Migration of content and data can be a large undertaking, complicated further when consolidating and modifying the data structure, or when rewriting content.
Our approach to migration projects is structured, based on our general project methodology. Since most migration projects involve both content and feature migration, we focus on planning early on, reviewing the existing site as well as any changes you may be planning.
We find there is no one size fits all approach and we’d expect to adapt as we learn more about your organization and can distribute the content activities in whichever way will best serve the project.
Flexible
Drupal gives you endless functionality and allows you to grow and pivot just as quickly as the web does.
The latest features in the current version of Drupal include a more intuitive user experience, increased accessibility, and improved user interface.
Secure
Migration to the latest version of the Drupal platform is critical to ensure that your digital ecosystem receives security and performance updates.
As part of the Drupal community, users are supported by the official Drupal Security Team who keep on top of the core code.
Scalable
Choosing Drupal is future-proofing your website. Since Drupal 8 the platform is backward compatible so the migration from version to version is set to be seamless.
Paired with the right hosting solution, Drupal can easily handle high levels of traffic, ensuring true scalability, working as the foundation for your enterprise-level organization.
The team's project management approach is outstanding. Their resources communicate closely with the client and always listen to their requirements. Overall, they deliver everything the firm needs.
Debbie McKelvie Gutierrez , Senior VP Operations & R&D, InsMark, Inc
Make the move to Drupal 10 and beyond
With the completion of the strategic replacement of the Drupal core framework to Symfony, complex migrations from version to version are a thing of the past.
While updating from Drupal 7 or earlier to Drupal 8 was seen as a revolution, updating to Drupal 9, 10 and future releases are intended to be evolutions, no longer requiring wholesale rebuilds and migrations to properly update to new data structures.
Expertise
ImageX was founded in 2001, has been a specialized Drupal web agency since 2006, and is one of the top-ranked Drupal web development agencies globally, offering a full spectrum of digital services.
We are currently the #1 ranked Drupal agency in the world for customer satisfaction, with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating, according to the third-party rating firm Clutch.co.
ImageX is a preferred partner for a number of integration and hosting providers.
Our Team
Many agencies will offset senior leads with junior or intermediate resources for cost savings. Due to the size and complexity of the average ImageX client, our resource model only has senior or lead-level subject matter experts.
Many developers are Acquia-certified front-end, back-end, or full-stack developers, or Acquia Grand Master-certified.
Global
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with our wider team working remotely in North America, Latin America and Europe, we provide a time zone coverage of roughly 20 hours/day.
Our team includes 90+ full-time, permanent staff, with 45 senior developers all highly experienced in Drupal.
Our wider teams have extensive expertise in Drupal projects, with specializations in digital experience, UX, UI Design, SEO, Accessibility, and Content Strategy.
D7 EOL has been extended
Drupal 7’s end-of-life is scheduled for January 2025. Discover how to make a migration plan and what you should have as part of your digital strategy checklist with our D7 EOL guide.
Results With Drupal
Questions? We have answers.
Can I stay on Drupal 7?
Although there is technically nothing preventing a Drupal 7 site to continue to operate after the end of life date, there are a number of factors that could affect the ability for it to continue indefinitely, such as hosting providers eventually forcing upgrades to the hosting software (e.g., PHP) that may cause errors, functional failures, or render it completely inoperable. In addition, if vulnerabilities are found or exploited, there will be no guarantee they will be resolved.
What if I’m migrating from a proprietary system?
Most proprietary systems include some method of retrieving content in bulk, which can be used to automate content migration to Drupal 10. These could include APIs, exports (such as in CSV or JSON format), or even a connection to the database directly.
In rare cases where no method of extracting content is available, a tool can be configured to read content from each page on the website automatically, provided there is consistent structure across each type of page.
Is there a direct upgrade path from Drupal 7/8 to Drupal 10?
There is no direct upgrade path from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 due to the extensive changes made to the content structure, underlying software, and theming engine in Drupal 8. Many of the modules and features available in Drupal 7 have equivalents in Drupal 10 that provide the same, or even better, functionality.
The upgrade path from Drupal 8 is direct, and mostly requires updating the core and contributed modules, while some work might be needed if you have any custom modules. There are tools to check if any work is needed on these custom modules.
What are the system requirements for Drupal 10?
Drupal system requirements are updated regularly as versions of supporting software are updated. These requirements are maintained here.
Do I need to re-evaluate my site architecture/design for Drupal 10?
If you’re migrating from Drupal 7 or another CMS, this is the perfect time to re-evaluate your site architecture and design, although it’s not required.
Considering the relatively low additional effort of creating a new design or at least refreshing the existing design, as well as the ability to perform user testing, information architecture, and taking the opportunity to optimize the structure and content model of the site, we always recommend considering these as part of a project. The design and site architecture need to be implemented, whether or not they are new or modified versus the existing site.
How do I ensure a smooth transition to Drupal 10 without disrupting my site's availability?
Creating a migration and launch plan is critical to ensuring a smooth transition while minimizing website availability.
The work for a Drupal 10 website should be done within a hosting environment that is outside the environments used for normal operation of the existing site so that maintenance and support can continue until launch time.
When the new website has been completed and thoroughly tested, and all content migrated satisfactorily, a planned launch window is recommended for a typically quiet traffic period, such as early on a weekday morning. It’s key to plan it for when support resources are available just in case something goes wrong
There should also be a content freeze over this period to ensure no new content is added to the old website that is not ported to the new site.
The process of transitioning to the new site is generally quick, since it normally just involves updating the DNS entry for the website domain to point to the new website, and this change propagates out to the internet within minutes.