IAB creates Data Centre for Excellence to educate on IoT

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has reacted to the boom in the Internet of Things (IoT) by creating the IAB Data Center for Excellence as it looks to keep the digital marketing community well positioned on all areas of 'Big Data', from best practices to management and privacy. It will offer educational material including certification videos, guidance and webinars. Founding members include Acxiom, Conversant Media, Experian, Integral Ad Science, LiveIntent, Oracle Data Cloud and The Weather Company.

PALM DESERT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the launch of the IAB Data Center of Excellence, a new independently funded unit within IAB, founded to expand existing IAB resources and drive the “data agenda” for the digital media, marketing, and advertising industry. The Data Center’s mission will be to help advertisers and marketers operationalize their data assets while maintaining quality, transparency, accountability, and consumer protection.

The new Data Center will fund industry research projects, provide benchmarks, create actionable insights on data management across platforms, host data-focused events, and develop industry best practices, guidelines, and standards for privacy, data security, and consumer data protection. It will produce educational materials including certification, videos, and webinars.

“Today, data management is both a reality and a challenge for advertisers and marketers,” said Patrick Dolan, Executive Vice President and COO, IAB. “This poses a great opportunity for the new IAB Data Center of Excellence to address key issues, influence the agenda, and set the standards for organizations looking to embrace the power of data.”

Joe Zawadzki, CEO of MediaMath, has been selected to head the Data Center of Excellence Board of Directors, leading the organization’s inaugural agenda.

“Given the pace at which new technology is being adopted and the power of ‘big data’ acknowledged in the value it can create for brands, publishers, and consumers, it was time to come together as an industry,” said Zawadzki. “The IAB Data Center of Excellence will help define best practices, articulate standards, and collaboratively shape the data ecosystem with the consumer, the globe, and the future in mind."

Acxiom, Conversant Media, Experian, Integral Ad Science, LiveIntent, Oracle Data Cloud, and The Weather Company have committed to being founding members of the Data Center and will shortly assign representatives from their respective companies to be part of the organization’s Board of Directors. The Data Center welcomes industry thought leaders from technology and data service providers, DSPs, SSPs, exchanges, publishers, retailers, verification services, research groups, attribution companies, and other interested parties.

The Data Center of Excellence will be based at the IAB’s New York headquarters at 116 East 27 Street. For more information, or to learn about becoming a member, please visit www.iab.com/datacenter.

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. It is comprised of more than 650 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital advertising or marketing campaigns. Together, they account for 86 percent of online advertising in the United States. Working with its member companies, IAB develops technical standards and best practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. The organization is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., IAB advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City and has a West Coast office in San Francisco.