"Do I Need a CMS?"

Maybe. It all depends on your needs. Building a site using a Content Management System (CMS) does present costs, as it means you are "buying into" a type of software. This means that, like any software, it costs money to keep secure and up-to-date, which adds somewhat to your ongoing management & hosting costs as compared to a static HTML site.

The good news, though, is that many free, open-source CMSs— such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento, and Joomla— are currently available, which dramatically lower cost of entry. And, more importantly, CMSs can automate many of your tasks, saving valuable money and time.

So, do you need a CMS? You might...

• ...If you want to be able to edit parts of the site without being a programmer or HTML expert. More here.
• ...If you don't want to wait for visuaLATTÉ every time you need some small edit.
• ...If you want fine-grained access control. For instance, maybe you have a webmaster who can edit everything, front-office staff who can edit certain subsets of content, and writers who can publish and edit articles. Read more here.
• ...If you want to automate certain processes. More on that here.
• ...If you want to set "workflow" systems. Let's say, for instance, that Person A can write articles, Person B can post revisions on those articles, but only Person C can finally publish them. More on that one here.
• ...If you want to sell online. Many CMSs, such as both Drupal and Magento, offer advanced e-Commerce abilities.