In a DNN multi-site case study, the University of New Orleans “needed a resilient, flexible content management system that could handle more than 200 websites.” Equally important, however, was the fact that they needed “a content management system that would be easy to install, affordable, and could integrate with systems like Active Directory.”
As a public entity funded by Louisiana taxes, the university’s resources were limited, which ultimately lead them towards an open-source CMs without licensing fees. In this instance, a proprietary and more expensive vendor like Sitefinity wouldn’t be an appropriate fit.
BBC uses Wordpress multi-site. Before standardizing on Wordpress, they used a number of systems, which featured one Wordpress blog. When it came time to standardize their content management systems, due to their positive experience with the blog, they selected Wordpress.
Since then, they’ve scaled up their Wordpress platform and have “a solid platform that is flexible and constantly being improved.” BBC found a solution that was a match for what they needed and subsequently found the multisite capability to operate on a larger scale.
Sitefinity successfully managed 111 sites; DNN did the same with 200; Wordpress powers one of world’s the largest news broadcasting organizations. Given today’s parity in multi-site capability, organizations should first choose the CMS that best suits its needs and examine multi-site accordingly.
Most likely, the selected CMS will have some sort of multi-site offering. If a family of 6 needs a car with 4-wheel drive, they wouldn’t purchase a sports car regardless of how powerful its 4-wheel-drive system is.