To keep up with evolving customer expectations, businesses today need to deliver dynamic experiences across all their customers’ preferred channels. But if your organization is using a legacy version of the Sitecore Experience Platform (XP), powered by an older version of the Sitecore CMS, keeping agile can be complex.

This is because it’s both expensive and risky to reuse application code across different channels – meaning you could lack the flexibility you need to keep up with rapidly changing customer demands. And on top of its capability limitations, legacy Sitecore XP raises security concerns too, as it needs continuous updates to protect against vulnerabilities and ensure adequate product support.

Upgrading to a modern version of Sitecore with headless capabilities can unlock the agility that’s essential to developing truly adaptive digital experiences.

But you might be apprehensive about upgrading your experience platform, with concerns about an expensive ‘big bang’ migration where everything is moved in one go. In this blog, I will outline a more efficient and cost-effective approach – a gradual migration that works towards small milestones.

Starting your gradual migration
Taking a step-by-step approach to upgrading from your Sitecore XP to a modern Sitecore headless CMS has many advantages. Not only does it save time, effort and costs, but in some cases, it’s the only viable option. For example, if your location requires that you use a local data center, you won’t be able to access third-party cloud services such as XM Cloud (Sitecore’s SaaS offering) for your digital transformation to go headless. In this scenario, you must upgrade your current Sitecore platform.

A gradual migration involves layering new technology on top of your legacy Sitecore XP platform, creating and installing a Sitecore headless CMS framework using module packages. These module packages act as building blocks for headless and enable Sitecore to install resources into your system to make it available through API technology. Once you’ve created your headless framework, you’ll need to develop a content tree within it. This will help content authors understand the application’s function and flow.

This is a gradual transition, not a quick lift and shift migration, and it’s powered by a series of small steps that reengineer your system to work smoothly with a Sitecore headless framework.

Why move to a Sitecore headless CMS framework?
If you have a legacy Sitecore XP that uses a traditional CMS, you’ll need to update your front end as well as your back end whenever you want to change your application look and feel, as they both deploy the same content and are tightly coupled together. This slows your ability to keep up with changing customer preferences.

A Sitecore headless CMS lets you decouple your front-end content from your back-end system, with API technology forming the bridge that connects the two functions. This unlocks several benefits, including:

• Content reusability – You can create content once and push it to multiple channels and different devices such as mobile apps and smart watches.
• Flexibility for content authors – You can push various presentation layers and design pages using label components to create seamless omnichannel experiences.
• Integrations – A Sitecore headless CMS allows integration with any number of applications – without disturbing the back end. My top recommendation for integration with a Sitecore headless CMS platform (Sitecore XP, Sitecore Experience Manager [XM] or Sitecore XM Cloud) is Sitecore Smart Hub, as it includes Sitecore Personalize and Sitecore CDP (customer data platform). This means you can track user behavior and serve personalized content based on those behavior changes.

Preparing your content trees for migration
Developing a content tree within your new Sitecore headless CMS framework makes it easier for content authors to understand the relationship between items on the site, helping everyone to navigate content with confidence and get on with their tasks independently.

There are a few routes you can take when building your content tree. You could begin using legacy content as your base, deciding which pages to move to your new platform and which are redundant, before using your streamlined selection to create your content tree. Or you could opt for a greenfield project – targeting page templates one by one and designing the content tree afresh. Finally, you could reuse or make an existing content tree compliant with the Sitecore headless CMS framework, by inheriting the required templates.

Whichever path you take, implementing a content tree is a complicated project. Working with a Sitecore MVP (Most Valuable Professional) from Avanade can help you decide on the best place to start.

Your guide to Sitecore headless CMS migration
Avanade is your guide to embracing headless CMS with Sitecore. It’s our mission to understand your specific challenges, so we can design, deliver, and integrate your tailor-made Sitecore platform.

During our initial discovery phase, we can consult on the best headless framework for your organization, based on your requirements and current tech stack. And we’ll help you to maximize your budget with a targeted solution that has all the capabilities you need.

For example, sometimes we find that clients aren’t using the full capabilities of Sitecore XP, because they’re unaware of them and don’t need them. So, we recommend these clients scale down to the Sitecore XM platform or migrate to Sitecore XM Cloud. The XM platform doesn’t have digital marketing capabilities within its license, so choosing this right-sized option decreases costs.

We also have expertise in Sitecore’s SaaS-enabled, composable digital experience platform (DXP) products, and can advise on integrations for your Sitecore headless CMS including Sitecore CDP, Sitecore Personalize, Sitecore Connect and Sitecore Search. These components can be provided on a need-by-need basis, to help optimize your budget.

We’re ready to support you at every step as you transform your Sitecore platform for the future. Request a meeting to start your Sitecore journey with us.