We specialize in creating websites in which our clients can manage their own content. We have spent years creating our own Content Management Systems (CMS)*.

• EDU-CMS™ - a system for educational institutions based on ZD-CMS™
• ZD-CMS™

This system allows us to create a Website Manager for each client then enable and customize instances of common modules. It helps us create economic, dynamic, database-driven websites for clients who couldn't dream of affording this type of luxury before. Some of these modules include:

• Advertisers
• Advertisers Extreme
• Articles
• Bibliography
• Calendar
• Document & Image Requests
• Email Announcements with ZD-eNews™
• Gallery: photos, portfolio, testimonials, events, products and more
• Glossary
• Links: documents, favorites, resources, etc.
• News
• OSC Order Admin
• Personnel
• Site-Wide Search
• Secure Online Orders
• Website Pages
• We also create spectacular Dynamic Feedback Forms

How easy is it to interact with? Can you do email, fill in a form, know how to use an internet browser? Then you will find it comfortable to use our CMS.

*The ZD-CMS™ is server specific. All of our clients who use this system also have website hosting services with us.

The EDU-CMS™ is a customization of the ZD-CMS™ particular to Colleges and Universities with a Community of administrators, faculty, staff, students, and preceptors focused on the experiential training of their students. It enables Users of the system do the same content management as in the ZD-CMS™ plus manage experiential training-specific documents including, but not limited to, assessment forms, absent requests, affiliate agreements, enrollment documents, transcripts, and activity relationships including but not limited to preceptor availabilities, student rotations, and community reminders. All terms and specifications apply equally to the ZD-CMS™ and the EDU-CMS™.

The ZD-CMS™ is a multi-million dollar plus (and growing) server-dependent, software solution that is continually developed on a daily basis by Interactive Director Zee Marie along with Zee Designs’ talented Artistic Code Engineers. Current customers using the ZD-CMS™ consider it invaluable because it can be customized to their specific needs.

The ZD-CMS™ is developed with common, well-known coding languages. It is a system built on a modular schematic so that it is always current, timely, easily expands per our clients’ requests and offers each customer a website-specific Website Manager to maintain their site(s) with ease.

Here's a rundown of some of the some different technologies of the ZD-CMS™:

• Made for UNIX-derivative systems (Linux, BSD)
• MySQL databases (could work with other types)
• PHP code (version 5 mostly) provides scripting for dynamic websites
• The interface makes use of CSS, JavaScript, and modern techniques such as AJAX and DOM manipulation.
• Subversion and Git for version control and a custom solution for multi-server deployment.

 

TECHNOLOGY

The ZD-CMS™ framework is built for Unix-derivative systems such as Linux and FreeBSD. It makes use of the following technologies:

• Apache for serving resources. Apache is the most-used web server software and powers almost half of the entire web [1].
   
• PHP for server-side processing. PHP is a popular and proven technology for powering web sites. It powers the websites of Yahoo, Wikipedia, Facebook, Flickr, and many others[1]. It is the most-used Apache module [2]. In the right hands, PHP is secure, performant, and maintainable.
   
• Like every programming language, PHP has shortcomings and trade-offs that must be considered. Its syntax, compared with other modern languages such as Python, can appear complicated. Many online resources such as code libraries and APIs were put together by non- experts, so one needs to be discerning about third-party components.
   
• At Zee Designs, we adhere to high standards of code creation and always take security, performance, and maintainability into account.
   
• MySQL is used for storing data. MySQL is fast, reliable, and widely- used. Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP are often used in conjunction and work well together. The acronym LAMP is used to describe this powerful combination of software.
   
• HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for frontend interfaces. We follow standards closely to reap the benefits of accessibility, efficient delivery, search-engine friendliness, and many others. Our HTML and CSS code is semantic and clean while our JavaScript uses progressive enhancement[4] to ensure that all visitors can use our sites effectively. Usability principles are followed for an easy, smooth user experience.
   

SECURITY

Security is a paramount concern for us. We stay up-to-date on vulnerabilities and industry-standard practices for keeping our clients and users safe. We guard against attacks such as SQL injections, XSS, and CSRF, among others.

Whenever sensitive data needs to be stored, we use powerful encryption to protect it. We are experienced in using both symmetric and asymmetric (public/private key) encryption[5]. We always use SSL or SSH to protect sensitive communication.

Following are some helpful resources:

[1] September 2008 Web Server Survey by Netcraft
[2] PHP Usage information at Wikipedia
[3] PHP Usage Stats for April 2007
[4] Progressive Enhancement information at Wikipedia
[5] Description of Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption from Microsoft® Help & Support

Because Zee Design's solution is a software service, there is no hardware to buy or software to install. The solution offers rapid development capabilities and a full scripting-based API to enable our partners to roll-out and manage customized solutions for their customers. The interface is simple enough for non-technical business users, yet powerful enough for high-end administrators. One can think of Zee Designs CMS as a web publishing system.

User access is done through a Web browser, making it easy for companies with remote users to manage multiple Web sites with a single solution.

Site configuration is easy to set up because of its developer-friendly interface. Modules make it easy to install complex functionality. Add CSS for the site styles, artwork, and content, and a website is born. It is simple for end-users to update content because the formatting looks like their favorite word processing programs.