CMS systems are a critical component of any web strategy.  Not only do most allow for “content management” but many also provide extended features such as document management, workflow, security, versioning and more.  Whether you are focused on building a web site, extranet, intranet, etc. considering your CMS is an important part of the equation.  Here are some things to consider:

    * Technology platform –  .net, php, java, etc.
    * Cost – there are wide range of prices
    * Viability – given the large number of players in the marketplace, is the company competitive and viable
    * Third Party Support – Is there a market place of training, add-ons, developers, etc. available
    * Features – work flow, document management, ease of use, scalability, and security
    * Required Skills – What internal skills will be needed to use the system

Some systems to consider are:

    * DotNetNuke – open source .net based framework
    * Joomla – open source PHP based framework
    * Ektron – .net based CMS
    * SiteCore – .net based CMS
    * Drupal – PHP open source platform
    * Sitefinity – .net platform
    * Vignette – Java based platform

A good link for reviewing even more options – check out the Wikipedia entry – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_content_management_systems

There are a lot of excellent systems available.  If you are looking for a feature rich system, don’t be turned off by open source – many of these systems are widely supported and continue to grow in feature richness.  Open source pricing (e.g. free) can free up more budget for implementation and customization.