CMS Intergration vs. Replacement

At the onset of a CMS implementation many times developers are faced with an important decision.

“Do I integrate the new system into our current system or replace the old system entirely?”

Whether you are trying to integrate a new CMS into your current static site or are trying to integrate features into your current system by adding another, I would say two words if you are thinking about integrating… USE CATION. Replacing your current system with another can be a daunting task and there are challenges you will face but thinking that integrating will provide you with a more seamless transition or that your current system is fine the way it is might take you down a road to disaster. Don’t let pride in your previous work blind you to the potential dangers that integration may cause.

One of the things I encountered recently during my journey as a Web Developer was the fallout after another developer failed to implement a CMS properly. I won’t go into detail about the systems attempted but I do want to discuss the takeaways from the failures.

Many times larger companies or institutions will view a Content Management Systems as a end all solution to all of their web problems. This is the wrong way to let people look at CMS. CMS (in all of their varying capabilities and architectures) are primarily designed to solve one problem.

Content authors don’t know (or are not good with) code.

It is our job as professionals to correct this view within organizations or when proposing a solution.