If you’re running your online business on the Magento platform, we’ve got some important information to share with you which may or may not require you to take action.
Earlier this year, Magento notified store owners on the Magento 1 platform that support would end for that version of the eCommerce platform. Store owners were strongly encouraged to update their store to Magento 2, but migrating from Magento 1 was not a requirement.
As Adobe, parent of Magento, noted in this blog post, “If you have a store that continues to run on Magento 1 after June 30, 2020, please be aware that from that date forward you have increased responsibility for maintaining your site’s security and PCI DSS compliance.”
For many store owners, knowing how to keep up with security and compliance is out of their wheelhouse and they simply chose to ignore the task of upgrading to Magento 2 or transitioning to a new platform. By doing so, they opened themselves and their customers to a plethora of security vulnerabilities that the end-of-life for Magento 1 opened up.
On September 14, 2020, it was revealed that almost 2,000 Magento 1 stores were hit in what security researchers at Sansec described as the “largest documented campaign to date.”
In October 2020, independent cybersecurity company Foregenix, estimated that 55% of Magento 2 sites are at a high or critical security risk level.
Some of the most common security risks seen on Magento include server attacks, credit card hijacking, website defacement, and botnetting. All of these risks are only compounded now that Magento 1 is no longer supported. The reason? Magento is no longer creating updates or issuing security patches for the product.
Although you might be thinking that switching to Magento 2 (if you haven’t already) seems like the easy fix, it might not be. This option is still a complete replatform which means your themes won’t transfer, your Magento 1 extensions won’t work, and some of your data will have to be migrated manually. Magento 1 and Magento 2 have a different architecture which is why this isn’t a simple upgrade.
So what is the solution for stores on the Magento platform? Simply put, we recommend moving to another platform. Granted sticking with a platform you’re used to is the easiest way to go, but are you willing to risk your website and customer data being compromised?
Your Store Wizards has completed many migrations from platforms such as Magento to one we continually recommend to our clients – BigCommerce.
By switching from Magento to BigCommerce, you’ll avoid the hassle of moving from one version to another, as those updates roll out automatically with no downtime, installation, or intervention needed on your behalf.
When new features are rolled out, BigCommerce merchants will have access to them immediately and can control when or if they want to enable them.
Security is handled by the experts at BigCommerce rather than putting that responsibility in your hands. After all, you need to concentrate on serving your customers and shouldn’t have to spend time installing security patches and version updates to keep your store secure.
Plus, BigCommerce offers an app library with hundreds of add-ons which make your store one of the most robust, flexible and feature packed!
If you’re on Magento, we strongly encourage you to talk to us about migrating to BigCommerce. We offer complete migration services which include access to our library of training videos and white-glove support every step of the way.
Even if you’re not on Magento and are looking for a new platform for the new year, simply fill out the form below and we’ll discuss how you can grow your business on BigCommerce in 2021.
Looking to kick the tires a bit and just see what BigCommerce is all about? No problem! Click here to get a free 4-month FREE trial to make sure it’s the right choice for you!
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.