The content management system, Drupal, is a web publishing technology solution based on a modular foundation. It may be used to generate new content management systems or be used to improve existing ones. Simple task automation to advanced module creation, the Drupal community is there to help. Drupal is free and open source software.
The program is one of the most widely used content management systems (CMS) in the world, with over a million websites opting to use it due to its dependability and efficiency.
Among them are e-commerce sites, science organizations like NASA, and automobile manufacturers like Tesla and Nokia. The grounds of 23.8% of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Oxford, Harvard, the Universities of Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Georgetown, Chicago, etc., are built with it.
56% of government websites are built with Drupal, while its most widespread use is in the commercial sector. Sites of local governments that prominently utilize Drupal include:
- The White House;
- Governments of France, South Africa, and Bermuda;
- U.S. Government’s open data website;
- Both the Australian Prime Minister and the official government pages;
- USA’s Departments of Transportation, and Commerce;
- New York State Senate.
Drupal Integrates with other solutions and services.
Drupal’s ability to work effectively with other systems is crucial. It is important for a government website to be easily extensible by integrating with other services, including proprietary solutions, so that it can meet the demands of the present and the future. Since Drupal is a modular content management system, it provides a solid basis for incorporating third-party applications. Drupal’s Open Source nature increases the importance of this function. Therefore, there is no central authority dictating the scope or timing of integration efforts. Having many integrations available at no extra cost is another perk of open source software.
The security is reliable and transparent.
Drupal’s reputation for excellent security is a major reason why it is so well-liked among public sector clients, which is of course of fundamental importance for government websites. Due diligence may be performed to whatever extent government IT experts see necessary to ensure the site is secure against hacking and cyber threats because Drupal is Open Source and they have access to the source.
With over 1.3 million people using Drupal, the community is dedicated to keeping the platform safe from any threats. Some examples include Captcha, a Security Toolkit, a Password Policy, and Secure Login. World-class security for Drupal sites is a top priority for the Drupal Security Working Group, which works to ensure that both Drupal core and the full ecosystem of member contributions meet that goal.
Note that Drupal is not a SAAS solution, which means that your site’s code will not be mixed up with anybody else’s in a central repository.
Drupal can manage several sites at once.
Drupal’s multisite feature simplifies the building of multisites, which is a must for any government or public sector CMS since it allows developers to make as many copies of the main site’s code base as they need in order to establish as many child sites as they need to use the same functionality. This results in substantial savings, both during development and in subsequent maintenance.
Drupal’s price tag is zero, which sets it distinct from proprietary CMS alternatives despite the fact that multisite support has become the norm. An Open Source content management system does not charge extra when more than one site is added.
Drupal’s scalability is linked with its multi-site feature, allowing brand guidelines to be centrally managed while allowing other agencies and departments to autonomously manage their content.
Drupal sites can handle millions of hits.
Due to the shared nature of the Drupal code base, sites that experience a spike in traffic will also see that increase across the board.
Websites run by the government should be prepared to handle a sudden influx of visitors. When a lot of people are using a government website at once, it might be because of a severe weather warning, a political crisis, or even a happy occasion. Drupal is used to power some of the most popular government websites on the web, and it is designed to scale to accommodate both unexpected spikes in traffic and millions of monthly users without breaking down.
Hosting options can fit specific requirements.
Drupal gives users a lot of flexibility in terms of choosing and switching between hosting providers, or even hosting the site themselves. However, with a custom content management system, this is not necessarily the case.
In-built support for several languages.
More than a hundred different languages are already built into Drupal. Multilingual support is a standard feature of today’s main content management systems, but Drupal goes beyond by providing tools that make translation even easier.
Drupal’s Information Translation module makes it possible to translate both entire pages and specific pieces of content by duplicating them in the target language.
Individual fields may be translated using the Entity Translation module.
Drupal sites are accessible out of the box.
Web accessibility standards are a crucial factor for all government and public sector websites, and Drupal has a basic commitment to compliance with these standards. Customers may be certain that the most up-to-date version of Drupal follows all of the guidelines established by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). Drupal’s compliance with online accessibility standards is a major strength, in contrast to CMS solutions that rely more heavily on external plug-ins and so are less reliable.
Over 1.3 million people are part of the Drupal Community.
Developers and government agencies alike may greatly benefit from participation in the Drupal community. Being a long-time contributor to Drupal, I can attest to the impact that the project’s thriving 1.3 million-strong community can have. Drupal is an open-source platform, and its inner workings are not a secret. Because it is based on a standard operating system development stack, Drupal is able to attract and retain a larger pool of qualified developers than many other proprietary content management systems. There is always someone willing to lend a hand or answer a question if you have one in our community.
Conclusion
After considering the benefits and successful public sector website examples, it is clear that Drupal is the best content management system (CMS) for government sites at this time. The system is rock-solid in terms of dependability, security, efficiency, and endurance in the face of rising demand for its many features.