Dot Net Nuke Discussion Paper Issue: What is the best system to update content posted to the new Supreme Court website? (Content Management System = CMS) Approach: The Supreme Court is making a large investment in time and resources to redesign its public website. Over time, the current site has become a motley collection of pages that lack a consistent navigation scheme or common design. The current approach, although maximizing flexibility, has contributed to the proliferation of mini-sites within the main site because it gives several AOC “pagekeepers” control to modify page design elements in addition to content. The system we choose will be a crucial part of leveraging our investment in the website redesign project. It should both empower users to update content easily, while preserving consistency in design and navigation elements throughout the site. Recommendation: A Workgroup of technologists and decision makers was convened to study available Content Management Systems. The group discussed six options for Content Management Systems and recommends: (1) adoption of DotNetNuke (DNN) and (2) planning phased adoption of DNN over as part of the current Supreme Court website redesign project. DotNetNuke DotNetNuke is an open source web application framework written for the ASP.NET framework. The application's content management system is extensible and customizable through the use of skins and modules, and it can be used to create, deploy, and manage intranet, extranet, and web sites. The Professional code base, available for an annual support agreement of $2000 (Enterprise Edition also available with phone support for $5000 annually), provides additional access to source code as well as advanced functionality (load balancing via server farm, Google Analytics). The Court is using DNN now with good results Currently powers four separate portals within the Supreme Court website o Rules Portal  Rules forum  ACJA o Strategic Plan forum o Court Interpreters forum o General Jurisdiction Case Management System (GJCMS) General Advantages Runs on existing infrastructure (software and hardware) Complete database-driven Content Management System (CMS) pages are created “on the fly” allowing the use of the same content and design modules in multiple parts of the site No client software necessary for updating content, users update content through a web interface Inexpensive initial codebase ($2000 - $5000), custom modules may carry a cost as well ($100-$500 each)

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Wide universe of developers and developer resources (user groups and forums) 10,000+ modules available for commercial purchase Code can be customized - written in ASP.Net Since design is based on shared files, altering the font or design of the site in the future will involve just updating a few files and changes will cascade instantly across the site Quick and straightforward install, no special server software necessary IT staff are familiar with it and are using it currently to power 4 portals (Rules, Interpreters, Strategic Plan, and GJCMS) IT Staff have built “proof of concept” design skins that allow for a high degree of customization in top-level navigation and design R&R partners has experience with DNN sites and can produce a design compatible with DNN Users can only edit content on certain pages, and cannot “break” other portions of the site accidently Greater ability to index PDF documents and cross-reference throughout site Content can be scheduled to be posted and removed automatically Workflow capabilities can expand the number of content providers while still maintaining the content approval role of pagekeepers o i.e. admin assistant creates and posts content, which triggers a request for pagekeeper to approve, content appears on website after approval is granted Search Engine Optimization tools provide capability to assign keywords and titles to individual pages Disadvantages Pending questions on resource use and scalability under heavy traffic load Standards make authoring custom modules cumbersome for developers o Standards also have the benefit of keeping code modular, which is an approach embraced by developers Users may not be able to control specific placement and behavior of some page elements like main navigation o This may have the benefit of enforcing consistent design and navigation across all sites o Administrators and developers can alter code to provide maximum flexibility Regular updates to the core DNN files could cause some older modules to function improperly o This can be mitigated by purchasing modules from well-established companies, and testing compatibility before core updates Some training will be necessary for page masters and main AOC web/IT staff o Training will be necessary in the adoption of any system, even the status quo Must migrate documents (PDFs) to DNN database o PDFs and other documents can be uploaded and indexed in bulk o Document management module can categorize documents based on file structure Must migrate all current site content into the DNN database o Migration will be necessary into the new template regardless of system Must determine and implement new navigation scheme for pages level 3 and below o This must be an important design consideration in the initial redesign process if adopting DNN IT staff time necessary in setup and customization

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Thoughts on Phased adoption Key to the success of the website redesign project as a whole, and the specific adoption of a CMS, is a manageable timetable and process for adoption. While we would likely seek the expertise of ITD project managers and operational personnel to further develop a plan for adoption, below are initial thoughts on the timeframe for adopting DNN using a phased approach, launching certain parts of the completed website redesign over an extended duration. 12/31/09 - R&R completes initial design 1/30/10 – ITD completes initial DNN installation and configuration 3/30/10 – Main AOC website front page and 120 highest-traffic pages are transitioned over to DNN (new site officially launched) o Detailed content migration plan completed o Migration planning tools created for AOC divisions/units o Pagekeeper training 6/30/10 – pagekeepers migrate pages within their departments 12-31/10 – Target date for content migration to be completed agency-wide

Other Options Considered: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Status Quo: MS Expression Web Adobe Contribute Joomla Microsoft Sharepoint Custom-built CMS

1. Status Quo Microsoft Expression Web is a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) HTML editor and general web design program replacing Microsoft FrontPage. MS Expressions lets users download a web page from the webserver, edit the design and content of the page on their local machine, and then upload the updated page. MS Expression Web is currently in use by the Supreme Court’s pagekeepers. Advantages Maximum flexibility Ability to edit most page elements o May also be a disadvantage in maintaining consistency of navigation and design Little training needed for existing pagekeepers No need for document migration (PDF and word documents) Disadvantages Client software is $149 ($49 for upgrade = $1470 for 30 pagekeepers) Users can unwittingly change areas of the site outside of their intended updates, resulting in unanticipated downtime o This may be minimized by use of page templates that restrict certain areas or use of advanced security features Users can modify page design elements, and even create an altogether different design departing from established standards All pages of the site must be manually migrated to the new page template

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2. Adobe Contribute CMS Adobe Contribute is a Web content management application that is designed to facilitate collaborative editing of Web sites. It provides version control and workflow management features. Contribute includes an in-browser editing component that works as a plug-in for recent versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Advantages • Adopted by the state (GITA) for az.gov • Includes basic workflow tools • Version control • Available via State contract for approximately $150 / seat license ($4500 for 30 pagekeepers) • AZ.gov training sessions will be scheduled • Can lock defined regions of a page to keep non-technical staff from altering design or navigation elements Disadvantages Not different enough from Microsoft Impression Web to justify change Content is not stored in a database Publishing server is new and largely untested 3. Joomla Joomla is a content management system platform using PHP pages and MySQL database to store site information. The system includes features such as page caching to improve performance, RSS feeds, printable versions of pages, news flashes, blogs, polls, website searching, and language internationalization. Released under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Joomla is free software. Advantages Operates in much the same way as DNN – so shares most advantages with DNN Core search function is stronger than DNN Disadvantages Requires Apache Web Server, MySQL, PHP and other technology that does not meet current organization standards Smaller developer community than DNN Fewer modules than DNN More complicated administrative interface 4. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) MOSS enables an organization’s information to be organized and aggregated in one central, web-based application. MOSS integrates closely with applications in the Microsoft Office suite and adds various features such as hierarchical organization of content areas, enhanced navigation, Single Sign On, personalization features, indexed search, the Business Data Catalog, and in-browser rendering and, editing of Microsoft Office documents. The latest version, MOSS 2007, provides enterprise content management (with the integration of Microsoft Content Management Server into MOSS), Enterprise

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Search, web content management, specialized document management, records management, Web 2.0 collaboration functionality like blogs and wikis, delivery of information stored in SharePoint via RSS, and the ability to take content and lists offline with Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Access. Advantages Integration with Microsoft Office 2007 Applications Support and code stability of a major software provider (Microsoft) Enterprise-level software with many features Disadvantages Considerable staff time to set up and administer Fewer options for modules and customization as with DNN Considerable licensing expense for licensing Microsoft software (could climb to 6 figures) More complex to install and configure than DNN 5. Custom Built CMS Building on our current site infrastructure, it is possible to design and build a customized databasedriven CMS based on MS SQL and Asp.Net. A custom-developed CMS would give us maximum flexibility to address the multiple specific needs of our website users, while at the same time creating a more efficient and manageable approach to content management. Designing a custom-built CMS would take a considerable amount of time from a dedicated .Net developer and Database administrator, and at least 6 months to a year to scope and complete the project. Advantages Maximum flexibility in control of form and function Can specifically address identified needs No change in platform needed Disadvantages Considerable staff time of .Net developer and Database admin Would lengthen timeline of project completion at least 1 year Updates and management would require internal staffing

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