MuleSoft Releases Cloud Connector for Twilio

MuleSoft Releases Cloud Connector for Twilio

We spoke with Emiliano Lesende from MuleSoft, who leads the Connector Development Team.

Why was Mule Cloud Connect Started?

Mule Cloud Connect provides a simple and easy way to integrate with these APIs, and then use them as services within Mule. Developers are able to create integrations that span across different SaaS and on-premise applications.

What are your future plans for the product?

We definitely want to expand our product. For starters we want developers to be able to use our Cloud Connector for Twilio via our upcoming Mule Studio. Mule Studio allows people to design integrations visually instead of them having to write XML code.

We also have a few ideas around our Cloud Connector for Twilio and Mule iON but we are not yet ready to disclose them.

What technologies are you using to build and support it?

Mule Cloud Connect is developed using Java alone and is based around our current Mule ESB for developers wanting to use the connectors on premise or our cloud offering Mule iON if they don’t want to deal with infrastructure.

How did you get started developing with Twilio?

We always saw Twilio as an excellent example on how companies are shifting toward the SaaS model. Let’s take Twilio Voice as an example. Ten years ago such a service would have required an expensive PBX, a trunk connection to your local telephony provider, and not to mention that you would also need IVR software.

What makes Cloud Connector for Twilio unique?

Our Cloud Connector for Twilio adds a lot of value to our customers who want to build Twilio Voice applications or even Twilio SMS applications. Developers can quickly and easily develop Twilio Voice applications that can interact with other SaaS vendors such as Salesforce, NetSuite, Magento, etc.

As an example we built an application that sent Salesforce’s Chatter posts to the recipient’s mobile number. The application took just a little over 5 lines of XML. This showcases not only the power of Mule itself, but also the simplicity and power of Twilio’s API that allowed such applications to be effectively built.

The possibilities of our Cloud Connector for Twilio are endless – one could build an automated helpdesk, or how about integrating SurveyMonkey with Twilio for making survey calls?

How was the experience of integrating Twilio with your chosen tools and technologies?

A breeze. Twilio’s API is extremely simple to use and easy to understand. It follows the REST architecture very well so developing the connector took less than a week.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Emiliano! To learn more about MuleSoft and Twilio integration, make sure to read their blog posts about Cloud Connector for Twilio and integrating Salesforce’s upcoming Streaming APIs with Twilio. For those of you attending Dreamforce, be sure to check out MuleSoft’s CTO Ross Mason speak about “Getting Started with the Force.com Streaming API” on Wednesday, August 31 from 12:30-1:30pm.