Facing Sitecore end of life? Discover a new CMS path

Highlights

You’ll learn about why to switch from Sitecore to Contentstack:

• Security and performance: Sitecore's end-of-life exposes your systems to risks
• Cost efficiency: Lower total cost of ownership with reduced maintenance
• Flexibility and innovation: Enjoy agile, omnichannel capabilities with Contentstack's headless CMS
• User-friendly: Simplify processes with an intuitive interface, speeding up market response time

It’s time to use a scalable, future-ready solution.

There are numerous reasons why companies may retire their legacy systems. From ever-changing customer requirements to rapid growth in IT, while businesses end their services to upgrade to new ones, customers are left in a loom. And Sitecore Experience Platform (XP) customers are facing the same plight. Sitecore XP is nearing its end of life (EOL) because of the launch of Sitecore XM Cloud. Moving to the XM Cloud amounts to complete replatforming and rebuilding. As a result, customers are searching for more advanced, scalable, headless content management systems (CMSs). 

In this blog, we explain what the Sitecore end of life means, what challenges you might encounter when using its older version and how to migrate to a new platform like Contentstack. 

What is Sitecore end of life?

Sitecore's end of life is when a product (Sitecore XP) is no longer supported. Sitecore doesn't provide updates, help or security patches. When a version hits EOL, customers won't get the essential maintenance to protect their digital setup. Unsupported versions can leave your systems vulnerable and create compatibility issues. Understanding what Sitecore EOL means helps you make smart choices about moving to more secure and reliable platforms. 

Moving to more robust solutions increases security, unlocks new features and improves efficiency and business growth.

Challenges of using an older Sitecore version

Operating and working with an older Sitecore solution poses the following challenges:

Security risks

Older Sitecore versions are prone to security threats like cyber-attacks, malware infections and data breaches because no updates and patches exist. The attackers can exploit these points of vulnerability to gain access to a given system and extract whatever information they want. When your systems are attacked, your business data, client information and financial records become vulnerable. Using unsecured systems leads to operational losses, reputation loss and legal sanctions. 

Performance issues

Outdated platforms can barely cope with the current requirements and the needs of digital customers. When platforms cannot meet changing requirements, they often slow product response time, crash and reduce customer experiences. Such issues concern employees who depend on these systems to do their work and customers who expect an enjoyable experience. With time, these performance issues decrease productivity, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.

Limited features

When you use older software products, you lose the opportunity to work with features that newer versions bring. These advancements contribute to better end-customer experience and improve operational efficiencies. A new CMS might offer automation and AI features, user-friendly interfaces and data analytics tools. When you fail to upgrade, you miss out on ways to improve these processes and get insights that can trigger growth.

Benefits of migrating to Contentstack

While moving to Sitecore XM Cloud is an option, most businesses can benefit from migrating to Contentstack because of these reasons:

Lower total cost of ownership

Managing a traditional CMS platform like Sitecore XP involves substantial investments in infrastructure, ongoing maintenance and specialized developer resources. Outside of the initial platform cost, you are charged for add-ons, upgrades and specialized support. Headless solutions address these financial burdens by reducing the need for extensive backend modifications, promoting cost efficiency over time.

Higher flexibility and agility

The monolithic architecture of Sitecore XP restricts the rapid deployment of content and adaptation to market shifts. With its decoupled structure, a headless CMS like Contentstack can innovate and execute content strategies across multiple channels. You’re no longer confined to a single front-end framework.

Lower learning curve

Sitecore has a steeper learning curve, and you rely on legacy frameworks that restrict its use to specialists and Sitecore developers. Headless solutions offer intuitive interfaces, helping your teams concentrate on creative and strategic content initiatives rather than facing technical hurdles.

Faster time to market

Long development cycles decrease your company's ability to respond to changing market demands. The headless approach increases your deployment timeframes, providing a quicker go-to-market strategy that meets the changing market and customer preferences.

Deliver consistent and omnichannel experience

With traditional CMS, maintaining a cohesive brand experience across multiple channels is challenging. That’s why companies search for headless solutions that ensure consistent and omnichannel experiences across various channels. This leads to higher customer interaction and customer loyalty.

Steps to migrate to new platforms like Contentstack

1. Evaluate your existing systems and needs

Evaluate your current Sitecore setup to analyze what’s working and what’s not. Pinpoint the pain points you faced with Sitecore but hope to overcome with Contentstack. Having such clarity sets realistic goals for the migration process. Answer these questions to know whether your new platform is the right option for you:

• Do they support the technology you offer?
• Does it provide a headless architecture?
• Does the platform support multiple languages?
• How efficient is content management using the platform?
• Does it support content versioning?
• Are there robust security features to protect your data and content?
• How user-friendly is the platform for non-technical users?
• How scalable is the platform, and can it handle increased content demand?

While these are just the starting point, the answers help you choose a perfectly customized platform that meets your needs. 

2. Plan your migration strategy

Create a clear migration plan with specific information, including the work you want to perform, when the work will be done and what tools and resources you will use. This strategy covers migration processes such as data transfer and allows you to integrate with your existing systems and apps. When planning your migration strategy, assign roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability.

3. Prepare data and content for transfer

Conduct an audit of your data and content to determine what you can migrate. To do so, clean and organize your data, archive outdated content and ensure the content structure aligns with the new platform’s capabilities. Preparing your data and content for transfer avoids data loss and ensures consistency.

4. Execute the migration

It’s time to transfer or migrate everything from Sitecore to Contentstack. You can use migration tools or custom scripts to transfer information. Next, monitor the migration process to ensure smooth data and content transfer.

5. Test and validate

After moving your data, test and validate Contentstack to ensure that all the data and content are correctly transferred and that integration is error-free. Testing your migration can identify problems early on.

6. Train your team

Last but not least, ensure that your team is comfortable using Contentstack. Provide seminars to help them understand its functionalities and features. The goal is to encourage users to use the platform confidently and explore new capabilities.

Case study: How did Simmons & Simmons migrate their content with Contentstack's Headless CMS?

Simmons & Simmons were using Sitecore CMS, which was challenging because of its intensive manual processes. The company migrated to Contentstack's headless CMS to increase creativity and control and solve issues like manual updates, content mismatches and unauthorized changes. After using Contentstack, they have better control over content presentation and can manage content without rewriting code. Contentstack’s features created flexible page layouts and personalized content. This migration made content updates faster, encouraged creative thinking and improved control.

After using Contentstack, Taslima Yousuf, Digital Business Analyst, said:

“There’s no doubt that we can manage our systems better. Upgrading to new versions or packages is so much easier and we can connect two different sites through data models, while still using one CMS to manage both and control them together. And we’ve built in our access management software so that we can keep the same level of control.”

Read the complete case study here. 

Planning for future needs

To avoid facing Sitecore end-of-service challenges, it’s time to future-proof your digital strategies. That’s where composable architecture comes in. A composable architecture provides unparalleled flexibility as it decouples the various components of digital solutions, allowing you to select and integrate the best-in-class services. You no longer have to worry about integrating your systems with your existing apps and tools.

Contentstack's headless CMS supports the composable architecture. It offers API-first capabilities that ensure easy integration with various tools and services. 

Such a modular approach empowers Sitecore XP users to overcome the limitations of traditional monolithic systems, ensuring they can respond to emerging trends and customer expectations. Using Contentstack, your systems become flexible and scalable, and you can create unique experiences on all digital platforms. 

As you plan for future needs, a composable architecture delivers strategic advantages, reduces time to market and positions you as a leader for ongoing innovation and growth.

FAQs

What are the main advantages of using Contentstack over Sitecore XP?

Due to its headless architecture, moving your platform to Contentstack ensures easier integration with today’s technology and other platforms. It also provides a higher user experience and ensures faster load times and smooth interactions. 

What kind of support does Contentstack provide during the migration process?

Contentstack offers many support features, such as detailed documentation, resources and migration tips. The support team helps you plan and evaluate your data migration to avoid interruptions.

Can Contentstack improve your team's productivity?

Yes, Contentstack increases your team's efficiency. This platform’s easy-to-use interface and features reduce the reliance on the development team. Your team's effort goes into creative and strategic decision-making. This ensures faster content delivery and better results.

Does migrating to Contentstack lowers your costs?

Migrating to Contentstack saves money, as you don’t have to depend on developers for updates and modifications. Its scalable architecture grows your business without draining your pocket.

Learn more

Choosing the right CMS is not replacing old ones with new ones and expecting a different outcome. It’s more about faster development and providing customers with omnichannel experiences. That’s where Contentstack comes in. The platform makes your systems flexible and scalable and delivers consistent and individual experiences. To learn how we can help you migrate from Sitecore XP to Contentstack, talk to us.