Why Data Security Is Key to Exceptional Customer Experiences: Adobe, Red Hat, and IBM Join Forces to Secure Marketing Data Across Regulated Industries

Adobe, Red Hat, and IBM announce partnership to empower banks to deliver better customer experiences

In a big move for the banking industry, Adobe, Red Hat, and IBM yesterday announced a strategic partnership to simplify marketing software for marketers at major U.S. banks that face strict controls on how customer data must be handled. The partnership will enable banks to deliver more personalized experiences across the customer journey, improving engagement, profitability, and loyalty.

As digital transformation becomes a priority for businesses looking to thrive in a post-Covid world, C-suite executives must reframe their roles to meet changing customer demands while ensuring data security. Regulated industries such as banking and healthcare have quickly realized that there can be no trade-off between data security/privacy and data-driven marketing. Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and Chief Digital Officers must work together to protect customer data while delivering bespoke digital experiences.

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The partnership will allow Adobe to run its software in IBM’s cloud system that has received regulatory approval for use by banks, thereby, accelerating digital transformation for the industry as a whole.

“Now more than ever companies are accelerating their efforts to engage customers digitally,” said Anil Chakravarthy, executive vice president and general manager, Digital Experience, Adobe. “We are excited to partner with IBM and Red Hat to enable companies in regulated industries to meet this moment and use real-time customer data to securely deliver experiences across any digital touchpoint, at scale and compliant with regulations.”

The partnership will initially focus on:

• Deployment Flexibility with Hybrid Cloud: Adobe, IBM, and Red Hat aim to enable brands to manage and deliver their content and assets within any hybrid cloud environment, from multiple public clouds to on-premise data centers. By certifying and delivering Adobe Experience Manager 6.5, part of Adobe Experience Cloud, to run on Red Hat OpenShift, the industry’s leading enterprise Open Source container platform, IBM will offer clients the flexibility to host, access, and leverage data in the environment of their choice.
• Adobe Enabled for Financial Services: Adobe joins IBM’s partner ecosystem as a strategic partner providing CX solutions for the IBM Cloud for Financial Services. Using the IBM Cloud for Financial Services, IBM will extend Adobe Experience Manager to professionals in this industry with the aim of helping them as they meet their security and regulatory requirements when delivering personalized experiences to their customers.
• Adobe and IBM Services: IBM iX, the business design arm of IBM Services, will extend their offerings across all of Adobe’s core enterprise applications. With broader, integrated support for clients across Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Cloud, and Adobe Document Cloud, IBM iX will accelerate how global brands use data to design, implement and scale personalized customer experiences to instill trust across every corner of their business.

“The reality is that today businesses across industries are operating in an experience first world where it is possible to gain immense value from data if trust and technology flexibility are central to the equation,” said Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president, IBM Global Markets. “It is with these principles as the focus of our partnership – bringing Adobe’s marketing expertise, IBM’s industry domain knowledge and the open innovation of Red Hat – that will give clients the confidence to use their data for new competitive advantage.”

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“Being competitive in the digital economy requires delivering innovation quickly,” said Ashesh Badani, senior vice president, Cloud Platforms, Red Hat. “Through this collaboration, Adobe, IBM and Red Hat are enabling organizations to deliver great digital experiences in any environment with flexibility and speed across the hybrid cloud, whether in on-premises data centers or across multiple public clouds.”

What Does It Mean for Marketers?

As we’ve observed lately, businesses are prioritizing customer experience – which means data is at the center of the brand-customer relationship transformation. As a result, it has become increasingly important for marketers to take stewardship of data.

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With this partnership, Adobe and IBM have empowered marketers to design delightful digital experiences without compromising on data security. Going forward, we should expect to see more martech vendors take a closer look at their data security capabilities as marketing becomes more experiential.