Drupal 7 could be holding you back from a range of opportunities - ones that produce the very best web solutions and digital experiences, and help achieve business goals.
With most Drupal users still running Drupal 7, this means there is a huge number of businesses missing out on a range of handy features that come with running the latest version.
So what’s holding you back?
We understand that investing in a new version can take time and resources, but we believe it to be a valuable decision that will prepare your organisation for the future.
So, before we get into the nitty-gritty of the migration, let’s run through the key benefits that come with making the move to Drupal 9.
The first, and probably the most important to your IT team, is enhanced security. By upgrading your system you are future-proofing your platform, lowering your risk of security malfunctions, integration issues, and running outdated code. For users still on Drupal 7, this may mean you’re running unsupported systems or libraries without security coverage. By making the move to Drupal 9, you can enjoy the latest security features that will keep your organisation’s platform secure.
Organisations will be able to seek help and receive continued community support for Drupal 7 until 1 November 2023. After this date, you will need to purchase a longer-term support package. This support package will last until November 2025, but your organisation may still miss out on a number of significant new capabilities on Drupal 9 in the meantime.
Drupal 9 comes with a number of advanced features for its users.
To ensure users get the most out of their platform, Drupal 9 has been designed with the mobile experience in mind - from the installer to the module pages. Responsive design has been incorporated into all of its functionality, so changes can be made quicker and easier from multiple Internet-enabled devices.
Your organisation will also experience richer media management, with the ability to embed remote content such as YouTube and Vimeo videos on your website. This iteration of Drupal also features a Media Library module, allowing multiple users to easily add existing media assets to a site, as well as upload new items directly into the library, enhancing your file-sharing capabilities.
Users can also benefit from Layout Builder, a powerful visual design tool that offers layouts for templated content, customisation for templated layouts, as well as custom pages. You can choose from a range of layout options to suit specific copy or images for each page.
In the future, all upgrades will be streamlined and simplified, meaning it’s easier for you when running Drupal 9.
Security releases will be updated automatically, your platform will be kept up-to-date with regard to requirements and third-party dependencies, and the latest features will be added for your enjoyment. This future-focused architecture will save you time, effort, and resources.
So now you understand some of the major benefits of making the move, what’s next?
First and foremost, it’s important to know that migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 can’t be done with the click of a button.
With all the new features and changes in Drupal 9, some of the architecture has also changed. This means a migration requires stringent planning and alignment of your existing technology stack. You need the right partner in place to help - one with expert knowledge and years of experience; a partner that has a holistic view of your entire business and how an upgrade will benefit you and your customers.
Here at DCX, it’s our mission to drive memorable customer experiences and solve business problems for our clients. We put the customer at the heart of everything we do. So, with experience building in, and upgrading clients to Drupal 9, our expert team can do the hard work for you.
Acquia is a leader in digital experience. It is the enterprise arm of Drupal, and provides optimised services for Drupal through its Content Cloud offering including multisite, headless, and progressively de-coupled solutions.
Together, DCX and Acquia strive to make migrating, building, running, and extending our clients' Drupal 9 applications as seamless as possible. Tools such as Upgrade Status, Core Migrate Suite, and Drupal Module Upgrader guarantee you will be set up with the right code in place and avoid any issues.
One tool in particular, Acquia Migrate Accelerate, helps customers migrate on to Drupal 9 at speed.
Tried and tested, this tool has been proven to accelerate migrations by up to 80%. Thanks to the already-established migration environment, Acquia Migrate Accelerate automates the migration of your content, configuration, and community code, saving valuable time that would normally be spent setting up. Users can build and edit in a dedicated Acquia Cloud environment all whilst production sites can keep running simultaneously. Not only does this maximise time, but it helps to avoid disruptions to any active sites.
Acquia Migrate Accelerate also helps to eliminate any unnecessary risk by limiting and assisting with the challenges that come with Drupal migrations.
Users are able to preview data before it’s migrated to check for any content issues such as broken images. Messages Console will highlight any errors encountered during your migration and suggest recommended solutions to help resolve any issues.
Acquia Migrate Accelerate also helps to eliminate any unnecessary risk by limiting and assisting with the challenges that come with Drupal migrations. Users are able to preview data before it’s migrated to check for any content issues such as broken images. Messages Console will highlight any errors encountered during your migration and suggest recommended solutions to help resolve any issues.
We understand upgrading your web platform won’t happen overnight. But making the move to Drupal 9 doesn’t have to be a difficult one. We can help you experience Drupal at its best, and benefit from a range of innovative capabilities to produce a memorable experience for your customers.
Not only will we migrate your content and carry out the rebuild for you, but we’ll make sure your organisation is equipped with all the tools and knowledge you need to get the most out of Drupal 9’s flexible foundation.
If your organisation is running websites on Drupal 7 and you're interested in upgrading to Drupal 9, or if you'd like to know more about Acquia and the benefits it could bring, just get in touch. We'd love to hear from you!
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