The truth is the SMC would not be here today if it didn't provide a solution that filled a need and was above and beyond the capabilities of the open source solutions.

"Nothing in life is truly free"

Support:  SMC providers don't just sit behind a wall throwing out new versions of the software, we become your partner in technology.  The fact is you are most likely looking for a CMS because you either do not have the personnel OR do not have the time to build and support one yourself.  There's no reason to think this is ever going to ever change.  To take advantage of the open source CMS, you'll need to have the personnel in place to support and maintain the entire system.  Maintaining a piece of software is not a trivial task and requires substantial resources to do so.  We create the environment that allows you to focus on servicing your clients with what you do best, while we focus on servicing you.

Security:  If you are working with a client that is required or will be required to conduct security audits, open source systems are not an option.  Having access to the code makes the process of finding security holes to exploit an easy task for hackers.  Finding the vulnerability is half the battle.

Features and Flexibility:  The feature set, ease of use, and flexibility of the SMC currently far exceeds the open source solutions.  We realize this gap may or may not narrow, but I can confidently say there was a gap two years ago and there still is today.  The Intrcomm team has dedicated resources to ensure the SMC solution always stays one step ahead of the competition.

Define Free:  Yes, it is free to distribute, but it is far from free to design, set-up, maintain, and support an open source CMS web site. Are Drupal and Joomla! web solutions really free when they require you to staff an $80K person to administer them?  Whether you are paying for a proprietary CMS or supporting an open source CMS, there are costs that need to passed onto your clients.  We try to create an environment where both parties win.

To Many Providers:  Standardizing your client base on a system that thousands of web service providers offer makes it far to easy for your client to leave you.  While we are not trying to trap our customers on the SMC platform, at the same time we don't want to make it as easy as a phone call to switch to a provider down the street.  The SMC solution will differentiate you from your competition and give you a better chance of getting the business.

Customizations - If you want to customize an open source CMC, you'll need a programmer on staff that knows the system and has the skills to complete the task.  You can try your luck with the community, but finding the piece that fits the exact needs of your client is most often not there.

High End Solution:  For companies seeking a new web provider, the open source solution is more often than not going to be the cheapest proposal on the table.  Do you want to be the cheapest solution?  Or, do you want to be the best solution that your customers will pay a little more for?  I've always found that customers looking for "cheap" are always the most difficult to deal with.

We could go on and on with this but you most likely have already done your research and are probably up to speed on the Open versus Proprietary debate.  The biggest difference is going to be service and support.  If you need it, then you should go with a proprietary solution, but if you don't the open source route is probably the best for you.