Articles - Page 62

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

matt-garrepy

Over the past decade, the enterprise content management (ECM) market has experienced strong growth largely driven by organizations continuing to transition away from paper-based document management practices, striving to automate manual-based processes and to comply with regulations and standards.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ipad-605420_1280_2550x0-is.jpg" />
However, many industry analysts and pundits are projecting even stronger growth in the ECM segment in 2016 and beyond, which will be driven largely by emerging vendors with innovative yet simple-to-use solutions that are placing increasing pressure on legacy vendors with systems that are often viewed as complex and cumbersome.
We’ve talked to ECM users in small to large companies and in a wide range of industry segments about what they want in their solution in 2016 as well what will be the key areas for ECM to address in years to come, and here’s what they’ve told us:
<ul>
<li>
Make it easy … but secure: As the popularity and adoption of file sharing and sync tools has grown, companies have become aware of the need to balance security and data protection against employee needs for a simple solution for sharing documents and collaborating with others outside of their organization.
</li>
<li>
Make it available anytime, anywhere: Today’s workforce is more dispersed and mobile than ever, and professionals demand access to business critical information at any time and from anywhere. The ability for users to leverage ECM apps on their mobile devices for accessing information and participating in workflows while out of the office is now becoming an expectation, not a “nice to have.”
</li>
<li>
Make it smart and personalized: Providing fast and precise access to structured data and unstructured content is good, but intelligently linking content and context is where the value of ECM begins to reveal itself. Linking information in structured data systems (CRM, ERP) to unstructured content repositories in an ECM system establishes relevance. For instance, a proposal is important to a certain ECM user because it is related to a customer that is assigned to the user in the CRM system. This integrated environment provides instant access to the most up-to-date information from any system.
</li>
</ul>
Metadata-based ECM Systems Continue to Disrupt Complex, Old-School Solutions 
Today, many organizations still rely on an antiquated file folder-based approach for storing and managing electronic documents. This poses several challenges and issues since there are many times when a document can logically be stored in more than one folder.
Traditional ECM systems replicate the file folder hierarchy for organizing and managing information, which forces users to figure out which folder a document resides in. In addition, the IT department typically must be involved in order to configure the ECM solution in order to meet the needs of its users, which places greater demands on the already over-burdened IT staff.
Furthermore, old-school ECM systems are complex and force users to change the way their work, and as a result, they suffer from low user adoption rates.
New-school ECM systems provide a metadata-based approach for organizing information by what it is versus where it’s stored. Organizations can simplify the ability to search, retrieve, process and archive documents, which in turn improves productivity, enhances employee collaboration and speeds up the decision making process.
This approach provides a vastly superior alternative to the traditional file folder-based approach by organizing and presenting content in “dynamic views” that are generated from metadata based on the context or need. In this way, a unique document can be found in different “locations” with no duplication of data, and each user can personalize their listings according to the context they work in.
Modern ECM solutions simplify access to information anytime and anywhere. With the added metadata-based intelligence, companies can ensure that the right content is in the right hands at the right time. This leads to better decisions, faster results, improved collaboration and the highest levels of security and compliance.

ECM Trends in 2016: Simplicity, Mobility and Intelligence

mike-johnston

LightCMS have once again taken some tools to their user interface, giving their Element UI new functionality and a sleeker look.This interface update comes just weeks after LightCMS revealed a new <a href="/lightcms-announces-wysiwyg-editor-enhancements/">WYSIWYG editor</a>. It's also the latest in a flurry of updates the website builder has been releasing for the last few months.The Element UI interface has been enhanced, added to and beautified. Plus, displaying elements in multiple locations is now easier than ever. As usual, LightCMS have given their users a heads up, opting to implement these changes on September 2nd, 2014. So, let's take a look at what's coming.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lightcms.jpg" alt="LightCMS" /><h2>Elements Everywhere</h2>First of all, the LightCMS Element Toolbars have been redesigned.Instead of seeing black bars at the top of each element, the new toolbars are more modern and sleek. They're designed to blend into your site while still serving their main purpose of marking your elements and providing access to the element menus.The element menus themselves have also been revamped, sporting fresh new custom icons.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2014_9-elementbars.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />The LightCMS team have also updated the Add Element bar found at the bottom of each editable region.Previously, the Add Element bar was a thick, black bar with the same weight as the Element Toolbars, making it difficult to distinguish between the top and bottom regions.To solve that issue, the add element button sits inside a thin line to mark the location of where you can add elements when in edit mode. It's a small design tweak, but the difference is significant. It's more natural, and makes editing a little less stressful.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2014_9-addbutton.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />Perhaps the most notable change though, is the new Add Element modal.Clicking the Add Element button now brings up a beautifully-designed, responsive modal with fresh, custom icons representing each of the available elements. All you need to do is click (or touch) the desired element, and it will immediately be placed into your page.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/2014_9-modal.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />The modal is responsive across all devices, and if you're a click counter, you'll notice that the new modal requires two fewer clicks for every element you add. Now that's helpful.<h2>Sharing is Caring</h2>Furthermore, LightCMS has also produced an update for their Copy Element functionality.For starters, they're now calling it “Share” instead of “Copy” – but they've also made some functionality changes too.Previously, when you copied an element, you had to select the element you wanted from a drop-down list that included every single element on your site. This list of elements could get very long, making it gradually inefficient time-wise.The solution comes in the form of a new “Is Shareable” property on the advanced settings of every element.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/isshareable.jpg" alt="LightCMS" />Now, only those elements that are marked as shareable are included in the share element list. By default, new elements will not be marked as shareable. although when this release lands on September 2nd, all elements will be marked as sharable, for convenience purposes.All you have to do to share an element is to select the “Share an Element from Another Part of Your Site” drop-down list on the Add Element modal.<h2>And That's Not All</h2>Also bundled in this release, users will find that adding elements on mobile devices looks and works better, and no less than seven user-flagged issues have been resolved.You can read all the details, as well as the full release notes for this release via the LightCMS Blog.To find out more about LightCMS, check out their website.Additionally, make sure you explore more of LightCMS via our CMS Directory.

LightCMS Unveils New Element UI

<a href="https://www.cubecart.com" target="_blank">CubeCart</a> has released version 5.2.13, bringing about a number of usability and security updates.
Available for free, CubeCart is a popular eCommerce solution, and one which featured on my list of <a href="/55-ways-to-build-a-website-with-bluehost/" target="_blank">55 ways to build a website with BlueHost</a>. It's a pretty solid solution if you aren't looking to invest large amounts of money.
CubeCart Pro is the premium version of the platform, which naturally has less restrictions and far more features.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ond_cal8-1400x0.jpeg" /> Here's what version 5.2.13 brings to the table:
<ul>
<li>Complete rewrite of discount codes and gift certificate redemption </li>
<li>Shipping now has the ability to inherit the average basket tax rate</li>
<li>Improved automation to “Cookie Domain” setting with session lockout prevention</li>
<li>SagePay upgraded from 2.23 to 3.0</li>
<li>“Assign to European Union” added to tax configuration instead of one country at a time</li>
<li>New EBS India Payment Module</li>
<li>All shipping and billing address fields added to order reports CSV export</li>
<li>“SMTP with SSL” setting added for secure email delivery</li>
<li>Miscellaneous bug fixes</li>
</ul>
You can download CubeCart 5.2.13 <a href="https://www.cubecart.com/downloads/" target="_blank">right here</a>.
For more information, check out the <a href="https://www.cubecart.com" target="_blank">CubeCart website</a>.

CubeCart 5.2.13 Released

It is with great pleasure that I share with you the amazing products that you selected as nominees for a 2014 People's Choice CMS award.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/votenow-1.png" /></a>Here is a complete list of all nominees in all categories (with links to their websites so you can learn more).Don't forget to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/">cast your vote as well </a> (and be entered for a chance to win a brand new Chromebook!).Here are the nominees in each category:<h3>Best Cloud CMS for SMB</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.surrealcms.com/">Surreal CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/products-services/acquia-cloud">Acquia Cloud</a></li><li>Light CMS</li></ol><h3>Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/products-services/acquia-cloud">Acquia Cloud</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.crownpeak.com">CrownPeak</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clickability.com/">Clickability</a></li></ol><h3>Best CMS for Corporate Intranets</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.entando.com/portal/">Entando</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com">Liferay</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ocportal.com">ocPortal</a></li></ol><h3>Best eCommerce Solution for SMB</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://aspxcommerce.com/">ASPx Commerce</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/">Prestashop</a></li><li><a href="/products/shopify">Shopify</a></li></ol><h3>Best eCommerce Solution for Enterprise</h3><ol><li><a href="/products/bigcommerce">BigCommerce</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.prestashop.com/en">Prestashop</a></li><li><a href="/shopify/">Shopify</a></li></ol><h3>Best Free Forum Solution</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="https://nodebb.org/">NodeBB</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mybb.com/">MyBB</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://vanillaforums.org/">Vanilla Forums</a></li></ol><h3>Best Commercial Forum Solution</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/">IP.Board</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ninjapost.com/">Ninja Post</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://vanillaforums.com">Vanilla Forums</a></li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://ez.no/Products/The-eZ-Publish-Platform">eZ Publish</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://drupal.org">Drupal</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://typo3.org/">Typo 3</a></li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.adobe.com/solutions/web-experience-management.html">Adobe AEM</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.onehippo.com/en">Hippo</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.jahia.com/products">Jahia</a></li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com">Kentico</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sitecore.net/">Sitecore</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sitefinity.com/">Sitefinity</a></li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.paperthin.com/">Paperthin Commonspot</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone</a></li></ol><h3>Best Free PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.concrete5.org/">Concrete5</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.joomla.org">Joomla</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.processwire.com">ProcessWire</a></li></ol><h3>Best Free Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dotcms.com">dotCMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com">Liferay</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia</a></li></ol><h3>Best Free .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Platform</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://umbraco.com/">Umbraco</a></li></ol><h3>Best Free CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone</a></li></ol><h3>Best Open Source PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://ez.no/Products/The-eZ-Publish-Platform">eZ Publish</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.joomla.org">Joomla!</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://modx.com/">MODx</a></li></ol><h3>Best Open Source Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://dotcms.com/">dotCMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia</a></li></ol><h3>Best Open Source .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Platform</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://umbraco.com/">Umbraco</a></li></ol><h3>Best Open Source CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone</a></li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/">CMS Made Simple</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://buildwithcraft.com/">Craft CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.impresspages.org/">ImpressPages</a></li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.percussion.com/">Percussion CM1</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay</a></li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Evoq Content</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.envisagecms.co.uk/">Envisage CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.orchardproject.net/">Orchard</a></li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.django-cms.org/en/">Django CMS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.movabletype.com">Movable Type</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.surrealcms.com/">Surreal CMS</a></li></ul><h3>Best Website Builder</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.squarespace.com">Squarespace</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.wix.com/">Wix</a></li></ol>Congrats to all who were nominated. Now please <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-critic-awards/">head on over to vote </a> for your favorites.

Announcing this year's nominees for the 2014 People's Choice CMS Awards

WordPress is just a glorified blogging tool. Apparently.
The debate about WordPress' status has been raging for years now. Is it still just a blogging platform, or has it grown into a what can be described as a CMS?
It's a touchy subject for some, but I've always failed to see why. Today, I'm going to take you through my thought process regarding the debate, and why I believe WordPress is a CMS, whether people like it or not.
But more importantly, I'll discuss why – at the end of the day – the label barely even matters.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wplogoblue-stacked-rgb.png" alt="WordPress" />
<h2>Uniquely Positioned</h2>
Thanks to WordPress' incredible popularity, it has evolved in ways which other platform haven't.
<a href="http://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress/all/all" target="_blank">According to W3Techs</a>, WordPress is used by 60.6% of all the websites whose content management system we know. That's around 22.9% of all websites.
Unsurprisingly, WordPress has a massive community with members contributing to the sea of themes and plugins every day. Many of these contributions give WordPress brand new abilities. In fact, with some straightforward theme and plugin selection, you can build anything from real estate websites to online communities with WordPress.
Relevant to this, you can check out one of my previous articles, where I discussed how <a href="/wordpress-jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none/" target="_blank"> WordPress is the Jack of All Trades</a>.
This impressive flexibility and constant evolution puts WordPress in a unique position. It no longer occupies just the blogging niche. Instead, it has stretched itself out to be compatible with an extremely wide range of project types.
This stretching is what leads many to question WordPress' status as a CMS.
<h2>Modern Definitions Mean Little</h2>
As Mike Johnston, the founder of CMS Critic, <a href="/day-one-of-magnolia-conference-2014-personalization-apps-a-roundtable/" target="_blank"> pointed out at the Magnolia Conference 2014</a>, the term CMS has been polluted. Marketing teams from all over the world have thought up newer terms and fancier acronyms, changing people's view of what a CMS actually is.
Google's definition of choice though, taken from the Plone CMS website, hits the nail on the head:
<blockquote>“A content management system, or CMS, is a web application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to add, edit and manage a website.”</blockquote>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system" target="_blank">Wikipedia's definition </a> is extremely similar, and they are both definitions which we can all agree with.
In addition to that, It would be completely fair to say that both definitions describe WordPress fairly well.
The issue arises when the stripped down, true meaning of “CMS” is blown up with unnecessary jargon. In reality, those definitions hold very little weight, other than when they describe added marketing or administrative extras. The fact of the matter is, WordPress fits the definition of a CMS perfectly.
<h2>What They're Saying</h2>
WordPress began life as a blogging tool, and the voices which continue to label it as such have been loud for years. So, I wanted to highlight the other opinion held in this fiery debate.
Here are some notable names and interesting stances:
<blockquote>“WordPress deserves a place on most CMS selection shortlists.” – Janus Boye, CEO of <a href="https://www.boye-co.com/blog/2013/2/18/wordpress-the-most-used-cms-in-the-world-and-still-not-good-enough">Boye &amp; Co</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>“Anyone who says that WordPress isn’t a “real” CMS is smoking something strong.” – Jason Mark, Smashing Magazine </blockquote>
<blockquote>“While the engineers are debating the merits of WordPress for applications, savvy organizations skipped the debate and moved on to actually building applications on top of WordPress. Because it was easy. Because it was free. Because it was there and it was possible. Because they had too much to accomplish to wait around in committee.” – Chris Lema, WPEngine </blockquote>
I think the quotes are self-explanatory. WordPress is holding its own in the world of CMS, because it offers everything a CMS should offer.
<h2>What They're Doing</h2>
In case the quotes above haven't convinced you, I'd also like to point out some of WordPress' more notable deployments. Not to showcase WordPress, but to demonstrate that it isn't just the choice of smaller companies.
WordPress helps power the online presence of <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/" target="_blank"> NASA </a> , <a href="http://www.forbes.com/" target="_blank"> Forbes </a> , <a href="http://www.ted.com/" target="_blank"> TED </a> , <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/" target="_blank"> BBC America </a> , <a href="http://techcrunch.com/" target="_blank"> TechCrunch </a> and many more. Those are big names, using WordPress beyond it's originally intended blogging tool status. And it's serving them well.
Of course, this isn't to say that WordPress is always the best choice. Being a confirmed CMS doesn't automatically mean that it should be used for every project.
Now, I'm not in madly in love with WordPress at the expense of any other platform. Far from it.
In fact, I wouldn't recommend it to be used for large-scale enterprise projects. There are better alternatives out there, many of which sit comfortably within the CMS category. As recently discussed, <a href="/wordpress-joomla-and-drupal-are-not-the-best-cms/" target="_blank">there is no best CMS</a>, and it's extremely important to understand your needs before selecting one – WordPress included.
Unfortunately, just as there are great examples of WordPress being used where a “normal” CMS would usually be active, there are also many examples of where WordPress has been incorrectly chosen as the CMS of choice.
But does that mean WordPress isn't a CMS? Not at all.
<h2>Nothing to See Here</h2>
As previously mentioned, WordPress is the jack of all trades.
It isn't particularly amazing in any niche other than blogging, and it sacrifices being a powerhouse when it comes to things like digital asset management for the sake of simplicity. Yet at the same time, WordPress is a content management system, and a good one at that.
So, maybe it's time everyody got over it.
It may not be the most sophisticated CMS, but WordPress does everything a CMS needs to do, and then some. Going back to the actual definition, it's clear to see that WordPress fits right in.
For small and medium sized websites, WordPress is worthy of consideration. For the larger stuff, it's not as well equipped as others – but it is equipped. Just like with any other CMS in the world, some projects suit it better than others.
So, there's really not much to see here. Just another CMS that works well in some cases, and not so well in others.
And on that note, I'll end with extremely relevant quote from <a href="http://jboye.com/" target="_blank"> Janus Boye</a>:
<blockquote>“My advice to the CMS Experts among the readers and anyone else reading these lines would be to stop discussing whether WordPress qualifies to be considered a CMS and instead move on and consider WordPress where it makes sense.”</blockquote>

WordPress is a CMS (Whether You Like it or Not)

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigstock-database-server-management-sys-76883147830x0-is.jpg" />
Information security has become key for any business in the current technological climate. The need for experienced personnel to secure company assets and analyse potential risks to data is increasing daily. Public security breaches are becoming a regular news feature to the embarrassment of large companies responsible for losing vital customer information and security vulnerabilities are being exploited more than ever in the ever-increasing connectivity of our world.
<h2>CIA model</h2>
The ‘CIA model’ is used by security professionals as a guide for policies to ensure the securing of information within an organisation. Confidentiality represents the set of rules that limits access to information, integrity the assurance that the information is trustworthy and accurate, and availability is the guarantee of reliable access to the information by authorised personnel. 
To keep in line with the CIA model, it is important for companies to consider the extent to which information is spread across different applications and members of the enterprise. Content management systems represent a large chunk of internal and external information for a lot of companies, therefore it is important for those responsible to take the security of these systems seriously to prevent the loss or manipulation of important data.
The wide integration of CMS’s is understandable given the sheer amount of data companies have to handle on a day-to-day basis . A one-stop-shop to create and manage digital content is highly desirable for organising and distributing information. These systems are heavily relied upon to store a lot of data, some of which is of extreme importance and if compromised could affect a business’s productivity in a huge way. 
<h2>Security of Open Source Vs. Proprietary</h2>
One of the major questions people ask when deciding about the security of an application is whether it’s open-source or proprietary. Open source projects rely heavily on the community for evolving and maintaining software, whereas propriety projects are built and maintained by a single company and typically do not allow access to the source code.
Some conclude that due to past security breaches of open source projects, which were made public, the open model is inherently insecure. Those who come to such a conclusion believe that because the source code is made publicly available it makes it vulnerable to hackers reviewing the code and finding possible entries for exploitation. On the other hand, supporters of the open model believe that the transparent nature of the source code means that the community behind the project can spot bugs and security holes that are likely to go unnoticed by a smaller team of people. 
The reality is that both proprietary and open source projects have vulnerabilities and are susceptible to security breaches. It would be incorrect to say that open-source is more, or less, susceptible to attacks. The fact that proprietary projects are implemented by employed professionals and are distributed for profit can easily lull a buyer into a false sense of security, but it is important to note that this doesn’t make them wholly immune to security attacks.
<h2>Use Plug-ins sparingly</h2>
CMS’s generically have a wide variety of plug-ins and add-ons available for their platforms, and the benefits that derive from the wide variety of extensions give the user means to customise and utilise features that aren’t included in the original package. The disadvantages of using plug-ins however, is that there is far more vulnerabilities found in the source code of plug-ins than in the CMS itself, and integrating additional application gives hackers more scope for points of entry. Therefore, it is worthwhile finding out the exact requirements that suit the business’s needs to prevent the need for any unnecessary external plug-ins. It is also worth paying attention to reviews and recommendations from those in the CMS community, and not to be too quick to download brand new plug-ins which may have serious security flaws.
<h2>CMS maintenance</h2>
Regular maintenance of any CMS is mandatory to keep security at a high level. If there’s an update, it is worth taking some time to implement the newest version of the chosen CMS. This may sound simple, but the importance of updating can’t be stressed enough, as this is where developers will create patches for discovered bugs and release the most stable version of the system. With large amounts of confidential data, log monitoring should also be implemented to keep tabs on system events. So if anything were to happen, a detailed footprint will prove useful for analysis and in order to prevent a similar event happening again in the future. Log monitoring can be implemented by an experienced admin or utilising plug-ins for various CMS, but as stated in the previous point users should wary of the reliability of any plug-in and take appropriate steps to ensure the plug in is reliable.
<h2>Risk Assessment and Treatment</h2>
When it comes to information security it is a game of hide and seek. Hackers will find a hole in some software and developers will catch up to patch it up as soon as possible, until another hole is found and so forth. For that reason, risk assessment is used by info security professionals to assess the incidents that could potentially occur and what damage could be caused to the company’s assets. Once a detailed report of the potential risks has been developed, this allows for the best possible safeguarding against potential attacks. Using tools such as vulnerability scanners (some free tools aimed at CMS available online) allows admins to determine the weakest aspects of the systems being used and find methods to strengthen up the security. With this information, risk treatment guidelines can be created that will minimise the damage done in the event of a breach and should be implemented as part of an overall disaster recovery plan.
<h2>URL rewrites</h2>
One of the most common attacks experienced using popular CMS’s is through the generic URL’s provided when setting up the system (www.domain.com/wp-admin for WordPress for example). By targeting these generic URL’s, hackers can use sophisticated attacks that undermine the standard log-in procedure and gain unauthorised access to company data. After locating the log-in page, an attacker can use a brute force or dictionary attack to undermine weak passwords to gain access. By re-writing the URL and adopting secure passwords, sites are much less vulnerable to such attacks. Experienced developers can perform a URL re-write themselves and there are also plug-ins out there that will carry out the process automatically. Changing the default ‘Admin’ name from the URL and administrator account will also help prevent hackers stumbling across easy entry points. 
With the growing anxiety surrounding the security of information, provisions will continue to grow to safeguard the data our personal, and working lives have come to depend on. IT administrators should take at least 15 minutes per day maintaining all aspects of company systems, make adequate backups and patch installations if required. It is also worth noting that the weakest part of any security implementation is the human aspect. The most robust security in system on the planet won’t provide protection against staff who are easily manipulated into handing out credentials over the phone. Enlightening staff members to the importance of securing company data is the first step in the right direction in protecting the systems at the heart of any business.

Security tips for CMS

If you asked today’s web designers which wireframing or prototyping tool is best, you’re likely to get a few different answers. Well, maybe more than a few.As you might have guessed, there are plenty of choices out there: free tools, SaaS apps, and even some that aren’t purpose-built for the job (think <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/powerpoint">PowerPoint</a>). With so many options to choose from, it may prove challenging to find a single tool that meets your needs.While most platforms offer similar features, few bring the entire design process into a unified experience. That’s where UXPin is changing the game. In this review, we’ll explore the benefits of their all-in-one wireframing and prototyping tool, which offers some slick, integrated capabilities – and is designed to work across every device.<h3>Wireframing and prototyping: what’s the difference?</h3>Building a website or mobile app without wireframes is like building a house without blueprints. Wireframes save significant time in the design process and help bring ideas and concepts into laser focus.But what exactly is a wireframe? Quite simply, it’s a low-fidelity “skeleton” of a website. Wireframes show the general layout of web pages, the elements on those pages, and the size and placement of those elements. Since it is meant to convey a website’s architecture, it is intentionally devoid of any colors or graphics.Wireframes are lightweight and fast to produce, allowing for ample design thinking, lean UX development, and iterative feedback. A lot of designers still start their wireframing on paper, sketching out digital components and entities in the most analog way.Prototypes, on the other hand, are medium-to-high fidelity views of a website or application. They offer more detail, showcasing visual elements such as colors, graphics, and font types. In essence, a prototype is a preview of what a working website or mobile application will look like to a user.<h3>A brief history of wireframes and prototypes</h3>Wireframes and prototypes have certainly been around the block. Wireframing has its roots in magazine mockups for galleys and layouts, while prototyping evolved from software product development with visual UI requirements – and a need for rapid testing and feedback.While wireframes are elemental in nature – using simple shapes and objects to detail the flow and structure – designers have often relied on different tools when moving into prototyping. The first ones emerged in the 1980s with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html">Adobe Illustrator</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html">Photoshop</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/visio/flowchart-software/">Microsoft Visio</a>.But it wasn’t until IBM introduced RAD (Rapid Application Development) in the 90s that the concept of minimum viable prototypes (MVPs) took off – and so did the focus on design experience. By the early 2000s, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.omnigroup.com/omnigraffle/">Omnigraffle</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gliffy.com/">Gliffy</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://balsamiq.com/">Balsamiq</a> were changing the way designers think about wireframing and prototyping by giving them more options to choose from. By 2010, UXPin and other solutions were hitting the market. The rest, as they say, is history.<h3>What is UXPin?</h3>UXPin is a comprehensive cloud-based design prototyping tool that works on any operating system. It brings developers and designers together even if they use Mac and Windows – because UXPin is fully powered by the cloud.With UXPin, you can move seamlessly through every phase of your project – from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes – with access to rich features like interactive elements and animations. In addition, UXPin allows you to add conditional interactions, variables, and expressions to get your prototypes closer to real, coded apps.One of the best things about UXPin is that it's designed with both individual designers and teams in mind. It's flexible enough for a freelancer working on their own – or a squad collaborating to develop new products or experiences. UXPin offers some dynamite capabilities for enterprise customers to manage their teams and libraries with advanced permissions, making it an awesome platform for an ecosystem of users.<h3>Features</h3>Components<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-components.jpg" />Components save you plenty of time by minimizing repetitive and tedious work – allowing you to reuse existing parts across your designs. A button, a footer, an icon, or even a cell in a table can be a Component. UXPin comes with a handy library of pre-made components, but it also allows you to create your own components. You can also share them across your projects through UXPin’s Design System Libraries.Built-in Design Libraries<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-expressions.jpg" />Apart from your own libraries, UXPin offers built-in iOS, Material Design, Bootstrap, Foundation, and User Flows libraries – each with interactive elements, colors, text styles, and icons.Design system libraries are the place for shared design patterns (such as colors, text styles, assets, and Components) that allow teams to build high quality, consistent prototypes. This empowers users to save time while keeping projects steadily on-brand. With DS libraries, you can also create a fully-documented Design System.Data For a lot of designers, Lorem Ipsum is still a go-to placeholder for text. Still, for some projects, Latin copy isn't preferable – even at the mockup stage.Another great feature of UXPin is that enables users to add real content to their wireframes and prototypes using the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/replace-lorem-ipsum-with-real-data/">Data</a> feature. Upload JSON, CSV or URLs and demo a prototype that's even closer to the finished product. If you're early in the process and want to use filler for placement, UXPin also has a database of placeholder components, from mock names to dummy credit card numbers.One other notable feature is stock photography. Most platforms don't provide direct access to image libraries, which can be essential to developing a finished prototype. UXPin lets you upload photos directly from their partner, <a target="_blank" href="https://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a>. This integration may seem like a small thing, but it can accelerate the entire design process from idea to execution by enabling users to work fluidly in a single, unified platform.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxoin-unsplash-integration.gif" />Make Your Designs Interactive Once you build the static version of your prototype, you can use states to add interactive elements such as text fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons.In UXPin, each element can have several states with a different set of properties and interactions. For example, you’ll be able to create a single button that has a default, hover, active and disabled state – and then switch between these states once a specific action is triggered. States also let you build complex components like drop-down menus or navigations.For each state, you can determine an alternative set of properties. In the case of a button, it could be a different fill and content. The important fact is that you’ll still have the same elements, just with various styling options.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-element-states.gif" />Import from Sketch One cool feature of UXPin is its ability to import from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sketch.com/">Sketch</a>, which is an incredibly popular design tool. It seems like the UXPin team really understands the value that other applications play in the design ecosystem, and they’ve made it easier to build meaningful connections.Importing designs from Sketch to UXPin is just a simple drag-and-drop. UXPin keeps all of your layers intact, so you can pick up exactly where you left off and turn them into fully interactive online prototypes.Easy Collaboration UXPin is a cloud-based tool that works on any operating system – so you and your teammates can collaborate in real-time. As we've already mentioned, it effectively "unites" designers and developers, even if they use Mac and Windows systems. You can even take your collaboration to the next level with in-app commenting, allowing you to tag your teammates in comments and keep them in the loop when you're working on the same prototype.You can also make the most of your collaborative design process and invite your team, stakeholders, and reviewers to work with you. It's incredibly simple to set their permissions via User Management and control what they can see and do.Preview Designs on Mobile With the UXPin Mirror app, you can effortlessly preview your prototypes on mobile devices to see how they look and behave. As you make changes in the editor, the prototype on your mobile device will update on the fly.Another nifty feature: you can download the UXPin app from <a target="_blank" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uxpin.mirror">Google Play</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/uxpin-mirror/id1446596008?ls=1&amp;mt=8">App Store</a> and see exactly how your designs look on mobile devices.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-preview.png" /><h3>Pricing</h3><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-pricing-annual.jpg" />UXPin offers two types of pricing: monthly and annual. There are four tiers:Basic Plan Get everything you’ll need for wireframing and prototyping, including animations, interactions, and states. Basic also offers:<ul><li>Version history for saving iterations of your designs and retrieving them at will.</li><li>Export function for moving your designs to PDF, PNG, and HTML.</li><li>Stakeholder approval for sharing your prototypes with your team or customers, gathering feedback, and obtaining the all-important "OK" to proceed.</li></ul><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/uxpin-custom-workflows.png" /><ul><li>Comments and assignments for keeping your team and stakeholders connected around feedback and assigning specific tasks.</li><li>Password-protected views for securing your prototypes with a password.</li></ul>The Basic Plan is $24 per month but offers a discounted rate of $13 per month with an annual plan.Advanced Everything from the Basic plan, plus:<ul><li>Contextual documentation to set up guidelines or leave notes – and pin them to specific elements on your prototype.</li><li>Conditional logic for setting rules around custom interactions.</li><li>Expressions, which use Javascript to create computational components like shopping carts or validate user inputs such as emails.</li><li>Variables that dynamically update text elements, capture data from inputs, or store user preferences for later use on your prototype.</li></ul>The Advanced Plan is $39 per month. But like the Basic Plan, it offers a discounted rate of $29 per month with an annual plan.Professional Everything from the Advanced Plan, plus:<ul><li>Design systems: package your design, code, and other elements to create reusable Components and style guides.</li><li>Roles &amp; permissions: define what team members can do and what projects they have access to. Each team member has one role – “creator”, “manager”, “owner”, or “collaborator” – and you can control the state and privileges.</li><li>Priority support: get help when you need it via email, phone, or Zoom.</li><li>Advanced security: trust that anything you design is securely encrypted and fully backed-up by UXPin.</li></ul>The Professional Plan is $89 per month with a discount to $69 per month with an annual plan.Enterprise UXPin’s Enterprise plan is perfect for large organizations with dedicated design teams and product development squads. Used by Fortune 500 companies, Enterprise provides unlimited users, unlimited design systems, and advanced security – all of which allows you to facilitate the design process at scale.The Enterprise Plan has custom pricing based on the size and needs of your organization.<h3>Conclusion</h3>UXPin really earns the “UX” part of its name by focusing on the user experience. It’s the perfect blend of features for both wireframing and prototyping, and it brings team collaboration to the next level by working across platforms and operating systems. It definitely feels like an enterprise-grade product, but it’s also a solid tool for freelancers with its affordable Basic Plan.If you’re curious how UXPin stacks up against their competition, check out their “tale of the tape” comparison on their website. They proudly display how they rate against other similar platforms such as Figma, Invision, Framer, Adobe XD, Sketch, Axure, Balsamiq, Zeplin, Marvel App, and Proto.io. They even provide a <a target="_blank" href="https://get.uxpin.com/uxpin-vs-sketch/">checklist of differences</a>.One of the biggest advantages of UXPin is that it’s cloud-based. This allows users to design, prototype, and test ideas together – whenever, wherever. This is a big advantage over Sketch (for example), which only works on macOS. Someone using a Windows system can’t use Sketch, nor do they have access to files sent by other team members using it. Still, with Sketch being such a popular design tool, UXPin lets you import Sketch files and templates directly into their app – so you can get the best of both worlds.There is one con with UXPin: as a SaaS product, you’re on the hook to pay in perpetuity. With tools like Sketch, you only pay for the product once and renew when you’d like to upgrade. Your files belong to you – and aren’t locked into a third-party system. But what if you want to cancel your UXPin subscription? Well, if you want to maintain your libraries and components, you’ll need to “park your account” and keep an active profile. That costs $5 per month and only lets you preview your projects or export them. You can reactivate at any time, but it might be worth considering when you decide to sign up.If you’d like to see some examples of projects done with UXPin, they have a prototype showcase: <a target="_blank" href="https://showcase.uxpin.com/">https://showcase.uxpin.com/</a>You can also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/sign-up">try UXPin for free</a> for 14 days without a credit card. You’ll be limited to 2 projects, but it’s still a great way to take it for a test drive and experience it yourself as a user.<h3>About UXPin</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://www.uxpin.com/">UXPin</a> is a design platform that for building mockups and wireframes, interactive prototypes, UX document creation, and collaborating with both design and development teams. Features include variables, conditional interactions, expressions, interactive states, and a data generator integrated with Unsplash to get free stock photos directly in UXPin.Unlike in other image-based design tools, anything you create in UXPin is based on html, css and js code. Since it's the same technology developers will work with, their code will match your design perfectly.Why code-based design? Since 2010, UXPin has been on a mission to enable the best user experiences by merging design and engineering into one world of better, faster product development.

UXPin Review: Elevate Design with All-in-one Prototyping and Wireframing

paris-tuzun

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

<a href="http://www.sitesupra.com/" target="_blank"> SiteSupra</a> has released some new updates, in the form of three new themes and a new page deactivation feature.
Although technically still in beta, SiteSupra is a hosted website builder and CMS which gives you the tools to create good-looking, responsive websites.
SiteSupra's headquarters lie in Latvia, and users can choose between free and premium plans to build their websites. To learn more about what the platform can do, check out my recent <a href="/sitesupra-review/" target="_blank"> SiteSupra Review</a>.
<h2>Steady Improvement</h2>
Publicly launched at the beginning of 2014, SiteSupra is still a growing platform.
Despite my overall enjoyment of using SiteSupra during my review, there were some issues I pointed out. A slight lack of templates was amongst those issues, and SiteSupra team has clearly been working on this.
Three new templates have been released; Drava, Taillia, and Aira.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ssupra700x0.png" /> 
All three look great and work well, much like the previous seven SiteSupra templates.
Furthermore, SiteSupra users can now deactivate pages quickly in the SiteMap. This feature was brought in to make it easier to remove demo pages quickly, without having to preview them first.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2014-07-15_at_18_10_13.png" /> 
For a more detailed look at SiteSupra, <a href="/sitesupra-review/" target="_blank"> check out my review</a>.
Also, be sure to check out the <a href="https://www.sitesupra.com/" target="_blank"> SiteSupre website</a>.

SiteSupra Introduces New Templates & Features

Every day, countless people are searching the web for all different types of information. In response to this, google is constantly adding new features and adapting their search strategy so that people can get access to the most relevant information for their search queries.
If you run a website, it is important to always keep an eye on what is happening with Google in order to stay current and to take advantage of new opportunities. In the past little while, one very noticeable addition that Google has added is the featured Snippets.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/picture1722x0-is.png" />
<h2>What is a Featured Snippet?</h2>
A featured snippet is basically a summary of someone’s search query. In order to help bring the most contextual information to a person’s query, Google has started placing a search result at the very top of the page with information that they think is the most relevant to the search. The information is extracted from a website, and goes directly to the section of the site that features a result that most directly addresses the search parameters. The snippet is literally an open snap shot of the content they want from inside of a site.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/picture2722x0-is.png" />
<h2>How to Get Featured?</h2>
If you want to try and rank for a featured snippet, first try and decide what your target query is. You should focus on something that is relevant to your website, and that will likely draw higher numbers of search.
Generally, the “how to” category is one of the simpler ways to rank for a snippet. If you try to target a simple question, it is easier to ensure that your site will feature a straightforward answer. For instance, if you write about how to embed a video on a blog post and list step by step instructions, it will be easier for Google to recognize your step by step instructions as the most relevant answer for a search query about “how to embed video”.
Remember, it Is also critical that your post is using the correct markup. You need to ensure that Googles bots will scan your page and what could be the most relevant for a snippet. If you want to learn more about which elements are important to include, you can check out Wix’s SEO Hero article about optimizing snippets.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/picture3722x0-is.png" />
<h2>Can anyone be Featured?</h2>
Majority of the time, Google will choose snippets from sites that are ranking between 1-3 on the search results page. However, about 30% of the time the snippets are drawn from websites that are ranking lower on the page – to help create a bit of balance. So, don’t lose hope if your site isn’t ranking 1-3 on the search results page, you may still get chosen for a featured snippet. However, it is a good strategy to try and get your site ranking a little bit higher before you start focusing on snippets in order to prove your relevancy to Google.
Snippets are a powerful tool for bringing information that is relevant, easy to understand and concise for the person preforming the search query. Featured snippets also prove very trust worthy for the person preforming the search, leading in them spending additional time reading your site. So take some time to invest in snippets – it can add a distinctive edge!

Google is Changing the Game with  Featured Snippets

<a href="http://www.sitecore.net/" target="_blank"> Sitecore</a> have announced an early access program for <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore Commerce, powered by Commerce Server </a> , the first enterprise-grade .NET customer experience management (CXM) solution with fully integrated commerce functionality.
The new offering will enable marketers and merchandisers to deliver personalized and relevant digital shopping experiences from initial customer acquisition through online transaction using a single, connected platform.
Let's take a deeper look at what SiteCore's latest technological addition brings to the table.
<h2>Keeping it Personalized</h2>
Sitecore Commerce is the latest puzzle piece added to  <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Sitecore-Experience-Platform.aspx" target="_blank"> The Sitecore® Experience Platform™</a>. It gives marketers access to actionable insights, collaborative abilities and a holistic view of their customers.
<img style="max-width:400px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore_logo_400x0.gif" />
Sitecore Commerce empowers brands to drive e-commerce innovation and growth opportunities, leading to reduced implementation costs, quicker time-to-market and increased conversion rates.
Regarding the announcement of Sitecore Commerce, Michael Seifert, co-founder, and CEO of Sitecore, made these comments:
<blockquote>“We view e-commerce a key piece of the customer experience platform puzzle. I’m proud of the addition of Sitecore Commerce to our leading platform, and excited to bring such a robust yet easy to use solution to the market.
As the only complete end-to-end .NET solution, Sitecore Commerce enables brands to go to market within rapidly reduced timeframes, more quickly increasing their revenue and accelerating growth.”</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Products/Sitecore-Experience-Platform.aspx" target="_blank">The Sitecore® Experience Platform™ </a>   includes integrated digital marketing, e-commerce, multichannel customer experience and big data-analysis applications. Sitecore Commerce works natively within Sitecore Experience Platform’s easy-to-use user interface, allowing merchandisers and marketers to quickly and easily implement the service into current campaigns.
Other key benefits include:
<ul>
<li> Single, connected administration:  All product catalog information is available within Sitecore, with no data duplication or synchronization hassles.</li>
<li> Unified content and campaigns:  Marketers and merchandisers can easily search and edit all assets, view end-to-end campaigns and access customer insights across all touch-points, and measure conversions and customer value.</li>
<li> Enterprise-grade:  Sitecore Commerce is built to meet the most demanding enterprise commerce needs, with performance throughput and robust systems to meet seasonal shopping peaks head-on.</li>
<li> Highly flexible:  Developers can build customized environments to meet specific brand needs and create unique shopping experiences, instead of relying on templates.</li>
</ul>
As far as availability is concerned, Sitecore Commerce will be broadly available from September 2014.
Furthermore, Sitecore Commerce, powered by Commerce Server, will be demonstrated at Sitecore Symposium 2014 in Las Vegas on September 8-10.
To learn more, visit the <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Channels/Commerce-Experience.aspx" target="_blank"> Sitecore website</a>.
Also, don't forget to explore more of <a href="/products/sitecore/" target="_blank"> Sitecore via our CMS Directory</a>.

Sitecore Commerce Unveiled: the First Enterprise-grade eCommerce Integrated .NET CXM

There are a number of great hosted CMS solutions on the market, we've highlighted a number of them in one of our recent issues of CMS Critic Recommends (<a href="/cms-critic-recommends-july-edition/">read</a>) and LightCMS is definitely a contender.LightCMS is packed with features at what we think is a reasonable price compared to other options on the market. For a full list, visit the LightCMS tour after you read our review.What makes it unique? What are it's strengths and weaknesses?Let's take a look.First off, for the average user, you may be able to make do with their free package which allows you a decent starting point to begin seeing what the system can do for you. It's a great way to try out LightCMS and decide whether you want to give it a go long-term or not.Once you've chosen your subdomain you'd like to use from their website, you are ready to get started. We chose http://cmscritic.publishpath.com (for obvious reasons).On your first visit, you are greeted with a basic website waiting for your input. You can access the main administrative interface by adding /admin to the end of your URL (ie: http://cmscritic.publishpath.com/admin) which would then prompt you to log on for access to the “dashboard”.Upon logging in, you'll be greeted with a screen similar to the following (dependent upon the theme you chose):<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitefinity_tedkqt.jpg" alt="Initial Screen - LightCMS" /> Initial Screen – LightCMSAs you can see, a number of areas of the website became activated once you logged in. You are now able to add/remove elements and edit the various areas of the cms simply my clicking no any of these buttons.As an example, clicking on pencil icon to the left of the “Welcome to the new site” text area would present you with the following easy to use content editor, complete with WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editing area, tags and more:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/26-08-2010-12-18-36-pm-580x674_pmt38y.jpg" alt="Content Editor - LightCMS" />Content Editor – LightCMSVisually, the content editor is attractive and akin to something we'd expect to find in a typical CMS.  It's intuitive, familiar and easy to use. Good start.What happens if you click on one of the “Add an element” boxes?Doing so would provide you with a dialog and a drop down box from which you can select a number of elements to add to the page:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/26-08-2010-12-24-10-pm_gljf9q.jpg" alt="Add an Element - LightCMS" />Add an Element – LightCMSThere are plenty of options that can be added and using each of these, we found them all to be very intuitive and well designed.One of the more common of the choices that we can see being used here are forms. Let's take a quick look at what the interface to a form element looks like.Here's where LightCMS outdoes it's competitors. Once you have added the element for a form, you simply click on “edit form” in a drop down box within the element which will take you to the form edit screen.From within this screen, there are two tabs. One for the various form fields you can add to the form (note: all that is required to add a field is to click on it):<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/26-08-2010-12-31-24-pm-580x428_wktzlr.jpg" alt="Add Fields - LightCMS" />Add Fields – LightCMSThe second tab provides various settings for the form. There are the usual suspects such as form name, description, email notification, captcha, etc.  but where it really shines is the option for payment settings.Clicking on this option allows you to embed payment functions right into your form complete with integration into Google Checkout, Paypal and Authorize.net. Now that my friends, is very simple and very slick. It's the little things that make the difference and this is definitely one of the best and easiest to implement functions we've seen so far in a form module.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/26-08-2010-12-34-57-pm_dz9kpg.jpg" alt="Payment Options in Forms - LightCMS" />Payment Options in Forms – LightCMSNow that we've looked at the various elements and content functions of the system, let's dig a bit deeper into the administrative interface shall we?LightCMS includes the ability to manage settings on a page by page basis or on a site basis (or both).  If you wanted to set individual meta data, css, user access permissions or SSL encryption for instance, this can all be done by clicking on the Page Settings button right from the Page you are currently on. You are also able to define custom templates (themes) to the individual pages as you see fit.Here's a quick screenshot of what this page looks like:<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/billrogers-150x150_wkzay1.jpg" alt="Page Settings - LightCMS" /> Page Settings – LightCMSYou can see in the screenshot above, there is another menu bar in black that offers links to Designs, Users, Settings, Pages and Stats as well.Under the Designs menu, you are given the ability to perform the following options:<ul><li>Upload your own design (this page also has indepth documentation on how to create your own templates as well as how to alter existing ones).</li><li>Choose from a library of provided designs.</li><li>Order your own custom designs created for you by the developers of LightCMS.</li></ul>The Settings button at the top allows you to setup redirects, modify your robots.txt files and add/remove domain names as needed.Clicking on the Stats button (an option available to paid and not free accounts) gives you access to a simple but effective statistics screen highlighting activity on your site.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/campsite_zycpew.jpg" alt="Statistics - LightCMS" />Statistics – LightCMSAnother very unique function that LightCMS provides is the ability to set up and bill your clients (if you are a developer) for each site you create and host with LightCMS.You can dictate your own pricing structure (separate from what you pay LightCMS for use of their service) complete with your own plans, pricing structures and automated billing. It's like running your own business but all of the work is done for you.We won't get into great detail about how this works (it's better to just visit the site yourself then for us to attempt to paraphrase it. What we will say is this: It's incredibly easy to use, convenient and a huge time saver.Final ConclusionsPro's:<ul><li>Everything but the kitchen sink is included.</li><li>Incredibly easy to use, might just be the easiest solution we've found to date.</li><li>Fast, intuitive, loaded with configuration options.</li><li>Pricing is very reasonable.</li><li>Fantastic form builder with integrated payments.</li></ul>Con's:<ul><li>To get all of the cool features such as stats and payment integration, you have to pay. Although if we weren't paying, we'd feel kind of guilty considering the amount of work put into this system.</li></ul>Overall, LightCMS is one astoundingly agile platform. It's fast, intuitive, easy, packed full of options and VERY reasonably priced.  We highly recommend it.

LightCMS Review

<a href="http://www.hannonhill.com/products/index.html" target="_blank"> Cascade Server</a> version 7.12 is now <a href="http://www3.hannonhill.com/c/1921/172220/55376" target="_blank">available for download</a>.
Cascade Server is a Java-based “push” CMS that can either be installed locally or hosted in the cloud by Hannon Hill – the company behind Cascade Server.
Version 7.12 of Cascade Server is another step taken by Hannon Hill to, “improve the user experience”. They have focused on content reporting and content authoring by adding improvements to the draft and editing interfaces. Let's take a deeper look at what's new.
<a href="http://www.hannonhill.com/products/index.html" target="_blank"><img style="max-width:224px" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cascade_server.jpg" /></a>
<h2>UI Tweaks, Link Checkers &amp; More</h2>
Cascade Server 7.12 features a brand new site-wide broken link report. We all know that keeping up with the quality of your site’s internal and external links is no easy undertaking, but it's an essential part of maintaining a high caliber website. This feature will regularly scan your site for both internal and external links, allowing users to find and fix these links before they ever go live.
This new feature will check all publishable Pages and Files in the system for broken links on a daily schedule. Any broken links encountered are stored in the database as a report which can be viewed on the Link Checker dashboard. Accompanying the Broken Link Report is the new Link Checker Summary dashboard widget, which provides a summary of the status of broken links on the current site.
Below are some more notable features from version 7.12:
<ul>
<li>Improvements to the Editing and Drafting UI. We’ve revamped the drafting experience to be more seamless and less obtrusive.</li>
<li>Stale Content Filtering. You can filter down your Stale Content Dashboard and see only what you want to see.</li>
<li>Improved support for inserting and link-checking scheme-relative links. This will allow you to keep up with the trend towards more HTTPS-enabled sites and a secure web.</li>
</ul>
The Hannon Hill team will be releasing a series of informative blog posts to give users more details about the major improvements in 7.12, but you can also learn about the new features in the  <a href="http://www3.hannonhill.com/c/1921/172220/55375" target="_blank"> 7.12 Release Notes</a> and by checking out the  <a href="http://www3.hannonhill.com/c/1921/172220/55374" target="_blank"> 7.12 Press Release</a>.
You can <a href="http://www3.hannonhill.com/c/1921/172220/55376" target="_blank"> download Cascade Server 7.12 right here</a>.
To find out more about Cascade Server, <a href="http://www3.hannonhill.com/c/1921/172220/55376" target="_blank"> visit their website</a>.
Also, be sure to check out <a href="/products/cascade-cms/" target="_blank"> Cascade Server via our CMS Directory</a>.

Cascade Server 7.12 Released

Purple Parrot is a proprietary CMS with plenty of out-of-the-box features for a variety of website needs. Purple Parrot caters to small business, e-commerce, and online education sites. The CMS is cloud-based and multi-user.
<h2>Overview</h2>
<a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/about/" target="_blank">Purple Parrot</a> is a full-fledged CMS, including a web design and software solution firm. Purple Parrot has been in business since the early days of widespread Internet usage (over 20 years). Part of their sell is the ability to take an existing website and place it into their own CMS, giving you the ability to take full control of a website. In spite of having plenty of features, Purple Parrot has some features that users may find limiting, including difficult site design process, lack of access to code, and some unwieldy operations in the CMS.
<h2>Creating a Site</h2>
I'll walk through the process of creating a site on Purple Parrot.
When I log in for the first time, the Admin Dashboard is a bit bewildering. Here's what I see.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple1-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple1" />
SiteBuilder
The most prominent category is “SiteBuilder Features.” Within this category are the following features, including a brief onscreen description.
<ul>
<li>External Widgets – External widgets are portable chunks of code supplied by third-party sources that can be installed and executed on any of your site's pages.</li>
<li>General Information – Provide general information about your company.</li>
<li>Menu Designer – Design the menus that will help your visitors navigate through your site.</li>
<li>Page Manager – Create the custom or module pages you have selected for your site.</li>
<li>Select Your Color Theme – Select or create your own color theme for the site.</li>
<li>Select Your Font – Choose the font to be used throughout your site.</li>
<li>Template Manager – Design the templates that contain the header, footer, and/or sidebar for the pages of your website.</li>
</ul>
I found the descriptions of each feature to be helpful, but was nonplussed as to which I should choose to start my site.
The dashboard links are replicated in the menu bar. So, instead of clicking one of these dashboard links, I chose the “SiteBuilder” menu link, and chose “General Information.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple2.jpeg" alt="purple2" />
General Information
On this screen, I edit my site's general information, including the company name, a description, and a login option.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple3-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple3" />
The customization options at the bottom are denoted with green checkmarks. When I attempt to “select site width,” I receive the following information:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple4.jpeg" alt="purple4" />
To “check the page out,” I go to the top of the page, where I see the following:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple5.jpeg" alt="purple5" />
Clicking the lock image then “checks out” the page, where I can complete further operations.
Site Width
There are two options for site width:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple6-620x393.jpeg" alt="purple6" />
These two options are standard. I do notice, however, there is little flexibility to change these options, nor is there a responsive design option. The customization is limited, which is acceptable for someone with limited web experience.
Metadata
There is an area to edit the metadata, which is helpful for SEO purposes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple7.jpeg" alt="purple7" />
The logo upload process is fairly straightforward, if not a wee bit clunky.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple8.jpeg" alt="purple8" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple9.jpeg" alt="purple9" />
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple10-620x359.jpeg" alt="purple10" />
Font Selection
Finally, I go to select my font. I find it a bit unusual that selecting a font takes me to a new edit page. Here's a look at it.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple11-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple11" />
After choosing “Century Gothic, 14px,” I move on to “Go to Color Selection.”
Color Selection
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple12-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple12" />
The color selection page allows me to choose color themes, which “will affect elements such as text boxes and the search button on your visitor pages.” Customization is available to “edit this theme.”
I choose the “Neutral Green” theme.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple13-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple13" />
A word about navigation so far. The navigation does not immediately strike me as intuitive. However, as I have been creating the site, I realize that I am following the order of the menu elements under “Site Builder.” (See menu screenshot above). At this point, I've come to the “Menu Designer” element on the site.
Menu Designer
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple14-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple14" />
In order to edit an element of the menu, I first must click the lock icon. Then I click the pencil icon to edit the menu element. This brings up a new screen:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple15-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple15" />
The right area of the screen displays a preview of what the menu looks like. Changes are instant.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple16-620x74.jpeg" alt="purple16" />
The menus are prepopulated with the demo elements. I had to remove these one-by-one in order to create my own menu items.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple17.jpeg" alt="purple17" />
Renaming menu elements required a multiple-click process. Each time I create a new one, I am redirected to the beginning of the process.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple18.jpeg" alt="purple18" />
Overall, the menu customization is somewhat cumbersome and confusing. When I finish editing my menu elements, I click “Save,” and am prompted to click a lock again,  click “Save &amp; Close.” I arrive at the main menu designer page.
External Widgets
The next element to customize is “External Widgets.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple19-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple19" />
The widget option is helpful in that it allows a variety of codes to be added to the site. Purple Parrot allows an unlimited number of widgets. When a widget is added from this main External Widgets page, it can be added to any page on the site, or added to the sitewide template.
Adding a new widget prompts a popup to paste the code.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple20-620x511.jpeg" alt="purple20" />
Template Manager
The next element for me to modify is Template Manager.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple21-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple21" />
I am prompted to design a new template for the header, footer, and sidebar. The first step is to “Add New Template.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple22.jpeg" alt="purple22" />
Once I add the new template, I can edit it after selecting it from the template list.
This is the template editing page.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple23-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple23" />
The persistent WYSIWYG preview pane is a helpful at-a-glance perspective of how the template customization is going. The downside of the large preview pane is that it allows limited space for customization.
Under template properties, I can select a background style, layout, and title style.
Under the Standard Toolkit Menu options, I am provided with the following toolkit items:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple27.jpeg" alt="purple27" />
To add an element, I simply drag it to the live editing pane. Once I do, a setup box appears that allows me to customize that specific element.
Advanced Toolkit
Beyond these basics, I am provided with a variety of advanced elements.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple35.jpeg" alt="purple35" />
Each of these advanced toolkit options has its own unique set of customization options, similar to those in the basic toolkit.
Having finished my template design, I click “Save &amp; Close.” I see a notification that my template was saved successfully, and return to the template manager page.
This process of template creation can be continued to create as many templates are desired.
Page Manager
The page manager menu furnishes me with a list of the pages on my site. The list seen in the screenshot below are the pages already created in the demo site that I have been editing. Each of these pages can be edited.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple36-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple36" />
To edit the page, I first click on the lock button to “check out” the page. Then, I click on the pencil edit icon.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple37-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple37" />
The page editor replicates many of the elements seen in the template editor. The options and editing options are simpler. One addition that is not part of the template editor is the “Search Information” for SEO purposes.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple38.jpeg" alt="purple38" />
The standard toolkit and advanced toolkit elements are all available for adding to these custom pages.
Beyond the pages created for the site, it is possible to create special module pages.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple39-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple39" />
This completes the site creation phase. Depending on the extent of the site being created, this process can take a few hours or up to several days. There are a surprising number of options available. The level of customization is also impressive.
Publish
Having completed my site to my level of satisfaction, I click “Go to Publish.”
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple40-620x463.jpeg" alt="purple40" />
After receiving the publish confirmation, I can also view the custom pages and modules that were created or modified.
Modules
So far, I've only created the general site pages and structure. Purple Parrot has created an extensive list of modules that enhance a site's usability and versatility. Available modules are listed below.
<ul>
<li>Checkout Settings </li>
<li>Classes </li>
<li>Contact Information </li>
<li>Event Calendar </li>
<li>FAQ </li>
<li>Forms Manager </li>
<li>Google Analytics </li>
<li>Inventory </li>
<li>Jobs</li>
<li>Library </li>
<li>News </li>
<li>Release Notes </li>
<li>RSS Feeds</li>
<li>Showcase</li>
<li>Social Networking</li>
<li>Testimonials</li>
<li>Video Catalog</li>
<li>Media</li>
<li>User Management</li>
</ul>
Back to the Dashboard
When I return to the dashboard after exploring every element of Purple Parrot, the dashboard makes more sense. It provides a way to easily access all of the <a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/features/" target="_blank">features</a> that are also included in the menu above.
<h2>Getting Help</h2>
The persistent top menu in the Purple Parrot admin provides two help menus — Help and Help Desk. (In addition there is a <a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/m/faqs" target="_blank">FAQ</a> menu.)
Main Help Menu
The help menu provides a readme style help document. It is navigable and readable, if not a bit Web 1.0-looking.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple61-620x610.jpeg" alt="purple61" />
Help Desk
Help Desk is for registered users.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/purple62.jpeg" alt="purple62" />
I was unable to test the response of the help desk.
Overview of Help Availability
One of the most helpful features of Purple Parrot was the way it guided users through each element of site creation and editing. Throughout the editing process explanations are included that describe what an element is, how it works, and what to do to make changes. Purple Parrot provides a good setup for users who have little web design or development knowledge to create an entire site with lots of features and considerable power. In addition to these consistent explanations, there are also question mark and information buttons situated at main junctions for further information.
Sample Sites Built with Purple Parrot
Listed on the Purple Parrot site are several organizations that have used their CMS.
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.severnriverglobal.com/">http://www.severnriverglobal.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://itsmalliancellc.com/">http://itsmalliancellc.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.clayhealth.com/">http://www.clayhealth.com/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mcecloans.com/">http://www.mcecloans.com/</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Pros
<ul>
<li>WYSIWYG editing. Seeing changes as I make them is a helpful feature. Although viewing the actual sample site requires a few extra clicks, there are some editing areas in which WYSIWYG performance is available.</li>
<li>Extensive module menu. I was impressed with the number of modules and the extent of power that they provided. This was, perhaps, the greatest advantage of the CMS. Purple Parrot is primed for power.</li>
</ul>
Cons
<ul>
<li>Clunky. The advantages of Purple Parrot as a firm with 20+ years of experience is evident. There are, however, some areas in which this advantage could be a downside. Site navigation is confusing at times. Features of the editor are not at all fluid or easy. Some actions take multiple clicks, creating confusion and delays.</li>
<li>No source code access. Although it is possible to edit a site to a detailed extent, it is not possible to dig into the source code. As a solution designed for the non-developer, it's fine. For those who desire more power, this may be viewed as a limitation.</li>
<li>Lack of ready-made templates. One advantage of Purple Parrot is that they can convert an existing site to their CMS. For the user who doesn't have an existing site, they will need to either contract with Purple Parrot to create one, or try to make their own. There are no ready-made templates that I found except for a duplicate of Purple Parrot's own site in the demo version. This can create a hurdle. First, creating a site from scratch is time consuming and out-of-reach for those who have limited design experience. Second, having Purple Parrot create a site may not meet the user's wishes, due to the somewhat dated design style that is evidently used by Purple Parrot.</li>
</ul>
Overall, Purple Parrot provides a comprehensive and workable CMS. Pricing is provided in a <a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/solutions/" target="_blank">three-tier model</a>, depending on the user's needs. Purple Parrot may not be the first choice for those who want a polished look with quick-and-easy startup. Although Purple Parrot has a nice array of modules, it is lacking in design beauty and ease of use. I was disappointed and sometimes confused about how to perform a simple function. Furthermore, because of its design limitations and inability to create a responsive site, Purple Parrot will not satisfy customers who desire to adapt to mobile visitors. Unless this CMS make some significant revisions to adapt to updated design trends and mobile access, Purple Parrot will remain in a bygone era of web design.
You can visit <a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/" target="_blank">Purple Parrot</a> to find out more. To request a demo, you can fill out the <a href="http://www.purpleparrot.com/demo/" target="_blank">demo request form</a>.

Review of Purple Parrot CMS

daniel-threlfall

Semrush - Be an SEO hero

Be found everywhere search happens

Explore a wide range of informative articles, insights, and industry updates. Stay informed and ahead of the curve with our diverse collection of news and posts covering the latest trends and developments in the industry. Page - 62