Smooth Kentico Upgrade & Content Sync for Food Production Website

This food production website is a household name and one of the largest farmer-owned cooperatives in the U.S. They operate across both consumer and business channels, offering everything from dairy products to agricultural services. Their online presence spans multiple websites built using Kentico CMS.

What sets them apart? They’re all about personalization, giving homebuyers the freedom to tailor their new homes to fit their lifestyle and preferences.

Objective

As part of their digital modernization journey, clients wanted to upgrade their Kentico websites from version 11 (K11) to version 13 (K13). But this wasn’t just a simple lift-and-shift, and they needed:

• Seamless content migration

• Zero downtime

• Continued updates during the transition

• Minimal manual effort

In short: a smart, real time sync solution.

The Challenges We Faced

1. Old vs. New Technology Conflict
Upgrading directly from K11 to K13 was tricky because of big changes in Kentico’s architecture and APIs.

2. Complex Content Structures
Both websites used custom page types, media libraries, and a deeply nested content tree, which meant syncing had to be done very carefully.

3. Keeping the Site Live
Business couldn’t stop. We needed to keep both sites running and in sync while the new system was being prepared.

Kentico Integration Bus to the Rescue

To tackle this complex upgrade, we used the Kentico Integration Bus, a tool designed to help sync data between different Kentico environments.

Here’s how we did it:

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Set Up the Integration Bus

We enabled the Integration Bus in both the K11 (old site) and K13 (new site).

Think of it like opening a secure communication line between the two websites.

2. Build Custom Connectors

We created custom “connectors” on both ends:

• In K11, the connector watched for content changes and sent updates.

• In K13, the connector received these updates and added them to the new content structure.

3. Track and Sync Content Tasks

Any time something changed in K11—like a new page or media update, it created a task that was automatically sent to K13.

These tasks were queued and processed in real time or on schedule, depending on priority.

4. Handle Incoming Updates in K13

Our K13 connector took each task, translated it into the new structure, and added it to the site without any manual work.

We handled:

• XML/JSON data parsing

• Field mapping

• Schema adjustments

5. Test, Monitor & Validate

Before going live, we ran everything in a sandbox environment to test the sync thoroughly.

We also:

• Logged every task for transparency

• Used event logs for error tracking

• Ensured there was a rollback path in case of unexpected issues

What We Achieved

• Real-time content sync from Kentico 11 to Kentico 13

• Cut migration time by over 60% compared to manual processes

• Built a modular sync system that can be reused for future updates

• Minimized site downtime during the entire upgrade

• Positioned the website for future CMS improvements

Key Takeaways

• Kentico’s Integration Bus is a powerful solution for syncing content between versions or even between different environments.

• Planning and testing are critical, especially when working across major upgrades.

• A smart migration strategy can save time, reduce errors, and make your platform more flexible in the long run.

Final Thoughts

By using the right tools and a smart approach, we helped the client successfully upgrade and sync two complex CMS systems without disrupting day to-day business. The result? A future ready digital platform that’s faster, smarter, and much easier to maintain.