12 MYTHS ABOUT 1C-BITRIX: SITE MANAGEMENT"

For almost 5 years of website development on the 1C-Bitrix platform, I have often encountered various kinds of prejudices, and sometimes even absurd misconceptions about this CMS. In this article I will try to dispel these speculations and myths.

CMS (from the English Content Management System content management system) is a software that allows users to post or change information already posted on the site without involving site developers. This means that the user does not have to have programming skills to, for example, publish a news item, an article or add an image on his website.
I have been working with CMS 1C-Bitrix for almost 5 years, as they say: I made websites on Bitrix when it was not yet mainstream and I can safely say that this system now suits me completely and closes almost all possible tasks that a client comes to us with. I have managed to work with many popular CMS and some frameworks, and in 95% of projects I will choose 1C-Bitrix as a tool for implementation. It cannot be said that this system is perfect, it also has its disadvantages, which are absent in a number of free site management systems, but all its advantages more than cover a small number of disadvantages, which are becoming fewer every year, and the system is becoming more versatile and flexible.

1C-Bitrix: Site Management is a flexible and multifunctional system that is suitable for creating most projects from small to large and highly loaded portals and online stores.
Back in 2010, 1C-Bitrix had many shortcomings for which it could be criticized for a whole day in a row by two teams, perhaps it was from those times that most of the stamps regarding this system were made. Despite the problems that took place 5 years ago and are no longer relevant at all, I still sometimes hear the opinion that 1C-Bitrix is a shit bad site management system. To my question: "why do you think so?", most often the interlocutor cannot clearly answer or begins to give the only and most important argument, in his opinion, is that 1C-Bitrix is a paid system. That is, it turns out that we know that 1C-Bitrix is a shit bad CMS, but we no longer remember why.

I have picked up the most common misconceptions and questions from clients and fellow developers and will try to answer them.

1. We are a small company and we have a small budget. We have heard that 1C-Bitrix products are suitable only for large web projects.
1C-Bitrix: Site Management is suitable for almost any project, and the cost of editorial offices depends on the needs of each individual website. The total cost of the project often does not depend on which CMS is used. Sometimes it turns out exactly the opposite: when using the CMS "1C-Bitrix: Site Management", you avoid the development costs of many components and functions of the site, since they are already included in the editorial office, and it remains only to configure them correctly while reducing the development time.

2. Why should we buy 1C-Bitrix: Website Management if we can order a website on a free CMS?
The main advantage that you should first pay attention to if you are creating a website for your business is the guarantees that the commercial system gives you. This is characterized by technical support for your project, the release of regular updates, including security, assistance in solving any non-standard issues.

If you choose a free CMS, you will completely depend on the company that develops the site for you, the concept of alienability is not applicable here in most cases. It is also important that developers of free systems, as a rule, do not pay due attention to security. As a result, many vulnerabilities of such systems are known and are not closed for a long time, and this is a huge risk for business. Have you often heard about the found vulnerabilities of Bitrix? I haven't heard about them since 2010, but I consistently hear about new critical vulnerabilities in free CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal several times a year, which allow you to get either full or partial access over the site.

3. I have heard that 1C-Bitrix is crookedly written and demanding of resources, so you will need very expensive hosting?
Expensive hosting is required for projects with high attendance, with a complex structure and dynamic content. In such situations, there is practically no difference between a website made on 1C-Bitrix or on another CMS, since free analogues do not win much in resource requirements. It also happens the other way around, for sites developed at the Start editorial office, which are simple sites with low traffic, cheap virtual hosting is enough for 1 500 - 2 000 rubles. Also, the 1C-Bitrix platform includes unique technological tools that, when used professionally, allow you to increase the speed of the site tenfold, there are no full-fledged analogues in other CMS today.

4. I am a programmer, I want to make websites on a world-recognized CMS with a large community of developers, a bunch of ready-made modules and open source software.
1C-Bitrix is the most popular commercial CMS in Runet, which surpasses almost all free systems in its share. 1C-Bitrix is popular not only in Russia and has been translated into many languages. Since 2010, the source codes of 1C-Bitrix have been open. The community of "Bitrix programmers" is now very large and it is not difficult to get qualified help in some matter, especially if there is Russian-language documentation on the product. 1C-Bitrix already includes by default a large number of modules that depend on the edition, which allow you to implement most of the basic tasks, there is also a 1C-Bitrix Marketplace with a large number of ready-made modules, components and standard sites, both paid and free. And unlike most free platforms, 1C-Bitrix is regularly updated and at least 2 times a year presents a large release update with new system functionality.

5. Only amateurs make websites on 1C-Bitrix. I'm going to make a website on the most fashionable framing, because I'm cool.
This is a big misconception. At 1C-Bitrix, it is not difficult to make standard sites on ready-made solutions. To make a good non-standard website, you need to have good website development skills in PHP and Bitrix-framework. By making a website on any free framework, you assign yourself a lot of typical tasks that are available in Bitrix out of the box and are well thought out, both from the functional side and from the security side. The customer can spend a lot of time and money before he sees a ready-made website on a framework that will be inferior to a site on Bitrix in many parameters. The framework makes sense to use for very simple sites where no admin panel is required, or for very complex and loaded projects for which it simply does not make sense to use 1C-Bitrix, such a project may be a small social network or some large portal with specific functionality, but on such projects, as a rule, a large team of professionals works and makes it on their own framework.

6. I have heard that the sites on 1C-Bitrix are slow to work.
Lies and provocation. With the proper use of special technologies such as caching, CDN, composite, etc. and the correct configuration of the system, 1C-Bitrix can work faster than its competitors. To date, the CMS from 1C-Bitrix is more demanding of resources in contrast to competitors, but this difference is not great, especially these days when server capacities are increasing every day, and the cost of hosting services is decreasing. Yes, Bitrix is unlikely to make friends with hosting for 500 rubles a year, but it's worth considering, if you don't have a few thousand for hosting, is it worth starting a business on the Internet?

A striking example of the fact that 1C-Bitrix can be used on large projects are the sites of such well-known brands as Eldorado, SportMaster, Euroset, Svyaznoy.

7. Promotion and further development of the site on 1C-Bitrix is more difficult and more expensive than on other CMS
This is a complete misconception. 1C-Bitrix does not limit the site for search engine optimization in any way. Moreover, the SEO optimization module included in all editions of the product helps to make the work of promotion specialists more comfortable and efficient, facilitating many routine operations. Also, the system does not limit the possibilities for further refinement and improvement of the project in any way.

8. Is the 1C-Bitrix license purchased for only 1 year? And then buy again? Why should I update if my website is already working?
"1C-Bitrix: Site Management" is purchased for an unlimited amount of time. In the first year of using 1C-Bitrix: Site Management, customers are entitled to receive all product updates and technical support with a commercial SLA. Subsequently, technical support and updates can be extended for 22% of the cost of your editorial office.

It is not necessary to renew the license, the site will work without an active license. But we recommend all our customers to renew in order to get system updates, partner support and use some other nice buns of the system that work only with an active license.

9. I need a website with an admin panel and functionality configured for my tasks – it's easier for me to pay a programmer and he will write a CMS from scratch for me.
To date, only a tiny percentage of the sites created have unique functionality that cannot be implemented in 1C-Bitrix. Basically, sites solve similar tasks that are typed and the corresponding modules are already part of the CMS system. Developing this functionality from scratch does not make any sense today, and most likely will lead to huge time and financial costs and eventually to the collapse of the project. In addition, you will always be tied to the system developer, but even so, it is not always possible to achieve high-quality technical support after launch. You can also be sure of the security of your project – 1C-Bitrix products have been tested and certified by leading companies in the field of IT security.

10. Will we be able to edit the information on the site ourselves?
One of the important features of CMS "1C-Bitrix" is that with the competent implementation of the project, the system allows a person without basic knowledge of layout and programming to be able to edit most of the information independently (adding news, updating prices, changing the number of products on the catalog page, etc.).

11. "1C-Bitrix: Website Management" is a ready-made product, why do you need a developer?
"1C-Bitrix: Website Management" is not a ready–made website, it is a platform for building and managing a website. It happens that customers take a demo version, make a minimum of changes in the header of the site, fill it with their information and launch the project.

In general, creating a website is a technical task, which usually requires specialists. Even if the solution of a problem seems simple at first glance, a specialist can avoid difficulties and pitfalls from experience, offer a better solution and will do the task faster than an unprepared person after reading the technical documentation.

12. We do not need a 1C-Enterprise bundle with a website and in general we do not use 1C, so there is no point in buying 1C-Bitrix: Site Management.
These are two completely different products, and the presence or absence of one of them does not affect the work of the other in any way. A website based on 1C-Bitrix: Site Management is a tool for working with clients via the Internet, whether it is informing and collecting information, or selling services and goods via the Internet.

And what else?
This list can be increased several times, I tried to collect the main questions and misconceptions about the product.

Instead of continuing this list, I will write a couple of lines about what I value most in 1C-Bitrix. Most of all, as a company specializing in website development, we like that 1C-Bitrix always listens to its partners, customers and developers, because together you can make the product even better, many functionality is implemented in new versions, just at the request of customers and developers, it does not always happen quickly, but, if the functionality is really interesting, then it will definitely be implemented at the first opportunity. Also, 1C-Bitrix always shares its plans and the course of CMS development, which rarely happens with its competitors, who roll out their updates slowly and silently.