Architecture Depth
Determine whether the proposed architects have relevant Adobe Cloud Service and multi-product experience.
2026 Adobe Experience Cloud Guide
Before You Hire an Adobe Implementation Partner, Read This.
Evaluate prospective system integrators using 25 criteria, 15 warning signs, five partner models, and a final contract checklist.
Free PDF, 13 pages. No form, no email required.
5Partner Models
25Evaluation Criteria
15Red Flag Indicators
1Final Selection Checklist
Choosing an Adobe Partner Is a Governance Decision
The partner you choose will influence your architecture, platform health, delivery velocity, technical debt, and ability to operate Adobe after go-live. The lowest initial bid rarely tells the full story.
This guide gives technology leaders, digital experience executives, and procurement teams a structured framework for comparing global system integrators, Adobe-specialized partners, boutique firms, offshore providers, and hybrid delivery models.
What the Guide Covers
What You Will Learn
Cloud Service Competency
Evaluate CI/CD governance, migration tooling, dispatcher configuration, and Cloud Service operating knowledge.
Governance and Knowledge Transfer
Protect code ownership, documentation, operational handoff, and internal capability development.
Staffing Transparency
Understand who will actually perform the work, where they are located, and whether senior resources remain after presales.
Commercial Structure
Identify hidden assumptions, change-order exposure, risk allocation, and payment terms that reward measurable delivery.
Warning Signs
Do Not Sign Another Adobe SOW Without Checking These Warning Signs
The guide identifies 15 indicators that require deeper questioning. These six appear repeatedly in underperforming engagements:
- No named Cloud Service architect
- Role placeholders instead of named resources
- Senior architects present during sales but absent during execution
- No documented migration phasing or contingency plan
- No knowledge-transfer or operational handoff deliverables
- Payments tied to calendar dates instead of measurable delivery
Navigator Run and Operate
Implementation Gets Adobe Live. Run and Operate Determines Whether It Delivers.
Selecting the right implementation partner matters, but implementation is only the beginning. Backlogs, platform optimization, adoption, integrations, and new Adobe capabilities continue after go-live.
Navigator works alongside internal teams and selected implementation partners. It provides senior Adobe Experience Cloud expertise for independent validation, execution reinforcement, backlog reduction, and ongoing optimization.
Navigator does not replace your SI. Navigator strengthens your position alongside them.
- Independent architectural validation
- Migration governance and execution oversight
- Senior US-based Adobe specialists
- Ongoing execution across the Adobe stack
- Knowledge transfer and internal capability building
- Executive visibility into delivery health and risk
Next Step
Start With a 30-Day, Fixed-Fee Navigator Pilot
Scope the pilot around your highest-priority Adobe work. Validate the team, operating model, and delivery impact before choosing a longer 6-, 12-, or 24-month commitment.