website options

[Degler, Roy]

Shannon,

I will second the use of LibGuides CMS for running a website.  Springshare offers a very good product with great customer support.
 You stated your boss would prefer a DB based platform.  That will not be possible without server side scripting (php, asp.net<http://asp.net>, java, etc.) Since your IT dept has ruled that out you will need to look elsewhere.
 First, have you looked into other services for hosting? With a little effort you will be able to find shared hosting or managed hosting for reasonable prices and reliability.


•      Managed hosting for a single CMS ($100-600 /yr)

o   WordPress.com<http://WordPress.com> and Pantheon is available. They manage the WP install and security.

o   Pantheon and Drupal Gardens etc offer Drupal managed platforms.

o   Many other CMS’s are offered through managed hosting.

•  ModxCloud is a great example.  (Modx is my preferred CMS)

•      Shared Hosting with auto installation/upgrade tools:Installatron, fantastico, Softaculous ($35-150 /yr)

o   There are a great many hosting companies to choose from.

o   They are reasonable, but reliability varies greatly.  Make sure you select a reputable hosting service.

o   I have used Stablehost (currently), HostGater, Dreamhost, NameCheap and others.

•      Possibly the state of Texas or the Texas Dept of Libraries will offer a hosting service with all the features of Shared hosting Companies. ($~FREE /yr)

•      If you are very tech savvy, cloud services  like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and MS Azure are available at good prices and are very reliable.  You have to install the all the server software. (There are prebuilt installs for various OS’s and CMS’s for purchase) ($120-1000 /yr)

Second, selecting a CMS is very important.  You need to find a reliable/secure CMS and one works for you.

•      I suggest you go to one of the following sites to give various CMS’s a hands-on trial. These site  have installs with admin log in info for you to try the CMS’s.

o   http://www.opensourcecms.com/

o   http://www.softaculous.com/softaculous/apps

•      All of us that have replied have a favorite CMS. Here is my spin

o   Drupal –

•  steeper leaning curve,

•  Modules do not always work well with each other

•  tool driven- NOT content centered

•  Used by many libraries- you can get support from that community

•  Php based templates

o   Wordpress

•  Easy to use

•  Plug-ins increase security risk

•  Hackers target WP installs

•  Used by many libraries- you can get support from that community

•  Php based templates

o   Modx- my favorite

•  Easy to use for content editors

•  admin set up has a learning curve lower than drupal but higher than WP

•  Very Content oriented

•  All Snippets output content using the same structure- making them work well together

•  Templates are HTML and CSS based, very easy to customize

•  Open-Source- supported by a for profit company, their income is dependent on it working

•  User-Community support is available
I hope this helps.
 Roy Degler
roy.degler at okstate.edu<mailto:roy.degler at okstate.edu>
405 744-6541
Digital Library Services

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion.
Democritus
Greek philosopher (460 BC - 370 BC)


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2015-09-29
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