Free Guide — Adobe Summit 2026

2026
AEM 6.5 Migration
Survival Guide

Staffing, Timeline & Cost Planning for the August 2026 (AMS) and February 2027 (On-Premise) Deadlines. Everything you need to know before AEM 6.5 support ends.

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PDF • Quick form, then instant download • Prepared by Focus GTS • February 2026

2026

AEM 6.5 Migration Survival Guide

Aug 31

AMS Support Deadline

Migration Team Roles

3–24mo

Timeline Range

Risk Factors

Inside the Guide

What You'll Walk Away With

A complete operational playbook for planning, staffing, and executing your AEM 6.5 migration — built for the teams who have to actually make it happen.

Chapter 1

The Clock Is Ticking

Key milestone dates, what end-of-support actually means, and why Managed Services customers face a tighter deadline than on-premise.

Chapter 2

What Happens If You Don't Migrate

Security & compliance risks, innovation lock-out, and the compounding financial cost of delay — including $50K–$200K/year in extended support premiums.

Chapter 3

Migration Paths Compared

AEMaaCS vs. AEM 6.5 SP+ vs. re-platform: a side-by-side breakdown of cost, timeline, risk, and what each path requires from your team.

Chapter 4

The 9 Team Roles You Need

Who to hire, who to contract, and what each role does — including AEM Architect, Migration Engineer, DevOps Lead, and Change Manager.

Chapter 5

Timeline & Budget Planning

Phase-by-phase timeline templates, cost ranges by organization size, and the hidden costs most teams miss in their initial estimates.

Chapter 6

12 Risk Factors to Plan For

The most common failure modes in AEM migrations — from custom component debt to talent scarcity — and how to mitigate each one.

Who This Is For

Built for the People Planning the Migration

Not a vendor pitch. A practical resource for the teams who have to execute.

🏗️

IT & Engineering Leaders CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Architects who need a realistic technical roadmap and resource plan.

📋

Program & Project Managers Teams responsible for coordinating the migration across content, development, infrastructure, and QA.

💼

Digital & Marketing Operations Leaders who own the AEM platform and need to make the case for migration timing and investment.

⚙️

Procurement & Finance Teams building the business case, comparing cost scenarios, and negotiating contracts for external support.

The Window to Plan Is Closing

AEM 6.5 Managed Services support ends August 31, 2026. On-premise Core Support ends February 28, 2027. With typical migration timelines running 3–24 months, teams that haven't started planning are already behind.

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AMS Support Ends

Aug 31
2026

Managed Services

Core Support Ends

Feb 28
2027

On-Premise

About Focus GTS

We Specialize in the Talent That Makes Migrations Happen

Focus GTS is a niche IT staffing firm that places the specialists AEM migrations actually require — AEM Architects, Migration Engineers, Content Strategists, DevOps Leads, and the PMO talent to hold it all together.

We've been placing Adobe Experience Cloud specialists for over 15 years. We know what these migrations demand and who you need to pull them off.

Staffing Services Talk to Our Team

Need Ongoing AEM Execution?

Navigator is our subscription-based Adobe Experience Cloud execution service — on-demand AEM expertise without the headcount, starting at $5,600/month.

Dedicated AEM specialists assigned to your team
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30-day pilot to prove ROI before committing

Learn About Navigator