By Hellen Fitzpatrick and Tom Lovering
Participant enthusiasm and engagement were palpable at the Drupal GovCon 2024 conference. We were glad to find a lot of energy around Drupal as a powerful tool for solving the specific challenges faced by federal and state agencies. With more than 700 participants, the event attracted a broad cross section of the Drupal community, and given the proximity to Washington DC, it brought many Drupal users from the federal government, where the platform has seen widespread adoption.
Although this was our second time attending, it was in a new location, the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center at the University of Maryland. Held from August 13th to the 15th, the three days featured numerous training and knowledge sharing events, and we were left with the impression that the future of Drupal—and the community around it—is brighter than ever.
Solving government challenges
The discussions at GovCon reaffirmed what we have built our business around, Drupal’s capability for addressing the specific needs of government agencies. We appreciated the workshop by Ashley Burnes and Rod Martin from Promet on “Source Drag & Drop Content Management For Government Websites.” We also heard from Caleb Thorne of Monarch Digital on how to “Build a Better Document Library in Drupal: Revisions, Dynamic Paths, and Unbroken Links,” a common need for our government clients.
Participants in the educational sessions shared case studies highlighting how their agencies are leveraging Drupal to improve efficiency, enhance user experience, and maintain transparency. They gave examples of the ways in which Drupal ensures compliance with stringent accessibility standards, manages vast amounts of content, and delivers secure, high-performance web solutions.
Rebuilding the Drupal community
Another heartening observation was the strong sense of community among Drupal developers and admins. After the past few years of disruption, local and regional Drupal gatherings are making a comeback. We attended the GovTech Leadership breakfast led by Drupal Association CEO Tim Doyle to foster collaboration and build relationships amongst the vendor and agency leaders.
Participants discussed how events such as Drupal GovCon are crucial for growing collaboration, sharing knowledge, and building relationships within the community. The tireless efforts of the Drupal4Gov volunteers to coordinate the entire event speaks volumes about people’s love for this community. It’s a reminder that while Drupal is a powerful tool, it’s the people behind it who truly make it special.
Call to action for contributions
While the Drupal community is strong, many conference participants noted a clear need for more contributions. A steady flow of new ideas, code, and documentation is essential for Drupal’s continued success. Encouraging more people—especially from underrepresented groups—to contribute is not just about keeping the platform up-to-date; it’s about ensuring that Drupal reflects the diverse needs of its users. Drupal GovCon 2024 served as a call to action for all of us to find ways to contribute, whether through code, design, documentation, or simply by sharing our experiences.
We recognize that this can be a challenge for many vendors like ourselves, working to deliver solutions on a fixed budget, but as platform adoption grows, our own clients are seeking vendors who actively contribute to the community, so it is in our own interest to find the time to give back.
Starshot initiative
As one of the CMS’s bigger new developments, the Drupal Starshot initiative got a lot of airtime. This ambitious project has the potential to drive growth and innovation within the Drupal community. By setting bold, long-term goals, the initiative aims to push the boundaries of what Drupal can achieve, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of web technology.
In Unveiling Starshot, Mike Herchel, a senior developer at Agileana, gave an in-depth look at this initiative, which is aimed at keeping the Drupal user experience competitive with other contemporary alternatives. Mike walked us through each of the sub-initiatives that make up Starshot, such as Recipes and Experience Builder, and explained how they all interconnect. From subsequent discussions with other Drupal leaders and users, it’s clear that Starshot offers a lot of potential to shift Drupal’s perceived position of having a steep learning curve, and open up the platform to an even wider array of users.
Open source solutions for transparent government
Some of the GovCon sessions underscored the importance of open source solutions in government, such as Rolando Scott’s “The Power of Open Source Web Hosting.” As detailed in the presentation, open source is not just a technical choice; it’s a philosophy that aligns with the principles of transparency, accessibility, and collaboration that government agencies strive to uphold.
Drupal, as an open-source platform, empowers agencies to deliver solutions that are not only cost-effective but also open to scrutiny and improvement by the broader community. This approach ensures that government websites and applications are accessible to all citizens, regardless of their abilities or resources.
In other countries, such as Switzerland, the government is mandated to default to open source solutions wherever possible. During the Leadership Breakfast, Tim Doyle, CEO of the Drupal Association, shared that his group is pushing for similar legislation in the USA, not just for Drupal, but for all open source frameworks and tools.
New AI frontier for Drupal
Lastly, the role of AI in the future of Drupal was another timely topic at the conference. As AI continues to evolve, it’s poised to change the way websites are created, managed, and delivered. Session presenters gave examples of websites that can offer personalized content experiences, adapt in real-time to user needs, and even automate much of the mundane content management tasks. Drupal is well-positioned to integrate these AI-driven capabilities. The challenge lies in harnessing AI in a way that complements the strengths of Drupal while maintaining the values of openness and user control, as well as supporting privacy and other government requirements.
We’re on the cusp of something new here, specifically in the area of content migration, which can still prove labor intensive. Many conversations with visitors to our booth centered around how these tools can help make sense of the huge volume of content most agencies find themselves accumulating. Our own developers are busy trialing new technologies in this space and have shown promising results.
In summary
We’re proud to have sponsored and attended Drupal GovCon and are glad to be reminded in person of the strength and vibrancy of the Drupal community. From the thoughtfulness and support of volunteers at Drupal4Gov to the fun events hosted by big Drupal supporters like Pantheon and Acquia, we felt a great sense of support and belonging.
The discussions and insights we gained from the conference highlighted both the challenges and opportunities ahead. As we look to the future, it’s clear that Drupal will continue to play a crucial role in government solutions, driven by a passionate community and the exciting potential of initiatives like Drupal Starshot and the integration of AI.
All of us at GovWebworks are excited to be part of this journey, leveraging our deep experience with Drupal and our active involvement in the community to help shape the future of government technology. We look forward to continued collaboration and innovation!
Learn more
- Drupal GovCon
- More Drupal articles on the GWW blog
- Contact us for a free Drupal consultation
