Salesforce Launches Salesforce1 Lightning Connect to Integrate Any Data Source with Salesforce

Salesforce.com today launched Salesforce1 Lightning Connect to integrate any data source with Salesforce. Lightning Connect is a new breed of real-time integration that unleashes the full power of the Salesforce1 Platform on data stored in legacy back-office systems.

"Salesforce1 Lightning Connect is the fastest way to integrate any data into Salesforce," said Mike Rosenbaum, executive vice president and general manager of the Salesforce1 Platform, in a statement. "Now customers can extend all the benefits of the Salesforce1 Platform to all of their enterprise data, whether it's stored in Salesforce or another system."

Lightning Connect can be configured in minutes with point-and-click tools. Integration can now be completely code-free, allowing any user to connect data with just a few clicks. For example, sales organizations can bring order data from external apps into the Salesforce Sales Cloud1, enabling sales executives to check order status on the go from the Salesforce1 Mobile App.

Lightning Connect does not copy and store outdated data in Salesforce. Data is not copied and saved in multiple places. For example, with Lightning Connect, companies can process customer returns and see them in the Salesforce Service Cloud1 in real-time, enabling them to support every customer with ease.

Lightning Connect unleashes the full power of the Salesforce1 Platform and allows users to take data that is outside of Salesforce and treat it like it is in Salesforce. Users can search across external data, use it in Visualforce and Apex code to build custom apps, and relate it to customer data within Salesforce. For example, marketing teams can build customer loyalty apps on Heroku and make data from the app available in Salesforce.

The new Heroku External Objects for Salesforce allows companies to build modern customer-facing apps, using technologies such as Node, Ruby, PHP, and Java on Heroku, and connect them to Salesforce. Heroku External Objects for Salesforce makes app data, operational data, customer data available within Salesforce.

Integration vendors, including Informatica, Jitterbit, MuleSoft, Progress Software, SnapLogic, and SoftwareAG, have built an extensive library of adaptors for Lightning Connect.

"For years, enterprises have faced the challenge of creating real-time connections across siloed applications," said Chris Purpura, vice president and general manager of cloud integration at MuleSoft, in a statement. "With Salesforce1 Lightning Connect and MuleSoft, Salesforce customers can gain real-time access to data from any data source."

"As customers move more critical business apps to the cloud, they're looking to easily connect them to siloed legacy data," said Ronen Schwartz, vice president and general manager of Informatica Cloud, in a statement. "The Informatica Cloud OData solution for Salesforce1 Lightning Connect enables Salesforce administrators, IT and business analysts to quickly incorporate any external application data with Salesforce."

Leading companies, such as Brown-Forman and HD Supply Facilities Maintenance, are breathing life into their back-office systems with the Salesforce1 Platform.

"I want IT focus on delivering innovations, not complex integration," said Toby Lester, vice president of technology, architecture, and innovation at Brown-Forman, in a statement. "With Salesforce1 Lightning Connect, we can continue to change the role of IT by eliminating the pain of building integration after integration and allowing IT to focus on building the apps needed to keep everyone productive.

Salesforce1 Lightning Connect is priced per data source and monthly subscription pricing starts at $4,000 per month. Heroku External Objects for Salesforce is generally available now as part of Heroku Connect and pricing is based on resources and usage.

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