Magento Upgrades

We have supported our clients with many upgrades over the years, from small jumps in versions such as 2.4.2-2.4.3, to larger jumps such as 2.3.7-2.4.4.

At Absolute we try and ensure that we share information with our clients as early as possible when Adobe have released and explain why they should consider upgrading sooner than later.

The understand that the upgrade path during 2021/2022 has been difficult for all clients on a Magento Installation. We took feedback and concerns from our clients and attended multiple webinars to understand the future upgrade paths and how they would look, so that we could ensure that we could support our clients with their upgrade experience.

We have put a great deal of internal resources into the planning, preparation and process of Magento upgrades over the last year to ensure that the upgrade path is as smooth as possible.

When deciding to upgrade you Magento 2 site with Absolute, you will be allocated a dedicated account manager who will guide you through the process of the upgrade, and be on hand to support you from start to finish.

We tailor our upgrade journey to each client to meet their needs, providing them the option to opt in to a custom test plan creation, which allows Absolute to conduct the majority of testing on the site, taking the strain from our customers when it comes to them to test. This considers modules, bespoke functionality and much more.

The process we follow is broken down into 5 stages:

1. Upgrade the installation itself
2. Pre-fix testing
3. Fixing
4. Post-fix testing
5. Deployment

A fixed-cost maintenance plan offers numerous benefits, starting with the ability to easily manage and predict your website maintenance and security costs. With a set monthly fee, you can budget more effectively, avoiding any unexpected costs.

As cyber threats continue to increase, maintaining the security of your Magento site has never been more critical. We closely monitor the latest security updates and patches, implementing them promptly to protect your site from potential vulnerabilities.

What we cover in our M2 upgrade plans

• 4 security patches installed per quarter
• 2 critical patches installed upon release by Adobe
• 1 Magento version upgrade per year
• Server-level software updates included (when hosting with Absolute)
• Quarterly security and maintenance reports

Smoother Upgrade Process

Ensuring your Magento site is updated in line with each release is more efficient than skipping versions. The changes between individual releases are tested by Adobe and are usually incremental adjustments rather than major changes.

When updating across multiple versions at once, it’s more likely that the upgrade sequence won’t work quite as intended and any bespoke code or third-party modules may need adjusting multiple times to account for the changes at each point.

Using a maintenance plan helps ensure your site is current, which in turn increases the likelihood your installed modules will be compatible with one another.

Security Enhancements

Magento upgrades frequently include essential security patches that reduce the risk of cyber attacks, hacking attempts, and instability within your ecommerce store. These updates help safeguard your site, ensuring it runs securely and efficiently.

New Features and Functionalities

Each new Magento release introduces a range of features and tools designed to enhance website management and streamline operations, reducing the need for third-party integrations.

Performance Improvements

An upgraded version enhances site speed, features redesigned pages, and improves the loading times of various elements. These enhancements collectively boost your site’s performance and increase conversion rates.

Near-Zero Downtime Deployments

We ensure that all upgrade processes are executed seamlessly, minimising any disruption to your business operations. You can trust that your sales will remain unaffected, and we will back up and protect your data throughout the process.

Our deployment process uses Github Actions to build and deploy the new release separately to the live site itself, only changing over to the new version if nothing fails during build. This ensures minimal downtime and avoids problem code being put live.

Timely Delivery

We assign a dedicated account manager to ensure everything is organised and operating efficiently. This means you won’t have to worry about communication problems or delays. All Magento upgrade support plans include access to your client support dashboard that will allow you to view progress and updates as they happen.

15 Years of Experience

We have been upgrading our clients’ Magento stores since 2009, and as a result we have gained a deep understanding of its architecture, challenges, and potential bottlenecks. This expertise enables us to foresee potential issues and address them promptly. Additionally, we have successfully completed over 50 custom Magento builds for our clients.

Code Compatibility Issues

Magento 2.4.7 shifts from the default PHP serialized format to JSON for data serialisation, which may introduce compatibility challenges. This change requires developers to update existing code and third-party extensions to maintain seamless functionality.

WYSIWYG Issues

Changes made in the WYSIWYG editor may not be saved during upgrades. This problem can lead to frustrating experiences for users attempting to edit content. As a result, it may hinder efficient content management on the platform.

Database Issues

There may be database issues that arise during the backup process, particularly concerning rewrites. These complications can lead to incomplete backups or potential data loss. Addressing these issues promptly is essential to ensure data integrity and system stability.

Third-Party Extensions Compatibility

Magento frequently updates its core classes and methods, leading to errors in third-party modules that rely on these components. These changes can disrupt the functionality of extensions and integrations, so It is crucial for developers to adapt their modules accordingly to maintain compatibility and performance.

Our experienced team of developers focus on executing seamless Magento upgrades, swiftly addressing these and any other potential issues before going live. We are dedicated to maintaining your website’s stability, full functionality and optimisation throughout the upgrade.

• Upgrade plan subject to initial site audit and onboarding
• We support website upgrades for version 2.4.4 or above
• Updates to server-side software (e.g. PHP version) included only when hosted by Absolute
• Magento upgrades valid for one minor version per year eg. 2.4.6 to 2.4.7

• Routine patches are released approximately every quarter
• Critical patches installed outside of the patch release cycle
• Merchant liable for testing prior to signoff for release or custom plan agreed
• Plan excludes website development and support for enhancements/fixes