The growing pains of data: OLX's Salesforce challenge
As OLX's online marketplace thrived, its Salesforce platform faced a data growth challenge, leading to several issues:
Managing storage limits
The sheer volume of data threatened to push OLX past its allocated Salesforce storage limits, creating a dilemma between paying costly coverage fees or investing in additional storage.
System performance impact
The team started seeing slower search results and sluggish report generation— telltale signs of a system struggling with data overload. This impacted the user experience for both OLX's internal teams and, potentially, their customers.
Complying with regulations
The growing mountain of data brought with it a pressing need for a formal data retention policy. OLX had to ensure compliance with legal obligations, including GDPR and the "Right to be Forgotten," while also managing data responsibly.
Slow data recovery
Lacking a robust backup solution, OLX relied on manual data recovery processes. This meant significant downtime and lost productivity in the event of data loss—an unacceptable risk for a global business. "If we would experience data loss, we basically wouldn't be able to recover a majority of the data," Adam explains. “It would take days instead of hours."
Finding the right fit: OLX's data management needs
OLX needed a solution that addressed multiple priorities: data protection, cost-effective storage, compliance, and system performance. A reliable backup solution was essential, as was an archiving strategy to manage data growth and optimize storage costs.
Additionally, OLX sought to streamline its sandbox environment setup, enabling quicker testing cycles without manual data creation. Compliance was another top priority; OLX needed a way to automate data retention policies in line with both regulatory and internal standards.
With these needs in mind, OLX sought a comprehensive, integrated solution for backup, archiving, compliance, and sandbox management.
Own: A strategic partner for data management
OLX ultimately chose Own's suite of products: Own Recover, Own Archive, and Own Accelerate, to help tackle these complex needs.
- Own Recover’s robust backup solution immediately addressed OLX's need for data security and rapid recovery. This was a "no-brainer," according to Adam. Knowing they could restore data swiftly and reliably provided the essential safety net for their business operations.
- Own Archive empowered OLX to implement a tailored data retention strategy, addressing both storage and compliance concerns. This involved working closely with legal teams to define policies aligned with internal and external requirements.
- Own Accelerate streamlined OLX's testing processes. Instead of manually recreating data sets, the OLX team could now quickly populate sandbox environments with data from production.
With Own, OLX could address its immediate challenges and build a foundation for future growth and compliance.
Favorite Own features
While OLX benefits from Own’s core functionalities certain features were particularly impactful:
✅ Predictable cost management
“The most important for me as a platform manager was to make sure that I keep Salesforce costs predictable," explains Adam. With Own Archive, OLX found a way to manage its data footprint and avoid the recurring costs of purchasing additional Salesforce storage. "Thanks to the policies that we put in place," he says, "we are now avoiding this cost basically."
✅ A data-driven approach to compliance
Own Archive empowered OLX to move beyond a "store everything" approach to data retention. By implementing custom policies, it could analyze data, determine appropriate retention periods, and automate compliance with both internal and legal requirements.
✅ Enhanced user experience
Adam notes an improvement in system performance, especially in search results and list views, contributing to a better user experience.
✅ Seamless Archived Data Access
“The ability to access archived data through a Salesforce-native-like interface is a significant advantage. It allows us to save on Salesforce storage costs while maintaining the ability to view archived records effortlessly as if they were still within Salesforce.”
Adam also noted that the adoption process for Own at OLX was remarkably smooth, allowing the team to quickly become autonomous in managing the solution. This streamlined transition has been a key factor in their ongoing success with the platform.
The bottom line: Data control and peace of mind for OLX
What was OLX's overall experience using Own's solutions to manage its ever-growing Salesforce data?
"Our investment in Own has returned,” Adam emphasizes. “It's not a cost anymore, it's an investment."
Own's combination of robust backup and recovery, flexible archiving, and streamlined sandbox management gave OLX exactly what it needed: cost savings, simplified compliance, and a data management strategy ready to scale alongside its business.
“The dedicated support provided by Own contributes to the overall peace of mind, ensuring any challenges are promptly addressed and the solution continues to deliver value.”
With Own as a trusted partner, OLX can focus on its mission of empowering buyers and sellers around the world to unlock the value of pre-owned goods.
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