Past few years have bought plenty of buzzwords in otherwise in the dull world of content management system (CMS) or digital experience platforms (DXPs). What started as humble CMS or WCM (web content management), got new names as Headless CMS, Monolithic vs. Micro services-based cloud-native CMS and the latest trending word is composable DXP or CMS. Many solution providers are trying to confuse organisations looking to solve simple problems with complex jargons and overly complex architectures.
Axeno had always believed in simplicity when it comes to solving business problems using technology. We at Axeno always look at what is best for our customers and hence we always strive to find new ways reimagining digital experience (DX) and customer experience (CX). Recent Adobe’s launch of Edge Delivery Services (EDS) and discussions around NextGen Composability intrigued us to find ways to make it simpler for our customers to understand the utility of EDS.
In simple terms, we found that EDS provides an extraordinarily strong blend of business & technology level playing fields. While business users can feel comfortable using the tools, they are familiar with in creating content, experiment on the page and feel proud of archiving near perfect Google Lighthouse score, development team, especially the front-end developers felt a sense of empowerment where they could choose JS framework of their choice and have more control over the JS & CSS. Also, the productivity of developers went a notch higher as they need not know everything about Adobe Experience Manager.
In fact, developers who did not have past AEM experience were more likely to pick EDS skills than those who had deep experience in AEM development. Back-end developers were able to develop APIs (without writing OSGI services on AEM), which front-end EDS developers were able to consume quickly to make the EDS generated pages more dynamic without writing custom AEM components, integrate GraphQL APIs etc. We found that very cool!
We then went on to analyse a recent conversation between Adobe’s Marc Schulz and Cedric Huesler, who recently provided a comprehensive overview of Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) as a Cloud Service, particularly focusing on AEM Edge Delivery Services. This analysis distils their discussion into key insights and practical takeaways for digital experience professionals.
1. Understanding AEM Edge Delivery Services
Edge Delivery Services is described as the "missing head for headless" CMS architecture, offering an innovative approach to content delivery. It's designed to enhance AEM’s existing infrastructure, offering improved performance and global content distribution.
2. Integration with Existing AEM Capabilities
The services are slated to augment and, in the long term, replace certain functions of AEM, specifically focusing on content delivery. It seamlessly integrates with AEM’s content management, personalisation, and asset management features, ensuring a smooth transition for current users.
3. Benefits of AEM Edge Delivery Services
The primary benefit of Edge Delivery Services is significantly improved website performance. This enhancement leads to higher user engagement and better SEO results due to faster loading times and optimised content delivery.
4. Edge Delivery Services and CDN
Cedric clarifies that Edge Delivery Services is not a replacement for traditional CDN but rather a complementary solution. It works in tandem with CDN to optimise content delivery, focusing on performance enhancement rather than simple content caching.
5. Handling Dynamic Content
A significant capability of Edge Delivery Services is handling dynamic, personalised content. Contrary to static content optimisation, dynamic content requires real-time decisions on what to serve based on user context, which is efficiently managed by these services.
6. Impact on Developers and Content Authors
For developers and content authors, Edge Delivery Services promises a user-friendly environment supporting various development frameworks. This adaptability leads to more efficient content management and deployment processes.
7. Adopting Edge Delivery Services
Organisations are advised to start with smaller, less critical projects to familiarise themselves with the technology before embarking on larger-scale implementations. This step-by-step approach allows for a smoother integration process and a better understanding of the system’s capabilities.
8. Future Developments
Looking ahead, Adobe plans further enhancements for AEM and Edge Delivery Services. The focus areas include the integration of generative AI for content creation and more sophisticated personalization capabilities.
This session provided valuable insights into AEM Edge Delivery Services, underlining its role in enhancing content delivery and integration with existing AEM features. The information is particularly relevant for organisations looking to leverage this advanced technology for improving their digital experience platforms.
Choosing the right mix with Axeno & New Ways to Reimagine DX®
As an Adobe Gold Solutions Partner, Axeno Consulting has deep expertise in Adobe solutions. We not only know how the Adobe’s Edge Delivery Services (EDS) works (and can be best implemented for your requirements) along with Adobe Experience Manager, but how you can integrate these solutions with the rest of your Adobe stack (and beyond) to build a full-blown content supply chain that drives greater efficiency, productivity, and value for your organisation.
Adobe’s EDS and AEM both offer various approaches to implement same user journeys, offer multiple ways to create content and integrate with backend services. At Axeno, we understand that your organisation could be a various levels of Adobe stack adoption and therefore we bring consultative approach to understand your priorities, strengths, and weaknesses to chalk out a strategic roadmap to make best out of your existing or planned Adobe investments.