Santa Barbara Museum of Art
160% Speed & Rock-Solid Stability
With Drupal 10 Migration
Discover how SBMA transitioned to Drupal 10 to unlock performance, security, and long-term sustainability.
Industry: Arts & Cultural Institutions
Meet the Santa Barbara Museum of Art
A premier West Coast art institution welcoming nearly 70,000 visitors annually. SBMA offers rich educational programs and exhibitions that connect diverse communities through the power of visual arts.
- Location Santa Barbara, CA
- Founded 1941
- Market Arts & Cultural Institutions
Our Goals
SBMA partnered with our team to achieve the following key objectives:
Migrate from Drupal 7 to ensure long-term security and stability.
Retain existing visual design and core functionality to reduce disruption.
Improve responsiveness and page load speed across all devices.
Future-proof the platform for new features and integrations.
Resolve security risks by upgrading to the latest supported CMS version.
The Challenge
SBMA’s site was operating on a soon-to-be-obsolete Drupal 7 platform, introducing mounting risks and missed opportunities.
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Outdated Platform
Drupal 7’s end-of-life introduced serious security and compatibility concerns.
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Limited Scalability
An aging architecture made new feature development and integrations complex.
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Performance Bottlenecks
Page load speeds stalled at ~30%, weakening visitor engagement.
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No Redesign Plan
Needed a full CMS upgrade while preserving familiar design and workflows.
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Security Risks
Unsupported modules exposed the platform to ongoing vulnerabilities.
Our Approach
Our Drupal specialists led a full-scale migration, preserving SBMA’s visual identity while dramatically improving performance and backend usability.
Technology Stack
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Drupal 10.3.2
Modern CMS for scalability and security.
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AWS Hosting
Reliable, cloud-based infrastructure.
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Mobile-First Design
Responsive across all devices.
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Security Updates
Fully modernized protection standards.
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01
Complete Migration
Successfully moved all features from Drupal 7 to 10 with zero design disruption.
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02
Performance Uplift
Implemented speed and caching best practices for significant performance gains.
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03
Enhanced Security
Updated all modules and eliminated outdated dependencies.
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04
Responsive Experience
Delivered a mobile-first interface to engage modern audiences.
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05
Intuitive Backend
Streamlined content workflows to improve operational efficiency.
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06
Future-Proof Framework
Built flexible architecture for future enhancements and growth.
Business Impact
The Drupal 10 migration delivered measurable improvements and prepared SBMA for long-term digital success.
Performance rose from 30% to 78%, significantly boosting site speed and engagement.
Resolved end-of-life and outdated module risks.
Simplified content management and backend workflows for editors.
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Mobile Experience
Fully responsive design improved engagement across devices.
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Scalable Architecture
Ready to support ongoing innovation, integrations, and new features.
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Visitor Engagement
Faster load times and smoother experience led to increased conversions and interaction.
Research → Design → Development
Ready for the Future
By upgrading to Drupal 10, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art now runs on a secure, high-performance platform that meets the needs of modern visitors. The migration preserved their brand experience while empowering the organization with a system built for growth and innovation.
Still relying on Drupal 7 and concerned about the end-of-life deadline? Let’s connect. We’ll guide you through a smooth, risk-free migration.
Talk to Drupal Migration Specialists Today