CraftCMS Pros and Cons — A Quick Guide

What is CMS (Content Management System)?

  • A content management application used for creating, editing, and publishing content.
  • Allow multiple users to contribute, schedule, or manage content.
  • Having a browser-based interface accessible anywhere to any number of users.
  • Drag-and-drop editors allow users to enter text and media without expertise in HTML, CSS or other programming languages.
  • Easy content creation and formatting. Content storage in one place.
  • Permissions for managing content are based on roles: authors, editors, and admins.
  • Publishing and organizing content live.
  • It reduces your reliance on front-end developers to make changes to the website.

“What is Craft CMS?”

There are many Content Management Systems. You’ve possibly heard about a few of the popular ones like — WordPressDrupal, Craft, Shopify, and Joomla.

Craft CMS was introduced in 2011. It is a relatively new CMS but is increasingly becoming popular as an alternative to WordPress. It has excellent features, including, simple editing, flexibility, and live previews.

As an agency, we prefer to create unique solutions that are reflective of every individual client. We believe a lot is going for Craft. It enables us to achieve more even on tighter timeframes and budgets.

An overview

  • Written in PHP on the Yii 1.x platform.
  • Versatile, user-friendly, lightweight CMS with a clear graphical interface.
  • Simple control panel for content production and administration.
  • Craft CMS uses Twig, a strong, open-source PHP template engine, for the template.
  • Twig’s syntax is derived from Jinja and Django templates.
  • Has all the key backend functionality (SEO, page ranking) and commercial features (1st party localization, easy rebranding, etc.).
  • Page revisions, live view modifications, live page updates, and plugin administration are all maintained.
  • You can expand and enhance Craft CMS functionality and features using backend technologies like PHP and JS.

Should you go for Craft CMS or place your bets on a more popular CMS like WordPress, which is used by 60% of CMS users? Many variables need to be considered when answering this question, and it can’t simply be boiled down to one side or the other.

Advantages and disadvantages of CraftCMS

Speed

CraftCMS is faster than WordPress. It is much snappier than WordPress.

On the downside, there are some WordPress themes (like WooThemes) that don’t translate very well into Craft.

In that case, speed gets compromised. Fortunately, there are now some excellent solutions for translating these themes.

Complexity

One of Craft’s advantages is its highly customizable nature: If you can work a little bit with code or hire someone who can (like us) then there are plenty of ways in which Craft could make your life easier as opposed to more difficult.

Craft can get complex at times for those who have no idea about it. In that case, you may need a developer or two to help along the way.

Flexibility

Craft’s greatest strength is its flexibility. Because it is open-source, it has been adopted by a large community of developers who continually update and improve upon it.

This means that, no matter what your niche or business requirements are, you can be sure there will be a solid solution for you to use.

It also helps that Craft is so easy to customize with an interface that feels tailor-made for those with minimal technical knowledge.

On the downside — if you choose to add features beyond what Craft offers natively, customization costs can appear depending on how complex your project needs become.

Ease of use

One of Craft’s most appealing features is how easy it is to set up. Once installed, it takes minimal effort to modify templates and create new pages.

So if you want a CMS that doesn’t require any programming knowledge to get started, Craft is your best bet.

This ease of use also makes Craft very accessible for beginners — especially when it comes to getting a website up quickly.

Released under an MIT license, CraftCMS can be used for both personal and commercial projects. It’s been getting a lot of attention lately from developers because it makes developing custom modules simple.

We’ve seen developers convert to Craft almost instantaneously after discovering how easy it is to get started building sites with it. When it gets easy for us, we try to make it even easier for our clients by all possible means.

Get our Web Platform experts onboard to help you set up your CMS website in no time.

4 Benefits of Digital Transformation in Healthcare

Technology continues to deliver excellence and performance to modern-day businesses. Enterprises globally are keen to adopt technology to scale their business.

Digital transformation results in improved processes, better customer experience, growing revenues, and so on. It enables businesses to stay competitive and relevant.

After the pandemic, the healthcare sector has jumped on the digital bandwagon.

  • Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and diagnostic centers have tapped into the digital health market, which is expected to hit 426.9 billion (USD) by 2027.
  • Telemedicine, AI-enabled medical devices, and blockchain electronic healthcare records are all examples of digital transformation in healthcare.
  • Healthcare providers have transformed the way they interact and share the data with service providers, and how they make decisions about treatment plans.

Healthcare institutions and pharmaceutical companies have reaped the benefits of digital transformation to further their businesses.

Here are some of the compelling reasons why healthcare services should seek digital transformation.

1. Improved safety

Ensuring the safety and sanctity of digital medical records is a big concern area for healthcare providers. The digital service providers deliver custom solutions that help reduce human errors and minimize risks. For example:

  • Instant sharing of medical records between doctors and facilities can make the emergency room experience less traumatic.
  • Physicians get easy access to patients’ medical histories in one place makes their work easier and more convenient.

We all know that medical data needs to be extremely secure, and that’s a major reason why so many doctors and hospitals are still reluctant to adopt digital health solutions.

With a carefully crafted digital strategy and transformation, there are minuscule opportunities for hackers to get into your data.

2. Reduced costs and enhanced value

Going digital can reduce your costs on activities including marketing, training programs for employees, and maintaining an IT infrastructure. These savings can be passed on to patients.

Moreso, a company that’s technology-friendly has a higher value vis-a-vis competitors who aren’t. Don’t forget that it could also make you more attractive to investors and lenders.

3. Increased Accuracy

The chances to determine the illness increases exponentially when digital systems are involved. Digital systems and connected devices can host patients’ entire medical records, including lab results, physical exams, even x-rays.

Additionally, dependencies on third parties — like a specialist or lab — for information can be eliminated.

4. Reduced Waiting Times

Digitalization reduces waiting time dramatically. People used to take appointments weeks in advance. However, it is increasingly common for doctors now to operate on a walk-in basis, or even remotely.

This is great news for both patients and providers, who can operate more efficiently as a result.

Some other common benefits digitalization can offer to the healthcare industry:

  • Seamless coordination (between doctor-patient)
  • Automated administrative tasks
  • Access to real-time information
  • Collaborative studies and research
  • Ease of online appointments
  • Improved patient management
  • Supercharged hospital evaluations
  • Improved clinical conclusions

We’ve only touched on a few benefits here. Digital transformation can create far more efficiencies and cost savings. Everything from patient engagement to hospital operations will be changed by digital transformation; it truly is an exciting time to be alive.

Innovation is the key when it comes to digital transformation. The main goal is to streamline physicians’ work, optimize systems, improve patient outcomes, reduce human error, and lower costs through incredible web and mobile experiences.

That said, it can be overwhelming to keep up with the digital transformation of healthcare. It is difficult for healthcare businesses to determine which emerging technologies are worth investing in. It is even hard to get the staff on board with the change.

You need to be flexible and open to taking risks to adapt to the digital age. It is important to let go of old business practices and believe that disruption will bring about big changes.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below! If you want to embark on the journey of transformation and take your healthcare business to the next level, fill out this form.