Microsoft, SAP and Adobe Team Up with Open Data Initiative

ORLANDO, Fla. -- If Microsoft, SAP and Adobe have their way, corporate data will no longer be locked into one proprietary software or cloud platform, but free to move from tool to tool as the owner of the data requires.

During the Microsoft Ignite keynote in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, September 24, the CEOs of Microsoft, SAP and Adobe -- Satya Nadella, Bill McDermott and Shantaru Narayen, respectively -- stood together to announce the Open Data Initiative.

The Open Data Initiative is based on three guiding principles, as outlined by Microsoft:

As Nadella said in his keynote, customers generate data from a variety of sources, including mobile application use, advertising, Internet of Things appliances, sales transactions and social media. But putting together the data and finding ways to use it to improve business remains an obstacle.

"Clearly, there's a big data opportunity and a small data challenge -- all this data is trapped in silos," Nadella said.

The Open Data Initiative is meant to help companies better govern their data while maintaining both privacy and security considerations.

According to a Microsoft blog post, "With the ability to better connect data across an organization, companies can more easily use AI and advanced analytics for real-time insights, 'hydrate' business applications with critical data to make them more effective and deliver a new category of AI-powered services for customers."

As McDermott said during the keynote, "I think we can do something pretty dramatic when it comes to customer engagement."

ISG analyst Blair Hanley Frank also thinks the Open Data Initiative will yield results for customers. He said, "This initiative is a shining example of the evolving enterprise technology landscape. Siloed data is a massive drag on innovation and business productivity because it hampers information sharing and advanced analytics. Enterprises need a common model for all their business data in order to drive the best insights possible, and this partnership provides tremendous value to Microsoft, Adobe and SAP’s shared customers."