--- title: "IEEE Information Theory Society's Plone-to-Drupal 9 Move, Built for New Visitors" description: "IEEE ITSoc: Plone to Drupal, rebuilt for new members. A complex cross-platform migration and redesign that treats first visits as recruitment." url: https://www.specbee.com/work/ieee-itsoc type: "Case Study" published: 2026-07-05 updated: 2026-09-17 --- # IEEE Information Theory Society's Plone-to-Drupal 9 Move, Built for New Visitors Plone migrations to Drupal require careful, custom work. There's no off-the-shelf migration path. Specbee's experience with complex content migrations made them the right partner for the job. A complex, dated UI/UX doesn't just frustrate existing members — it loses potential ones. The redesign treated first-visit usability as a membership problem, not just a design preference. ## A professional society's website is a membership acquisition tool. IEEE ITSoc's challenge is one many long-standing professional organizations face: a website maintained and extended over many years without a coherent redesign, running on a platform that had become increasingly difficult to work with. IEEE Information Theory Society is one of IEEE's specialized societies, focused on information processing, transmission, and storage. The website didn't match the technical reputation of the society it represented. - Platform was built on Plone, a CMS with no off-the-shelf migration path to Drupal - UI/UX was complex, and the goal was a design that makes an impact on first-time visitors - Content management needed to support large amounts of video content, plus publications and events - Member-facing features needed customized workflows, single sign-on with third-party apps, and the ability to spin up microsites ## A professional society with a website that didn't reflect its standing ![IEEE ITSOC](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/2026-09/ieee-fav.svg) A complex cross-platform migration and redesign that treats first visits as recruitment. ## IEEE ITSoc: Plone to Drupal, rebuilt for new members ![ieee itsoc teaser](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/2026-09/ieee-itsoc-teaser.png) [Visit Website](https://www.itsoc.org/) ![IEEE-Bannerimage.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/IEEE-Bannerimage.png) ## Complete ### Plone to Drupal 9 Content archive preserved through a complex cross-platform migration. ## New design ### UI/UX redesign Clean design replaced a complex, dated interface. ## Simplified ### First-visit navigation New and returning members navigate the site with less friction. ## Enhanced ### Editorial control Drupal 9 gives the team better tools for publications, events, and video content. ## A website that reflects the society's technical standing Cross-platform migration completed, redesign delivered, editorial tools improved. Refreshed to current design trends Navigation simplified Improved editorial tools, video content support Elasticsearch-powered, with faceted listing First-visit usability Migrating from Plone to Drupal is a cross-platform challenge with no off-the-shelf path. Specbee handled the content migration, mapping Plone's content structures to Drupal 9 equivalents and preserving the archive with precision. - Cross-platform content migration from Plone to Drupal 9 - Content structure mapping from Plone to Drupal 9 equivalents - Content integrity verification, ensuring the archive transferred accurately ![ieee-drupal-9-migration.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/ieee-drupal-9-migration.png) ### Plone to Drupal 9 migration The redesign targeted the gap between IEEE ITSoc's technical credibility and its website's first impression, refreshed to current market design trends while respecting IEEE brand guidelines. - Complete UI/UX redesign - Iterative design process refined into reusable components - Design refreshed to current market trends - Design aligned to IEEE brand guidelines ![ieee-ui-ux-redesign.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/ieee-ui-ux-redesign.png) ### UI/UX redesign for first-time and returning visitors Drupal 9 gave the IEEE ITSoc editorial team better content management tools than Plone had offered, including the ability to manage large volumes of video content. - Customized content workflow that streamlines member content creation and updates - Ability to manage large amounts of video content - Component-driven page building for the editorial team ![ieee-content-management-capability.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/ieee-content-management-capability.png) ### Content management capability improvements The platform needed to handle more than text. Specbee added Elasticsearch-powered search along with advanced video search and faceted listing, built to IEEE's brand guidelines, so members could find the right video and research content without digging through menus. - Elasticsearch-powered site search - Advanced video search and faceted listing capabilities - Faceted listing built following IEEE brand guidelines ![ieee-advanced-search.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/ieee-advanced-search.png) ### Advanced search and video discovery Beyond the core site, the team built in single sign-on for third-party integrations and the ability to spin up microsites with their own look and authoring flow, distinct from the parent site. Drupal's Groups feature underpins this multi-site flexibility, backed by secure, streamlined deployment and hosting. - Single sign-on integration with third-party applications - Microsite creation with a unique look and authoring flow, distinct from the parent site - Drupal's Groups feature used to support multi-site and member experiences - Secure, stable, streamlined deployment and hosting ![ieee-member-workflows-and-multi-site-flexibility.png](https://www.specbee.com/sites/default/files/migrated/ieee-member-workflows-and-multi-site-flexibility.png) ### Member workflows and multi-site flexibility ### From Plone to Drupal 9 - a redesign that earns the first visit Cross-platform migration completed UI/UX redesign delivered First-visit usability for new members Content management for editorial team Chair of Online Committee, IEEE Information Theory Society "Specbee was consistently responsive to our requests, and built an on-budget site that met all of our specifications." - [HCG’s Platform Consolidation: 2 Sites, 25+ Hospitals, 1 AI Search](https://www.specbee.com/work/hcg-hospitals) - [Flat HTML mockups, rebuilt into a reusable Drupal component system for INX International](https://www.specbee.com/work/inx-international) - [An Intelligence Hub for Flipkart's Seller Network, Zero Scroll Required](https://www.specbee.com/work/flipkart-trendstalk)