotcms-3.2-with-cms-critic/" target="_blank">product walkthrough with CTO Will Ezell</a>, it’s time to delve into what makes <a href="http://dotcms.com/" target="_blank">DotCMS</a> tick.
The Java, open source, content management system was recently crowned winner of the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best Cloud CMS for SMB</a>.
<blockquote>
“Quick to deploy, open source, Java-based, open APIs, extensible and massively scalable, dotCMS can rapidly deliver personalized, engaging multi-channel sites, web apps, campaigns, one-pagers, intranets – all types of content driven experiences – without calling in your developers.”
</blockquote>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dotcms-250h.jpg" />
DotCMS is available in a Community Edition and Enterprise Edition, the former being the free version.
With the recent release of dotCMS 3.2, the platform has taken on a range of new features to go with an already powerful product.
<h2>Exceedingly Responsive &amp; Massively Multi</h2>
After prompting visitors to test out the responsive nature of dotCMS by resizing their browser window, the details of the product’s dedication to responsive design are revealed.
Thanks to built-in support for 13 CSS frameworks, as well as theme based templates that automatically adapt and optimize content, images and videos to fit mobile devices, it’s easy to deliver engaging customer experiences across all devices.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/phone-bg-g4-1.png" />
Custom themes can also be developed to accommodate various mobile device capabilities such as geolocation services.
When it comes to developing sites, dotCMS comes equipped to handle multiple micro-sites, mega-sites, mobile apps and multi-channel projects. In fact, dotCMS’ multi-site capabilities can host thousands of sites in just one, manageable system. And as we saw in the walkthrough demo, new sites can be launched easily, in a matter of a few clicks.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/multi-everything.png" />
The tools are there for you to build your own SaaS CMS solution with granular, site based permissions, and manage all content in multiple languages without the added expense.
<h2>Super Scalable, Fantastically Flexible &amp; A Whole Bunch More</h2>
dotCMS has been built with growth in mind. Horizontal scalability, to be precise.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cloud-banner.png" />
The platform offers up a configurable, multi-level caching infrastructure which maintains state across nodes in a cluster. In fact, dotCMS is architected to never hit the database once the cache is loaded (you can even turn the database off completely), even while pages and content stay completely dynamic.
For dealing with high levels of traffic, dotCMS is able to cluster; enabling multiple dotCMS instances to run as a single unit that can scale to meet massive traffic loads. (And yes, dotCMS is available on premise or on the cloud)
To help further facilitate that growth, dotCMS is also highly customizable.
dotCMS provides easy and open APIs to query, retrieve (xml, json) and write content, binary assets and even remote widgets. These API calls have been designed to perform at scale so content can be retrieved for real-time use by external systems. This means dotCMS is easier to integrate and can be used as a hub for content management, easily pushing or pulling content from other systems.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cloud-enterprise.png" />
On top of open APIs, dotCMS users have access to Widgets (which are essentially apps) that can be managed just like content.
DotCMS' remote widget API can deliver these fully rendered widgets as snippets of code to remote systems by calling a RESTful url. All it takes is javascript to pull and display content rich widgets into any webpage or external system.
Developers also have the power to hot deploy whole Spring web apps in dotCMS without a restart, thanks to dynamic plugin support. Meanwhile, CMIS support allows dotCMS content and files to be read and written by any system that is a CMIS client, including Sharepoint, Liferay and even Drupal.
Further to the aforementioned features, dotCMS also boasts a GUI based workflow engine along with remote publishing capabilities — with support for a variety of publishing architectures. (e.g., authoring&gt; staging&gt; production)
<h2>A Powerhouse for Powerhouses (And Normal Houses)</h2>
dotCMS has claimed a desirable chunk of the enterprise market by landing and working alongside large clients such as Standard &amp; Poor’s, Wiley Publishing, Thomson Reuters Foundation and Hospital Corporation of America. As such, it’s reputation as an enterprise solution is growing fast.
DotCMS is also an attractive platform for small to medium sized businesses, thanks to its open source nature, active user forums, plugin and theme library, as well as its accommodation for codesharing on its website.
To find out more about dotCMS, <a href="http://dotcms.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>, or explore more <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/" target="_blank">via our CMS Directory</a>.

Free, Open Source & Feature Rich: An Overview of DotCMS

mike-johnston

<a target="_blank" href="https://modxcloud.com/">MODX Cloud</a> users will be pleased to hear about a new hosting environment recently unveiled by the MODX team.<a target="_blank" href="https://modxcloud.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/modx-color.png" /></a> The popular website host is designed specifically for MODX sites, although it's also widely used to host other platforms, such as WordPress.They've called this new cloud type, “Flex Clouds”.<h2>What is Flex Clouds?</h2>Ryan Thrash, the MODX Co-founder, <a target="_blank" href="http://modx.com/blog/2015/11/04/more-flexibility-for-your-projects-in-modx-cloud/">talked users through the details of Flex Cloud in a recent blog post</a>. It gets a little technical, but here's what it means in a nutshell.Flex Cloud is a standalone Cloud type that comes with an empty database, SSH and SFTP, ready for the installation of virtually anything that runs on a modern nginx/MySQL/PHP stack.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/flex_1.png" />This new hosting environment will make it easier for users to implement a wider rage of PHP apps, and features automatically rolling 7-day offsite backups to keep everything safe and sound, too.For front-end developers, Flex Clouds support Sass and Compass Watch. Furthermore, lovers of IDEs and Text Editors can use the command line for modern developer tools like Composer, Git, cron, shell scripts, rsync, Nano and Vim.As for how this update impacts existing MODX Cloud users, I'll let Ryan Thrash fill you in directly:<blockquote>“Many customers have been holding on to legacy hosting accounts to run their MODX Evolution and WordPress sites; today we have removed the barrier to <a target="_blank" href="https://modxcloud.com/signup/studio?trial">moving to MODX Cloud</a>. You can now have all your legacy and current projects in a single place, and update them to MODX Revolution when the time is right.For customers on the original plans, we will shift your WordPress Clouds to the new Flex Cloud type; you won’t need to do anything. If you need a new WordPress Cloud, use the Flex Cloud type and install the latest version from the web installer or from a CLI tool of your choice. We’ll add instructions for installing WordPress and MODX Evolution, and other apps that you request.”</blockquote>.This looks like a healthy move from MODX. It's also refreshing to see Flex Clouds come in as a direct upgrade for existing users, rather than a separate plan that requires time, money and effort to migrate to.More details on Flex Clouds <a target="_blank" href="http://modx.com/blog/2015/11/04/more-flexibility-for-your-projects-in-modx-cloud/">can be found here</a>.And as usual, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/modx">MODX via our CMS Directory</a>.

MODX Cloud Introduces Flex Clouds

Yesterday, <a href="http://buddypress.org/" target="_blank"> BuddyPress</a> released their latest version – BuddyPress 2.0 Juliana.
BuddyPress is a powerful WordPress plugin that transforms WordPress.org powered websites into social networks, with features like user profiles, activity streams, user groups, and more.
In keeping with WordPress's knack of naming major updates, BuddyPress 2.0 Juliana was named after <a href="http://julianaspizza.com/" target="_blank"> Juliana's Pizza</a> in Brooklyn, New York. The Pizza establishment is frequented by two core members of the BuddyPress team.
So, let's take a look at what Juliana brings to the table.
<h2>A Range of New Administrative Tools</h2>
BuddyPress 2.0 brings about a number of new tools that simplify and centralize common administrative tasks, including:
<h3>Profile editing</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1700x0.jpg" alt="BuddyPress Profile Editing" /> 
Need to manage a user’s profile information? We’ve integrated a new “Extended Profile” tab into the Dashboard &gt; Users interface, where you can manage profile data, avatars, user status, and more.
<h3>Spam User Management</h3>
 <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2700x0.jpg" alt="BuddyPress Spam User Management" /> 
 WordPress Multisite has long had the ability to manage spam users from the Dashboard. We’ve brought the same capabilities to non-Multisite installations.
<h3>Pending Users</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/3700x0.jpg" alt="BuddyPress Pending Users" /> 
The Pending users tab in Dashboard &gt; Users lets you see a list of signups that have not yet been activated. You can also perform useful tasks like manual account activation and resending activation emails.
<h3>Repair Tools</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4700x0.jpg" alt="BuddyPress Repair Tools" /> 
Occasionally, BuddyPress friend counts and other data can get out of sync. The new Tools screen lets admins manually reset these values.
<h2>Improved Performance &amp; Activity Stream Enhancements</h2>
BuddyPress 2.0 Juliana also comes served with an impressive performance boost.
For example, the BuddyPress team have worked to streamline some of the most common problematic queries – such as those in the Members and Activity directories – to shave up to 95% of the query time off of certain individual queries.
The sheer number of queries has been dramatically reduced as well, so that single page views access the database up to 50% less than in BuddyPress 1.9. And we’ve totally overhauled the way that BuddyPress utilizes advanced caching systems like APC and Memcached, so that users of these systems will see up to 75% fewer cache misses on costly queries.
BuddyPress 2.0's third primary enhancement comes in the form of an updated Activity Stream.
First of all, BuddyPress 2.0 now automatically lets you know when new activity is ready to be loaded.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/5.jpg" alt="BuddyPress Activity Stream" />
BuddyPress' activity stream is better integrated with blog posts now too. Comment on a blog post, and an activity item is posted. Comment on a blog-related activity item, and a blog comment is posted. No more worrying about fractured conversations.
Phrases like “Boone posted an update” have also been reworked, so that they’re always up-to-date and always translatable.
There are many more new features introduced by BuddyPress 2.0, so make sure you check them out via the complete <a href="http://codex.buddypress.org/developer/releases/version-2-0/" target="_blank"> BuddyPress 2.0 Juliana changelog</a>.
Also, you can explore more of <a href="/products/buddypress/" target="_blank"> BuddyPress via out CMS Directory</a>.

BuddyPress 2.0 “Juliana” Serves up New Administrative Tools & Performance Enhancements

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/office-620822_960_720.jpg" />
There’s no denying that collaboration has reshaped the way that humans are getting things done in the workplace.
Since shifting from an individualistic mindset to a collaborative one, a new story is emerging where collective action and interdependencies play a role in survival and success. <a href="https://www.magentrix.com/articles/blog/Redefining-Collaboration-in-a-Digital-27-6-16"> Collaboration</a> is defined as a process where a group of people explore their ideas to search for a solution that extends beyond their individual limited visions. Collaboration has always been about working together as a team, but now it’s all about how we collaborate that needs to adapt to our society. As businesses continue to grow and move at an increasing rate, working in isolation is a disadvantage. Content Management Systems (CMS) have made it easier to organize content and make it accessible. Some CMS don’t require coding skills which makes it easy for everyone of all skill sets to use. By using a CMS, you are able to organize information in a way that would be available for everyone to use and collaborate on.
The challenge with collaboration is that it drains resources, but doesn’t always have immediate benefits. It takes time, space, and money to bring people together and change their behaviours, especially in a large organization. Implementing a collaborative approach to work can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to change the focus from individual accomplishment to team success. A CMS is only the first step to encouraging collaboration in the workplace, but what if you need to collaborate on data? In this case, a CMS won’t be enough to allow others to access the data that they need.
From these challenges, we have identified a few tips that will help you take the first steps towards collaboration, and turn your team into a more engaging and dynamic organization.
<h3>Encourage Open Communication</h3>
A pivotal part of collaboration is effective communication. Effective communication is critical to ensuring the success of team effort, whether the team is charged with creating a new product, making improvements, or planning future enhancements. When team communication skills are strong it raises the chance that good ideas and best practices will be shared openly.
Collaboration removes the limits of bringing people together, beyond the traditional departments and organizations. In order to be productive working collaboratively, you need to get rid of working in silos, both physically and mentally. This can come in the form of more open office space or sharing ideas through meetings and files.The beauty of opening up communication lines is that it allows more transparency between different members and efficiency will come of it.
<h3>Don't Rush It</h3>
Transitioning a team from an individualistic culture to a collaborative culture won’t happen overnight. Push your team too hard and you’ll kill the impulse to share. It’s an ongoing process that will take time, but will bring you and your team great benefits. Building relationships and trust happens over time, but there are ways that you can further push this process. Start introducing collaboration in situations that require imagination, structure, and the voluntary <a href="https://www.magentrix.com/products/features/blog">sharing of knowledge and ideas</a>. This can happen through brainstorming meetings, coming up with ideas for a project, or even through file sharing online. As your team becomes more comfortable with the idea of working together, you’ll find that everyone becomes more creative and builds stronger relationships.
<h3>Use a Collaboration Tool</h3>
Emails are not productive and they’re not great to use for collaboration. Why? Email will only hurt your productivity when it comes to collaboration because of the delay between responses and the clutter in inboxes when you receive too many. Instead, look into using a <a href="https://www.magentrix.com/products/socialintranet">collaboration tool</a>.
Collaboration tools have made it easier for people to connect from around the world, or wherever they may be. Communication lines have never been so accessible and open as they are now because of the Internet, and it’s time to take advantage of that. Collaboration is a behaviour, but technology aids in fostering collaborative behaviours. Collaboration tools, in particular, are a place where information can be stored over a cloud connection. Administrators can give certain people access to a community portal where they can access the data they need. This way, they are able to collaborate together quickly and efficiently. Collaboration tools improve the efficiency of business processes by allowing storage and access to data in one centralized and highly-secured location instead of sending delayed emails back and forth constantly. Other benefits of implementing a <a href="https://www.magentrix.com/products/socialintranet">portal solution for collaboration include:</a>
<ul>
<li>Saving travel and communication costs</li>
<li>Faster access to knowledge and decision-making</li>
<li>Secure place to store information</li>
<li>Collaborate in real-time</li>
<li>Overall increase in team satisfaction</li>
</ul>
Establishing a collaboration policy is just the beginning. In order for all these tips to be effective, it needs to be consistent with resources dedicated to making it successful. Progressive companies are increasingly realizing the value of collaboration and are looking for ways to foster it within their teams, both traditional and virtual. If you want to see your business boom and turn your team into productive superheroes, it’s time you fostered a collaborative spirit among them.

Overcoming Collaboration Challenges in the Workplace

<img style="max-width:525px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/525px-libreoffice_logo_with_background_svg.png" alt="525px-LibreOffice_Logo_with_background_svg" />If your business is looking to cut costs and reduce licensing fees, you might want to consider cost-cutting alternatives like the free office suite, <a href="http://www.libreoffice.org">LibreOffice</a>.  Not only is it feature-packed for a free office suite, it also offers connectivity options for tying into your existing (or future) content management system (CMS).
With their latest release, LibreOffice 4.0, which was just announced, the connectivity options and features this suite provides make it a great alternative to traditional office suites such as Microsoft Office.
Here is a list of some of the features within LibreOffice 4.0:
LibreOffice 4.0 offers a large number of new characteristics, which are listed on this page: <a href="https://www.libreoffice.org/download/4-0-new-features-and-fixes">https://www.libreoffice.org/download/4-0-new-features-and-fixes</a>.
<ul>
<li>Integration with several content and document management systems – including Alfresco, IBM FileNet P8, Microsoft Sharepoint 2010, Nuxeo, OpenText, SAP NetWeaver Cloud Service and others – through the CMIS standard.</li>
<li>Better interoperability with DOCX and RTF documents, thanks to several new features and improvements like the possibility of importing ink annotations and attaching comments to text ranges.</li>
<li>Possibility to import Microsoft Publisher documents, and further improvement of Visio import filters with the addition of 2013 version (just announced).</li>
<li>Additional UI incremental improvements, including Unity integration and support of Firefox Themes (Personas) to give LibreOffice a personalized look.</li>
<li>Introduction of the widget layout technique for dialog windows, which makes it easier to translate, resize and hide UI elements, reduces code complexity, and lays a foundation for a much improved user interface.</li>
<li>Different header and footer on the first page of a Writer document, without the need of a separate page style.</li>
<li>Several performance improvements to Calc, plus new features such as export of charts as images (JPG and PNG) and new spreadsheet functions as defined in ODF OpenFormula.</li>
<li>First release of Impress Remote Control App for Android, supported only on some Linux distributions. (The second release, coming soon, will be supported on all platforms: Windows, MacOS X and all Linux distros and binaries.)</li>
<li>Significant performance improvements when loading and saving many types of documents, with particular improvements for large ODS and XLSX spreadsheets and RTF files.</li>
<li>Improved code contribution thanks to Gerrit: a web based code review system, facilitating the task for projects using Git version control system (although this is not specific of LibreOffice 4.0, it has entered the production stage just before the 4.0 branch).</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>“LibreOffice 4.0 is a milestone in interoperability and an excellent foundation for our continued work to improve the User Interface,” explains Florian Effenberger, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Our project is not only capable of attracting new developers on a regular basis, but it also creates a transparent platform for cooperation based on a strong Free Software ethos, where corporate sponsored and volunteer developers work to attain the same objective.”</blockquote>
So if you are in the market for a cost free alternative or a method of reducing your existing licensing fees but still need to retain interoperability with Microsoft Office formats and connectivity with your CMS, you should take a look at LibreOffice and see if it fits the needs of your organization.

Free Office Suite offers Content Management System Connectivity

Power your CMS on AWS

Manage your websites & apps in the most trusted cloud.

#ffffff

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sharepoint-620x350.jpg" alt="sharepoint" /> Recently, Chris Wright announced a <a href="http://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/prediction-sharepoint-will-disappear-very-soon-019572.php" target="_blank">prediction</a>:  “SharePoint Will Disappear Very Soon.” His claim was, of course, provocative and attention-grabbing. As it turns out, his prediction merely centered upon a simple issue of wording: “Let me explain, I’m referring to the word “SharePoint,”  the name, the brand we have grown accustomed to over the years. I’m not talking about the product, which I’m sure will be with us and going strong for many years to come.”
Is he right? Is “SharePoint” going away?

Declaring the demise of the SharePoint brand is like predicting that Apple computer will stop imprinting their products with an Apple, or  declaring that Google will change its name to something entirely different. After all, SharePoint is the technology engine that runs many corporate environments. It's a pretty big deal.
<h2>A Brief History of SharePoint</h2>
The original emphasis of SharePoint was, of course, integration and conslidation of work-sharing, organization, social activity, cloud-based app. In a word, SharePoint offered information management on an exponential scale. At the same time, SharePoint has necessitated its fair share of improvements. Products like <a href="/smartlogic-announce-availability-of-semaphore-for-sharepoint-2013-as-well-as-support-for-microsoft-office-365/" target="_blank">Semaphore</a> have helped to enhance SharePoint's power and enhance its capabilities.
To this point, SharePoint has been an evolving and ever-growing product in the lineup of corporate power products. Is it too early to publish the brand name obituary?
<h2>SharePoint 2013…and Beyond</h2>
SharePoint is still strong, still powerful, and with SharePoint 2013, it's growing stronger and more powerful still. There are some major improvements in SharePoint 2013, such as:
<ul>
<li>Streamlined user interface. This needed to be done. A trimmed down menu and wide-open UI make the whole process of building, integrating, working and networking much more appealing. The most pleasing change? Mobile-friendly views.</li>
<li>Better app building. The SharePoint app builder has been beefed up, making it easier for apps to be built and published to the SharePoint store. You can even pick your language — HTML, JavaScript, .NET, and go to.</li>
<li>More social. If you feel like you need more social integration, SharePoint has that, too. It's bigger newsfeed visibility (thanks to Yammer) provides your personalized newsfeed to give you all the social info you yearn for.</li>
<li>Better search results. SharePoint has been hammered in the past for its dismal search results. Thanks to some tweaks, the search function is much improved.</li>
</ul>
These improvements and others lead us to question Wright's claim. While Office 365 is big and strong, it's not so big that it will swallow up SharePoint. With improvements on this scale in 2013, there's probably a lot more good things to come later on — the SharePoint label still attached.
<h2>Predictions, Anyone?</h2>
We're not in a prediction-making mode right now, but it does seem that SharePoint has solid footing in the market. It's so much bigger than a CMS, so much broader than a development platform, so much more powerful than a document storage site. Plus, it has a large and loyal following, even if its not quite as iconic as Apple's apple. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Predictions, anyone?

Is SharePoint Going Away?

daniel-threlfall

<a href="http://typo3.org/" target="_blank">TYPO3</a> has unveiled the latest Long-Term-Support version of TYPO3, the enterprise content management version.
The free and open-source platform was born in Denmark, back in 1997. Today, it boasts a global community of users and contributing developers.
<img style="max-width:250px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/typo3_logo_safearea-1.png" />
This new version will be supported for three years (until August 2017) with maintenance and bug fixes. Let's take a look at what's new.
<h2>Better Looking &amp; Quadruple the Speed</h2>
TYPO3 has proudly put their new backend interface forward as this update's “most striking feature”.
According to them, the new interface allows editors and integrators to work more efficiently thanks to a tidier login screen, simpler structures and the integration of previously distributed components.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/modal_-_discard_unsaved_changes560x0-is.png" /> 
Furthermore, customized images and buttons highlight actions and information boxes. All forms, tables, sections and messages are based on a uniform look and feel.
All editors and administrators can now insert an avatar image to personalize their access. The dial-in screen, the TYPO3 logo and all styles can now be replaced by a project-specific layout.
Typo3 is now responsive, too, allowing for content to be edited on touch-based mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Plus, the entire platform is running up to four times faster
<h2>New Features for Editors, Administrators &amp; Developers</h2>
Content editors have some new features to get to grips with, too.
Working with online media such as YouTube or Vimeo Videos is easier, while links, which now comes with previews, can now be referenced under “Text and Media”.
Images can be cropped in the backend without the file being changed. Plus, if a file upload will overwrite existing files, you can specify whether multiple files should be moved, renamed or be skipped by performing an action.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image_manipulation652x0-is.png" />
As for Administrators, they can now load the TYPO3 sources and all of the required extensions via the standardized PHP Package Manager “Composer.”
A central information system shows important system features in the latest version at a glance. In addition, backend user groups can be managed just like individual users in a separate module.
Developers haven't been ignored either.
Thanks to a completely new approach to the backend interface that is based on Twitter Bootstrap 3, LESS/CSS3, HTML5, RequireJS and jQuery, TYPO3 CMS 7 makes it easier to add individual modules with simultaneous use of all standard rendering definitions and adapted, ready-to-use components.
More can be found out about this update from the <a href="http://typo3.org/news/article/announcing-typo3-cms-7-lts/" target="_blank">TYPO3 blog announcement</a>.
Plus, you can explore more of <a href="/products/typo3/" target="_blank">TYPO3 via our CMS Directory</a>.

TYPO3 CMS 7 LTS Has Arrived

If there's one thing there's no shortage of on the web, it's software to help you improve your online presence. To help make things a bit easier, I decided to put together a free eBook which outlines what I feel are the Top 20 Tools for Webmasters. This is all software we use here on CMS Critic in some form or another.
<img alt="tools for webmasters" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-09-09_at_11_36_38_am802x958-cropx6y2-is300x0-is.png" />
Within the eBook you'll find tons of great tools that can help you spread the word, promote your content, improve your ranking on the web, launch social contests, bill your customers and much more. My hope is that you'll try out some of these great tools for yourself and end up benefiting from them as much as we have.
I'd also love to hear from you as to what other eBooks we could put together that you might be interested in. If you don't mind, please leave a comment on this post with your ideas and we'll take them into consideration.
<a href="http://bit.ly/cmscritic-ebook" target="_blank">Get it here.</a>

20 Tools for Webmasters - A free eBook from CMS Critic!

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/website-maintenance-620x442.jpg" alt="website building" />
Open source platforms such as <a href="http://wordpress.org">WordPress</a> and <a href="http://drupal.org">Drupal</a> are becoming more and more popular because of the ease of their content management systems, impressive and affordable themes, variety of options and plug-ins and access to numerous “communities” and forums. Often, website designers can build websites using open source content management systems at a fraction of the time and cost of hand coding HTML or using some proprietary content management systems. This makes them attractive and affordable options for budget-conscious businesses. If you are building websites using an open source platform, consider offering your clients a maintenance agreement to prevent some common problems:
Security Updates
Open source platforms generally require a significant number of ongoing security updates. Remember, the average person does not know or understand all that is happening “behind the scenes” of a website. They often think the site is just “there” in cyberspace. If security updates are not downloaded in a timely manner or kept up to date, the website can become a haven for hackers. It is important for you, as the website designer and programmer, to ensure the latest security updates are implemented on all your client websites. And, if Google feels the website has been compromised in any way, they will indicate it by posting, <a href="http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&amp;ei=y6kbUeCWBYj88gS2uIGADA&amp;answer=190597&amp;?sa=X&amp;ved=0CDEQpwgwAA">“This Site May Be Compromised”</a> in search engine results. This can be quite embarrassing, to say the least!
Updated Versions
Open source platforms tend to have frequent version updates. Once again, unless your client is website and IT savvy, they may not know or understand how to keep up with necessary version updates.
Plug-ins
Plug-ins allow a website to perform above and beyond the “norm” but they must be kept updated as well. And, sometimes, a better or more advanced plug-in becomes available which may be a more suitable option than a current plug-in. Although very easy for a website designer or programmer to understand and implement, the average person is probably not going to be familiar with the various plug-in updates and options.
Backup
Most website designers and programmers back up their websites using <a href="http://spanning.com/backup/demo/">cloud-based services like spanning.com</a>. When a website is being maintained by a professional provider, all of the files are securely backed-up to prevent data loss. Therefore, if the website does crash for some reason, it can be quickly and easily restored.
A website designer described an experience where her client did not want to purchase a maintenance agreement for a mere $40.00 a month, stating they would keep it “updated” themselves. She gave them a log in and quick tutorial after the site went “live”. The client left the site in cyberspace for months without logging in to it. So, no software or security updates were made, and Google placed it on their “compromised” list because it appeared to have fallen victim to hackers. In the end, everything was able to be fixed. However, it took more time and money to update and “recover” the site than it would have if the client had agreed to the $40.00/month maintenance agreement and allowed an expert to keep up with all of the updates.
So, if you are planning to use open source, strongly encourage your clients to engage in a website maintenance agreement. Otherwise, if all they plan to do is let the website “sit” in cyberspace, then building it in HTML may be the best option.
Gina Smith writes freelance articles for magazines, online outlets and publications. Smith covers the latest topics in the business, golf, tourism, technology and entertainment industries.

Website Maintenance Agreements: Why They are Important for Open Source Websites

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/coffee-desk-notes-workspace1280x671-cropx0y149-is655x0-is.jpg" style="text-align:center" />
Most document management software (DMS) vendors sufficiently describe their product offerings, but it’s very seldom they explain how DMS works within the context of a preexisting IT infrastructure, particularly when it comes to how departments within larger organizations are impacted by DMS deployment.
In a survey administered by the Compliance, Governance, and Oversight Council (CGOC), 98% of IT and legal stakeholders asserted that “defensible disposal of information” was a desirable trait in information management, bringing DMS’s automated document retention and deletion feature into the spotlight. However, as to be expected with emergent technologies like DMS, incongruence between the technology’s capacity and usage exists, particularly in IT departments:
The CGOC noted in a white paper that “85% of retention schedules included electronic information.” However, 77% of respondents to the CGOC survey said the contents of these “schedules were not actionable in their current form, or could be applied only to paper, requiring manual intervention to bring these schedules to fruition.
This suggests that despite the belief that DMS is difficult to integrate into contemporary IT systems, retention schedules and other routine IT tasks can be simplified, made actionable, and automated through DMS—reducing workload and inefficiency costs for IT departments. Companies interested in On-Premise(s) DMS and that already have a preexisting IT infrastructure should take special note of the following steps when it comes to implementing DMS for their organizations.
<h2>Common DMS Implementation Mistakes</h2>
As is the case with most technologies, all mistakes made with DMS implementation and initial use can be pinpointed on a continuum of either behavioral mistakes or technology mistakes. Although no mistake is purely behavioral or purely technological, any mistake made with the implementation of DMS contains both technology and behavioral mistakes to a certain degree.
<h3>Common Behavioral Mistakes</h3>
Even though automation is a large part of document management, DMS cannot be potentiated in and of itself—its positive impact is derived from how organizations utilize the technology. For instance, an example of a common behavioral mistake is failing to learn about and identify the goals of a new DMS, which can be costly, for it will then be difficult to use the features necessary to maximize return on DMS investment.
Furthermore, changes are often not adequately communicated throughout the silos of each organization, and even more frequently plans are not implemented to integrate DMS solutions into the routine processes and performances of employees.
<h3>Common Technology Mistakes</h3>
An example of a technology mistake as it pertains to DMS would involve selecting a scanner with a lack of Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which can lead to digitization of documents in unsearchable format, making information irretrievable.
Finally, it’s imperative to avoid selecting a DMS solution with inadequate data backup, which can occur in two ways: inadequate multiple points of data presence, temporally inadequate backup (which should occur as frequently if not more frequently than every 24 hours).
Additionally, not understanding the functions of DMS can hinder long-term investment in the software, which is where its revenue is.
<h3>Workflow Considerations</h3>
Efficiency and effectiveness, as they pertain to DMS workflow, are often terms used interchangeably despite their different meanings. Effectiveness in a workflow is most important, because an ineffective process can be done very efficiently. In order to avoid structuring an efficient but ineffective workflow process in the chosen DMS, diagnosing problems in old workflows, primarily the workflows which existed before implementing a DMS solution, is imperative.
Not only is workflow a drastically underutilized DMS feature, it is arguably the most crucial DMS feature for effectively mapping strategy after the implementation process, for it redefines the management process by identifying, tracking, and tabulating the results of projects and collaboration.
Workflow is also bi-directional and user and group specific, and creates accountability at each stage of a team’s task completion cycle. Specified users can move files to different parts of the workflow as desired.
The most sophisticated On-Premise(s) DMS solutions, and the up-to-date, Online, Cloud-Based DMS solutions will be able to track workflow once they are implemented, but either of these DMS models will retain the ability to create and start multiple workflows in the system, help determine the order of these workflows, and manage the workflows accordingly.
Going paperless can be somewhat disruptive, but shared drive migration to DMS is not the disruptive component of the implementation process; information architecture, however, is. The first step in architecting an effective workflow for a DMS solution is to identify existing workflow, then problems with workflow, then costs associated with these problems, then gaps in existing workflow, and finally, ascribing a dollar value to the gap in this workflow.
Just as a physician would not prescribe treatment (DMS) before diagnosing a malady within the body’s process (workflow), an organization cannot effectively implement the best method for workflow creation.

How to Assimilate a DMS into a Modern IT Model

<a href="http://dotcms.com/" target="_blank">DotCMS 3.2</a> is the latest and greatest version of DotCMS. It boasts plenty of new and useful features, building on the foundations set by versions 3.0 and 3.1.
The Java-based, open source content management system recently won the <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/" target="_blank">2014 Critics' Choice Award for Best Cloud CMS for SMB</a>.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dotcms-250h.jpg" /> Mike Johnston kicked off this featured week with an <a href="/cms-critic-interviews-dotcms-ceo-tim-brigham/" target="_blank">interview with DotCMS CEO Tim Brigham</a>, followed by a <a href="/a-walkthrough-of-dotcms-3.2-with-cms-critic/" target="_blank">product walkthrough with CTO Will Ezell</a>.
Now though, it’s time to look at the forward steps DotCMS with its 3.x series.
<h2>Looking Back at DotCMS 3.0 and 3.1</h2>
The release of DotCMS 3.0 back in November 2014 saw a number of major changes being made both to the user experience, as well as under the platform’s digital hood.
On top of a new enterprise licensing scheme and support portal, DotCMS became the first Java open source CMS to let users build with the power of CSS preprocessors directly into the platform, with the help of Sass and LESS auto-compiling.
Multi-type containers became available to DotCMS users for the first time too, providing huge flexibility to what content a template can render.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/multi-container_700x0.png" />
This also allowed users to greatly reduce the number of templates maintained, thanks to the ability to re-use container code.
A native DotCMS mobile app demo was released on Android and iOS too, giving new users a taste of DotCMS from a mobile device.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/dotcms-starter-mobile-app.png" />
The DotCMS team also brought in modern code management tools including Github, Artifactory, Maven, and Gradle.
As for DotCMs 3.1, which was released in March 2015, users were treated to more creative features.
This included, “Pages-as-Content” feature allows you to extend DotCMS content concepts to pages, including; custom Page types, different versions for different language and the ability to create custom attributes per HTML page.
In turn, this allowed for custom workflows to be managed, including the use of “whole pages” in a workflow. This capability helped user experience designers use dotCMS custom workflows more effectively and efficiently, with less code.
<h2>DotCMS 3.2: What’s New</h2>
As previously mentioned, Mike Johnston recently sat down with Will Ezell, DotCMS’ CTO, for a <a href="/a-walkthrough-of-dotcms-3.2-with-cms-critic/" target="_blank">product walkthrough of DotCMS 3.2</a>.
During that walkthrough, Will Ezell said that:
<blockquote>
“[DotCMS is] very easy to develop for, very easy to extend and very easy to engage with. [That’s from] a business user’s perspective, as well as from a web developer’s perspective and a Java developer’s perspective.”
</blockquote>
The walkthrough showcased DotCMS’ inline content editing features, elastic search for geolocation functions, and personalization features.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-43.png" />
Version 3.2 supports 13 CSS frameworks, as well as theme based templates that automatically adapt and optimize content, images and videos to fit mobile devices. This accompanies multi-level caching and clustering abilities, allowing DotCMS to handle huge levels of traffic, and scale accordingly.
DotCMS 3.2 also boasts customizable pages, UTF-8 urls, facets, and also ships with Tomcat 8.0.18. the platform also now supports Java 8 as well as Java 7.
It’s clear that from a product perspective, that dotCMS‘s focus is to empower business users, developers and IT. As CTO Will Ezell mentioned:
<blockquote>
“We’re balancing the needs and dependencies of each stakeholder in a way that removes barriers, not adding unnecessary tooling and layers to get something done. Working with dotCMS should be fast and familiar, no proprietary tools or environments are needed. We had one customer say, “It’s like Christmas for developers.”
</blockquote>
To find out more about dotCMS, <a href="http://dotcms.com/" target="_blank">visit their website</a>, or explore more <a href="/2014-critics-choice-award-winner-best-cloud-cms-for-smb/" target="_blank">via our CMS Directory</a>.

What's New with DotCMS 3.2 (And the 3.x Series)

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/elcomcms.jpg" alt="elcom8.1" />
Elcom just announced the release of ElcomCMS 8.1, the latest version of their .NET enterprise web CMS. ElcomCMS is the Australia-based company's core product. In June of 2012, they launched version 8.0. This latest upgrade contains features that help users meet accessibility requirements, collaborate on projects, organize and protect content, and improve social capabilities.

Elcom is a powerful CMS platform that targets the needs of mid-enterprise organizations. As an enterprise-level solution, it's far more than just a web CMS. It also assists companies in the development and management of intranets, portals, eCommerce, learning management, and online marketing.
<h2>What's New in ElcomCMS 8.1?</h2>
WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance
Perhaps the greatest benefit of the new version is that it allows organizations to better achieve WCAG regulatory requirements. ElcomCMS has many Australian clients. The Australian government recently <a href="http://webguide.gov.au/accessibility-usability/accessibility/" target="_blank">mandated</a> that all agencies must update government websites to acheieve level AA conformance by December 2014. ElcomCMS 8.1 offers as-you-type accessibility features and improved reporting functionality, making it easier for companies to meet the new regulations.
New Task Manager
The Task Manager Module is the core of ElcomCMS. Users can set deadlines, assign jobs, keep up with tasks, and better acheive progress from this centralized module.

Compare Versions Feature
Collaboration takes a big step forward in 8.1. For this reason, “compare versions” features is a great improvement. Users can view two versions at once, and see all highlighted changes at a glance.
Dynamic Widget Library
Dynamic widgets allows users to aggregate content feeds on their sites. Users can easily create news feeds, article feeds, document lists, image galleries, and asset libraries. The Dynamic Widget Library allows administrators to view all dynamic widgets that are used on a site, and modify their settings.

Taxonomy Management
ElcomCMS is a great tool for businesses that need high levels of content organization and structure. Taxonomy Management gets an upgrade with tag, edit, and reuse features.
Improved Social Capability
As social gains importance in CMSs, Elcom has stepped up the game. Version 8.1 improves upon the already-powerful <a href="/elcom-8-will-focus-on-social-intranets/" target="_blank">social capabilities of version 8</a>, and <a href="/elcom-7-5-brings-social-functionality-and-more/" target="_blank">7.5</a>.
Overall, ElcomCMS 8.1 provides a greater degree of collaboration, compliance, and other features that will help organizations already using the product and attract more potential customers. To find out more about Elcom, visit <a href="https://www.elcomCMS.com">www.elcomCMS.com</a>.
<a href="https://www.elcomcms.com/News-and-Events/News/PR_elcomCMS8-1" target="_blank">View the official press release for ElcomCMS 8.1.</a>
<a href="https://www.elcomcms.com/News-and-Events/Events/elcomCMS8-1/elcomCMS8-1" target="_blank">Register for a webinar walkthrough of the new version, hosted by Elcom.</a>
The following video provides an overview of Elcom.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUNqeBLrjmc]

Elcom Version 8.1 Released - Significant Upgrade and Improved Features

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