How to Convince the Board to Choose Drupal? 7 Business and Financial Arguments

26.03.2025

Drupal is an advanced content management system that both small and large organizations use. Its popularity is due to its flexibility, security, and long-term cost-effectiveness. The decision to choose a company's technology often doesn’t belong solely to the IT department - business and financial considerations are also key. So, how do you convince the board that Drupal is the best choice? I invite you to read the article or watch an episode of the “Nowoczesny Drupal” series.

Different decision-making teams and their expectations

The decision to choose a CMS in an organization isn’t usually made by a single specialist but is the result of discussions between different teams of decision-makers. Among them, three main groups can be distinguished:

Management, business, and finance - focus on system implementation and maintenance costs. They evaluate the added value to the organization, the fit of legal requirements, security, or the choice of licensing model.
IT and developers - pay attention to integration with other systems, how they’re hosted, test copy options, and maintenance convenience.
Editors and marketing team - care about streamlined workflow through self-editing, intuitive and responsive interface, and ease of content management.

Each of these groups has different priorities, so CMS should meet the expectations of all parties. Drupal stands out because it can fulfill the needs of business, IT and editors alike. In this series of articles, we’ll examine the arguments for each of these groups, and this blog post focuses on the management and financial aspects.

Arguments for the Board and Management for Drupal

Choosing the right CMS is a strategic decision that affects an organization's long-term effectiveness. Here are the key reasons why Drupal may be the best choice for your organization.

1. Long-term support and stability of the system

Drupal has been developed since 2001, and it has gained a strong position in the market over the years. What does this mean for the company?

Certainty of long-term support - unlike many modern frameworks, which often cease to be developed, Drupal has a stable future and a broad community of developers.
Upgrades without migration - since version 8.0, Drupal upgrades have been smooth, without the need for costly data migrations.
Flexibility - the system allows you to scale and grow without having to switch to other technologies.

Presentation with arguments to the board about the system's stability that speaks "for" the choice of Drupal.

2. Open source - lower costs and no vendor lock-in

Drupal is open-source, which brings with it significant benefits:

No licensing fees - the company doesn’t incur costs associated with software licensing.
Complete control over the system - the organization can tailor the CMS to its specific requirements instead of adapting to an off-the-shelf SaaS solution.
No dependence on a single provider - you can freely change the CMS company, eliminating the risk of monopolizing services.

A presentation showing the "pro" arguments for choosing Drupal as a free open-source system.

3. Implementation and maintenance costs

Drupal is often considered an expensive solution, but it's worth taking a broader view:

Drupal implementation doesn't have to be expensive - there are solutions to fit different budgets, and you can roll out the system gradually.
Long-term cost-effectiveness - when comparing SaaS subscription costs with Drupal expenses over a 3-5 year horizon, the open-source CMS turns out to be much cheaper.
Ready-made modules - thanks to a huge base of free Drupal modules, you can significantly reduce the cost of building a system.

Arguments for management presenting Drupal as an open-source system that doesn’t require paying for a license.

4. High level of security

Security is one of the key aspects attracting large organizations to Drupal. A vast community around the system and a dedicated Drupal Security Team:

Regularly audit the code and detect potential threats.
Issue security patches on a predictable date (Wednesday evening Polish time).
Provide the highest level of protection, which is why governments and public institutions worldwide choose it.

Arguments favoring Drupal emphasize that it’s a secure system with Security Team support.

5. Scalability - from small sites to large systems

Drupal works well for both small and large projects:

Proof of Concept (PoC) and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) - thanks to Drupal's flexibility, you can build a test version of the system before full deployment.

A description of small and medium-sized systems that can be built on Drupal, PoCs, and MVPs.

Growth opportunity - Drupal allows incremental expansion without data migration by upgrading the system to newer versions.

Picture presenting Drupal as a system that can be easily upgraded to newer versions without data migration.

Support for large sites - Drupal is perfect for advanced projects requiring many CMS integrations with external systems and multi-user management.

6. Drupal as an ecosystem of thousands of modules

Drupal has a large number of ready-made extensions, which allows you to implement functionality quickly without having to build everything from scratch.

With this:

Implementation time can be much shorter.
Programming costs are lower.
The system can be easily adapted to new needs in the future.

7. Global community support

Drupal has one of the largest open-source communities, which translates into:

The constant development of the system - new features, fixes, and improvements are added regularly.
A wide choice of implementation companies - many agencies specialize in Drupal, which makes it easy to change service providers.
Huge knowledge base - documentation, forums, and support groups help to solve problems quickly.

A presentation with arguments in favor of Drupal due to the security level of the system.

Is Drupal always a good choice?

Although Drupal is a powerful and versatile tool, it’s not the right choice for every organization. It's worth considering other options if you:

Need a simple business card site - if your website is only going to contain a few static pages, such as "About Us," "Services" and "Contact Us," simpler solutions, such as WordPress or static file-based systems, will be cheaper and easier to maintain.
Don't plan to grow your site - Drupal is great for systems that will be developed and adapted to changing needs. However, if your site is expected to remain constant for years, SaaS-based solutions or static CMS may make more sense.
Focus on specific e-commerce - Drupal has an e-commerce module. Still, if your goal is to run a large online store, specialized systems such as Magento, Shopify, or Sylius, which offer more optimized sales features, may be more appropriate.
Consider an off-the-shelf tool with no customization required - Drupal is flexible, but it takes some work to use fully. If you're looking to get a platform up and running quickly without additional configuration, off-the-shelf SaaS solutions may be more suitable.
Don't have the resources to manage updates - Drupal requires regular updates and attention to security. For small businesses that don't have the budget or technical team to do this, systems with built-in automatic support and updates may be a better choice.

Drupal is a powerful tool, but implementing and maintaining it only makes sense for organizations that need a flexible, scalable, and long-term solution.

How to convince the board to choose Drupal? Summary

Drupal isn't just a CMS - it's a stable, flexible, and secure platform that gives companies control over costs and the ability to grow. With an open-source license, a high level of security, and a broad community, organizations can invest in technology that supports their growth for years to come. If your company is looking for a content management system that provides long-term value and flexibility, Drupal is an excellent choice.