Guidelines for Drupal 8

The Drupal 8 launch is closer than you might think. Although Drupal 8 is not scheduled to be released until the fall, there is a lot of important ground to cover before your site can be upgraded. This is our short list of critical steps to ensure that you are ready for the big day.

Have a Site Audit Performed.

A site audit will help you to locate, correct and update areas of your site that may be in a state of neglect. An audit report will detail important adjustments and repairs that need to be performed to ensure that you are able to make the transition to Drupal 8. The audit process is the most important step in the preparation for the upgrade. It will identify errors in code, ensure that best practices have been followed, and most importantly give you the knowledge that you need to have your site in the best possible condition before it’s time to upgrade.

Employ Version Control. Drupal is outstanding when it comes to making quick configuration changes on your website

site via point-and- click but this can sometimes cause difficulties as well. It’s time to fire up version control and valuable Drupal 7 tools like “features” and “configuration management”. It’s time to start capturing updates via code and moving all of those updates to your production site. By developing this habit now; your Drupal 8 workflow will already be established and, if needed, you can always revert back if you encounter issues.

Audit Modules for Support. Almost every Drupal site includes some modules that are not in use. During a site audit modules are checked for current usage, current updates, and to see if there are newer modules which may streamline functionality. Although many modules may not yet be Drupal 8 compatible, your audit team will examine the Drupal 7 version and confirm that all modules are stable, and being actively maintained.

Apply Security Updates. In preparation for the new Drupal 8 core, it is also essential that you confirm that your security updates are current, and functioning as intended. Ideally, security updates are handled as part of routine site maintenance. If security updates have fallen through the

cracks, now is a good time to get your security up-to-date. Basically this entails upgrading to the most recent version of Drupal 7 before upgrading to Drupal 8. Regular security updates will help you to avoid this extra step, along with conferring the latest in security to keep your Drupal site safe and secure. If your company is lacking the expertise necessary to implement these updates, or you simply don’t have the time, the Drupal Geeks team has a group of audit and security specialists that can prepare your site, upgrade your site security, and get you ready for the Drupal 8 launch.

Ensure That Best Practices Have Been Followed. Does the custom code in your site adhere to the industry accepted best practices and standards? Ensure that your site code and API functions have been implemented using best practices. This will make your transition to the Drupal 8 core problem free, and help to ensure that your site functions the way that you intend it to. As the release of Drupal 8

draws near our team of experts is prepared to guide you through every step of the process to prepare your site, ensuring that you have the firm foundation that stable code provides.

Make Necessary Adjustments. This is also the time to examine and if necessary modify your site architecture and taxonomy. These are the core building blocks of your site, and by making the necessary changes and updates, your site will be stable and navigable in Drupal 8. The Drupal 8 core has many new features that allow users to make changes in a more efficient and intuitive ways. Familiarizing yourself, and your staff, with these functions before you are in the new environment will save you time, and help you to build good habits for your Drupal 8 work flow. This is of particular importance for users that are migrating from earlier versions of Drupal, like Drupal 6, to the new Drupal 8 core.

Engage Expert Help.

In your preparation for your new Drupal 8 upgrade, the last and most important step is to find a team of seasoned developers that can assess your current site condition, make the necessary changes, repairs, and upgrades. Drupal Geeks offers these services and many others to our clients every day. We have extensive experience with upgrades, migrations, repairs, and can always be counted on to follow only the best practices.

Based in Chicago, Illinois. We provide Drupal Development services for client throughout the country with offices in five states and three countries. Drupal Geeks been serving the Drupal community for more than six years. Our Drupal Developers experience in PHP, Drupal architecture, and performance optimization. Also help you on design, develop, install and maintenance.

Our Drupal Development specialists use Drupal as a starting point and build upon it using tools from the Drupal Development community, which produce thousands of plug-ins and extensions. If the existing tools aren’t what you’re looking for, we will modify or create a custom solution to meet your needs. Our Drupal development team has created and implemented custom CMS structures for corporate sites, blog, forums, wikis, online communities, and internet shops. With our extensive experience on over 80 CMS projects, our Drupal Developers can help you design, develop, install and maintain.