Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites Services

Autowoven's partnership with Adobe has helped deliver award winning digital experiences

AEM Sites Product Overview

Manage websites and web applications at scale with Autowoven

Content Management Systems have been around for a while. A little known Swiss company called Day Software developed an innovative application called Communique back in the year 2000. Also known as Day CQ5, it gained prominence because of its flexible back-end technology that was developed on top of a Java Content Repository (JCR). Instead of using a traditional Database Management System, CQ5 was built on a hierarchical, object data model or Object Relational Data Model, that is well suited for managing un-structured content. Ten years later, Adobe purchased Day Software and renamed CQ5 to Adobe Experience Manager(AEM).

Today's digital content is mostly unstructured with no pre-defined data model. Whether it is a Facebook post, a Youtube Video, a simple mobile text message or a product page, content has no structure but it has plenty of context. AEM and AEM Sites specifically, allows organizations to manage multiple web, mobile and application content seamlessly, while personlizing the customer experience at scale. A typical production AEM Sites implementation by Autowoven has dozens if not hundreds of content authors spread across regions and countries, managing websites and mobile app content in multiple languages at the same time.

Autowoven's expertise with AEM dates back to when the product was called CQ5 and we have implemented every version of AEM since then. We have developed engaging digital experiences using AEM Sites in the Healthcare, Insurance, Finance, Education, Travel and Government industries. Thanks to our numerous project lifecycle experiences, we have developed best practices and methodologies that enable us to deliver AEM Sites more effectively, faster and at a lower cost. Our AEM Architects have worked with C-level executives in delivering digital transformation success stories. Our Developers have a digital footprint in web and mobile sites of many big brand organizations like Kaiser Permanente, BCBS Iowa, Bank of America, McGraw Hill Education, Wyndham Vacations and Department of Energy.

Autowoven is a proud Adobe Solutions Partner and our consultants attend Adobe Summit and numerous technical conferences every year. Here are some features of AEM we can help you implement the right way using best practices:

Manage multiple sites across regions and languages using Multisite Manager (MSM) and LiveCopy
A reusable library of AEM Components and Templates
Headless Content Management Systems using AEM Content Fragments
Digital Asset Management integration with AEM Sites
Search Engine integrations with Apache Solr, IBM Watson, Google Search or other Search Engines
A DevOps strategy that meets your organizations goals
AEM on Cloud (Adobe Managed Services) implementation that optimizes your AMS licensing costs
Personalization at scale using AEM - Target integration
Track user behavior using AEM - Adobe Launch Analtyics extension

“ Great work. Seriously. Awesome. Thank you. ”

- Vendor Manager at AT&T after Autowoven's delivery of a mission critical solution

The different deployment models of AEM

Autowoven can help determine the most optimal AEM deployment approach and save you significant costs on total ROI

Click on the tabs below to learn about each AEM flavor

AEM On Premise

Ideal for organizations that prefer complete control over their infrastructure and data, AEM On-Premise provides a robust content management solution deployed within your own environment. When partnering with Autowoven for your AEM On-Premise implementation, you benefit from:

Expertise and Experience: Autowoven's team of skilled professionals brings extensive experience in AEM implementations, ensuring a smooth and successful deployment of AEM On-Premise tailored to your organization's specific requirements.

Customization and Integration: Autowoven helps you maximize the potential of AEM On-Premise by offering customizations and integrations with other systems, enabling seamless workflows and enhanced marketing capabilities.

Ongoing Support: Autowoven provides comprehensive support services, including maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting, ensuring that your AEM On-Premise instance operates at peak performance.

AEM Managed Service

For organizations seeking a hassle-free CMS experience with minimal infrastructure management, AEM Managed Service offers a convenient solution. By partnering with Autowoven for your AEM Managed Service implementation, you can enjoy additional benefits such as:

Managed Services Expertise: Working alongside Adobe’s team, Autowoven's managed services team takes care of the day-to-day operational aspects of AEM, including application infrastructure management, monitoring, and performance optimization, freeing up your resources to focus on creating impactful digital experiences.

Proactive Monitoring and Issue Resolution: Autowoven ensures that your AEM Managed Service instance is continuously monitored, and any potential issues are identified and resolved promptly, minimizing disruptions to your marketing activities.

Strategic Guidance: Autowoven provides strategic guidance and best practices to help you leverage AEM Managed Service effectively, optimizing your digital marketing efforts and driving tangible business results.

Host with us!

If Adobe's AEM hosting solution is not a viable option, we also offer hosting services on your preferred private Cloud

AEM as a Cloud Service

Designed for organizations looking for a fully cloud-native CMS experience, AEM as a Cloud Service offers a modern and scalable solution. Partnering with Autowoven for your AEM as a Cloud Service implementation offers the following advantages:

Cloud Expertise: Autowoven's team of cloud experts ensures a seamless transition to AEM as a Cloud Service, leveraging their in-depth knowledge and experience with cloud technologies to optimize your implementation.

Scalability and Performance: Autowoven assists in configuring your AEM as a Cloud Service instance for optimal performance and scalability, ensuring that your digital experiences can handle high traffic volumes and deliver exceptional user experiences.

Continuous Optimization: Autowoven collaborates with you to continuously optimize your AEM as a Cloud Service implementation, utilizing the latest features and functionalities to enhance your digital marketing initiatives.

Talk to us on how optimizing your AEM deployment ROI

Our proven experience

Using best practices developed over multiple implementations, we deliver AEM based solutions fast.

Our success with AEM Sites

A major healthcare company with hospitals located across the US and with 50,000 doctors in its network wanted to migrate from a variety of different technology platforms on to a single Adobe Experience Cloud platform consisting of AEM Sites, AEM Assets, Forms and Analytics. Autowoven's Architects worked with business managers and product owners across cost centers to streamline requirements into a "Factory of the future" operation. This consisted of developing an operating model to on board numerous websites on to an AEM platform using best practices quickly.

Further, we developed a comprehensive DevOps model that eventually merged with Adobe Managed Services' Cloud Manager. Our UI and AEM developers integrated multiple sites with various enterprise applications to bring personalization, site search, doctor appointments and other features necessary for a web operation that serves millions of users.

Adobe Certified Partner

Autowoven is an Adobe solution partner with experience across the Adobe Experience Cloud platform. As an Adobe certified partner we engage in digital conferences, summits and events related to Adobe marketing technology. This allows us to stay ahead of the curve with new product features and trending digital technologies.

Over 10 years of Adobe consulting experience

Our history implementing Adobe Experience Cloud products from the very early stages has helped us develop best practices and methodologies. Partnering with Autowoven for implementing your Adobe based solution ensures you can hit the ground running and avoid expensive mistakes.

Our AEM Sites won awards

Among the awards our implementations have won include - Stevies awards for best presentation and content. Webby's and CSS Awards.

AEM Training and Support

Our custom training in AEM Sites, Assets, Forms and Campaign are a key part of our clients' success stories. Our custom tailored, practical courses and are more effective than generic product training. We offer courses for Product Owners and Developers that are solution oriented.

Reduce AEM License and Implementation Costs

Compared to Adobe Professional Services, Autowoven's average AEM implementation costs are at least 40% cheaper. Plus our time to go-live on projects is significantly faster compared to Adobe Consulting or the Big 5 Consulting partners.

AEM Sites Automation Products

Over time, our on the field development team has developed AEM Sites optimization tools. These tools allow for faster time to market while adhering to best practices.

Learn more

AEM Sites automation tools

Autowoven's custom build, ready-to-go packages help automate your AEM Sites rollout

Express Pack for AEM Sites

We bundled our years of experience implementing AEM Sites into tangible artifacts that you can repurpose for rapid deployment of AEM. Whether it is on Cloud or on premise, this is a valuable resource for any successful AEM impementation

Health Check for AEM

Over time AEM sites can end up consuming too many resources - disk space, memory and potential system crashes. Our health check tools look at the system end-to-end, from Users, Groups, Workflows, AEM JCR usage, etc., to provide you with valuable insights into correcting system behavior before serious disasters. This is recommended for any organization that has AEM running in production for more than 1 year.

Accessibility Automation for ADA Compliance

We have teamed up with ADA tool providers to ensure webpages created in AEM sites provide real-time feedback on ADA compliance. This ensures your content is always ADA compliant at the level you choose. This is especially helpful for Government and Public Service organizations that engage with a large and diverse customer base.

Adobe Experience Manager(AEM) FAQs

1. What are AEM Sites pricing and licensing costs?

Adobe typically licenses individual modules like AEM Sites and AEM Forms separately. Typical annual license costs can run anywhere from $250K to $1M+ depending on several factors. With more newer customers opting for a hosted AEM Sites implememntation, with Adobe Managed Services (AMS), the up-front costs setup could be lower, but expect to pay more for Managed Services support. Also note that Adobe Managed Services comes in different tiers of support and availability. Higher the availability - like 99.99% guaranteed up time with real-time scaling would be at a premium.
AMS was introduced around 2017 and the number of customers opting for the Cloud, as compared to on-premise hosting has grown significantly. Traditional on-premise AEM is still preferred by a majority of clients especially when there is a lot of custom integrations, privacy around HIPAA or PII data is involved. Autowoven can help you make the right choice between cloud and on-premise hosting while you work with Adobe on licensing. This could help you save significantly in license costs by making the right choice.

2. Is AEM Assets license included with AEM Sites?

By default AEM Assets, which is Adobe DAM solution is a sold as a separate license, but you will need to talk to your Adobe Account Manager for details. AEM Forms on the other hand is definitely not bundled with AEM Sites as it requires add-on packages for complete functionality.

3. Is AEM Open Source?

AEM is built on several open source technologies that Adobe has either developed or contributed to. However, you will still need to pay a license fee to deploy AEM in a production environment. AEM has been developed on several open source technologies including the following:

Java Content Repository or JCR. This is the Object Relational Storage systems built on Apache Jacrabbit content repository.
The rich JCR content repository is exposed as sa web framework using Apache Sling Apache sling allows AEM content to be available in a RESTful architecture.
The rich JCR content repository is exposed as sa web framework using Apache Sling Apache sling allows AEM content to be available in a RESTful architecture.
AEM's modular architecture - the ability to start and stop parts of AEM functionality, without restarting the entire application is a strong software architectural principle that software specialists admire. This modular architecture is based on Open Services Gateway Interfacce - OSGi framework allows functionality to be packaged as bundles and deployed indepent of the rest of the system. While OSGi is a framework, the open-source application that implements it is Apache Felix, which is included with AEM's technology stack.
AEM's rich touch interface that allowss WYSIWYG drag and drop features is made possible by the inclusion of a rich Javascript framework called Granite. You may read more about the rich features that Granite brings to AEM here

4. What is ACS Commons?

Adobe Consulting Services (ACS) is the professional services division of Adobe. Over time, ACS has released several versions of a software package - AEM bundles, that help with AEM productivity. ACS Commons is not officially supported by Adobe Support, but in general is relatively stable. Autowoven recommends using ACS Commons to their customers on a case by case basis, and we can enhance features within ACS Commons to suit specific customer needs. ACS Commons predates Core Components.

5. What are AEM Core Components?

AEM Core Components are a list of add-on features, like ACS Commons that have been open sourced by Adobe. Core components provide better documentation and support than ACS Commons. This package also comes with a set of pre-built components that allow you to build a reference AEM Sites implementation relatively quickly.

6. What are MSM and LiveCopy in the context of AEM?

Organizations often have to manage websites specific to multiple regions. AEM's Multi-site Manager (MSM) allows multiple websites to be easily created from a master copy. These inherited child websites can be further customized to meet regional or other criteria specifications. LiveCopy uses the rules specified in a blueprint configurations to roll out to child websites. Together MSM and LiveCopy provide a very powerful feature. When integrated with Translation engines, AEM sites can be localized and translated to suit specific needs.

7. What does Author, Publisher and Dispatcher mean within AEM?

An AEM Sites application is not a monolithic application, but rather typically deployed as three logically distinct instances that work together called Author, Publisher and Dispatcher. The Author instance is where content is developed, curated, tagged and previewed prior to publishing. You can consider this to be your content sandbox or drafting work area. Once content is finalized it can be published (or Activated in AEM parlance) to a Publish instance.
The Publish instance serves as a rendering engine for all content - static or dynamic, typically integrating with back-end systems as necessary.
Front-ending the entire application and providing caching and scalability features is the Dispatcher.

About

autowoven provides customized technology solutions to enterprise customers for increased digital engagement. As Adobe Solutions Partner, we provide cutting-edge marketing solutions using Adobe Marketing Cloud suite of products. Additionally, we develop solutions for OpenText TeamSite Web Content Management System.