Nothing counts more in the modern commercial setting than a company’s online presence. A successful online presence can help your business grow by generating income, developing partnerships with suppliers and partners, and bringing in new clients.

Your website requires a Content Management System (CMS) to meet your business’s objectives and outperform the competition. And here’s where the Enterprise web content management system Adobe Experience Manager comes in handy.

To provide smooth and customer-centric experiences across all digital channels, Adobe Experience Manager combines digital asset management and content management systems. To know in detail about Adobe Experience Manager, continue reading:

Table of Contents

  1. What is AEM?
  2. Understanding Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)
  3. Benefits of Adobe Experience Manager
  4. System Requirements for AEM
  5. Setting Up Adobe Experience Manager
  6. Features of Adobe Experience Manager
  7. Deploying AEM: Step-by-Step Guide
  8. How Is AEM Better Than Other Content Management System Solutions?
  9. Customizing AEM for Your Needs
  10. Conclusion

What is AEM?

Adobe Experience Manager can be better defined as a digital asset management system and content management system. Content creation, management, and distribution are made easier with the help of AEM.

With the support of Adobe Cloud, the software was created to allow users to access any type of content. It includes text documents, PDFs, online forms, and media files, like photographs and videos, from any location.

You can manage Web Application Framework, and digital assets, share with the team, and automate your content management strategy using AEM Adobe Experience Manager. Its e-commerce features also let you optimize other important interactions, including product pages, checkout pages, and cart elements.

Understanding Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) integrates six key functions to provide digital experiences. AEM Sites is a marketer-friendly CMS that enables rapid website creation with customizable templates. 

AEM Assets is a cloud-based DAM that organizes digital files centrally, facilitating easy access and version tracking. The digital enrollment and forms feature enhances onboarding, eliminating paperwork and automating workflows.

Digital Screens offers a digital signage solution for omnichannel businesses, allowing easy creation and management of in-store displays. Digital Guides, a CCMS, simplifies the structuring and updating of product documentation at scale. Adobe Learning Manager empowers businesses to create personalised training programs with ready-made courses and engaging features.

Benefits of Adobe Experience Manager

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a powerful tool that also helps in Mobile App Development and offers a lot of benefits. Here is the list of Adobe Experience Manager’s benefits:

Enhanced search

AEM simplifies the search for rich media content, saving valuable time and boosting overall team efficiency. Its photo manager uses metadata-based search and allows the precise location of photos based on specific criteria, expediting media discovery.

Personalised content

AEM simplifies the creation of personalised content, which is important for B2B e-commerce development. The content management system makes easy customization through a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop features. 

Improved task management

AEM is designed for better task management and detailed analytics, providing an environment where teams can focus on multiple projects without distractions. Individual workspaces for different projects facilitate multitasking, enhancing productivity and task tracking throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Simplified CMS

With an easy-to-use and modern interface, AEM is highly useful for Mobile App Development, designers, and digital marketers. Its drag-and-drop features and inline editing functionality make content creation, publishing, tracking, and reporting effortless. 

Visual media conversion

AEM supports visual media conversion, simplifying the process of presenting content in various formats for diverse audiences. Native support for converting creative cloud files ensures optimized content delivery across different platforms and devices. 

Better scalability and flexibility

For publishing personalized content, managing workflows, and connecting with target audiences at various touch points, AEM offers flexibility. Its centralized system eases backend content updates, providing scalability for businesses to adapt to evolving market conditions.

User-friendly CMS

AEM empowers marketing teams with a familiar, user-friendly CMS, offering a single platform for managing web and mobile content. Features like inline editing and drag-and-drop functionality fasten content creation and deployment. 

System Requirements for AEM

To install Adobe Experience Manager, ensure you meet the following system requirements:

  • Use a modern web browser.
  • Get the Experience Manager Quickstart file (Web-application development WAR or Stand-alone JAR).
  • Install Standard Edition JDK, Java Platform, or any other supported Java Virtual Machines (JVM).
  • Have Apache Maven version 3.3 or higher installed.
  • Use a Linux Machine (Redhat, Ubuntu, Debian, Centos).
  • Use Java Development Kit (JDK) version 8 or higher (Java v11.0).
  • Choose a compatible database, such as MongoDB or MySQL.
  • Have a server to host the application, like Apache Tomcat or Adobe Experience Manager itself.
  • Have a valid Adobe Experience Manager licence.
  • Maintain an Adobe account for access to Experience Manager and related services and support.
  • Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements of 2GB memory and 5GB free space in the installation directory.

Setting Up Adobe Experience Manager

Follow the steps to set up Adobe Experience Manager:

  • Go to the release notes page and select the Experience Manager Cloud service or Experience Manager 6.x for your operating system. Tap the download link to get the installer.
  • Follow the provided instructions to install the downloaded Experience Manager on your software.
  • Create and configure a database for the Adobe Experience Manager instance to establish user permissions.
  • Configure essential settings and set up the AEM instance by specifying the server name, licence key, and port number.
  • Create a user account for the instance and set up appropriate user permissions.
  • Start the AEM instance and log in using the provided user credentials.
  • Track and maintain the AEM instance for smooth and efficient operation.
  • After logging out and reopening the app, use the ‘https://[aem-server-url]:[port]/’ format to provide the AEM server URL. Enter user credentials to reconnect with the server.

Features of Adobe Experience Manager

Know about these features of Adobe Experience Manager which would be important for your Mobile App Development:

  • Content creation and management: AEM offers a user-friendly interface for creating and managing digital content, supporting collaboration and version control for simultaneous user contributions.
  • Cloud service: Adobe AEM introduces a Cloud-native CMS, providing a secure and scalable solution without costly upgrades. The Cloud Service enhances website crafting for captivating customer experiences.
  • Digital asset management (AEM Assets): AEM Assets facilitates immersive content experiences across channels with automated workflows. The Management Console centralises search and asset management, using smart tools for personalised asset delivery.
  • Project dashboard: The project dashboard provides an insightful overview of ongoing projects, defining specific goals, activities, and business outcomes. It provides a quick assessment of the project component’s status and detailed insights into resource usage.
  • Analytics and Reporting: AEM offers robust analytics and reporting capabilities for tracking user behaviour, measuring engagement, and optimising digital experiences.
  • Workflow and collaboration: AEM supports workflow and collaboration, simplifying content creation and approval processes to improve team productivity.
  • Out-of-the-Box technology: Adobe’s Experience Manager can be easily installed. This will ensure the benefit from the latest technology advancements regardless of the specific edition in use.

Deploying AEM: Step-by-Step Guide

Here are the step-by-step ways to deploy AEM:

  • Install and configure necessary hardware and software, including a supported web server and database for Adobe Experience Manager.
  • Download the latest version from the Adobe website and follow the installation instructions to create a new AEM instance.
  • Configure the AEM instance with server hostname, database details, and port number.
  • Use provided import tools to bring in existing templates, content, and assets.
  • Configure 3rd-party integrations such as marketing automation or analytics platforms.
  • Create and assign roles and permissions for users managing the AEM instance.
  • Perform quality assurance and testing to ensure the instance meets business requirements.
  • Publish the AEM instance to the live environment for end-user accessibility.
  • Regularly observe and manage the AEM instance to maintain stability and security.

How Is AEM Better Than Other Content Management System Solutions?

AEM is better than other Content Management Systems for the following reasons:

  • Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) stands out as a premier choice, offering cutting-edge CMS functionality for digital businesses.
  • AEM is designed for business, creating personalised digital experiences for users.
  • The software provides a powerful cluster of capabilities, enhancing enterprise competitiveness in the digital landscape.
  • AEM empowers users with comprehensive control over content presentation across digital channels like mobile apps, web, and social media.
  • With an open platform and DAM caliber, AEM facilitates integrated digital content management that caters to industry-specific solutions.
  • AEM extends its capabilities to e-commerce, marketing automation, and engagement platforms, offering a holistic solution.
  • The software’s features can meet diverse needs with an easily scalable open development structure for specific business requirements.
  • AEM serves as an all-in-one platform, consolidating content, analytics, social, experience, and insights to fortify enterprise digital marketing.

Customising AEM for Your Needs

Here are some of the ways you can customise AEM for Mobile App Development or other needs: 

  • Create and apply custom templates with themes to define styles for adaptive forms.
  • Use preset options and specify custom implementations for AEM modernization.
  • Build a minimal project with custom HTML components and SlingModels.
  • Track and regularly cleanse important data using metadata profiling.
  • Override HTML scripts to customise the rendering of markup.
  • AEM combines digital asset and content management, offering features for creation, management, and delivery. 

Conclusion

Adobe AEM simplifies the process of Mobile App Development and producing, distributing, and maintaining rich-media assets for marketing. It supports thousands of websites globally as an enterprise content management system. For managing every aspect of your business’s online presence, Adobe AEM is the perfect all-in-one platform.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) assists businesses in organising and distributing information through digital media. Users of AEM can produce, organise, distribute, and enhance apps and content.

When using AEM in the cloud, you can consider Cloud Manager, Performance testing, Replication, Reduced costs, Flexible deployment modes, and Deployment and configuration issues. 

Here are the ways to set up local AEM development environment:
  • Update system variables for JAVA_HOME and M2_HOME and add Java and Maven bin paths to the system path.
  • Download the AEM SDK, extract the JAR into the author and publish folders, install Docker, and configure it.
  • Create an aem-sdk folder, extract the AEM forms addon, set the AEM_HOME environment variable to the local AEM Author installation, and set up local Author and Publish services.