At Gecko, we’ve helped countless clients build and maintain their Umbraco websites. But as technology evolves, so do the risks associated with running an outdated version of any CMS. With Umbraco 7 and 8 reaching their end-of-life, many clients are asking the same question: "Why should I upgrade?"
The short answer? Security, support, and the opportunity to future-proof your website. Running an outdated version might seem harmless for now, but it leaves your website vulnerable to attacks and technical issues that could end up costing much more than an upgrade ever would. Plus, by upgrading, you’ll unlock new features, enhanced performance, and a more secure environment for your website. But we get it—upgrading can feel daunting, and sometimes it’s hard to know when it’s really necessary.
To help break it down, we sat down with Marlon, our technical lead, to get to the heart of the issue. In this Q&A, Marlon explains the risks of staying on older versions of Umbraco, the benefits of upgrading, and what exciting new features are available in the latest releases. Whether you’re on Umbraco 7, 8, or even earlier, this is everything you need to know about making the jump to the latest version.
Q: What are the key risks of staying on Umbraco 7 or 8 after their end of life?
The main risk is security. Both Umbraco and Microsoft publish end-of-life charts, showing when they stop supporting certain versions. Umbraco is closely tied to the version of .NET it runs on. If you're using an older version of Umbraco, you're also likely using an outdated version of .NET, meaning any vulnerabilities in these versions won’t be fixed. This leaves your website exposed to potential attacks. Beyond security, there’s also the issue of supportability. If you encounter bugs or issues in outdated versions, there’s no one to turn to for fixes, and these bugs won’t be addressed.In contrast, when you're on the latest supported version—currently Umbraco 13 or one of the LTS (Long-Term Support) versions—you benefit from continued support and security patches.
Q: Can you explain the difference between "end of support" and "end of life"?
End of support means that while Umbraco will no longer handle customer support queries for that version, they’ll still provide security patches. End of life, however, means the version is no longer maintained at all—it’s essentially a dead product. No security patches, no fixes. At that point, it’s strongly recommended (if not essential) to upgrade because the software is unmaintained and vulnerable.
Q: How should clients decide between upgrading or replatforming entirely?
It really depends on your budget. Replatforming or redesigning the whole website can be more costly, but it brings significant benefits. At Gecko, we offer a cost-effective solution with our Go platform, which is perfect for small to medium-sized websites. It allows clients to not only upgrade their site but also use some of the additional budget for improved design and user experience. For sites with more complex needs, we can provide a more custom approach while still using Umbraco’s latest version.
Q: What about clients who aren’t ready to upgrade right away? How can they manage security risks in the meantime?
Honestly, there’s no foolproof way to avoid the risks if you're on an end-of-life version. Providers like Umbraco and Microsoft give plenty of advance notice to ensure businesses have time to upgrade. However, if you absolutely must delay the upgrade, we can offer temporary solutions like penetration testing or locking down your site to specific IPs. That said, these measures can be almost as costly as just going ahead with the upgrade itself, so we usually recommend simply upgrading as the safest and most cost-effective option.
Q: What should clients be excited about in the new versions of Umbraco?
The new versions of Umbraco focus on making content management easier and more efficient. One of the key improvements is in the back office, which has been designed to be faster, smoother, and more secure — making a noticeable difference for anyone working with content regularly. They’ve also introduced the Block Grid Editor, which offers much more flexibility when creating page layouts. Editors can build custom layouts without needing technical input, making content updates quicker and simpler. Umbraco Forms has also been streamlined, making form building much more straightforward for anyone who needs to collect and manage user data.
In short, upgrading your Umbraco installation isn't just about staying safe - it's about improving your website's performance and capabilities, and making it future proof for years to come!
If you're still running on an older version of Umbraco, take it from us, please don’t wait until it's too late! Get in touch with us today to discuss your upgrade options!