A Content Management System (CMS) is a software appplication that helps manage, edit and maintain websites without the use of specialised tools. It is used primarily by owners of a website who need to constantly update the site and would like to reduce dependence on an external agecy like a web designer. CMSes are usually based on the web browser and do not require any additional software to be installed on the editor’s computer.

- If you had to update certain sections of your website frequently, it is highly recommended that you enable a CMS on your site.
- Sections that you need edited are designated as “editable”.
- The CMS is installed on your website and the editable sections of your website are submitted to the CMS.
- You are given a username and password to access the CMS – in most cases the very same page that you need to edit will appear to you with an “edit” icon in the corner. If you click the edit icon, you will be shown the page in “edit” mode where you can make the changes in place.
- Once saved, the changes are published instantly.

There are different kinds of CMSes available – from small easy to use systems to large enterprise class CMSes:

The differences between these kinds range from price to ease of use to having multiple levels of approval for changes and strict version control or audit systems.

Some very common CMS systems are

- Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server – a Microsoft product that integrates with MS Office.
- Joomla! – An open source system that is a little tricky to learn but very flexible.
- Vignette – An Enterprise CMS that is most suitable for large enterprise with multiple contributors and editors.

There are several such systems with a variety of features and specific capabilities. The key is to find a system that combines ease of use, flexibility and pricing. Of course, the ability to remove the system from your site is also pretty important as you don’t want to be stuck with one for ever.