Points to consider for AEMaaCS Migration
- Apr 1
- 1 min read
If you think moving to AEM Cloud is just an upgrade; you’re going to fail.
And I’m seeing this mistake everywhere.
If you're moving to AEMaaCS, here are a few realities teams usually discover the hard way:
1️⃣ You lose control (by design)
No direct server access
No manual fixes in production
No quick CRX/DE patches
🟣 Everything goes through pipelines
2️⃣ Legacy patterns break
Admin sessions ❌
Direct JCR access ❌
Long-running workflows ❌
🟣 6.5 code ≠ Cloud-ready
3️⃣ Debugging requires a mindset shift
No direct prod access
Limited, distributed logs
Fix = code change + redeploy
🟣 Observability becomes critical
4️⃣ Costs don’t disappear; they shift
Infra is managed ✔
Inefficient design = higher cost ❗
🟣 Architecture decisions now directly impact cost
5️⃣ It’s not a migration; it’s a re-architecture
Lift & shift fails
Refactoring is mandatory
Effort is often underestimated
🟣 This is where most projects struggle
6️⃣ AI is Cloud-first (and moving fast)
MCP integrations
Semantic search
AI-driven workflows
🟣 These capabilities won’t land on 6.5
The real shift, AEM Cloud is not:
❌ Just a hosting change
❌ Just a version upgrade
It’s a fundamental change in the operating model
My take
Everyone talks about the benefits of AEM Cloud.
Very few talk about the trade-offs.
If you embrace the constraints → it’s powerful
If you fight them → it’s painful
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