TYPO3 v9 LTS - Benefits for Business Users

The latest LTS release of TYPO3 CMS—version 9.5—maintains the TYPO3 core team’s promise of delivering new value in a major Long Term Support release every 18 months. In this post, we’ll look at some advantages TYPO3 v9 LTS offers business users. Out-of-the-box highlights include GDPR compliance, easier upgrade paths, improved SEO, faster site speeds and more.

If you’d like to take advantage of these new features and you need help or advice with migration or upgrade to TYPO3 v9, we’ll be happy to connect you to the right partner. Contact us today!

A new version of TYPO3 is an exciting prospect. It can offer impetus for a redesign or to expand and improve what TYPO3 does for your business.

Have a look at the range of projects shown in our TYPO3 case studies and you can see TYPO3 applications in action as the main public face for international brands, partner portals for secure content access, very large multisite and multi-lingual installations, and much more. No matter what business you’re in, your choice of CMS can have a big effect on revenue. It needs to deliver a great online experience, connecting your customers with the information they need. It also has to offer the capabilities to power your digital business processes be a sustainable working environment for your employees on a daily basis.

So what does TYPO3 v9 LTS have in store for business decision makers?

The cost of upgrading your CMS needs to be weighed against the risks and benefits. How much will you benefit from new features and functionality versus the legal and business risk, for example, of running unsupported software? If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to invest in upgrading or choosing a new CMS, it’s time for TYPO3.

If you start right now, you’ll get arguably one of the longest shelf-lives you can of any CMS and an easy, stable upgrade path to future versions. As you can see in development roadmap for TYPO3, TYPO3 v9 LTS will be supported until October 2021. Add to that the Extended Long-Term Support (ELTS), which we offer here at TYPO3 GmbH and you are building on officially supported software until October 2024.

TYPO3 is known for being easy to update and upgrade. Easy updates mean keeping your site secure as fast and easy with the latest security releases. Easier to upgrade means it’s more performant in the long run as improvements are introduced in later versions. Core developer Tymoteusz Motylewski explained why TYPO3 is known for being easy to upgrade. “The general strategy of TYPO3 is to evolve the code from version to version rather than doing big breaking revolutions every major version.” In many other CMSs, every new version is a complete rebuild, offering limited or no backward compatibility. TYPO3’s approach eliminates those barriers to upgrade adoption and this measured approach improves code quality in the long run.

How is this strategy implemented? “We wait with breaking changes for one major (LTS) version more. For example, if we want to get rid of a setting or some code, we first mark it as deprecated in the next version (e.g. 8) and then remove in one version after it (e.g. 9). Most of the breaking changes were done in 9.0 release [in December 2017], to give extension authors and integrators as much time as possible to prepare,” for a now-painless upgrade process.

The TYPO3 core team has also worked hard on reducing the effort needed for upgrading. The new Extension Scanner automatically checks your custom code for breaking changes. And it suggests changes with links to documentation to make your code compatible.

Why this matters for business:
TYPO3 v9 will be secure and supported for many years to come, it is easier than ever—and faster and more cost-efficient—for developers to upgrade.

Right from the start of the version 9 release cycle, TYPO3 v9.0.0 introduced a new and improved look in the UI. It also has a number of improvements to make the experience of working in the back end faster and easier.

One of TYPO3’s strengths is its intuitive Page Tree for managing site content and organization. The new Page Tree loads very quickly; everything about it has been optimized for the fastest, and lightest rendering. Even the icons are created with SVGs, lightening the load for browsers.

Why this matters for business:
Employees use the TYPO3 backend every day. A better user interface in the backend means it’s easier to train and onboard new staff. Faster UI response means less waiting time while working, a smoother editing experience, less stress and frustration, and improved user satisfaction.

Changes and improvements in the editor experience mean you can accomplish more in less time with TYPO3 v9. For example, some functions, like “Create new content element” have been put into a pop-out modal window. This helps you not lose context while you’re editing and it makes things even faster by eliminating the need for a full page reload.

It’s been possible to duplicate content since v9.2. This means you can clone existing content, and adjust the headline, visual appearance, or access restrictions as you like, and keep the same settings as you need. This is a huge timesaver for experienced editors and a great way to get started for users new to the system.

There are a number of features to catch or reduce errors. For example, since v9.0, if you change a page layout, you’ll get a warning about moving any page elements placed in sections of the page you are turning off.

With the improved Filebrowser Search, content editors can search the metadata of fields such as the title or description. This means it will be easier to find and reuse files already uploaded to your installation.

The new Page View module means you can see how your content looks with different device presets—specific smartphones and tablets, for example—and you can customize presets for devices popular with your site visitors. Benjamin Kott goes through the improvements in the page view module in this YouTube video.

The full editor experience is also optimized for mobile devices, without any compromises or limitations in functionality.

Why this matters for business:
TYPO3 v9 gives editors more control over creating and reusing content, and making sure it looks right for their viewers. Your editors can get their work done quickly whenever and wherever they need to.

SEO best practices are important for all businesses with public-facing websites and applications. Thanks to the community SEO initiative for v9, best practices for search engine optimization in TYPO3 no longer rely on third-party extensions.

Search engines are paying close attention to how fast your site loads; page speed is a major factor in mobile search ranking. Anything you can do to reduce the site’s resource usage and performance will make it easier for people to find your site. Since version 9.2, TYPO3 will generate progressive images for your site. Progressive JPEGs, for example, 2% to 10% smaller than baseline images. Every little difference—every byte less sent over mobile connections—speeds up your site, improves UX, reduces bounce rates, improves search rankings, and saves energy.

The new Redirects Module allows editors to specify a short, meaningful URLs. Page-based URL handling lets you create paths like `example.com/amazing-page` independently of the actual page structure in your site.

Since version 9.3, TYPO3 has a new SEO system extension available out-of-the-box. Now, you can add metadata such as the Open Graph content, giving your editors control over what gets shared on social media.

Why this matters for business:
A faster site not only means a superior user experience, it also means better discoverability.

Based on the GDPR Initiative, TYPO3 acts defensively when it comes to collecting privacy-related data. Georg Ringer previously wrote on our site about keeping your site GDPR compliant. There are a number of improvements in version 9 that ensure your site limits your risk of exposing sensitive data. For example, you can automatically anonymize IP addresses in several database tables after a certain period of time, reducing your risk through storage of private data.

The core GDPR initiative led the way in improving:

• Cookie handling

• Anonymized IP addresses

• External media handling

• Access and user management

• Password hashes

• Removal of old data

• HTTPS/TLS secure connections

Georg Ringer also offers a GDPR extension to extend the basic functionality of TYPO3 core API.

Why this matters for business:
Limiting exposure to privacy-related risks is essential in today’s regulatory environment. TYPO3 CMS is one of the few that takes this into account from the start and proactively makes it easier for you to comply with regulations like GDPR.

Business users are more aware than ever of the risks of reputational damage, the cost of handling security breaches, and new laws governing IT security. Researchers from SiteLock reported that typical websites are exposed to 44 attacks per day on average and 16k attacks over the course of a year.

TYPO3 has earned its reputation for being one of the most secure content management systems on the market. Version 9.5 LTS includes further improvements. Security was a focus of every release from 9.0.0 onwards.

Misconfigured permissions and controls are always a potential security weak point in CMS administration. TYPO3 v9 includes a new Site Management Area, a central permission space for all site-related configuration tasks, e.g. languages, domains, and routing. Adding a specific System Maintainer role and controlling access to the System Maintenance Area means less opportunity for error and a clear division of responsibility.

TYPO3 GmbH also offers project review and security audit services. Contact us if you’re looking for guidance and support.

Why this matters for business:
Improved security and better site management reduces the risk of human error and targeted attacks.

TYPO3 v9 offers many improvements throughout the system, from faster performance to improved support for usability, security, and legal compliance. We’ve touched on a few in this article. In a nutshell, we like to say version 9 is “more friendly”: it’s more search engine friendly, user-friendly, mobile-friendly, cloud-friendly, and especially more business-friendly.

If we’ve inspired you to consider moving to TYPO3 v9, getting a site (or CMS) update is a chance to rethink how your website or application is delivering you and your customers value. You should also keep in mind the risks—legal and security—of using older, unsupported software; but you also have the chance to offer a better experience and a fresh look and feel for everyone who uses and visits your site. For more on this, see our post, How do you know when it’s time to upgrade?

This new version of TYPO3 offers business users a lot of great reasons to upgrade your website or migrate to TYPO3 for the first time.