How to Migrate from Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)
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TL;DR
Migrating from Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) involves extracting content from AEM's JCR (Java Content Repository), mapping AEM components and templates to your new CMS's content model, and handling AEM-specific features like Experience Fragments and Content Fragments. Due to AEM's deep enterprise integration, plan for a 3–12 month timeline with phased rollouts and parallel running periods.
Key Takeaways
- AEM stores content in a JCR (Java Content Repository) — a hierarchical node store that requires specific tooling to export cleanly
- Content Fragments and Experience Fragments are AEM's structured content features; Content Fragments are the most portable and the best starting point for migration
- AEM's tight coupling with Adobe Marketing Cloud means migration involves replacing an entire marketing stack, not just a CMS
- A phased approach — migrating content types one at a time while running AEM in parallel — is standard practice for enterprise AEM migrations