4 minute read
For many enterprises, MarkLogic 10 still feels rock-solid. It’s stable, proven, and quietly running mission-critical systems that power regulatory compliance, publishing pipelines, or research data management.
But with MarkLogic 10 reaching end-of-life in 2026, that sense of stability is fast becoming a liability.
No more full vendor support.
No more patching of third-party vulnerabilities.
No guarantee of compliance when audits arrive.
Yet many teams still hesitate. “It’s risky.” “It’s complex.” “It’s expensive.”
These are understandable concerns - but in reality, the risks of staying put are far greater than the fears of upgrading.
Fear #1 – Breaking What Already Works
“If we upgrade, what if our mission-critical systems break?”
That’s the number-one worry for every IT Director and Enterprise Architect.
When an application stack has been fine-tuned for years, even a small change feels dangerous.
Reality: Staying on an unsupported platform introduces silent instability.
Without regular patches, SSL library fixes, or Chromium engine updates, security and memory vulnerabilities accumulate. As Progress warns in its third-party vulnerability bulletin, even minor components can expose enterprise systems to exploit risk.
MarkLogic 11 and 12 directly address these issues:
- Dynamic E-Nodes allow you to scale query nodes independently without quorum risk - reducing downtime when resizing clusters.
- Improved Admin UI surfaces index-memory statistics, helping DBAs detect and tune performance bottlenecks before they become incidents.
- Amazon Linux 2025 Support ensures long-term OS-level security and compliance alignment.
These aren’t cosmetic updates; they’re guardrails that make clusters more resilient and less likely to fail during routine operations.
Proof Point – AbbVie Case
AbbVie’s upgrade not only restored compliance stability but also demonstrated that careful modernization strengthens what works rather than breaking it.
Read the full case study HERE
Fear #2 – The Cost of Upgrading
“Upgrades take too much time and budget.”
Every IT leader has faced budget scrutiny. Upgrades are often seen as “technical” investments that don’t show quick ROI.
Explore the MarkLogic Upgrade Playbook to see how top enterprises plan, validate, and execute upgrades efficiently while minimizing downtime and cost.
But the hidden costs of doing nothing - performance bottlenecks, higher cloud spend, and team inefficiency - accumulate quietly.
Reality: Upgrading reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) in measurable ways.
- New AWS instance support (r7, r8i-flex) delivers 20–40% cost savings depending on workload.
- Dynamic E-Nodes let you scale MarkLogic compute up or down without affecting cluster stability, so you only use (and pay for) the resources you need.
- CloudFormation templates simplify provisioning and disaster-recovery automation.
By consolidating siloed environments, enterprises cut overhead and shorten release cycles.
Proof Point – ASTM Case
During its modernization program, ASTM achieved 70% faster data ingestion and reduced ongoing maintenance costs by automating data workflows on a semantic data platform - showing how a well-executed MarkLogic upgrade leads directly to operational savings.
And while the initial upgrade effort involves testing and validation, Datavid’s MarkLogic Upgrade Approach, a best-practice process refined through extensive project experience with 50+ client engagements.
Bottom line: the one-off cost of upgrading is far smaller than the ongoing cost of delay.
Read the full case study HERE
Fear #3 – Falling Behind on AI and Innovation
“We don’t need the new features right now.”
That may sound reasonable - until AI and advanced analytics start defining your competitive edge.
Reality: Without MarkLogic 11 or 12, you’re missing the foundational capabilities that make modern, AI-driven innovation possible.
- Vector Search and GraphRAG integration make it possible to connect enterprise data with AI systems, enabling secure, context-aware answers and smarter assistants powered by your own information
- GraphQL and REST API enhancements accelerate development of digital products that use unified data views.
- Elastic Cloud Support in MarkLogic 12 simplifies auto-scaling, aligning with modern DevOps and containerized deployment models.
In short, upgrading isn’t just about maintenance - it’s about future-proofing your data for AI-readiness.
Read Datavid’s AI-powered cognitive search case study
and explore how semantic enrichment and vector-based retrieval can transform how users find and interact with information. Without the newer MarkLogic capabilities, those possibilities remain out of reach.
Hidden Fear – Compliance Exposure
“We’re managing compliance fine.”
That might be true today - but unsupported versions risk audit failures, unpatched libraries, and inconsistent encryption standards.
Upgrading ensures continued adherence to frameworks like ISO 27001, GDPR, and 21 CFR Part 11 through certified updates and vendor backing.
When compliance is mission-critical, staying on MarkLogic 10 means accepting unquantified liability.
Why Datavid
When it comes to MarkLogic upgrades, Datavid is the most experienced partner outside Progress itself.
- 60+ MarkLogic-certified consultants across the UK, India, and Romania
- 50+ successful upgrades and migrations for global enterprises
- Expertise across MarkLogic Consulting and Managed Services
From initial Risk Audit & Assessment to QA validation and post-go-live monitoring, Datavid’s methodology ensures upgrades are secure, efficient, and fully compliant with your governance standards.
Explore our downloadable resources:
Conclusion – Staying on MarkLogic 10 Holds You Back
Upgrading isn’t a disruption - it’s an opportunity to simplify, modernize, and prepare your enterprise for the data-driven decade ahead.
Every month spent on MarkLogic 10 increases:
- Compliance exposure
- Technical debt
- Lost opportunity for AI innovation
With MarkLogic 11 and 12, you gain a future-proof foundation for semantic data, compliance automation, and AI-ready intelligence.
Don’t wait until 2026. The safest path forward is the one that starts now. 
a free assessment valued at $5000 to benchmark your MarkLogic upgrade readiness!
