B4Contact have been working four years in the development of a solution for making easy to edit and deploy web sites. That is especially important because the goal of the solution is to target small companies and Organizations.
Currently that solution is a CMS system based on SharePoint technologies and it is able to solve the following challenges:
- The web site should look good and professional and at the same time it should be inexpensive.
- The web site contents should be editable directly from the same page, without the need of going to an administrative control panel and without requiring any special knowledge of HTML.
- The pages and images should be editable without the need of any additional software, just a Web browser.
- The web sites should be visible in all major browsers.
- The process of making a new web site should be extremely fast to decrease expenses and allow the solution to be affordable.
- The solution should be capable of adjusting to different Web site structures.
The Solution
The solution is named Kontrast CMS. It is one of three components needed in order to solve the challenges mentioned before:
Competitive Advantages
In contrast with other similar technologies Windows SharePoint Services adds value and functions that are important for the users of this kind of technologies and that are not offered by competing technologies at this point:
- The contents stored on the Web site can be compliant with RSS 2.0 feeds. That means that visitors of the web sites can subscribe to receive automatic notifications when changes on the site are present.
- Windows SharePoint Services is also a platform for web collaboration and that expands the functionality of the typical Web site, allowing small business to share documents, calendars, tasks, pictures and any other kind of information with employees, providers and customers. All that using the Internet, making it very versatile and useful.
- Integration with Microsoft Office is essential in order to be able to use the information stored on the Web site or the Intranet for further processing using Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. Office owners also will be able to edit images directly from the site without the need of any additional software.
- All the information is searchable and stored in a database server.
- The sites include a “recycle bin” that helps to recover contents deleted by mistake.
- SharePoint helps to handle professionally the authentication levels in order to set different rights and permissions to different editors of the Web site or Intranet.
There are many more advantages on using this technology but most of them will depend on the expectative the users of the solution. The previous points what we believe is the most important and generally requested.
Possibilities
Currently we can include the Kontrast CMS into any CSS and HTML compatible graphic design template for web sites. That gives us the possibility of offering a great alternative for Web designers that are looking to add value to their work by extending and expanding the possibilities of the Web sites they are offering.
Some real samples:
- www.e-sejem.si (Slovenian)
- www.druckerinpractice.com (English)
- http://www.moderno-podezelje.si/ (Slovenian)
- www.kontrast.si (Slovenian)
Additional services
B4Contact offers many services related to the CMS and Web presence:
- Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) hosting.
- Development of custom solutions based on WSS.
- E-mail services.
- Domain name hosting and DNS management.
- Web site statistics.
- Consulting.
Refferences
- Microsoft Slovenija
- RRA Mura
- Safe.si, Net generacija (Slovene)
- Mrs. Elizabeth Edersheim, Drucker in Practice (English)
- B4Contact’s projects (Slovene):
- Education sector in Slovenia:
- OŠ narodnega heroja Maksa Pečarja
- Vrtc Mavrica Izola
- OŠ Hruševec
- OŠ dr. Antona Debeljaka Loški Potok
- Osnovna šola Hudinja
- Fakulteta za matematiko in naravoslovje
More information
- B4Business portal in Slovene language: http://www.b4business.si/pom.aspx
- Small Business Specialists Blog (English): http://mssbsc.wordpress.com/
- Web Designers Sharing Point Blog (English): http://webpoint.wordpress.com/
- Boris Gomiunik’s Blog (English): http://webborg.blogspot.com/
- B4Contact’s home page (English): http://www.b4contact.com
For optimal usage we recommend the free Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.
