8 don’ts when choosing open source Content Management System
Open source is captivating and fantastic to work with. Well, who can say no to free things? A lot of open source software is so flexible you can customize the standard edition to match your specific needs by coding add-ons and modules.
This make open source CMS extremely popular.
That said private users and entrepreneurs are forgetting serious elements when choosing open source as their CMS for their homepage.
Here are 8 don’ts when choosing open source software for your CMS:
1. Don’t take for granted that your open source CMS is 100 pc secure. All systems have flaws and errors or security holes. If a CMS has a security issue hackers will find them eventually.
2. Don’t forget to keep you self updated on security holes in your CMS. Most open sources systems release updates on a consistent basis “just like Windows or OSx. However not all systems check for updates automatically and some can’t install them by an easy click. Keep you self updated by subscribing to the open source team mailing list or Twitter account.
3. Don’t forget who is responsible for updating your CMS. Perhaps you’ve used your hosting providers 1 click installer or maybe your website designer has installed the CMS for you. But do they update it for you? Rarely. Remember that it is your responsibility that your CMS is updated with the most recent security patches. However you might outsource the task to your web master, website developer or web designer.
4. If your CMS do provide you with update warnings, then don’t neglect them. Systems like Umbraco and DotNetNuke has a function that checks if there is updates available when you login. A system like WordPress also checks and by very few click in the admin you can actually update your CMS very simply (remember to backup before you update). Take the update warning seriously and update right away.
5. Do not forget to update 3rd party modules. Another developer than the opensource team can develop modules on your CMS. These modules can also contain security flaws. Just as you must be updated on the CMS updates, you also must be updated on updates on any of the 3rd party modules your CMS use.
6. Do not forget to team up with an expert or specialist. Keeping your system current can be tricky and time consuming. If you team up with a specialist who is used to update your sort of open source system, you can save time and focus on running your business. You can pay him monthly and he will make the updates when available, or your can pay by jobs.
7. Don’t forget to have a strong password policy. This is actually the largest reason which explains why hackers gain access to systems. Weak passwords. Try and make long password, at least 8 characters with both numbers and letters. Don’t use your name or zip-code and town. If you find it tough to recollect long passwords, try to make a sentence with a number, and then use the first letter of each word to create a password. E.g. “The Rabbit jumped over 4 Stones and 7 Flowers” makes the password TRjo4Sa7F
8. Don’t forget to backup your full system “both files and database – continually. You take for granted that your hosting provider backups everything. Well they do, but mistakes occur even at the biggest hosting providers. Also the hosting providers ‘ backup history is perhaps only 2 weeks. If your system gets hacked, the first thing a hacker does is leaving a backdoor. After weeks maybe months he returns and deface the internet site. When your hosting provider restore from the most recent backup the hack looks to be solved on the surface, but the backdoor is still there.
If you select a free open source CMS for your website, then remember that it do take a little time to maintenance and update it. Outsourcing this part may be a good idea.
Lars has been working with webhosting for over 10 years and supported with setting up open-source CMS on clients webhotel.
categories: webhosting,domainname,homepage,cms,content management system,open source,wordpress hosting,joomla hosting,umbraco hosting,hosting,blog,how to choose cms,how to secure cms,hosting cms
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