Let’s play a game. 4 myths and a truth. Drupal edition.
There tend to be a lot of misconceptions out there when it comes to Drupal CMS. So we thought we’d set a few of the most common Drupal myths straight and also share a hard truth about the CMS.
Read on to make sure you have all the facts before selecting your next CMS.
Myth 1: Drupal is not secure
Drupal is one of the top open source CMSs out there. What open source means is that the source code is public and available for anyone to work on, modify and improve the software.
However, just because anyone can access the source code, does not mean Drupal lacks in the security department.
On the contrary, it is believed that open source software can be even more secure than closed, or proprietary, software. In fact, the CMS’s security is one of the most noted reasons the The White House switched their website to Drupal.
The Drupal Security Team is comprised of the best-of-the-best Drupal developers out there. And while Drupal may be open source, with an enormous community of volunteers, you can’t just sign up to be a part of the Drupal Security Team. According to Drupal.org, “Because membership in the team gives the individual access to potentially destructive information, membership is limited to people who have a proven track record in the Drupal community.”
One reason it is believed that an open source project such as Drupal is more secure than a proprietary software is because of the transparency. Because it is community-driven, there is no reason to keep vulnerabilities private. Since no one profits off Drupal CMS, the community’s best interest outweighs any financial benefit.
Professional security audits have found that the means for more successful attacks are due to a issues at the server level over vulnerabilities in the Drupal product.
Myth 2: Drupal is impossible to learn
When it comes to open source CMSs, Drupal tends to get a rap for having the steepest learning curve. And there is a reason for this. It is definitely the most technical when compared to WordPress or Joomla. But what take a bit more getting used to, can produce much more impressive results.
But just how hard is it to learn Drupal?
Drupal is not necessarily difficult. With the exception of some CSS styling, you can build a simple site, complete with features such as sliders, in just a few hours with no programming involved at all and $0. Clearly the design would be elementary, but you get what you pay for.
But that’s the thing with CMSs (and life but we won’t get philosophical on you. Give our in-office guru, EB, a shout if you want to get deep on that.); the easier the program, the less flexibility and power you get. So while it may take a little more time getting used to, or hiring that extra Drupal developer, you’ll get industry-leading results that can scale and grow with future innovations.
When explaining how easy it is to learn to use Drupal, Business Insider gave Drupal CMS a 6 on a scale of 1-to-10 while it gave WordPress a 4. But Drupal features are able to to do and create things that WordPress couldn’t dream of, yet the difficulty level would remain a 6 on that scale.
Myth 3: Drupal is for the big guys only
The White House, NBC, Amnesty International, The Economist, Oxford. Those are some big-name, robust, heavily-trafficked websites. And they all run on Drupal. But as the awesome infographic by bywebsitesetup.org states, Drupal is a “one size fits all” type of CMS.
Because Drupal is relatively easy to get a hang of, but is powerful enough to scale and adapt over time, it’s a good choice for organizations and websites of all shapes and sizes.
Myth 4: Drupal is difficult to update
If you search the forums, sometimes it comes up that Drupal can be difficult to upgrade. And depending on your skill level it may be (I know it can be for me. Luckily we have Will, our Drupal developer extraordinaire, here). But the thing about Drupal is with the CMS you get the community. And that means you have thousands of the world’s most talented developers there to help.
We just got back from DurpalCon Barcelona, and we can testify first hand Drupal’s community is one of the friendliest and most eager to help out there. So if you have any difficulties when updating, there are plenty of experts waiting to help.
Truth: Drupal CMS isn’t for everyone
While Drupal is the right choice for many organizations, it’s not perfect for everyone. Make sure to weigh your in-house resources and the web needs of your business. While Drupal is extremely versatile and adaptable, your needs might align better with another CMS. Trust us, there are a bunch out there.
If you want some help, give us a call and we’ll help you evaluate your options.
