Drupal vs WordPress: IT teams

For IT teams, understanding the processes involved in maintaining, upgrading, and ensuring the ongoing health of their website infrastructure is crucial. That’s why the Drupal vs WordPress debate extends beyond content management and user experience to also factor in the complexity of ongoing maintenance, updates, and technical management that both platforms need. Let’s zoom in and see how both platforms cater to IT stakeholders, starting with WordPress.

Drupal vs WordPress: Key IT considerations

WordPress brings a straightforward process for updates, maintenance, and upgrades that generally require minimal intervention. Here’s what the process typically looks like:

1. Automatic updates
   WordPress provides automatic core updates, meaning that security patches and minor version updates happen seamlessly in the background. This reduces the burden on IT teams who would otherwise need to monitor for these updates manually. It’s not that enterprise websites go for automatic updates, they generally don’t. But these provisions can reduce overhead.
2. Plugin and theme updates
   Most plugins follow best practices and provide regular updates to fix bugs, enhance features, and ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress version. Enterprises using WordPress VIP can also rely on professional support to manage these updates, minimizing downtime and operational risks.
3. Security maintenance
   WordPress has a robust security ecosystem, with regular releases that address vulnerabilities. The community’s large size means that most issues are identified and patched rapidly. Managed hosting services like WordPress VIP take it a step further by providing additional layers of security and dedicated support for enterprise-grade security needs, such as real-time monitoring, firewall protection, and DDoS mitigation.
4. Minimal downtime and compatibility
   With its large pool of developers, the WordPress ecosystem is built with compatibility in mind. Most updates are backward-compatible, so upgrades do not risk breaking the site’s functionality. Even when new versions are released, the process of testing, updating, and deploying changes is often simpler compared to other platforms.
5. User-friendly tools for IT teams
   WordPress offers many features for monitoring performance, SEO, and security. Additionally, the platform’s multisite feature allows for centralized management of multiple websites, which is beneficial for enterprises with multiple subsidiaries.

Drupal, on the other hand, comes with a more intricate and demanding maintenance process. Here’s a breakdown of the process for IT teams:

1. Manual updates and core patches
   Unlike WordPress, Drupal does not offer automatic core updates. IT teams are responsible for monitoring and applying core updates. While this allows for greater control, it also requires proactive planning and testing, especially for enterprise sites with custom modules and complex configurations. Delays in applying updates can lead to security vulnerabilities.
2. Module management
   Drupal’s module-based architecture means that regular updates are necessary for all the modules installed on the website. Each update must be reviewed for compatibility with other modules and the core system. For enterprises with extensive custom modules or third-party integrations, this can be a time-consuming process, requiring developer intervention to test and resolve issues.
3. Customization-heavy maintenance
   Because Drupal allows for extensive customization, upgrades often require reworking specific functionalities or configurations. For instance, changes in the Drupal core may break custom functionalities, and IT teams must then spend time debugging, testing, and deploying fixes. This can add additional time and cost to maintenance.
4. Security patches and updates
   While the Drupal security team does an excellent job of issuing patches for vulnerabilities, the modular structure means more components are involved in security, and each needs to be updated separately. As a result, the process is more granular and resource-intensive compared to WordPress.
5. Dedicated developer teams
   Drupal’s complexity means that enterprises typically need a dedicated team of developers for ongoing site maintenance, monitoring, and patch management. Unlike WordPress, which can be largely managed by just a few resources, Drupal sites generally require an IT department with a deep understanding of the platform. This can be a resource-heavy approach, especially for organizations with multiple sites or intricate functionality.

WordPress vs. Drupal: Backward compatibility

One of the key advantages of WordPress when it comes to maintenance is its backward compatibility. Most updates released by WordPress are designed to be compatible with older versions of the platform, meaning that IT teams can update the system without worrying about breaking existing functionality. The WordPress core is highly stable and generally ensures that legacy systems continue to work seamlessly with new updates. This backward compatibility is especially important for enterprises looking to avoid extensive recoding or reconfigurations with each new version.

Drupal, while offering a high degree of flexibility, does not emphasize backward compatibility as much. As the platform evolves, it’s common for changes in the core system to affect custom functionalities or third-party modules. IT teams managing Drupal sites have to be ready for the possibility of extensive replatforming when upgrading, which can lead to additional work. (Usually this is the case with most Drupal version upgrades.)

So which platform requires less IT investment?

In terms of updates, maintenance, and upkeep, WordPress clearly has the edge in terms of ease of use. IT teams in WordPress environments can focus more on strategic initiatives rather than spending extensive time on routine maintenance tasks. 

The availability of managed hosting solutions like WordPress VIP further simplifies the process, allowing for proactive management and support.

Drupal, however, requires a higher investment in terms of developer resources and expertise to update and maintain the system. For enterprises with specialized needs, the customization offered by Drupal may be invaluable, but it comes at the cost of more complicated upgrade cycles, more in-depth testing, and a more demanding upkeep process.

Drupal’s managed hosting solutions, like Acquia, on the other hand, ease maintenance but require more internal resources to manage. They also lock you into the Acquia ecosystem where you have to default to some of Acquia’s solutions (like the one for personalization).

Final thoughts: Choosing between Drupal and WordPress for IT teams

For IT teams managing enterprise-level websites, WordPress offers a more user-friendly and low-maintenance experience, especially when paired with managed hosting solutions like WordPress VIP.

Drupal is generally a more resource-intensive option. For organizations with the resources to support ongoing customization and development, Drupal could still remain a strong contender.

Overall, WordPress’s balance of simplicity, powerful managed hosting options, and ease of maintenance gives it a significant advantage for most enterprises looking for a powerful yet easy-to-maintain platform.