If you’ve never heard of Drupal, you’re not alone. For most business owners, what powers their website is often an afterthought—until it becomes a problem. But behind the sleek designs and "Contact Us" forms of high-performing websites, there’s a system working hard to keep everything running smoothly.
That’s where Drupal comes in—and it’s why we attended DrupalCon 2024 in Barcelona, the largest annual conference dedicated to all things Drupal. This event is where the latest trends in website development, security, and innovation are revealed, and as a web development team focused on building future-proof websites for growing businesses, staying at the forefront of this technology is crucial for us—and for you.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the biggest takeaways from DrupalCon 2024 and why they matter if you’re thinking about upgrading your website or planning for growth.
What Is DrupalCon, and Why Does It Matter?
First things first—what exactly is DrupalCon? Think of it as the annual summit for the Drupal community, where the brightest minds in web development come together to discuss the future of this powerful platform. From keynote speeches and technical deep dives to panels on user experience and security, DrupalCon offers a first look at what’s next for websites powered by Drupal.
For businesses, this means:
- Staying ahead of trends in web security, performance, and scalability.
- Learning about upcoming features that make it easier to manage and grow your website.
- Hearing real-world success stories from organizations using Drupal to scale their digital presence.
Our goal in attending DrupalCon is simple: to stay up-to-date with the latest innovations so we can build websites that grow alongside your business—without costly rebuilds or frustrating limits.
Key Highlights from DrupalCon 2024
This year’s conference was held in beautiful Barcelona, where the atmosphere was as vibrant as the conversations happening inside the conference hall. Here are some of the key takeaways from the sessions we attended:
1. Drupal 11: A New Era of Simplicity and Power
One of the most exciting announcements was the preview of Drupal 11, expected to launch in 2025. While that might sound like "just another update," it’s actually a big deal for businesses. Why? Because Drupal 11 is focused on making websites faster, easier to manage, and more user-friendly—even for teams who don’t have a dedicated web developer.
Here are some features that caught our attention:
- Automatic Updates: Keeping your website secure and up-to-date can be a headache, but Drupal 11 is making strides toward automatic updates—so you don’t have to worry about missing critical security patches.
- No-Code Tools: Drupal is becoming more accessible with improved "drag-and-drop" features, making it easier to manage your site content without needing to touch a single line of code.
- AI-Enhanced Content: From SEO recommendations to content translations, Drupal 11 is exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline your content workflows and make your site smarter.
What this means for your business: A faster, more secure website that’s easier to manage and equipped to grow with you—without constant maintenance.
2. Scalable Solutions for Growing Businesses
One of the key themes at DrupalCon 2024 was scalability—a fancy way of saying that your website should be able to handle whatever you throw at it as your business grows.
One of our favorite sessions showcased how large organizations, like global nonprofits and e-commerce platforms, use Drupal to handle massive amounts of traffic, complex content structures, and multiple languages. But you don’t need to be a global company to benefit from Drupal’s scalability—it’s also perfect for small and medium businesses that want to build a solid digital foundation from day one.
Example use cases for SMBs:
- Expanding your service offerings and needing to add new landing pages seamlessly.
- Launching an e-commerce store and adding secure payment options.
- Offering customer accounts or resource hubs that require user logins.
What this means for your business: With Drupal, you’re building a website that won’t need to be torn down and rebuilt when your business grows—it adapts to your needs.
3. Security and Trust: Drupal’s Commitment to Staying Ahead
Cybersecurity is a growing concern for every business—no one wants to be the next headline after a data breach. At DrupalCon, there was a heavy focus on the security-first features that make Drupal stand out from more basic website builders.
The Drupal Security Team’s proactive approach includes regular updates, built-in protections against common threats, and customizable user permissions to keep sensitive data safe. Whether you’re managing customer information or processing payments, Drupal’s reputation for enterprise-level security means you can build trust with your customers and protect your brand.
What this means for your business: A website platform that prioritizes security, so you don’t have to lose sleep over cyber threats.
4. Real-World Innovation: How Businesses Are Using Drupal
One of the things we love most about DrupalCon is hearing real-world stories from businesses that have transformed their online presence using Drupal. A few examples that stood out:
- A healthcare provider used Drupal to build a patient portal that handles thousands of secure logins daily—offering a seamless user experience for patients and healthcare teams alike.
- An online retailer expanded their store to handle international sales, adding multilingual support and regional pricing—all without switching platforms.
These stories show that Drupal isn’t just for tech giants—it’s for any business that’s serious about delivering a great online experience and adapting to change.
Why We Attend DrupalCon (and What It Means for You)
This is our 4th year straight attending the DrupalCon Europe Conference and we're always impressed and the new lessons to be learned. The focus of the conference, at the end of the day, is to help Drupal shops like ours give their customers the best possible web experience.
- We Stay Ahead So You Don’t Have To: By staying up-to-date with the latest Drupal features and trends, we can build websites that are secure, scalable, and future-proof.
- We Bring Innovation Back to You: Everything we learned—like improvements in no-code tools and security—helps us offer smarter solutions that save you time and make managing your website easier.
- We’re Part of the Global Drupal Community: Being an active participant in the Drupal community means we’re connected to a vast network of developers and contributors. If there’s a challenge your business faces, we know how to find the best solutions fast.
Final Thoughts: Why Drupal Is Worth Considering
DrupalCon 2024 reinforced something we’ve known for a while—Drupal is one of the best platforms for growth-focused businesses. Its combination of flexibility, security, and scalability makes it a solid choice if you’re looking to invest in a website that can grow with your business instead of holding it back.
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