Microsoft Azure becomes Adobe's "preferred" host for creative cloud

Adobe will host some of its extensive marketing cloud on Microsoft Azure in a partnership unveiled at Ignite conference in Atlanta on Monday.

Microsoft Azure become the "preferred cloud platform" for Adobe Marketing Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud.

Adobe will continue to work with Amazon Web Services, a spokesperson told Network World.

Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive of Adobe, said: "Adobe and Microsoft will bring together the cloud horsepower and end-to-end capabilities brands need to design and deliver great digital experiences."

Adobe Marketing Cloud is an extensive portfolio of creative and marketing products, which the Photoshop maker began pulling together in 2009 with its acquisition of web analytics platform Omniture for US$1.8 billion.

In Gartner's 2016 Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Hubs, Adobe was one of four providers in the leader quadrant, just outpacing major rivals Oracle, Salesforce and Marketo.

The latest deal cuts both ways, with Microsoft making Adobe Marketing Cloud its preferred marketing service for Dynamics 365 Enterprise edition.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said: "Together, Adobe and Microsoft are bringing the most advanced marketing capabilities on the most powerful and intelligent cloud to help companies digitally transform and engage customers in new ways."

Updated 28 September with AWS information from Network World