By Serge Kandukuri

The TrailheadDX 2018 keynote introduced Integration Cloud to the world. This announcement wasn’t a surprise considering Salesforce signed a definitive agreement to acquire MuleSoft for $6.5B earlier this month. The new Salesforce Integration Cloud incorporates an arrangement of services and tools that make it simple for clients to surface their information paying little attention to where it sits, and deliver wise, connected customer encounters over all channels and touchpoints.

Integration Cloud will have three layers:

Integration Platform: Aids in building application networks that connect enterprise apps, data and devices, across any cloud and on-premises. MuleSoft will continue to build toward its vision of the application network with its Anypoint Platform, which is already being used by the world’s most innovative brands, and will also power the new Integration Cloud. All references to MuleSoft and its products are subject to the closing of the transaction.

Integration Builder: Maps all systems to produce a single view of customers across clouds, multiple orgs, and systems outside of Salesforce. Developers can leverage click-based UI and guides to implement, in record time, access to all customer information from any system.

Integration Experiences: By automatically bringing together Salesforce customer data in entirely new ways, admins can create truly seamless and personalized end-to-end customer experiences across sales, service, marketing, commerce and more. For example, an admin can easily use the Lightning App Builder to bring in commerce order history data into the Lightning service console, enabling service reps to transform service interactions into cross-sell and upsell opportunities without ever leaving their console.

Advantages of Integration Cloud:

The Power of CRM Process Automation for Every Customer Experience: Many businesses continue to manage customer processes with legacy tools disconnected from customer data, resulting in costly delays and lost opportunities. With Lightning Flow Components, developers and business users are now building processes with guided, visual tools integrated with customer data and embedded into any touchpoint, resulting in reduced wait times for customers and improved productivity.

Make Every App Smarter with the Einstein Analytics and Quip Live Apps: With advances in AI and app integration, business users can now embed intelligence directly into their apps and gain instant access to additional capabilities that keep their business moving forward in just a few clicks.

Einstein Analytics Developer Experience: Now, developers can use Lightning components to embed Einstein Analytics and live updates within custom apps to make smarter decisions, all with clicks, not code.

Third-party Quip Live Apps: These interactive, customizable apps can be used right inside Quip, and are now available directly in the Salesforce AppExchange from partners including Altify, draw.io and Vidyard. Now customers can quickly and easily navigate deals, design infographics, embed videos and more – all within a single Quip document.

Pricing and Availability:

Pricing for each feature of Integration Cloud will be announced as it is made generally available.