A content management system is a software that helps create, organize, and maintain digital content. Generally, CMSs support multiple users. They provide ample benefits for large businesses, including significant cost savings, increased collaboration among team technical documentation team members (even the non-technically minded), and total control of content.
Understanding the different types of content management systems is a key step in choosing the best option for your business. Here are six popular content management solutions to help you organize digital content and learn how to keep content production on track:
1. Component Content Management System (CCMS)
A component content management system, or CCMS, differs from a standard CMS software in that it organizes content at a granular level. Instead of managing content page by page, it takes words, phrases, paragraphs, or photos (also known as “components”) and stores them in a central repository.
Designed for maximum content reuse, components are only stored once. The CCMS acts as a consistent trusted source that publishes content across multiple platforms, including mobile, PDF, and print.
Benefits of a CCMS
- Reusability: Content reuse within a CCMS saves time during the writing, editing, and publishing phase, and significantly reduces translation costs.
- Traceability: A CCMS enables you to track content in detail. You can see who did what, when, and where.
- Single Sourcing: With a CCMS you can push content to multiple channels, including print, mobile, web, chatbots, embedded help, and more.
- Enhanced Team Collaboration: Improve workflow for your content development team, especially those working remotely.
2. Document Management System (DMS)
Paper is almost extinct. Tracking business files on paper is a thing of the past. A document management system (DMS) offers a paperless solution to manage, store, and track documents in a cloud. It provides an automated solution for uploading, processing, and sharing business documents without the hassle of printing, copying, or scanning.
Benefits of a DMS
- Eco-Friendly: Organize content digitally and save paper while you do it!
- Security: A DMS offers many levels of security to ensure confidential content stays in the right hands.
- The Mobile Advantage: With a document management system, you can access and edit documents remotely.
3. Enterprise Content Management System (ECM)
An enterprise content management system collects, organizes, and delivers an organization’s documentation, ensuring critical information is delivered to the correct audience (employees, customers, business stakeholders, etc.)
An ECM gives all members of an organization easy access to the content they need to complete projects and make important decisions. In addition, an ECM deletes files after a certain retention period, ensuring no unnecessary content takes up space.
Benefits of ECM
- Flexible: An ECM lets you capture any file type from any location, and have it processed and stored automatically.
- Increases Efficiency: Now that documentation is taken care of, you can be more productive in your day-to-day.
- Reduced Storage Costs: An ECM saves money by storing only necessary files and deleting the rest.
4. Web Content Management System (WCMS)
A web content management system lets users manage digital components of a website without prior knowledge of markup languages or web programming. A WCMS provides collaboration, authoring, and administration tools to help manage digital content. Unlike any other enterprise CMS, which deal with content destined for both the web and print, a WCMS handles exclusively web content.
Benefits of a WCMS
- Personalization: A WCMS lets users customize a webpage with personalized design and website content.
- Automation: A WCMS saves time and improves workflow management by publishing content automatically.
- Scalable: A scalable system like a WCMS allows companies to grow exponentially without worrying about surpassing their website limits.
5. Digital Asset Management System (DAM)
With a digital asset management system, multiple users can store, organize, and share digital content with ease. A DAM offers a simple, centralized library where clients, employees, or contractors can access website content. These assets include audio, creative files, video, documents, and presentations. A DAM is cloud-based, so users can access digital content from anywhere.
Benefits of a DAM
- Centralized Repository: Content is safe and secure in one place.
- Effective Brand Management: A DAM allows you to manage a branded web portal for users to access important files.
- Digital Publishing: With a DAM, you can push digital content to third-party distribution services, social media channels, and more. It's essential to understand what is multi channel publishing to fully leverage the capabilities of a DAM.
6. Learning Content Management System (LCMS)
A learning content management system (LCMS) is a specialized type of content management system designed specifically for the development, management, and delivery of educational content. It combines the functionalities of a content management system with those of a learning management system, creating a comprehensive platform tailored for educational institutions, corporate training programs, and e-learning providers.
Benefits of an LCMS
Authoring Tools: LCMS platforms offer robust authoring tools that enable the creation of interactive and engaging educational content. This includes multimedia integration, quizzes, assessments, and simulations.
Centralized Repository: All learning materials, including text, images, videos, and interactive modules, are stored in a central repository.
Personalized Learning Paths: LCMS allows instructors to create personalized learning paths tailored to individual learners' needs.
Integration with LMS: Seamlessly integrates with learning management systems, enabling efficient tracking of learners’ progress, performance analytics, and certification management.
An LCMS is an indispensable tool for organizations seeking to streamline the creation and delivery of high-quality educational content. By leveraging its comprehensive features, educational institutions and corporate training departments can enhance learning experiences, improve learner outcomes, and achieve their educational objectives efficiently.
Before choosing a CMS application, it’s crucial you explore different types of content management systems. Some systems may be better suited for your business. For example, if you publish multiple product versions in a year in several languages, your best bet is surely a CCMS. If you’re looking for more flexibility for publishing content on a website, a web content management system might best fit the bill.
To learn more about our content management software, explore our Product Overview page.
