Salesforce has confirmed it has struck a deal to acquire fellow US software maker, MuleSoft, for approximately US$6.5 billion.
“Exciting news! Salesforce has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MuleSoft, the provider of one of the world’s leading platforms for building application networks,” the cloud customer relationship management (CRM) software vendor said in a statement.
The confirmation comes after earlier reports that the companies were in advanced discussions relating to an acquisition deal. Earlier reports placed the expected value of the deal at around US$6 billion.
Based in San Francisco, MuleSoft makes software that automatically integrates disparate data, devices and applications to help companies' networks run faster.
“MuleSoft will power the new Salesforce Integration Cloud, which will enable all enterprises to surface any data -- regardless of where it resides -- to drive deep and intelligent customer experiences throughout a personalised 1:1 journey,” Salesforce said, detailing the deal.
"Every digital transformation starts and ends with the customer," said Salesforce CEO and chairman, Marc Benioff, said. "Together, Salesforce and MuleSoft will enable customers to connect all of the information throughout their enterprise across all public and private clouds and data sources -- radically enhancing innovation.
“I am thrilled to welcome MuleSoft to the Salesforce Ohana,” he said, referring to the Hawaiian term “Ohana” representing the idea that families -- blood-related, adopted, or intentional -- are bound together, and that family members are responsible for one another, a foundation principle for Salesforce under Benioff.
According to Salesforce, more than 1,200 customers in 60 countries around the world rely on MuleSoft to innovate faster, deliver differentiated customer experiences and increase operational efficiency.
The cloud software vendor said that, together, the companies will accelerate their customers’ digital transformations, enabling them to unlock data across legacy systems, cloud apps and devices to make smarter, faster decisions and create highly differentiated, connected customer experiences.
According to Salesforce, MuleSoft will continue to build toward its vision of the application network with its hybrid enterprise integration platform, Anypoint Platform, while powering the new Salesforce Integration Cloud, which will enable users to surface any customer data, regardless of where it resides, to drive deep customer experiences.
"With the full power of Salesforce behind us, we have a tremendous opportunity to realise our vision of the application network even faster and at scale," MuleSoft chairman and CEO, Greg Schott, said. "Together, Salesforce and MuleSoft will accelerate our customers' digital transformations enabling them to unlock their data across any application or endpoint."
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2019, ending July 31, 2018.
