University Business - March 2010 - (Page 44)

Web Content Needs— S o lv e d Drupal enables MIT’s editors to quickly publish and unpublish software, he adds, universities may have to wait for the next release content on the fly, says Finks. The HTML site depended on tech- to come along from the developer community once a vulnerability nology folks to publish the content. Now, she says all types of skill is uncovered. “The responsibility of keeping up with those new releases, as well as installing them, rests with the system administralevels can publish quickly and confidently. One of the attractive features of open-source CMS is the flex- tor at the institution.” Sastry Taruvai, co-founder and CIO at Bluenog, underscores ibility of the software. McCombs describes how commercial CMS solutions are not changeable without much expense and jumping that managing content securely is a key requirement for any instituthrough hoops. Also, only employees of the proprietary software tion. Typically, a content management system sits behind the firewall company are allowed to work with the code. With open source, while feeding content to its constituents. Most of the time, separation of the presentation and the underlying content is a best practice universities and colleges can do whatever they want to the code. “There are no restrictions against it since it is completely open,” to keep the content of your website unreachable to hackers. Imrich has heard that some prospective buyers have ruled out McCombs says. “As a developer or designer, you also are free to various open-source products because of concerns over security. distribute it without cost.” “Security is one of those areas where She adds that developers can you don’t really know if you’ve got setake an open-source product such as curity right unless you have some level WebGUI, eliminate the pieces they of expertise,” Imrich says. “If you just don’t need, keep what they do need, Acquia, www.acquia.com download it, install the kit, turn it on, and bring in third-party software and Alfresco, www.alfresco.com and start building, you’ll probably have integrate with that. Alliance for Higher Education Competitiveness, a very unsecure environment.” Wellesley College (Mass.) selected www.a-hec.org For that reason, Imrich views secuBluenog ICE (Integrated Collaborative Atlassian, www.atlassian.com rity as a bigger issue for open-source Environment) as the foundation for its Autonomy, www.autonomy.com products. Usually, if universities are not 50,000-page website based on its flexBluenog, http://bluenog.com going with vendors, they are on their ibility and anticipated growth plans for Clickability, www.clickability.com own as far as the right ways to deal with three to five years out. Bluenog ICE is CMSMatrix, www.cmsmatrix.org security configuration and deployment. a commercial solution built on openDatatel, www.datatel.com source CMS. The college previously Door No. 2, www.door2agency.com the rOi FOr cMS used a Dreamweaver HTML site that DotCMS, www.dotcms.org Oblas reports that Lehigh University’s hadn’t changed in four years. Drupal, http://drupal.org commercial CMS system provides a “This site is all forms-driven, alEktron, www.ektron.com bigger return on its investment around lowing different people to contribute,” Elements CMS, www.elementscms.com quality and customer satisfaction with says Veronica Brandstrader, director FastSpot, www.fastspot.com its websites. of planning and communication for Fat Wire, www.fatwire.com “Spending less time on managing the information services. “The difference Forrester research report, underlying system allows us to spend is phenomenal. And we’re introducing www.forrester.com/rb/research more time performing benchmark studWeb 2.0 things, so it’s actually an ‘of Hannon Hill, www.hannonhill.com ies of our competition, conducting focus this decade’ website.” Joomla, www.joomla.org groups and online testing, creating fresh Live Whale, www.livewhale.com visual content, and using analytics and 5. Security Lullabot, www.lullabot.com user feedback to measure progress and Lehigh’s Oblas asserts that security Mambo, www.mamboserver.com plan next steps,” Oblas says. issues are a concern in either type of OmniUpdate, http://omniupdate.com Even though the new Wellesley ColCMS implementation, but the reso- OpenSource CMS, http://php.opensourcecms.com lege site has not completely launched, lution varies. Assume a vulnerability Open Text, www.opentext.com Brandstrader is pleased with the anis uncovered with a particular release Oracle, www.oracle.com ticipated changes. In particular, training of the commercially licensed CMS PaperThin, www.paperthin.com folks to enter new content takes about software, he advises. Although service Percussion Software, www.percussion.com 20 minutes now, she says, and people and support agreements vary, Oblas Plain Black, www.plainblack.com are thrilled. says the provider is accountable for the Post Nuke, www.postnuke.com product integrity and bound to resolve Sitecore CMS, www.sitecorecms.net Vicki Powers is a Texas-based writer who the problem quickly on your behalf. WordPress MU, http://mu.wordpress.org specializes in covering technology issues. In the case of open-source CMS Resources 44 | March 2010 universitybusiness.com http://www.acquia.com http://www.alfresco.com http://www.a-hec.org http://www.atlassian.com http://www.autonomy.com http://bluenog.com http://www.clickability.com http://www.cmsmatrix.org http://www.datatel.com http://www.door2agency.com http://www.dotcms.org http://drupal.org http://www.ektron.com http://www.elementscms.com http://www.fastspot.com http://www.fatwire.com http://www.forrester.com/rb/research http://www.hannonhill.com http://www.joomla.org http://www.livewhale.com http://www.lullabot.com http://www.mamboserver.com http://omniupdate.com http://php.opensourcecms.com http://www.opentext.com http://www.oracle.com http://www.paperthin.com http://www.percussion.com http://www.plainblack.com http://www.postnuke.com http://www.sitecorecms.net http://mu.wordpress.org http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - March 2010

University Business - March 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Financial Aid
Human Resources
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Community Colleges as Economic Saviors
Web Content Needs - Solved
Paths to the Presidency
What’s New
End Note

University Business - March 2010