RODANANDFIELDS.COM

Rodan + Fields Transforms
Its Enterprise DataPlatform with Confluent
and Google CloudA leading skincare brand and direct selling company in North America, Rodan + Fields(R+F) operates under a unique consumer-connected model. In this model, data-driven
insights are used to drive sales directly to consumers as well as through the company’s
Headquarters
California, United States
Industry
RetailChallenge

300,000 Independent Consultants. The success of this model is tied to the efficient andrapid movement of data, both between the company and its consultants and within
the company itself.
R+F recently transformed its core data platform from a batch-oriented paradigm
centered around databases to one in which vital data moves in near real time between
services in the cloud. This transformation, powered by Confluent and Google Cloud

Replace a batch-oriented, database-cen-Platform, has enabled R+F to lower costs, synchronize data during its on-prem to cloudtric legacy data platform that wasmigration, shutter its physical data center operations faster, and provide analytics

slowing the business and becoming

teams and Independent Consultants with the data they need faster.

increasingly difficult to scale“Our consultants rely on data to run their businesses, and my team is responsible for ensuring

Solutionthat data — and all the data we need internally — is flowing. The platform we had put inWork with Confluent and Google toset data in motion with a cloud-based,
real-time streaming architecture

place several years ago was becoming too costly, both in hardware and software resources,
to scale with the business. Our existing systems could not keep up with the peak-volume days
we have each month, and the latencies were becoming disruptive,” says Jason Mattioda,Senior Director of Enterprise Platforms and Data at Rodan + Fields. “Confluent andResults• Accelerated business transformation
by more than a year

Google enabled us to address our large database footprint and retire our legacy data plat-• Cut administrative costs

customers and know that they won’t be slowed by an outdated architecture. And, while in• Leveraged more internal expertise• Eliminated hour-long latencies

form, which was in many ways our Achilles’ heel. After moving to real-time streaming on acloud-based modern architecture, we can now deliver new features and capabilities to ourmy experience it’s often a challenge to get two partners to work together, we saw just theopposite with Confluent and Google; their teams worked hand-in-hand to help us drive
our transformation.”

Confluent and Google Cloud enabled us to address our large
database footprint and retire our legacy data platform,
which was in many ways our Achilles’ heel. After moving toreal-time streaming on a cloud-based modern architecture,
we can now deliver new features and capabilities to ourcustomers and know that they won’t be slowed by anoutdated architecture.”– Jason Mattioda, Rodan + Fields©2021 Confluent, Inc. | confluent.io1

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Having completed the first phase of its transformation, R+F is positioned to capitalize on its ability to set data in motion throughout theenterprise. “Getting our data to the cloud and streaming in near real time was our focus last year,” says Mattioda. “It’s like we went throughsurgery and then completed physical therapy. Now we’re ready to start running and sprinting, and that includes plans for more microservices
and a headless commerce architecture.”

Business Results

Technical Solution

The following are some key positive business outcomes stemming

Each month, when R+F calculates consultant compensation andfrom this transformation:

program incentives, there is a surge in activity that in the past

• Accelerated business transformation by more than a year. “It’sstrained the company’s data platform. Marketing events and hol-

not an exaggeration to say that our transformation — including
cutting the cord on our old data center and retiring our databasearchitecture — could easily have required three years to complete,”says Mattioda. “We finished it in about 15 months, and among
the biggest factors in our ability to move as fast as we did was
our partnership with Google Cloud and Confluent and their dedication to our success.”• Cut administrative costs. “We’d heard that running ApacheKafka clusters can take a large administrative toll to set up andmanage,” says Mattioda. “We wanted to eliminate overhead
costs of administration and maximize speed and agility. That’s
why Google Cloud and running Kafka as a fully managed service
with Confluent Cloud was a perfect fit for us.”• Leveraged more internal expertise. “Our team had little experience with Kafka or public cloud services, but they had lots ofexpertise with our data and the needs of our business,” says
Mattioda. “Confluent and Google Cloud services made it easy for
our SMEs to apply their knowledge to address complex challenges
with technology that was new to them. Whereas if we hadbrought in an outside consultancy, it would have taken them ayear just to come up to speed on our model.”• Eliminated hour-long latencies. “With our previous architecture
and the latencies due to our batch processes, it took about anhour for our systems to move the data for a new order or accountand make it available to our consultants,” says Mattioda. “Withidays sales presented similar challenges. “It’s like we have 12 Black
Fridays a year, in addition to product releases and other high-volumedays,” says Mattioda. “During those times, we saw latencies in ourRFO platform that we relied on to get data from our commerce
system to our large SQL Server database, and from there throughthe batch processes to the consultant portal, reporting applications,and other downstream systems. It was clear that we were outgrowing that platform and its architecture.”
When R+F launched its program to completely replace its legacy
RFO platform with a modern, microservices-oriented architecture
based on real-time streaming with Confluent, it was part of alarger move to the Google Cloud Platform, which started with transitioning their SAP from an on-premises deployment to the cloud.
Taking a better together approach, R+F worked with both Confluent
and Google Cloud to drive the complete transformation.
A top early priority was the training of the R+F teams, who had noprior experience with streaming technologies. “It was a big transformation from a skill and learning standpoint, so we scheduled training
and workshops to get the ball rolling,” says Mattioda. “Later, weengaged a Confluent Resident Solution Architect. In retrospect, weshould have done that from the start, because we could have been
more efficient and saved even more time.” The emphasis on building
in-house knowledge and expertise by working with Confluent’sProfessional Services and Education teams has paid off: It enabled
R+F to complete its move without engaging a third-party consultancy.

Confluent and Google Cloud, that data is now available in nearreal time.”

Everyone on my team has told me that it was a great opportunity to be part of ourtransformation project. We improved overall performance, reduced costs, and got
out of the old-school data center and database model. Google and Confluent helped
us reach that pinnacle and now we’re looking forward to the next one.
– Jason Mattioda, Rodan + Fields©2021 Confluent, Inc. | confluent.io2

RODANANDFIELDS.COMToday, data from the R+F commerce system streams via Confluent
to Google Cloud Storage and Google Big Query, where it is immediately available for analytics. “Our analytics teams have expressed
how much they appreciate the speed at which they’re getting datanow,” says Mattioda. “Our SVP who oversees analytics said that histeam was able to complete a program in two days that would havetaken a month previously.”
Mattioda and his colleagues have taken time to reflect on all they’ve
already accomplished even as they look ahead. “Everyone on myteam has told me that it was a great opportunity to be part of ourtransformation project. We improved overall performance, reduced
costs, and got out of the old-school data center and database model.
Google Cloud and Confluent helped us reach that pinnacle and now
we’re looking forward to the next one.”

Learn More About Rodan + Fields
www.rodanandfields.com©2021 Confluent, Inc. | confluent.io3