Sector(s)

Team Members

web247, dinu r.

Project Team

OPTASY development team, including Drupal architects and migration specialists
Wright State University internal IT and digital services team

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Organizations Involved

Community contributions

As part of this project, OPTASY developed reusable migration strategies and custom plugins that can inform similar large-scale Drupal migrations. The project reinforced best practices around multisite architecture, configuration management, and enterprise migration workflows.

OPTASY partnered with Wright State University (WSU) to modernize and consolidate its complex web ecosystem through a large-scale Drupal migration. The project involved transitioning nine interconnected websites from Drupal 7 to a unified Drupal 10 multisite architecture while preserving over 100,000 content items, 100,000+ files, and 12,000 user accounts.

The initiative focused on improving scalability, maintainability, and editorial workflows, while maintaining legacy functionality and ensuring compatibility with existing integrations. The result is a stable, future-ready platform that supports the university’s diverse digital needs.

About the project

Wright State University operates a broad network of websites supporting multiple colleges, departments, and administrative units. Over time, this ecosystem became increasingly difficult to maintain due to fragmentation, legacy architecture, and growing content volume.

Goals & Requirements

  • Migrate 9 interconnected websites from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10
  • Preserve over 100,000 nodes, 100,000+ files, and approximately 12,000 users
  • Modernize the content editing experience using Layout Builder
  • Maintain existing shortcode functionality while introducing CKEditor 5 plugins for specific use cases
  • Preserve custom views, modules, and external API integrations
  • Implement scalable configuration management for a multisite environment

Challenges

The project required addressing several technical complexities:

  • Migrating enterprise-scale datasets without performance degradation
  • Managing complex multisite configuration splits (shared vs site-specific settings)
  • Maintaining legacy shortcode functionality while partially transitioning toward CKEditor 5
  • Preserving complex content relationships and custom field structures
  • Updating and validating external API integrations for Drupal 10 compatibility
  • Overcoming memory and processing limitations during large-scale migration processes

Approach & Implementation

OPTASY implemented a structured, engineering-led migration strategy:

  • Designed enterprise-grade migration architecture with advanced batch processing and memory optimization
  • Rebuilt the platform using Drupal 10 multisite architecture with configuration split strategies
  • Developed 50+ custom migration plugins and scripts to handle complex data transformations
  • Built CKEditor 5 plugins to support specific custom functionality while maintaining CKEditor 4 compatibility
  • Implemented Layout Builder to provide a modern, flexible editing experience
  • Ported and modernized all custom modules, views, and integrations

Outcome

The project successfully delivered a unified and scalable Drupal platform capable of supporting Wright State University’s evolving digital needs:

  • 9 websites migrated to Drupal 10 multisite architecture
  • 100,000+ content items and files preserved with zero data loss
  • 12,000 users successfully migrated
  • Reliable performance at enterprise scale
  • Maintained shortcode functionality with selective modernization
  • Reusable migration framework established for future projects

 

The transition from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 was a major milestone for Wright State University, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner than OPTASY. The entire experience was smooth and well-managed from start to finish. What stood out most was their communication. The OPTASY team was highly responsive, addressing bugs promptly and providing clear, timely answers to our technical questions. They didn’t just operate as a vendor; they truly functioned as an extension of our team. We sincerely appreciate their support and partnership throughout this process. 
Jay Dewani Manager, Distributed Information Services. 
Wright State University.

Why Drupal was chosen

Drupal was selected for its ability to support complex, large-scale digital ecosystems with high flexibility and scalability. Wright State University required a platform capable of managing multiple sites with shared functionality while allowing for site-specific configurations and branding.

Drupal’s multisite architecture, robust content modeling capabilities, and strong ecosystem of contributed modules made it the ideal choice. It also enabled seamless integration with existing systems and provided a sustainable upgrade path from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10.

Wright State University Drupal Migration by OPTASY

Technical Specifications

Drupal version:

Key modules/theme/distribution used:

Why these modules/theme/distribution were chosen
  • Migrate API, Migrate Plus, Migrate Tools: Enabled structured, scalable migration of large datasets and complex content relationships
  • Configuration Split: Allowed efficient management of multisite configurations, separating shared and site-specific settings
  • Layout Builder: Provided a modern, flexible content editing experience for non-technical users
  • CKEditor (custom plugins): Supported legacy functionality while enabling incremental modernization of the editorial experience

These tools were selected to balance performance, flexibility, and long-term maintainability.

Drupal Case Study for Higher Education Website by OPTASY