Architecture, Availability, Scalability

SiteBlox was architected as a multi-tenant, high availability platform, to offer Software-as-a-Service CMS and Commerce tools to support rich, custom websites. This multi-tenant model offers improved scalability, operational efficiency, and a more efficient Software Development Life Cycle management.  SiteBlox built sites offer consistently high speeds and constant uptime from a high-security data center.  As your site traffic grows, no need to scale your hardware, the technical capacity is already built-in based on the SiteBlox hosting model.

Content Model

Our system allows the creation of content items by configuration.  To add a field to a content item (e.g. a product offering, or service line, or company contact person), is a configuration, and does not require database or code level changes.  Content items are rendered into HTML using templates.  Templates are defined as part of the design process.

Page Body Editing with Widgets

Users of SiteBlox can add, edit, and delete pages in their site.  Page layouts are selected using drop down selections tied to the overall site CSS (1 column, 2 column (N/W), 3 column (N/W/N), etc.  Banners and footers can be modeled as content items to support unique banners and footers.  SiteBlox offers out of the box widgets to build pages.  Out of the box widgets include:

• Navigation widgets – to add navigation to your pages.
• Paragraph widgets – to add text and links to your pages.  The text is tied into the site CSS to enforce consistent styling.  Links can be created to internal documents, internal pages, and external sites.  This widget also gives the user access to the source HTML if needed.
• Image widgets – to display images on your site.
• Button widgets – to add buttons and on-click actions to your site.
• Document listing widgets – to build lists of document links.
• Content display widgets - to display details of a content item or to display lists of content items that auto-link to the content details.
• Script widgets – to add an iFrame to embed a login to a private site.

Mobile Compatibility

We build all websites to be mobile browser compatible, including the iPhone and iPad.  We do not use flash, but instead build dynamic functionality using JQuery javascript libraries and JSON.  Cross browser testing is part of our test methodology.

Publishing

Our tool allows for the publishing of individual items – a specific webpage, a piece of content (e.g. a news entry), etc.  Each item has a status – draft vs. ready for publish.  Each item has an audit trail, and offers users the ability to add comments. Comments can be viewed from the publish screen.  An individual item can only be published by an authorized user (a publisher).

Locations

We store latitude/longitude data for each location, and then can support search by zip code (based on radius), and by state.  We also integrate with Google Maps to display maps and directions.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Our tool allows page level editing of meta-data.  Our system offers built-in Google Analytics integration.  Our system can generate one or more dynamic site maps in the Sitemap protocol suitable for use by Google WebMaster Tools to improve SEO.

Hosting Model and Support

Our product is sold exclusively as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).  We offer a help desk during business hours, email support, and regularly conduct webinar training.  All production sites are monitored 24x7.

Our hosting provider is OpSource, an enterprise class hosting provider, whose clients include SAP and Microsoft.

Our SaaS model allows you to access and manage your content in the cloud.  Cloud computing can reduce your risk, your cost, and the time it takes to get your solution up and running. Cloud computing allows you to focus on other aspects of your business by allowing you to:

• Reduce capital requirements
• Outsource non-strategic IT operations
• Shift from fixed to variable operating costs
• Reduce provisioning/hardware setup window and achieve faster time to market
• Optimize on demand utility capacity management

Regular Updates of Software

We support monthly releases of our software. Our platform is multi-tenant; all customers run on the same software platform – all customers run on the latest version of the software.  As we increment new functionality for new clients/projects, all clients benefit and receive this new functionality at the same time.

Business Continuity

Our hosted system uses a clustered approach, which allows for us to deploy code and conduct server maintenance without any down time.  It also provides redundancy to insure against hardware failure.  We use both internal and external monitoring tools to ensure all servers and systems are operating properly. 

We also have separate QA and regression test environments that allow us to fully test new code deployments on a snapshot of the site before making such deployments.

System Integrations

We implement standards based SOAP integrations to bring corporate data into client websites, and export web data back out.   We can support any necessary system integrations required for your company site.  And we will monitor and support them.

Developer Tools

SiteBlox stores theme elements in an intuitive, organized way.  We build the sites per the design and we include full technical support.  If your marketing organization wants changes to their site design over time, you have options.  We can assist with those changes, or we can give your IT organization access to SiteBlox ThemeBuilder.  Our ThemeBuilder tool allows IT resources to make theme level changes to the CSS, HTML, background images, and content rendering templates.

Security

Security is an important consideration when moving your web content management to the cloud.  SiteBlox is compliant with privacy regulations: all personal and other sensitive information is encrypted with 256 bit AES encryption. All secure SiteBlox processes occur over 256 bit SSL encryption.  Very strong password management and anti-hacking policies have been implemented.

SiteBlox. Better CMS. Better Results.

Contact us to discuss how SiteBlox can work for you.