For many organizations the decision to custom build a content management solution for their Web site, intranet or extranet revolves around a common refrain: "Our homegrown CMS works for us."

Organizations often find it difficult to justify the investment in a commercial CMS. We frequently hear vignettes – widely held "myths," some of them based on past realities— that describe off-the-shelf CMS as being "too costly," "too difficult to integrate," or "too difficult for end-users to adopt."

Today, however, these solutions have become the sensible alternative to homegrown CMS. A commercial CMS can be highly affordable and cost-effective. It can generate rapid improvements in internal business processes and online strategies. It can also simultaneously satisfy Web developers, administrators, and business users, as well as site visitors, in ways that more than justify the initial investment.

Ektron advises that any organization debating the "buy vs. build" issue weigh the new realities an off-the-shelf CMS against these myths:

Heard the story about the company that overspent on a complex CMS that was never adopted by business users? So have we – every day. Today, content management solutions are available at affordable prices with high functionality – many starting at a few thousand dollars. An Ektron CMS can integrate in days, saving development time and expense while enabling developers to focus on other custom development. Business users in marketing, PR, human resources and other departments can be managing content in a matter of days – without breaking your budget.

Would you task your IT team to build a custom PBX for your telephone needs? More likely, you'd choose an off-the-shelf solution. The same should hold true for another business-critical solution – your CMS. Calculate the time and expense associated with building your own CMS, then factor in the cost for software quality assurance (SQA) testing, technical documentation, training manuals, and on-demand support. An Ektron CMS delivers all of this immediately, without putting an additional burden on your IT staff.

Tell that to your CFO or CEO. A developer's time is costly. When a robust CMS used to cost upwards of $1 million it was more sensible to build a homegrown solution if you had the right skills. Today, a commercial CMS can cost a fraction of what it did three or four years ago. Don't waste your developers' time asking them to reinvent the wheel. Measure the cost of an Ektron CMS vs. the time and expense to build a CMS yourself. Use this new reality to your advantage – before your CFO asks for a cost justification for a custom CMS project that's overdue and over budget.

The dirty little secret of many business application vendors is not much of a secret any longer: Many vendors get 50% or more of their revenue from integration services. Many confine you further to a proprietary system that requires an outside expert. Align your interests instead with a CMS vendor whose solutions work out of the box and can be integrated quickly by your existing IT professionals. Ektron doesn't sell integration services. We don't need to. An Ektron CMS is Windows-based and can integrate into your new or existing site quickly, usually in days, without the need for expensive outside help.

If you are ready to build a homegrown CMS, analyze the time and cost it will take to deliver a CMS that has these features:

• Easy to use HTML and XML authoring tool
• Content check-in/ out
• Audit trails and content rollback
• Content comparison tool
• Task management system
• Forms creation, management and reporting system
• Highlighted search capabilities
• Online calendar functions

Ektron has spent years extending the functionality in its solutions. And we add new features several times a year, adding value to your initial investment and ensuring that you won't waste money on internal development costs.