AWH Weblog » Are you ready for DotNetNuke?

Are you ready for DotNetNuke?

Brent Yax Every couple of weeks the AWH team meets to discuss newsletter article subjects. The process is pretty straight forward; we all come up with ideas and then discuss briefly the pros and cons to ultimately decide on a topic. This week we settled on a powerful website portal environment called DotNetNuke. At first glance it may be a little difficult to see how it’ll work for your business, but after digging a little deeper it becomes pretty apparent how powerful this application actually is.

So, what is DotNetNuke (DNN), or what is a portal for that matter? Basically it is an environment that allows easily updatable and expandable content and functionality – without a developer standing over your shoulder guiding you through the process. Portal systems usually have a number of plug-ins or modules to allow for additional functionality like document management, real-time search, streaming video, RSS feeds, blogs, etc… DNN is no different; it offers hundreds and hundreds of easily installable components that can help your website grow from a basic brochure-ware site to a functional part of your business.

With DNN, it’s extremely easy for organizations to decentralize the updating of their websites, allowing department heads to be responsible for the information they present to web visitors and the way in which it is presented. Enhancing that functionality by adding custom modules can increase workflow, simplify day to day activities, and ultimately save valuable time and reduce frustration.

To top it off, DNN comes with a number of pre-built designs (or skins) to make the portal look professionally designed. Already have a custom designed site? No problem, there are a number of shops out there that will take an existing look and feel and build you a custom template for your DNN installation. You have the flexibility to make your site look how you want, and still have the power to update and change items and information instantly!

Sample Skins

DNN Sample Skins

Intrigued yet? If not, consider the following, the DNN software including the base set of modules is FREE! Yes, FREE! All you need is a DNN hosting provider to run the setup and application (along with a little time to get the content into your site). All being told you can expect to pay less than $100 / month for an extremely dynamic and flexible website.

Overall, the DotNetNuke portal environment is a fast, flexible and powerful system that can help companies better utilize the web by streamlining the process in which they update and interact with their online material.