CMS, Commerce & Next.js Upgrade Services
Move older CMS, commerce, and frontend applications to supported versions, adopt valuable new platform features, and reduce upgrade risk with a tested migration, deployment, and rollback plan.
Keep the whole digital solution supported
A platform upgrade is more than changing a package number. The CMS or commerce engine, application runtime, frontend framework, extensions, integrations, data, hosting, and business journeys all need to work together after release.
Vanitech upgrades systems we originally delivered and takes over platforms built by other providers. We start with a technical and business inventory, choose the right supported destination, identify breaking changes, and turn the work into a controlled release plan.
Our upgrade services cover traditional, hybrid, headless, and composable architectures. The exact work depends on who manages each layer. A self-hosted CMS may require a core platform and database upgrade. A SaaS headless CMS may already have a vendor-managed core, while your Next.js application, SDKs, APIs, webhooks, extensions, and integrations still require active maintenance and modernisation.
What We Upgrade
We modernise the platform layers your business owns and verify the managed services your solution depends on.
Optimizely CMS 13
Upgrade Optimizely CMS 11 or 12 solutions to CMS 13, including .NET, Optimizely Graph, identity, search, DAM, editor experience, custom code, content, and integrations.
Umbraco 17 & 18
Move supported or end-of-life Umbraco sites to Umbraco 17 LTS or Umbraco 18, with package, .NET, backoffice, Forms, Deploy, search, and custom-feature compatibility checks.
Next.js Applications
Upgrade Next.js 14 or another older release to the appropriate supported LTS version, including React, Node.js, routing, rendering, caching, middleware, build, and hosting changes.
Commerce Platforms
Upgrade Optimizely Commerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, commercetools, and custom commerce solutions across APIs, extensions, checkout, payments, product data, orders, and fulfilment.
Headless CMS Solutions
Modernise Contentful, Contentstack, Hygraph, Sanity, Strapi, and other headless implementations through SDK, API, schema, webhook, preview, extension, and frontend upgrades.
Cloud & Runtime Layers
Align .NET, Node.js, databases, search, build pipelines, serverless functions, containers, hosting, observability, and security controls with the upgraded application.
Headless CMS Platforms Still Need Solution Upgrades
A SaaS headless CMS usually updates its own core service. That does not mean the customer implementation is maintenance-free.
With a managed headless CMS, the vendor normally operates and updates the central platform. Your business still owns the surrounding solution: content models, application code, frontend framework, SDKs, APIs, webhooks, custom apps, preview, caching, authentication, search, deployment pipelines, and integrations.
Headless upgrade work commonly includes:
- adopting new CMS capabilities, editor tools, workflows, taxonomy, personalisation, or AI features;
- updating deprecated SDKs, API versions, GraphQL queries, webhook payloads, and extension frameworks;
- upgrading Next.js, React, Node.js, hosting adapters, build tooling, and package dependencies;
- reworking preview, caching, localisation, image delivery, redirects, and search indexing;
- testing content schemas and migrations without breaking published experiences;
- updating integrations with commerce, CRM, DAM, analytics, marketing, and internal systems.
We therefore describe this work as a solution upgrade or modernisation, even when the SaaS CMS itself does not require a customer-managed core-version installation.
From Estate Assessment to Verified Release
We inventory the current system, choose the supported target, map compatibility and data changes, rehearse the upgrade, validate business journeys, deploy with rollback controls, and monitor the production result.
Our Platform Upgrade Process
Every upgrade is planned around support status, business value, technical dependencies, and a recoverable production release.
1. Assess the Current Estate
We record platform and application versions, hosting, repositories, build pipelines, packages, custom code, schemas, databases, environments, licences, integrations, security findings, and business-critical journeys.
2. Select the Right Target
The newest version is not automatically the right destination. We compare Active or Long-Term Support options, product roadmaps, package compatibility, required features, operating cost, and the organisation's capacity for future upgrades.
3. Map Breaking Changes and Opportunities
We identify removed APIs, runtime requirements, database migrations, authentication changes, content-model impacts, frontend behaviour, deprecated integrations, and features that can replace custom code.
4. Build a Production-Like Rehearsal
We upgrade in a controlled environment with representative content and data. Automated checks and manual acceptance testing cover editor workflows, customer journeys, integrations, accessibility, SEO, performance, and security.
5. Prepare Deployment and Rollback
The release plan defines owners, backups, migration order, maintenance requirements, communications, monitoring, acceptance gates, and the conditions for rollback or incident escalation.
6. Release, Verify, and Support
After deployment, we verify the running versions, data migrations, business journeys, queues, logs, performance, and error signals. We document the result and place the upgraded solution into an ongoing maintenance plan.
Use the Upgrade to Adopt Valuable Features
An upgrade should remove risk and technical debt while creating a measured path to capabilities the business can use.
Editor Experience
Introduce improved visual editing, preview, workflows, permissions, content reuse, localisation, and structured content where the target platform supports them.
Performance & Scalability
Review rendering, caching, image delivery, CDN behaviour, database access, API usage, search, and infrastructure rather than carrying old bottlenecks forward.
Security & Supportability
Remove unsupported runtimes and packages, improve secrets and identity controls, update dependencies, and restore a predictable patch path.
Search & Discoverability
Preserve redirects and metadata, validate structured data and sitemaps, and improve content delivery for SEO, AEO, GEO, and internal search.
Automation & AI Features
Evaluate supported AI assistants, content operations, workflow automation, MCP tools, and governed integrations when they solve a defined business problem.
Commerce Improvements
Adopt safer checkout, product, pricing, promotion, customer-account, analytics, and fulfilment capabilities without compromising revenue-critical flows.
What We Test Before the Upgrade Is Complete
A successful build is only one checkpoint. The release is complete when editors, customers, integrations, operations, and recovery controls work as expected.
| Area | Representative checks |
|---|---|
| Content and editing | Login, permissions, create, edit, preview, publish, schedule, media, localisation, workflow, and rollback |
| Website and application | Priority pages, routing, redirects, navigation, search, forms, authentication, rendering, caching, and responsive behaviour |
| Commerce | Product data, price, promotion, cart, checkout, payment, tax, shipping, order, refund, customer account, and fulfilment |
| Integrations | CRM, ERP, PIM, DAM, booking, analytics, marketing, identity, payments, webhooks, jobs, queues, and error recovery |
| Quality and compliance | Accessibility, SEO, structured data, consent, privacy, security, performance, logging, and monitoring |
| Operations | Build, deployment, configuration, secrets, health checks, backups, restore, rollback, incident contacts, and support handover |
Choose the Smallest Change That Solves the Real Problem
Some systems need a version upgrade. Others need a staged migration or a new architecture. We make that decision before committing the budget.
- Version upgrade: keep the platform and most of the architecture, while moving the core application and dependencies to a supported release.
- Solution modernisation: keep the managed CMS or commerce service, while upgrading the frontend, SDKs, APIs, integrations, extensions, hosting, and feature set.
- Migration: move content, catalogue, customers, orders, or application functions to a different platform or delivery model.
- Replatform: replace a system whose support, licensing, architecture, performance, or feature constraints no longer fit the business.
We can begin with an upgrade-readiness assessment if ownership, code quality, package compatibility, or the correct target version is uncertain. The outcome is a prioritised scope, risk register, target architecture, test plan, release approach, and realistic estimate.
Questions About CMS, Commerce & Next.js Upgrades
Clear answers for teams planning a supported next version or a broader digital modernisation.
Plan the Next Supported Version With Confidence
Vanitech can assess your current CMS, commerce platform, headless architecture, or Next.js application and turn the upgrade into a practical scope, target architecture, test plan, release approach, and support roadmap.
Make an appointment for a consultation
Tell us which platform, version, frontend, integrations, and business journeys are in scope. We will help you identify the safest supported destination.