The evolution of DevOps infrastructure continues to accelerate, and Pega's Deployment Manager is leading this transformation with its latest as-a-Service offering. Our recent Cloud Expert Circle webinar, "Migrating from Pega Deployment Manager 5.x to PDM as-a-Service," brought together product experts and community members to explore this critical modernization journey.
Understanding the Migration Imperative
Deployment Manager has been the cornerstone of Pega's DevOps ecosystem, providing a no-code solution that streamlines testing and deployment for applications built on Pega Infinity. With Version 5.x approaching end-of-life by September 2025 and standard support ending one year later, the migration to Deployment Manager as-a-Service represents more than just an update—it's a strategic leap forward.
Currently, 35% of Pega Cloud environments still utilize Version 5.x through dedicated DevOps environments included in standard Pega Cloud subscriptions. However, Version 6 as-a-Service already supports over half of our fleet and has been available since 2023, offering enterprise-grade capabilities that extend far beyond traditional deployment management.
Exclusive Capabilities That Transform DevOps
The as-a-Service offering introduces game-changing features that weren't possible in previous versions. Global deployments enable organizations to deploy shared or reusable application layers across multiple teams working on different lines of business, while production-ready applications can be distributed across regions for globally present organizations.
Perhaps most exciting is the integration of Pega's GenAI capabilities, providing instant assistance on deployment failures and functional questions around portal use cases. This AI-powered support transforms troubleshooting from reactive problem-solving to proactive guidance, significantly reducing deployment friction.
Quality and security receive enhanced emphasis through additional gates within processes, comprehensive governance frameworks, and robust reporting capabilities. The service introduces unprecedented flexibility with canary-style deployments, compliance standards adherence, and advanced approval workflows that give organizations granular control over production rollouts.
The Four-Phase Migration Journey
The migration process is elegantly designed around four distinct phases, each carefully orchestrated to ensure zero downtime and minimal disruption:
Readiness Phase: Organizations familiarize themselves with public documentation, meet prerequisites (Pega Cloud 3, Deployment Manager 5.6.4 or above), and ensure proper administrative roles are in place.
Sign-up Phase: A simple button click initiates the automated data migration process. The framework handles moving pipelines and associated data to the service while allowing continued use of Deployment Manager 5 for ongoing Road to Live processes.
Review Phase: Users enter the service environment to track migration progress, confirm user role mappings, and validate their usage category. Standard users utilizing out-of-box features experience seamless transitions, while advanced users with external integrations or customizations receive guidance for compatibility updates.
Acceptance Phase: After thorough validation and testing, users accept the migration through a comprehensive checklist confirmation. Post-acceptance, Deployment Manager 5 remains accessible in read-only mode while the service becomes fully operational.
Real-World Implementation Insights
Our webinar demonstration showcased the intuitive user experience, from the initial banner notification in Deployment Manager 5 through the complete migration workflow. The process maintains full transparency with real-time progress tracking, pipeline counts, and resource migration status.
For organizations with customizations, the migration strategy accommodates various scenarios. Custom tasks definitions migrate automatically, while implementations move from DevOps environments to Route-to-Live environments. API availability ensures existing integrations can be maintained with minimal configuration updates.
Connected Cloud Experience
Operating on Pega Cloud provides a truly connected experience, with visibility across environment updates and seamless integration with the broader Pega ecosystem. This cloud-native approach eliminates traditional infrastructure concerns while providing enterprise-grade reliability and scalability.
The migration represents more than a version upgrade—it's an opportunity to modernize DevOps practices, embrace AI-powered assistance, and leverage cloud-native capabilities that weren't previously available.
Join the Migration Movement
Organizations currently on Deployment Manager 5.x have a clear path forward with comprehensive support throughout the migration journey. The process is designed for success, with detailed documentation, expert guidance, and a proven framework that has already successfully migrated over half of Pega's cloud fleet.
Ready to begin your migration journey? The future of deployment management is here, and it's more powerful, intelligent, and connected than ever before.
Recommended resources:
• Webinar recording
• Deployment Manager as-a-Service Documentation
• Custom Tasks Migration Guide
Don't Forget
• JOIN THE CONVERSATION on Expert Circle
• FOLLOW @PegaDeveloper on X
