DNN is a powerful open source content management system and web development platform. With DNN (formerly DotNetNuke), various types of websites and web applications can be realized.

Due to the simple plug-and-play options within the system, a cost-effective, tailor-made website can be set up.

Since it may not be clear to every new customer what this entails, here is an introduction to DNN.
If anything in this text is unclear to you or you have additional questions?
Please contact us.

Since 2004, we have been developing websites with DNN, previously known as DotNetNuke. DNN is an open source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily edit the content of your website or create new pages through your web browser.

The great advantage of an open source CMS like DNN is that it is freely available to everyone. You do not have to pay monthly license fees to use it. The only recurring costs you may have are hosting and any maintenance or support hours.

Another benefit of an open source CMS is that it prevents vendor lock-in. With many CMS solutions that are not publicly available, switching to another provider can involve high costs. With DNN, you do not have that problem; you can easily switch to another service provider if needed. Of course, we hope this will not be necessary, but it does offer added security.

DNN is based on Microsoft technology (.NET), resulting in a very reliable, secure, and stable system. This applies only to the web server; you can naturally use a DNN website without issue from an Apple or Linux computer or a mobile device.
The DNN platform is continuously being developed and has proven itself over the past ten years with both commercial organizations and government institutions, for websites, intranets, and web applications.

An example of our support is the work we do for Dutch Customs, where DNN serves as an organization-wide intranet solution. We also assist a large accountancy firm in using DNN for their website. In addition, we support dozens of other customers, from sole proprietorships to large SMEs, hospitals, and schools.

DNN is extremely flexible in design. A basic installation already contains a large part of the components needed to build a website. In addition, many different extensions (plugins, modules, etc.) are available, both free and commercial. We offer a number of extensions as standard, and some are purchased per customer. If desired, we also build custom extensions for clients. Below is an overview that includes both standard and commercial components.

The CMS function within DNN makes it possible to create an almost unlimited number of pages. These pages are arranged in a hierarchical tree structure. The menu of the website is dynamically generated based on this structure. The menu is part of the skin (template, explained later) and automatically shows the pages for which the visitor has “view” rights.
Administrators can create, edit, move, or delete pages.

The content of the pages is freely configurable. According to the design, zones (“panes”) are available on each page where a content manager can place modules.
A module is actually a block with a specific function. Different types of modules are available with different functions. Examples include modules for text & image, news items, media, lists, forums, etc.
The basic modules of DNN already provide part of the required functionality. In addition, free and commercial modules are available.
If a specific function cannot be achieved with existing modules, we will modify an existing module or build a custom module.
An administrator selects a module with the desired functionality and places it on the page.
Multiple modules can be placed on a page if needed.
These modules can then be edited by users with the appropriate rights.

The website administrator can create users and roles.
For each role, permissions can be set to define what users in that role may or may not do. The most important permissions are “view” and “edit”.
These permissions can be set at page and, if necessary, even at module level.
There are also components available for DNN that allow integration with external systems. This can be done via, for example, an Active Directory connection or through web services.

An empty page already has a basic design in DNN, called the skin (in other CMS systems often referred to as a template or theme). The skin is essentially the visual layer around the website. It is built in advance based on the graphical design of the site.

A skin is made up of HTML elements, CSS, and JavaScript as needed for the visual representation of the website. There are virtually no limitations; almost any design can be converted into a DNN skin.

The skin can consist of multiple variants, for example for the homepage, internal pages, or overview/detail pages.

A key advantage of DNN is the strict separation of content and design. The use of a skin ensures a consistent look and feel across the website’s pages, which helps to maintain your corporate identity.
A second advantage of this separation is that when the design is updated, the existing content does not need to be changed. Therefore, when updating the look & feel, it is not necessary to rebuild the entire site.

One of the major advantages of DNN as a CMS is that the administrator edits or adds pages and modules directly from the page itself. It is not necessary to go to a separate back-office environment. After editing, the administrator returns to the edited page, and the result is immediately visible.
This lowers the threshold for many users compared to systems with an abstract back-office environment. Of course, there are separate pages for general settings and, for example, file management.

Below are some of the key functions and capabilities of DNN as a Content Management System.

The core of the CMS is the ability to place and maintain text, images, documents, and videos. DNN offers standard functionality for this in the form of modules. A major advantage of DNN is that it works using a WYSIWYG method (‘what you see is what you get’); for example, you edit text using an editor similar to Word. Content is managed directly within the page itself, not in an abstract back-office system.
After editing, the content manager sees the result immediately.

Multilingual functionality can be set up in various ways, depending on the desired scenarios. A site can be built wholly or partly in multiple languages (not all pages need to be translated). Additional languages can also be added later, and translation work can be done without it being visible to the outside world.

As mentioned earlier, the CMS has an extensive and highly precise permissions and role system. This means it is possible to let third parties (employees, customers, partners, etc.) log in, and very precisely control what these people may see or do on the site.

Downloadable files can be made available publicly or only to certain users and/or roles. This also works with the aforementioned permissions structure.

The CMS contains a highly configurable news module. This can be seen as an internal database of news articles. The system contains one main module where the news is managed. One or more images can be added to each news item. Through satellite modules, the news can then be automatically displayed on various pages, optionally in different layouts. This news module has many more features—too many to list here.

The system makes it relatively easy to create your own (email) forms for, for example, brochure requests, demonstrations, registrations, etc.

There are various solutions available for newsletters.
You can send emails directly from the website to both users within your website (who can log in) and users who sign up for the newsletter. You can use our email server, your own server, or a provider such as Mailchimp (a better option for large subscriber lists).

Configuring the system into a working website involves setting up the website.
These steps are performed by us and included in your quote.

 This includes, among other things:

• Installing and configuring DNN
• Creating an initial page structure
• Setting up and configuring multilingual support and modules
• Preparing forms
• Creating admin users

The result is an “empty” website in which the content manager—after training—can get to work.

DNN has a configurable search system. This allows your visitors to quickly find the right information. The options range from searching text on the website to searching documents on the server. Depending on your site’s needs, the depth of the search can be configured. Of course, the search function respects the permissions of the currently logged-in user.

The following functionality can also be added:
RSS feeds
Forum
Calendar
Powerful editor
Link redirect functionality
Cookie notification.
And much more...

We offer hosting on our own servers. This gives us full control over the server, the DNN installation, and backups. As a result, we can respond quickly to adjustments, disruptions, or emergencies.

You can also host your website yourself. Please note that the server must meet specific requirements. Additionally, there may be extra costs for support questions or emergencies if we do not have full access to the server.

We offer our customers a wide range of additional services related to websites and DNN, such as webshops, search engine optimization, etc.

The members of 40FINGERS are, and have been, actively involved in the development of DNN. Three of the four members were part of the former Core Team and have given dozens of presentations about DNN both nationally and internationally.
Timo Breumelhof is a DNN MVP, an acknowledgment for special contributions to the DNN community. Stefan Kamphuis was a Microsoft MVP for many years, a recognition of his knowledge of ASP.NET.
We truly consider ourselves DNN specialists.

This introduction to DNN is of course not complete.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.