Content Management Systems, Tools of the Trade

Content Management Systems (CMS) automate the process of creating, publishing, and updating web site content. They make maintaining and updating the content of a web site easier, giving the content contributors, not just the web team, the means with which to manage their own content. They are usually made up of a front-end editor for inputting content, a back-end system for storing the content, and a template mechanism to get the content onto the web site.