Phase2 'appifies' its Drupal-based CMS for gov
Connecting state and local government leaders
Drupal content management firm Phase2 launched OpenPublic 1.0, an open source CMS for government projects and programs.
Phase2, which develops web-based content management and collaboration applications, launched OpenPublic 1.0, an upgrade to its open source Drupal-based content management system (CMS) tailored to open government projects and programs.
This new version of OpenPublic offers government-focused features in a secure, intuitive app-based Drupal distribution that is also fully compliant with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), the company said in announcing the product.
The company is partnering with Acquia to deliver a secure, cloud development platform for OpenPublic packages. Acquia is a software-as-a-service company that provides products and technical support for the Drupal open source web CMS.
“Technologies like Drupal have enabled governments to become more open by sharing greater volumes of content online,” said Phase2 CEO Jeff Walpole. “The next step is to utilize it to spur citizen engagement and provide improved digital experiences."
OpenPublic was designed to extend a web presence across multiple agency sites, according to Phase2. The company cited San Mateo County, Calif., as an example of a local government now using OpenPublic to support a platform of more than 20 departmental websites, each with different content requirements.
"OpenPublic allowed the county to maintain a strong central brand while meeting user demand for autonomy and flexibility," said Beverly Thames, the content and collaboration manager for San Mateo County. "County leadership could only be convinced to adopt open source if they were assured the system was secure and accessible, OpenPublic delivered both," she said.
Acquia chief technology officer Dries Buytaert, the creator of Drupal, said open source, community-driven solutions like OpenPublic, “are leading the way to government transparency.”
“They help agencies and organizations improve efficiency and increase sharing of information while making government content more accessible," he added.