The Challenge
A Fortune 500 retail client was struggling with a legacy content management system that couldn't scale to support their growing digital presence. Their existing platform:
- Had severe performance issues during peak traffic (Black Friday, Cyber Monday)
- Couldn't support their omnichannel strategy (web, mobile, in-store displays)
- Required weeks to deploy new features or content templates
- Lacked modern personalization and A/B testing capabilities
- Cost over $2M annually in licensing and custom maintenance
The client needed a modern, enterprise-grade CMS that could handle millions of daily visitors, integrate with their existing eCommerce platform, and provide marketing teams with self-service content authoring tools.
Our Approach
Tekpundits led a comprehensive migration and optimization program:
Phase 1: Architecture & Planning (6 weeks)
- Conducted detailed technical assessment of existing CMS and content inventory
- Designed scalable AEM architecture with CDN, caching layers, and HA deployment
- Created content migration strategy and automated migration tooling
- Established DevOps pipeline for continuous integration and deployment
Phase 2: Implementation (4 months)
- Built custom AEM components aligned with client's design system
- Migrated 50,000+ pages of content using automated tools with manual QA
- Integrated with Adobe Target for personalization and Adobe Analytics
- Implemented SSO/LDAP integration with corporate identity systems
- Developed responsive templates for web, mobile, and digital signage
Phase 3: Performance Optimization (6 weeks)
- Implemented advanced caching strategies (Dispatcher, Varnish, CDN)
- Optimized asset delivery (lazy loading, WebP conversion, responsive images)
- Configured auto-scaling infrastructure for traffic spikes
- Stress tested system with 10x peak traffic projections
Phase 4: Training & Launch (6 weeks)
- Trained 50+ content authors and site administrators
- Conducted phased rollout with A/B testing
- Provided 30-day post-launch hypercare support
Results
The AEM migration delivered measurable business impact:
- 65% faster page loads: Average page load time reduced from 4.2s to 1.5s
- 99.99% uptime: Successfully handled Black Friday traffic with zero downtime
- 80% faster deployments: Content updates now deploy in hours instead of weeks
- 50% cost reduction: Lower licensing and infrastructure costs vs. legacy platform
- 3x content velocity: Marketing team publishes 3x more content with self-service tools
Technology Stack
- Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 (authoring, publishing, dispatcher)
- Adobe Target & Analytics (personalization & insights)
- AWS (EC2, S3, CloudFront CDN, Auto Scaling Groups)
- Varnish Cache (edge caching layer)
- Jenkins (CI/CD pipeline)
- Java 11, Apache Sling, OSGi (custom components)
Client Testimonial
"Tekpundits delivered a complex, mission-critical migration on time and under budget. Their AEM expertise and performance optimization work has transformed our digital capabilities. We can now launch campaigns in days instead of months, and our site stays fast even during our busiest sales events."
— VP of Digital Experience
Key Takeaways
This project demonstrates the value of:
- Comprehensive planning: Detailed assessment and architecture design prevented costly scope creep
- Automation: Automated migration tools and CI/CD reduced manual effort and errors
- Performance-first approach: Focus on caching, CDN, and optimization delivered measurable speed improvements
- Change management: Thorough training and phased rollout ensured smooth adoption
Ready to modernize your content management platform? Contact us to discuss your AEM migration or optimization project.