Enterprise Architecture Transformation

Fortune 100 Retail Chain Unifies 12 Salesforce Orgs Into One

How we consolidated a fragmented multi-org landscape into a scalable enterprise architecture, reducing costs by 65% while tripling system performance for 50,000+ users across 1,800 stores.

12→1 Org Consolidation
65% Cost Reduction
3x Performance Gain
50K+ Users Unified

Client Overview

Our client is a Fortune 100 retail giant operating 1,800+ stores across North America with annual revenue exceeding $75 billion. The company employs over 300,000 associates and serves 100 million customers annually through physical stores, e-commerce, and mobile channels.

Over two decades of acquisitions and organic growth had resulted in 12 separate Salesforce orgs, each serving different business units, regions, or acquired brands. This fragmentation was creating massive inefficiencies, data silos, and preventing the unified customer experience essential for competing in modern retail.

The Challenge

The retail chain's fragmented Salesforce landscape was hampering digital transformation initiatives and creating operational chaos across the enterprise.

Multi-Org Chaos

12 separate Salesforce orgs with different configurations, customizations, and data models creating maintenance nightmares.

Data Fragmentation

Customer data scattered across orgs, preventing 360-degree view and personalized omnichannel experiences.

Licensing Inefficiency

$8M annual Salesforce spend with 40% license underutilization due to duplicate purchases across orgs.

Integration Complexity

200+ point-to-point integrations between orgs and external systems creating brittleness and high failure rates.

Performance Issues

System response times averaging 8-10 seconds during peak periods, impacting store operations and customer service.

Governance Gaps

No enterprise standards for development, security, or data management, resulting in technical debt and compliance risks.

The Solution

We designed and implemented a unified enterprise architecture that consolidated all 12 orgs into a single, scalable platform while establishing governance frameworks for sustainable growth.

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Unified Data Model

Master data architecture supporting all business units with flexible record types and sharing rules for data isolation.

🔐

Security Architecture

Enterprise security model with role hierarchy, permission sets, and field-level security supporting 50,000+ users.

⚡

Performance Optimization

Platform optimization reducing page load times by 70% through indexing, caching, and efficient code patterns.

🔄

Integration Hub

MuleSoft-based integration layer replacing 200+ point-to-point connections with reusable APIs.

📋

Governance Framework

Center of Excellence establishing standards for development, deployment, and change management.

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DevOps Pipeline

Automated CI/CD pipeline with source control, testing, and deployment across development, staging, and production.

Implementation Approach

Our 18-month transformation program followed a carefully orchestrated approach to minimize business disruption while delivering incremental value.

  • Months 1-3: Assessment & Strategy - Analyzed all 12 orgs, documented 3,000+ custom objects, 15,000+ fields, and designed target architecture
  • Months 4-6: Foundation Building - Established unified data model, security framework, and integration architecture in new consolidated org
  • Months 7-9: Pilot Migration - Migrated smallest org (Marketing Cloud) with 2,000 users as proof of concept and refinement
  • Months 10-12: Core System Migration - Consolidated Sales Cloud and Service Cloud orgs representing 60% of users and functionality
  • Months 13-15: Regional Consolidation - Merged 8 regional orgs using automated migration tools and parallel run approach
  • Months 16-18: Optimization & Governance - Performance tuning, establishing Center of Excellence, and decommissioning legacy orgs

Results & Impact

The enterprise architecture transformation delivered extraordinary results, fundamentally changing how the retailer leverages Salesforce for competitive advantage.

Measurable Business Outcomes

12→1 Orgs Consolidated
$5.2M Annual Savings
3x Faster Performance
85% Less Maintenance
360° Customer View
50K+ Users Unified

Additional Benefits Achieved:

  • Reduced Salesforce licensing costs from $8M to $2.8M annually
  • Decreased average page load time from 8 seconds to 2.5 seconds
  • Eliminated 85% of custom code through platform features
  • Achieved unified customer view across all channels
  • Reduced deployment time from weeks to hours with CI/CD
  • Improved system availability from 95% to 99.9%
  • Enabled real-time inventory visibility across all stores

"This consolidation was the most complex technical initiative in our company's history, but also the most transformative. We now have a single source of truth for customer data, dramatically reduced costs, and the agility to innovate at the speed of retail. The 65% cost reduction alone justified the investment, but the real value is in our newfound ability to deliver unified customer experiences."

David Richardson

Chief Technology Officer

Technologies & Integrations

The solution leveraged enterprise-grade technologies to create a robust, scalable architecture supporting the retailer's digital transformation.

Salesforce Platform Sales Cloud Service Cloud Marketing Cloud Commerce Cloud MuleSoft Anypoint Tableau Analytics GitHub Enterprise Jenkins CI/CD Copado DevOps

Key Success Factors

  • Executive Alignment: CEO and board-level sponsorship ensured resources and organizational commitment
  • Phased Migration: Risk mitigation through incremental consolidation with continuous business value delivery
  • Data Governance: Master data management strategy ensuring data quality and consistency
  • Change Management: Comprehensive training for 50,000+ users with role-specific adoption programs
  • Automation First: Automated migration tools reducing manual effort by 80% and ensuring consistency
  • Center of Excellence: Established governance body ensuring sustainable platform management

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