100 Days After Drupal 7 End-of-Life: What It Means for Higher Ed, Government, and Your Risk Profile
Explore the real-world impact of Drupal 7's end-of-life on security, compliance, and operational stability—and what your options are now.
As of April 15, 2025, we mark 100 days since Drupal 7 reached its end-of-life (EOL) on January 5, 2025. This milestone carries significant implications for organizations and institutions still operating on this legacy platform. Understanding these impacts is crucial for maintaining secure, compliant, and efficient web operations.
Understanding Drupal 7's End-of-Life
The EOL of Drupal 7 signifies the cessation of official support, including security updates, bug fixes, and community assistance. Websites remaining on this version are exposed to increased security vulnerabilities and potential compliance violations.
The Drupal community has shifted its focus to more modern versions, such as Drupal 10 and the upcoming Drupal 11, which offer enhanced features and ongoing support.
Impact on Various Sectors
Higher Education Institutions
Drupal has been a cornerstone in the higher education sector, with approximately 80% of the world's top 100 universities utilizing it for its flexibility and scalability. Features like customization, multisite capabilities, and robust user permissions have made it ideal for managing diverse content types and complex organizational structures.
However, with Drupal 7's EOL, these institutions face challenges maintaining secure and functional websites. It is imperative to maintain security for your website past its end of life. You can either upgrade to newer Drupal versions or seek extended support options to maintain the integrity and security of your digital services.
Government Agencies
Government entities worldwide have relied on Drupal for its security, scalability, and ability to meet stringent accessibility standards.
The EOL of Drupal 7 poses significant risks, including exposure to unpatched security vulnerabilities and non-compliance with regulations such as FedRAMP and PCI-DSS. To mitigate these risks, agencies must prioritize migrating to supported Drupal versions or seek extended support options to maintain the integrity and security of their digital services.
Options Moving Forward
- Migrate to the Latest Drupal Version: Upgrading to Drupal 10 or preparing for Drupal 11 ensures access to the latest features, security updates, and community support. While resource-intensive, this transition is a long-term solution for maintaining a robust and secure web presence.
- Extended Support Services: For organizations unable to migrate immediately, engaging with certified vendors offering extended support for Drupal 7 is a viable interim solution. HeroDevs' Drupal 7 Never-Ending Support (NES) provides ongoing security patches and compatibility updates, allowing more time to plan a comprehensive migration strategy while maintaining the same level of security, compliance, and stability.
Conclusion
Reaching the 100-day mark post-Drupal 7 EOL underscores the urgency for organizations to address the challenges associated with operating on an unsupported platform.
Proactive measures, including migration planning and engaging extended support services, are essential to safeguard digital assets and maintain operational continuity. Delaying action increases exposure to security threats and compliance issues, emphasizing the need for immediate and strategic responses to this critical transition.
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