Born in 2007 as an adorable little beta, Magento 1 (M1) has lived a long and fruitful life (by software standards). But all good things come to an end, so we are approaching the platform’s end of life on June 30, 2020. Merchants still using M1 will no longer have official support or upgrades from Magento.

That means staying on the platform will risk your website's performance and security so it's important to begin making the necessary arrangements for your future. It's time to move on and decide: should I upgrade to Magento 2 or should I migrate to a different eCommerce platform? Remember: don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

Kensium understands how you feel. With over ten years of experience installing and supporting Magento, we know you may need a little more time to plan and transition away from M1. So, we did some research, made a few calls, and found a partner that was offering exactly what our clients on M1 were looking for.  

Introducing Safe Harbor by Nexcess, an insurance plan that lets you extend your time with M1 by providing software patches, threat protection, and staging resources past the June 30 deadline. This way, you’ll have more time to decide if you’re going to move to M2 or a different platform.

Safe Harbor allows any of the 180,000 sites still live on M1 to receive ongoing technology and security updates through December 2021. The Safe Harbor add-on:

• Manages the PHP version of your website.
• Regularly scans for malware and other potential problems.
• Provides reporting, staging, patches, and proactive protection for common modules.  

A Safe Harbor For Planning Your Next Move

The Safe Harbor add-on will cost roughly 35% of a merchant’s hosting plan. In that context, Safe Harbor is one of the only safe ways to make sure websites on M1 are secure and work effectively past June 30, 2020. During this time, we advise merchants to strategize and plan their impending migration.

Upgrading or migrating to a new eCommerce platform is a huge decision that can be time-consuming, complicated, and expensive to implement. The hard truth is that if you are on M1, a decision will need to be made. Remaining on software past its EOL is just too risky.

Although this all seems stressful now, it’s important to look at the potential positive outcomes for your business. The most obvious option is to upgrade to M2.  As the next version of Magento, M2 is faster, higher performing, more secure, and more scalable. For merchants that want to continue working on a similar system while maintaining unique eCommerce functionality, moving to M2 is one of their best options.

However, the associated cost and time demands for re-platforming make this a difficult decision for some merchants. Moreover, for many M1 stores running customized extensions and code, there’s a strong chance that upgrading will mean an entire store redesign.

That's where Kensium comes in. 

The Advantages Of Kensium's Accelerated Migration Model

Kensium is one of the only technology service providers aligned with Nexcess that offers both a traditional implementation option and an accelerated minimal cost migration option for businesses migrating to M2. Both may be purchased for a predictable monthly cost if preferred. Technology-as-a-Service (TaaS) option for businesses migrating to M2. There are some key differences in the pricing models for these two options, but both end in the same outcome: an expert M2 implementation with support.

With our Accelerated Migration package, Kensium offers one of the lowest price points in the industry. Our monthly model allows you to pay a flat monthly sum over a three-year period instead of paying a huge fee upfront, as you would do in a traditional implementation. In return, you receive a full M2 implementation and ongoing support from our award-winning team.

With only a few months left until M1 reaches its EOL, Nexcess Safe Harbor is a special opportunity for merchants to keep supporting their websites with a trusted Magento partner, while gaining time to decide their next move. Luckily for them, they can always work with Kensium on deciding and implementing that next move, all at a low monthly cost. To get an overall view of your options after M1 hits its EOL, check out Kensium's video recommendations on your best options. 

For even more information on Nexcess Safe Harbor, check out our Safe Harbor data sheet.  

Our Website Upgrade Was Delayed, And We Needed An Option For Maintaining Security Updates On The Magento 1 Platform. Kensium Introduced The Safe Harbor Program To Us, And It Was The Perfect Answer To A Difficult Problem. We Are Grateful For The Recommendation, And The Help That Kensium Provided In Finding Us The Solution.

Crystal Ashby, Chaparral Motorsports