Salesforce ArchitectureArchitect (Hardest)build-vs-buyindustry-cloudfsc
Evaluate build vs buy for Salesforce industry cloud solutions
Real World Scenario
Wealth management firm debates Financial Services Cloud vs custom objects on Sales Cloud for household management.
Expected Answer
• Industry cloud provides prebuilt data model, compliance features, and roadmap alignment
• Custom build offers fit to unique process but carries maintenance burden
• TCO: licenses plus implementation vs perpetual custom dev and upgrade tax
• Time-to-value faster with industry cloud for common requirements
• Gap analysis: must-have vs nice-to-have vs roadmap items
• Hybrid: industry cloud core with extension package for differentiators
• Vendor lock-in vs Salesforce platform commitment explicit in decision
Follow-Up Questions & Answers
Click to expand — each follow-up includes a direct, interview-ready answer
Direct answer: Industry cloud provides prebuilt data model, compliance features, and roadmap alignment Also consider: Custom build offers fit to unique process but carries maintenance burden In practice: TCO: licenses plus implementation vs perpetual custom dev and upgrade tax Document the decision in an ADR and align with enterprise standards.
Architect Perspective
Build custom core CRM entities only with executive acceptance of permanent dev tax—industry clouds exist for reason.