When approaching any new technology, cost is always a sticking point. Small- and medium-sized businesses don’t have the same resources that their enterprise competitors do, meaning they have to adhere to stricter budgets and make a value case for every initiative. In considering a content management system, price could be a major entry barrier to choosing a quality option, but this no longer needs to be the case, thanks to more cost-effective open-source options.
“Drupal supports a wide variety of sites, delivering significant results to organizations.”
Advantages for the Long Run
At first, when comparing Drupal against WordPress, WordPress might be less expensive in the onset. However, as the project complexity evolves, sites based on WordPress become more expensive to support. WordPress doesn’t have the robust development environment that Drupal does. In addition, Drupal accommodates a continuous development approach that allows for feature augmentation and addresses increased complexity within the core structure of the CMS. Drupal is a free CMS that doesn’t hide the web development costs within cheap plug-ins that don’t deliver to their promises. Drupal’s modules are mostly free, but will require some knowledge to configure and deploy properly.
Overall, even though Drupal might include upfront costs to define goals, metrics and architecture, it gives sites a chance to customize their environment. Drupal also has a large ecosystem of users willing to provide tips and help others get the most out of the solution. As sites become more intensive and demanding, Drupal is a great way to support these needs and ensure that the site lives well into the future.
Real Clients, Real Results
It’s not enough to simply say that Drupal will be more cost-effective; leaders need to see actual numbers in order to make the best decision for their own websites and resource allocation. Drupal supports a wide variety of sites across a range of industries, delivering significant results to organizations. For instance, the Georgia Technology Authority looked to move 55 websites from its proprietary system to a Drupal platform hosted in the cloud. From 2012 to 2015, the web platform’s operational budget went from $1.5 million down to $513,000, marking a 65 percent cost reduction. The move also eliminated licensing costs and reduced costs associated with support staff by 75 percent.
The fact that Drupal has a high availability of talent and no licensing fees are major perks for organizations looking to save money with a CMS migration. In Georgia’s case, the state saved significant taxpayer dollars and allowed the government officials to use the money for other essential efforts. Many legacy CMS solutions are becoming more expensive to maintain, and Drupal opens the way for more businesses to get a quality site without breaking the bank.
Break the Cost Barrier
Cost as a barrier to entry has kept businesses from pursuing quality systems and leveraging tools that will most benefit their operations. Organizations are increasingly looking for solutions that are sustainable, and Drupal fulfills this need among many others. Drupal offers numerous free modules, customizability and a strong ecosystem to provide businesses more bang for their bucks, while ensuring that the CMS is adaptable to future needs.
As your organization looks to save money and expand its online presence, consider Drupal as a CMS migration option. Businesses have been proven to cut web operational costs and gain long-lasting returns on investment. While Drupal does require some technical knowledge, you don’t have to approach it alone. Experts from Paramount Software Solutions understand how to configure Drupal environments to your site’s needs and support it effectively. To find out more about how Drupal can smash the CMS entry barrier, contact Paramount Software Solutions today for a consultation.
