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

Consider migrating in the following situations:

• You run CMS 12 or earlier and want to modernize your content delivery architecture.
• You require GraphQL APIs to support headless, hybrid, or multi-channel experiences.
• You need semantic search, structured querying, or advanced filtering capabilities.
• You integrate content with external systems such as commerce platforms, marketing tools, or custom applications.
• Your team is 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 UI or server-side workflows.

Evaluate carefully in the following situations:

• You rely heavily on the CMS administrative UI for daily content management.
• You use analytics or reporting features in the CMS to drive editorial or business decisions.
• You depend on server-side rendering patterns that are difficult to decouple from the CMS.
• You 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.

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