SNIA Case Study: Migrating from Drupal 7 to 10

By Agustin Ducca, Tech Lead at Nika

At Nika, we believe a website redesign is more than a fresh face — it’s a chance to reimagine the entire digital experience. So when SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) approached us to migrate their Drupal 7 site to Drupal 10, we didn’t just see it as a migration project. We saw an opportunity to modernize their platform and elevate their brand identity in the process.

Embracing Change: The Reason for the Migration

SNIA’s move was driven by the upcoming end-of-life of Drupal 7 and the desire to refresh their online presence. But this was more than a technical upgrade — it was a strategic step to enhance user experience, simplify content management, and align the site with SNIA’s long-term goals for innovation and growth.

Overcoming Complexities: Challenges We Faced

The project came with its share of challenges:

• Content Volume and Diversity: The original site included hundreds of pages — blogs, multimedia, and complex data structures. Migrating this rich and varied content required careful planning and iterative execution.
• Module Compatibility: Many Drupal 7 modules were deprecated or had no direct Drupal 10 equivalent. We identified suitable alternatives or built custom solutions to maintain essential functionality.
• Time Constraints: A tight deadline meant we had to move fast, without sacrificing quality or user experience.

Collaborative Innovation: Our Approach

From day one, our design and development teams worked side by side. This close collaboration ensured that design decisions were technically informed and development was guided by user-centered thinking.

Instead of relying on layout-building tools, we implemented a modular system using custom Paragraphs tailored to the needs of the new design. This allowed us to:

• Improve Reusability: Modular components helped us create consistent layouts across the site with ease.
• Increase Maintainability: With fewer hard-coded elements and more flexible components, updates are easier and less error-prone.
• Speed Up Development: Reusable Paragraphs significantly accelerated development, helping us meet the project deadline without compromise.

Strategic Architecture: Building for the Future

We didn’t simply recreate the old site — we reimagined it.

• Content Simplification: We reduced complexity by consolidating content types and improving the editorial workflow.
• User-Centered Design: Every decision was made with the end user in mind — to make the experience simpler, faster, and more intuitive.
• Scalability: The architecture was designed to support future growth and evolving content needs without major overhauls.

The Result: A Revitalized Online Presence

The result is a modern, performant, and user-friendly website that reflects SNIA’s mission and momentum. The client praised the improved usability and flexibility of the platform, and we’re proud of how it turned out.

This project is a great example of how thoughtful collaboration, a modular approach, and a shared vision can turn a technical migration into a strategic transformation.

At Nika, we don’t just migrate platforms, we help organizations grow through design, technology, and collaboration.