CMS Software Management
Proactive CMS & e-commerce software management, fully handled for you.
If your website runs on a Content Management System, e-commerce system or other software (for example WordPress, Drupal, Joomla or Magento), it needs regular care. Out-of-date software is one of the biggest causes of website hacks, downtime and frustrating bugs.
- Protect your business and customer data from known security vulnerabilities
- Benefit from new features, performance improvements and compatibility fixes
- Avoid the hassle of reading release notes, testing and troubleshooting updates
- Proactive monitoring of your site for new updates
- Scheduled, supervised updates with checks before and after
- Secure backups taken prior to each update cycle
- Clear reporting on what has been updated and when
- Available for many sites, even if not hosted with us
It makes very good business sense to keep your website up to date – the cost of a hacked website, lost customer data or extended downtime can be huge, both financially and in terms of reputation. Unfortunately, keeping your site’s software current is usually more complicated than updating the software on your smartphone or home computer.
A typical modern website may have:
- The main CMS or e-commerce core (e.g. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento)
- A theme or template layer that controls the design
- Multiple plugins, extensions or modules from different developers
- Custom code or integrations written especially for your business
Each of these can receive updates at different times, with different requirements and different levels of risk. In some cases, updates to your CMS or e-commerce package require technical skill and careful reading of release notes, especially when there are significant changes “under the bonnet”.
We offer a proactive, premium managed service to monitor your site and keep virtually all non-major elements of your CMS software up to date.
You can simply pay each week or month and forget about the technical details. Every update is supervised, with checks carried out before and after.
What we can proactively do for your website each month
Our CMS Software Management service is designed to take the routine – and risk – out of updates. A typical monthly cycle can include:
Update monitoring
We monitor your CMS, plugins, themes and key server components for new releases and security advisories, so you don’t have to keep an eye on them yourself.
Pre-update checks & backups
Before applying updates, we perform basic site checks and arrange a secure backup, so there is a clear restore point if anything unexpected happens.
Supervised updates
We apply available non-major updates (and agreed major updates) to the CMS core, plugins, themes and modules, following recommended sequences to reduce conflicts and downtime.
Post-update testing
After updates, we perform checks on key pages and functions – for example, home page, contact forms, basket/checkout where applicable – to confirm that everything still works as expected.
Reporting & recommendations
We can provide a summary of what was updated and highlight anything that needs a separate project (for instance, replacing abandoned plugins or planning for a major version change).
Additional proactive checks we can include
- Basic security scans for signs of malware or suspicious files
- Checks for plugins or themes that are no longer maintained
- Review of PHP or database version compatibility on the hosting platform
- Monitoring of SSL certificate status and mixed-content warnings
- Checks for slow-loading pages that may benefit from optimisation
- Alerting you to upcoming “big” changes that may need planning
Your site does not necessarily need to be hosted with us – we can update a wide range of sites – although some updates may mean that older hosting plans become incompatible and need a refresh.
Trying to manage it yourself?
- Time spent logging in, backing up, updating and testing
- Needing to interpret technical release notes and warnings
- Risk of “white screen” or broken layouts if something clashes
- Temptation to delay updates, increasing your risk window
With our managed service
- Updates are planned and supervised by people who do this every day
- Backups and basic checks are built into the process
- You are alerted in plain English if something needs extra work
- You can focus on content and customers, not patching software
How much does this cost?
The cost per week or month depends primarily on:
- Which software you have in place (e.g. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento)
- How many add-on modules, plugins or extensions are installed
- Whether any code has been modified from the off-the-shelf versions
- Whether you need a fixed time window or notice period for updates
- Any additional checks or reporting you would like us to include
Common questions about CMS Software Management
Will you update major versions as well as minor/patch updates?
Our service focuses on keeping virtually all non-major elements up to date on a rolling basis. When a major version is released (for example, a significant jump in your CMS core), we will usually recommend planning this as a separate mini-project so it can be tested more thoroughly, especially if you have custom code or complex integrations.
What happens if an update causes a problem?
Because we take backups before running updates, we can roll back if necessary. We will also let you know what happened and, where possible, suggest options – such as replacing a problematic plugin, adjusting the hosting environment or scheduling additional testing.
Can you work with our existing developer or IT team?
Yes. We can either handle updates entirely for you, or work alongside your developer or IT team. For example, we can take care of routine updates while they focus on new features and bespoke development, sharing information about anything that might affect their work.
Do you only support sites hosted with Enbecom?
Your site does not necessarily need to be hosted with us – we can update a wide range of sites – although some updates may mean that older hosting plans become incompatible. If that happens, we will explain the options, which might include upgrading your existing hosting or moving to one of our own hosting plans.
Get started with CMS Software Management
If you would like the peace of mind that comes with regular, supervised updates for your website, we’ll be happy to put together a quote based on your site and your requirements.
Some important terms
Updates to your CMS software are carried out within the major release range of the core software and add-on modules under which your site currently runs. This is because your template / theme and other components may not be compatible with new major releases. Upgrades to new major releases may be available, at an additional charge.
Some CMSs, e-commerce software and add-on modules require you to make payment to the software author in order to receive software updates. We'll need you to do this if we are to update those software elements for you.
Updates are carried out to freely available and regularly updated modules only, not any custom, bespoke or abandoned modules.
Additional hours charged at our standard professional rate.
Software Update services that are for sites where the CMS software has modifications, are for sites where the CMS has had a number of minor amendments to core code or freely available, off-the-shelf add-on modules that are listed on the CMS software's official add-on module list. Service rates are likely to be higher where the site software has been significantly or heavily customised, especially where custom modules have been introduced. We offer separate packages for this type of site - please contact us for details.
If your website's software has not been updated in a long time when we start providing software update services for you, there may be a one-off charge for the additional work to get your website's software to a point where we can provide regular updates.
Please note that you may be required to meet the costs of obtaining licences for various scripts, software packages and/or updates for your site.
If your website is hosted elsewhere, we are in part reliant on the co-operation of you and your existing domain / hosting provider and we ask that you do everything you can to help facilitiate this. We aim to take backups of your website and underlying database before carrying out significant software updates so please ensure that if your site is hosted elsewhere, facilities are available to make and restore backups. You should aim to take regular backups yourself. Technical work can be unpredictable in terms of results depending on a number of factors such as customisations and the ability of different software modules to work with each other. We reserve the right to refuse any order in whole or in part and this includes (but is not limited to) if we are unable to work with your website and/or hosting provider. Your site will usually need to be suspended (e.g. 'under maintenance' will be shown to site visitors, who will not be able to access anything) while work takes place.
All use of Enbecom Ltd products and services is subject to Enbecom Ltd's terms and conditions, available at www.enbecom.net.
A continuous payment authority must be in place whilst pay weekly or monthly services are being used (unless explicitly agreed otherwise by us in writing). The prices that we are able to offer you for pay weekly or monthly services do not allow for the administration and chasing of irregular or unpaid payments - they must be made on time, every time. If payment is not made on time for ANY reason or if a continuous payment authority is cancelled without a new one being set up within 24 hours, 14 days' notice will be given before all services are cancelled without penalty or liability to Enbecom (the notice period starts from when the payment was originally due as it is your responsibility to make payment on time). Many of our services have a minimum term, e.g. 12 months. Failure to make payment on time (i.e. twice) or cancellation of your service within the minimum term will mean that all payments for the minimum term will immediately become due. Once the minimum term is paid for, services will be provided, for the period paid for.
