Maximizing Your Sitecore Solution: Upgrade for Enhanced Functionality 

Is your web platform flexible enough to create new customer experiences quickly? Older platforms are typically more rigid, more expensive to maintain (we have seen savings of up to 75% in running costs when upgrading) and have a higher risk profile. If the answer is no, it may be time to consider a Sitecore upgrade. 

Do I Really Need to Upgrade My Sitecore Solution? Why?

By the end of 2023, version 9 of Sitecore XM/XP will transition out of Extended Support and into Sustaining Support, and version 8 will no longer offer any support options. If you are on these versions, it is time to decide on your path for an upgrade now. 

Benefits of upgrading your solution include:  

• Enhanced security and compliance without costly support subscriptions—the latest version ensures faster and better support while maintaining cross-browser compatibility and flaw repairs. 
• Lower infrastructure costs with simplified architecture and direct access to SaaS options (to forgo managing any infrastructure). This includes out of box support for containers and AKS. 
• The latest features to personalize your platform in real-time and access to the modern CDP, with extensive customization capabilities. 
• Access to the latest personalization features, marketing efficiencies and an easy-to-edit environment/backend. 
• The ability to retire other applications you were utilizing but no longer require. 
• The latest frontend capabilities to modernize your website, and improve the performance of caching, database, and site speed. 

Take Action!

An effective upgrade requires planning. There are some decisions that need to be made in upgrading that will take some consideration. This brings us to our second question, what is the right upgrade path? 

How Do I Decide on the Right Upgrade Path?

If your Sitecore solution is XP or XM, you will need to choose between upgrading to the latest version of the platform or migrating to XM Cloud—the composable SaaS offering that was released in July 2022. 

XM/XP and XM Cloud both have a future roadmap, so the best fit depends on individual circumstances. To simplify the decision making, consider these factors.  

First, let’s look at benefits of upgrading to the SaaS, headless, composable XM Cloud: 

• Lower operational overheads and simplified administration: No IT staff will be required to maintain servers. 
• Faster go-to-market time with quicker deployment of the website and digital experiences. 
• No future upgrade projects to plan for. The SaaS version will always be up to date. 
• More tailored licensing costs: Pay only for the services that you use. 
• Frequent incremental updates with an early-access. 
• Data residency in many regions. Unusually for SaaS software, Sitecore has made data residency possible for most regions containing an Azure data center. 
• A flexible and extensible architecture. 
  

In some cases, there will be advantages to upgrading to the latest XM and XP versions rather than moving to a SaaS solution: 

• Cost-effectiveness: If you have extensive integrations and customizations that do not need updating, these may be able to remain in place unchanged after an upgrade. 
• Different Features: There are some features that are handled differently in XM Cloud, and some are on the roadmap that will be released soon. Remaining on XP/XM will have the strongest feature parity.
  

Upgrade Now

Concentrix experts can help you streamline the Sitecore upgrade process and perform a compatibility assessment of the desired solution and your OS, .NET framework, and database framework.  Our connected team of experts can make your next Sitecore upgrade or migration a success.  

Learn more about how we can make your next upgrade a success. 

Talk to a specialist today.