With an estimated 5 million users worldwide, Mambo is thought to be the most popular Content Management System (CMS) globally.

The creators of Mambo are an Australian company, Miro International and in this months' interview we talk exclusively to Justina Phoon, General Manager about CMS, and what it means for small business.

Q: Mambo is well recognised as a globally successful Content Management System (CMS). What is a CMS and who should use it?

A: A content management system (CMS) is software that is installed on a web server that allows a person with little or no experience to manage every aspect of website’s content using nothing more than a web browser. This means that an untrained user who may not even know HTML, can create, modify, remove and organise the information and pictures on their website with no special software. This allows end-users to look after their web site rather than having to rely on their web developer.

To decide if a CMS is the right solution for you, areas to consider include: the best way your website needs to be set up, how often you’ll need to update the content, how dynamic you need the information to be, if you need your website to be flexible to grow with your business needs, etc.

Q: What is the difference between a CMS and a Website Builder, like TheWebDesigner?

A: Both have the same goal: separating content from design and technology, allowing non-technical users to manage a website. But a CMS is much more flexible and your website can easily be modified to grow with your business needs. With a site builder, you choose from a set of included designs, and are restricted to the designs and functionality that come with the site builder. A CMS allows you to use almost any design, and employ almost any functionality. Most CMS's require an experienced HTML developer to create a CMS site easily and non-technical users will need help getting set up.

Q: What CMS  options are available from Miro?

1. Mambo, our award-winning open source content management system that is feature-rich and geared towards the tech-savvy user or developer  who requires a more complex solution in building their website and  managing content online.
2. Jango, our commercial content management system that is geared towards the everyday business person who needs an easy-to-use, fuss-free  solution to create and manage their website and content online.

Miro offers both Jango and Mambo as they meet the general requirements of our clients from all industries. Should additional requirements be needed, Miro offers custom development of these systems to create a truly integrated, full-function system for users to manage and maintain.

Q: What technical skills are required to setup a CMS?

A: If you use Jango or Mambo, you will not need much technical skills to set them up as they were developed for non-technical users. Many hosting companies include Mambo for free, however we do advise that customers purchase a support package so that we can assist them in all aspects of maintaining their system.

Q: How did Miro become a CMS company?

A: Miro was formed in March 2000 by a group of forward thinkers with expert knowledge of the computer software industry with diverse backgrounds in advertising, marketing, graphic design, software development, publishing, printing and production.

We're here because computer software isn't what it used to be. We focus on the development of cost-effective integrated software solutions centred around workflow processes that are tailored to our clients’ needs in the wider business community. This is done in order to ensure the most intelligent and efficient kinds of communication and information sharing – simply by capitalising on the existing potential, with what we develop aimed towards saving time and streamlining to avoid repetition and redundancies for our clients.

In order to do this successfully, we redefine the software industry everyday – in order to keep our customers current and help influence change. In doing this, we support and participate in emerging technologies and our commitment to scalability and connectivity is evidenced in our work.

Our efforts centre around tools that run on any computer, anywhere. As long as it has a connection to the Internet, any computer can connect to our suite of tools in exactly the same way. We have called it Anywhere Software, which defines our main challenge and goal – to create tools that allow collaborative virtual communities to form and work together without limitations. Anywhere Software™ was developed as a result of workplaces not being what they once were with people busier than ever, they need the right information available at all times.

Q: Who else is big in CMS? And what are the companies like Microsoft doing in the CMS space?

A: When we first developed Mambo there were only a few to choose – now there are thousands. Many come and go, however some open source systems such as Typo3 and Plone are now gaining greater acceptance. There are still many systems costing tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars, such as Microsoft’s CMS, Vignette and Interwoven but they are becoming less popular by the day. People are realising that a product costing a great deal of money doesn’t necessarily equate to getting better value.

Q: What would be an example of a typical company using a CMS and how would they use it?

Managing a website for a small company is a challenge of time and expertise. Most businesses can't afford a dedicated staff member to manage their online presence and lack of time and resources is the main reason why websites remain unchanged for months, if not years.

A CMS allows a combined effort of all staff, regardless of their level of experience with the web. CMS's such as Mambo have several levels of interaction. Staff with little of no experience can contribute text and pictures without any special software, whereas other staff designated as administrators can review the submitted work for editing and approval. Just a few minutes a week of each person contributing to the company website is enough to keep the site fresh and interesting without having to hire and train dedicated staff.