Case Study: TOMS

TOMS, a globally recognized brand, is known for its commitment to social impact and quality products. As part of their ongoing mission to optimize internal operations and improve reporting capabilities, TOMS undertook a significant initiative to migrate from Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud. This migration was driven by a need to modernize infrastructure, reduce operational costs, and empower teams with enhanced data accessibility and reporting.

The Challenge

TOMS faced multiple challenges with their existing Tableau Server setup:

• Aging Infrastructure: Their Tableau Server was hosted on AWS, running on outdated Windows 2012, requiring a whole system overhaul.
• High Operational Costs: Maintaining the existing infrastructure on AWS was expensive. A move to Tableau Cloud promised significant cost savings.
• Technical Limitations: Certain reporting features, like BW flows, weren’t initially supported in Tableau Cloud, delaying the migration by a year.
• Resource Gaps: The internal team lacked Tableau experts, making a smooth migration difficult without external support.
• Adoption Hurdles: A key post-migration challenge was encouraging team members to transition from legacy reporting tools to Tableau Cloud.

Strategy & Deliverables

To address these challenges, TOMS partnered with XeoMatrix, leveraging their data strategy and Tableau services expertise.

Migration Approach:

• Cost-Driven Planning: Focused on delivering ROI by reducing AWS hosting expenses and streamlining licensing costs.
• Technical Expertise: XeoMatrix’s deep knowledge of Tableau Server and Cloud enabled them to anticipate and resolve challenges efficiently.
• Order of Operations: A structured, step-by-step approach ensured the seamless migration process, even with complexities around existing connections and unsupported features.

Key Deliverables:

• Full Tableau Cloud Migration: Transitioned from AWS-hosted Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud within seven weeks, despite holiday season disruptions.
• Customized Support: Kevin O’Donovan and Tim from XeoMatrix provided hands-on, proactive support, often addressing issues before the TOMS team started their workday.
• Post-Migration Training: XeoMatrix provided guidance and resources, including recommending training materials like Tableau Tim videos, to boost user adoption.

Results

The migration resulted in several positive outcomes for TOMS:

• Cost Savings: Significant reduction in operational expenses by eliminating AWS infrastructure costs and simplifying licensing to a user-based model.
• Improved Performance: Tableau Cloud offered enhanced reliability compared to the outdated Tableau Server, reducing system crashes and downtime.
• Increased Flexibility: Users gained direct access to build and manage their own reports, promoting self-service BI and increasing overall data adoption.
• Smooth Transition: Thanks to XeoMatrix’s expertise, the project was completed on time, with minimal disruptions despite holiday scheduling challenges.