The 5th major version of the Novius OS CMS, dubbed Elche after a city in Spain, is scheduled for release by mid-July. Join us in exploring the latest features with Anthony Bleton-Martin, Novius Founder and CEO of Novius, in an interview given for CMSday 2014.

Does this version mark a change in strategy for you?

Up until now, although we by no means neglected the front-office of Novius OS, we have given special attention to its back-office. This made the solution particularly well suited to large-scale, highly elaborate websites. With Elche, we have focused more on the front-office, in response to the need for simpler websites with a shortened set-up time.

What are the new functionalities provided by this version?

Novius OS Elche allows users with non-technical profiles to quickly create templates – even complex ones – with no IT development required, simply by filling in a number of fields. These templates can be created at any time, when building the site or at a later date. It should be noted that, because this version is based on Twitter Bootstrap, all the templates are automatically responsive.

Along those same lines, functional users can quickly and easily create static or dynamic menus, without the need for any development work.

Below : A Smile.fr-like website quickly re-created with Novius OS Elche

Are these functionalities also easy to learn?

Yes, at Novius we work from the principle that our CMS should be usable without referring to the instructions. Our Research & Development team includes a UX (user experience) designer, and together the team conducts a multitude of tests to maintain each version’s user-friendliness.

What are some of the uses of these new functionalities?

They respond to the need for limited scope websites, such as mini-sites for special events, crisis management sites and prototypes.

Do you expect these new features to open doors to a new clientele?

Yes, the possibility of creating websites more quickly and easily specifically targets the needs of SMEs with small IT teams, whose developers may not always be able to take immediately action.

However, the templates can certainly be enhanced by developers, as needed. This makes Novius OS Elche equally suitable to the more advanced needs of larger corporations.