In a global economy where financial success is driven by information dissemination, the Internet has become one of the business world's most strategic corporate branding, marketing and customer relations tools in achieving exponential growth and profitability.

Web Content Management (WCM) has therefore emerged as a critical component of any successful online business strategy.

ILLUMINAT's WCM solutions take the hassle out of maintaining up-to-date, content-rich, personalised websites, by allowing organisations to easily, securely and methodically maintain their sites at minimal cost.

We have partnered with the leading global developers of content management technology - Ektron, Vignette, FileNet, Documentum and Microsoft - to offer our small to large enterprise clients a cost-effective solution to what can be a web maintenance headache.

Our Content Management Systems (CMS) enable companies to rapidly and accurately manage content virtually in any format from its native application by effectively separating "content" from "presentation". Basically, this allows the content manager/editor to manage textual and illustrative web content independently of the graphic artist or web developer.

Content contributors are therefore empowered to regularly update Web content without fear of compromising website integrity.

Specifically, a CMS can offer:

• improved content publishing, storage and retrieval
• user-friendly, Web-based interface, access and use
• decentralised authoring, allowing many writers in multiple locations
• document version and time controls
• content approval workflows
• database and template creation
• dynamic page generation
• link management
• document conversion
• personalisation
• access control and built-in security
• usage analysis
• template and design standardisation

Typical features of a CMS include:

Workflow and Scheduling
Creates automated approval chains for content creation and publication.

Automated Publishing and Secure Deployment
Enables non-technical users to deploy content via an automated workflow-driven process that delivers content and applications to multiple electronic touch points

Anytime, Anywhere Web Publishing
Lets employees and other contributors change content whenever and wherever necessary, using a standard Web browser.

Audit Trail, User Authentication, and Set User Privileges
Creates audit trails of website content changes made and has user authentication functionality.

Database Compatibility
Leverages existing data without necessitating database reconfiguration.

Multilevel Security
Limits the posting of content unto the website to one or two designated persons within the organisation.

Syndication and Personalisation
Maps content objects to XML data types and - for customised sites based on user preferences - breaks documents down to a granular level so that only relevant material gets served.

Offline Integration
Integrates offline and online publishing.

Web-based Management
Enables business and technical users to manage content via a single web interface.

Virtual Repository
Manages enterprise content in virtually any data format including database objects, XML documents, rich media, images and flat files.

Universal Content Creation
Allows non-technical business users to create and manage content using tools they are familiar with such as Microsoft Office, Web browsers, XML authoring tools, Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, and wireless devices.

Library Services
Provides content management services for organising, producing and expiring information, including control, rollback, history management, data security, taxonomy management, metadata indexing and search functionality.

Centralised Access Management
Centrally manages user access and content lifecycle.

Content Dynamism
Extends content to multiple sites, formats, channels and languages to meet changing business requirements.

Designed with flexibility in mind, our CMS solution assists organisations in effectively designing a communications device which accurately targets key stakeholders. Consequently, WCM aids in achieving fundamental business objectives of improved efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction and increased revenue.

For further information, contact our e-Business Department at ebizconsulting@illuminatnm.com.