The news: Salesforce is looking to acquire enterprise cloud data management company Informatica for $8 billion, its biggest deal since its $28 billion acquisition of Slack in 2021. 

Expected to close by Q4, pending shareholder and regulatory approval, the deal will be funded through cash and debt. Salesforce is expected to merge Informatica’s data catalog, governance, and privacy tools with its Agentforce AI platform, per CNBC.

Informatica will enhance Salesforce’s ability to address gaps in data quality and compliance and improve the way businesses use AI data governance for customer engagement. 

Big Tech’s acquisition spree returns: Salesforce’s latest buy indicates renewed confidence in enterprise growth and AI-driven adoption. We’re seeing Big Tech companies acquire security and compliance players to bolster their AI expansion.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said Informatica will boost Data Cloud, MuleSoft, and Tableau to power smarter, safer autonomous agents for enterprise use.

Here’s what Salesforce could gain:

• An advantage in the AI arms race. Salesforce is buying specialized firms (e.g., data governance, cloud infrastructure) to round out their product offerings and dominate AI ecosystems.
• Enhanced enterprise data transparency. As privacy laws tighten, Informatica’s compliance tools give enterprises clearer audit trails and policy controls.
• Scalable automation. Salesforce’s Agentforce AI, powered by Informatica, will deliver faster, autonomous decision-making for campaigns and customer journeys.

Our take: Salesforce’s latest deal is betting that AI-driven marketing will rely less on flashy new models and more on clean, compliant data. By adding Informatica’s guardrails it can align its brand with trusted data infrastructure, enabling smarter automation and deeper enterprise adoption.

The software company is fortifying its foundation, challenging competitors to bolster their cloud data and compliance. With better visibility into how data moves and is transformed, businesses can trust automated decisions—like campaign triggers, content delivery, or customer journey steps—without constant human oversight.

This content is part of EMARKETER’s subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what’s happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.