Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

Bob Evans

Cloud Wars analyzes the major cloud vendors from the perspective of business customers. In Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans talks with both sides about these profoundly transformative technologies, and with monthly All-Star guests from across the business community about the trends impacting how the world lives, works, plays, and dreams. Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.

  1. 16h ago

    AI Is Rewriting the Systems Integrator Business Model | Tinder on Customers

    In this Cloud Wars conversation, Bob Evans sits down with Bonnie Tinder, Founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, to discuss how AI is reshaping the systems-integrator (SI) market. Their discussion explores how AI-powered migration agents, deployment assistants, and new implementation models are dramatically reducing project timelines, staffing requirements, and costs. Bonnie explains why traditional implementation approaches are giving way to leaner, expertise-driven engagements centered on outcomes rather than labor hours. Episode 60 | Outcomes Beat Implementations The Big Themes: AI Compresses Implementation Costs: Tinder notes that organizations often spend 10 to 11 times the cost of software licenses on implementation services. AI is beginning to challenge that model by automating some of the most labor-intensive aspects of projects, particularly data migration and system conversion work. Migration agents and deployment assistants can significantly reduce the need for large teams of junior consultants performing repetitive tasks. As implementation timelines shrink and staffing requirements decline, customers will increasingly expect lower costs and faster results. Vendors are also pushing for these efficiencies because lengthy implementations delay customer value realization. The result is mounting pressure across the SI industry to adopt AI-enabled delivery models that are leaner, faster, and more outcome-focused. Outcome-Based Thinking Is Accelerating: Throughout the discussion, Bob and Bonnie discuss the growing demand for measurable business outcomes. Customers are increasingly unwilling to tolerate expensive implementations that fail to deliver value. This pressure is encouraging software vendors and SI firms to move toward outcome-oriented engagements and pricing models. Instead of charging primarily for labor and project duration, firms must demonstrate tangible improvements in efficiency, productivity, or business performance. Boutique Firms May Gain an Advantage: Bonnie sees a major opportunity for boutique consulting firms in the AI Era. Historically, large global systems integrators benefited from scale, brand recognition, and access to specialized tools. AI is leveling parts of that playing field by making sophisticated capabilities more broadly available. Smaller firms can now compete using many of the same technologies while offering highly experienced teams and direct client engagement. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    31 min

  2. 18h ago

    How Microsoft's Latest Copilot Studio Enhancements Improve AI Agent Governance

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at Microsoft's latest moves to help organizations deploy and scale AI agents without sacrificing control. Highlights 00:10 — In the latest updates to Copilot Studio, Microsoft has introduced a series of improvements focusing on visibility and governance, allowing users to expand automation while maintaining control. Regarding visibility, the new analytics viewer role provides read-only access to an agent's analytics page. 00:36 — On top of this, Microsoft has expanded its agent usage estimator to include Dynamics 365 agents, enabling users to forecast Copilot credit consumption across both Copilot Studio and Dynamics 365 from one place. Microsoft already enables users to embed Copilot Studio agents into workflows using its agent node function. 01:16 — Other updates to workflows are designed to enable scaling without introducing governance risk. Workflows can connect to a larger toolkit, such as MCP server-enabled tools, to make it easier to take actions in systems, yet still within the Microsoft Security Framework. Users can also utilize agents built in Copilot Studio to bring interactive app experiences directly into Copilot Chat. 01:48 — This means they can review data, update records, approve requests, or create assets, all without having to switch tools. These are just some of the updates that Microsoft has been working on throughout April, and I really enjoy following the trajectory of these updates because they illustrate to me the current stage of our collective journey with AI. 02:11 — It's clear that agents are integrated into many systems, and now is the time to scale them securely. So, if you're still considering when and if to introduce AI-driven practices into your business, major directional changes like this should serve as a cautionary tale. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    3 min

  3. 1d ago

    AI Agent & Copilot Podcast: Georgia Tech Researcher Nandita Puri Explains the Future of AI-Generated Therapeutics

    In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Giuseppe Ianni, AI Practice Lead and industry thought leader, is joined by Nandita Puri, PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech and founder of Illumia.bio. Puri discusses how AI is transforming drug discovery by creating massive therapeutic libraries, connecting fragmented biomedical knowledge, and dramatically accelerating research timelines. Their conversation explores the convergence of AI, structural biology, and life sciences. Key Takeaways AI Expands the Search Space for New Therapeutics: Traditional drug discovery focuses on identifying a single drug for a single target, but Puri argues that diseases are complex biological systems requiring broader approaches. Her team is building an AI-generated library of more than 10 billion molecules across multiple therapeutic modalities. By treating drug discovery as a combinatorics problem, researchers can explore vastly larger therapeutic possibilities. Connecting Fragmented Scientific Knowledge Accelerates Discovery: One of the biggest bottlenecks in pharmaceutical research is the fragmented nature of scientific information. Researchers often spend years reviewing hundreds of papers before forming a hypothesis. Puri describes how her team is integrating 60 to 70 public databases into a connected knowledge platform that links diseases, genes, proteins, pathways, and drug candidates. As she notes, "When we type a disease, we know exactly the gene, we exactly know the protein." This consolidation dramatically reduces research time and enables scientists to make more informed decisions earlier in the discovery process. AI Creates New Opportunities for Rare Disease Research: Rare diseases have historically been underserved because of the high costs and long timelines associated with traditional drug development. Puri says that bringing a drug to market can require "$1 billion and about 10 years." By shortening research cycles from years to months, AI lowers the barriers to investigating diseases that pharmaceutical companies may have previously avoided. This acceleration enables smaller teams to pursue treatments for conditions affecting fewer patients while increasing the likelihood that promising therapies can move forward to validation and clinical testing. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    13 min

  4. 1d ago

    Google Cloud Strengthens #1 Ranking with 'AI Threat Defense'

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I examine how Google Cloud is using AI Threat Defense to help customers fight AI-powered cyberattacks. Highlights 00:03 — If you're going to be number one on the Cloud Wars Top 10, you've got to fight to keep that position and stay ahead of the incredible and highly capable competition across the Cloud Wars Top 10. Google Cloud, I believe, has taken yet another big step in ensuring that it remains the number one company on the Cloud Wars Top 10 by launching a new cybersecurity approach. 00:57 — The person leading that is Francis deSouza, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Google Cloud, but also president of its security products. In a blog post last week outlining what this new AI Threat Defense is all about, deSouza said it's time now that business customers be able to fight AI with AI, to defend against these very powerful incursions that the bad guys are going to be making using AI. 01:58 — So, there needs to be, among customers, a big shift in how they do things. It can't be, "Let's just do a little bit more of what we've always done." There's got to be a new approach, and Google Cloud believes it's got that now with this AI Threat Defense for Google Cloud. I believe this is the latest in an ongoing series of steps they've made around cybersecurity. 02:54 — About a year ago — or several months ago — the company announced its intention to acquire Wiz, with its end-to-end threat monitoring and awareness capabilities. That deal has now been completed, and the most recent step, I believe, is the launch of this new solution called Google AI Threat Defense. 03:56 — Now, I'm not trying to read more into that than needs to be said. Maybe Google Cloud AI Threat Defense seemed overly clunky, but I wonder if, in some ways, parent company Google is riding this high now. Google Cloud itself had a growth rate of 63%, up from 48% in the prior quarter, so the company is definitely on a run here. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    5 min

  5. 2d ago

    Salesforce Returns to Growth Focus as Agentforce Propels Q1

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I analyze how Marc Benioff is using Agentforce to drive larger deals, stronger customer spending, and new AI metrics. Highlights 00:02 — We see Salesforce is off to a good start here in its fiscal '27. For Q1 ended, let's see, April 30, it reported that overall revenue was up by 13% to $11.1 billion. I want to look into some of the big numbers within the Q1 presentation, and also the earnings call. It, I think, revealed just how heavily AI, and in particular Agentforce, have become the growth engines here inside Salesforce. 00:31 — Salesforce, after wandering for a few years trying to get its margins right to please institutional investors, is now riding the AI Revolution. So, I've got 10 numbers that I pulled out from that presentation and the earnings call. Agentforce was involved in, and Benioff said drove, almost half of the company's 100 largest Q1 deals. It had 98 that were $1 million or more. 01:15 — Agentforce was in about half of those. The most active AI users that Salesforce has, the ones doing what it calls agentic work units, detailing specific tasks that agents have completed, it said the most active AI users now have increased their spending with Salesforce by 1.5x from the previous year. So clearly customers are seeing the value in this now. 01:46 — Benioff said that over the years Salesforce has generated many, many millions of leads, more than its human salespeople could follow up on over that time. It put Agentforce on it, and autonomously it contacted 220,000 of these customers interested in Salesforce but who never got a call back, generating $42 million in pipeline from that. 02:45 — One other interesting point I'll note here is that Salesforce began to list Now tokens processed in the quarter, and it said it was 28.3 trillion tokens processed in Q1 through Salesforce as agents and applications. Now that's a number that it says it's going to be revealing every quarter here, and I think it's a great idea. It carries some risks. 03:13 — It's a great idea because it shows not just what people are spending on AI, but the work that is getting done in what they call these AWUs, or Agentic Work Units. Salesforce said that relative to Q1, the average work units undertaken by Salesforce customers was up 152%. That's sequential, quarter-to-quarter. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    4 min

  6. 5d ago

    Microsoft and EY Commit $1 Billion to Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how Microsoft and EY are combining engineering and consulting expertise to scale AI transformation. Highlights 00:10 — Microsoft and EY have announced a substantial enhancement to their existing partnership, committing to invest over a billion dollars over five years into a new initiative aimed at helping organizations to scale AI. 00:40 — So, what's the plan for it? Well, it will combine Microsoft's forward-deployed engineers, or FDEs, with the expertise of EY industry professionals to accelerate AI adoption. Their approach focuses on, and I quote, “change management delivery models powered by Microsoft's FDE AI-native hypervelocity engineering approach.” 01:05 — Now, this initiative will see teams of EY business consultants and Microsoft engineers co-develop AI solutions tailored to address clients' highest-value business opportunities. This collaboration is steering companies toward the goal of becoming frontier firms. It's a term coined by Microsoft that I've used many times, that's gaining traction across the industry. 01:29 — Frontier firms are organizations that integrate agentic AI with the human workforce at scale and continuously optimize AI initiatives while adapting their company culture to thrive in this new future. Now, an interesting aspect of this collaboration is that EY, already closely aligned with Microsoft in terms of partners, was in fact the client zero for the initiative. 01:56 — This means they [the EY team] have an insider's understanding of what works well, how to adapt to Microsoft products, and how to effectively share this knowledge with potential customers and clients. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    3 min

  7. 6d ago

    As Workday CEO Bhusri Touts 'AI-Native,' Q1 Comes In Strong

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down why Workday sees agentic AI as the key to defending its 80 million-user base. Highlights 00:02 — Workday co-founder Aneel Bhusri resumed his position as CEO. He wanted to help guide the company through the AI Revolution and help bring a solid knowledge of what's happening and how Workday as a company has to be able to innovate and create and get with the AI-native program as rapidly as possible. 00:45 — It's got to be able to move fast, and the margin for error is slight. The Q1 results, which came out last week, I think prove that Bhusri's got the company on the right track. Subscription revenue up 14.3%, almost $2.4 billion. Their total subscription revenue backlog was up 11% to over $27 billion. 01:23 — It's now got 80 million users under contract. Now, the good and the bad of that is those are 80 million users who are heavily dependent right now on yesterday's technology. So, the good thing for Workday is they've got these 80 million users, and Workday's got the first shot at converting them. 02:23 — Bhusri said, “In technology transitions — and I’m old enough to have lived through a few of them — you have to put that new technology front and center. It’s got to be your absolute top priority in everything you do.” 03:38 — Bhusri said customers seem to want to have both open technology and the ability to use agents from lots of vendors, but they've also got to ensure that they've got the proper guardrails for compliance and legal compliance, and ensuring the privacy and safety of their customers. He also said it's really important for Workday to reinstitute and reinvigorate a startup mentality. 04:48 — So, Aneel Bhusri is one of the good guys in the tech industry. He's been around a long time. His return here, I called him back in February “the reluctant CEO,” because he was eager a few years ago to get out of the CEO role, but he knows now that with what's going on in the market and this vast change of technology brought forth by AI, he needed to be CEO. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    5 min

  8. May 27

    Workday’s AI Reinvention Signals a New Enterprise Software Era | Tinder on Customers

    Bonnie Tinder is the founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, an independent B2B peer review site that amplifies the voice of the customer. She focuses on software customers, consulting partners, and software vendors and helps identify the best partners for their needs. In this episode, she and Bob Evans speak about Workday’s accelerating AI transformation following its Innovation Summit. Bonnie offers a practitioner’s perspective on how Workday is rethinking enterprise software around agentic AI, faster deployments, embedded governance, and a startup-like culture shift under returning leadership. Episode 59 | Workday’s AI Reset The Big Themes: Workday’s Startup Reboot: Bonnie Tinder’s biggest observation was that Workday appears to be entering a new operational chapter defined by urgency, sharper execution, and a startup mindset. Rather than behaving like an incumbent defending market share, Workday seems to be restructuring around focused AI ownership and entrepreneurial velocity. Bonnie connected this directly to Aneel Bhusri's leadership style, comparing it to Steve Jobs returning to simplify Apple’s priorities. No One Wants DIY Enterprise AI: A major theme was the rejection of the “build it yourself” narrative for enterprise core systems. Bonnie and Bob both strongly challenged the idea that enterprises will vibe-code their own payroll, financials, or HCM systems. The reason is simple: risk. Enterprise systems are compliance-heavy, operationally critical, and intolerant of failure. Bonnie’s “you can’t get payroll 90% correct” line perfectly captured the reality. CEO Leadership Is Non-Negotiable: AI transformation must be CEO-led. Bottom-up experimentation alone is unlikely to produce meaningful enterprise change. AI affects operating models, workflows, investment priorities, talent strategy, governance, and competitive differentiation. That requires executive sponsorship and strategic ownership. Bob argued that companies cannot approach AI using 2023 or 2024 decision frameworks. Instead, leadership teams must rethink vendor evaluation, operational transformation, and business outcome measurement. Bonnie reinforced that major transformation initiatives succeed when leadership drives adoption from the top. The Big Quote: “The real AI gold rush isn't in the models, it's really that unglamorous work of moving 30-year-old legacy systems to a point where agents can actually do something with the data.” More from Bonnie Tinder: Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    24 min
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4.7
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Cloud Wars analyzes the major cloud vendors from the perspective of business customers. In Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans talks with both sides about these profoundly transformative technologies, and with monthly All-Star guests from across the business community about the trends impacting how the world lives, works, plays, and dreams. Visit https://cloudwars.com for more.

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