What a CMS isn't

I recently had an experience where a new client of mine stepped me through the process of using the CMS system the last developer had created for them. Or that's what they thought they were doing. What they were actually doing was showing my how they use Cpanel's file manager to edit the html source directly on the production server.

I about fell out of my chair.

Technically you can manage content with the file manager in Cpanel, but to describe Cpanel as a CMS is either ignorant or dishonest. I suspect the former design company was simply ignorant, though that strains credulity.

What a CMS isn't:

• A CMS is not a file manager, though it may manage resources like images, videos, or downloadables which can be files.
• A CMS is not source code editor, though you may be able to access the HTML source of certain content and edit it with a CMS.
• A CMS is not a server control panel

There are a number of excellent content management systems available for whichever technology platform you prefer. My favorite Drupal and it's popular and sharp looking competitor Joomla are just two examples.