Can Resilient Data Strategies Stand the Test of Time?
Volatility is inevitable, says Martin Man, Partner Manager, DX EMEA at Progress, But with the right mindset and tech stack, it can be a catalyst for building more resilient, customer-centric strategies. How do teams protect data-driven marketing strategies in an evolving privacy landscape?
Customers aren’t the only ones that are sceptical. Enter the era of privacy uncertainty.
For modern marketers, data has become the golden ticket—offering unprecedented insights into consumer behaviour, precision targeting, and measurable results. But as global privacy regulations tighten and consumer expectations shift, that once-clear path is becoming increasingly tumultuous.
When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on May 25, 2018, it set a global benchmark for data privacy. It replaced the EU Data Protection Directive of 1995. Since its enforcement, GDPR has undergone several notable updates and clarifications. These amendments are a response to new technologies, and court rulings in noteworthy cases. For example, in 2021 – the Schrems II ruling applied to cross-border data transfers for the U.S., in 2023 – The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) expanded the definition of personal data to explicitly include biometric, genetic, and geolocation data, and in 2023 – AI & Automated Decision-Making Guidelines were introduced to govern how AI systems handle personal data.
This positive shift does come with its own set of realities
Year 2025 has seen stricter consent requirements regarding explicit and affirmative actions making pre-ticked boxes invalid, and stronger protections for children’s data and the right to data portability and erasure.
These are welcome changes — that champion transparency, trust, and truly customer-first strategies. That said, this positive shift does come with its own set of realities. For data teams, and the marketing function that it serves – it also comes with compliance implications. Often, it requires investment in updated tools, legal consultation, and possibly, reengineering parts of the martech stack. For smaller teams or legacy systems, this can mean short-term disruption and a significant uptick in compliance costs.
So, how can marketers keep up? “My advice: treat data governance as a competitive advantage, not just a compliance checkbox,” says Martin Man, Partner Manager, DX EMEA at Progress.
Marketers need to evolve, he says, offering a roadmap to navigate the current “climate of heightened data sensitivity”.
Here’s what Man says,
- First, work collaboratively with legal, security, and IT teams to ensure your tech stack and processes align with current regulations like GDPR. Building a robust, transparent data governance framework is essential—not only to safeguard data but to build trust with your customers.
- Second, focus on first-party data strategies. As third-party cookies fade and ecosystems like iOS evolve, investing in meaningful, permission-based customer relationships becomes critical. This includes building content experiences that incentivise users to share their preferences and behaviours in a transparent, value-driven way.
- At our company, we’ve doubled down on this approach by using AI-powered personalisation and dynamic content delivery to create stronger engagement while maintaining strict data controls. Our use of tools like Sitefinity is always underpinned by a commitment to privacy-by-design and secure integration across platforms.
- Ultimately, volatility is inevitable—but with the right mindset and tech stack, it can be a catalyst for building more resilient, customer-centric strategies.
There’s a maturity gap in how organisations use the data they have
But while the privacy landscape is a dynamic situation, brands still face old data challenges; data in silos, bad quality data or duplication, and data fragmentation across systems. For example, brands may struggle to integrate data collected from various digital touchpoints—websites, CRM platforms, campaign tools—into a single, cohesive customer view.
“There’s a maturity gap in how organisations use the data they have. It’s not just about access to data, but about having the internal capability—tools, processes, and expertise—to analyse it meaningfully, and activate it effectively across marketing channels,” adds Man.
These common barriers can keep brands from fully realising the potential of their data. In the marketing context, this could mean finding insights that lead to revenue-driving actions or steering personalised messaging campaigns.
“We’ve tackled this by focusing on unifying content and customer data, leveraging platforms like Sitefinity as part of a composable DXP strategy,” says Man. He is referring to Progress’ Sitefinity, a product that promises AI-powered visual tools for marketers, and a robust platform for engineers and IT towards building more flexible customer-centric digital experiences.
When DSK Bank, one of Bulgaria’s largest savings banks, found its internal systems lagging – they were concerned about customers experiencing slow response times, and delays in implementing web updates which affected marketing. DSK Bank adopted Sitefinity which allowed the brand to manage its main website and affiliated businesses through a single installation, towards maintaining consistent branding and operational efficiency.
The solution was able to integrate with the bank’s internal systems, including the ticketing system and call center. It enabled automated handling of form submissions, allowing back-office teams to process applications faster, and marketing teams could create landing pages and content without developer assistance, making its time to launch significantly faster.
Transforming how enterprises deal with customer data
Coming back to old data challenges that need new-age solutions – can artificial intelligence help? A resounding yes, with some caveats. AI is transforming how enterprises deal with customer data—especially when it comes to speed, scale, and insight accuracy. This is especially true for time-intensive tasks like cleaning and segmenting datasets. AI now helps brands automate those processes, and go far beyond basic reporting.
Man believes it is a “powerful ally” in resolving longstanding issues like data inconsistency, segmentation complexity, and insight latency. AI-powered tools can now enrich raw data, detect anomalies, and even predict customer behaviour with a high degree of accuracy. “That enables us to shift from reactive reporting to proactive decision-making,” he says.
He believes AI needs to be used “not in isolation, but as part of a connected digital ecosystem”.
“Within our architecture, platforms like Sitefinity serve as a foundation for real-time personalisation, while AI models guide how and when we deliver specific content or offers. This synergy between AI and content platforms is helping us move faster and deliver measurable impact across the customer lifecycle.”
In most enterprise environments, new tech runs the risk of adding layers — more tools, more dashboards, more tasks to manage. Every innovation promises simplicity, yet somehow the stack keeps growing taller and more complex. But artificial intelligence is being embraced for its ability to do the opposite: consolidate.
Rather than adding noise, AI is starting to act as a quiet orchestrator—sifting through the data deluge, spotting signals from chaos, and even anticipating where things might break next. Nowhere is this more evident than in model monitoring, where AI systems can detect early signs of model drift and decay, flag performance drops, and trigger automatic retraining or alerts.
It’s beginning to redefine what the stack looks like; it connects, condenses, and contextualises.
It’s still early days, but the trend is clear: the smartest use of AI might not be to do more, but to make less feel like more. “It’s not just about deploying technology—it’s about creating a data-driven culture where insights are accessible and actionable for both marketers and decision-makers,” offers Man.
