Enterprise Operations OS

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Flagship

Custom backend, RAG, and API-orchestrated infrastructure unifying 20+ systems for a multinational enterprise.

Flagship automation case study featuring integration and workflow automation.

52%

Operational Workload Reduction

8× faster

Cross-Department Handoffs

95+

Spreadsheets Eliminated

Overview

A global enterprise spanning 10+ departments with thousands of active workflows and a complex hybrid cloud environment faced a critical operational crisis. Their technology landscape had evolved organically over decades, resulting in deeply siloed systems that couldn't communicate with each other. The tech stack included Salesforce for sales, NetSuite for finance, Workday for HR, SharePoint for document management, on-premises SQL servers for legacy applications, and dozens of custom-built tools that different departments had created over the years. Information moved between systems through manual exports, email attachments, and spreadsheet handoffs — creating delays, errors, and endless reconciliation work.

Business Context

The enterprise was losing competitive advantage due to operational friction. Cross-department projects that should take days were taking weeks. Financial close processes required teams working overtime for reconciliation. Sales couldn't get accurate inventory data. HR onboarding took 3 weeks of manual work. The executive team recognized that incremental improvements wouldn't solve systemic issues — they needed a complete operational architecture transformation. ZapWizards was engaged to design and build a unified Operations OS that would serve as the connective tissue between all enterprise systems while respecting the reality that many legacy tools couldn't be replaced.

How We Built It

We began with a comprehensive discovery phase, mapping every system, data flow, and integration point across the organization. The architecture centered on a custom Node.js backend with PostgreSQL as the unified data warehouse and Redis providing a high-performance caching layer for real-time operations. We built ETL pipelines connecting Salesforce, NetSuite, Workday, and Azure SQL with intelligent sync logic that handled conflicts and maintained data lineage. For knowledge management, we deployed an enterprise RAG engine combining AstraDB and Pinecone vector stores with semantic search capabilities, enabling employees to query institutional knowledge using natural language. The event-driven workflow engine used a Kafka-lite architecture to orchestrate cross-system processes without tight coupling. Each department received a specialized module — Finance got PO-to-payment automation with budget dashboards, Sales received bi-directional Salesforce sync with AI-powered deal health scoring, Operations gained asset lifecycle tracking with SLA breach alerts, and HR received a complete employee lifecycle management system with AI-driven learning recommendations. The entire platform was built with SOC2-aligned security practices, role-based access control, and comprehensive audit logging.

Challenges

20+ critical systems with no interoperability

Teams relying on manual exports/imports, endless email loops

No central source of truth (financial data, HR data, sales data all inconsistent)

Legacy tools impossible to replace but essential to operations

Every department used its own scattered spreadsheets

Compliance and audit requirements impossible to meet

What We Delivered

Custom Command Center Backend with unified PostgreSQL data warehouse

ETL pipelines pulling from Salesforce, NetSuite, Workday, Azure SQL

High-performance Redis caching layer and domain service architecture

Enterprise RAG Engine with vector store and semantic search

Finance Module: PO → Invoice → Payment automation, budget dashboards

Sales Module: Bi-directional Salesforce sync, deal health scoring

Operations Module: Asset lifecycle tracking, SLA breach alerts

HR Module: Employee onboarding/offboarding OS, AI-driven L&D recommendations

Role-based access control (RBAC) and SOC2-aligned architecture

Tech Stack

Custom backend (Node + PostgreSQL + Redis + microservices), Unified internal API layer, Enterprise IAM (Okta + Azure AD), Vector store (AstraDB/Pinecone hybrid), Kafka-lite event bus architecture

Results

52%

Operational Workload Reduction

8× faster

Cross-Department Handoffs

95+

Spreadsheets Eliminated

Strategic Impact

This transformation fundamentally changed how the enterprise operates. The 52% reduction in operational workload freed up senior staff to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks. Cross-department handoffs that previously took days now complete in hours through automated routing and approval workflows. By eliminating 95+ scattered spreadsheets, the organization achieved a single source of truth for the first time in its history. The RAG-powered knowledge base reduced time-to-answer for internal queries from hours to seconds. Perhaps most importantly, the architecture provides a foundation for future innovation — new AI capabilities, analytics, and automation can be added incrementally without disrupting existing operations. The enterprise is now positioned to scale operations without proportionally scaling headcount, giving them significant competitive advantage in their industry.