Upgrade to Sitecore 10: Top Tips and Best Practices

Sitecore 10 is the latest version of Sitecore's industry-leading content management and digital experience platform. With powerful new capabilities like Headless CMS, recommendations AI, and composable DXP, Sitecore 10 enables you to deliver hyper-personalized omnichannel customer experiences.

Upgrading to Sitecore 10 is an excellent way to future-proof your platform and take advantage of the latest innovations. However, upgrades can also be complex. Here are some top tips for ensuring a smooth and successful Sitecore 10 upgrade project:

Plan Ahead and Assess Readiness 

Upgrades require planning, resources, testing, and downtime. Make sure to allot sufficient time, budget, and staff. Take stock of all customizations, integrations, modules etc and identify any issues early. Use Sitecore's Upgrade Readiness assessments to detect obstacles.

Upgrade in Stages

 Rather than directly jumping to v10, first upgrade incrementally to intermediate versions like 9.3 or 9.2. This makes change management easier. Tackle one version at a time, test thoroughly, and then move to next.

Leverage Containers and Cloud

Sitecore now provides Kubernetes and docker optimized SXC containers. Using containers streamlines upgrades and improves portability across environments. Combine SXC with a cloud platform for ultimate upgrade agility.

Account for New Requirements

 Sitecore 10 introduces new underlying requirements like .Net 5, Solr 8.6 etc. Audit your system and infrastructure to identify what needs to change, acquire new licenses if needed.

Prioritize Security Hardening 

Sitecore 10 emphasizes enhanced security with features like improved authentication, securable media library, csp headers etc. Develop a plan focused on harnessing these uplifts by removing legacy authentication, enforcing security headers etc.

Back Up Extensively

 Before upgrade, backup databases, file systems, source code repos and take snapshots of cloud resources. Schedule regular backup restore tests to ensure backups are valid and operationally ready to prevent data loss disasters.

Have Contingency Plans 

Despite best efforts, upgrades can be unpredictable in production environments. Always have a contingency plan like scheduling upgrades during low-traffic periods, keeping rollback strategy ready, and preparing a experienced on-call team.

Leverage Professional Services 

While DIY upgrades may seem economical, they often underestimate effort and risk. Leverage Sitecore upgrade PaaS like Upgrade Express or consultancy services to benefit from specialized tooling and fixed-fee packages that provide guaranteed outcomes.

Wrapping Up

Upgrading to the powerful capabilities within Sitecore 10 is an exciting journey, but one that requires meticulous planning, expert skills and careful execution. Use these tips around readiness assessment, phased progression, security hardening andbackup strategies to ensure your upgrade project delivers maximum value with minimum disruption.