Large-Scale Pharma Content Migration from Adobe AEM to Magnolia CMS

ClientTop 5 Pharma Company

Location

USA

IndustryPharmaceutical Manufacturing

About the project

We helped a leading pharma company move years of content to a modern CMS faster, cleaner, and with less manual work.

A top-10 pharma company in the US needed to migrate a customer health portal, an HCP portal, and brand websites from an older version of Adobe AEM to a modern CMS.

The challenge, besides moving content from one platform to another, was the accumulated eight years of content across pages, assets, and microsites. Much of it had to be reviewed, classified, migrated, retired, or redirected, all within a short content freeze window.

Digitalya supported the technical content migration strategy and execution, working alongside the client’s internal stakeholders and external agencies responsible for design, content, and translations.

The result was a structured migration process that helped the client move more than 10,000 pages while reducing manual work through automation and human validation.

The Challenges

The client’s existing websites and portals had become difficult to manage. The Adobe AEM setup was outdated, the content structure was complex, and healthcare professionals were finding it harder to access the right information quickly.

The websites included thousands of pages built over several years, with different structures, templates, assets, and content types. At the same time, the migration had to be coordinated with multiple external agencies and internal teams.

The main risks were:

Moving outdated or low-value content into the new platform
Rebuilding repetitive page structures manually
Losing SEO value during the migration
Missing the short content freeze window
Creating delays because of dependencies between agencies and stakeholders

The project needed a strong development partner capable of providing a clear content migration system.

The Objectives

The goal was to migrate the customer health portal, an HCP portal, and a brand website to Magnolia CMS without carrying over the complexity of the old Adobe AEM setup.

01

Audit and classify existing content

02

Decide what should be migrated, retired, or redirected

03

Map old content structures to new CMS components

04

Reduce repetitive manual migration work through automation

05

Protect SEO through proper redirect planning

06

Coordinate delivery with the design, content, translation, and internal stakeholder teams

Our Approach & Solutions

Digitalya worked alongside the client’s internal teams and the external agencies involved in design, content, and translations to create and execute a structured migration plan.

01
Content audit and classification
We audited the existing Adobe AEM websites and exported the content and assets needed for migration. The team classified pages based on complexity, structure, and migration effort. This created a clear view of what could be automated, what needed manual attention, and what no longer made sense to move.
02
Component and template mapping
We compared the old AEM structures with the new Magnolia CMS components and templates. Next, we identified gaps between the two systems and defined how each content type should be recreated in the new CMS. Instead of treating every page as a one-off task, we grouped similar structures together and created a repeatable migration process.
03
SEO and redirect strategy
We helped define a retirement strategy for outdated, duplicate, or low-value pages. We planned redirects to preserve SEO value and avoid dead ends. This reduced migration complexity and helped avoid cluttering the new platform.
04
Automation with human validation
For repetitive content structures (e.g., article-style page), we used automation to speed up the migration process. Automation handled the repetitive work, while human validation ensured quality, accuracy, and consistency before launch. These strategies helped reduce migration time by 60% compared to a fully manual process.
05
Parallel build and controlled content freeze
Due to ongoing marketing campaigns, the content freeze window was short. Therefore, the new Magnolia CMS websites were built in parallel with the existing Adobe AEM website, allowing teams to prepare the migration while the old platform remained active. The structured migration plan helped reduce disruption, coordinate agency dependencies, and keep delivery aligned with the client’s launch needs.

The Results

Digitalya helped the client complete a large-scale content migration with less manual effort, reduced complexity, and improved quality control. The new platform gave the client a cleaner, more manageable content structure and a stronger foundation for future website updates.

Key outcomes included:

01
10,000+ pages and microsites migrated
02
60% faster migration time through automation and human validation
03
12% increase in website traffic
04
18% increase in returning visits
05
3x more time spent on the website by the average user

Highlights

60%

Faster migration time

12%

Traffic increase

Times spent on website

I also would like to thank this truly amazing team for all of the incredible efforts you have made in helping us to be recognized as a leader in Oncology. We are so grateful to work by your side and the speed at which all of this work has been done is awe inspiring! This is truly collaboration at its best!

Director, US Oncology

Pharma Company

Director, US Oncology

Pharma Company

Technologies

Magnolia CMS

Adobe AEM

Reltio

Akamai

IQVIA

Leading the migration from Adobe AEM to Magnolia CMS was intense but deeply meaningful. Despite tight deadlines and many teams involved, we delivered a platform that supports cancer awareness and better health outcomes. Grateful for the collaboration and the shared drive to make a real impact.

Alex Sulic

Project Manager, Digitalya

Alex Sulic

Project Manager, Digitalya

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