In January 2025, support for Drupal 7 will come to an end, leaving many websites vulnerable to security risks and potential downtime. After 13 years, support for the software will officially end, but there are still websites relying on the out-dated version. If you own one of them, does your business have a plan in place to mitigate the risk of using insecure software? In this article, we'll outline the key steps you need to take to ensure your website remains secure and compliant
What is Drupal 7?
Released in 2011, Drupal 7 was a significant upgrade to previous versions of the popular CMS and seen by the community as a defining version. Version 7 put more control of the content structure and usage in the hands of editors. It helped thousands of businesses increase revenue, brand awareness and reach and was the major version for the next 4 years.
What is Drupal 7 End of Life?
Drupal 8 was released in 2015 and introduced a major shift in the architectural design of the CMS. Version 8 began the journey towards an object-orientated design and closer alignment to the Symfony framework.
Where transition between major versions had previously been quite straight forward, this phase of modernisation introduced significant difficulties in upgrading. In many cases updating from D7 to D8 meant substantial redevelopment of existing sites, meaning high costs and effort, and as a result many sites still haven’t migrated. Drupal had planned for D7 support to end around 2020, but extended the deadline during the Covid pandemic to support businesses who were already fire-fighting. After some false starts, in 2023 it was confirmed that all support would end on the 5th January 2025.
Since 2015 the Drupal development team and community have still been identifying vulnerabilities in the core code of Drupal 7. They continued to release regular security updates that could be applied to legacy systems, protecting brands against financial losses, reputational damage and loss of customer trust.
After the End of Life deadline passes, this support entirely stops. There will be no more bug fixes, and most importantly no more security updates. Whilst your current Drupal 7 site still functions and might be up-to-date with patches today, going in to 2025 your site will be at risk from external threats exposing vulnerabilities in the software.
Leaving your brand’s website in this vulnerable state can dramatically affect your brand’s reputation. Consider how you would cope with personal data breeches, malware attacks, loss of customer privacy or a defaced website. Could your business handle it?
What are your Drupal update options?
We understand that, at times, there are more urgent priorities within businesses than redeveloping a website which is doing what’s required of it. Justifying the cost of a re-platform at a time when marketing and IT budgets are tight can also be difficult. However now, with just 6 months left before End of Life, it’s time to act. There is still time to beat the deadline, but only just!
Logic+Magic have been designing and developing Drupal websites since 2005 and our Acquia certified developers have decades of experience helping brands migrate old versions of Drupal to modern CMS architecture.
With no migration process available from D7 to D8, D9 or D10 and redevelopment the only viable path away from Drupal 7, now is the perfect opportunity to revolutionise your online presence and produce a website which shows your brand off in the best light.
By following a 3-phase approach you can evaluate your content, functionality, user interface and visual identity during Discovery. Modernise and secure your website by re-platforming on to a suitable CMS during the Build and benefit from reliable and robust programme of security updates Post Launch.
Of course, there is a huge investment of time required to re-develop and existing website, both from an agency partner and your own internal stakeholders, so it’s critical to have a plan in place for delivery, including timelines and clear goals for what you want to achieve within the project. Make sure you select a partner who can support you as much as you need and has a track record of delivering high quality digital products.
Next steps
As we approach the January 2025 deadline, it's crucial to take immediate action to ensure your website remains secure and compliant. By migrating from Drupal 7, you'll not only avoid potential security risks but also unlock new features and improve your customer’s online experience of your brand.
Take control and choose Logic+Magic as your trusted partner for a successful re-platform project – schedule a consultation with our expert team today so we can evaluate your existing online offering and deliver you a secure, optimised, and engaging new website that showcases your brand.
Want to learn more about Drupal 7 end of life? Watch our Drupal 7 Masterclass.
Software Services Director
