Publishing CMS checklist

What makes a good CMS for professional publishing

Modern digital publishing platforms for website content production, or content management systems, are the cornerstone of your publishing business.

Publishing CMS checklist

As a media or publishing business, your industry is in danger. The broad accessibility of the digital demands you adapt to its fast pace. The system you use to publish and manage your content is the most crucial factor in whether your business remains on the cutting edge. Do you know what to look for in a publishing content management system?

Publish more than just text and photos
Your readers and users expect a lot more than just a digital version of the printed edition of the articles. Your content must be enriched with video, voice and interactive content. Even embedded tweets and Instagram posts are now part of the story you share with your audience.
Publish for desktop, mobile and beyond
More than half of your audience will consume your content with a mobile device, but that is not all your platform should be ready for. The experience must be completely tailored to mobile users, as it's not just about the screen size, but also things like making sure pages load fast.
The basics: fast, reliable, and secure
Don't fall too much for the bells and whistles when considering your content management system. The quality of the software starts with its performance, reliability and security. Any shortage on any of those attributes results in disappointed users at best and lawsuits at worst.

Have media assets at your fingertips
Your media files and assets must be reusable and tracked. Images, videos, documents, and even social media posts must live in the same environment as the articles you publish, quickly accessible and shared between your authors and editors.
Schedule and moderate content in your CMS
There is a process for creating and publishing content, and your CMS should support that process if not drive it altogether. Creating custom publishing workflows, scheduling and even expiring content must be available to the editors so they have complete control.
Own your software
"Own the bricks" as they say in the restaurant business, where leasing can be a risk. In digital publishing, the software is the building where people go, and you should own it completely, not only the content but also the code of your CMS.

Interested in a CMS that ticks all the boxes?

Thunder, designed to meet the needs and expectations of professional publishing.

Thunder, open-source CMS for professional publishing

Designed specifically to meet the needs and expectations of professional publishing.

Create thrilling articles with multimedia content using the dynamic content builder called Paragraphs
Add pictures, galleries and videos to your article directly from the integrated media library
Publish your content by following an editorial workflow or schedule when it goes live
Extend the system with the help of 2500 available modules, or build your own module that does exactly what you need

Interested in Thunder CMS?

You can try Thunder CMS completely free of charge, no license fees or lock-ins. We can help you set up a demo installation and guide you through the out-of-the-box features.

By talking to our experts, you can also learn about the possible improvements, extensions and integrations you can have to build a completely bespoke system, tailored to your specific requirement.

Reach out to us, let us know about your project, and we can schedule a short presentation of Thunder CMS and how Agiledrop can help you build a professional publishing system.

Who uses Thunder

Thunder drives ~80 million monthly visits across thousands of websites that use it for their content management system.

Thunder is released as open-source software and started the Thunder Coalition to join forces by sharing code and innovation power.

About Agiledrop

Agiledrop is a web development company based in Slovenia, EU. Our clients include Hubert Burda Media, SAGE Publications, UNESCO, T-Systems, and other renowned companies and organizations.

We excel at modern web development technologies, specifically Drupal, the framework Thunder CMS is based on. We combine our technical expertise with the know-how of the publishing and media industry collected over the years of working with the world's largest publishers and media companies.