Questions? We've got answers.

Simply put: content management turns your website into a communications tool. No longer bound by the chains of html anyone can edit site content. Change text, write a blog, upload photos, video and documents with an easy-to-use interface that just plain works.

1. No programming skills are required to maintain site edits, which means cost savings as staff are enabled to update a site themselves.
2. Audit trail shows when and who updated content last. Helps avoid "I don't know what happened" moments when somebody accidentally deletes content.
3. Keeps your site current - are your competitors up-to-date? Now you are too.
4. Better search results for up-to-date sites.
5. Site design remains consistent from page-to-page and over time. Don't underestimate the value of this and its impact on your brand.

Yes! Our content management platform enables our customers to manage their site content using a simple web-based interface. You edit your site using a web browser such as Firefox, Chrome, IE7+ or Safari. Our intuitive software strives to simplify the web content editing process by guiding you through your website. You won't have to use a complicated directory based structure to manage your content. Click an edit point on the site and bam! You're editing that page.

No. Smallbox is a hosted solution, which means we host and manage your site. It also means we're here to answer your questions and deal with issues as they arise. If you need to add new functionality to your site we can do that quickly and easily.

Open Source has undeniably created some excellent software for the greater good. In particular the content management sector has several solid Open Source platforms to choose from. In fact key components of Smallbox are based on Open Source code. We use a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) stack to run our content management system. Smallbox chose to rely on our own product develop cycle. We believe we are able to quickly and effectively respond to market demands with new functionality modules that are fully integrated with our overall content management system. We're 100% confident that when we release a new CMS module that it will work and will use the same easy-to-use management interface that our customers love. Also, since we're in control of the development process we're confident that our code will continue to work even when we upgrade our software from one version to the next. Our approach has worked for the past ten years and will continue to work for the foreseeable future.

It goes without saying that if you talk to different people you will get different answers but these are common reasons we hear from our clients:

• Service: We are a company, you know where to find us, and know we stand behind our product. All staff are employed and know Smallbox inside and out. All of our work is done in-house and we do not outsource to contractors. We are proud of our high standards. You deserve the best!
• Support: Smallbox offers phone and email support to help answer any questions you may have. Our reputation is our business so maintaining excellent client relations is very important to us. We have many repeat clients and referral based work as a result. We've got your back!
• Stability: With Smallbox our programmers are the ones maintaining the code and versions. 
• Security: We have a world class network and contracts with leading government organizations requiring stringent security to be in place. Our software has been in development for over a decade and we are constantly learning from previous iterations. All data is stored in Canada.
• Speed: While our service level agreement (which includes hosting and some basic support) is more costly on an ongoing basis the network is optimized for speed as we are tailoring the service to our software with a focus on efficiency. You do not want your first impression to be a slow load time. Our experience shows that load times vary depending on the host but we confident that the speed of the Smallbox network would exceed that offered by the majority of the hosts.
• Sophistication: Smallbox was programmed with designers in mind. We have put a great deal of thought into the user interface and user experience. Front side editing enables you to be more connected with your content, the Rich Text Editor has been styled to look like it belongs as is the integrated file library. In a nutshell, you are in a cohesive system that always looks to bring the editor back to a common editing framework.

Smallbox is proud to be a Canadian based company with its headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia. Our Content Management System (CMS) was designed with security in mind and adheres to best practices in this area. Our CMS supports the following mission critical websites: BC Film Commission, BC College of Pharmacists, City of New Westminster, Exhibition Place, QuitNow and UBC Planning. We are familiar with government protocol and the need for Canadian based content and technology.

As a result we only use Canadian service providers whose business operations are based in Canada. Smallbox runs what are referred to as Managed Servers meaning we have the servers configured to our specific needs and they are available only to us. All server administration is done securely through the encrypted SSH protocol. This is further secured by only allowing secure 2048 bit key authentication (no passwords allowed). Our servers are behind a firewall.

The following questions are ones addressed by our server provider Robson Communications Inc.:

Q: Are all your datacenters located in Canada?
A: Yes. Our datacenters are located in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Having datacenters located in multiple geographic locations delivers the level of redundancy needed to ensure information and resources are always available – online and on-demand.

Q: Does Robson store information outside of Canada?
A: No. We only store information in Canada. When your private information is stored in the US it may be subject to American laws like the Patriot Act, which would in turn run the risk of breaking Canadian privacy laws. Whether you’re located in Canada, the Unites States or the European Union, your private information is more effectively and consistently legally safeguarded when it is stored in Canada.

Smallbox takes the overall security of our software and server environment very seriously. We review our software on a regular basis and sourced our current server provider based on their knowledge, expertise and track record . Separating the hardware from the software was a decision made many years ago to ensure there is a team dedicated to the security, reliability and maintenance of hardware just as we do for the software.

We are familiar with Canadian privacy laws surrounding the collection and storage of user data and have reviewed the FIPPA and PIPA acts and have been assessed and deemed compliant though other corporate projects.

Smallbox was created with graphic designers in mind. The software is intended to help you realize your design vision. We integrate our content management system with your creative, rather than the other way around. Our software is incredibly flexible, so we don't force you to design to our template structure. We're able to adapt our content management system to the design layout you provide us. Our production process is modeled on the print process, something you are already comfortable with.

Smallbox requires a layered Photoshop file showing the basic grid/column structure of the site; navigation styling including overstates; and colour values. We take it from there. Once your client approves the artwork you send us the files and we're good to go.

We have modeled our production process on the print process, something most graphic designers are already comfortable with. You are the direct client contact during the design process and you're still involved in the development process. Once you send us artwork, we will review the requirements, build a working site framework and review this with you in advance of sending the site to the client for approval.

A great deal of time and energy has gone into designing the Smallbox CMS platform to be design centric. Our goal is to preserve the design integrity of a site from one page to the next, and over time. There are many design elements that are built in the system, such as: image text that enables you to display page titles in a corporate font (coded as H1 tag); set image dimensions; copy edit styles based on the site's CSS; consistent html link styling based on CSS; and consistently styled buttons applied site wide. We are also able to configure the copy editor to streamline it's options, disabling potentially problematic options that might enable a client to break a page layout.

We know our product inside out. We know the design business inside out. We have developed hundreds of sites and been around since before the dot-com bubble burst. We speak Geek and Design.