IAPSC's CiviCRM Upgrade and Website Redesign

The International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) asked us to redesign their website and upgrade their CiviCRM system without disrupting the association’s day-to-day operations. That meant preserving every existing CRM record and keeping the site available for members and staff except for a short, planned cutover window.

Where IAPSC started

• Outdated systems. An old CiviCRM instance and CMS, exposed to known security vulnerabilities and looking dated.
• Poor usability. A member-facing website that was hard to navigate.
• High maintenance burden. Small updates to CiviCRM or the website took far more effort than they should have.

Planning and execution

We reviewed IAPSC’s existing website and CRM setup in detail, then built a roadmap covering both the design work and the technical upgrade. The CiviCRM upgrade ran in a staging environment first, with automated testing and migration scripts verifying that every record carried over intact. We scheduled the live deployment outside peak usage hours, so the few minutes of planned downtime during the switch had little impact on members or staff.

Before

After

The result

• Near-zero downtime. The site was down for only a few minutes, during a planned cutover outside peak hours.
• Zero data loss. Every CRM record was preserved and verified after migration.
• A modernized website. A redesigned, responsive site that’s easier for members to navigate.
• A maintainable system. IAPSC’s team can now make routine updates without escalating every change to a developer.

Technical highlights

The redesigned site uses a responsive, mobile-first layout, with optimized code and caching for faster load times. The CiviCRM upgrade ran through staged testing and migration scripts built specifically to preserve IAPSC’s historical records.

Member impact

Members now get a website that’s easier to navigate and a CRM that keeps their records accurate. The switch itself took only a few minutes.

As our association began conversations to undertake a significant project in creating a brand new website, JP and his team helped, guided, created a plan to build while working with our team weekly to create a new identity and website. He and his team will continue to service and maintain our website. We are already looking forward to our phase 2 projects to add enhancements to our website with JP and his team.

Bill Durso, President, IAPSC