With Drupal 7 nearing its end of life, many enterprise organisations face the crucial decision of choosing the next step for their digital platforms. While upgrading to Drupal 9 or 10 may seem like the natural choice, a growing number of enterprises are recognising the advantages of migrating to WordPress instead.
Why not upgrade to a newer version of Drupal?
Upgrading from Drupal 7 to newer versions may seem logical, but in reality the transition is often as costly and complex as moving to an entirely new platform. Each major Drupal upgrade comes with its own compatibility challenges, extensive retraining, and configuration requirements.
What’s more, when considering a Drupal 7 upgrade, it’s important to note that Drupal’s approach to major version changes often means all custom work—modules, themes, and bespoke functionality—needs to be entirely rebuilt. Backwards compatibility is not a priority in Drupal’s architecture, making it unlikely that existing customisations will work on newer versions without significant redevelopment effort.
In contrast, WordPress excels in backwards compatibility. The platform is designed to ensure that even after jumping 10 major versions, most themes, plugins, and customisations remain functional with minimal adjustments. This reliability reduces the cost and complexity of maintaining and upgrading your site over time, making WordPress an ideal choice for organisations seeking a future-proof CMS.
With no guarantee of simpler transitions in future Drupal versions, enterprises risk ongoing cycles of major overhauls, making it a less sustainable choice. Here’s six great reasons why WordPress should be your enterprise’s next CMS.
1. Cost-efficiency in migration and maintenance
Upgrading from Drupal 7 to newer versions of Drupal involves significant redevelopment efforts, and can require as much work as a complete rebuild. This complexity not only increases costs but also risks project overruns. In contrast, WordPress migrations are typically more straightforward and faster to implement, reducing both the immediate and ongoing costs.
With a user-friendly ecosystem and a vast array of plugins, WordPress also reduces the need for expensive custom development over time, giving organisations better value for their investment.
2. User-friendly content management: Drupal vs WordPress
One of WordPress’s defining strengths is its accessibility to non-technical users, making it easier for content teams to manage updates, create new pages, and optimise for SEO without needing extensive development support. Drupal, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve, and teams might need dedicated training or technical intervention to perform routine tasks.
For enterprises aiming to empower marketing teams and reduce IT dependency, WordPress is a clear winner. A familiar, intuitive interface and ease of customisation mean that content editors and marketers can take full advantage of the platform’s capabilities right from day one.
3. WordPress is flexible and scalable for enterprise needs
WordPress is a robust, enterprise-grade CMS that powers many of the world’s largest websites. With a flexible, modular architecture and extensive scalability options, WordPress is well-equipped to handle high-traffic enterprise sites. Human Made’s expertise in this area includes scaling WordPress sites to meet demanding enterprise requirements, from robust security configurations to high-availability hosting. Our work with Capgemini on a Drupal to WordPress migration is just one example!
By choosing WordPress, enterprises gain access to a flexible ecosystem that can adapt to changing needs without significant platform overhauls, reducing the burden of future migrations.
4. Enhanced security with enterprise-grade solutions
Security is a top priority for enterprises, and WordPress has made significant strides in this area, with an active security community and frequent core updates. WordPress agencies like Human Made provide enhanced security layers and bespoke solutions tailored to enterprise clients, including custom security audits, vulnerability testing, and continuous monitoring. Our Director of WordPress Security, John Blackbourn, is also the WordPress Security Lead, so you’ll know your platform is in the safest hands possible.
Moving to WordPress not only eliminates the security risks associated with outdated Drupal 7 sites but also provides a secure foundation that can be further strengthened by expert partners. This is a strategic advantage over moving to newer Drupal versions, which still require ongoing management and expertise to maintain security best practices.
5. A mature and expansive plugin ecosystem
WordPress offers one of the largest ecosystems of plugins, which reduces the need for custom development and provides businesses with tools to enhance functionality quickly and affordably. From SEO to advanced analytics, there’s a plugin for nearly every need, and Human Made can guide enterprises in choosing, configuring, optimising or even creating the best solutions to meet their objectives.
The plugin ecosystem in WordPress means that enterprises can achieve a tailored, feature-rich site without the costly bespoke modules often needed in Drupal.
6. Future-ready with a strong community and open-source commitment
WordPress benefits from a vibrant, open-source community that continually enhances the platform. With an impressive release schedule, WordPress is always evolving to stay relevant, secure, and feature-rich. Our involvement in the open-source community allows enterprises to leverage cutting-edge features and community support, keeping them ahead of the curve.
Moving from Drupal 7 to WordPress also provides a future-proof choice that won’t require a similar end-of-life migration anytime soon, giving enterprises long-term stability without the need for repeated costly upgrades.
Embracing a future-proof platform after Drupal 7 with WordPress
Migrating from Drupal 7 to WordPress offers enterprises the opportunity to adopt a modern, secure, and scalable CMS that can grow with their needs.
By choosing WordPress, organisations can enjoy lower costs, enhanced flexibility, and access to an extensive ecosystem backed by a thriving community. For enterprises seeking a strategic, future-ready CMS solution, WordPress provides a smart, stable, and sustainable path forward.