Planning and Executing a Long-term Umbraco Upgrade
Value and Impact
Future-Ready Stability
Upgrading to Umbraco 13 LTS ensured long-term security, stability, and scalability for ongoing digital growth.
Cost-Efficient Delivery
The project was completed on time and 10% under budget, maximising value while reducing business risk.
Seamless User Experience
Zero downtime and performance enhancements delivered a faster, more reliable digital experience for users.
Technology platforms such as Umbraco CMS follow structured release cycles, including short-term and long-term support (LTS) versions. Long-term releases are the most stable, secure, and cost-effective for organisations, while short-term releases introduce new features that may not be suitable for production environments.
For our client, a prominent regional health insurer, the looming end-of-life for their existing Umbraco version presented a growing business risk. Without an upgrade, they faced potential issues with security, performance, and ongoing support. Deepend partnered with the health insurer to strategically upgrade their website and joining tool to Umbraco 13 LTS, ensuring future-proof stability and enhanced user experience.
To address this challenge, Deepend developed a business value case and upgrade roadmap to move them to the latest long-term release of Umbraco. This upgrade not only secured the platform but also unlocked new CMS features to deliver a richer, more personalised digital experience.
The complexity lay in the fundamental shift in Umbraco’s codebase and page construction model. This required a detailed migration strategy, analysing each website module and mapping dependencies.
Using our proven technology-led project methodology, we created a roadmap that broke down every stage into clear deliverables. Deepend collaborated closely with the client’s internal team, conducting deep dives into each CMS module to determine what needed rebuilding, adapting, or retiring. This structured approach ensured clarity, efficiency, and alignment between all stakeholders.
Business Case
Every successful digital transformation project begins with a clear business case. For the business, the risks of staying on an unsupported CMS included loss of critical security updates and costly downtime in the event of a system failure. The upgrade to Umbraco 13 LTS delivered measurable business value by reducing risk, improving maintainability, and ensuring scalability for future growth.
Roadmapping & Analysis
Deepend carried out an in-depth analysis of existing modules, covering both the corporate website and the sign-up tool. This allowed us to build a delivery roadmap that aligned technical requirements with business goals. The roadmap provided visibility on timelines, dependencies, and effort, ensuring all teams had a shared understanding of project outcomes.
Testing and Risk
Given the mission-critical nature of the joining tool, comprehensive testing and risk management were non-negotiable. Using the roadmap as a foundation, we developed rigorous test plans covering inputs, outputs, and success criteria. This ensured smooth execution, minimised risks, and safeguarded against downtime during the upgrade process.
Results
Through strategic planning and collaboration, Deepend successfully delivered the Umbraco 13 upgrade:
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Delivered on time and 10% under budget
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Zero downtime and no defects at launch
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Continuous bug and security updates for 18 months under LTS
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Additional performance enhancements and customisation options
The outcome was a future-ready, stable, and high-performing CMS platform that supports the client’s digital ambitions. By combining a structured roadmapping with agile delivery, Deepend not only ensured business continuity but also provided measurable improvements to speed, security, and customer experience.
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