For most business owners, having a website is essential, but they can be tricky to manage for those who aren't IT-savvy.
Local web technology firm
Origin Eight believes that it doesn't have to be that way. The company, which brands itself as a consulting group rather than an agency, specializes in a core set of technologies based on Drupal, an open source framework.
(Quick primer for non-techies: "open source software" involves freely available source code that anyone can use for building applications, and Drupal is an open-source content management system that's used specifically for developing websites.)
Because of the use of Drupal, Origin Eight's clients have more power to tweak their own sites, notes company founder Seth Viebrock.
"A lot of existing sites are built on solutions that make it difficult for users to edit their own content," he says. "Redoing these sites in Drupal is worth the effort, because it allows the end user to embrace this new way of doing things. Basically, our growth comes from people looking to make their lives easier."
Founded in early 2010, the firm has built some high-profile sites, including ones for
Justin Bieber,
Mariah Carey, and
Rihanna, as well as Boston entrepreneur hub
Greenhorn Connect and social networking site
swapbeats.com.
For the future, Viebrock notes that the company wants to grow in a sustainable and consistent way, and expand into other sectors like education. "We're always looking at other ways to differentiate ourselves, in addition to building awesome websites," he says. "But of course, we'll keep doing that, too."
Source: Seth Viebrock, Origin Eight
Writer: Elizabeth Millard