Informatica has been on Salesforce’s ‘hit list’ for a very long time. So long, in fact, that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was quoted saying he’s had the enterprise data company on his radar for almost 20 years. Salesforce has been a customer, an investor, and a partner of Informatica’s, and now (if all goes to plan) they will own them – with plans to purchase the company for $8B in equity value.
In an era where delivering enterprise-grade AI is a crucial goal for Salesforce, this deal seemingly couldn’t have been struck at a better time. The mothership needs to get its data clean and ready for AI, especially for Agentforce and Data Cloud.
But like any large-scale acquisition Salesforce will make, the ecosystem has some burning questions. While this could achieve its main aim of smoother integration for users, there are concerns around organizational clarity and platform sprawl, especially with MuleSoft still very much in the Salesforce fold. How will it realistically fit within Salesforce’s go-to-market story?
Also, Salesforce hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to integrating expensive and complex acquisitions. MuleSoft and Tableau are prime examples of pricey purchases that presented customer frustrations, such as a lack of innovation once integrated, as well as technical fragmentation, amongst other things.
So while the Informatica deal could very well help enhance Salesforce’s AI future, let’s take a closer look at the concerns around the deal that Salesforce may need to consider going forward.
Is the Acquisition “A Step Backwards” For Salesforce?
As mentioned, Salesforce has been pining for this Informatica deal for a long time, and it even came close to a $10B agreement in 2024 before the deal fell through in the final stages. One figure who shared a strong opinion on this last year was Informatica’s co-founder, Gaurav Dhillon. Although Dhillon has since left the company, he described in detail how this potential merger would be a bad idea.
Describing it as a “real step back” for Salesforce, Dhillon raised concerns with MarketWatch about significant overlap with the company’s other integration product – an issue that has since been echoed throughout the ecosystem.
“With two disparate platforms, Salesforce now has to navigate merging MuleSoft’s technology with Informatica’s technology,” Dhillon explained. “[This is] a complex, time-consuming project that will likely take more than five years to complete.”
That five-year timeline might sound dramatic, but it’s not without precedent. And it speaks to a broader fear – not just around tech, but around Salesforce spreading itself too thin across multiple integration strategies without a unifying plan.
Ultimately, the challenge is two tools with different strengths and still being able to create a unified story for Salesforce customers. Right now, it’s unclear how these tools will coexist without causing confusion.
Informatica and Mulesoft: Overlap or Opportunity?
The coexistence of MuleSoft and Informatica presents potential headaches, but also opportunity. On paper, the two serve different purposes, but in practice, the lines blur, especially for enterprise customers now expected to use both.
Informatica is known for handling big, batch-based data jobs, cleansing, enriching, and moving huge volumes of data behind the scenes. MuleSoft, on the other hand, is more about connecting systems in real-time via APIs. In theory, they serve different needs. In practice, there’s often overlap, and that’s where customers may struggle with decision making and confusion kicks in.
Some of the main risks Salesforce users may face once Informatica is fully integrated include:
- Decision fatigue: With both tools being technically capable, teams may struggle when deciding which one to use.
- Cost concern: Both tools are expensive. If Salesforce pitches both as essential, that could be a tough sell.
- Governance overlap: If the two aren’t unified, teams may face conflicting rules, security protocols, and data governance models.
- Developer confusion: Different paradigms mean different skillsets – possibly increasing team complexity and cost.
That said, if Salesforce takes a clear and intentional approach, there’s a genuine opportunity here:
- Clear division of strengths: Informatica can handle the heavy lifting – cleansing, enriching, and governing data – while MuleSoft can surface that data in real time inside Salesforce.
- Seamless data-to-experience flow: Picture Informatica preparing clean data overnight, and MuleSoft surfacing it the next morning in real time through Agentforce.
- Smarter AI outcomes: AI agents work best when they have both accurate historical data and fresh context. These tools together could provide the pipeline to support that, if executed well.
Whether Salesforce can turn this overlap into opportunity depends on execution. History suggests that won’t be easy. But if they get it right, this move could finally deliver the unified data and connectivity layer Salesforce has long promised – and that Agentforce now demands.
Final Thoughts
We are, of course, in the very early stages of this acquisition, and Salesforce are yet to discuss what their official plans are with Informatica, when they plan to implement it or what the official timeline is. What we do know is that there are many more questions than answers at this stage, and users are worried that this could prove to be an expensive distraction that takes years before we see its true benefits. And even once it’s rolled out, will there be this data clash with MuleSoft that customers are already discussing?
The deal between the two parties won’t officially close until next year, giving them plenty of time to take user concerns on board and hopefully share more clarity and guidance before its official integration into the platform.
