What is Ektron CMS?

Introduction

This Ektron CMS tutorial provides a brief explanation of the following topics:-

1. What is Content?
2. What is a content management system?
3. Working with Ektron CMS.
4. Roles and responsibilities of managing a website in Ektron.

What is Content?

Content is all information that is being served on a website. Web content is the textual, visual or audio content that a site visitor experiences when browsing a web site. It may include, among other things: text, images, sounds, videos, and animations. Content types in Ektron CMS are HTML content, XML Smart Forms, HTML form/survey, DMS Documents, which consist of MS Office,  documents, managed files, and multimedia files, Blogs, etc.

What is a Content Management System?

A content management system is a software system that enables technical and non-technical users to contribute to the creation, management, and organization of content on a web site.

About Ektron CMS

The basic functions of a content management system are to collect, organize, and group the content of a web site and to display that information online. It is the delivery of a successful experience that ensures the Web site achieves the objectives assigned to it by the business: to market and sell products and services, to inform customers, partners and stakeholders, and to generate social communities.

Ektron’s CMS is a powerful, diverse and easy to use content management solution that empowers anyone to take an active role in managing Web content and generating online strategies. Beyond the basics of content management, Ektron’s CMS streamlines site management, automates workflow processes, and supports collaboration.

It reduces costs, saves time and makes Web sites, extranets, and intranets more effective, delivering a more personal customer experience to site visitors.

The Ektron CMS lets business users:

• Build and deploy Webforms.
• Implement and manage mobile strategies.
• Leverage site analytics.
• Monitor and manage search engine optimization (SEO).
• Manage social communities.
• Build and manage online marketing initiatives.
• Implement online commerce.
• Integrate with third-party business systems.
• Deploy and manage complete online strategies.

Roles and Responsibilities

A content management system is decentralized to let multiple types of contributors manage the Web site. There are technical contributors, non-technical contributors and those that tend to fall somewhere in between. Most contributors fall into 1 or more of 3 core roles: Developer, Administrator, and End User.

Developer:
The Developer is a technical team member who is responsible for design, development, system integration, navigation, functionality, and performance. These components deliver content in a way that generates a positive Web experience. The developer works with the following elements to deliver the appearance, user experience, and function of the Web site:

• ASPX pages/Templates which make use of:
• Ektron Server Controls
• Ektron API
• Stylesheets and XSLT
• JQuery and JavaScript
• Other.NET components that are used in templates:
  • Custom User Controls
  • Widgets
• Applications that make use of Ektron’s API
• Ektron Web services that provide an interface to and from the Ektron CMS system
• Modify the behavior of the CMS using custom extensions

Administrators:

The Administrator is responsible for the organization and management of the CMS.

• Manages CMS users, roles, group permissions, and workflows.
• Oversees and directs the activity of others who have the ability to add, edit, and manage content.
• Works with Web designers and developers to define the information architecture, site structure, and implementation.
• Manage membership users and user groups.
• Manage folder structures.
• Uses CMS features to create metadata, XML configurations, menus, collections, calendars, Web alerts, URL aliasing, and so on.

End-User (Content Authors & Publishers):

The End User is responsible for adding, editing, and sometimes approving the content on the site. The End User role is often driven by the internal organization of the business. End-Users can be subject matter experts that generate content on a certain subject matter, or an End User could be a central content manager responsible for adding their department’s content to the CMS. The End User has permissions that are controlled by the Administrator.

• Add and edit content in the CMS
• Upload and manage documents, images, & other files

References:

• Ektron Documentation
• Ektron CMS and upgrading to the cloud

In the next article, we will have a look into Logging into an Ektron CMS400.NET Web Site.