Exploring AEM Deployment Options: On-Premise, Managed Service, and Cloud Service

Contents

• Objective
• Introduction
• Technical Factors for AEM Deployment
• Differences
• On-Premises vs. Managed vs. Cloud Deployment: A Comparison
• AEM Deployment Best Practices
• Conclusion

Objective

By the end of this article, you will understand:

• An introduction to AEM deployment options
• Technical considerations for AEM deployment
• A comparison between On-Premises, Managed, and Cloud deployment
• Best practices for AEM deployment

Introduction

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) provides various deployment options to meet diverse organizational needs and preferences. Your choice depends on your goals with AEM—whether you’re building a new website, revamping an existing one, or creating a personalized digital experience platform. Each deployment option offers unique benefits and considerations:

• On-Premises Deployment:?Offers extensive control and customization.
• Managed Services:?Balances control with ease of management.
• Cloud Service:?Provides operational efficiency and rapid innovation.

Let’s dive in and explore these options further!

Technical Factors for AEM Deployment

• Flexibility vs. Ease of Management:?AEM On-Premises offers maximum flexibility but requires more management effort. In contrast, AEM’s cloud service simplifies management, allowing organizations to focus on content and experiences.
• Cost:?While AEM On-Premises may have higher upfront costs, AEM as a cloud service typically uses a subscription-based pricing model, spreading costs over time.
• Updates and Maintenance:?AEM as a cloud service simplifies updates and maintenance, as Adobe handles these tasks. On-premises solutions require organizations to manage updates and maintenance themselves.
• Scalability:?Cloud-based solutions (managed service and cloud service) offer better scalability options compared to on-premises solutions, which may require more manual intervention to scale.
• Security:?Adobe implements robust security measures for cloud services. On-premises deployments require organizations to manage their own security.
• Code Deployment:?On-premises deployments allow organizations to control their code deployment tools, whereas managed and cloud services require the use of Adobe’s pipeline.

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Cloud and AEM On-premises deployments differ in several ways, including:?

• Hosting - AEM Cloud is hosted on the provider's servers, while AEM on-premise is hosted within the organization's data centers.?
• Control - AEM on-premises offers more control over the infrastructure, including hardware and software management.?
• Data security - On-premises deployments may be better for organizations with strict data security requirements.?
• Licensing - On-premises deployments may have different licensing models than cloud services.?
• Integration - On-premises AEM can integrate with other on-premises systems and databases.?
• Upfront costs - On-premises deployments can have high upfront costs for hardware, infrastructure, and setup.?
• Interface - AEM Cloud Service has a touch-enabled interface, while the classic UI is no longer available.?
• Publish instance changes - Changes are not possible on the publish instance in AEM Cloud Service but are possible on AEM on-premises.?
• Identity management - AEM community and CUG can be used for identity management in AEM on-premises, but not in AEM Cloud Service.?
• Access - AEM author instances in AEM Cloud Service may require authentication through Adobe accounts.?

Best Practices for AEM Deployment

Deploying Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) involves following best practices to ensure a smooth and efficient process:

• Environment Separation:?Maintain separate environments for development, testing, staging, and production. This helps isolate changes, test new features, and ensure stability before deploying to production.
• Version Control:?Use version control systems like Git to manage code and configuration changes. This enables tracking changes, collaboration among team members, and easy rollback in case of issues.
• Automated Deployment:?Implement automated deployment pipelines to streamline the process. Use continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, or Adobe CI/CD pipeline.
• Configuration Management:?Manage AEM configurations using tools like OSGI configuration and Run mode. Maintain separate configuration sets for each environment to avoid configuration drift and ensure consistency.
• Content Migration:?Plan and execute content migrations carefully, especially when upgrading or migrating between AEM versions. Utilize Adobe’s AEM migration tool or third-party migration solutions to automate and streamline the process.
• Performance Optimization:?Optimize AEM performance by tuning configurations, implementing caching strategies, and leveraging CDNs. Regularly monitor performance metrics and optimize as needed to ensure an optimal user experience.
• Backup and Recovery:?Establish robust backup and disaster recovery procedures to mitigate the risk of data loss and downtime. Regularly back up AEM repositories, configurations, and content, and have a tested recovery plan in place.
• Monitoring and Alerting:?Implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting solutions to track system health, performance, and security incidents.

Conclusion

In this post, we explored various AEM deployment options and compared their features. We also discussed best practices for efficient AEM deployments. I hope you found this information helpful. If you did, please leave a comment with your thoughts and suggestions for improvement. I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn as well.

Thanks!!