Adobe now has two very different and very powerful experience platforms available for building sites. What does Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 LTS offer, and how does it differ from Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service? This article explores the different AEM Sites options, key advantages and other considerations you may take into account to build optimal experiences on AEM.

Overview of AEM Sites Offerings

In a recent meetup of the Above Experience Manager Midwest User Group, Tad Reeves from Arbory Digital led a discussion on the current offerings of Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). This article summarizes key points from the meetup in Columbus, OH focused on the differences between AEM 6.5, AEM 6.5 LTS, AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) and AEMaaCS with Edge Delivery Services.

Adobe Experience Manager now encompasses two distinct product offerings, often confused due to overlapping names and shared functionality:

• AEM 6.5 and AEM 6.5 LTS (Long-Term Support)
• AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS)

Each serves different use cases and has its own technical profile, support roadmap, and licensing structure.

Read on to explore:

• What are the Adobe Experience Manager Sites platforms which Adobe has on-offer presently
• What are the key advantages and considerations for each
• What should YOU know when put in a position to weigh in on your company’s content management system future

AEM 6.5 and AEM 6.5 LTS

Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 and Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 Long-term Support (aka AEM 6.5 LTS) are similar, both allowing for self-hosting or Adobe-managed hosting, yet there are key differences to consider.

AEM 6.5 Overview

• Closest to the original AEM architecture
• Self-hosted (cloud-managed or on-prem) or hosted by Adobe (as AEM Managed Services, or “AMS”)
• Supports a highly-varied array of workloads and use-cases for both internal and external websites users
• Fully customizable via Java, HTL/Slightly, JSP, HTML/CSS/JS, and Dispatcher
• License models are either server-based (per Author/Publisher server; Dispatchers can be freely scaled) or by SLA when licensed with Adobe's AEM Managed Services offering
• AEM 6.5 has been getting continual service packs since its release in 2019. The latest version, AEM 6.5 LTS (aka AEM 6.6), was released this Spring

AEM 6.5 LTS Overview

• It is an upgrade release to the AEM 6.5 code base. It matches AEM 6.5 service pack updates & functionality to SP22 and contains some feature releases & speed upgrades
• It runs on Java 17 (and now also Java 21!)
• It’s sold in both term-period as well as perpetual license models; check with your Adobe Sales representative regarding your use case
• There is an upgrade process for AEM 6.5 -> AEM 6.5 LTS, which is typically less effort than a full-blown AEM as a Cloud Service migration, but more than a service pack upgrade

Key considerations of  AEM 6.5 LTS include:

• Customization: Highly customizable and has been receiving continuous service packs since its release in 2019

• Long-Term Support: Adobe has committed to supporting AEM 6.5 LTS for the foreseeable future, addressing concerns about its potential end-of-life status

• Technical Specifications: Runs on Java 17 and Java 21 to provide compatibility with future updates

AEM as a Cloud Service

Launched in 2020, AEM as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) is similar to AEM 6.5, but was heavily re-engineered in a number of areas to leverage cloud capabilities. Though it shares many features and design patters with AEM 6.5, there are a few key differences, such as:

• Built-in CDN: AEM as a Cloud Service has a content delivery network built-in which enhances performance
• Scalability: Designed to auto-scale both on the Author and Publisher tiers, although there are limits to its performance capabilities and auto-scaling scenarios
• Subscription Model: Operates on a subscription basis, with no perpetual licensing options available

On AEM as a Cloud Service, there are two separate frameworks which companies can use to build and deploy their websites. These frameworks and methodologies can be employed either side-by-side with each other, if desired, but represent entirely different models for managing content and deploying customizations. Each has their own specific advantages and caveats.

• The AEM Author / Publisher / Dispatcher tier: Provides a web-based interface (with associated APIs) for the management of Web content. Customization is done via Java/HTL and has deployment managed by the Adobe Cloud Manager Ci/CI framework. This approach enables authoring surfaces for both of these options:

  • Headful - via the AEM Page editor as well as the new Universal Editor
  • Headless - via the Content Fragment editor

• The Document-based Authoring tier with Edge Delivery Services: Allows one to author content using a new lightweight and extraordinarily powerful customization framework, and document-centric authoring workflow. Multiple options are supported for document creation and authoring including:

  • Document-based tooling with familiar tools such as Microsoft Word and Excel - via SharePoint or Google Docs and Sheets - via Google Drive
  • Universal Editor for an in-context and guided experience in document creation

AEM as a Cloud Service: Architecture Overview
source: ​https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/overview/architecture

AEM Sites with Edge Delivery Services (on AEMaaCS)

Edge Delivery Services is a modern content delivery framework that re-imagines how websites are built and delivered, optimizing for speed, simplicity, and scalability. It is a core part of Adobe Experience Manager and enables faster digital experiences by pushing rendering and delivery closer to the user, at the edge of the network.

Edge Delivery Services is a composable set of services that allows for a high degree of flexibility in how you author content on your website.  It replaces AEM Publish / Dispatcher and the traditional way of building experiences with AEM Core Components with a multi-cloud SaaS solution and pure front-end development approach.

Adobe Experience Manager Sites with Edge Delivery Services, available with AEM as a Cloud Service, offers additional authoring and publishing possibilities to accelerate content creation and deliver sites with exceptional performance. Key benefits include:

• Simplicity: Designed to be simpler and faster to develop on compared to traditional AEM
• Uses a document-based model for authoring (Google Docs, Sharepoint, Markdown)
• Unique Architecture: Supports more integrated authoring tools from Adobe, like Document Authoring (DA) and Universal Editor; different skills and techniques are required for customization

The diagram below illustrates how your AEM Sites content produced via Document-based Authoring can be published to Edge Delivery, and also shows the traditional AEM publishing method  using the various editors.

Edge Delivery Services Architecture Diagram source: ​https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-cloud-service/content/overview/architecture

Considerations for AEMS 6.5 LTS vs. AEM as a Cloud Service

AEM 6.5 Long-term Support

Advantages:

• Flexibility and customization capabilities
• Long-term support ensures stability for entrenched customers

Challenges:

• Requires a significant investment in skilled personnel
• Performance optimization can be complex and resource-intensive

AEM as a Cloud Service

Advantages:

• Autoscaling capabilities can handle varying traffic loads
• Simplifies CI/CD pipeline management

Challenges:

• Migration from AEM 6.5 to Cloud Service can be complex and time-consuming
• Performance may not always meet expectations, requiring ongoing monitoring and optimization
• You still need DevOps personnel to manage tuning, application reliability, and performance
• Data residency and compliance requirements need to be carefully assessed and may pose challenges

AEM Sites with Edge Delivery Services (available with AEM as a Cloud Service)

Advantages:

• Faster development cycles and reduced labor costs
• Easy integration with existing AEM services for enhanced functionality
• Option to configure an Adobe CDN and manage with your AEM rather than as a separate IT
• Based on the concept of document-based authoring with various ways of getting data or content into AEM  - authoring on Sharepoint, Google docs, using Markdown

Challenges:

• Limited templating and component policies can hinder strict content governance
• Still maturing in terms of features and documentation, which can lead to implementation challenges

Migration and Implementation Strategies

During the meetup, attendees discussed various scenarios for migrating to these platforms:

• Organizations currently using AEM 6.5 should evaluate their specific needs and consider the long-term implications of moving to AEM 6.5 LTS or AEM as a Cloud Service, with or without Edge Delivery Services
• Organizations currently using AEM 6.5 LTS should evaluate their specific needs and consider the long-term implications of moving to AEM as a Cloud Service, with or without Edge Delivery
• For new implementations, AEM as a Cloud Service with Edge Delivery Services may offer a faster and more cost-effective solution, especially for content-heavy sites

Licensing Considerations

Licensing models vary significantly across the offerings. Contact your Adobe Sales team for evaluation of your use case and pricing. At the time of this article creation:

• AEM 6.5 LTS: Offers both perpetual and subscription-based licenses

• AEM as a Cloud Service and Edge Delivery: Operate on a consumption-based licensing model, which can be a shift for organizations used to traditional licensing

Key Takeaways

The Adobe Experience Manager Midwest User Group meetup in Columbus provided valuable insights into the current state of Adobe Experience Manager offerings.

• Understanding the differences between AEM 6.5, AEM 6.5 LTS, AEM as a Cloud Service is crucial for organizations looking to optimize their content management strategies
• Evaluating the AEM Sites with Edge Delivery Services, part of AEM as a Cloud Service, is also an important consideration
• As Adobe continues to evolve its products, staying informed about these changes will help organizations and their teams make better decisions for their digital experiences

Watch the User Group session recording

To see the full AEM Midwest User Group meetup in Columbus, view the recording here:

Additional Resources

Continue to learn about the different Adobe Experience Manager offerings and capabilities by leveraging these resources:

• AEM 6.5 LTS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) explores key differences between AEM 6.5 and AEM 6.5 LTS, with considerations for upgrading from AEM 6.5 to AEM 6.5 LTS. Click here

• An Introduction to the Architecture of Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service covers the logical architecture, system architecture and services provided with AEMaaCS. Click here

• The AEM Sites and Edge Delivery Services article explores expanding the authoring and publishing possibilities for AEM Sites to accelerate content creation and to deliver highly performant sites using Edge Delivery Services. Click here