Services

Are you looking for an expert resource to fast-track your digital project? Are you spending too much time updating and maintaining your existing web presence? Or have you run into performance or connectivity issues with your new Content Management System?

Pete specialises in Web Content Management Systems but has a technical background in both backend technologies (Java / PHP / Node.js) and front-end web development - he's a Full Stack Technical Consultant.

He also has a very strong background in web standards & web technologies (HTML5 / Javascript / CSS3).

Pete can assist with the following web processes:

• Analysis & Design
• Proof-of-Concept and MVP (minimum viable product) solutions
• Installation & Configuration of software packages
• Web Development
• Custom Development - Java / PHP / CGI / Bash
• Deployment - GIT / Jenkins
• Performance Tuning & Analytics
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• Support and Maintenance
• Web Accessibility / Mobile First Design / Mobile Applications
• JSON and WebServices
• IOT (Internet of Things)

Pete has been involved in several projects from the get-go, and is able to assist during all stages of a web project:

• Analysis & Design - defining the Project Deliverables and Business Requirements.
• Proof-of-Concept - proving whether or not the Project Deliverables can be achieved.
• Installation & Configuration - integration with the existing Database & Security infrastructure.
• Development - Components / Authoring Template / Presentation Template design.
• Custom Development - bespoke functionality achievable through the use of the public API.
• Deployment - syndication of the website Libraries from the Authoring to the Production environment.
• Performance Tuning & Analytics - ensuring the installation is running efficiently.
• Support and Maintenance - deployment of fixes & updates. Fixing content issues.

Analysis & Design

These sub-stages usually include:

• Business Requirements - including operational, long term and website objectives. What will make the project a success? What is "In" / "Out of Scope"?
• User Requirements - the Content Authors, Content Administrators and the visitors to the website. Have they been included in the discussions?
• Site Navigation - how the content is structured within the website. Are the Content Authors able to find their content easily? Are the visitors to the website able to find the information quickly?
• Content Taxonomy - the type of content being managed, and how it relates to other content. Are there variations of similarly grouped content? Example: News, Local News, International News, Financial News, Sport News, Technology News.
• Workflows - the process by which the content is published. Who needs to approve the content? Does the content expire? Does the content need to be published on a certain date? Is versioning required? How many versions should be kept?
• Library Architecture - depending on the security and the number of websites, one or several libraries may need to be created. Is it possible to re-use part or all of the design components? A common library perhaps?
• Template Design - this includes the structure of the Authoring Template (the fields that the Content Authors populate) and the layout of the Presentation Template (how the fields of the Authoring Template are displayed).
• Deployment - Development / Staging / Production (including Disaster Recovery / Failover) environments. How often should the Content be deployed and is pre-rendering an option?
• Security Model - whether security is required to access some or all of the Content. Is anyone able to access the website - Anonymously? Also ties in with the Workflows, but should define the Groups responsible for Administering and maintaining the Content.
• Language Options - language support and locale support. Dates / times and time zones displayed in the correct format.
• Personalised Content - also related to the Security Model. Allows visitors to view a Personalised version of the website (MySite) or to present targeted information spots, based on a user profile.

Analysis and design is a key stage, which is often overlooked. Done properly, it can result in a website that is more maintainable and more efficient, saving money over the long term. Pete can offer assistance in all of the above areas.

Proof-Of-Concepts

Based on the above Business Requirements, timeframes and budget, is there functionality that may need to be “proven”?

Pete can either set-up a demonstration installation using the “Out-Of-the-Box” (OOB) default settings, or a suitable VMImage can be acquired from IBM (depending on hardware availability). This can be used to demonstrate the IBM Web Content Manager functionality, saving considerable time later in the project and ensures that what is listed as a deliverable, is actually deliverable.

The advantage of a VMImage is a self-contained data file, which can be backed up using the standard backup procedures. There is also no need for a dedicated server tying up resources.

Website Analysis

Is your website under performing or are your visitors frustrated that they are unable to find information quickly? Do changes to the website take a long time to implement? Is your website slow? Do you have a large number of Authoring Templates or Presentation Templates but only a relatively small amount of Content?

There are several important optimisations that can be implemented to improve performance. These may include ensuring the installation is correctly configured, the LDAP and Databases are tuned and that the standard components have been optimised to reduce the CPU overhead during rendering.

Pete can perform analysis of your existing implementation and recommend what improvements can be made. He has been involved in several redesigns of IBM Web Content Manager websites previously.

Web Accessibility / Mobile Devices

It has been a legal requirement for most Government websites around the world to be accessible to all users. Websites have been expected to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their websites accommodate all users regardless of ability, disability.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) v2.0 document was published in December 2008 - http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/:

... Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following these guidelines will also often make your Web content more usable to users in general ...

Considering how your customers access your website is also still very important. Tablets and smart-phones are becoming more popular as functionality increases and prices decrease. Optimisation of website images, and separation of Presentation from Content alone can substantially decrease load times of pages across wireless networks, and reduce storage requirements for your website.

Pete has a very good understanding of the WCAG standards and can advise what checks should be performed on your website, to make it more accessible to user. He can also check that the HTML or XHTML produced, is correctly formatted and valid. Desktop web browsers can be very relaxed to formatting errors, however, for ongoing compatibility with mobile devices (including future technologies), the best time to start is now!