Lightning Connect is a data virtualization feature in Salesforce that allows data to be accessed from external systems without being stored locally in Salesforce. It uses an OData protocol to create queryable and interoperable RESTful APIs in a simple way. Traditionally, integration required custom code and manual synchronization, but Lightning Connect enables point-and-click configuration and leverages complex synchronizations with no code. The presentation outlines when Lightning Connect can be used, its roadmap for new features, and provides examples of using it with Heroku Connect and external objects.