It has been proposed for quite some time now that we redesign the plug-in builder to allow the SMC developer more flexibility with SMC plug-ins, while also offering the option to easily integrate any application into a SMC site.  The guts of the project will be to create database tables and fields rather than store the structure of the plug-in within a table itself, as is being done now.

The following are a few benefits that the SMC developer and user will realize upon completion:

1. Easy to copy plug-ins.  Make a copy of a plug-in as a starting point for another.
2. Option to share plug-ins.  One version of plug-in shared across many SMCs.
3. Ability to optimize plug-in performance through indexes, views, keys, etc.  This will drastically improve performance on plug-ins that have many fields and/or many plug-in items.
4. Ability to create relationships between tables (PK, FK, etc.).  This is a must-have for any custom built plug-in, and is utilizing a few creative but shaky techniques to pull off now
5. No limitations on field types as will create a table for each plug-in object and a entity for each field.  Have access to create, search, order by, group by, etc., on date, currency, bit, number, text, etc. data types.
6. Option to create plug-in objects that are join tables.  Join table can link two plug-ins created using the plug-in builder (i.e. members to classifieds), but also can be used to link a table within a custom application to a SMC table (i.e. smc user to TMC task), otherwise known as a “hook”.  Easily create a “hook” with any plug-in built for an open source CMS?  Wow!
7. Ability to create views required to improve performance on large queries
8. Great base for complex applications.  Since actual tables and fields are being created, can serve as an excellent starting point for an application that takes on complexity.  Rather than starting over when the application has needs outside scope of plug-in builder, you can reuse the tables and code base generated by the SMC plug-in builder (i.e Stat Nurse Intl CRM).
9. Easy to integrate with mission critical applications or “Back Office” systems that are important to your business (i.e. accounting software, reservations software, property management system, project management, CRM, sales management, MLS for real estate, etc.)
10. Keep all “special” field formats such as Image Set, List Box, Multiple Choice, etc. and add a few more such as Look-up (Select existing table), Join Table (Select two tables), File, etc.
11. Create triggers on specific actions (i.e. On table update, send email notification)
12. Maintain ease and speed of the set-up and management of plug-in (i.e. content forms are automatically created)
13. Maintain existing benefits of SMC plug-ins such as: meta data for plug-ins and fields, can associate items to SMC pages, easy to manage plug-in items with rest of web site, etc.
14. Plug-in versions.  Can keep versions and site users have option to update to latest version as they become available (can do this since everything is standardized or defined…. i.e. update tables, and all templates to latest version)
15. Flexibility and increased function on display templates.  I.e. display plug-in data from multiple plug-ins or objects.  Would like to standardize on smarty for all coding found on plug-in templates.
16. Integration of WYSIWYG editor.  When you create a new field you have the option to specify whether field will require the editor or not.
17. Drag and drop template creation.  Drag a field label, output value, or form field to a table cell in a plug-in template

While this is not a complete list, it is a long one and will require Intrcomm to dedicate ample time and resources to the project.  Any help you can offer for this project will be greatly appreciated.  We are currently looking for projects that can help to fund this project.  If there are no projects to help fund this expense, we will most likely have to charge clients and partners extra to use this functionality.

“With the open source community seemingly hot, why should I pay for the Site Management Console (SMC) when there are open source systems out there for free?”.  This question is consistently addressed when people researching content management are introduced to the SMC.

A topic that has surely been debated as long as open source projects have been around, there are positives and negatives to both sides.  The truth is the SMC would not be here today if it didn’t provide a solution that filled a need and was above and beyond the capabilities of the open source alternative.  I’ve provided a few points below that I think the SMC has to offer that the open source CMS cannot.

“Nothing in life is truly free!”

Service and Support:  SMC providers don’t just sit behind a wall throwing out new versions of the software, we become your partner in technology.  The fact is you are most likely looking for a CMS because you either do not have the personnel OR do not have the time to build and support one yourself.  There’s no reason to think this is ever going to change.  To take advantage of the open source CMS, you’ll need to have the right personnel in place to support and maintain the entire system.  Maintaining a piece of software is not a trivial task and requires substantial resources to do so.  We won’t even get into the headaches you encounter when these resources move on!  We create the environment that allows you to focus on servicing your clients with what you do best, while we focus on servicing you.  This will always be the #1 reason to choose closed source, but I will continue anyway!

Security:  If you are working with a client that is required or will be required to conduct security audits, open source systems are not an option.  Having access to the code makes the process of finding security holes to exploit an easy task for hackers.  Finding the vulnerability is half the battle.  A great example of this is what happened to some of the open source discussion boards.

Features and Flexibility:  The feature set, ease of use, and flexibility of the SMC currently far exceeds the open source solutions.  I  bet you didn’t expect to see that one on my list, since this is often thought to be one of the major advantages of open source?  Truth is, most features available with open source were not built for you, nor were they built to be flexible or scale.  We realize this gap may or may not narrow, but I can confidently say there was a gap two years ago and there still is today.  The product team has dedicated resources to ensure the SMC solution always stays one step ahead of the competition.

Define Free:  Yes, it is free to distribute, but it is far from free to design, set-up, maintain, and support an open source CMS web site. Are Drupal and Joomla! web solutions really free when they require you to staff an $80K person to administer and maintain them?  Whether you are paying for a proprietary CMS or supporting an open source CMS, there are costs that will be passed onto your customers.  Since time is money, how much savings is really there?  We try to create an environment that results in a win-win for both parties.

More Providers means More Competition:  Standardizing your client base on a system that thousands of web service providers offer makes it far easier for your client to go elsewhere.  While you are not trying to trap your customers on the SMC platform (you keep them by providing good service), at the same time you don’t want to make it as easy as a phone call to switch to a provider down the street.  Remember that thousands of businesses come and go, and they will do everything they can to steal your clients.  Don’t let price be the only variable in your solution.  The SMC solution will differentiate you from your competition, give you a distinct advantage, and thus a better chance of getting the business.

Customizations - This is probably one of the biggest advantages of open source CMS, but!  If you want to customize an open source CMS, you’ll need a programmer on staff that knows the system and has the skills to complete the task.  Sure, you can try your luck with the community, but finding the piece that fits the exact needs of your client is most often not there.  The SMC team builds every feature with flexibility in mind, knowing that each implementation will most likely be slightly different.

High End Solution:  For companies seeking a new web site provider, the open source solution is more often than not going to be the cheapest proposal on the table.  Do you want to be the cheapest solution?  Or, do you want to be the best solution that your customers are willing to pay a little more for?  I’ve always found that customers looking for “cheap” are always the most difficult to deal with.  In the end we all want the project to be successful, and those that make an investment in something tend to go the extra mile to ensure success.  Some of you may be shaking your head at this one, but others of you know exactly what I mean!

We could go on and on with this but you most likely have already done some research and are probably up to speed on the Open versus Proprietary debate.  There are many ways of breaking it down, but you’ll need to decide what is most important to you.  While everything mentioned above has varying importance and needs to be evaluated, the biggest difference between open and closed source CMS is always the service and support you receive.  If you need it, then you should go with a closed/proprietary solution, but if you don’t the open source route might be the direction you’re headed.