Drupal 7 to Backdrop CMS upgrades for complex applications

This presentation will discuss the Drupal 7 to Backdrop CMS upgrade process for two Stanford University web applications: Stanford On & Off-Campus Learning opportunities (solo.stanford.edu) and Stanford Seed Funding (seedfunding.stanford.edu). The presentation will cover the decision making process that led the product and developer teams to choose a Backdrop CMS upgrade over rebuild options, and will broadly outline the process for estimating and performing the ~550 hour upgrade.

The case study will showcase the success of a Backdrop CMS upgrade for highly complex Drupal 7 web applications, and will aim to provide a starting point and loose methodology for product and technical teams considering similar projects.

It is our hope that the ongoing success of Stanford University's two Backdrop CMS platforms and a brief outline of the process that led to these upgrades will help other teams tackle similar projects with confidence — and realize similar benefits as opposed to far more expensive and involved platform rebuild options.