November 09, 2023
For companies relying on the Umbraco content management system (CMS) to power their websites, staying up-to-date with the latest version is key to ensuring continued success. With Umbraco 8 reaching end-of-life in February 2025, upgrading to the newest release, Umbraco 13, within the next year is highly recommended.
End-of-Life (EOL) for Umbraco 8 is part of a phased approach. Umbraco is no longer investing in v8 development; shortly, the CMS will head into a security-only phase. During that time, only critical security fixes will be deployed. That security-only phase ends in February 2025. If you have a v8 site, you have a bit of time before its CMS backbone rides off into the sunset, but you won't want to wait too long to start thinking about it.
Migrating to Umbraco 13 can provide your business with a wealth of advantages over sticking with an outdated version. This article will explore the main benefits of upgrading and why making the switch is a smart choice:
Enhanced Security and Protection
One of the most critical benefits of upgrading is to gain access to Umbraco 13's hardened security enhancements. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, websites built on older CMS versions can become vulnerable to hacking attempts, malware, and data breaches.
Umbraco 13 comes equipped with upgraded security features and fixes for vulnerabilities present in older releases. This includes benefits and improvements like:
· Stronger protections against SQL injection, XSS, and other code-based threats
· Support for the latest encryption standards like HTTPS
· Ability to require complex passwords
· Quick security patches and updates
By upgrading, you ensure your website codebase, back-end, and customer data remain secure.
Improved Performance and Speed
In addition to security, Umbraco 13 provides major speed and performance upgrades over previous versions. The newer release takes advantage of the latest advancements in .NET framework technology for much faster load times.
Specific performance enhancements include:
· Optimized code infrastructure with reduced bloat
· Caching features to allow quick data retrieval
· Better support for modern hosting platforms like the cloud
· More efficient content rendering and publishing
These improvements can directly translate into a better user experience on the front-end of your website.
Access to New Features and Functionality
The Umbraco team is always innovating and adding great new features with each release. By upgrading to the newest version, you gain access to these latest enhancements that can benefit your business.
Some of the key new Umbraco 13 features include:
· Content pruning for cleaning up unwanted pages
· Ability to customize back-end UI design
· Enhanced content search and filtering
· New templating syntax and components
· Flexible, custom user dashboards
Taken together, these new capabilities can help your team be more productive and efficient in managing the website.
Ongoing Support and Assistance
Finally, upgrading ensures you continue to receive active support and assistance from the Umbraco team. Once Umbraco 8 hits end-of-life, there will be no further updates, fixes, or community support.
By moving to Umbraco 13, you remain eligible for:
· Direct technical support from our team and Umbraco
· Ongoing security patches and version updates
· Vibrant community forums and documentation
This gives you peace of mind knowing the Umbraco crew has your back going forward.
For any business relying on Umbraco, migrating to the feature-rich Umbraco 13 is a smart long-term choice. Let us know if you would like assistance with the upgrade process - our team of Umbraco experts can make the transition smooth and seamless.
