In today’s digital world, businesses need to provide outstanding online experiences to stay ahead. With tough competition and fast-changing technology, having a strong online presence and efficient operations is crucial. According to a Forrester study, companies that focus on customer experience make 5.7 times more revenue than their competitors. But achieving this high level of customer satisfaction can be hard, especially for businesses with limited resources and technical know-how.
This is where Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) comes into play. AEM is a powerful tool that helps businesses manage their online content and deliver personalized experiences across different channels. However, using AEM to its full potential can be challenging. It requires specialized skills, ongoing maintenance, and the ability to adapt to changing business needs.
To overcome these challenges, many businesses are using AEM Managed Services. These services offer expert support, proactive monitoring, and continuous optimization. This allows businesses to focus on what they do best, while ensuring their AEM system runs smoothly and efficiently.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore AEM Managed Services, their benefits, and how they can help your business succeed in the digital world. Whether you’re experienced with AEM or just starting out on a digital transformation journey, this guide will provide valuable insights and practical strategies to unlock the true power of AEM and drive business success.
What is AEM Managed Service?
Adobe Experience Manager is a powerful and comprehensive digital experience platform that allows businesses to create, manage, and deliver personalized content across multiple channels. However, harnessing the full potential of AEM can be a complex and resource-intensive work, requiring specialized expertise and continuous support. This is where AEM Managed Services come into play.
AEM Managed Services are a suite of offerings provided by certified Adobe partners and experts, designed to support businesses throughout the entire AEM lifecycle. These services include a wide range of activities, including implementation, hosting, infrastructure management, security and compliance, performance monitoring, content and asset management, technical support, and upgrades and patch management.
By leveraging AEM Managed Services, businesses can reduce the operational complexities associated with managing an AEM environment, freeing up internal resources to focus on their core competencies and strategic initiatives.
Adobe Experience Manager as a Managed Service
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is the industry-leading digital experience management solution for enterprises and SME businesses. AEM offers a modern, scalable foundation to create engaging experiences that enhance brand engagement, stimulate demand, and boost customer loyalty. AEM includes comprehensive tools to design, manage, and deliver digital experiences across all channels.
When leveraging Adobe Experience Manager as a Managed Service, the AEM solution is hosted in a dedicated environment, fully managed and supported by Adobe. Core infrastructure components such as web application hosting, redundancy, and storage are provided through Adobe-certified cloud service providers and maintained by Adobe experts. This setup ensures optimal performance, security, and scalability, allowing organizations to focus on delivering exceptional digital experiences.
What are the advantages of AEM Managed Services?
Implementing AEM Managed Services can significantly improve a business’s digital strategy and operations. Here are the key benefits:
- Cost-efficiency and resource optimization: By outsourcing AEM management to a specialized vendor, businesses can avoid the high costs associated with building and maintaining an in-house team of AEM experts. Managed services providers offer flexible pricing models, allowing businesses to scale services based on their evolving needs, ensuring efficient resource allocation.
- Expertise and Best Practices: AEM Managed Services vendors are dedicated experts who stay at the forefront of AEM capabilities, industry trends, and best practices. This expertise ensures that businesses can leverage the full potential of AEM without having to invest time and resources in training their internal teams. Vendors can deliver tailored solutions that align with business goals, ensuring optimal execution of digital strategies.
- Security and Compliance: Security is paramount for any business, and AEM Managed Services vendors prioritize implementing robust security measures to safeguard digital assets, customer data, and sensitive information. They continuously monitor for vulnerabilities and address security threats promptly. Additionally, they ensure that the AEM platform remains compliant with industry regulations, which is crucial for businesses operating in regulated sectors like healthcare and finance.
- Optimization and Performance: AEM Managed Services provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that the platform performs at its best. This includes monitoring system performance, addressing bottlenecks, and making proactive adjustments to optimize the AEM environment. Continuous optimization ensures a seamless user experience and allows businesses to adapt quickly to changes in user behavior and emerging technologies.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Business needs can change rapidly and AEM Managed Services are designed with scalability and flexibility in mind. Whether a business is experiencing rapid growth or needs to downsize temporarily, these services can adapt to their requirements, ensuring that AEM resources align with the current state of the business, preventing overinvestment or resource shortages.
How can AEM managed services benefit my business?
AEM Managed Services can benefit businesses in multiple ways, enabling them to thrive in the competitive digital landscape:
Source: https://business.adobe.com/products/experience-manager/managed-services.html
- Accelerated Time-to-Value: By partnering with an experienced AEM Managed Services vendor, businesses can increase the implementation and deployment of their AEM instance. This accelerated time-to-value ensures that businesses can quickly leverage the full capabilities of AEM, driving faster ROI.
- Focus on Core Competencies: By offloading the operational complexities of managing an AEM environment, businesses can redirect their internal resources towards core competencies and strategic initiatives that drive growth and revenue. This allows for greater agility and adaptability in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
- Seamless Integration and Migration: AEM Managed Services providers are experienced in integrating AEM with existing systems and migrating content and assets from legacy platforms. This seamless integration and migration process minimizes disruptions to business operations and ensures a smooth transition to the AEM platform.
- Improved Customer Experiences: By leveraging the expertise of AEM Managed Services vendors, businesses can optimize their digital experiences, delivering personalized, engaging, and consistent content across multiple channels. This can lead to improved customer satisfaction, increased customer retention, and ultimately, increased business revenue.
- Reduced Risk and Compliance Assurance: Adobe Experience Manager Managed Services providers prioritize security and compliance, implementing robust measures to safeguard digital assets, customer data, and sensitive information. They ensure that the AEM platform remains compliant with industry regulations, reducing the risk of non-compliance and potential penalties.
What do I expect from my AEM Managed Services vendor?
When partnering with an AEM Managed Services vendor, businesses should expect the following:
- Comprehensive Services: An experienced AEM Managed Services vendor should offer a comprehensive suite of services covering the entire AEM lifecycle, from initial implementation and migration to ongoing support, maintenance, and optimization.
- Expertise and Experience: The vendor should have a team of certified AEM experts with extensive experience in implementing, configuring, and managing AEM environments across various industries and use cases. They should stay up-to-date with the latest AEM features, best practices, and industry trends.
- Customized Solutions: The vendor should work closely with the business to understand their unique requirements, challenges, and goals, and provide tailored solutions that align with their digital strategy.
- Integration and Migration: The vendor should have the capability to seamlessly integrate AEM with existing systems and migrate content and assets from legacy platforms, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.
- Security and Compliance: The vendor should prioritize security and compliance, implementing robust measures to safeguard digital assets, customer data, and sensitive information. They should ensure that the AEM platform remains compliant with industry regulations.
- Monitoring and Optimization: The vendor should continuously monitor the AEM environment, proactively identifying and addressing performance issues, and optimizing the platform for optimal performance and scalability.
- Support and Communication: The vendor should provide responsive and timely support, addressing any technical issues or concerns that may arise. Clear and transparent communication channels should be established to ensure effective collaboration and knowledge transfer.
- Scalability and Flexibility: The vendor should offer scalable and flexible services that can adapt to the changing needs of the business, allowing for seamless expansion or contraction of resources as required.
- Competitive Pricing: The vendor should offer competitive pricing models that align with the business’s budget and provide a clear return on investment (ROI) through cost savings, increased operational efficiency, and improved customer experiences.
What is the process of implementing AEM Managed Services?
Implementing AEM Managed Services is a multi-phased process that should be carefully planned and executed to ensure a successful deployment and ongoing management of the AEM environment:
- Assessment and Planning: The process begins with a comprehensive assessment of the business’s current digital landscape, requirements, goals, and challenges. The AEM Managed Services provider will work closely with the business to understand their specific needs and devise a tailored implementation plan.
- Detailed Solution Design: Based on the assessment, the provider will create a detailed solution design, outlining the AEM configuration, integrations, migration strategy, resources required, and the scope of services.
- Implementation: Once the solution design is finalized, the AEM Managed Services team will handle the implementation process. This includes configuring AEM to meet the business’s specific requirements, integrating it with existing systems, migrating content and assets, and ensuring that all necessary infrastructure is in place.
- Deployment and Training: After successful implementation, the configured AEM environment is deployed to production. The provider will then conduct hands-on training sessions to ensure that the business’s team is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively utilize the AEM platform.
- Ongoing Support and Maintenance: AEM Managed Services extend beyond the initial implementation. The provider will offer continuous support, monitoring the system’s performance, and making necessary adjustments to ensure optimal functionality. This includes addressing technical issues, implementing security patches, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
- Continuous Optimization: The provider will continuously work with the business to optimize the AEM environment, leveraging best practices, monitoring performance metrics, and making proactive adjustments to improve the user experience, scalability, and overall efficiency of the platform.
Can I switch from in-house AEM management to managed services?
Absolutely! Switching from an in-house AEM management approach to AEM Managed Services is a common scenario, and many businesses opt for this transition to leverage the expertise and benefits offered by specialized service providers.
This process typically involves the following steps:
- Assessment and Discovery: The AEM Managed Services vendor will conduct a detailed assessment of the existing in-house AEM environment, including its configuration, customizations, integrations, and infrastructure. This assessment helps recognize potential challenges, dependencies, and migration requirements.
- Migration Planning: Based on the assessment, the AEM Managed Services provider will create a comprehensive migration plan. This plan will outline the steps involved in transitioning the existing AEM environment to the managed services model, including data migration, system configuration, and integration strategies.
- Migration Execution: The provider will execute the migration plan, working closely with the business’s internal team to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. This may involve migrating content, assets, and data, reconfiguring the AEM environment, and integrating with existing systems and processes.
- User Acceptance Testing: Once the migration is complete, the vendor will conduct thorough user acceptance testing to ensure that the new AEM environment meets the business’s requirements and functions as expected.
- Knowledge Transfer: The AEM Managed Services provider will conduct training sessions to ensure that the business’s team is equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to work effectively with the new managed services model.
- Ongoing Support and Optimization: With the transition complete, the provider will assume responsibility for the ongoing support, maintenance, and optimization of the AEM environment, leveraging their expertise and best practices.
Are AEM managed services a long-term commitment?
AEM Managed Services are typically designed as long-term partnerships, but the commitment level can vary depending on the specific needs and requirements of the business.
Many businesses opt for long-term AEM Managed Services engagements to ensure continuity, consistency, and ongoing support for their digital experiences. This long-term commitment allows for a deeper understanding of the business’s goals, processes, and challenges, enabling the service provider to deliver tailored solutions and optimization strategies that evolve with the business’s needs.
However, AEM Managed Services providers understand the dynamic nature of the digital landscape and the evolving requirements of businesses. As such, they often offer flexible engagement models that can accommodate both short-term and long-term commitments.
Short-term engagements may be suitable for businesses with specific projects or initiatives, such as implementing a new AEM environment, migrating from a legacy system, or addressing specific performance or scalability challenges. In these cases, the service provider can offer project-based or time-bound engagements to meet the business’s immediate needs.
Long-term engagements, on the other hand, are typically preferred by businesses seeking a strategic partnership for the ongoing management, maintenance, and optimization of their AEM environment. These engagements often involve multi-year contracts, allowing for a more comprehensive and proactive approach to digital experience management.
What is the difference between AEM Managed services and AEM resource augmentation?
AEM Managed Services and AEM Resource Augmentation are two distinct offerings that cater to different business needs and requirements:
1. AEM Managed Services:
AEM Managed Services provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to managing and maintaining an AEM environment. These services encompass a wide range of activities, including implementation, hosting, infrastructure management, security and compliance, performance monitoring, content and asset management, technical support, and upgrades and patch management.
With AEM Managed Services, businesses effectively outsource the operational complexities associated with managing an AEM environment to a specialized service provider. The provider takes full responsibility for ensuring the optimal performance, security, and scalability of the AEM platform, freeing up the business’s internal resources to focus on strategic initiatives and core competencies.
2. AEM Resource Augmentation:
AEM Resource Augmentation, on the other hand, is a more focused offering that addresses specific resource gaps or requirements within a business’s existing AEM team or projects. It involves augmenting the internal team with highly skilled AEM professionals on a flexible, contract, or project basis.
Resource augmentation services are typically leveraged for specific initiatives or scenarios, such as:
| AEM implementation or migration projects | Major system upgrades | Architecture roadmaps and evaluations |
| Large-scale redesigns, site launches, or new channel rollouts | Optimizing experience performance and scalability | Technical audits and debugging |
| Developing complex custom components or integrations | Executing personalization strategies | Interim staff coverage during personnel changes |
With resource augmentation, businesses retain overall control and management of their AEM environment while supplementing their team with specialized expertise and additional resources as needed.
AEM Managed Services vs AEM as a Cloud Service
While both AEM Managed Services and AEM as a Cloud Service are offerings from Adobe, they differ in their delivery models, deployment options, and management responsibilities:
| Attribute | AEM Managed Services | AEM as a Cloud Service |
| Definition | AEM Managed Services is a service-based offering where businesses leverage the expertise and resources of a third-party service vendor to manage and maintain their AEM environment. The AEM platform itself is typically deployed on the business's own infrastructure or the service vendor's infrastructure. With AEM Managed Services, the service vendor takes responsibility for various aspects of the AEM environment, including infrastructure management, security, performance monitoring, upgrades, and ongoing support. The business retains control over the content and digital assets, while the service vendor manages the technical complexities of running and maintaining the AEM platform. | AEM as a Cloud Service, on the other hand, is a cloud-based offering from Adobe where the AEM platform is hosted and managed by Adobe in the cloud. It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, where Adobe handles the underlying infrastructure, security, and maintenance of the AEM environment. With AEM as a Cloud Service, businesses have less control over the technical aspects of the AEM platform, as Adobe manages the infrastructure, security, and updates. However, businesses retain control over the content, digital assets, and customizations within the AEM environment. |
| Deployment | AEM Managed Services can be deployed on the business's infrastructure or the service provider's infrastructure. | AEM as a Cloud Service is hosted and managed by Adobe in the cloud. |
| Management | In AEM Managed Services, the service provider manages the technical aspects of the AEM environment. | AEM as a Cloud Service, Adobe manages the infrastructure and technical components. |
| Control | With AEM Managed Services, businesses have more control over the technical aspects of the AEM environment. | AEM as a Cloud Service, Adobe has more control over the underlying infrastructure and platform updates. |
| Pricing | AEM Managed Services typically involve a pricing model based on the scope of services and resources required. | AEM as a Cloud Service is a subscription-based model with pricing based on usage and features. |
The choice between AEM Managed Services and AEM as a Cloud Service depends on the business’s specific requirements, IT infrastructure, security and compliance needs, and the level of control desired over the technical aspects of the AEM platform.
How to Choose the Right AEM Managed Services Provider
Selecting the right Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Managed Services provider is crucial for optimizing your digital experience platform. Here are key factors to consider:
- Expertise: Look for a provider with a proven track record in managing successful AEM projects. Ensure their team includes certified AEM professionals whose expertise will be essential in maintaining and enhancing your AEM environment.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Ensure that the provider’s SLAs align with your organization’s needs for uptime, performance, and resolution times. Clear, well-defined SLAs help prevent misunderstandings and ensure reliable service delivery.
- Client Reviews: Examine client reviews and testimonials to gauge the provider’s reputation and the quality of their services. Insights from previous clients can reveal the provider’s strengths and potential areas for improvement.
How can Ranosys assist with AEM Managed Services?
AEM Managed Services provides a strategic solution for managing an organization’s AEM environment, combining expert management, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. This empowers organizations to maximize their AEM investment while focusing on core operations. Selecting the right service provider, transitioning seamlessly, and continuous improvement are crucial for success. Ranosys, a leading Adobe Solution Partner with over 15 years of experience in Adobe Experience Cloud, specializes in AEM Sites, Forms, Assets, and Managed Services. As a leading Adobe Solution Partner, Ranosys offers comprehensive AEM Managed Services to unlock AEM’s full potential. Their end-to-end services cover the entire AEM lifecycle, from assessment and planning to support, maintenance, and optimization.
With extensive expertise and a comprehensive approach, Ranosys ensures clients’ AEM environments are optimized, secure, and aligned with business goals, enabling them to drive growth and deliver exceptional digital experiences.
