Why Data 360 matters now

Salesforce has rebranded its powerful data platform as Data 360, positioning it as the backbone for the “agentic enterprise” where data, AI-agents, and workflow automation converge.
For Admins, this means the role is evolving, from managing objects, fields and flows in Sales or Service Cloud into being the custodian of unified, trusted data that drives automation, AI and cross-cloud initiatives.

Data 360 helps businesses:

• Connect structured and unstructured data from CRM, data lakes, warehouses and external systems with 200+ connectors and zero-copy federation. 
• Harmonise identity, transform data, enforce governance and activate insights and real-time segments across the organisation. 
• Activate that data in flows, AI agents or downstream systems with less manual ETL and more real-time context. 

For Admins, the implication is clear: your toolbox and responsibilities may become broader, but also more strategic.

 

What changes for Admins

1. Broader data landscape

Admins will increasingly manage not just CRM objects but ingesting, federating, harmonising data from external systems. Understanding how to configure Connectors, Zero-Copy federations or ingestion rules becomes part of the job.

2. Enhanced governance and trust

Data 360 emphasises governance, metadata-driven design, and trust by default. Admins will need to work more closely with data teams or architects to define policies for usage, encryption, residence, consent, and more.

3. Real-time and activation focus

Automation turns faster. With Data 360’s real-time segments and triggers, Admins may build flows and automations that respond to data changes instantly rather than weekly batches. For example: trigger a support case when a telemetry event happens, or campaign when LTV dips. 

4. Collaboration with AI and agents

As the platform anchors the AI layer (Salesforce Agentforce 360) by providing context and unified data, Admins become key in enabling those AI-agents: mapping data, defining segments, ensuring correct access, and setting up the foundation. 

 

What Admins should focus on now

• Data hygiene and readiness: Before leveraging Data 360 deeply, ensure your data sources are reliable, duplicates resolved, identities unified. Clean data amplifies value. 
• Learn governance tools: Familiarise yourself with Data 360’s governance capabilities,  policy-based controls, metadata models, identity resolution rules. This will safeguard your org. 
• Prepare to scale: Design your flows, object models and integrations for growth. With Data 360, you’ll want systems that scale in volume, diverse data types (images, logs, streaming) and multiple clouds. 
• Collaborate cross-discipline: This isn’t just an admin task. You’ll partner with architects, data engineers, business leads. Understanding business use cases (e.g., real-time personalisation, AI triggers) will help you be proactive. 
• Upskill in new capabilities: Explore segments, identity resolution, zero-copy federation, real-time activation. These may not have been core Admin topics before but increasingly will be. 

 

Final thought

Data 360 is more than a rebrand, it shifts the ground beneath how Salesforce data, automation and AI will work together. For Admins who embrace this evolution, it opens up a strategic role: from keeping the system running to enabling insights, automation and AI-driven value.
At that point, you’re not just the Org’s Admin, you’re a Data Enabler, Automation Champion, and Strategic Partner for the business.

Written by: Risa Tubio

 

Ready to make data your next competitive edge with Salesforce Data 360?

Let’s connect:

🔗 bam@dkloudconsulting.com 
📧  enquiries@dkloudconsulting.com

DKLOUD Consulting — Clarity. Scalability. Impact.