In this episode of Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans speaks with Nathan Thomas , Senior Vice President of Product Management for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, about the explosive growth and transformative potential of Oracle’s multi-cloud database strategy. Thomas explains how Oracle is enabling customers to run mission-critical databases across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud while unlocking new AI-driven innovation. Their discussion dives into how multi-cloud is reshaping enterprise mindsets, a...
Mar 24, 2026•16 min•Ep. 743
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I examine how AI and data access are accelerating unprecedented cooperation among cloud leaders. Highlights 00:03 — It's been two and a half years now since that momentous interview featuring Satya Nadella and Larry Ellison talking about their partnership to do multi-cloud between Oracle and Microsoft. And in some ways, I regard this as the multi-cloud miracle, because we've accepted it. 01:10 — It's opening up more ways in which competing tech vendors are going to ...
Mar 24, 2026•5 min•Ep. 750
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss the significant leadership changes at Oracle and what they signal for the company’s future. Highlights 00:03 — One of the things that has become clear over the last several months is that there are big changes taking place at the top of Oracle. I wanted to go into that a little bit, particularly how this is all leading up to what is an excellent new adventure for company co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison. 00:21 — I think it's a remarkable time here. No...
Mar 23, 2026•5 min•Ep. 747
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I examine how Health 100 signals a major shift toward AI-powered, patient-centric healthcare ecosystems. Highlights 00:03 —Google Cloud has partnered with CVS Health to launch an AI-driven health data platform called Health 100. The platform unifies patient data from a variety of sources, enabling more streamlined health management. CVS Health, which operates both an insurer and a pharmacy retailer, is embracing the spirit of the AI revolutions. 00:36 — Health 100 w...
Mar 20, 2026•3 min•Ep. 745
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Tom Smith is joined by Kieron Allen, an industry analyst and AI observer, who shares insights from the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA in San Diego. Together, they unpack major themes from the event, including agent orchestration, workforce reskilling, MCP’s enterprise impact, and the evolving human-AI partnership. Key Takeaways Human + AI Orchestration Is the New Core Skill : Allen underscores that orchestration is not just about tech...
Mar 19, 2026•8 min•Ep. 746
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I question whether OpenAI’s $140 billion enterprise revenue target is a realistic strategy or a speculative leap. Highlights 00:03 — It was announced recently, or revealed recently, that OpenAI expects that its revenue will hit about $280 billion by the year 2030, half of that enterprise, half of it consumer. So that would mean that by 2030, OpenAI, according to this CNBC report citing anonymous, confidential sources, will have its enterprise revenue be about $140 b...
Mar 19, 2026•6 min•Ep. 744
Microsoft is redefining enterprise productivity by positioning Copilot, agents, and unified AI platforms as the operational backbone of next-generation “frontier firms.” Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Mar 18, 2026•3 min•Ep. 740
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, host Tom Smith speaks with Vaishali Vinay, Data Scientist at Microsoft, and Raghav Bhatta, Data Scientist at Microsoft , about their upcoming masterclass at the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA in San Diego. They discuss how AI can serve as a threat research partner for cybersecurity teams, augmenting human expertise in threat hunting and detection engineering while helping organizations proactively defend against increasingly sophistic...
Mar 17, 2026•8 min•Ep. 742
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I look at why the AI economy is fueling unprecedented demand for cloud services and pushing the world’s top vendors into hypergrowth again. Highlights 00:03 — Things are off to a hot start here in early 2026 with the growth rates for the world's top cloud and AI vendors within the Cloud Wars Top 10 growing nicely across the board here because of the demand from customers for AI and cloud services. In fact, we're seeing the return of hypergrowth, 40% or higher growth...
Mar 17, 2026•5 min•Ep. 741
Key Takeaways Agent transactions : With models like the Universal Commerce Protocol, Google aims to control global agent transactions, relying on Mastercard’s verifiable financial infrastructure to make it viable. Filling voids : Similar to how MCP secures agent access to internal systems, verifiable intent enables agents to securely transact on behalf of humans by closing three gaps in the purchase flow; it secures transactions by validating agent identity, ensures strict adherence to user inst...
Mar 16, 2026•3 min•Ep. 735
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Oracle is embedding more than 1,000 AI agents into its applications to transform entire industry ecosystems. Highlights 01:18 — I think what we're seeing now here at the cusp of the agentic AI boom is the opportunity for modern technology to transform not just individual companies but entire industries and ecosystems. Oracle said it's now got more than 1,000 agents embedded within and working inside Oracle's applications. 02:21 — This is a big effort t...
Mar 16, 2026•6 min•Ep. 738
Key Takeaways Shift in AI focus : As Director of AI at Armanino, Montgomery explains that organizations are shifting from last year’s AI experimentation and demos toward defining real business use cases and operationalizing AI; embedding it into processes, insights, governance, and workforce interactions to transform how the business runs. Session overview : One of her sessions, "From Insight to Intuition: Designing Copilot Experiences that Understand People," will provide “a practical blueprint...
Mar 13, 2026•10 min•Ep. 736
Key Takeaways Smart friction : AI prioritizes speed and efficiency, but in retail experiences where shoppers value engagement, intentional friction can enhance customer satisfaction and ultimately drive better returns, giving rise to the idea of "smart friction." Use case : Trader Joe’s, for example, deliberately avoids self-checkout to create smart friction, using wait time to immerse customers in design, promote product discovery, and foster interactions with staff that enhance the overall bra...
Mar 13, 2026•3 min•Ep. 733
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Giuseppe Ianni, host of the show, is joined by Andrea Pinillos , Senior Technical Program Manager at Microsoft, to discuss practical strategies for enterprise adoption of AI agents and copilots. Pinillos shares insights from her work leading internal Microsoft tooling and previews her upcoming session at the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA. Key Takeaways Democratizing AI with Simple Tools : Pinillos emphasizes that organizations don’t ...
Mar 13, 2026•9 min•Ep. 735
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Microsoft is using Copilot Studio and multi-agent orchestration to dramatically improve customer support performance. Highlights 00:09 — Now, one of the best ways to assess the impact of Microsoft Copilot is to examine case studies of the technology in action. Microsoft has announced details of a recent project delivered through Copilot Studio, aimed at enhancing the customer support experience on microsoft.com, building on the Ask Microsoft web agent ...
Mar 13, 2026•2 min•Ep. 734
In this episode of Cloud Wars Live, Bob Evans speaks with Bonnie Tinder, founder and CEO of Raven Intelligence, about the surge of hype, confusion, and opportunity surrounding AI in enterprise technology. As headlines claim AI could replace traditional software and “vibe coding” threatens SaaS vendors, Tinder brings a grounded perspective from years of advising organizations on enterprise systems like Salesforce , Workday, and SAP. Their conversation explores what AI can realistically do today, ...
Mar 12, 2026•24 min•Ep. 724
Key Takeaways Session overview : AI is a transformative technology where security is lagging dangerously behind. Polino's session, " A Guide to Security Roles in AI Transformation (Implementation) ," will explore why it's critical for organizations to reassess current roles, controls, and systems and proactively design security strategies specifically for an AI-driven environment. Guardrails : AI systems can be easily manipulated through indirect prompts or parameter framing, making it essential...
Mar 12, 2026•12 min•Ep. 729
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explain why Oracle’s massive RPO growth proves demand for AI infrastructure is real, not a bubble. Highlights 00:00 — For the last several weeks, we've all been hearing gloom and doom, there's going to be AI overcapacity for data centers, and then talking about all these things that Oracle can't do. I want to talk about this in the context of Oracle's terrific Q3 numbers that came out earlier this week. I hope what they'll do as a residual effect is shut the pie h...
Mar 12, 2026•6 min•Ep. 731
In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, Giuseppe Ianni, host of the show, is joined by Diego Araujo, Founder and Chief AI Architect at Fusion Flow Software. Their conversation explores how enterprises are adopting AI agents and copilots within ERP environments, particularly Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. Key Takeaways Start with a “Winning” Use Case : Successful AI adoption begins with identifying a high-impact, low-effort opportunity that delivers immediate valu...
Mar 11, 2026•14 min•Ep. 730
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I look at ServiceNow’s new Autonomous Workforce and what it means for the future of the digital workforce. Highlights 00:03 — As companies become more familiar with the scope and capabilities of agentic AI , they're seeking more efficient ways to integrate these features into their workflows. And in line with this trend, ServiceNow has launched the Autonomous Workforce: teams of AI specialists that will enhance teams with domain-specific AI knowledge. 00:29 — So how...
Mar 11, 2026•3 min•Ep. 728
Key Takeaways Herain Oberoi, Microsoft's general manager for data security, privacy, and compliance, recently held a session where he outlined top security challeneges within the AI era. Specifically, Oberoi outlined three concerns enterprises must address to build secure, scalable AI operations. He stressed strict access controls and disciplined data hygiene to prevent oversharing and sensitive data leakage. Second, regulatory compliance now requires continuous auditability of AI agent operatio...
Mar 10, 2026•3 min•Ep. 727
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explain why customer pressure is forcing SAP, Oracle, and Workday to overhaul traditional enterprise software sales models. Highlights 00:01 — Hello my friends. Welcome back to Cloud Wars Minute. We’ve got some big news here because we’ve got SAP, Oracle, and Workday all agreeing on a very key issue here and instituting some changes at the same time. What led to this unprecedented alignment between three companies that you know, day after day in the marketplace, a...
Mar 10, 2026•5 min•Ep. 725
Key Takeaways Overview : Companies are drowning in AI tools, most of which "do not talk to each other." Today, Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite , officially launching May 1st for $99. The suite brings together Microsoft 365 E5, M365 Copilot Wave 3, and Agent 365 . Manage agents : IDC projects 1.3 billion AI agents by 2028, creating major governance, access control, and data management challenges that Agent 365 addresses by giving teams a single place to track, secure, and...
Mar 09, 2026•2 min•Ep. 726
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I analyze Oracle’s projected Q3 numbers and the explosive growth of its cloud and AI infrastructure business. Highlights 00:02 — Tomorrow, March 10, Oracle releases its Q3 numbers. I think these will be some of the most interesting we see from any of the Cloud Wars Top 10 companies, because relative to Oracle's size, its growth rates are up near the very top, and its RPO growth has been absolutely astronomical. 00:58 — So you might think of it as pipeline or backlog...
Mar 09, 2026•6 min•Ep. 723
In this AI Agent & Copilot Minute, Mason Siefert explores how grocery retailers are accelerating AI adoption behind the scenes — empowering store associates and operational teams — even as consumer trust in customer-facing AI tools remains limited. Key Takeaways Consumer Trust Gap: Despite the rapid rollout of advanced retail AI tools, adoption among consumers remains limited. A recent consumer trend study shows only about 15% of shoppers actively use customer-facing AI solutions, even with ...
Mar 06, 2026•3 min•Ep. 721
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I explore OpenAI’s decision to adjust its trillion-dollar AI infrastructure ambitions to reassure investors. Highlights 00:04 — Planned spending commitments amongst the Cloud Wars Top 10 companies have reached astronomical levels. This surge is in response to the anticipated demand for AI infrastructure, products, and services — a market that UN Trade and Development predicts will exceed $4.3 trillion by 2033. 00:25 — But in a trend-bucking move, OpenAI has informed...
Mar 06, 2026•2 min•Ep. 722
Key Takeaways Microsoft leads in risk detection with tools like Defender XDR, but as enterprise data environments grow in scale and complexity, organizations now need AI‑driven security that can automatically investigate and manage risk across the entire data estate, not just detect it. With the January 2026 general release of Purview Data Security Investigations, Microsoft addresses the challenge of overwhelming data volumes by using generative AI to automatically analyze security signals acros...
Mar 05, 2026•3 min•Ep. 718
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I look at how Workday plans to blend AI agents with its core HR and finance platforms. Highlights 00:03 — One of the big stories of early 2026 is this whole wackiness around how AI is going to destroy the enterprise apps business, particularly SaaS companies. Will it change it? Absolutely and sometimes in profound ways, but not to the elimination of it. This idea that customers can either use agents or they can use apps is ridiculous. There's a very powerful role fo...
Mar 05, 2026•6 min•Ep. 719
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how Microsoft is accelerating business-process transformation with its expanding Copilot and agent ecosystem. Highlights 00:10 — Microsoft has launched a three-day online boot camp covering how to leverage its expansive toolkit for AI-powered work, beginning with a session titled “Copilots and Agents: What’s New and What’s Next?” 01:01 — Rather than listing every innovation, I want to focus on business process, where some of the most relevant near-term tra...
Mar 04, 2026•4 min•Ep. 716
In this AI Agent & Copilot Minute, Mason Siefert explores Microsoft’s first integrated learning agent for students, explaining how proactive AI modes like Understand, Practice, and Study are reshaping education beyond reactive digital tutors. Key Takeaways Proactive Learning Shift: Microsoft’s newly announced learning agent moves beyond reactive digital tutors by proactively guiding students through structured learning modes. Rather than waiting for students to ask the right questions, the a...
Mar 03, 2026•3 min•Ep. 713
