SalesforcePulse #8: From Code to Community – Akshata Sawant on Dev Advocacy, AI, and Integrating What Matters
Akshata talks about her journey from coding to being an advocate, author, and speaker. Includes quick tips on scaling integrations, a hands-on practical workshop, AI checklist for builders, and more.
🌍 Ohana!!
Every architect’s journey is shaped by code, collaboration, and curiosity. This issue of SalesforcePulse spotlights one such journey – how Senior Salesforce advocate, author and speaker, Akshata Sawant, moved from developer to global advocate, bringing integration know-how, AI experimentation, and community passion along the way.
Alongside her story, you’ll find a hands-on MuleSoft–Salesforce exercise, a mini career guide for mid-level professionals, and a practical connector cheat sheet.
If you’ve been asking for more real-world stories and actionable tips, this issue delivers.
Akshata Sawant is a Senior Developer Advocate at Salesforce, based in London. A distinguished technical speaker, she was named Rising Star of the Year (UK) 2024 by Digital Revolution Awards. She has spoken at top conferences, including Dreamforce, London’s Calling, Salesforce TDX, Devoxx Belgium, DevOpsDays Geneva, and APIDays.
Akshata is a prolific author and writer, regularly publishing blogs and articles. She also conducts training sessions and workshops for the Salesforce community.
From Code to Community
Akshata began as a developer deeply rooted in the MuleSoft–Salesforce ecosystem, writing blogs, organizing meetups, and sharing lessons learned from her experiments. That passion eventually turned into a profession: “I’ve always been part of the MuleSoft-Salesforce community, contributing through blogs, meetups, and talks,” she says.
“Becoming a Developer Advocate from a Developer feels like getting paid for what I did purely out of love for the community.”
Today, her day-to-day involves creating workshops, speaking at global events, hosting livestreams, and exploring new tools – all while staying connected to the same community that helped her grow.
Integration Done Right: Building Integrations That Actually Work
Akshata recently crafted a workshop around Agentforce and MuleSoft, where she explored how MuleSoft’s Topic Center and API Catalog can streamline Salesforce connections. She didn’t just deliver the solution – she turned it into a public workshop so others could replicate it.
But as she sees it, integration challenges often don’t come from missing tools – they come from underused ones.
“Not making the most of MuleSoft’s capabilities is the biggest mistake I see,” she explains. “The API Manager has strong security features, from out-of-the-box policies to a Policy Development Kit and multiple gateways. Yet most teams aren’t aware, and they miss out.”
Her recipe for scaling mid-size orgs is deceptively simple:
📌 Identify end systems and data formats before designing APIs
📌 Take an API-first approach
📌 Apply security frameworks/guidelines from day one
📌 And leverage what MuleSoft already offers instead of reinventing the wheel
This kind of practical, detail-driven approach turns integration from a “plumbing exercise” into an architected solution – a perspective that’s essential as mid-size orgs mature into enterprise players.
💡 Quick Tips: Scaling Integrations
📌 Map your ecosystem first (no blind spots)
📌 Standardize on an API-first model
📌 Enforce policies early (and automate where possible)
📌 Build with adaptability – your system will evolve faster than you expect
Hands-on: Connect MuleSoft and Salesforce with Agentforce
Want to try Akshata’s approach yourself? She built a practical workshop that walks you through connecting Anypoint Platform to your Salesforce org, enabling Einstein and Agentforce, and setting up permissions so Salesforce can discover and invoke MuleSoft services.
AI in the Developer Workflow
Akshata doesn’t mince words on AI: “It’s not hype anymore – it’s here to stay, and companies are adopting AI tools and technologies.”
Her latest content has focused on Salesforce’s Agentforce, MuleSoft’s MCP, and the A2A framework, exploring how AI can boost developer efficiency. On a personal level, she uses tools like Cursor to prototype, debug, and accelerate building proofs of concept.
But her strongest caution is about security:
“I believe that Security will be more important than ever with the boom in AI. It’s crucial that Developers and Architects focus on the Data Security, Enterprise Security while integrating with different LLMs, bots, and agents. The tools and protocol are changing rapidly on an almost weekly basis, and hence it’s important to focus on the foundations and basics and not get overwhelmed.”
🧩 Akshata’s AI Checklist for Builders
📌 Prioritize data security
📌 Establish enterprise security rules before experimenting
📌 Audit your integrations weekly
📌 Use AI to accelerate – but don’t outsource fundamentals
🧠 Continuous Learning as a Career Habit
One phrase Akshata repeats often: “Continuous learning, unlearning, and re-learning.”
That mindset has carried her through every shift in tech. It also guided her journey into writing and speaking. Her first Packt book, MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers, grew out of a blog she wrote for fun. “It was never planned – one blog caught the publisher’s attention, and that’s how it started.” The book did well, and she recently published its second edition.
Her advice for others looking to step into publishing or thought leadership:
💡 Share what you’re already doing – through blogs, talks, POCs
💡 Add unique, practical insights that don’t exist elsewhere
💡 Use community platforms to test and refine your ideas
Writing for the Community
From her experience authoring two editions of MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers:
🎯 Add real-world use cases not found in docs
🎯 Share examples pulled from industry practice
🎯 Focus on practical, relevant resources
If you’ve been considering publishing or speaking, Akshata's story has a strong takeaway: opportunities often follow visibility.
🔁 Like what you read, so far? Take a moment and forward it to a colleague:
✨Mini-Guide: Transitioning from Executor to Architect
For mid-level Salesforce professionals aiming to level up
Many Salesforce professionals reach a point where they’re no longer satisfied with just “building what’s asked.” The next step is moving from execution to design – from being the implementer to being the person shaping the solution. Here’s a quick roadmap to help you chart that leap:
🧭 Step 1: Shift Your Mindset
Stop thinking only in terms of “tasks completed” and start asking “Why this solution?” The architect’s job is about intent, trade-offs, and future-proofing, not just delivering features.
🗂️ Step 2: Master Integration Thinking
It’s no longer about one org or one feature – it’s about how systems, APIs, and processes fit together. Think about data flows, dependencies, and security frameworks before a single line of code is written.
⚖️ Step 3: Learn the Language of Trade-offs
An architect’s most powerful tool isn’t code – it’s judgment. Document pros, cons, and risks of options, and practice explaining them in plain language to stakeholders.
👥 Step 4: Grow Beyond the Org Chart
Mentor juniors. Lead design sessions. Influence without authority. This is what builds your credibility as someone who shapes strategy, not just executes.
📚 Step 5: Keep Learning, Keep Unlearning
Architects are continuous learners. Stay close to evolving patterns like DevOps, AI integrations, and security. But also know when to let go of outdated habits that no longer serve scale.
✅ Try this exercise:
Next time you’re asked to implement a feature, step back. Write down:
✍️ Why is this being built?
✍️ What’s the simplest alternative?
✍️ What risks or scaling issues could this cause?
That’s the architect muscle in action.
Here’s a quick meme-break before you trot ahead 👇
📌 Draft: From the Desk Module
We’ll leave you with one final takeaway: a quick practical guide to help you hit the ground running with MuleSoft and Salesforce.
The quick guide is summarized from the book MuleSoft for Salesforce Developers (2nd Edition).
👉 For detailed steps with screenshots and more real-world guides, grab your copy now at an Exclusive discount of 15% off on Print and 40% off on eBook.
That’s a wrap for this issue of SalesforcePulse.
From dev to advocate, Akshata’s journey is proof that growth happens at the intersection of technical skill, community, and curiosity.
👉 What’s one learning habit that has shaped your own growth? Hit reply! We’d love to hear it.
Until next time, keep integrating with intent (and don’t forget to share what you learn along the way).
🙋 We’d Love Your Feedback
Help us shape future editions of Salesforce Pulse.
Share your thoughts by filling out this quick form
📣 Talk to the community
We’re looking for Salesforce professionals – architects, consultants, admins, devs – to contribute insights and experiences. You can:
🔹 Write a guest article or opinion piece
🔹 Share a case study or success story
🔹 Participate in an interview or expert Q&A
🔹 Provide technical tips or walkthroughs
🔹 Collaborate on a recurring column
Fill out this form and let us know
If you wish to connect with me, feel free to reply to this email or DM me on LinkedIn