A front-end stack solution that gives developers the flexibility to build user interfaces with traditional open-source stacks and enable state-of-the-art front-end development.
STRG has been an Adobe Solutions Partner since 2020 and successfully implemented the first Adobe Experience Cloud solution in Europe for the client ÖGB (Österreichischer Gewerkschaftsbund). STRG developed a front-end stack solution, STRG.stackd, for Adobe Experience Manager that enables front-end developers to use state-of-the-art tools such as React, Webpack, Tailwind, CSS and Vue while remaining seamlessly integrated into the AEM backend universe.
In this way, STRG gave ÖGB maximum flexibility to design the front ends of the parent and child websites according to the specific requirements for UI functionality while maintaining a „headless“ content management system for the central creation and distribution of content. STRG.stackd gave them the ability to use familiar tools by decoupling front-end development from the AEM backend.
For Adobe, it is encouraging that STRG.stackd has further complemented the already powerful AEM suite of digital publishing tools. The company looks forward to continuing its collaboration with STRG on its data-driven AI solution STRG.BeHave.
„STRG.stackd has opened up a broader market segment for us, namely companies that would like to implement AEM but are pushed back by their front-end developers/CTOs because they need flexibility in multi-tenancy and design customization.“
– Michael Binninger, Adobe Senior Consulting
What is Adobe Experience Manager?
Adobe Experience Manageris a comprehensive suite of content management tools covering all aspects of a company’s digital workflows. Gartner rates AEM among digital experience platforms (DXPs) as the product with the best „completeness of vision“ and the best „ability to execute“, describing it as „a well-integrated and coherent set of technologies designed for the creation, management, delivery and optimization of contextualized digital experiences across multiple customer journeys“.
In other words: AEM can bring a company’s entire digital operations and workflows under one large roof: content creation, data management, cross-channel marketing, analytics, publishing and even data-driven AI. AEM is A to Z.
Adobe is one of the world’s most trusted and successful software companies. With AEM and its associated product line (Creative Cloud, Experience Cloud, Commerce Cloud), Adobe has created a comprehensive ecosystem that enables both mid-sized and large enterprises to take control of their digital operations and make them more efficient and effective. With Adobe’s cloud-based solutions, a company does not need to host and maintain its own expensive system architecture on site. According to Adobe, a company can expect an average ROI of almost 250 % within three years of implementing AEM.
But even good software can still be optimized.
STRG.stackd extends the flexibility of AEM in the front end.
STRG has been the European Adobe Solution Partner since 2020. While working with ÖGB-Verlag, which implemented the first AEM cloud solution in Europe, STRG encountered a rough edge that still needed smoothing. While the content creators, editors, marketers, managers and graphic designers were enthusiastic about AEM’s powerful tools and improved workflows in the backend, the front-end developers needed to use state-of-the-art tools such as React and Webpack to implement the designers’ vision. They needed more than AEM’s standard APIs could deliver.
STRG’s managing director, Jürgen Schmidt, recalls: „The CTO of ÖGB told us that Adobe’s WYSIWYG page design features are great for their editors, but he had multi-tenant front-end requirements that called for customization with state-of-the-art tools. The question was: „How can we close this gap?“ To enable front-end developers to use their preferred modern standards, the STRG team created the STRG.stackd solution – a front-end stack solution based on Webpack that gives developers the flexibility to build user interfaces with state-of-the-art tools such as React, Vue and Tailwind CSS while remaining seamlessly integrated into the AEM backend universe.
STRG.stackd developer Ralf Traunsteiner explains: „For the global BMW websites, AEM works perfectly because each child website basically has the same design as the parent website.“ However, ÖGB required a custom, multi-tenant front-end capability, which is much easier with the latest front-end technologies typically used with a headless CMS. „We decoupled the workflows of the front-end developers from AEM and used Storybook and React to bundle these web components. Nevertheless, we were able to integrate our front-end stack into the AEM architecture so that it feels native and not like something that is simply bolted on“, says Traunsteiner. „We used both the advantages of a headless CMS and the advantages of AEM’s non-headless integration and workflows.“
„We used both the advantages of a headless CMS and the advantages of AEM’s non-headless integration and workflows.“
– Ralf Traunsteiner, STRG developer
Win-win situation for both Adobe and client companies
STRG.stackd offers an advantage for both clients and Adobe’s own sales staff and technical consultants. Jürgen Schmidt says: „Adobe is enthusiastic about our STRG.stackd solution. They told me they had never seen a front-end stack that is so seamlessly integrated into their own architecture.“ STRG.stackd therefore expands the AEM market segment to include companies that are pushed back by their front-end developers/CTOs because they need flexibility in tenancy and design customization.
Implementing STRG.stackd as an AEM solution offers several additional advantages. For companies with outsourced front-end developers (or relatively independent internal developers), there is no need for them to master all of AEM’s countless functions and workflows. They can continue to work independently and use the customized tools they are already familiar with, and managers do not have to worry about onboarding new employees.
Ralf Traunsteiner says: „A CEO needs to know whether AEM can be easily integrated into existing internal development teams. Especially for larger companies that employ their own front-end developers, STRG.stackd provides the ability to use familiar tools by decoupling front-end development from the AEM backend.“
The managing director of ÖGB-Verlag, Roman Grandits, explains why STRG.stackd was so important for the AEM implementation:
„The websites of the individual trade unions have the flexibility to adapt the front-end design for their respective target audience while also using the benefits of AEM's centralized content management. This was made possible by a React-based front-end architecture.“
– Roman Grandits, Managing Director, ÖGB Verlag
Integrating state-of-the-art AI into front-end design with BeHave
Another major advantage of STRG.stackd is that it enables the use of AI and machine learning to create, test and evaluate individualized user interfaces. Adobe's Target module enables marketing specialists to do exactly that, but things like A/B testing can also be a hurdle for front-end developers working with state-of-the-art frameworks to create high-quality UIs. STRG's own solution STRG.BeHave is deeply integrated into STRG.stackd.
Jürgen Schmidt sees significant value in BeHave:
„Also entirely new is our implementation of STRG.BeHave with AEM and an automated, cross-domain content sharing system based on user data and principles of behavioral economics. It is based on AI and Google's neural network (TensorFlow) and incorporates STRG's most advanced technology.“
– Jürgen Schmidt, Managing Director, STRG.at
How can STRG help you develop a tailored AEM solution?
Whether it is building a custom front-end stack, unleashing AI technology, setting up a cloud-based platform for AEM or supporting your company through the processes of digitalization with AEM – STRG is the partner your company can rely on.
Contact Jürgen Schmidt or Michael Dosser today to find out how we can help!