Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

Bob Evans
  • 4.7 (17)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED DAILY

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. 1D AGO

    Agentic AI Evolves: Microsoft Introduces Copilot Studio for All Users

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down how Microsoft is redefining the agentic AI landscape with Copilot Studio Lite and Full Experience, offering tailored tools for both low-code creators and enterprise-grade developers. Highlights 00:03 — Microsoft has announced the launch of Copilot Studio Lite and Copilot Studio Full Experience, two versions of Copilot that, in the words of Principal Solution Architect Rémi Dyon, "empower everyone from information workers to developers to build intelligent agents tailored to their needs." 00:23 — Microsoft Copilot Studio is a low-code platform that enables users to build and customize AI agents to operate across Microsoft 365 and LOB (line-of-business) systems. Now, Copilot Studio provides two ways to operate: a Lite experience (formerly Agent Builder), which is integrated directly into the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, or a Full Experience, as a standalone web portal. 01:17 — When choosing which option is right for you, Microsoft suggests acknowledging four key criteria: audience, deployment, scope, functionality, and governance needs. Dyon describes the changes as a "clarity upgrade," which is significant. 01:34 — The AI Wars have evolved into the Agentic AI Wars. One defining trend is the emphasis on clarity. This clarity applies to how tools are operated, the range of users who can access them, and marketing strategies. A simple name change like this may not seem like a huge leap, but Microsoft is defining a category focused on agent development rather than just agent deployment. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    3 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Larry Ellison Maps Out Oracle's Trillion Dollar AI Plans

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I break down how Oracle’s $455 billion RPO surge is being driven by Larry Ellison’s bold vision to lead not just in AI training — but in the even larger market of AI inferencing. Highlights 00:46 — First, Ellison talked about AI training. Then, he discussed AI inferencing, which will be much, much bigger than AI training. Ellison said that AI inferencing will be used for everything — from robotic cars, robotic factories, and robotic greenhouses, to biomolecular synthesis to come up with new drugs. 01:20 — He said, “We think Oracle is particularly well-positioned to go after this because of Oracle's history.” He said AI inferencing is the key, and Oracle is going to succeed because it's going to be able to provide data of multiple types for businesses that they can then use with these AI-trained models to be able to answer any sort of questions. 02:33 — So Ellison thinks, therefore, business customers using Oracle Database and Oracle AI, Oracle inferencing, will be able to get any question answered they want, and that will also help them develop the AI agents that Oracle goes deeply into. Ellison and Oracle are redefining the whole nature of what data means, what AI means, what's possible. 03:42 — CEO Safra Catz said she thinks that it won't be long before Oracle has RPOs above half a trillion dollars. So they're doing some remarkable things. Larry Ellison has always been a master of the long game. We're really seeing this play out here, and it's, I think, very interesting to see how he perceives these two multi-trillion dollar markets 04:15 — The Oracle way is to go after them both, AI training and AI inferencing. No doubt there'll be lots of competitors. It's going to be a great market — great opportunities for businesses. And as we always say, the biggest winners in the Cloud Wars are always, always the customers. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    5 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Oracle Q1 Stunner: RPO Explodes By 359% to $455 Billion; World's Hottest Hyperscaler!!!

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss Oracle's amazing Q1 results. Highlights 00:17 — Oracle yesterday released its fiscal Q1 results for the quarter ended August 31. And while its revenue figures for those three months were nice, the killer here was its RPO: remaining performance obligation. Oracle reported remaining performance obligation up 359% to $455 billion. 01:24 — Microsoft's cloud revenue is almost seven times bigger than Oracle's. Who's winning the most business out into the future? Several weeks ago, Microsoft reported its RPO was up 37% to an astonishing $368 billion, the biggest RPO number I had ever seen. Several weeks later, we see Oracle blow that away. It's got an RPO nest egg out there that is 25% bigger than Microsoft's. 02:35 — Now, Oracle CEO Safra Catz, in perhaps the understatement of the year, said, "Oracle is off to a brilliant start in FY26." My point there is, I've just never seen anything like this. Astonishing. And we can point to the OpenAI deal that's due to start in a few years, where OpenAI has contracted with Oracle to pay Oracle $30 billion a year for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. 03:09 — Catz referenced a number of gigantic contracts that Oracle has signed, and they'll be talking about more soon. Catz did take the unusual step of projecting future revenue for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure — OCI — and its growth over the next five years, including the current year we're in. And I want to emphasize: These numbers don't include Oracle's cloud applications business. 03:50 — So, for this year — FY26, ending May 31, 2026 — OCI revenue will grow 77% to $18 billion. Then next year, up 44% to $32 billion. Then it's going to take a spectacular leap — up 128% to $73 billion. I believe that's when the OpenAI revenue starts to kick in. Then 56% to $114 billion for fiscal '29. Fiscal '30, up 26% to $144 billion. Again, I've never seen any numbers like this. 05:06 — It's a very different approach Oracle has taken. These numbers show just an astonishing future for Oracle, and I think it's fair to say too that these results from Oracle — and the indication of its future success — have definitely, completely rattled — turned upside down — the balance of power in the Cloud Wars. Oracle is the hottest hyperscaler in the world now, by far and often. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    6 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Benioff Gets Biblical on Death of SaaS, Separate Wheat/Chaff

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I dive into the growing debate between SaaS and agentic AI, sparked by Satya Nadella’s December 2024 remarks suggesting that AI agents could spell the end of SaaS.Highlights 00:32 — We've all been hearing a lot about SaaS dying — the demise of SaaS — triggered by AI, an opinion expressed in December of 2024 by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who said that the rise of AI and agents is going to lead to the collapse of SaaS, the hollowing out of it, to become little more than a third-tier support product. 01:18 — Well, Marc Benioff said basically that this view, it’s just so much nonsense. And Benioff even went biblical. He said, we've got to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, and we need to be able to determine what's going on here with SaaS, what's going on with AI, and what's going on with agentic AI. How are they going to play together, along with Data Cloud and so on? 02:26 — And he said, that's very much not the right question. He used some pretty tough language in explaining this. He said we've got thousands of customers who are very happily using Salesforce applications along with our Agentforce platform, to drive better business results. It's very beneficial to believe both in the future of SaaS and the future of agentic AI. 04:02 — And on the earnings call, he went into detail about how many customers now are investing heavily in Agentforce. And the number of new business deals coming in — or repeat business — on agentic AI and Agentforce coming from existing customers. The Data Cloud that underpins this and Agentforce, he said, are now on a $1.2 billion run rate. 04:32 — I wish that there would be a point at which Satya Nadella could say, with the experience of nine months now of feedback in the market and from people he's talked to: “Hey, I'm going to double down on what I said in December 2024.” Or he could say, “You know what, maybe I was a little too aggressive on that.” I'd love to hear that. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    6 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Salesforce vs. ServiceNow: Agentic AI Triggers New Competition

    In today's Cloud Wars Minute, ServiceNow’s push into CRM meets Salesforce’s expansion into ITSM (IT Service Management), powered by agentic AI. Highlights 00:14 — While I'm focusing here on Salesforce and ServiceNow, and some changes each is making to get into markets dominated by the other, the larger point here is about how agentic AI is triggering new competition and new approaches. Today, I'm going to share about five repercussions with you. 01:15 — On Salesforce's Q2 earnings call, Marc Benioff said, “Hey, we're going to get into IT Service Management.” Salesforce is changing from being an apps company to a data company. It just so happens that ServiceNow and CEO Bill McDermott have been making it very plain that they intend to move aggressively into the CRM business, which has been Salesforce’s prime area. 02:34 — So, I'm going to mention big implications. One, these companies are looking for new hunting grounds — new areas to help customers do more and to allow these vendors to make more money. Agentic AI is also blasting out boundaries, because agentic AI, I think, optimally works on an end-to-end basis. 03:36 — Benioff, on the earnings call, said Data Cloud and agentic AI — Agentforce — are "at the heart of our company strategy", not their applications. Which leads into this: I don't think, as Satya Nadella said, “apps are dying,” or “SaaS is dying,” but I do think that agentic AI is going to change profoundly what apps do, how they work, and how customers can extract value from them. 04:44 — We are seeing agentic AI knock down a lot of boundaries. You're going to have more wide-ranging tools that let [customers] see all of their data, be able to develop end-to-end processes that are more effective, more successful, and give them better insights — and, mostly, better business outcomes. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    6 min

  6. SEP 5

    Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman Warns Against the Illusion of Conscious AI: “Build AI for People, Not to Be a Person”

    Highlights 00:03 — Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman has published a blog post that criticizes the notion of seemingly conscious AI. He argues that the pursuit of this idea, particularly regarding AI model welfare, is misguided. 00:19 — Suleyman explains that these concepts are already causing mental health issues among users. He is growing: “more and more concerned about what is becoming known as the psychosis risk and a bunch of related issues. I don’t think this will be limited to those who are already at risk of mental health issues.” 00:56 — Suleyman argues that we should “build AI for people not to be a person.” He is adamant in his neglect of this previous approach, saying that: “The arrival of seemingly conscious AI is inevitable and unwelcome. Instead, we need a vision for AI that can fulfill its potential as a helpful companion without falling prey to its illusions.” AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details.   01:18 — Meanwhile, companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind are actively pursuing AI consciousness or welfare research. Now, while there are complications and not everyone is on the same page, here, it is clear that the evolving scenarios and possibilities presented by AI are increasingly reaching into the realm of the surreal and in some cases, they’re fantastical. 01:42 — This is largely because, for the first time in human history, we have a tool that is evolving at a pace beyond which we can conceive. While some of these ideas may sound far-fetched, the warnings accompanying them are serious based on real concerns coming from leaders in the AI space, the ones leading this new AI revolution. 02:04 — What everyone must do, and though it will be challenging, is to start imagining the unimaginable. Once you accept the vast possibilities of AI, both good and bad, you can begin to take the warnings that come with them seriously. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    3 min

  7. SEP 4

    Google Achieves 33x Energy Cut for Gemini Apps

    Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud. In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I spotlight Google’s stunning 33x reduction in AI power consumption, what it means for the future of sustainable tech, and how bold innovation is driving the AI revolution forward.   Highlights 00:23 — Google says it has achieved a 33x reduction in power consumption for Gemini apps’ text prompts. A remarkable number. Google, rather than just saying, “Well, hey, we’re going to go invest all our money in getting as many users as we can, and we’ll deal down the road with some of the energy implications,” have said, “No—now is the time to do it.” 01:37 — Now it’s got a larger metric here that it uses for the total—what it calls carbon footprint—down by 44x. All of the details behind this have been released in a blog post by a couple of executives. 02:31 — Google has adopted a completely end-to-end approach to doing this, where it’s taking a look at all of the different technology up and down its stack that could have an input on this. And the data it’s collecting is going to give them a fantastic foundation to continue this effort into the future.The AI Revolution, we can safely say now, is not going to boil the Earth. AI Agent & Copilot Summit is an AI-first event to define opportunities, impact, and outcomes with Microsoft Copilot and agents. Building on its 2025 success, the 2026 event takes place March 17-19 in San Diego. Get more details.   03:42 — Several years ago, Google Cloud was number nine on the Cloud Wars Top 10. I’m not sure at the time why it was not number ten, but it had fantastic technology, but could not fully put that in the service of their customers. It was sort of like a mismatch. It’s harnessed it over the last several years, under Thomas Kurian, to be fully in service of what customers want and need. 04:44 — These breakthroughs by Google and Google Cloud, across the board (again, the details of this in the article coming up later today) show that there’s incredible potential to keep doing this. And I think it’s this power of innovation that says: Don’t be afraid of big ideas. Go after them. Dig into it. Try new approaches to it. There are better ways forward. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    5 min

  8. SEP 3

    Lessons from 1,000+ Reviews on Software Implementation Success

    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, Bonnie shares seven hard-earned lessons from over 1,000 customer reviews, covering everything from data migration and partner selection to change management, over-customization, and planning beyond go-live. Episode 54 | Avoiding Project Pitfalls The Big Themes: Choose Your Partner Strategically, Not Cheaply: Raven Intelligence data reveals customers who chose systems integrators (SIs) based on price often ended up spending weeks onboarding the partner—because they lacked industry expertise. Others defaulted to familiar names or existing vendor relationships without assessing fit. A well-matched SI should offer deep, relevant experience—not just a good rate.Over-Customization Leads to Long-Term Pain: One of the most common regrets customers share with Raven Intelligence is excessive customization. While it’s tempting to rebuild old workflows in new systems for comfort or continuity, Bonnie Tinder warns this strategy almost always backfires. One company customized so heavily that their upgrade a year later cost nearly as much as the original implementation.Clarity on Requirements Prevents Costly Detours: Poorly defined requirements derail even well-staffed projects. A client lost three months mid-project because two departments had opposing expectations for payroll reporting. Before implementation, all stakeholders—from executives to end-users—must agree on goals, deliverables, and boundaries.The Big Quote: “Vendors and SIs are really good at presenting the highlights reel during the sales process. What customers really need to be successful is the actual game footage." Visit Cloud Wars for more.

    29 min
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4.7
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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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