A Beginners Guide to Content Management Systems
11 min read
A Beginners Guide to Content Management Systems: What are the Best CMS Options for Enterprise Website Solutions?
Gone are the days of websites just being digital brochures for customers to peruse. Your website is the most important marketing tool that your business has, and it’s often the first port of call for an interested customer; forming an all encompassing platform that supports marketing, sales, customer experience and internal operations. As organisations scale, so do their content needs. That’s where a Content Management System comes in.
Choosing the right CMS is not a decision to be taken lightly; with a chosen CMS having far reaching impacts upon the different ways that your business can grow. Deciding on the right CMS for your business is about optimising for performance, flexibility, security, and how well the platform supports your long term digital goals.
In this guide, we break down what a CMS is, the leading platforms used by enterprise organisations, and how to choose the right website solution for your business in 2026.
What is a Content Management System?
A Content Management System (commonly abbreviated to CMS), is a platform that facilitates the creation, management and publication of website content without needing to write code every time a change is made.
In a nutshell, a CMS separates content from web development. This means marketing teams can update pages, upload assets and publish new content while developers focus on performance, integrations and custom functionality.
Modern CMS platforms do far more than manage text and images. They support personalisation, multilingual content publication, implementation of workflow approval, advanced analytic reporting, and custom integrations with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) & Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
What are Some Examples of CMS Platforms?
There are many CMS platforms available, each designed for different levels of complexity and scale. Some are ideal for small entrepreneurial ventures, whilst others are built specifically for large enterprise organisations with complex digital ecosystems.
Some well known CMS platforms include:
- Umbraco
- Sitecore
- Optimizely
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Kentico
There are also custom CMS solutions built on .NET Core for organisations with very specific requirements.
Do All Websites Need a CMS?
Not every website needs a CMS. A simple campaign page or a temporary microsite may be built without one by coding with HTML and CSS.
However, most business websites benefit from a CMS, especially when content needs to be updated regularly by multiple people. If your site supports lead generation, content marketing, localisation or system integrations, a CMS quickly becomes essential.
For enterprise organisations, a CMS provides the foundation upon which to quickly scale and iterate web content, facilitating rapid production of web pages for new services, news/blog content, and more.
What is the Most Used CMS Platform?
WordPress remains the most widely used CMS globally, powering over 43% of the internet and commanding a 61.4% market share among content management system based websites as of 2025. WordPress’ popularity comes from its low cost, accessibility, a large plugin ecosystem, and a low barrier to entry.
That said, usage numbers do not equal suitability. While WordPress works well for small to medium sites, enterprise organisations often require stronger governance, security, scalability and integration capabilities than WordPress was originally designed to handle.
There is no single best CMS for every organisation. The right choice depends on your scale, internal capabilities, security requirements and digital ambition.
For enterprise website solutions, the strongest platforms in 2026 are those that combine flexibility, performance and control. At Cold Banana, we work most often with Umbraco, Sitecore, Optimizely and custom .NET solutions because they allow us to build platforms that grow with our clients.
Below is a practical overview of the leading options:
What is Umbraco?
Umbraco is a flexible, open source CMS built on .NET. It is known for its clean editor experience and its ability to support highly customisable digital platforms.
Umbraco works particularly well for organisations that want control over their architecture without being locked into rigid templates or expensive licensing structures. It supports headless builds, complex integrations and bespoke functionality while remaining intuitive for content teams.
Here at Cold Banana we are proud to be an Umbraco Gold Partner, with this partnership reflecting our depth of experience delivering enterprise Umbraco solutions. We design, build and support Umbraco platforms that integrate seamlessly with wider business systems.
You can learn more about our Umbraco services here - https://www.coldbanana.com/services/build/umbraco-gold-partner
For CMS platform comparisons, explore our detailed guides
What is Sitecore?
Sitecore is a powerful enterprise CMS designed for organisations that prioritise personalisation, data driven marketing, and a seamless customer experience.
Sitecore’s strength is in how it combines content management with analytics, automation and experience optimisation. Sitecore is best suited to large organisations with mature digital teams and complex customer journeys.
As a Sitecore Silver Partner, our Sitecore experts here at Cold Banana deliver Sitecore solutions that balance technical complexity with commercial outcomes.
You can learn more about Sitecore and our Sitecore services here:
What is Optimizely?
Optimizely is a digital experience platform that blends content management with experimentation and optimisation.
Optimizely is a particularly strong CMS platform for organisations focused on conversion rate optimisation and data led decision making; facilitating content personalisation, testing and delivery all within a single ecosystem.
Here at Cold Banana we are an Optimizely Bronze Solutions Partner, supporting businesses that want to combine content with continuous optimisation.
You can learn more about our Optimizely services here - https://www.coldbanana.com/services/build/optimizely
What is WordPress?
WordPress is widely recognised and easy to use. It is often the starting point for many entrepreneurs and small to medium organisations.
For enterprise use, WordPress’ functionality can be extended, however this often requires heavy customisation and third party plugins. Over time, this can introduce security, performance and maintenance challenges.
Our comparison of Umbraco and WordPress explores the strengths and limitations of WordPress in greater detail -
https://www.coldbanana.com/blogs/umbraco-vs-wordpress
What is Drupal?
Drupal is a free and powerful open source CMS known for its robustness and security. It is often used by the public sector, and large content heavy organisations.
Drupal’s primary strengths are robust security, scalability, and flexibility through a modular architecture of add-on modules and themes, making it ideal for complex digital experiences from large corporate sites to government portals. Drupal’s limitation however stems from its strength, as extensive Drupal builds typically require more technical expertise to manage and extend.
Read our Umbraco vs Drupal comparison to learn more about the strengths and limitations of Drupal - https://www.coldbanana.com/blogs/umbraco-vs-drupal
What is Kentico?
Kentico provides both CMS and digital marketing functionality. It’s a good option for organisations looking for an all in one platform that saves time, energy and cost on additional development requirements.
However, licensing costs and platform rigidity can be limiting for some enterprise use cases. Kentico’s key strength is its scalability; with SQL server replication and web farm support enabling your business to attain near limitless scalability. The caching options also enable you to boost website performance to 12,000+ requests a second on a single server.
Learn more about our Kentico services, and how our experience as a Kentico Solutions partner with over 10 years of experience developing countless Kentico builds can benefit your business - https://www.coldbanana.com/services/build/kentico
Explore the differences between Umbraco and Kentico in our comparison blog here - https://www.coldbanana.com/blogs/umbraco-vs-kentico
What is .NET Core?) A Custom Web Development Solution
For some organisations, an off the shelf CMS may not be the best fit for their business needs. A custom .NET Core solution allows complete control over architecture, performance and integrations.
This approach is ideal when your website is part of a wider digital platform that includes bespoke workflows, data models or system integrations. However, consideration should be taken into account regarding development costs of building a web solution from the ground up
As a .NET Tech and performance marketing agency, we here at Cold Banana have been building custom .NET solutions that are secure, scalable and future ready for over a decade. Learn more about our .NET build services here - https://www.coldbanana.com/services/build/dotnet
Interested in a .NET solution for your business? Explore our blog on why .NET Core is the better choice for building modern web platforms.
Content Management System FAQs
The topic of CMS’ is an extremely broad and technical one. Here are just a few frequently asked questions about CMS’.
What is the difference between a CMS and a DXP?
A CMS focuses on managing content. A Digital Experience Platform merges the functionalities of CMS’, CRM’s and ERP’s to facilitate a consistent cross-platform experience for different audiences (e.g. websites, social media and email marketing); making your business’ digital presence a harmonious one. To learn more, explore our blog “What is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP)?”
Is open source CMS software secure?
Yes, when implemented and maintained correctly. However, the security of an open source CMS relies heavily on active maintenance, proper configuration, timely updates, and strong user practices as the publicly available code can be both a strength (community reviewed and documented) and a weakness (easier for hackers to find flaws).
Can a CMS integrate with existing business systems?
Yes, a Content Management System (CMS) can integrate with existing business systems. Modern enterprise CMS platforms are designed to integrate with CRM, ERP, marketing automation and data platforms.
How long does it take to implement an enterprise CMS?
Timelines vary based on the complexity of the project’s specification. Most enterprise CMS projects range from a few months to longer phased multi-year programmes.
Can we migrate content from an existing CMS?
Yes. Content migration is a core part of most CMS rebuild projects and should be planned as early as possible. Migrating CMS can feel daunting, however you can learn more about website migrations here.
Do you have a question about your business’ existing CMS, or what CMS might be best suited for your business? Get in touch! - https://www.coldbanana.com/contact
Conclusion
As we have explored in this Beginners Guide to Content Management Systems, choosing a CMS is a decision that is far more complicated than it might first seem. Choosing the right CMS is a strategic investment in how your organisation communicates, scales and evolves digitally; with all strengths and limitations needing to be considered to ensure that your business is set up for long term success.
Ultimately, the best CMS for your business is the one that supports your short term business goals whilst simultaneously giving your business the available functionality required to scale and grow within the next 5+ years.
Is your business in need of a web development agency to refresh or upgrade your business website?
Our talented team of experts here at Cold Banana specialise in building enterprise website platforms that perform, scale and deliver measurable results. As your website development partner, we help you choose the right CMS, and build a solid and secure digital foundation that your business deserves.
Get in touch with us today to take the first steps towards your business’ digital transformation! - https://www.coldbanana.com/contact
At Cold Banana, we've been helping businesses like yours thrive since 2015. Our expertise span across custom web development, seamless integrations and user-friendly platforms.
If you'd like to learn more about how we can support you, get in touch.