With D7 end-of-life coming on Jan 5, 2025, we were migrating all our sites off Drupal 7 starting Jan 1, 2024, carefully selecting platforms that were best fit for the needs of each organization. CPQCC, one of the sites we have supported since 2018, faced a challenge familiar to many organizations: modernizing on a tight budget. Their existing site, refined over years of thoughtful content strategy and feature development, had served them well and did not need redesign or restructuring. Additionally, both the budget and the website team are not very large. So the best option for getting off D7 was obvious here - Backdrop CMS.
Why Backdrop CMS?
We’ve talked before about the efficiency that Backdrop offers for D7 sites with architecture built on entity relationships, good information architecture, and fresh content. Backdrop provided a streamlined path forward without sacrificing functionality, even within a very slim budget.
Building a Flexible Future
With Backdrop CMS chosen, the development team got to work crafting a new theme. Using Bootstrap as the foundation, they created a theme that seamlessly blended modern functionality with CPQCC’s established branding. Bootstrap provided many of the necessary classes right out of the box. This approach not only saved time but also ensured a consistent user experience. The team also kept an eye on the future—CPQCC’s sister organization is slated for migration later this year. To accommodate this, they developed a flexible theme that could serve both projects. The goal was clear: maintain each organization’s unique identity while leveraging shared infrastructure for efficiency.
A Streamlined Migration and New Features
Thanks to years of fine-tuning, CPQCC’s information architecture and design were already optimized. This made the migration process straightforward in several areas. The team carefully preserved existing strategies while integrating new features offered by Backdrop CMS.
Much of the migration was fairly straightforward for those content types that were already working well. One big change though, was integrating “Landing Page” and “Basic Page” content types that were used in Drupal 7. The old landing pages content type was developed about 10 years ago utilizing field collections to set up a 3-across card structure, and it was the best possible option at the time. In 2024 with the out of the box Layouts system and Paragraphs Aplenty module, there was no need for custom configuration.
With new setup components such as cards, hero image, text and many others, we instantly got 3-card layout we had been using, and also enabled content editors to build pages with components on any page on the site.
“The client’s satisfaction with their previous site’s structure made our job both easier and more rewarding. Our focus was on enhancing what already worked while making the system future-proof.”
Looking Ahead
As CPQCC’s new site goes live, it represents more than just a technical upgrade. It’s a testament to how organizations can achieve impactful digital transformations on limited budgets. With Backdrop CMS at the core, CPQCC is well-positioned to continue its mission online and beyond.