Is Joomla the best content management system?

OpenGlobal E-commerce has experience with a wide range of content management systems (CMS), but Joomla tends to be our default one. So, out of all of the CMSes available, does this mean we think that it's the best one?

In a word, no.

As we have said in many articles, there is no one size fits all CMS. Each one has advantages and disadvantages.

If you are not very technical and just want to get a simple website up and running yourself without paying for a professional, Joomla is probably not for you. Joomla is not instantly intuitive straight out of the box like some other systems. It needs a little bit of training and some of the concepts behind it need some explaining.

Joomla is more advanced than something like WordPress, which is aimed at non-technical people creating their own websites.

One of the key advantages for Joomla is its MVC architecture. This means that it is programmed in such a way that developers can change the way large parts of it work, whilst still allowing it to be upgraded. Even the plugins can have their functionality overridden without affecting it's "upgradability".

Content management systems which don't use this architecture (like WordPress) are very difficult to modify without affecting your upgrades.

But is this really a problem?

We frequently come across companies who want to move their site to our services. So, we take a backup of their system, restore it on our servers, then do an upgrade. Suddenly the website is broken because changes were made by the previous developer which prevent further upgrades.

Unfortunately, upgrades are essential to ensure the continued security of the website. We are not prepared to allow known security holes on our server. So the only realistic option is to create the whole website again. A needless expense.

Joomla isn't the only CMS to benefit from this architecture. The MVC architecture is a pretty good guide for the difference between a professional CMS and an amateur one.

The plugins for Joomla tend to be more professionally written, more reliable and better supported than some other content management systems. This is partly because of the advanced (and well documented) plugin framework, but also partly due to it being too difficult for a lot of amateur programmers to even get started with.

Another key advantage of the Joomla CMS is its comprehensive roles and permissions system. This means that different people can be given different access and different privileges in the different areas of the site. Ideal for a large company with staff needing limited access to make changes to the site. This applies to the frontend too, where visitors can login and have different access levels.

So why do we tend to use Joomla as our default system?

In a nutshell, flexibility. If there is no specific reason to use any CMS, then Joomla provides us with the flexibility to add the widest range functionality at a future date.

A lot of our clients come to us originally for just a basic site, but as they get used to it and its flexibility, they start to ask about more advanced features. It's great being able to add those features in 99% of cases (either by using core Joomla functionality, existing third party plugins, or developing our own extensions) without having to switch the whole site to another CMS.

Its professional architecture also means that it is easier for us to support our clients. For some other content management systems, we have to charge our clients more in support fees because their less professional nature creates extra work for us.

So, if want a website management company which uses the right tool for the job and keeps your potential future requirements in mind, contact OpenGlobal E-commerce today.