Cross-cloud architecture: customer experience flows across multiple clouds; data unified.
Foundation: shared data model.
- Account, Contact, Lead, Case, Opportunity — shared across clouds.
- Each cloud adds its specific objects (Quote, Knowledge Article, Service Appointment).
- Single record per customer.
Sales Cloud (foundation):
- Lead -> Opportunity -> Closed Won.
- Account / Contact / Pipeline / Forecast.
Service Cloud (overlay):
- Cases on existing Account / Contact.
- Knowledge for self-service.
- Service Console for agents.
Marketing Cloud (separate platform):
- MCAE/Pardot for B2B in same Salesforce.
- MCE separate platform; integrates via Marketing Cloud Connect.
Field Service (extension):
- Work Orders on Cases / Accounts.
- Mobile workforce.
- Dispatcher Console.
Cross-cloud flows:
- Marketing -> Sales: Lead handoff with attribution.
- Sales -> Service: closed-won customer for support.
- Service -> Marketing: post-resolution surveys.
- Service -> Field: case requires technician dispatch.
- Field -> Service: completed work orders update case.
Sharing model:
- Each cloud may have different sharing requirements.
- Account: typically Public Read.
- Opportunity: often Private + Account Teams.
- Case: Public Read for service, Private for sensitive.
- Records visible across clouds when user has access.
License strategy:
- Multi-cloud bundles common.
- Per-user licensing expensive; budget appropriately.
- HVPU for high-volume external.
Reporting:
- Cross-cloud dashboards showing customer lifecycle.
- CRM Analytics for unified analytics.
- Data Cloud for advanced unification.
Phasing:
- Phase 1: Sales Cloud foundation.
- Phase 2: Service Cloud overlay.
- Phase 3: Marketing integration.
- Phase 4: Field Service if applicable.
Common pitfalls:
- Each cloud built in isolation — handoffs broken.
- Data model conflicts — Marketing's model vs Sales' model.
- Performance compounding — every cloud adds load.
- License complexity — different users different licenses.
Senior architect insight: cross-cloud architecture is the unified customer view. If clouds operate as silos, you lose the value of having them together.
The architectural unity: same Account record, same Customer journey, same data. Different clouds serve different functions but share the spine.