MySource Matrix is a powerful, commercially supported, open source enterprise-level content management system (CMS) used in both the public and private sectors. In 2006 it was internationally recognised as best in class for support and interoperability by a forum of CMS experts. According to Gartner: “MySource is differentiated by its ease of use (including graphical user interface tools) and the availability of commercial support.”.

Developed by the Australian company Squiz for the Australian Federal Government it is now used for some of the world’s largest web, e-commerce and publishing platforms. Organisations using MySource Matrix include Future Publishing, the NHS, Oxford University and the Australian Federal Govt.

How does MySource Matrix work?

Accessed from anywhere in the same way you would a web page, MySource Matrix is browser-based software, although it is also fully password-protected. Anyone with appropriate access rights can maintain the system from any location with a web connection, ensuring easy website content management.

How easy is it to use?

In a word, very. The key to its usability lies in a two-tier WYSIWYG (‘what you see is what you get’) interface system for accessing and managing content.

The first, known as the ‘simple-edit’ interface, is designed to be easy to learn and allows users with little or no training to create, edit, approve and publish content. Essentially, the simple-edit acts like a child-lock, forcing users to adhere to rules defined by the administrators.

MySource Matrix administrators use the second interface, called the ‘administration interface’. This allows users to define site rules such as design templates, information architecture, access rights, metadata schema and workflow, or publishing controls. The administration interface is simple to learn allowing fast track training to enable administrators to get up and running in days.

How is information stored and used?

MySource Matrix uses a single central database to store information – text, images, downloadable files and so on – which means content is created only once, even if it is used in more than one place on your site or sites. There is no need to duplicate content, as the software uses ‘asset-based architecture’ which means that each item is an asset in its own right within the database, so can feature on multiple web pages at the same time. This reduces maintenance time significantly.

The software also allows you to upload and embed almost any standard file type including Microsoft Word, Excel and PDF, as well as video and audio files.

What else should I know?

• The system has many inbuilt security features. Different user profiles – normal, editor and administrator – ensure users only have access to the parts of the system to which they are permitted. The system also keeps detailed audit trails and logs.
• Locking activated prior to changes ensures two users cannot work on the same page at once.
• Staging allows you to easily preview content in context before publishing.
• Extensibility means that new functions can be added to the CMS through the use of modules, also known as ‘custom assets’.
• MySource Matrix possesses a powerful search engine module. It allows full text searching and thesaurus-based searching of content in a website or intranet.
• Metadata schema can be easily managed either manually or automatically by the CMS.