Salesforce to acquire RPA provider Servicetrace
Salesforce will make Servicetrace part of MuleSoft, to focus on unified integration, API management and RPA
Salesforce has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire German robotic process automation (RPA) software provider Servicetrace, intending to make it a part of Mulesoft: another Salesforce acquisition back in in 2018.
In a blog post, Brent Hayward, CEO of Mulesoft, said that the addition of Servicetrace would enable MuleSoft to "deliver a leading unified integration, API management, and RPA platform, which will further enrich the Salesforce Customer 360 [platform]."
Hayward expects Servicetrace's RPA capabilities to enhance Salesforce's Einstein Automate solution, "enabling end-to-end workflow automation across any system for service, sales, industries, and more".
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is expected to close by the end of the Salesforce's third quarter (October 31st, 2021).
In recent years, automation, combined with robotics, has become as a must-have technology to perform repetitive tasks. Businesses can use RPA to quickly automate manual tasks across multiple departments, including IT service desks, finance, HR, customer support and more. It is often seen as the easiest entry point into automation.
Gartner estimates global RPA software revenue will reach $1.9 billion in 2021, up 19.5 per cent from 2020.
According to Salesforce's Trends in Workflow Automation report, 95 per cent of engineering and IT managers say their organisations are prioritising workflow automation.
Salesforce's Einstein Automate solution is a modern solution to automate specific tasks, but RPA is a generally a better option for legacy operations. The Serivcetrace acquisition will bridge Salesforce's capabilities between older on-premises tools and modern cloud software.
Servicetrace has three product lines - Robotic Process Automation, Automated Software Testing and Application Performance Monitoring - with customers including Siemens, Fujitsu, Merck and Deutsche Telekom.
The company is headquartered in Hessen, Germany and was founded in 2006.
This is just the latest in a series of recent acquisitions by Salesforce.
In December, Salesforce announced the acquisition of popular workplace communication tool Slack, for about $27.7 billion.
In 2019, Salesforce bought BI and analytics firm Tableau for $15.7 billion, adding a more advanced analytics element to its existing cloud-based CRM services, particularly in combination with the AI platform Salesforce Einstein.
The company also acquired ClickSoftware in 2019 for $1.4 billion in cash and stock, to 'accelerate the growth of Service Cloud' and to 'drive further innovation with Field Service Lightning to better meet the needs of customers'.