The Challenge: Navigating Three Major Upgrades

When our partnership began, atDove relied on a legacy Drupal 7 infrastructure. As the platform grew, so did its complexity: custom modules for video management, tiered subscription billing, and automated CE certification created a deeply specialized environment.

The primary challenge was executing a series of foundational upgrades—7 to 8, 8 to 9, and 9 to 10—without disrupting the learning schedules of thousands of professionals. Each migration required a meticulous approach to data integrity, ensuring that user progress, certifications, and team administrative roles remained intact across different architectural paradigms.

Drupal 7 to 8: The Big Migration

We treated the Drupal 7 to 8 migration as a ground-up rebuild of the application layer. Custom modules for video management, CE tracking, and subscription handling were rewritten for Drupal 8’s object-oriented architecture. User accounts, content libraries, and subscription data were migrated using Drupal’s migration framework with custom plugins to handle atDove’s specific data relationships. We staged everything in isolated environments and ran parallel testing before the production cutover.

Drupal 8 to 9, Then 9 to 10

With the heavy lifting done in the 8 migration, subsequent upgrades were more methodical. We audited contributed module readiness, updated deprecated APIs, ensured theme compatibility, and validated every user-facing workflow. The investment in clean, maintainable code during the 8 migration paid dividends: each subsequent upgrade was faster and lower-risk.

WordPress Marketing Site

Alongside the Drupal application, we maintain atDove’s WordPress marketing site. This includes content updates, plugin maintenance, performance optimization, and ensuring the marketing site and LMS application present a cohesive experience to visitors and subscribers.

Our Strategic Technical Approach

1. The Drupal 7 to 8 Migration: A Foundation for Growth

The move from Drupal 7 to 8 was treated as a complete rebuild of the application layer. We rewrote custom modules for video handling and subscription logic to align with modern object-oriented standards. Using a custom-plugin migration framework, we moved sensitive user data and content libraries into isolated staging environments. This allowed for extensive parallel testing before the production cutover, resulting in a flawless transition for the end user.

2. Methodical Upgrades: Drupal 8 to 9 and 9 to 10

The investment in clean code during the initial migration paid significant dividends. For subsequent upgrades to Drupal 9 and Drupal 10, our team focused on auditing module readiness and updating deprecated APIs. This methodical process ensured that the core LMS features—including the video player and team administration tools—remained high-performing and secure as the framework evolved.

3. Unified WordPress and Drupal Management

Beyond the application backend, we maintain the atDove WordPress marketing site. This dual-platform strategy ensures that the public-facing brand experience and the private learning portal function as a single unit. We manage all plugin updates, performance optimizations, and design refinements to provide a cohesive journey from visitor to subscriber.

4. Ongoing Partnership and Maintenance

As a single-source technical partner, we handle the daily maintenance and security monitoring for both platforms. This holistic view of the atDove ecosystem allows for faster troubleshooting and smarter architectural decisions. By managing the full stack, we eliminate technical gaps between the marketing site and the LMS, providing a reliable experience for the DoveLewis team and their global audience.