What is our primary use case?
We are using the Mule Anypoint Platform for multiple clients. One of our clients is the largest retail chain in the US and we are using the solution for integration with E-commerce and for the largest logistics and cloud company in the US for integrating their transport management system. Additionally, we have many manufacturing organizations, where we are integrating their legacy applications, SaaS-based application, SAP database, et cetera.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of the Mule Anypoint Platform are the Flex Gateway, API management, easy-to-use, and connectors. Additionally, they are coming out with improvements to the solution when required.
What needs improvement?
Mule Anypoint Platform could improve by having better integration with MDM. There are challenges when doing the interaction at this time.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the Mule Anypoint Platform for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability Mule Anypoint Platform is good. It is highly reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Mule Anypoint Platform is a scalable solution.
We have approximately 100 people using this solution in my company.
This solution is suitable for medium to large-sized companies.
How are customer service and support?
The support from the Mule Anypoint Platform is good. They have a dashboard where you can see all the APIs. In case of any issues, you can send them different alerts, but there is some improvement needed in error handling and log inquiries.
I rate the support from the Mule Anypoint Platform a four out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Dell Boomi. One of the main differences in features when comparing the Mule Anypoint Platform to other solutions is the availability of connectors.
Dell Boomi has a slight edge in MDM because it can easily connect. On the EPM side, they are much stronger, whereas, on the data integration side, the Mule Anypoint Platform is much stronger. If you are doing a complex integration, I would give higher marks to the Mule Anypoint Platform. However, if you are doing a medium-scale integration or a simple integration, then Dell Boomi has the edge.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of the Mule Anypoint Platform is straightforward. We have done the setup in the cloud and on-premise, and if you follow the steps that are recommended then it is easy.
I have not done deployment myself, but if you start from scratch on a blank server, it can take approximately two to three days for everything to be completed.
I rate the initial setup of the Mule Anypoint Platform a four out of five.
What about the implementation team?
Depending on the agreement that we have with the clients, we sometimes take care of the maintenance, and other times we jointly work with MuleSoft's professional services team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the Mule Anypoint Platform is totally different than Dell Boomi. The Mule Anypoint Platform works on the basis of the volume, whereas Dell Boomi charges on the basis of the connectors that you buy.
The price of the Mule Anypoint Platform works on the basis of volume. For example, there is an API, and based on how much data the API will process the price is calculated on the processing units required.
For our laptops or personal computers, we have RAM. Similarly, the Mule Anypoint Platform has vCores. The vCore size is calculated on the basis of the number of transactions that API has to process, such as 50,000, 500,000, or 1 million. Based on the transition size, they will tell you how many vCores are required. This could be any amount, such as 0.2, 10, or 50. We are then given a price, and along with that, there are many other factors, other than how many vCores are you purchasing. For example, there could be other additional solutions that need to be purchased and connectors that are not free.
You could need other licenses, such as ones for Salesforce, there are multiple factors that they don't share.
Mule Anypoint Platform pricing is slightly higher compared to Dell Boomi.
I rate the price of Mule Anypoint Platform a three out of five.
They do not share enough information regarding the full costs.
What other advice do I have?
There is cloud maintenance required for some customized setups based on the client's needs and their network.
My advice to others thinking about implementing this solution is the benefits of the solution depend on the architecture they have. The Mule Anypoint Platform is one of the best integration solutions and they come up with new updates which are required, whereas other solutions, do not have the latest updates. Dell Boomi has not come up with an update in the last year. Mule Anypoint Platform keeps on updating itself with newer versions every four to six months. They have a lot of free connectors. They have bundles so you don't have to buy different licenses. It's easy to use, very easy to configure, easy to install, easy to maintain, very stable, and secure.
I would recommend this solution to someone who is looking for API management and integration with one single license.
I rate Mule Anypoint Platform a nine out of ten
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner