Manage multiple WordPress installations easily

At work, I’m managing quite a number of websites.  We have all the clients sites setup with their own account in cPanel and in quite a number of cases were running WordPress to content manage.  As the number of sites we’re managing is going up, maintenance is becoming something of an issue, and falling behind on an update is simple a no go – hackers are ready to take pot shots at WordPress installations at a moments notice, due to something like 15% of the webs top sites running it (http://wordpress.org/news/2011/08/state-of-the-word/).  This is where Manage WP steps in!

If you manage multiple WordPress sites on separate installations, this is a must.  It allows you to manage updates of themes and plugins, clean databases and revisions, bulk post pages and track comments and page views.  All really useful stuff! What impresses me most is that its still in BETA, and as a result is free to use.  I’m scared to think what the finished article will be like!

The interface is lovely, as it looks just like a WordPress admin console, so you feel right at home, and when it comes to adding new sites its simple.  Click the add site link, add the data required and it will attempt to install a plugin on your site (you login first of course).  If it fails, simply do it yourself.  You can view individual site dashboards, as well as create website groups as the number of site you mange increases.

I will say one thing however.  It seems a little scary, that a third party will have all this data on my sites and installations.  But that is the price you pay, the same could be said of Google, Facebook, Microsoft or Apple, and who knows, if WordPress continues with the rate of growth it is, it could see somewhat similar fortunes.

I cannot say enough good things about this piece of SAAS (Software as a Service).  It has made my day, and saved me a lot of hassle!

Note: For those of you whom are starting out with running multiple WordPress sites, take the time to investigate WordPress Networks.  It requires a small learning curve but is an elegant solution for managing multiple WordPress sites.  There is no need for a third party piece of software, and you could save yourself a number of headaches when setting up a VPS.  My hand has been somewhat forced when considering a solution, as the rate at which our managed installations has grown has been incredibly quick, and I was still in the process of learning WordPress when doing so having come from Joomla.