Content Management System

From TechWriter Wiki

A Content Management System (CMS) is a (typically software) system that provides content management capabilities - collecting, managing, and publishing content. 'Content' may cover traditional documentation (such as Word documents - which would be better described as a document management system) but will also likely include multimedia (or at least 'media rich') content such as images, video, and sound.

A Content Management System will typically provide the following functions:

• Simple publication of content by non-technical people;
• Provision of templates to facilitate in creating content;
• Provision of enforcable styles and standards;
• The ability to handle (store, edit, and display) content in a wide range of formats (documents, spreadsheets, images, video);
• Workflow for approval of content;
• Version control and object history tracking;
• Content locking (so that objects can only be edited (checked out for editing) by one person at a time;
• A security system that restricts the ability to create or change (and possibly display) content to specific users or user groups);
• A robust search function that allows content to be easily located;
• Reporting capabilities.