To be successful in traditional markets, established and historically grown companies must increasingly face disruptive market players. Tech-savvy, digital companies are influencing sectors such as the insurance industry using new technologies and approaches in areas such as data management and are increasingly acquiring customers through customized services and products. Established organizations must therefore adapt innovative concepts such as data mesh architectures as part of data democratization projects to remain competitive as a data-driven structure. Due to the lack of a universal methodology, this paper deals with the development of a framework for the introduction of data mesh architectures as a central component of a comprehensive data democratization initiatives. The methodology therefore includes reference modeling to develop a framework for data mesh integration and is supported by expert interviews from this paper’s partner direct insurance company. As a result, this paper presents a holistic meta model as proposal for introducing data mesh architectures to various kinds of practical fields. The conclusions emphasize the iterative and incremental design of data mesh architectures and identify key aspects such as knowledge management, change management and organizational management as crucial for a successful implementation.