Government agencies may find themselves needing to look externally for assistance in building, refreshing or maintaining their GovCMS website. This could be because 1) they don’t have the skillset required internally, or 2) their inhouse team has the skills but not the resources or capacity.
In these cases, it would be understandable to think the GovCMS team could provide the assistance needed. However, they focus mainly on managing the GovCMS platform and performing technical support activities such as onboarding and compliance monitoring.
This is where Interserv steps in. We have a skilled team who can provide end-to-end support, for example:
- Building a website to user requirements
- Configuring and changing an existing GovCMS website
- Managing the day to day running of the website
When registering for the GovCMS platform, users can choose whether they would like a managed or self-managed version. That is, they can dictate the level of oversight they would like regarding website management. At Interserv, we can provide support no matter what management level is chosen.
Our Experience with GovCMS
Interserv has worked with GovCMS for over 5 years. Our developers have extensive knowledge building websites within the GovCMS boundaries and creating solutions outside of the box to help users achieve their digital content goals. We are also part of the Drupal Services Panel (DSP), a list of Government approved suppliers with the necessary skills to work with Drupal and the GovCMS platform.
Case Study: Custom Email Subscription Service
One of our clients needed an automated email service built into their GovCMS website. Their aim was to send weekly digests to subscribed readers. However, there were two roadblocks:
- GovCMS does not provide a mass mailing system.
- Due to strong security requirements, our client was not able to use external services (for example, Mailchimp) to achieve the required outcome.
To overcome these challenges, our team developed a custom function within GovCMS which allowed our client to send their weekly periodical and ensured that they did not stray from their security obligations.
Our Clients
Currently we use GovCMS to enter, manage and host digital content for the following Defence clients:
Lessons Learned
There are three key lessons learned since Interserv started working with GovCMS.
1. Invest time in a proper set up
GovCMS is a content management system which allows users to customise a website to their requirements. However, its customisability means that there is a steep learning curve to understanding all the options and how to best use them. As a result, there can be a considerable amount of time investment required to set things up properly.
It’s important not to rush and to take this set up time into account when planning a GovCMS project. Spending this time upfront is a worthy investment as it results in a well maintained, secure and customisable website that will serve its purpose for many years to come.
2. Have the right people on board
In addition to accounting for set up time, ensuring that the right people with the right GovCMS knowledge are on your team is important. Having staff with the correct skillset and experience creating your website is vital.
If you haven't already, reach out to see how we can assist you.
3. Most things are possible
Although GovCMS has certain restrictions (especially if you use a managed service), this doesn’t mean that a desired feature or function is immediately off limits. The possibilities and what can be achieved in GovCMS depends on the time and resources invested. Most things are possible however it may require some creative thinking.
In our experience we’ve been able to meet most requests within the GovCMS environment by thinking outside the box.
