Behind the Build: How Capgemini Runs on WordPress
Welcome to WP for ENTERPRISES, where we go behind the scenes of BILLION-DOLLAR WordPress websites.
In this issue, you'll discover:
- Why Capgemini abandoned Drupal after years of frustration.
- How WordPress unleashed a "digital culture of creation" across 40 countries.
- 5 strategies that transformed their content operations in just months.
- Inside Capgemini's enterprise-grade WordPress architecture.
- Key lessons CTOs and digital leaders can apply immediately.
By the way this migration was led by Human Made. While Multidots didn't handle this particular project, I'm featuring Capgemini's transformation as it demonstrates the power of strategic WordPress implementation at enterprise scale.
In 2017, Capgemini, a €20+ billion tech consultancy with 330,000+ employees across 40+ countries—made a bold move.
They migrated their entire digital ecosystem (38 websites in total) from Drupal to WordPress.
Here's what happened:
- Expanded from just 4 qualified webmasters to 70+ active CMS users.
- Published 20,000+ pages across 10+ languages in a single year.
- Onboarded 1,400+ new content contributors across the platform.
- Eliminated publishing bottlenecks that previously took days or weeks.
- Created a streamlined, global content syndication system.
- Saved significant costs on technical maintenance and development.
That's the headline version.
Now let's get into how they pulled it off—and why it matters for your enterprise.
"DIGITAL BECAME A CHOKE POINT FOR US"
Before WordPress, Capgemini's digital ecosystem was a mess: Their Drupal 7 implementation had become a major roadblock.
With 300,000+ employees, only FOUR people actually knew how to use it properly. Four!
The setup forced a bizarre workflow:
- A marketer spots a typo or needs to launch a campaign.
- They email to their offshore team.
- Then wait 3-4 business days (if lucky) for the changes.
- Rinse and repeat for every minor update.
Parker Ward, Capgemini's Content Marketing Director, didn't mince words: "Digital became a choke point for us. The system we built wasn't really working."
The problems didn't stop there:
- Marketing teams waited endlessly for simple updates.
- New templates took "weeks or months" and cost a fortune.
- The recruitment team couldn't efficiently post jobs (crucial when you hire 30-40K people yearly).
- Frustrated teams started building rogue microsites outside the system.
- Zero connection to their Salesforce CRM for lead capture.
The result? Company was literally wasting millions in productivity and missed opportunities. Something had to change.
WHY WORDPRESS? THE FREEDOM FACTOR
Capgemini needed three things their Drupal setup simply couldn't deliver:
- Decentralized publishing—let local teams manage their own content while staying on-brand.
- User-friendly interface—give 400+ marketers the power to publish without calling IT.
- Flexibility with guardrails—allow creative freedom without sacrificing brand consistency.
WordPress hit all three targets instantly.
But the choice wasn't just about feel-good factors—it was strategic. WordPress offered:
- Proven backward compatibility (unlike Drupal's forced upgrade cycles).
- Native publishing capabilities without custom development.
- Intuitive interface requiring minimal training.
- Enterprise-grade security and scalability via WordPress VIP.
- Cost-effectiveness compared to enterprise-level Drupal.
The decision paid off immediately.
5 STRATEGIES BEHIND CAPGEMINI'S WORDPRESS SUCCESS
Let's dive into the five approaches that made this ambitious migration work.
Strategy #1: Cross-Site Content Syndication
With 38 websites across 40+ countries in 10+ languages, Capgemini needed content to flow efficiently between sites.
Working with Human Made, Capgemini built a sophisticated content syndication system that:
- Pushed global content to country sites with one click.
- Let local editors accept, reject, or customize incoming content.
- Controlled whether content stayed synced with the source or became independent.
- Enabled content sharing between country sites, not just from headquarters.
- Preserved multilingual translations during syndication.
Operating in 40+ countries demanded seamless translation. Their syndication system delivered exactly that - keeping content consistent yet flexible enough for local markets.
Strategy #2: Editorial Calendar & Visibility
Before WordPress, coordinating global content was chaos—email threads, Basecamp file dumps, and constant confusion.
The new solution introduced:
- A real-time global publishing calendar visible to all teams.
- Campaign planning tools showing upcoming content across all regions.
- Clear content status indicators (draft, review, scheduled, published).
- Cross-site visibility so teams could coordinate without endless emails.
The global calendar became their central command center. Teams now had complete visibility across borders without endless email chains.
Marketers finally got their time back.
Strategy #3: Modular Component Library
Capgemini's marketing teams needed to launch campaigns quickly without waiting weeks for developers.
Their solution? A pre-built library of components that:
- Let marketers build pages without writing code.
- Ensured consistent branding and design across all sites.
- Reduced development costs by reusing components.
- Accelerated campaign launches from weeks to days.
This 'build with blocks' approach transformed their marketing.
Teams quickly assembled pages from pre-approved components without breaking brand standards.
Strategy #4: Self-Service Publishing
Capgemini flipped their old model upside down, moving from centralized publishing (via 4 webmasters) to a self-service approach.
The WordPress implementation included:
- Custom user roles matching their organizational structure.
- Enterprise SSO integration for secure authentication.
- Simplified publishing workflows even non-technical staff could master.
- Training and support materials for the expanded publisher base.
This open publishing approach changed everything. Their 'Expert Connect' program grew to 700+ employee bloggers who could now post directly on the company site.
Strategy #5: Future-Proof Infrastructure
Capgemini built their WordPress implementation on rock-solid infrastructure designed for growth.
Key elements included:
- WordPress VIP hosting for enterprise-grade security and scaling.
- WordPress Multisite network managing all 38 sites from one installation.
- Global CDN for fast loading across their international presence.
- Built-in caching and performance optimization.
- Regular, non-disruptive platform updates.
This infrastructure eliminated the stability issues that had plagued their Drupal installation and created a foundation that could evolve with their needs.
INSIDE CAPGEMINI'S WORDPRESS TECH STACK
The migration completely transformed Capgemini's technical foundation:
FINAL THOUGHTS: WHAT EVERY ENTERPRISE CAN LEARN
Capgemini is a €20 billion global consultancy.
They didn't pick WordPress because it's fashionable.
They picked it because it solved real business problems their old CMS couldn't touch.
Here's what you can learn from them:
- Choose a CMS that people will actually use (not just one that impresses IT).
- Decentralize publishing but keep smart guardrails.
- Build tools that connect teams, not just publish content.
- Invest in component libraries that speed up marketing.
- Focus on editorial workflows as much as technical specs.
But most importantly:
The right CMS doesn't just fix your website—it can reshape your entire digital culture.
For Capgemini, WordPress wasn't just a technical upgrade. It sparked what they call a "new digital culture of creation" that spread throughout their global workforce.
And that's why big enterprises are choosing WordPress.
RESOURCES & FURTHER READING
Want to dive deeper into Capgemini's Drupal to WordPress transformation? Check out these resources:
- A Drupal to WordPress migration for Capgemini by Human Made
- Capgemini’s New Culture of Digital Creation
Special thanks to Human Made for their expertise in making this enterprise transformation possible, and to WordPress VIP for hosting and supporting this behind-the-scenes look.
By the Way...
My agency Multidots just got named a Clutch Global Award winner for 2025—pretty exciting stuff! It's recognition for the kind of enterprise WordPress work we do, like the transformations we cover in this newsletter.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
By the way, in the previous issue, I shared "How USA TODAY Built America's Fastest Sports Network on WordPress". Check out this link.
In this issue, you'll discover:
- How 58 separate codebases were bleeding USA TODAY's resources dry.
- The strategy that powers 80+ sites from one codebase.
- How they deploy 32 NFL team sites faster than most launch one.
- Real numbers: 50+ million monthly users, zero downtime.
Anil Gupta
👋 Until next time, Anil | CEO and Co-Founder → Multidots, Multicollab & Dotstore.
P.S. I also write about personal growth and agency growth.
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