Case Study: University of Minnesota achieves a simplified, centrally managed, scalable web platform with Drupal

Building an Efficient, Simplified Enterprise Web Platform for the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota faced a complex web challenge: five campuses, nearly 70,000 students, and hundreds of independently managed sites that ran on a proprietary Oracle UCM system which made content updates slow and difficult across more than 600 sites and millions of monthly visitors. Seeking a simpler, centrally maintainable platform that still allowed departments and units autonomy, the university chose the open-source Drupal content management platform.

Using Drupal (with implementation support from Palantir.net), UMN created standardized site profiles and a centrally managed, university-wide platform that lets units control content while maintaining consistent branding and security. The change delivered measurable gains: by mid‑2015 more than 140 Drupal sites were live with 200+ in development, the Academic Health Center streamlined from 165 legacy sites to about 80 Drupal sites, updates now happen immediately instead of overnight, and content-editor support requests have decreased — all enabled by Drupal.

University of Minnesota

Brent Engebretson

Web Administrator