Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

closely with the U.K. government, which feels it's got a lot of "ball-and-chain technology" hampering the ability of its employees but also governments themselves to move into the future and deliver greater service to their constituents. It is looking to cut expenses via modern technology by up to $50 billion, and it's enlisted Google Cloud's help to do that.01:25 — At the Imperial War Museum, it's undertaken a project to use AI and cloud technologies to preserve 20,000 hours of oral conversations with 8,000 different individuals who took part in various conflicts from World War II up to the present time.02:16 — The Imperial War Museum's Head of Transformation said: if we were doing this manually, it would take 22 years. He said, with the solution that Google Cloud and Capgemini are proposing, it should take about one month.03:00 — The third customer there is Morrisons supermarkets. So, a new offering from Morrisons that they built with Google Cloud, called "Product Finder"—pretty simple concept—but it helps customers find and get to the products they want and need in stores or online almost instantly.04:06 — But I think each touches on this notion that you could say these address efficiency and productivity issues. But they also, by doing so with modern technology, connect directly to new opportunities—right? You want to excite and delight these customers, so they want to come back. They know they had a good experience. They're going to come back. Spend more. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore Amazon’s massive new AI infrastructure project, Project Rainier, built for Anthropic and the largest-ever deployment of Trainium2 chips by Annapurna Labs.Highlights00:03 — AWS is building a colossal supercomputing cluster for Anthropic, a company that has received a total of $8 billion in backing from Amazon. Project Rainier is spread across multiple U.S. sites and uses hundreds of thousands of Annapurna Labs Trainium2 accelerators, and is set to launch later this year. One site alone, in Indiana, will feature 30 200,000-square-foot data centers.00:36 — Gadi Hutt, Director of Product and Customer Engineering at Annapurna Labs, said the following: "This is the first time we're building such a large-scale training cluster that will allow a customer — in this case, Anthropic — to train a single model across all of that infrastructure."01:26 — Now it's in direct competition with OpenAI, the only other company with comparable compute and training capabilities. This marks a major milestone in the escalating AI arms race, and by proxy, could be a big win for Amazon. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I analyze the recent Microsoft layoffs.Highlights00:14 — It's an ugly part of the free-market capitalism world, but what is inevitable in some ways — is layoffs. In the first six months of this year, Microsoft has laid off 15,000 people. I think we need to look at this as part of the new normal. It's an unfortunate consequence of the AI revolution and the incredible benefits and growth that it’s going to drive.01:08 — I think we've seen a lot of people say, “Oh, here it comes, AI is displacing people.” These big companies are going to try to cut costs. They’re trying to reduce expenses. I think here, the focus isn’t on cutting costs, saving money, and dumping people, but rather on: Can we be prepared as quickly as possible for a very, very different future?02:12 — And that’s what this AI revolution is going to bring. I think Nadella is trying very hard here to ensure that they’ve got their entire workforce aligned on growth opportunities for the future and all the changes that the AI revolution is going to bring to Microsoft’s customers, rather than, you know, piddling around with, “How do we save a couple bucks here and there?”03:03 — Every process is ultimately going to be affected by this. It’s going to change how companies think, how they work, how they operate, what their processes are, how they grow, how they make money. Any company that wants to stay in business is going to realign its workforce to match up with those new opportunities. That’s what I believe Microsoft is doing.04:27 — I think we’re going to see that across every industry, every region of the world. One of the outcomes is that we’ll see some people moved around to new opportunities inside companies, but we’re also going to see some people let go because they either don’t have the backgrounds, the mindset, or whatever it might be, to match up with what their businesses need. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I take a look at what the Oracle-AWS collaboration means for the future of multi-cloud innovation and customer value.Highlights00:22 — I think we can say now there’s romance in the cloud. Oracle and AWS are doing things in a collaborative way that they've never done before. The customers are swooning over this cloud romance. This is all built around the Oracle Database@AWS, part of a multi-cloud deal.01:09 — This inclusion now, in addition to the heavy competition, also some collaborative effort is really a big benefit to customers. Just a few of the outcomes for customers of this relationship: they get more choice, they’re able to move on things more quickly, the security is better. They gain greater simplicity in how they do things.02:25 — So the final piece about this is: What are we going to see here? Is this going to lead to a softer, gentler range of competition in the Cloud Wars? Are AWS and Oracle going to be like the lion and the lamb and lie down together and be best friends forever? I don't think so. But what they need to be able to do here is continue to find ways to work together where it's appropriate.03:36 — So, I wish Oracle and AWS all the best. I hope they’re able to balance this new love affair with also a sense that they’re going to continue to brawl frequently and vigorously. That’s good for everybody: them, their customers, and the people who benefit from what those customers do. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how ServiceNow and Nicus Software are teaming up to deliver a financial intelligence layer that helps enterprises optimize their cloud, AI, and IT spending by unifying data across finance, IT, and business units.Highlights00:08 — ServiceNow is working with a partner, Nicus, to deliver a financial intelligence layer for enterprise tech. Interesting angle here: It's trying not just to consolidate the numbers, but to go beyond that. It involves multiple parts of the organization working in concert to really get not only the best data but also the ability to act on it.00:34 — Tom Smith had a conversation with Ron Wastal, the Chief Ecosystem and Partner Officer at Nycus. Wastal described how this works for companies. It's in the category of Technology Business Management, but goes beyond that. Nicus is trying to bring financial teams, IT teams, engineering, and lines of business together to share this intelligence and collaborate.01:22 — Again, this isn’t just about saying, “Hey, here’s how much is going on.” It’s about answering: Where is it happening? Why is it happening? How is it contributing or not contributing to business outcomes? That way, they can optimize the substantial dollars being poured into cloud and AI spending. These optimizations can really add up.02:11 — Why ServiceNow in particular? Why did Nicus want to work with them? Ron explained that the IT data for many big companies lives in ServiceNow databases. That’s where they can find out what’s really going on. Tapping into those massive data stores allows them to have a huge impact.02:38 — What Nicus does is put a financial intelligence layer on top of that IT data to enable a cycle of understanding, tracking, and optimizing IT spend. It's also leveraging ServiceNow’s unique workflows and cutting-edge AI capabilities to take action on these insights. That’s the difference Nycus sees in what it does versus others.03:13 — Nicus has developed two specific applications—one for costing and one for planning. These apps are used across the platform to deliver a comprehensive picture of what’s going on. This is another example of how ServiceNow is working with world-class partners and ISVs to deliver great business outcomes for customers.This episode is sponsored by ServiceNow. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at the ongoing relevance and success of so-called "legacy" organizations in the Cloud Wars Top 10.Highlights00:16 — Now interesting to see across the 10 companies in the Cloud Wars Top 10, we've got four that would fall under the sort of goofy legacy title. They've been around about half a century or more. And then we've got six companies that we referred to as cloud native. Interesting to see that right now the Cloud and AI revolution is fully underway.00:49 — Because if you take the valuations of those four companies, Microsoft plus Oracle plus SAP plus IBM, it comes to a little over $5 trillion, which is almost exactly the same as the combined valuations of the six cloud native companies. My point is not just to play some goofy arithmetic game, but rather to say that there is a lesson here about the power of incumbency, right? 01:20 — If you've been in a market for a certain amount of time, something new comes along. You can try to ignore the new thing and say "No, no, we'll just power through this on our own." Or you can say, "Let me take the capabilities I currently have as an incumbent ... and then blend that in with his cool new stuff here." 02:11 — I mentioned the four legacy, so-called legacy tech vendors, Microsoft is say 52, no 50 years old this year, $3.71 trillion market cap. Oracle is about 47-years-old this year, $667 billion, SAP is 53-years-old, $370 billion, and IBM 114-years-young, and combined those four add up to $5.02 trillion. 03:14 — I'm not taking away anything from either side, but this is a remarkable example of how it's not just the bright shiny objects that are going to determine who's going to win or lose or start up with the cool new stuff. 04:10 — It also shows us that the mindset of companies is so important these days. We can't say, "Well, I can't make it. I am caught in the old world." But instead, "How do I take the new things that are happening, weave that into what I h Visit Cloud Wars for more.

In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I take a look at how SAP is advancing its sustainability agenda by becoming its own test subject.Highlights00:03 — SAP has announced that it's utilizing its own sustainability software to further the company's sustainability goals by acting as the ultimate test subject. Its pushing the boundaries of its sustainability offerings while also addressing common customer challenges such as mass data management, compliance, and analysis.01:05 — Solutions include tools like SAP Sustainability Control Tower, SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, and SAP Green Ledger. The company has been using these tools since 2022. From the beginning, SAP recognized that its team needed to consistently collect emissions data, ensure dedicated governance, and build on the carbon data capture element of the project.01:37 — There's much to admire about this process. First, there is the trust and confidence element. SAP demonstrates utmost trust in its products and confidence in its ability to address specific customer needs. Additionally, this strategy provides an incredible opportunity to show customers how best to utilize the tools it supplies. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

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 insights from a recent Salesforce event, exploring how AI agents, data clouds, and robotics are reshaping customer experience, software implementation, and enterprise transformation.Episode 52 | AI Agents in ActionThe Big Themes:Campaigns Are Out, Conversations Are In: Marketing is undergoing a radical transformation. Gone are the days of mass email blasts and no-reply addresses. Instead, AI is ushering in a new era of real-time, personalized engagement. Salesforce is leaning into this shift with tools that replace one-way campaigns with dynamic conversations. AI agents now tailor interactions based on behavior, preferences, and real-time context, fostering true customer intimacy at scale.Unified Data Is the Bedrock of Smart AI: No AI strategy can succeed without clean, connected data. Salesforce’s Data Cloud addresses what SAP calls the “swivel chair problem” — when teams toggle between disconnected systems to piece together a customer story. AI agents can’t operate effectively if data is fragmented or siloed. That’s why Salesforce is investing in tools that unify sales, marketing, support, and financial data, giving AI a full-picture view of the customer journey.AI Agents Are Already Delivering Real Results: AI isn’t theoretical anymore — it’s working in the wild. Bonnie pointed out two standout cases: University of Chicago Medicine and Ford Pro. In healthcare, Agentforce transformed an outdated, frustrating appointment system into a streamlined digital process, improving both efficiency and patient experience. At Ford, AI agents guide customers to ideal vehicle matches with minimal input, keeping users on-site and increasing conversion.The Big Quote: “I think that buyers are looking more at the execution and fit of software, as opposed to the software brand itself. And I would say that that is a shift in the last year or so, especially now with the advent of AI and just the rapid pace that everything is moving so, less on brand, more about how are you going to offer me the complete solution and break down silos of data?” More from Bonnie Tinder:Connect with Bonnie on LinkedIn or send a message via her Acceleration Economy Analyst page. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

Ajay Patel is the General Manager of Apptio and IBM IT automation. He and Kieron Allen sat down to talk about how enterprises are transitioning from AI experimentation to real business impact. They explored key challenges like cost transparency, governance, and data readiness, as well as the rise of agentic AI to automate workflows at scale. Ajay also introduced Apptio’s new AI TCO and Usage tool, designed to help CIOs and CFOs measure and optimize AI investments.Smart Spending on AI The Big Themes:Enterprises Are Moving Beyond AI Experiments to Strategic Deployment: The era of AI experimentation is over. Enterprises are now actively deploying AI, particularly in sales, service operations, and software development. However, those achieving meaningful impact are taking a strategic approach, rather than letting teams experiment in silos. The C-suite increasingly sees AI as critical, but that value perception isn’t always shared by the wider workforce.AI and IT Budgets: AI now consumes more than 20% of IT budgets, yet overall tech spending is only increasing 4–5%. This creates a 10–15% gap, leading companies to “forward fund” AI initiatives by reallocating from other areas. A key challenge: there’s no standardized pricing for AI. To address this, IBM's Apptio launched the AI TCO and Usage solution. It helps CIOs and CFOs baseline current AI investments, measure unit economics, and identify areas to optimize or expand.Agentic AI, the Next Frontier: Agentic AI is key to scaling beyond isolated use cases. It enables automation at scale and connects AI investment to tangible business outcomes. From cost savings in infrastructure to better visibility in FinOps to boosting customer experience, the ROI is clear when deployed correctly. But none of this happens without data readiness, governance, and strategic clarity.The Big Quote: "AI TCO solution fundamentally starts by giving CIOs [and] CFOs in the business a complete view of where the tech spending and AI spending is, and what stage is that? Is it in a pilot phase? Is it for training models?"Learn more:Connect with Ajay Patel on LinkedIn and learn more about Apptio. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

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 dive into Slack’s bold move to restrict API access to bulk data exports, effectively blocking the use of its platform data for LLM training and signaling a strategic pivot toward proprietary AI control and heightened data security Highlights00:03 — Salesforce has changed the API Terms of Service for Slack, which will stop companies from using LLMs to ingest data from the platform. Ultimately, the new policy prohibits the bulk export of Slack data via the API and confirms that data access through Slack APIs cannot be used for LLM training.00:21 — From now on, companies will have to use Slack’s new real-time search API. In a blog post by the Slack developer team, the company states that this new API eliminates the need for large data exports from Slack, keeping customer data secure while maintaining support for key use cases like permission-based search.00:56 — Now, while Salesforce and Slack say the focus is on security, there is another angle being discussed, that this move encourages a shift towards proprietary technologies. It’s difficult to pinpoint this trend. On one hand, we see a push for interoperability across the industry, while on the other, Slack’s announcement on the real-time research API coincided with support for the Model Context Protocol.01:25 — Data is still the currency that drives AI and sharing it recklessly with any LLM that requires access can be counterproductive from a business standpoint. Companies like Salesforce don’t want to be liable for data used by third-party applications, and none of the major tech companies want to stifle innovation with overly restrictive policies. Visit Cloud Wars for more.