How Adobe is investing in Canada with data residency and helping businesses get ahead of proposed legislation
Over 200 zettabytes. That’s how much global data Cybersecurity Ventures predicts will be stored in the cloud by 2025 — and it accounts for 50% of the world’s data. When looking for a cloud service provider to manage your company’s share of that data, trust should be front and center.
Building a platform of trust starts with identifying your data residency needs, or where your data should be stored. Adobe has been working with key Canadian customers to construct a roadmap for data residency in Canada. Coupled with the built-in privacy, security, and data governance capabilities of Adobe Experience Platform, Canadian businesses can have a solid foundation on which to build consumer trust.
Data is nothing without trust
Adobe defines trust as the confidence a consumer has in a brand to deliver on its promises and fulfill expectations. Customers expect an equitable value exchange — their personal information for a more personalized experience while respecting their privacy and keeping their data secure. They want to know and control how that data is used at every stage of the data lifecycle, from collecting the data to then archiving and destroying it. And they certainly don’t want you to share data with other brands unless they give their explicit consent.
But if we’ve learned anything from the 2022 Adobe Trust Report, it’s that trust isn’t easily given. In fact, 75% of global leaders are facing even more challenges earning consumer trust than they were pre-pandemic. Which is why Adobe has been innovating solutions to help turn these data challenges into opportunities for brands across the world to build rapport, confidence, and trust with their customers. And this is where we foresee a unique opportunity to help Canadian businesses.
Don’t wait to invest in the highest level of compliance
If you do business in Canada, you’re likely aware of Bill C-11: Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020. If passed, it will replace the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) with the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA). The new data privacy guidelines introduced by the CPPA will affect any business that collects personal data in Canada. Businesses are, understandably, concerned with the impact of these changes, as well as their readiness to adjust data security measures accordingly.
But this new legislation has faced some backlash. Experts believe Bill C-11 does not go far enough to remedy data issues related to meaningful consent, de-identification, or data mobility, especially when compared to the EU’s data protection law, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Critics say Bill C-11 neglects the opportunity to define privacy as a basic human right, it does not enforce accountability or compliance, and it does not guarantee consumers transparency or control over their data.
If the bill passes, companies who collect data in Canada will have to make sure they’re compliant with the new regulations. But there’s no reason to wait when you can get ahead of the legislation right now and calibrate your data governance framework to an even higher level of privacy compliance — the GDPR.
Do it with a partner who has the framework already in place
Adobe helps brands meet local, regional, and global data and privacy regulations, including the more stringent EU GDPR and US HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements.
GDPR is hailed as the gold standard for data protection and privacy. If you meet GDPR requirements, then, by default, you can meet PIPEDA regulations. You can even meet the requirements of more exacting Canadian data laws, including Quebec’s Bill 64. For Canadian companies who do business in Europe, such as airlines or export corporations, it’s a win-win.
Experience Platform is ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certified, giving customers the highest standards of information security and business continuity. Platform’s data governance features go beyond table stakes access control. Sure, data stewards can limit access to sensitive personal information to appropriate personnel and encrypt data at rest or in transit. But we cultivate trust even more with extended features like Adobe Experience Platform Data Governance.
By the end of 2022, brands that have enabled Real-Time CDP, Adobe Customer Journey Analytics, or Adobe Journey Optimizer can tap into the unique capabilities of Experience Platform Data Governance to simplify and streamline the process of categorizing customer and account data and creating usage policies. These policies are automatically applied and enforced across custom workflows and applications across all lines of business, including in the tools marketers use to create experiences, such as analytics and campaign and creative asset management tools. Data restrictions and usage policies are applied in real time as marketers build memorable and trustworthy customer journeys.
Our Experience Platform Privacy Service puts data control back in consumers’ hands by allowing brands to monitor and respond to every person’s access and delete requests as determined by relevant privacy regulations, including the GDPR and CCPA. And later this year, we’re releasing customer-managed keys so that Real-Time CDP, Customer Journey Analytics, and Journey Optimizer customers can own the encryption keys that store some or all of their data.
Build trust by making every experience personal
Customers don’t just demand you keep their information private — they demand you put that data to use by delivering tailor-made and exceptional experiences whenever they engage with your brand. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) understands the magnitude of that challenge in the face of increasingly rigid data privacy restrictions. CIBC turned to Adobe to help build out a more flexible and scalable digital framework that could keep its customers’ sensitive personal and financial information secure. It’s been such a successful partnership, JD Powers ranked CIBC #1 for customer satisfaction among mobile banking apps in 2020.
Many brands manage customer consent and preferences within a consent and preference management platform (CPMP) like OneTrust and SourcePoint. Adobe is launching a long-term partnership with OneTrust, but Experience Platform can ingest data from the CPMP of your choice, and then use consent and preference data to inform and deliver more personalized and relevant customer interactions. Consumers can indicate their preferred mode of communication, how often they want to be contacted, and the content that’s most meaningful to them — and all in line with Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL). The ROI is customer trust and better experiences overall.
These capabilities get straight to the core of trust: empathy. Consumers — 76%, according to Adobe’s 2022 Trust Report — think brands should understand their perspective, their frustrations, and their priorities. Personalizing the customer experience demonstrates the empathy customers crave and garners trust. Canadian telecom provider TELUS knows this well.
When COVID-19 hit, TELUS focused its efforts on fostering trust and creating an empathetic digital experience by updating their website and mobile app capabilities, adjusting experiences based on behavioral and event analytics and tying every experience into a seamless and personalized customer journey.
To learn more about how Adobe is helping brands strengthen consumer trust through modern data governance, privacy, and security controls, including our release plans for 2022, check out the Summit presentation Consumer Trust: The New Business Imperative.
Because data is only human, after all
Data, by nature of the huge amount available and evolving regulations around its use, can seem daunting and complex. But get it down to its “bits” and you have a living, breathing human on the other end. Someone who needs you to treat their data with respect, keeping it safe and in bounds with regulation while providing an experience that makes the information exchange worth it.
With data, you can listen to what your customers are genuinely interested in and be of service when and where they need you. With data, and with Adobe applications on your governance team, you can earn their trust.
Learn more about how Adobe can help you deliver trusted experiences to your customers. If you do business in Canada and are interested in joining our advisory board as we refine our data residency strategy, please reach out to your account director or customer success manager.