Are you comfortable with your Drupal website, but intimidated by upgrades?
Many businesses are enjoying the benefits of the Drupal platform, but are still on versions 6 or 7. While an upgrade could appear to be an unnecessary hassle, delaying your Drupal 8 upgrade could be hurting your business for several reasons.
Drupal 6 and 7 Support is Ending
First of all, official support for both Drupal 6 and 7 is ending in November 2021. That may seem far in the future. But when you include annual budget, approval, and procurement cycles, plus a typical migration project timeline; you need to be planning your Drupal 8 migration project today.
Waiting for Drupal 9 Could Cost You Resources
There were some major technology changes in Drupal 8, so if you are on Drupal 6 or 7, the migration to 8 will require a significant effort. On the other hand, the upgrade from Drupal 8 to 9 will be relatively easy due to the similarity of code architecture.
You might be tempted to wait for the release of version 9 and skip 8. However, remember that you also need to consider the development of community modules for version 9 – if you try to skip 8 and wait for version 9, you could well be caught between the end of support for 7 and full compatibility of your needs in version 9 community modules. In the long run, upgrading to Drupal 8 now will give your team more time to focus on content and strategy when it comes time to upgrade to Drupal 9. Avoid the time crunch of a complete site overhaul.
Recognize the Benefits of Drupal 8 Immediately
Upgrading to Drupal 8 now will provide immediate benefits to your team. Many features that previously required customization have been included in version 8 core functionality. In addition to performance and security improvements, Drupal 8 includes a better experience for front-end users, an improved experience for admin users, and easier development.
Get Started With a Free Assessment
Not sure where to start? Atlantic BT can help you with a free preliminary migration assessment to help you scope your Drupal migration project. Contact us today to learn more.
