By
Morgan Griffith
Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 12:00pm
As is evident via the emergence of several site redesign blogs from prominent universities across the country, institutions of higher education are realizing the importance and benefits of having a web content management strategy. Defining goals, identifying key stakeholders and decision makers, and outlining a formal implementation process are all key strategic steps that must be taken before choosing the proper web content management system. Here at Hannon Hill, we are always seeking new ways to be innovative and exceed our customers' expectations. Recently, we've noticed that several of our clients have taken it upon themselves to be innovative as well, and are changing the way they think about a web content management system. Improving communication and transparency during the CMS selection process is just one way institutions of higher education are changing the game."In itself, the immense proliferation of the number of universities seeking to use a web content management system is very telling," notes Blaine Herman, Director of Strategic Accounts at Hannon Hill. "However, we're able to witness a very exciting time in the web content management industry. Many of our clients have not only begun to strategize when it comes to managing content, but have also outlined a thorough and strategic plan for how to go about doing so. Additionally, we've seen that many of these institutions are taking things one step further, and establishing a communication process via a university redesign blog that enables them to communicate updates and key information with stakeholders in the process."
Hannon Hill client The College of William & Mary was one of the first institutions to fully revamp the CMS selection and communication process with their redesign blog, Re.Web. W&M utilized this blog as a platform to communicate with key decision makers and stakeholders in their CMS process. In addition to W&M, Hannon Hill client North Carolina State University also pursued a similar effort back in 2006 and 2007 with their ncsu.edu redesign blog. We have now seen many higher-ed institutions taking on similar endeavors. Binghamton University, a state university of New York, recently took up a similar effort with their Web Redesign Project blog, which they use to keep interested parties updated on process status, timelines, and options. We at Hannon Hill hope to see this trend continue amongst all institutions of higher education shopping for a CMS. Encouraging community input and collaboration, getting key stakeholder feedback, and ensuring end-user buy-in of your CMS of choice will all greatly benefit your web content management process.
The recent upsurge in CMS use amongst institutions of higher education has been substantial. In May alone, Hannon Hill has been pleased to announce the signing of five new clients of higher education. Emory University, California Polytechnic University - San Luis Obispo, Rollins College, Northwestern Michigan College, and Sarah Lawrence College have all concluded their CMS decision-making process, and have chosen Hannon Hill's award-winning web content management system, Cascade Server. We look forward to working with these renowned institutions, and keeping you updated on their progress with their CMS of choice, Cascade Server.
Category
- New Customers
