The 5 main advantages of Umbraco as a CMS

For the websites and web applications we develop, we use the Umbraco CMS: a user-friendly system with many possibilities. Of course, there are many other content management systems we could work with, but Umbraco is always our preference. Curious why? We’d be happy to tell you more about the advantages of this CMS. 

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Umbraco vs. WordPress

We are often asked if we work with WordPress. The answer, that we only work with Umbraco, often requires some extra explanation. A brief explanation of the fundamental difference between Umbraco and WordPress clarifies a lot. Although your first impression might suggest otherwise, Umbraco and WordPress are very different. 

The fundamental difference is the underlying web technology: the framework, the programming language, and the servers. Umbraco is built on the Microsoft ASP.NET framework and the C# programming language, whereas WordPress is based on PHP. The goal or ultimate function is comparable, but beyond that, the two technologies are completely different. 

This essential difference is a key reason we work exclusively with Umbraco and not with WordPress. The technologies are so different that it is common for a developer to specialize. Our developers are specialized in the Microsoft ASP.NET framework. If we wanted to create a WordPress website or application, we would have to delve into PHP. Instead, we prefer to focus on our expertise: programming based on the Microsoft framework. This way, we ensure we always deliver the best results and can work efficiently. 

The advantages of Umbraco

Of course, we could have chosen to specialize in another type of web technology or selected another CMS based on the Microsoft framework. However, we have many reasons to choose Umbraco. Curious why? Here are the main advantages of this CMS.

Security is perhaps the most important reason to choose Umbraco. The underlying Microsoft technology on which Umbraco is based is inherently secure. Additionally, you can rely on the dedication of a large international company, unlike some other web technologies that depend on a community of developers. This provides extra assurance that the technology is always up-to-date and that security risks are addressed immediately. 

In comparison, the open-source PHP web technology is developed and maintained by a community of developers. This offers limited guarantees for your website’s security in the event of an attack or vulnerability. 

 If you choose WordPress, a CMS based on PHP, remember that WordPress, as the most used CMS, is a target for hackers. The WordPress software and the (free) plugins and themes regularly need updates to fend off such attacks. If you miss a crucial update or a plugin is no longer updated by the developer, the security risks increase. 

Less essential but still important is the structure and user-friendliness of the back office. This applies both to developers and those ultimately responsible for filling in the content. In Umbraco’s back office, the website and underlying pages are displayed in a clear tree structure. Especially for larger websites with a lot of content, the clear tree structure is a significant advantage. Pages are built with input fields, making content publication very straightforward. Additionally, Umbraco’s back office, including the structure, can be fully customized. 

We also choose Umbraco because it is very suitable as a CMS for more complex websites and applications, our specialty! 

The custom tools, applications, and configurators we create can be easily integrated. Everything we develop is, like Umbraco, based on Microsoft’s .NET technology, allowing for seamless integration. 

Umbraco is fast, partly due to the speed of the .NET framework. Additionally, Umbraco is easy to optimize to get the best out of your website or application, such as SEO or integrating multilingual support. Other content management systems often require third-party plugins for this. As mentioned earlier, these can pose security risks and might not be well-maintained. Furthermore, these plugins often have (unnecessary) extra functionalities that can slow down your website unnecessarily. 

By linking with Ucommerce, we can also easily use Umbraco as an e-commerce application. This integration allows both the content and e-commerce to be managed in Umbraco’s back office. 

Additionally, Umbraco can easily be connected to existing (internal) systems, such as a CRM system like Salesforce or the collaboration platform SharePoint. 

Want to know more?

This is just a brief introduction to Umbraco and its benefits. Do you have any questions about Umbraco, the technologies we work with, the capabilities of the CMS, or anything else? Don’t hesitate to contact us, we’d love to tell you more.
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