To invest in online cemetery maps, or not to invest in online cemetery maps, that is the question.

That’s the question that many cemetery managers face when thinking about upgrading to cemetery management software, at least.

Too often, inaccurate records and unreliable maps stand in the way of what cemeterians do best: serving families and providing comfort. That’s why cemeteries around the world are implementing cemetery software that streamlines record-keeping and mapping processes.

In this post, we take a closer look at two CIMS cemetery software products: CIMS Light and CIMS Gold. We’ll break down their key features and outline the big differences between the two popular software products.

Using a combination of paper maps, various records, and aging logbooks can make daily cemetery tasks feel more like a never-ending maze than, well, routine operations.

You empty every cabinet, trying to find lost files.

You pour over competing records, hoping to determine which is correct.

Maybe you even curse whomever kept the cemetery’s books 100 years ago.

Every so often, unfortunate cemetery errors make the news. While these mistakes aren’t common, the headlines cause a stir in local communities and across the deathcare industry.

Grieving family shocked to find someone else buried at their gravesite.

Burials exhumed after cemetery mistake.

Cemetery sells same plots to multiple families.

These situations are traumatic for everyone involved. Families are distraught. Communities are outraged. Cemeteries search for answers.

Cemetery managers wear a lot of hats.

One day cemetery maintenance takes priority. The next: comforting grieving families.

Through it all, one task never changes. Cemetery managers are always responsible for keeping valuable cemetery information safe and secure. They protect historical deeds, contracts, and records. They preserve financial and personal documents. And of course, they maintain what is arguably the most important cemetery document: the cemetery map.

Imagine this. You’re leading your cemetery’s Memorial Day efforts.

Every year, you and a group of local volunteers walk your cemetery grounds, placing American flags in front of veterans’ graves. It’s an important tradition. It honors their service and sacrifices. It brings your community together, too.

You could say that Sunset Hills Cemetery in Bozeman, Montana, was founded—at least in part—because of the local community’s kindness to strangers.

Let’s rewind. It’s 1872. Mary Blackmore is supposed to be heading to the newly established Yellowstone National Park. But while riding in a stagecoach from Helena to Bozeman, her plans change.

Imagine this. Doug is trying to find his great-great-grandmother’s grave. Doug’s mom says she may be buried nearby, but she isn’t sure where.

With limited information about his great-great grandmother’s burial, Doug isn’t sure where to start. So Doug does what most people do when they need answers. He Googles it.

Decades-old paper maps. Detailed spreadsheets. Interactive online cemetery maps.

It’s no surprise that thousands of people search for burial locations online every month. Locating a loved one's final resting place brings peace. But what happens when the family of the deceased—or genealogists—can’t find grave sites online?