Stornoway Port Authority Umbraco Migration Case Study

Stornoway Port Authority

Stornoway Port Authority plays a vital role in supporting the economic development of the Western Isles, working with a wide range of stakeholders across maritime, energy, transport and tourism.

With a website that serves as a key communication channel for partners, operators and the local community, maintaining a stable, secure and accessible digital platform is essential.

Factory73 partnered with Stornoway Port Authority to safely migrate their website from Umbraco 8 to Umbraco 13, removing the risks associated with an end‑of‑life CMS and providing ongoing technical support to underpin future needs.

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The Challenge

An end‑of‑life CMS and growing platform risk

Stornoway Port Authority’s website was running on Umbraco 8, which had reached end of life and was no longer supported. This introduced increasing technical risk, with limitations around security updates, ongoing maintenance and future compatibility.

At the same time, the website remained business‑critical. Any disruption could impact communications with stakeholders and the wider community. There was no requirement for a redesign or rebuild, but there was a clear need to move to a supported, modern CMS version without altering the existing site structure or user experience.

The challenge was to reduce platform risk while maintaining continuity, ensuring the website remained stable, accessible and familiar throughout the process.

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The Solution

A safe, managed migration with minimal disruption

Factory73 delivered a carefully managed migration from Umbraco 8 to Umbraco 13, providing a clear path forward to a fully supported CMS version while preserving the existing design and content structure.

The migration focused on stability, compatibility and accessibility, ensuring the site continued to function as expected while benefiting from the improvements and long‑term support offered by Umbraco’s modern LTS platform.

Following delivery, Factory73 continues to provide ongoing technical support, acting as a trusted partner to help maintain the platform and respond to future requirements.

Factory73 understood our concerns around risk and continuity and delivered a well-managed migration from Umbraco 8 to 13. The move was smooth and disruption-free, and their ongoing support gives us reassurance that the platform is in safe hands.

Kirsty Hutchison
Cruise Manager / Stornoway Port Authority