Boost Security and Cut Costs with Static Site Generation, a Simpler Website Solution

How do you deliver lightning-fast, secure digital experiences without exponentially increasing infrastructure costs? Traditional web architectures can force trade-offs between performance, security, and cost-effectiveness. Even powerful cloud solutions from AWS, Azure, and GCP introduce layers of complexity that demand specialized expertise and significant investment. With damages from cybercrime projected to hit $10.5 trillion this year, according to a recent Cybersecurity Ventures report, the stakes for uncompromised digital infrastructure are climbing.

In this article, we’ll reveal how static site generation (SSG) presents a flexible solution for upholding security requirements and optimizing costs while allowing you to stay on pace with the needs of a dynamic market.

How Static Sites Solve Security Problems

Static site generators are programs or frameworks that output a website as a collection of flat files that don’t require a database or dynamic web server to work. Traditionally, websites rely on a database to store information and a web server to process and display it every time a user visits the site. Static sites take a more efficient approach: they pre-generate HTML content and then show the same pre-generated page on each user request.

This means there’s no database exposed to the web and no dynamic server code (such as PHP or .NET) running, both of which can be major attack vectors. Instead, all data is stored in a separate and more secure location. This configuration makes static sites perfect for marketing and information-based websites, which change content infrequently or according to a predetermined schedule.

While this approach is ideal for content-focused sites, applications that rely on dynamic interaction may still need native apps or dynamic web applications. 

Choose the SSG that Fits Your MarTech Vision

Today's leading static site generators seamlessly integrate with the most popular web development frameworks, making adoption straightforward for your existing development teams. For React-based teams, industry standards like Gatsby and Next.js offer powerful solutions, while Vue.js developers can leverage the robust capabilities of Nuxt. There are also static site generators that support common programming languages, like Hugo in Go, Jekyll in Ruby, and Eleventy in Vanilla JavaScript. This diversity means you can select a solution that matches your team's expertise and your project's specific requirements.

All of these SSGs can be hooked up to an existing Content Management System (CMS) in “headless” mode so your CMS only provides data, which the static site generator consumes to build the site. The final built product is deployed onto the web, with no access to the original database required. Updates can be made and published through an easy-to-use CMS that supports modern content editing features. If you’re currently using a CMS like Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) or WordPress, it already supports this — making your CMS a powerful content hub while the static site generator transforms that content into fast, secure web pages.

Because the data location can remain separate, the attack surface of your site is reduced. It’s also easy to add a content delivery network (CDN) to improve load times for your site anywhere in the world. Many static sites can even be completely hosted at the edge of a CDN without requiring your own server at all, which drives down costs even further. As a result, a static site approach offers a compelling blend of simplicity, security, and scalability for enterprise digital experiences.

Keep Leveraging Dynamic Data and Transactions

If you're wondering what happens when you want to handle customization, analytics, or transactions, existing analytics frameworks like Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, and other solutions will work right out of the box. Your site can still integrate with services like email signups or even product sales, using trusted third parties. For instance, embed a Mailchimp contact form, and emails will go directly into your mailing list signups. You can also still sell products with embedded checkout flow from companies like Stripe and PayPal.

Using services made for specific tasks like these has the benefit of keeping all personally identifiable information stored with existing trusted companies — and more importantly, not stored in your systems. This makes compliance easier for you and requires less security overhead. 

Release with Ease (and Confidence)

This style of creating websites means fewer potential security risks and faster deployment cycles, helping you spend less time and money on infrastructure and get your vision to market faster.

If you’re interested in more strategies to move quickly, keep costs controlled, and stay on the leading edge of security for your business and customers, reach out to our team.