Migrating Government Websites to the Latest CMS Platform
Introduction
This article explores migrating government websites to modern CMS platforms, insisting on the need for secure, scalable, and accessible systems like Drupal. Key considerations for selecting a CMS, including security, scalability, ease of content management, and customization options are included along with the steps involved in migrating to a new CMS platform.
To understand CMS completely, one must go beyond basics! You must comprehend how it functions if you want to expand your web business. Let's delve deeper to learn more about how they work, the benefits of using one to create a company website, and migrating Government Websites to the latest CMS Platform.
Maintaining and updating company websites is essential in the digital age we live in and work in. Businesses without in-house web developers require a simple system that preserves corporate integrity, enables anybody to update information, and ensures that messaging to clients and potential customers is consistent.
Building a website and adding content to it in the past required substantial technical expertise. But now, anyone with little to no experience in website development can use a direct marketing CMS to build their websites and exchange content or goods. Your carefully crafted value propositions are delivered through it. It distinguishes your firm, fosters confidence, reinforces your corporate culture, and motivates customers to engage with your brand. And don't forget that the algorithms used by search engines to determine where you appear concerning your rivals in search results still almost entirely depend on content.
Why is having a content management system worthwhile?
Your company can deliver outstanding customer experiences across all channels with the correct content management system.
A CMS, or content management system, is a program that offers its users specific capabilities to help manage content, including editing, archiving, producing, publishing, and disseminating data and information. In other words, it makes it possible for users to effectively manage the contents of their web pages—even if they don't understand HTML.
A content management system enables users to produce, edit, optimize, and deliver content to the right audiences at the right time on the proper channels, helping businesses move beyond the simple content organization. A CMS is essential because it makes it possible to create powerful digital experiences. You may manage your content by using a content management system for your website. It entails having the power to modify, add, or remove text, image, audio, or video. It enables you to maintain an organized, current, and attractive website. The hassle of administering your website is eliminated with content management systems. If you have a website, you probably fall into one of two categories: either you have a static website, in which case any updates to the site must be hard-coded using traditional web programming techniques, or you have a content management system set up and can edit dynamic pages on your own.
Can Government Websites Migrate to the Latest CMS?
Building websites that act as static online brochures are a thing of the past. Today, the expectation is for all information-providing businesses, including local governments, to provide branded, highly functional, citizen-focused self-service capabilities. Local governments want access to a content management system that can deliver the kinds of transaction-based experiences consumers seek from a partner that profoundly comprehends the shifting citizen engagement landscape as the demand for digital content rises. Local governments may easily create the experiences their constituents desire and need in the digital engagement era of content as a service by utilizing a content management system designed particularly for municipalities.
The need for government services to be digital by default has been building for a while. They must therefore have more functionality on their websites than ever before. There is a great deal of interest in Drupal among government agencies worldwide. Major government entities are moving their internet portals to Drupal because of their reliability and adaptability. Due to its solid design, unwavering quality, security, and adjustable functionalities, Drupal may be an ethical choice for government websites, given their significant traffic and plenty of sensitive and personal information.
Except for its popularity in the private sector, Drupal enjoys a considerable market share in both the public and government sectors. Large enterprises and governmental organizations like NASA prefer Drupal since it is a remarkably flexible CMS. To properly utilize the potential of this platform, you will require web programming skills, but you won't have to start from scratch. In addition to its out-of-the-box features, you can create a complicated site that manages significant volumes of data and heavy traffic by selecting from 47,000 modules in its directory and hundreds of free themes in its theme library.
The stakes are enormous, and there is little room for error among government employees responsible for maintaining and making decisions about the best CMS. Government websites must meet several criteria, including security, scalability, engagement, flexibility, accessibility, dependability, and simplicity of navigation. When funding is reduced, websites must demonstrate cost-effectiveness, which helps with good governance. More than 150 countries utilize Drupal for their national governments' and international organizations' websites.
- How To Rebuild Your Website if Not on Drupal?
You can create your look and feel while rebuilding your website or using an existing theme. It will go faster and cost less if you choose the pre-configured, out-of-the-box option. Any design effort that helps modernize your website for this new environment can be employed during the reconstruction.
If you want to launch your website without using Drupal, you can come up with several attractive designs and themes. When a website is redesigned, it is essential that visitors can quickly find what they are searching for and access it from anywhere. Additionally, a customer support system should be implemented and made available on the official website so that individuals can get assistance. If you can add everything you want to your website, this option is less time-consuming and expensive.
People also use programming languages to create websites. People must utilize design work to modernize their websites in the new environment while rebuilding. For instance, you can use an open source to administer your website and keep it constantly updated with the most recent content. It offers several advantages, making it one of the best Drupal alternatives. It is also more affordable than Drupal. Thus, you only need the assistance of an expert to rebuild your website.
- CMS and Its Benefits
Websites can be set up with a content management system so that visitors can contribute, edit, and publish content with little to no coding expertise required. By providing templates that fit the website designs, the simplicity of these systems makes the process of uploading, publishing, and editing material straightforward. In other words, a user can add pages or change the content without ruining the website's main design. This results in a website that changes along with the business and is regularly updated. The capacity of a well-designed CMS to embrace a collaborative work environment where multiple team members can monitor and manage web content is one of its pillars. Flexibility is provided by the ability to operate the website independently. It helps reduce the requirement for one person to manage all facets of the website by assigning responsibilities.
The significant advantages of purchasing a CMS for your company's website are listed below.
- Scheduling is Easy and Convenient
Although the content isn't automatically published when it is produced, content management systems let you draft content and save it for use on your website later. This will enable you to expedite the development and approval processes for all of your content, allowing staff members to publish the work whenever it best suits their schedules and the needs of the content. On your website, you may also create various settings for various operators.
- Increases Productivity
Have you ever needed to go via the IT department to make changes to the website for your business? Something as straightforward as publishing a new blog entry, editing an image, or adding further information? Since even the most minor adjustments must pass through numerous people in your business, this procedure might be intimidating. A good CMS is user-friendly and allows anyone without a coding background to make changes rapidly. A good CMS increases productivity levels throughout your firm by streamlining website modifications.
- Offers a Wide Range of Content Options
When building a website with a CMS, various online content alternatives are accessible. Examples are event listings, employee directories, RSS feeds, blogs, client testimonials, documents, and image galleries. Don't restrict your website to a few basic capabilities when a CMS makes it simple to add exciting features.
- Allows Numerous Users
The marketing team, the development team, the creative director, and other personnel all contributed to your website. A content management system makes it simple to handle different duties and permissions for each user, whether they need to develop and publish blog entries for your content marketing efforts, redesign your website, or entirely modify the layout.
- Accessibility and Simplicity
Using these CMS platforms can be advantageous for those lacking technical expertise. Redesigning your website's look and adding new media are both simple processes. Some systems can include online tutorials that show newcomers how to use sophisticated features. The majority of the top CMS platforms are online. As a result, you don't need to install additional software to modify and update your website from any computer with an internet connection.
- Simple and Easy Updates
The finest CMS for small enterprises enables easy content addition and removal. Since you don't have to approve each step individually, all changes will be made automatically. Additionally, you can automate website updates. Several CMS platforms also incorporate additional security features to secure your data.
Find out how to choose the best CMS platform for your business!
The following considerations should be considered while choosing the CMS platform for your website.
- Customizability: You should be able to customize website design templates to meet your demands.
- Integration with Other Software: You need a CMS that can integrate with other content management systems if you want a customized marketing plan and insights into users' web interactions.
- Support Team: Having a customer service department is essential.
- Scalability: The finest content management system must be scalable so your website can grow with your company and adapt to new requirements. Look for a CMS that can accommodate the demands of an expanding site.
- Intuitive UI: Finding a CMS with an intuitive user interface will enable you to utilize it without prior technical knowledge.
- Pricing and Budget: Almost every decision you make for your organization involves a budget. You want a CMS solution that satisfies your needs, the expectations of your visitors, and your budget. Similar to customization options, these upgrade options show that the CMS can expand as your business grows.
- Prevalence in the Market: Examining the CMS system's current clientele, which includes well-known businesses or rivals, is another excellent technique to whittle down the available options. A CMS's features may be essential and able to develop with a growing company if reputable brands in your industry and others comparable to yours use it.
Security Concerns When It Comes to CMS
This is a worrying scenario for any business wanting to establish or maintain its online presence because it leaves you open to various cyberattacks. Even though having a CMS adds a layer of protection, not all CMS are created equal. WordPress and Drupal are examples of traditional or connected CMS that are frequently even more open to attacks.
Since most CMS-based platforms are open source, they are susceptible to online attacks. Even if the CMS software is marketed as open source and has many features and advantages, including sharing, a collaborative environment, and updating the codes, many more tasks are becoming more straightforward due to CMS software. Open-source platforms are known to be susceptible to a variety of assaults, some of which include:
Brute-force Attack
Almost anyone can carry out Brute-force assaults since they involve continuously entering different login credentials until the right one is discovered. Because some CMSs don't automatically cap the number of login attempts, users using those CMSs are vulnerable to bad actors who can try hundreds or thousands of different credentials until they find one that works. Even if a Brute-force attack is unsuccessful, it can still damage your server because too many tries will overburden and slow down your system. A CMS employs sign-in and authentication procedures and uses automated tools to monitor logins to spot odd login behavior and prevent Brute-force assaults.
SQL Injection
One of the most frequent attacks on CMSs is SQL Injection. Similar to other injection techniques, SQL Injection inserts arbitrary SQL code into the database layer, giving attackers access to direct database commands and allowing them to manipulate the database while posing as the CMS user. Due to the improved security measures they have put in place and the relatively easy methods to stop these attacks, CMSs are losing effectiveness every day. By allowing you to store and distribute your content in non-SQL databases or providing you with other CDN options if you prefer to use SQL, CMSs can reduce these attacks on the databases.
Cross-site Scripting
This kind of CMS vulnerability uses the client environment in the browser to give an attacker access to the instance and setting of the target. Because this attack takes place on the client side, it may compromise private user information and give rise to the database and stored variable manipulation. In this attack, the attacker loads some malicious script from the attacker's side into the webpage. Following this, the attacker can gather all the website's data and information or share it with other malicious websites. By using this kind of vulnerability, the website attacker can impersonate the target by collecting the user's cookies. Domed XSS, XSS, and reflected XSS are the three main subcategories of Cross-site Scripting. It is a common vulnerability in websites that are accessible online. People must use data validation to safeguard their systems from such exposure.
DDoS Attack
A malicious user makes many requests to a server to cause it to crash or become unavailable to its intended customers. This is known as a Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack. DDoS attacks are usually carried out via "botnets" of several computers that hide the origin of the requests. Modern CMSs use APIs to generate content on the client side, which lessens the server load each time a user sees the website and mitigates the effects of potential DDoS assaults.
File Inclusion Exploits
Inefficiently coded websites frequently include File Inclusion vulnerabilities. This type of vulnerability happens when a website allows users to upload or input files to the server, and the PHP code does not validate the input, leading to the delivery of malicious files to the server. When servers are misconfigured, or users have high privileges, file inclusion attacks allow users to access sensitive data. By limiting the ability to upload files to the website and maintaining a whitelist of permitted file types, a CMS can mitigate this risk by preventing malicious files from reaching the server.
How Can Exemplifi Help?
Some of the world's biggest and most known websites are powered by Drupal, one of the most efficient and flexible CMSs. Exemplifi has been and remains a Drupal-focused business that enables several companies worldwide to develop cutting-edge, digitally-driven interactions. In addition to this, Exemplifi offers a wide range of other services. Some advantages include managing website content and creating dynamic content and web flow with Drupal.
Governments must engage in effective communication, collaboration, and creativity with their constituents to achieve their expectations for good governance. And that is the reason many governments have chosen CMS for their official websites to secure their data and operations. One of the best CMS companies in India, Exemplifi, employs its advancement control to build flexible and adaptable arrangements for various administrative divisions. For any Drupal-based CMS website, get in touch with our specialists, and we will share our extensive understanding of the benefits of Drupal-based websites for government websites.
Take Your Enterprise to the Next Level With Exemplifi!
It's time to stop relying on IT to perform even the most essential content modifications, planning based on outdated capabilities, facing the risk of severe security breaches, and avoiding multi-channel optimization. Traditional CMS needs to be retired. Because it enables marketers and other content management roles to create, optimize, and distribute information at the rate of technology innovation, modern and customized CMS is the future of enterprise content.
The Drupal platform has unquestionably got a bright future in light of the extraordinary expansion in the public sector. Aside from why government websites favor Drupal, there are several other features that Drupal offers that makes managing any website, regardless of its complexity, simple. Thanks to Drupal's expanded grouping flexibility, it is now simpler for Drupal development businesses to inherit and derive specific characteristics from different website portions
We pioneered the idea of CMS at Exemplifi since we are dedicated to providing the most significant digital experiences. We take care of all the requirements for enterprise business users and developers to enhance content management in traditional and contemporary channels; we integrate a tonne of marketing, eCommerce, and analytics tools; and we accomplish all of this while maintaining the availability, security, and scalability that your IT stack demands.
Exemplifi can help you leave the past behind and prepare for the future of CMS.
