While the advent of cloud computing has served to greatly raise the bar of convenience and portability, as luck would have it, developers of Software as a Service (SaaS) systems tend to fall into one of two unfortunate categories: those who build their applications around existing CMS, ERP or ecommerce platforms, such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and Magento, and bespoke developers, who build their own web solutions from scratch using technologies like Java, PHP, Ruby and Node.js. Due to their vastly different business models, these two camps very rarely intersect — a reality which often leads to anguish for bespoke solution users, who are left without a simple and easy-to-use content management system.
In reality, however, this status quo is problematic at every level. When it comes to traditional CMS-based solutions, for instance, these are typically only as convenient as they are limiting. Although developers are able to quickly build web applications, as pre-existing platforms are used as the core of their projects, the approach leaves very little room for adaptability and innovation.
On the other hand, the sky appears to be the limit for those who develop from scratch. By having the freedom to build with their own code from the ground up, bespoke software companies tout their ability to get to the root of a customer’s problem and meet needs that may be very specific to individual organisations in much more fluid ways.
Unfortunately, however, this unbridled independence also comes with a major side effect. Over the years, bespoke developers have grown so accustomed to solving problems of their own accord that their natural tendency is now to reinvent the wheel at every turn, even when the supposed innovation may in fact be a damaging disservice. As a result, most bespoke web applications are built using their own custom-made CMSes, which not only may be inferior to existing solutions, but are also responsible for dramatically raising costs.
But there are other factors tying down tailor-made SaaS systems. Whether by lack of knowledge or expertise, many developers are needlessly concerned about possible compatibility issues, as existing CMSes may have been built with different technologies than what they use in their own projects; others are simply unable to achieve a seamless implementation. Yet another important factor comes down to the failure of developers to understand the importance of a friendly and approachable CMS for the benefit of end users.
In light of all these things, Software Planet Group seek to join the best of both worlds by offering the integration of WordPress into all our bespoke web applications. While alternatives to the CMS giant do exist, with Joomla and Drupal coming in as its most prominent competitors, our software engineers unitedly agree that the ever-popular platform remains the clear winner today. WordPress is used by more than 25 percent of all of the internet’s websites, and because it is also community-developed and maintained, these numbers translate into a much more robust, feature-rich and secure user experience.
Another great benefit of this mixed approach is the flexibility it provides to our customers. Instead of having to rely on experienced developers to update their systems, end users are empowered to write and edit new content, schedule posts, save drafts, and even completely redesign their product’s frontend at will. In addition, the CMS allows customers to choose from thousands of pre-made templates to uniquely mould their products to their vision. And finally, WordPress also comes with tens of thousands of readily available plugins that enable a myriad of features like mobile and search engine optimisation and managing multiple websites from a single user interface.
Despite the widespread dissonance, Software Planet Group strongly believe that using WordPress in conjunction with our bespoke SaaS systems allows our customers to experience a symphony of affordability, convenience and customisation. While the alliance of web and software technologies may not yet have reached its pinnacle, this development is nothing short of a stratospheric improvement.
