In the relentless pursuit of customer understanding, businesses amass vast oceans of data. Yet, too often, this invaluable resource remains fragmented, locked away in disparate systems, hindering the very insights it promises. The age of AI demands more. It demands a seamless, intelligent flow of information that empowers every interaction, every decision, and every customer experience. Today, we mark a pivotal moment in that journey.
Salesforce is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking expansion of our partnership with IBM, bringing the power of Zero Copy to the heart of enterprise data. This collaboration is set to redefine how organizations harness their most critical asset, unlocking unprecedented value from their existing investments and fueling the next generation of AI-driven customer engagement.
For too long, the promise of a unified customer view has been hampered by the arduous task of data movement. Enterprises store immense volumes of information on robust platforms like IBM mainframes, IBM DB2 and IBM WatsonX, including customer records, financial transactions, intricate documents, critical operational data, and extensive historical archives. The traditional approach to moving data involved cumbersome, costly, and time-consuming Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes, creating redundant copies and introducing latency that stifled real-time action. This challenge is magnified in the era of AI, where the effectiveness of large language models (LLMs) and intelligent agents hinges on access to the freshest, most comprehensive data.
Our partnership with IBM is a direct answer to this challenge. Through Zero Copy File Federation, Salesforce Data Cloud will seamlessly connect to IBM watsonx.data providing two-way access to IBM Z mainframe data — collected through IBM Data Gate for Watsonx — that powers the world’s leading industries. Both Salesforce Data Cloud and IBM watsonx.data understand Apache Iceberg. This means that massive, often inaccessible datasets can be virtually accessed and acted upon by Data Cloud without ever being physically moved or duplicated. It’s about bringing intelligence directly to the data, wherever it lives.
This integration unleashes transformative possibilities. For the first time, enterprises can achieve a unified customer 360 view with granular data in the IBM ecosystem in near real time by combining Salesforce’s rich customer interaction data with the vast, deep historical transactional mainframe data and more held within IBM systems. This unified, real-time customer profile becomes the bedrock for highly personalized experiences and proactive engagement.
The impact on agentic AI is nothing short of transformational. Imagine Salesforce’s Agentforce, powered by Einstein, having instant, on-demand access to every relevant piece of customer information – from past purchase data and product usage patterns to transactional data derived from call transcripts, all residing securely in IBM. Agents become exponentially smarter, more proactive, and more effective, equipped with a complete, real-time understanding to resolve issues faster, anticipate needs, and drive more meaningful sales conversations.
“This partnership with Salesforce and the power of Zero Copy is a huge benefit for our joint customers,” said Edward Calvesbert, Vice President, Product Management at watsonx Platform. “It’s about empowering businesses to finally break down data silos and unleash the full potential of their data for AI, without the burden of complex data migrations. We’re enabling a future where new insights are seamlessly unlocked and critical business processes are automated.”
“This partnership reinforces Salesforce’s commitment to the vision of Zero Copy Partner Network to connect data across major data platforms in real time. Zero Copy integration with IBM watsonx Platform will enable our joint customers to unify their combined data without any copy or data movement to create a rich unified customer profile, and activate it seamlessly across Agentforce and Customer 360 apps in Salesforce” said Narinder Singh, Vice President, Product Management of Salesforce Data Cloud.
This collaboration isn’t about replacing existing infrastructure; it’s about amplifying its value. Customers can maximize their investments in IBM platforms while gaining the unparalleled activation capabilities of Salesforce Data Cloud. It’s a testament to our shared vision of an open, connected ecosystem where data fluidity drives innovation.
The era of siloed data is over. With Salesforce Data Cloud and IBM, the age of intelligent, activated data is here. Discover how this powerful partnership can transform your business.Want to dive deeper? Join our upcoming webinar with Anson from IBM and Salesforce experts to learn more! [Link to Webinar Registration]
