Cloud Wars Live with Bob Evans

Cloud ERP and Generative AIThe Big Themes:Generative AI in cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP): Russell discusses how SAP is responding to evolving customer demands by prioritizing integrating generative AI technologies into its cloud ERP offerings. This proactive stance not only aligns with market trends but also underscores SAP's commitment to innovation and customer-centricity.Anticipation for Sapphire: The anticipation surrounding SAP's forthcoming Sapphire event is palpable. Attendees are eager to gain valuable insights, learn from real-world success stories, and engage in meaningful networking opportunities. This anticipation underscores the pivotal role of Sapphire as a premier platform for SAP to showcase its latest innovations, share thought leadership, and foster collaboration within its vibrant ecosystem.Executive leadership Involvement: Executive leaders such as CEOs and CFOS are broadening their involvement in strategic technology decisions, transcending traditional IT boundaries. This expanding engagement encompasses leveraging AI to drive value and results, not solely focused on efficiency and cost optimization but also broader organizational goals.The Big Quote: “[Customers] were doing proof of concepts, they were testing how [GenAI] could potentially solve business problems. They've moved beyond that. Now they're looking for solutions. They're looking for outcomes. They understand the power of the technology, but it needs to be matched with real benefits, real value, real outcomes."

The Big ThemesCustomer priorities: Josyula identifies top priorities for ServiceNow customers, including business transformation driven by technology, a focus on GenAI and AI more broadly, and vendor consolidation (choosing a few strategic platforms and going all in). With customer priorities in mind, ServiceNow is on a journey to becoming the AI platform for end-to-end transformation, developing GenAI products and services to improve both the employee and customer experience.Understanding non-tech executive priorities: Having a relationship CIOs and CTOs can be helpful because they often play a part in driving business transformation that's driven by technology. It's helpful for non-tech execs to see the benefits of ServiceNow within their own functions. Partners also contribute to fostering conversations about successful outcomes, serving as great reference points demonstrating value.What to expect at Knowledge24: Attendees can expect to hear more about how ServiceNow is rapidly innovating in AI and GenAI in its platform and across several solutions areas as well as how ServiceNow is focusing on customer value with its ecosystem.The Big Quote: "We are on this journey of being the AI platform for end-to-end digital transformation. And what this means is we started with our roots in it, we had IT service management and operations management. But quickly, our customers, in many cases, pulled us deeper into it, as we looked at helping them deliver on asset management, security, and risk."

Episode 40 | AI Empowerment at WorkdayThe Big Themes:Rapid innovation with Workday Extend: Workday Extend is a pivotal aspect of Workday's platform strategy. It facilitates rapid innovation, enabling quick responses to emergent needs such as workforce adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform's flexibility empowers users to develop bespoke solutions tailored to their unique requirements. It reflects Workday's ambition to evolve beyond being solely an application companyBringing in more partners: Workday sees partnerships as integral to its growth and innovation trajectory. Workday is broadening its partner ecosystem beyond conventional implementation collaborators, embracing a spectrum of innovation partners. This expansion aims to leverage diverse expertise to develop industry-tailored solutions and enhance platform extensibility.AI Marketplace launch: Workday plans to launch an AI marketplace, representing a significant initiative aimed at accelerating AI-driven innovation within its ecosystem. This marketplace will serve as a platform for partners to develop and distribute AI solutions built on the Workday platform. It is positioned as a means to provide customers with access to a curated selection of tested AI products while offering revenue-sharing opportunities for partners.The Big Quote: “The pace that customers want AI is a different one than all of us in the IT industry are talking about it."

Episode 50 | Securing the Digital FrontierThe Big Themes:Multi-cloud complexity & AI: The adoption of multi-cloud environments presents significant management challenges for IT teams, including complexities in configuration, monitoring, and integration. Simultaneously, there is increasing interest in harnessing AI to enhance cybersecurity, with discussions centering on automating tasks and responses for more effective threat management.Need for proactive cybersecurity measures: Proactive cybersecurity measures are to be preferred over reactive ones. It suggests that organizations should invest in tools and strategies that predict and prevent security threats rather than just responding to them.Adaptability and skill development: In the face of technological advancements and changing job requirements, adaptability and continuous skill development are crucial. You want a workforce that can adapt to new technologies and think critically about their applications in the business context.The Big Quote: “When a company gets breached. . . somebody always wrote a memo that went 'Doesn't that look funny to you?'. . . imagine if we had a tool that kept watch that listened, that learned, that advised and maybe even got shrill. An email isn't going to go 'Hey, man, read me now.' But the right AI tool might very well be programmed to say, 'I'm going to keep texting that CIO until they listen to me.'"

Episode 39 | The Shifting Tech LandscapeThe Big Themes:Significant M&A activities: After a quiet period last quarter, there's been a notable trend of merger and acquisition (M&A) in the HR technology space. Specifically, Bonnie outlines key acquisitions by major players like Ceridian, Workday, ServiceNow, and Cornerstone, emphasizing the strategic moves to enhance product offerings and stay competitive.Evaluating M&A impact: Bonnie advises customers to carefully assess the impact of M&A on their contracts, pricing, and support levels. Changes are inevitable but may vary depending on the acquiring company's integration strategy. Customers need to scrutinize initial contracts and understand potential changes in service quality and pricing structures.Customer success and satisfaction: The importance of customer feedback and satisfaction emerges as a key theme, with Bonnie advocating for customer-centric approaches and the use of reviews to gauge vendor performance and customer sentiment in the midst of industry transformations.The Big Quote: “You want to be aware that when . . . a consulting party gets acquired, the culture is going to change drastically, and you want to make sure that what you had in the past —those great relationships and all of that knowledge, and partnership that was built — that isn't going to change in a new sort of model. And be aware that it very likely could."

Note: this episode contains explicit language.Episode 33 | Entrepreneurial InsightsThe Big Themes:A "radical experiment in self-governance": Chris shares his experience becoming a U.S. citizen and talks about the country's immense opportunities for individuals. The U.S., he says, is a beacon of democracy and freedom. He stresses the importance of recognizing and preserving its unique experiment in self-governance.Today's tech startups: Two innovative startups, WellCapped and DUDE Wipes, give unique answers to everyday problems. WellCapped, founded by Shante Frazier, disrupts the beauty industry with a Rent the Runway model for wigs and weaves. Meanwhile, Sean Riley's DUDE Wipes addresses the need for convenient and hygienic personal care products for men. These startups exemplify the entrepreneurial spirit.Lessons from history: Historical events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of hiphop music demonstrate the impact of visionary individuals who challenge the status quo. By studying history and learning from past successes and failures, entrepreneurs can gain valuable insights to inform their own endeavors.The Big Quote: “Here's the secret of life . . . you figure out you're different. Some people call it being self-actualized . . . can you connect your uniqueness, your difference, your .1% difference to creating value for others in a way that makes a difference?"

Telecom SaaS EvolutionThe Big Themes:Telecom SaaS defined: Telecom SaaS refers to a set of cloud-native services delivering business outcomes. Networks are evolving from traditional connectivity-focused structures to dynamic, capability-driven ecosystems. Telecom SaaS signals a transition from conventional telecommunication models to a more agile, business-focused paradigm.Security concerns: Nokia and its cloud partners have taken robust measures to address security concerns. Their approach includes stringent security reviews and privacy management, ensuring multiple layers of security for Telecom Saas. Nokia also undergoes accreditations and independent analysis. These steps help instill confidence in customers regarding software security.Shift to OpX model: In the Telecom SaaS transition, there's a shift from a CapEx to an OpEx model. This represents a significant change for an industry traditionally dominated by hardware-centric and CapEx-driven approaches. There are potential advantages to embracing an OpEx model, like lower total cost of ownership (TCO). But Nokia also has options to capitalize, if that's what the customer needs.The Big Quote: " . . . software-as-a-service demand is starting to move closer to the network in areas like security, the security applications . . . and then just network management. All of those types of applications have already started to move, as an extension of IT software-as-a-service, to be closer to the network and become what we've been referring to as Telecom SaaS . . . "

Episode 38 | IT Project MasteryThe Big Themes:Handling turnover: Partners should recognize turnover as an inherent facet of dynamic IT projects. It's important to obtain commitment, preferably in written statements within the project's scope to ensure the assigned team's stability. Such statements can offer a safeguard against abrupt team changes and provide a foundation for trust between partners and clients.Role of a "releader": The term "releader" is introduced. It refers to individuals inheriting a project or leadership role. They navigate pre-existing frameworks and dynamics. Successful releaders need qualities such as patience, people management skills, and the ability to problem-solve inherited issues. Author Jon Casteen introduced the concept in his book ReLeader: How to Fix What You Don't Break.Strategic vision: Project leaders should cast a clear vision for change and address reasons behind project scope or timeline modifications. Open communication gains team buy-in. Simultaneously, leaders are urged to avoid overly aggressive changes. They must strike a delicate balance between promptly addressing critical issues and preventing unnecessary disruptions during the ongoing project.The Big Quote: “Typically, you have to fix the plane while the plane is in flight. And so, you want to minimize the feeling of disruption, internally, while still being clear that the vision and goals are going to be realized within time."

RaceTrac and Workday | A Unified PlatformSponsored by Workday The Big Themes:Workday's impact: The adoption of Workday's unified platform, encompassing both HCM and financials, has played a pivotal role in RaceTrac's ability to streamline processes, reduce post-processing time, and enhance overall efficiency.Cultural shift: Implementation has not only brought technological benefits but also triggered a cultural shift within RaceTrac. Employees are now more comfortable engaging with data, seeking information, and collaborating with the accounting team, fostering a more collaborative, informed decision-making environment.Quick adaptability: The adaptable nature of Workday's platform allows RaceTrac to swiftly adapt to changing business needs. The company can integrate new data, work with different modules, and implement changes in as little as a month, providing a nimble response to evolving requirements.The Big Quote: " I think that the fact that we have a single source of truth, and a digestible, understandable product ... [where] I can really understand the flow of data — where it's coming from, the nuts and bolts of it — really helps me sleep better at night."

Episode 49 | AI RealitiesThe Big Themes:SaaS and AI terminology clarification: Wayne discusses the need to distinguish between various technology terms. He points out the common misuse of terms like SaaS and AI. He cautions against the trend of "SaaS-washing" and "AI-washing," where everything is labeled one or the other to generate excitement.SaaS and IT consumption: SaaS has brought about a paradigm shift in how IT is consumed. Unlike traditional software releases that could lead to delays and technical debt, SaaS allows for continuous updates, which means users can benefit from new features promptly. Wayne talks about the efficiency and scalability achieved by running software in a single instance in the cloud.Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) prices: Companies should prepare for potential "sticker shock" in the GenAI space. Users might be initially enticed by low prices only to face higher costs later. He advises CIOs to carefully evaluate the actual cost of GenAI queries before making investments.The Big Quote: “Well, first of all, when you look at somebody's revenue jump, bear in mind, that doesn't mean everybody's getting long-term value out of it. It means it's hyped up, and therefore everybody's trying. So, if Microsoft is charging for their Copilot, a $20 a month fee, and everybody signed up for the $20 times 100 million users, that's a revenue bump. That does not mean that over the longterm, everybody's getting their $20 value. It means we're all excited about it — we all want to try this shiny new object."