CMS Hardtalk

Years back some of the CMS Vendors (and their partners) aggressively explored the market of CMS as Application Service Provider (ASP). In Europe it was not that big a success. The larger companies  and organizations demanded a dedicated solution on their own hardware. Smaller companies and organizations rather preferred to buy a less pricey product and skip the worries of the monthly service bills.

Off course some of the decisions of the the companies that resisted the hosted software solutions wasn’t based on rational thinking.  Myths busted:

• You’re more independent on a dedicated solution than as a service
• The integration is impossible in the hosted solution
• The security is not as high as in a hosted solution.

Google has definitely changed a lot of the prejudices in the Software as Service Market. Probably because none of the big companies has yet felt the lock-in that exists in this software setup as well.  My guess is that when the first case of lock-in arrives the Software as Service concept will be on trial - how unfair it may be!

The different between how Google handle Software-as-service and the traditional Software (CMS) vendors is that Google in fact has developed the infrastructure to support Software-as-service - CMS Vendors for the most has not! My Guess is that we will start to see these new infrastructures of CMS vendors as well. Perhaps within the new upcoming CMS’s

As I see the market the following factors will determine the faith of Software-as-service CMS in the next years:

• Google still being able to prove the concept of Software-as-Service provider
• The Wordpress company to deliver further proof of the Software-as-service concept
• Smaller customers embracing the new web 2.0 technologies to discover that they actually will do with simpler tools to create and maintain content
• More visible cases to proof that "Content is King". CMS will eventually focus on content instead of using resources on graphics and design
• Better use of design Best Practices in the future in opposition to  customized graphics and design that often is worse than bad and often do not meet the main objectives off the web site.

For now it is still difficult for the vendors to sell CMS as Software-as-Service, but I predict a steep rise of the the market within the next 2-3 years ….call me then if I was wrong

Leave your opinions or views on how you see the future of CMS-as-Service in the CMS market.