Migration decision framework

Use this framework to evaluate whether migrating to an Optimizely Graph–based architecture is appropriate for your solution. The guidance focuses on technical readiness, operational impact, and long-term scalability.

When migration is a good fit

Migration is typically a strong option when you require greater flexibility, scalability, or integration capabilities than traditional CMS architectures provide.

Consider migrating when you:

• Run CMS 12 or earlier and want to modernize your content delivery architecture.
• Require GraphQL APIs to support headless, hybrid, or multi-channel experiences.
• Need semantic search, structured querying, or advanced filtering capabilities.
• Integrate content with external systems such as commerce platforms, marketing tools, or custom applications.
• Are comfortable managing content models, queries, and automation through APIs and code.

In these scenarios, Optimizely Graph provides a scalable, API-first foundation that supports modern frontend frameworks and distributed systems.

When to evaluate carefully

Migration may require additional planning if your current implementation depends on features that are tightly coupled to the CMS user interface or server-side workflows.

Evaluate carefully when you:

• Rely heavily on the CMS administrative UI for daily content management.
• Use built-in analytics or reporting features to drive editorial or business decisions.
• Depend on server-side rendering patterns that are difficult to decouple from the CMS.
• Have limited development resources or minimal experience with GraphQL and API-driven workflows.

In these cases, migration can still be successful, but it often requires additional tooling, process changes, or training.

Key trade-offs

Optimizely Graph introduces a modern, API-first architecture that enables flexible content delivery, advanced querying, and improved integration options. The trade-off is a shift from UI-centric administration to API-driven workflows. Teams must manage more configuration and automation through code rather than through a web-based interface.

Carefully weigh the long-term benefits of flexibility and scalability against the short-term cost of migration effort, tooling changes, and team enablement.