AFL Accelerates Global Growth with Sitecore XM Cloud and Headless Transformation

Challenges

• Legacy CMS limited marketing agility and global content scalability
• High operational costs due to infrastructure and third-party tools like Coveo
• Slow page load times and poor search responsiveness
• Complex content migration requirements across 20,000+ pages, regions, and languages
• Lack of unified personalization and data-driven engagement strategy

COMPANY

AFL is a global leader in fiber optic and broadband infrastructure solutions.

INDUSTRY

Manufacturing

SERVICE PROVIDED

Digital Experience Transformation via Sitecore XM Cloud, Sitecore Content Hub, Sitecore Search, Headless Development, and System Integrations

Solutions

AFL partnered with Altudo to execute a future-focused digital transformation by migrating from Sitecore XP to Sitecore XM Cloud. This shift was not merely technical, it redefined AFL’s digital architecture, content strategy, and operational model.

AFL adopted a cloud-native, headless architecture powered by XM Cloud and deployed on a globally distributed CDN. This significantly improved site speed, resilience, and agility. The project also replaced Coveo with Sitecore Search, unifying their technology ecosystem and simplifying search personalization.

Altudo implemented a structured content migration strategy, moving over 20,000 pages across regions and languages using automation and QA scripts, ensuring minimal disruption and high quality. The platform was integrated with Salesforce and Marketo, enabling AFL to unify data and customer journeys while laying the foundation for future omnichannel engagement.

Marketing teams were empowered through XM Cloud’s visual authoring tools, allowing them to independently manage content, accelerate campaign execution, and reduce developer dependency. The result: an agile, scalable platform ready to support AFL’s 2030 growth vision.

Results

• 20–30% faster development release cycles

• 20–25% reduction in total cost of ownership

• 15–20% reduction in search latency and improved page load speeds

• 15% increase in adoption by content authors and marketing users

• Consolidation of search, content, and cloud under Sitecore for simplified operations

Background

AFL, a global leader in fiber optic and broadband infrastructure solutions, recognized that its legacy on-prem CMS was holding back its growth. The platform required intensive IT involvement for content updates, incurred high maintenance costs, and struggled to deliver consistent digital experiences across geographies. With ambitions to scale globally and drive omnichannel engagement, AFL sought a future-ready digital foundation.

Partnering with Altudo, AFL launched a strategic migration from Sitecore XP to Sitecore XM Cloud, a move that redefined not only the technology but also the business model behind their digital presence. The transition to a composable, headless architecture allowed for agile content delivery, improved performance, and streamlined operations. Key integrations with Salesforce and Marketo further enhanced their ability to run data-driven campaigns and customer journeys.

One of the most ambitious aspects of the project was the structured content migration of over 20,000 pages across multiple languages and regions. Altudo deployed best-practice accelerators and automation scripts to ensure a seamless, low-risk migration that preserved SEO, usability, and business continuity.

To simplify and unify the ecosystem, AFL replaced Coveo with Sitecore Search, bringing all content, search, and personalization capabilities under the Sitecore umbrella. The move not only reduced licensing and integration costs but also enhanced the ability to activate search-driven personalization across user journeys.

The XM Cloud deployment enabled parallel development workflows, reduced release cycle times by up to 30%, and empowered AFL’s marketing team with drag-and-drop visual authoring, reducing their reliance on IT. Page load times improved significantly, while the cloud-native architecture removed server management overhead and cut total cost of ownership by an estimated 25%.

Today, AFL is well-positioned to activate personalization, AI-based optimization, and Customer 360 programs without additional foundational changes. Their new digital ecosystem is fast, scalable, and aligned with their long-term growth vision, representing not just a platform upgrade, but a comprehensive transformation of how AFL engages its global audience digitally.