Digital transformation is so pervasive an undertaking right now, even the platforms supporting them are in the process of transformation. That includes Adobe’s Experience Manager, essentially a collection of microservices around digital assets and content interactions. The idea of CX is that these interactions when viewed en masse start to show customer behavior patterns, which can then be highly personalized and optimized. Adobe recently migrated the entire platform to the cloud. It’s a big deal strategically to see Experience Manager migrated; even if it’s more a speed and flexibility outcome, it says a lot about Adobe’s product direction and virtualization goals.
Plus, the performance numbers are very impressive: Early results show uptake is 50 percent faster, and administrative efficiency improved by 40 percent. Creatives performed better too; author productivity went up by more than 20 percent. B2BNN spoke recently with Haresh Kumar, director of strategy and product marketing about the move.
B2BNN: First of all, congratulations on the launch. Adobe has been a leader in the CX space for so long, it must be exciting for customers to see this key platform online. Why should customers migrate?
Haresh Kumar, Adobe: It’s all about performance. Everything is faster in the cloud now and our customers are seeing it: 50% faster ingestion is a big deal, as is supporting an accelerated creative process. It’s great to be able to make how they work more efficient for companies who do this at scale.
B2BNN: Why is the cloud so key to digital transformation?
HK: Adobe: Everything moves so quickly now, we’re in an almost constant state of transformation. Customer experience is no exception. The cloud gives us the ability to be fast and responsive, to constantly provide our customers with the best version of what we offer.
B2BNN: Has digital transformation peaked?
HK: If anything it is accelerating. It’s starting to morph into different kinds of transformations though; from the transformation of delivery via the cloud, to transformative business models. The tools we have at our fingertips, the tools we offer are the stabilizing ingredients that make this kind of constant state of optimization possible.
B2BNN: What trends around digital transformation are you seeing across your customer base right now?
HK: Cloud is a big one; there really isn’t a transformation without it being a component. You’re seeing large organizations like Under Armour making the jump because the tech itself is so rock solid, and the efficiencies, which apply to organizations both large and small.
B2BNN: Why is Adobe making this move now?
HK: The timing mirrors the shifts we are seeing in how tech is adopted and used in marketing and customer service. More and more people expect a consumer-like experience even from enterprise tech. This becomes a competitive advantage not only to us but for our customers, to have end yo end cloud solutions.
B2BNN: What are the key reasons your customers are migrating?
HK: Performance. Flexibility is key, but so is having the best software all the time. You can’t be transformative if you’re waiting on your tools; tech is the enabler, the table stakes, and it needs rock solid to be for our customers to deliver and innovate.
B2BNN: Can you share any adoption numbers?
HK: It’s still early, but we will likely have some numbers soon. What I can tell you is that customers such as Under Armour have made the move to the cloud and are already seeing results.
