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Cybersecurity Today for June 2, 2026. Microsoft has backed away from its hard-line stance against vulnerability researchers after widespread criticism from the security community. The dispute began after independent researcher Nightmare Eclipse published proof-of-concept code for unpatched Microsoft vulnerabilities, triggering a public debate over responsible disclosure, zero-days, and researcher relations. Cybersecurity Today would like to thank Material Security for sponsoring this podcast. Material Security provides faster, more complete detection and response for email, identity, and data threats inside Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. You can contact them at material[dot]security. Carnival Corporation disclosed a social-engineering attack that led to the theft of sensitive personal information affecting nearly six million people. Exposed data includes names, contact information, dates of birth, and government identification details. The ShinyHunters cybercrime group has claimed responsibility and alleges the breach involved even more records. Password manager provider Dashlane temporarily locked some customers out of their accounts after large-scale password-guessing attacks triggered automated security protections. Access was later restored, although some users reported lingering issues. The episode also examines a software supply-chain attack uncovered by Wiz involving 32 Red Hat Cloud Services NPM packages. Attackers compromised a Red Hat employee's GitHub account and inserted Miasma malware designed to steal Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure credentials. Timestamps: 00:00 Sponsor Message 00:28 Headlines And Intro 00:55 Microsoft Researcher Dispute 02:58 Carnival Cruise Data Breach 04:48 Dashlane Lockouts Explained 06:09 Miasma Malware Supply-Chain Attack 08:10 Wrap Up And Sign Off 08:31 Sponsor Deep Dive #Cybersecurity #DataBreach #Carnival #Microsoft #Dashlane #RedHat #SupplyChainAttack #CyberSecurityToday
Timestamps:07:20 - Building a European Alternative in Cloud Services14:02 - Leadership Style and Team Dynamics18:01 - Navigating the Fast-Paced Cloud Industry21:30 - Switzerland's Role in Europe's Digital SovereigntyThis episode was co-produced with Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud. Episode description:Mathias Nöbauer is the CEO of Exoscale, a European sovereign cloud provider helping organizations run applications and infrastructure under European jurisdiction. With more than 25 years of experience across software development, today, he is focused on building a European alternative to the dominant US cloud providers while helping organizations navigate an increasingly complex technology landscape.In this episode, we discuss why digital sovereignty is moving from a legal and compliance concern to a strategic business priority, how Europe's dependence on foreign technology infrastructure creates new risks for companies and governments, and why Europe needs to invest more boldly in its own technology ecosystem. Mathias also shares how Exoscale competes against hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, and why he believes sovereign cloud infrastructure will become increasingly important for Europe's future prosperity.We also explore how to build trust in critical infrastructure businesses, the leadership lessons Mathias has learned from scaling an engineering-led company, and Switzerland's unique position as a trusted hub that could help shape Europe's digital future. Along the way, we discuss talent development, risk-taking in European entrepreneurship, and why innovation, sovereignty, and prosperity are more connected than many people realize.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don't forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube so you can always stay up to date with our latest initiatives. That way, there's no excuse for missing out on live shows, weekly giveaways or founders' dinners.
Welcome to episode #1038 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when technology feels simultaneously more powerful and more opaque than ever, Marcus Fontoura is making a case for something many people feel they've lost: agency. A Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, Marcus has spent decades helping build the infrastructure that powers the modern internet, including leadership roles at Microsoft Azure, Google and IBM. His new book, Human Agency In A Digital World, is both a guide to understanding the technologies shaping our lives and a reminder that we are not merely passengers along for the ride. Drawing on his experience building cloud computing platforms and large-scale digital systems, Marcus demystifies everything from search engines and social media to artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, arguing that technological literacy should be as fundamental as understanding economics or government. In this episode, Marcus explores the growing gap between the people building technology and the people living with its consequences. He discusses social media's impact on mental health, misinformation, polarization, AI's role as a prediction engine rather than an autonomous intelligence, and the importance of regulation in areas where technological progress has outpaced public understanding. At the same time, Marcus offers a deeply optimistic vision of the future. He believes that access to information, computing power and AI tools can empower a new generation of scientists, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers to tackle challenges ranging from healthcare and education to climate change and scientific discovery. Rather than viewing technology as something happening to us, Marcus argues that understanding how these systems work is the first step toward shaping how they evolve. What emerges is a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, responsibility, innovation and the enduring role of human judgment in an increasingly digital world. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 47:25. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Marcus Fontoura. Human Agency In A Digital World. A Platform Mindset. Follow Marcus on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Marcus Fontoura and His Role at Microsoft. (02:54) - Understanding the Cloud and Its Impact on Society. (06:06) - Human Agency in a Digital World. (08:57) - The Complexity of AI and Technology. (12:00) - The Role of Regulation in Technology. (15:07) - The Real-World Applications of AI. (17:59) - The Challenges of Social Media and Mental Health. (20:55) - The Need for Societal Engagement in Technology Regulation. (26:26) - The Challenge of Fake News and Agency. (27:00) - Empowering Future Generations. (31:27) - The Role of Human Agency in Technology. (34:01) - Concerns Over AI and Misinformation. (40:44) - Understanding AI Code Generation. (46:55) - The Pursuit of AGI and Its Implications. (50:08) - Technology's Role in Promoting Equality.
Le Cloud en France entre encouragement et restrictions: Le écart du Cloud français Par Régis BAUDOUIN « Libérés des chaînes américaines, mais coupés de l’eau. » En ce début juin 2026, le monde du Cloud vit un paradoxe historique en France, coincé au cœur des injonctions contradictoires de l’État. D'un côté, la réglementation européenne libère enfin les entreprises du piège financier des géants américains pour stimuler l’économie numérique locale. De l'autre, les contraintes climatiques et préfectorales coupent l’eau aux infrastructures physiques indispensables pour l’accueillir. XY Magazine décrypte comment la crise environnementale est en train de court-circuiter la souveraineté numérique. La fin de la “taxe de sortie” du Cloud Pour les entreprises françaises, migrer ses données hors des griffes des hyperscalers américains (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) relevait jusqu’ici du parcours du combattant financier. Si l’entrée des données dans leurs serveurs était gratuite, en sortir exigeait de payer des frais de transfert (les fameux egress fees) prohibitifs. Un véritable “piège à données” qui cadenassait le marché. Focus sur les Egress fees Pour comprendre pourquoi le Data Act est un séisme, il faut analyser le modèle économique pervers qui régissait le Cloud jusqu’ici. Ce modèle reposait sur une asymétrie totale des flux, baptisée le principe de l’ingress (l’entrée) et de l’egress (la sortie). L’illusion de la gratuité Lorsque vous transférez des téraoctets de données, des fichiers clients ou des sauvegardes depuis les serveurs de votre entreprise vers le Cloud d’un géant américain (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), l’opération est entièrement gratuite. C’est l’ingress. Les hyperscalers vous ouvrent grand la porte et absorbent vos données sans vous facturer le moindre centime de bande passante. L’arnaque commence lorsque vous voulez faire le chemin inverse, ou transférer vos données vers un autre hébergeur (comme le français OVHcloud). C’est l’egress. Chaque gigaoctet qui franchit la frontière du réseau du géant américain pour retourner sur internet ou aller chez un concurrent est lourdement facturé. C’est le principe des egress fees : des frais de bande passante sortante facturés jusqu’à 10 à 20 fois plus cher que le coût réel de l’infrastructure réseau. [ Vos Données ] ── Ingress (GRATUIT) ──> [ Cloud Américain ] [ Vos Données ]
Parce que… c'est l'épisode 0x2FC! Shameless plug 3 au 5 juin 2026 - SSTIC 2026 24 et 25 juin 2026 - Troopers 26 et 27 juin 2026 - leHACK 19 septembre 2026 - Bsides Montréal 1 au 3 décembre 2026 - Forum INCYBER - Canada 2026 24 et 25 février 2027 - SéQCure 2027 Description Dans cet épisode spécial de Polysécure consacré à Cybereco, Charles F. Hamilton présente son analyse annuelle de l'état de la menace cyber en 2026. Comme chaque année, il s'efforce de distinguer le discours marketing des vendeurs de la réalité observée sur le terrain, fort de son expérience quotidienne en tests d'intrusion offensifs. Azure et Entra ID : des failles par défaut Une large partie de la discussion porte sur l'environnement Microsoft Azure et Entra ID (anciennement Azure Active Directory). Charles souligne un problème fondamental : beaucoup d'entreprises partent du principe que « si c'est Microsoft, c'est sécurisé », ce qui crée une forme de déresponsabilisation dangereuse. En réalité, la configuration par défaut d'Azure offre très peu de visibilité — les logs et informations de sécurité essentiels sont verrouillés derrière un paywall, rendant la validation quasi impossible sans un intervenant offensif. Un exemple frappant illustre ce problème : lorsqu'une entreprise configure une politique d'accès conditionnel imposant le MFA pour toutes les applications mais ajoute une seule exception (par exemple pour un compte d'automatisation), Microsoft ajoutait silencieusement Microsoft Graph et Azure Active Directory dans les exceptions. Or, Microsoft Graph est le point d'entrée vers pratiquement tous les services cloud. Un attaquant disposant d'un identifiant et mot de passe pouvait donc s'authentifier via Microsoft Graph sans aucun MFA. Bien que Microsoft ait corrigé ce comportement récemment, toute exception créée avant le correctif reste active. Charles en découvre encore quotidiennement, ce qui pose un problème majeur — notamment pour les assureurs, dont les questionnaires de conformité ne détectent pas ces failles. Le décalage entre sécurité offensive et défensive Charles défend l'idée que la sécurité offensive a une longueur d'avance considérable sur la défensive. Les produits de sécurité défensive bloquent souvent des menaces qui datent de plusieurs années, pas celles d'aujourd'hui. Il prend l'exemple du device code phishing, une technique qu'il utilise depuis une dizaine d'années et que les attaquants malveillants commencent seulement à découvrir en 2026. Les entreprises qui ont investi dans des tests offensifs il y a cinq ou six ans sont déjà protégées ; les autres paniquent aujourd'hui. Il insiste sur la valeur du Red Team : contrairement à un scan automatisé qui produit des milliers de vulnérabilités toutes marquées « critiques », un Red Team raconte une histoire — il identifie le chemin qu'un attaquant emprunterait pour atteindre ce qui a réellement de la valeur pour l'entreprise. Charles mentionne également le score EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System), encore trop méconnu, qui permet de prioriser les vulnérabilités en fonction de leur probabilité réelle d'exploitation plutôt que de leur sévérité théorique. Infostealers et ClickFix : les menaces du quotidien La conversation aborde ensuite les infostealers, des logiciels malveillants qui récupèrent les mots de passe stockés dans les navigateurs. Leur efficacité tient à leur discrétion : ils ne touchent pas aux processus surveillés par les EDR/XDR et sont donc très peu détectés. Pire, ils se propagent souvent via des installeurs gratuits pour des jeux populaires comme Roblox ou Minecraft, ciblant les enfants. Quand un parent prête son ordinateur professionnel à son enfant, les identifiants corporatifs se retrouvent compromis. Charles rapporte des chiffres vertigineux : un de ses contacts dans le domaine possède des logs provenant de 600 millions de postes uniques infectés par des infostealers. Quant aux attaques ClickFix, Charles se dit fasciné qu'elles fonctionnent, car elles demandent à l'utilisateur d'exécuter une série d'étapes complexes — copier du PowerShell dans une invite de commande, par exemple. Mais l'utilisateur moyen ne comprend tout simplement pas ce qu'il fait : les extensions de fichiers, les commandes, tout cela n'a aucun sens pour lui. Le succès du phishing repose uniquement sur l'expérience utilisateur : plus c'est simple, plus ça marche. Supply chain et cas extrêmes Charles partage des histoires marquantes de sa carrière. Il a testé la sécurité d'avions dont les interfaces pilotes tournaient sous Flash et Windows embarqué. Bien que l'avion soit physiquement déconnecté d'internet, le laptop de mise à jour, lui, y passait — ouvrant la porte à des attaques de supply chain. Il raconte aussi le cas de guichets ATM dont le système de gestion acceptait des mises à jour non signées, permettant l'injection de code malveillant. Plus récemment, il a travaillé sur des cas d'infiltration d'employés nord-coréens se faisant passer pour des développeurs. Fait surprenant : ces individus étaient de bons ingénieurs et se faisaient toujours démasquer par des anomalies humaines (incohérences de localisation), jamais par leur code. IA, vibe coding et secrets exposés L'essor du vibe coding assisté par IA aggrave un problème existant : des développeurs qui ne comprennent pas ce qu'ils produisent. Charles a trouvé plus de 124 000 résultats sur GitHub pour « remove client secret » — des commits où des développeurs retirent des secrets Azure (tenant ID, application ID, client secret) sans jamais les révoquer. Beaucoup de ces commits portent les traces caractéristiques de code généré par IA, avec des emojis dans les commentaires. Le paradoxe de l'industrie cyber En conclusion, Charles soulève un paradoxe central : on n'a jamais eu autant de produits de sécurité, de solutions et de technologies pour prévenir les brèches, et pourtant on n'a jamais eu autant de brèches. Les entreprises s'étouffent sous les abonnements coûteux et les promesses marketing, mais négligent l'hygiène de base — segmentation réseau, gestion des correctifs, inventaire des systèmes. L'industrie souffre aussi d'un manque de conséquences réelles pour les entreprises négligentes, ce qui pousse beaucoup d'entre elles à faire le strict minimum. Le vrai travail reste à faire, et il commence par les fondamentaux. Collaborateurs Nicolas-Loïc Fortin Charles F. Hamilton Crédits Montage par Intrasecure inc Locaux réels par Intrasecure inc
In this episode of Growing Ecommerce, Mike Ryan and Chris Scharmueller dive into the much-anticipated updates to the OpenAI ads platform and break down Google's staggering Q1 earnings report.While OpenAI has finally transitioned their ad platform from a primitive Excel spreadsheet to a proper User Interface, their highly publicized shift to a CPC model is raising major red flags. We break down the math behind their highly constrained $3 to $5 max CPC range, revealing how it mathematically equates to the exact same astronomical $60 effective CPM they originally launched with. We discuss why advertisers should demand more transparency and control before shifting their performance budgets to ChatGPT.We also unpack Google's unstoppable Q1 momentum. With a massive $110 billion in revenue and an 80% spike in earnings per share, Google is silencing the "death of Search" narrative. We explore their impressive 19% core Search growth, the staggering 63% surge in Google Cloud that is heavily outpacing AWS and Azure, and why Google's massive $180 billion CapEx guidance for 2026 solidifies their dominance in the AI arms race.Key Takeaways:• The OpenAI Ad Trap: Don't be fooled by OpenAI's new CPC bidding model. By forcing advertisers into a strict $3 to $5 CPC range, the platform is essentially maintaining its premium $60 effective CPM under a disguise. Advertisers should hold off on shifting performance budgets until real incrementality and transparency are proven.• Search is Still Thriving: Despite the ongoing narrative that AI will kill traditional search engines, Google's core Search product grew by 19% year-over-year. The search giant's core advertising flywheel remains the most reliable engine for ecommerce growth.• Google Cloud is Winning the AI War: Google Cloud (GCS) achieved a staggering 63% year-over-year growth, heavily outpacing Amazon AWS (28%) and Microsoft Azure (39%). Powered by deep Gemini integration and proprietary TPUs, Google's vertical integration puts them in a unique position to dominate the next decade.Resources & Links:• Access all our webinars, reports, and playbooks in our Knowledge Hub: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/knowledge-hub/ • How is your industry stacking up in the market? Find out with smec's Google Ads Benchmarks: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/smec-market-observer/About Smarter Ecommerce (smec):Smarter Ecommerce (smec) empowers e-commerce brands with AI-driven PPC automation that optimizes for profit and business outcomes while maintaining strategic control.The platform activates first-party data - profit margins, customer lifetime value, and key business metrics - to automate campaign optimization toward goals like profitability and efficient growth, while detailed campaign insights provide full transparency and enable PPC teams to focus on strategic oversight rather than manual execution.As a Google Premier Partner and three-time Microsoft Retail Partner of the Year, smec manages over €500 million in ad spend and drives €5B+ in annual e-commerce revenue for 350+ global retail clients including THG, Snipes, REWE, and Intersport.Make sure to follow smec - Smarter Ecommerce for more performance marketing insights:smec - Smarter Ecommerce: https://www.smarter-ecommerce.comLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smarter-ecommerce-gmbhNewsletter: https://smarter-ecommerce.com/en/newsletter/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smarterecommerce/
In this episode, we welcome back Kieren James-Lubin to explore the evolution of blockchain infrastructure from the earliest days of Ethereum to the emerging world of "HardFi", programmable finance backed by real-world assets. The conversation also includes a special reveal from the team building the financial infrastructure backed by hard assets like gold and silver, offering listeners an early look at the launch of tokenized commodities and an on-chain collateral market. Long before institutional digital asset adoption, the team behind Strato was building Ethereum infrastructure for enterprises, governments, and global industrial organizations, helping launch one of the first Blockchain-as-a-Service offerings with Microsoft Azure and co-founding the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance. For over a decade, they have operated blockchain systems in production environments where reliability, compliance, auditability, and settlement infrastructure mattered. Remember to Stay Current! To learn more, visit us on the web at https://www.morgancreekcap.com/morgan-creek-digital/. To speak to a team member or sign up for additional content, please email mcdigital@morgancreekcap.com Legal Disclaimer This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a solicitation for the sale of any security, advisory, or other service. Investments related to the themes and ideas discussed may be owned by funds managed by the host and podcast guests. Any conflicts mentioned by the host are subject to change. Listeners should consult their personal financial advisors before making any investment decisions.
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
In deze aflevering van Techzine Talks bespreken we de spectaculaire groeicijfers van Google Cloud (60%+), de verschillende strategieën van hyperscalers zoals AWS en Microsoft, en waarom AI momenteel duurder is dan menselijke arbeid. We duiken diep in de ontwikkelingen rondom AI chips, de relatie tussen OpenAI en Microsoft, en de vraag wanneer AI investeringen zich echt gaan terugbetalen.We analyseren waarom Google zo hard groeit met Gemini Enterprise, hoe AWS en Microsoft verschillende wegen bewandelen met hun AI-aanbod, en welke rol hardware (TPUs, GPUs, CPUs) speelt in de AI-revolutie. Ook bespreken we kritisch of de enorme investeringen in AI wel rendabel zijn, gezien de hoge kosten per token en de beperkte succesvolle implementaties.Daarnaast komen praktische toepassingen aan bod: van codegeneratie bij Google (70% AI-geschreven) tot customer service agents en de vraag of edge computing eindelijk doorbreekt. Een eerlijke discussie over hype versus realiteit in de AI-wereld.Belangrijkste onderwerpen:• Google Cloud kwartaalcijfers: 60%+ groei door Gemini Enterprise• Waarom AWS, Google en Microsoft verschillende AI-strategieën hebben• AI chips: TPUs, GPUs en de rol van Intel, Nvidia en ARM• OpenAI's consumentenfocus versus Anthropic's zakelijke aanpak• Kosten van AI: waarom agents duurder zijn dan menselijke medewerkers• Praktische use cases: code generatie, customer service, HR automation• Edge computing en on-premise AI infrastructuur• Kritische blik op AI ROI en wanneer investeringen zich terugbetalenHoofdstukken:0:06 - Welkom terug bij Techzine Talks1:52 - Google Cloud groei van 60+ procent3:45 - AI infrastructuur en vraag3:58 - Hyperscalers en hun AI strategieën17:20 - OpenAI en Microsoft relatie18:08 - AI chips en hardware ontwikkelingen19:14 - AI kosten versus menselijke arbeid21:00 - Praktische AI adoptie en use casesTags: Google Cloud, AI infrastructuur, hyperscalers, AWS, Microsoft Azure, OpenAI, Anthropic, AI chips, TPU, GPU, Gemini Enterprise, cloud computing, AI kosten, ROI, edge computing, Nvidia, Intel, customer service AI, code generatie
This week: four hyperscalers reported earnings on the same day, NVIDIA briefly crossed $5 trillion in market cap, OpenAI broke Azure exclusivity, and Google put $40 billion into Anthropic. Patrick Moorhead and Daniel Newman call it the most consequential week in AI infrastructure history and suggest the bull thesis just got its vote of confidence. The handpicked topics for this week are: OpenAI Breaks Azure Exclusivity — Both Patrick and Daniel were in the room for the original OpenAI-Microsoft announcement, and they both knew it wasn't the end of the story, it was just the beginning. The restructured deal keeps Microsoft on IP rights through 2032 and a guaranteed 20% revenue share through 2030, but the AGI trigger clause that would have ended payments is gone. The very next day OpenAI went live on AWS, the first non-Microsoft hyperscaler to carry it. Dan's read: model companies need more compute than any one hyperscaler can offer, and every hyperscaler needs access to all the models. Nobody wins with exclusivity anymore. (The Decode) Google Puts $40 Billion Into Anthropic — Pat spells it out: Anthropic just became AI's first joint custody child, with Amazon and Google as the parents and a $73 billion college fund. Google, which already had stakes in Anthropic and SpaceX, posted a $37 billion investment gain in a single quarter solely from valuation improvements, and now holds dual hyperscaler structural backing for Anthropic that Pat says OpenAI simply can't match. Daniel's thesis lands again: models are not the moat. Compute is the moat. Everybody is figuring that out now. (The Decode) The CPU War Is On: Meta Goes to AWS for Graviton — Meta recently secured a multi-year, multi-billion dollar Graviton agreement with AWS after being caught off-guard regarding both compute resources and models. Andy Jassy noted that demand was so high he had to decline two customers who sought to purchase his "entire Graviton capacity." During his victory lap, Pat highlighted a significant shift in agentic workloads: the CPU-to-GPU ratio has plummeted from 16-to-1 to nearly 2-to-1, with some cases already reaching 1-to-1 parity. The CPU war is the story nobody saw coming fast enough, including AMD and Intel. (The Decode) OpenAI 5.5 Review: Shows Promise, But Not Amazing — Daniel tested the new model and shared his take: not blown away but not unhappy either. Pat moved some workloads back to test it and liked what he found, particularly on research. The 38% reduction in reasoning-intensive tasks is the ROI answer OpenAI has right now. But both hosts flag the bigger question: What happens when token subsidies end and real agentic workflow costs hit the tape? That is the moment that opens the door for open source, small models, and enterprise-specific deployments. The model moat, Dan says for the third time this episode, "just does not exist anymore." (The Decode) China AI and the Open Source Question — Daniel went long on this in a live CNBC stream and brings the sharpest take to the show: serious US companies are not going to scale their products on Chinese models. He predicts it will play out like TikTok, regionally distributed to markets with lower concern about data sovereignty. Pat's hedge: open source is a legitimate pressure valve on frontier model pricing, but only if Chinese labs aren't stealing IP to get there. If the frontier model companies stop investing because there's no money in it, the whole ecosystem loses. NVIDIA has the clearest opportunity to step in and fill the open source gap without competing with its own customers. (The Decode) The Flip: Is $700 Billion in Hyperscale AI CapEx Delivering Returns Fast Enough? Daniel took the pro stance: Google Cloud at 63% growth, $460 billion in backlog, quarter-over-quarter doubling. Azure at 40%, AWS at 28% fastest growth in 15 quarters. Meta at 33%, fastest growth since 2021, generating $32 billion in operating cash flow in a single quarter. Only 20% of enterprises are using AI and only 2% of consumers. Pat's counter: Microsoft is down 12% year to date despite beating estimates. ServiceNow off 14% after a beat and raise. The market is completely skeptical, and $700 billion in CapEx so Anthropic and OpenAI can crank out $100 billion in revenue is not yet a clean return story. Both hosts admit they agreed on more than they let on. The real question isn't whether companies are spending too much, it might actually be whether they're spending enough. (The Flip) Fed Holds, 8-4 Vote — In a macro look at the markets, hosts report that the Fed held rates steady, with the most dissents since October 1992. Pat's read: it means nothing for the tech trade right now but is a re-rating of the discount rate long term. Daniel thinks cuts are still coming because housing is stalled and nothing else moves the broader economy without it. Confirmation of the new Fed chair is something to watch. (Bulls and Bears) NVIDIA Crosses $5 Trillion — Daniel called it, and it happened faster than he thought was realistic, just like $2, $3, and $4 trillion before it. A $5 trillion market cap is a market verdict on supply constraint and demand visibility. His position remains: every estimate of the AI market between now and 2030 is too low because nobody has the gall to estimate what exponential scale actually looks like. (Bulls and Bears) Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud Earnings — The cloud race is heating up with Google Cloud leading at 63% growth, while Azure hit 40% and AWS saw its fastest expansion in 15 quarters at 28%. Pat points to Microsoft's massive 700,000-seat Copilot deal with Accenture as a key indicator of its enterprise advantage, noting that businesses prefer established partners over direct labs for AI. Daniel highlights a clear market shift: Google's demonstrated ROI earned investor rewards, whereas Meta faced pushback for increasing CapEx without a defined enterprise revenue stream. In this "hard ROI era," strategic capital allocation is making all the difference. (Bulls and Bears) Samsung, Apple, and Qualcomm — Samsung has transitioned from facing negative gross margins to becoming a premier global profit leader. In Pat's view, this surge represents a long-awaited correction following years of intense pricing pressure. SK Hynix and Micron are similar beneficiaries and Daniel has been pounding the table on Micron for a reason. Apple beat solidly everywhere, proved the iPhone 17 cycle is real, blew up the China headwind argument, and grew services to an all-time high at $31 billion. The episode closes on a high note with Qualcomm hitting a major milestone: a hyperscaler is now leveraging their AI silicon, with material impact expected in 2027. As Pat noted in his summary tweet, the short sellers are definitely feeling the heat right now. (Bulls and Bears) Want the full breakdown? Be a part of our community. Hit that subscribe button on our Youtube channel! The Decode OpenAI Breaks Azure Exclusivity — Models, Codex, and Managed Agents Now on AWS https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-microsoft-partnership-agreement-changes-cloud-providers-agi-2026-4 https://openai.com/index/openai-on-aws/ Google Commits Up to $40B in Anthropic — AI Lab Capital Concentration Reaches Historic Scale https://futurumgroup.com/insights/anthropics-gigawatt-scale-tpu-deal-with-broadcom-creates-a-structural-advantage/ https://tech-insider.org/google-40-billion-anthropic-investment-tpu-compute-2026/ https://x.com/danielnewmanUV/status/2049994186309468408 Meta Signs Multibillion-Dollar Deal for Tens of Millions of AWS Graviton5 Cores — Agentic AI Becomes a CPU Story https://about.fb.com/news/2026/04/meta-partners-with-aws-on-graviton-chips-to-power-agentic-ai/ https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/meta-aws-graviton-ai-partnership https://www.geekwire.com/2026/meta-signs-multibillion-dollar-deal-to-use-amazons-graviton-chips-for-agentic-ai/ OpenAI Releases GPT-5.5 — New Intelligence Tier for Agents, Coding, and Research https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/23/openai-announces-latest-artificial-intelligence-model.html https://community.openai.com/t/gpt-5-5-is-here-available-in-the-api-codex-and-chatgpt-today/1379630 The China AI Pricing Divide — DeepSeek, Kimi, and Open-Weight Chinese Models Running at Fractions of OpenAI/Anthropic Cost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdFa1eyIWI https://artificialanalysis.ai/models/deepseek-v4 https://the-decoder.com/kimi-k2-pricing-vs-openai-anthropic/ https://venturebeat.com/technology/deepseek-v4-arrives-with-near-state-of-the-art-intelligence-at-1-6th-the-cost-of-opus-4-7-gpt-5-5 The Flip With Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta All Reporting Earnings Today — Is the $500B+ Hyperscaler AI Capex Cycle Delivering Returns Fast Enough to Avoid a Reckoning? FOR: Google Cloud at 27% margin and $35B+ quarterly revenue pace is proof the cycle pays https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/04/alphabet-earnings-preview-q1-2026 Meta's $115-135B capex is being funded by 31% revenue growth — not debt https://tickeron.com/blogs/meta-platforms-meta-q1-2026-earnings-preview-31-revenue-growth-in-sight-12881/ Nvidia's $5T market cap and $1T+ in forward order visibility confirms demand is not slowing https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/nvidia-just-hit-an-all-time-high-why-some-think-a-rally-is-just-getting-started.html AGAINST: Microsoft is down 12% YTD despite beating estimates last quarter — the market is skeptical https://www.geekwire.com/2026/microsoft-earnings-preview-after-a-357-billion-wipeout-tech-giant-gets-another-chance/ ServiceNow -14% after a beat-and-raise is the most important AI earnings signal of the week https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/22/servicenow-now-earnings-q1-2026.html Meta just raised 2026 capex to $125-145B and shareholders punished the stock for it — the market is pricing in a payback timing problem https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/article/meta-q1-earnings-to-shine-spotlight-on-spending-with-capex-nearly-doubling-from-last-year-160136256.html https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/30/meta-says-its-business-ai-now-facilitates-10-million-conversations-a-week/ Bulls & Bears Fed Holds Rates Steady at 3.5-3.75% in Powell's Final Press Conference — 8-4 Vote is Most Dissents Since October 1992 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/fed-interest-rate-decision-april-2026.html https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/federal-reserve-interest-rate-decision-april-29-2026 https://www.kiplinger.com/news/live/fed-meeting-updates-and-commentary-april-2026 Nvidia Hits $5T Market Cap and All-Time High — First Record Since October https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/nvidia-just-hit-an-all-time-high-why-some-think-a-rally-is-just-getting-started.html https://polymarket.com/event/will-nvda-hit-week-of-april-27-2026 The Hyperscaler Cloud Read — AWS Reaccelerates to 28%, Microsoft Azure to 40%, AI Run Rates $15B+ and $37B https://www.heygotrade.com/en/blog/amazon-q1-2026-earnings-reaction/ https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/aws-earnings-q1-2026.html https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/earnings/FY-2026-Q3/income-statements https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/microsofts-maia-200-the-profit-engine-ai-needs/ Mag 7 Capex Read — Alphabet's Cloud Backlog Hits $460B+ While Meta Raises 2026 Capex to $125-145B https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/29/alphabet-googl-q1-2026-earnings.html https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/article/meta-q1-earnings-to-shine-spotlight-on-spending-with-capex-nearly-doubling-from-last-year-160136256.html https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/30/meta-says-its-business-ai-now-facilitates-10-million-conversations-a-week/ Samsung Electronics Q1 2026 — Record Quarter on AI Memory Boom; First Mass HBM4 Shipment to NVIDIA Vera Rubin https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-electronics-announces-first-quarter-2026-results https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/samsung-electronics-announces-first-quarter-2026-results https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-q1-2026-profit-hits-record-high-ai-chip-boom/ Apple Q2 FY2026 — Record $111.2B Revenue (+17%), Greater China +28%, $100B Buyback Authorized; Cook's 89th Earnings Call https://9to5mac.com/2026/04/30/apple-reports-q2-2026-earnings-111-2-billion-in-revenue-up-17/ https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/30/apple-2q-2026-earnings/ https://www.stocktitan.net/news/AAPL/apple-reports-second-quarter-gy0ooebphoid.html https://www.bloomberg.com/news/live-blog/2026-04-30/apple-second-quarter-earnings Qualcomm Q2 Earnings https://investor.qualcomm.com/files/doc_financials/2026/q2/FY2026-2nd-Quarter-Earnings-Presentation_4-29-26_Final.pdf https://www.benzinga.com/quote/QCOM/earnings https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/article/qualcomm-reports-better-than-anticipated-q2-earnings-stock-rises-over-10-155935310.html
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
Hey everyone, Alex here
Microsoft (MSFT) needs to show its AI CapEx spending is paying off, says John Belton. His focus will be on Microsoft Azure cloud growth and ways Copilot plays a role in it. "If they can show a good story" regarding the AI trade, "this is a stock that definitely has a lot of upside," says John. Tom White offers an example options trade for the Mag 7 giant. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
Meet Ben Miller, Senior Vice President of Data Science and Analytics at Bonterra, and Tanuja Korlepra, Chief Technology Officer at Bonterra. Starting the conversation, Ben shares his experience in fundraising analytics and industry research, while Tanuja mentions her background in big tech, including work with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and her passion for using technology to drive meaningful impact. The conversation introduces Bonterra as a mission-driven company that supports nonprofits through fundraising tools, donor engagement, and campaign management. Ben reflects on the early days of AI in fundraising, when predictive models faced skepticism, and contrasts that with today's rapid adoption following breakthroughs such as ChatGPT. Tanuja and Ben discuss key AI concepts -predictive, generative, and agentic- and highlight Bonterra's innovation, "Bonterra Que," an intelligent AI coach designed to help nonprofits improve fundraising outcomes. They also address the challenges of AI adoption, encouraging organizations to focus on practical use cases rather than hype. The episode closes with a strong emphasis on ethical AI, trust, and the shift toward outcome-driven solutions that empower nonprofits to achieve real-world impact more effectively. HIGHLIGHTS [03:37] Overview of Bonterra and Its Mission [06:40] Evolution of AI in Nonprofit Sector [10:34] Challenges and Opportunities in AI Adoption [15:09] Understanding Predictive, Generative, and Agentic AI [20:54] Development and Impact of Bonterra Que [30:01] Feedback and Success Stories from Bonterra Que Users [33:27] Outcomes as a Service in Fundraising [39:22] Responsible and Ethical Use of AI Resources: Connect with Ben and Tanuja: LinkedIn (Ben): linkedin.com/in/ben-miller Email (Ben): ben.miller@bonterratech.com LinkedIn (Tanuja): linkedin.com/in/tanuja-korlepra Email (Tanuja): tanuja.korlepra@bonterratech.com
6 ans d'attente.Il aura donc fallu 6 ans. En 2020, le choix de Microsoft Azure pour héberger les données de santé des Français avait déclenché une onde de choc. Tribunes, pétitions, débats politiques, batailles technologiques : la question de la souveraineté numérique s'était imposée dans le débat public avec une violence rare.6 ans plus tard, le Health Data Hub annonce sa migration vers Scaleway, l'un des champions du cloud européen.Un tournant qui dépasse le simple changement de prestataire. C'est la preuve que le cloud européen est désormais jugé capable de répondre aux enjeux du secteur.Un signal fort... mais suffisant pour embarquer le reste du marché et accélérer enfin la bascule souveraine à grande échelle ?Alain Garnier revient sur cet épisode qui fera date dans l'histoire de la souveraineté numérique européenne.Bon épisode
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
Dans ce 155 ème épisode de DigitalFeeling, je vous partage ce qu'il faut savoir sur les agents IA avant de les déployer en entreprise. Les agents IA sont sur toutes les lèvres. Tout le monde s'interroge sur le sujet. Comment déployer concrètement un agent IA ? A quoi ça sert ? Quelles sont les précautions à prendre ?C'est quoi un agent IA ?Commençons par la définition parce que la confusion est fréquente.Un LLM (comme ChatGPT ou Claude), c'est un modèle qui répond à vos questions. Vous entrez votre commande et il répond. Son intervention s'arrête là.Un agent IA, c'est un système capable de percevoir son environnement, de “raisonner”, de décider et d'agir de manière autonome pour atteindre un objectif (celui que vous lui avez fixer) sans que vous ayez besoin d'intervenir à chaque étape.Imaginez que vous lui demandiez :“Analyse les avis clients de notre dernière campagne et envoie un rapport hebdomadaire au directeur marketing.”Un agent va : extraire les avis → les analyser → identifier les tendances → rédiger le rapport → l'envoyer automatiquement. Sans que vous touchiez quoi que ce soit entre chaque étape.Les 4 composantes d'un agent IA :Perception : ce qu'il reçoit en entrée (texte, données, résultats d'outils)Mémoire : à court terme (la conversation) et long terme (base de données externe)Raisonnement : le modèle qui décide quoi faireAction : les outils qu'il peut déclencher (web, code, emails, CRM…)Comment développer un agent IA ?Il n'existe pas une seule façon de créer un agent. Tout dépend de votre niveau technique, de vos besoins et de vos contraintes. Voici 5 grandes approches pour développer votre agent IA, de la plus simple à la plus complexe.1. Environnements agents clé en mainDes solutions packagées comme Claude Cowork, Claude Projects, les GPTs d'OpenAI ou Microsoft Copilot embarquent déjà la logique agentique, prêtes à l'emploi, sans aucune compétence technique requise.✅ Idéal pour : des cas d'usage rapides sans infrastructure à déployerDélai de mise en œuvre : quelques heures2. No-code / Low-code (pour les profils métier)Au-delà de Make, Zapier et n8n, Google Workspace Studio, intégré dans Gmail, Drive, Calendar et Sheets, permet de créer des workflows automatisés en langage naturel grâce à Gemini.Côté choix, une distinction importante à connaître pour la sécurité :n8n — open source, peut être auto-hébergé gratuitement sur vos propres serveurs (option la plus souveraine), désormais enrichi de 70 nœuds IA natifs connectés aux grands LLMMake — hébergé en Europe, conforme RGPD, propose une option on-premise (hébergé en local)Zapier — 100% cloud hébergé aux États-Unis, sans option self-hosted (à éviter pour les données sensibles)✅ Idéal pour automatiser des tâches marketing répétitives (lead nurturing, reporting, publication réseaux sociaux).Délai de mise en œuvre : quelques heures3. Frameworks d'orchestration (pour les profils techniques)LangChain a sorti sa version 1.0, et son successeur LangGraph est désormais le framework recommandé pour les agents en production : il gère des workflows complexes et des agents multi-étapes de manière bien plus robuste. LangChain a également lancé Deep Agents, une librairie inspirée de Claude Code pour les tâches longues et complexes.Le reste de l'écosystème reste solide : LlamaIndex pour la gestion documentaire et le RAG, CrewAI pour les équipes d'agents multi-rôles en production, AutoGen (Microsoft) pour les conversations entre agents.✅ Idéal pour des agents multi-rôles qui collaborent entre eux, ou des besoins très spécifiques.Délai de mise en œuvre : quelques jours.4. API des grands modèles (pour les développeurs)Appeler directement l'API d'Anthropic (Claude), d'OpenAI (GPT-4) ou de Google (Gemini) et construire la logique autour. Le function calling et le tool use permettent à l'agent d'appeler des outils externes de façon structurée.✅ Idéal pour : intégrer un agent dans un produit ou un SI existantDélai de mise en œuvre : 1 à 2 semaines5. Développement from scratch (pour les équipes engineering)Construire un agent en Python pur, en gérant soi-même la boucle de raisonnement, la mémoire, les outils et la gestion des erreurs. La solution la plus exigeante techniquement, mais aussi la plus souveraine.✅ Idéal pour : des besoins très spécifiques ou des contraintes fortes de souveraineté des donnéesDélai de mise en œuvre : plusieurs semainesEt la sécurité ?C'est souvent l'angle mort des déploiements d'agents IA en entreprise. Et c'est pourtant le plus critique.Le risque : ne pas savoir où partent vos données !Quand votre agent IA traite des informations : données clients, données RH, données financières, ces informations transitent quelque part. La question est : où ?Quelle que soit la solution choisie :Anonymiser ou pseudonymiser les données avant de les injecter dans un promptCloisonner les accès : l'agent ne doit accéder qu'aux données strictement nécessairesLogger et auditer toutes les interactions de l'agentFormer les collaborateurs à ne pas copier-coller des données sensibles dans des interfaces grand publicLa sécurité d'un agent IA n'est pas une question de modèle, c'est une question d'architecture et de gouvernance.Le DPA : le document sous-estiméLe DPA (Data Processing Agreement) est un contrat juridique obligatoire dès lors que vous confiez le traitement de données personnelles à un prestataire externe. C'est l'article 28 du RGPD qui l'impose.Ce qu'il doit obligatoirement contenir :La nature et la finalité du traitementLe type de données et les catégories de personnes concernéesLa durée du traitementLes obligations du sous-traitantLes mesures de sécurité mises en placeLes conditions de sous-traitance ultérieureLes modalités de suppression des données en fin de contratSans DPA, vous êtes en infraction RGPD et exposé à une amende pouvant atteindre 4% de votre chiffre d'affaires mondial.Bonne nouvelle : Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft Azure et Google Workspace Enterprise proposent des DPA standards téléchargeables et signables en ligne. Google allant même jusqu'à fournir un guide DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) pour accompagner les entreprises dans leur analyse d'impact. Mistral AI propose quant à lui un DPA de droit français.Le DPA est le document qui prouve que votre entreprise est en conformité quand elle utilise un agent IA avec des données personnelles. Faites-le valider par votre DPO avant tout déploiement.Ce qu'il faut retenirLa technologie sécurise l'infrastructure. Le contrat sécurise le cadre juridique. Mais c'est la formation qui sécurise l'usage au quotidien.Adopter un agent IA en entreprise n'est jamais une décision purement technique. C'est une décision stratégique qui engage la direction juridique, le DPO, la DSI et qui nécessite que les équipes comprennent ce qu'elles utilisent réellement.
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
Mapped: The World's Data Centers by Country (2026) By Selva Ozelli Esq, CPA, Author of Sustainably Investing in Digital Assets Globally This is the first article in a series of articles I am writing for Irish Tech News to explore the financial, technical, legal aspects of utilizing space solar energized orbital data centers that are rapidly evolving into "AI Factories, designed specifically to convert massive amounts of electrical power into intelligence, measured in tokens" around the world. My new series is a follow up to an interview ITN conducted with me in 2020 exploring how space solar energy could sustainably energize the tokenization of the global financial markets which is projected to grow to multi-trillion dollars by the end of the decade. The growth of Sustainable Orbital Data Center Infrastructure Only five years after this interview, on December 10, 2025 PowerBank Corporation (Canada) launched the inaugural DeStarlink Genesis-1 satellite , marking Orbit AI's (Singapore) first step toward building its Orbital Cloud network — an architecture where AI compute, connectivity, and blockchain-verified processing occur directly in low-Earth satellites, powered by space solar energy. Such decentralized space infrastructure combining AI computing, global connectivity, and blockchain verification are likely to [gradually] take over functions of hyperscale earthbound data centers going forward. About Hyperscale Data Centers The United States is the leader in data center hosting, commanding over 40% of the world's facilities [over 5,000 facilities as of 2026], driven by a head start by US tech giants such as such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle and Google Cloud, which made high-volume investment in AI. At the start of this year, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, which advances his America's AI Action Plan. This was followed by the U.S. Department of Energy launching the Genesis Mission, a historic national effort that will use the power of artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery science, strengthen national security, and drive energy innovation. These policies have prompted several US based hyperscale data center companies to explore the integration of orbital solar energy for energy-intensive blockchain and AI verification processes. Hyperscale cloud providers are massive-scale data center service providers that operate extensive, globally dispersed data centers to deliver on-demand computing resources. These providers are characterized by their ability to scale horizontally and vertically to support millions of virtual machines and vast workloads by integrating edge cloud technology, to extend their services to smaller, distributed micro-data centers and network points closer to users for lower latency, better performance in remote areas. Hyperscale cloud providers store data for AI and use tokenization in two key ways: for AI model processing and for data security/compliance. They are the physical infrastructure that makes data center operations possible. However, hyperscale data centers are experiencing a massive surge in power and water demand driven by the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). These facilities, often requiring 100+ megawatts (MW) and sometimes up to 1 gigawatt (GW) for "AI factories," are redefining data centers as critical infrastructure that require consistent, 24/7 power. Therefore, US hyperscale cloud providers are exploring the concept of placing solar collection and data centers in orbit to leverage 24/7 constant solar energy and alleviate terrestrial power grid strain. The physical targeting of US based commercial data centers in the Persian Gulf during the U.S.-Iran conflict in March 2026 marked a historic first and a shift in warfare, where digital infrastructure was directly attacked and damaged. Following these events, the urgency f...
Welcome to Episode 425 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this audio and video episode recorded live at Microsoft headquarters during the MVP Summit, Ben welcomes a return guest, Joy Apple, to the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast and discuss her 20-year career in the Microsoft collaboration space, from financial services to SharePoint training, consulting, and her current role at Orchestry Software. Joy explains Orchestry as a Microsoft 365 governance automation layer covering templated provisioning for SharePoint and Teams, archiving policies (including Microsoft 365 Archive), guest management, and OneDrive governance. They emphasize that AI and Copilot amplify existing information architecture, permissions, and data hygiene issues, making governance more critical. They describe the MVP Summit as a “family reunion” where MVPs attend sessions and reconnect with peers. Joy and Ben also spend some time describing paths becoming an MVP and how much they just enjoy the community around the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and connecting with people both at MVP Summit as well as various conferences throughout the year. About Joy Apple Joy is a Microsoft MVP and Director of Success and Enablement at Orchestry. With years of experience as an information technologist, I'm dedicated to helping organizations implement technology with a purpose-driven, “human-first” approach, ensuring tools like Microsoft 365 empower people to do their best work. Teaching and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of what I do. Whether it's through volunteering in the Microsoft Community, speaking at events, or writing as the “Joy of SharePoint,” I'm passionate about helping others unlock their potential with modern workplace solutions. Im also a cohost of the Guardians of M365 Governance podcast, where I explore the challenges and rewards of governance, and a columnist for She is Tulsa, a quarterly magazine celebrating impactful stories from my local community. Outside of work, you'll often find me enjoying live music or discovering new spots in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining my love of connection and creativity wherever I go. Show Notes See the recording from the Microsoft Studios! Joy Apple on LinkedIn The Microsoft 365 Maturity Model – Governance, Risk, and Compliance Competency The Microsoft MVP Communities About the MVP Program Overview of Microsoft 365 Archive Guests in the Microsoft 365 admin center Mitigate Oversharing to Govern Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents Orchestry About the sponsors TrustedTech is a leading Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) specializing in Microsoft Cloud services, Microsoft perpetual licensing, and Microsoft Support Services for medium and enterprise-sized businesses. Our robust team of in-house, U.S-based Microsoft architects and engineers are certified in all 6/6 Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program. M365 Licensing Consultation M365 Tenant Assessment Copilot Readiness Assessment Your migration and governance solution for Microsoft 365 ShareGate helps your teams simplify tenant migrations, get Copilot-ready, and take control of Microsoft 365 governance. Our Microsoft 365 experts and Microsoft Azure experts focus on the Microsoft cloud, so you can focus on what you do best! Learn more how we can help you!
Bentornati e bentornate su Azure Italia Podcast, il podcast in italiano su Microsoft Azure!Per non perderti nessun nuovo episodio clicca sul tasto FOLLOW del tuo player
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, accelerating cloud migrations, and helping organizations fully leverage their data for next-generation applications and agentic AI. Multi-Cloud Momentum The Big Themes: Multi-Cloud Demand Explodes: Oracle's multi-cloud database is seeing massive demand, driven by customers wanting to run Oracle workloads in the same cloud environments as their applications. This shift eliminates friction between systems. The surge is amplified by AI, as organizations look to connect their data with services like Gemini, Bedrock, and Copilot. The reported 500%+ growth reflects not just technical appeal but a fundamental change in how enterprises think about infrastructure. AI Is the Growth Catalyst: Artificial intelligence is accelerating multi-cloud adoption at an unprecedented pace. Customers want their data co-located with AI tools and pipelines, enabling faster insights and innovation. Instead of moving data across environments with latency constraints, multi-cloud lets organizations bring AI to their data. This creates a powerful feedback loop where better access drives more experimentation and faster results. New Builders, New Energy: The adoption of multi-cloud is bringing in a new generation of developers and AI-focused professionals. These users are actively engaging with enterprise data to build innovative applications and AI-driven solutions. This marks a shift from traditional, tightly controlled database environments to more dynamic, accessible platforms. Organizations are no longer treating their data as static assets, they're using it as a foundation for continuous innovation and competitive advantage. The Big Quote: “We hear from customers a lot that they struggle with what I would call the tyranny of choice. There's just way too many options, way too complicated." More from Nathan Thomas and Oracle: Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn or learn more about Oracle and multi-cloud. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
https://clearmeasure.com/developers/forums/ James World is a technology leader with decades of hands‑on engineering experience, enabling enterprises to thrive through modern cloud and AI‑driven solutions. He has spent well over ten years architecting cloud‑native platforms on Microsoft Azure, guiding multiple development teams through complex digital transformations while remaining deeply involved in the code and critical technical decision‑making. His background spans financial services and other enterprise environments where reliability, performance, and scalability are non‑negotiable. He is a Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert and a polyglot developer, with extensive commercial experience primarily in .NET and C#, applied across distributed systems, event‑driven architectures, and modern AI integration patterns. He is currently focused on driving responsible and effective adoption of Generative AI within the enterprise—from engineering productivity and product enhancement to business‑assistive tooling. He has been involved with AI initiatives and won several AI hackathons, helping organizations move from experimentation to meaningful strategic value. He enjoys solving complex problems, mentoring engineers, and sharing practical insights on architecture, modern software development, and AI‑augmented delivery practices. He believes technologists never stop learning—and that commitment is what keeps the industry exciting. Mentioned in This Episode Context7 GitHub SpecKit OpenSpec Striker for mutation testing Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.
In this episode, Scott Becker shares discusses Microsoft's growth in Microsoft Azure and AI keeping its long term outlook strong, despite being down nearly 18% year to date.
In this episode, Scott Becker shares discusses Microsoft's growth in Microsoft Azure and AI keeping its long term outlook strong, despite being down nearly 18% year to date.
In this episode, hosts Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham take you inside how Oracle brings its industry-leading database technology directly to AWS customers. Senior Principal OCI Instructor Susan Jang unpacks what the OCI child site is, how Exadata hardware is deployed inside AWS data centers, and how the ODB network enables secure, low-latency connections so your mission-critical workloads can run seamlessly alongside AWS services. Susan also walks through the differences between Exadata Database Service and Autonomous Database, helping teams choose the right level of control and automation for their cloud databases. Oracle Database@AWS Architect Professional: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/course/oracle-databaseaws-architect-professional/155574 Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, Anna Hulkower, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode. ------------------------------------------------------------- Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started! 00:26 Nikita: Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast! I'm Nikita Abraham, Team Lead: Editorial Services with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Communications and Adoption with Customer Success Services. Lois: Hi there! Last week, we talked about multicloud and the partnerships Oracle has with Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services. If you missed that episode, do listen to it as it sets the foundation for today's discussion, which is going to be about Oracle Database@AWS. 00:59 Nikita: That's right. And we're joined by Susan Jang, a Senior Principal OCI Instructor. Susan, thanks for being here. To start us off, what is Oracle Database@AWS? Susan: Oracle Database@AWS is a service that allows Oracle Exadata infrastructure that is managed by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, to run directly inside an AWS data center. 01:25 Lois: Susan, can you go through the key architecture components and networking relationships involved in this? Susan: The AWS Cloud is the Amazon Web Service. It's a cloud computing platform. The AWS region is a distinct, isolated geographic location with multiple physically separated data center, also known as availability zone. The availability zone is really a physically isolated data center with its own independent power, cooling, and network connectivity. When we speak of the AWS data center, it's a highly secured, specialized physical facility that houses the computing storage, the compute servers, the storage server, and the networking equipment. The VPC, the Virtual Private Cloud, is a logical, isolated virtual network. The AWS ODB network is a private user-created network that connects the virtual private cloud network of Amazon resources with an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Exadata system. This is all within an AWS data center. The AWS-ADB peering is really an established private network connection that's between the Oracle VPC, the Virtual Private Cloud, and the Oracle Database@AWS network. And that would be the ODB. Within the AWS data center, you have something that you see called the child site. Now, an OCI child site is really a physical data center that is managed by Oracle within the AWS data center. It's a seamless extension of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The site is hosting the Exadata infrastructure that's running the Oracle databases. The Oracle Database@AWS service brings the power as well as the performance of an Oracle Exadata infrastructure that is managed by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to run directly in an AWS data center. 03:57 Nikita: So essentially, Oracle Database@AWS lets you to run your mission-critical Oracle data load close to your AWS application, while keeping management simple. Susan, what advantages does Oracle Database@AWS bring to the table? Susan: Oracle Database@AWS offers a powerful and flexible solution for running Oracle workloads natively within AWS. Oracle Database@AWS streamlines the process of moving your existing Oracle Database to AWS, making migration faster as well as easier. You get direct, low latency connectivity between your application and Oracle databases, ensuring a high performance for your mission-critical workloads. Billing, resource management, and operational tasks are unified, allowing you to manage everything through similar tools with reduce complexity. And finally, Oracle Database@AWS is designed to integrate smoothly with your AWS environments' workloads, making it so much easier to build, deploy, and scale your solutions. 05:15 Lois: You mentioned the OCI child site earlier. What part does it play in how Oracle Database@AWS works? Susan: The OCI child site really gives you the capability to combine the physical proximity and resources of AWS with the logical management and the capability of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. This integrated approach allows us to enable the ability for you to run and manage your Oracle databases seamlessly in your AWS environment while still leveraging the power of OCI, our Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. 06:03 Did you know that Oracle University offers free courses on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for subscribers! Whether you're interested in multicloud, databases, networking, security, AI, or machine learning, there's something for everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Pick your topic and get started by visiting mylearn.oracle.com. 06:29 Nikita: Welcome back! Susan, I'm curious about the Exadata infrastructure inside AWS. What does that setup look like? Susan: The Exadata Infrastructure consists of physical database, as well as storage servers. That is deployed-- the database and the storage servers are interconnected using a high-speed, low-latency network fiber, ensuring optimal performance and reliable data transfer. Each of the database server runs one or more Virtual Machines, or VMs, as we refer to them, providing flexible compute resources for different workloads. You can create, as well as manage your virtual machine, your VM clusters in this infrastructure using various methods. Your AWS console, Command-Line Interface, CLI, or Application Program Interface, that's your API, giving you various options, several options for automating, as well as integrating your existing tools. When you're creating your Exadata Infrastructure, there are a few things you need to define and set up. You need to define the total number of your database servers, the total number of your storage server, the model of your Exadata system, as well as the availability zone where all these resources will be deployed. This architecture delivers a high-performance resiliency and flexible management capability for running your Oracle Database on AWS. 08:18 Lois: Susan, can you explain the network architecture for Oracle Database deployments on AWS? Susan: The ODB network is an isolated network within the AWS that is designed specifically for Exadata deployments. It includes both the client, as well as the backup subnet, which are essential for securing and efficient database operations. When you create your Exadata Infrastructure, you need to specify the ODB network as you need the connectivity. This network is mapped directly to the corresponding network in the OCI child site. This will enable seamless communication between AWS, as well as the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The ODB network requires two separate CIDR ranges. And in addition, the client subnet is used for the Exadata VM cluster, providing connectivity for database operations. Well, you do also have another subnet. And that subnet is the backup subnet. And it's used to manage database backups of those VM cluster, ensuring not only data protection, but also data recovery. Within your AWS region and availability zone, the ODB network contains these dedicated client, as well as backup subnet. It basically isolates the Exadata traffic for both the day-to-day access, and that would be for the client, as well as the backup operations, and that would be for the backup subnet. This network design supports secure, high performance, and connectivity in a reliable backup management of the Oracle Database deployments that is running on AWS. 10:23 Nikita: Since we're on the topic of networking, can you tell us about ODB peering within the Oracle Database architecture? Susan: The ODB peering establishes a secure private connection between your AWS Virtual Private Cloud, your VPC, then the Oracle Database, the ODB network that contains your Exadata Infrastructure. This connection makes it possible for application servers that's running in your VPC, such as your Amazon EC2 instances to access your Oracle databases that is being hosted on Exadata within your ODB network. You specify the ODB network when you set up your infrastructure, specifically the Exadata Infrastructure. This network includes dedicated client, as well as backup subnets for an efficient and secure connectivity. If you wish to enable multiple VPCs to connect to the same ODB network and access the Oracle Database@AWS resources, you can leverage AWS Transit Gateways or even an AWS Cloud WAN for scalable and centralized connectivity. The virtual private cloud contains your application server, and that's securely paired with the Oracle Database network, creating a seamless, high-performance path to your application to interact with your Oracle Database. ODB peering simplifies the connectivity between the AWS application environments and the Oracle Exadata Infrastructure, thus supporting a flexible, high performance, and secure database access. 12:23 Lois: Now, before we close, can you compare two key databases that are available with Oracle Database@AWS: Oracle Exadata Database Service and Oracle Autonomous Database Service? Susan: The Exadata Database Service offers a fully managed and dedicated infrastructure with operational monitoring that is handled by you, the customer. In contrast, the Autonomous Database is fully managed by Oracle, taking care of all the operational monitoring. Exadata provides very high scalability though resources, such as disk and compute, must be sized manually. Where in the Autonomous Database, it offers high scalability through automatic elastic scaling. When we speak of performance, both service deliver strong results. Exadata offers ultra-low latency and Exadata-level performance, while the Autonomous Database delivers optimal performance with automation. Both services provide high migration capability. Exadata offers full compatibility and the Autonomous Database includes a robust set of migration tools. When it comes to management, Exadata requires manual management and administration. And that's really in a way to provide you the ability to customize it in the manner you desire, making it meets your very specific business needs, especially your database needs. In contrast, the Autonomous Database is fully managed by Oracle, including automated administration tasks, optimal self-tuning features to further reduce any management overhead. When we speak of the feature sets, the Exadata delivers a full suite of Oracle features, including the RAC application cluster, or the Real Application Cluster, RAC, whereas the Autonomous offers a complete feature set, but specifically that is designed for optimized Autonomous operations. Finally, when we speak of integration, integration for both of this service integrates seamlessly with AWS service, such as your EC2, your network, the VPC, your policies, the Identity and Access Management, your IAM, the monitoring with your CloudWatch, and of course, your storage, your SC, ensuring a consistent experience within your AWS ecosystem. 15:21 Nikita: So, you could say that the Exadata Database Service is better for customers who want dedicated infrastructure with granular control, while the Autonomous Database is built for customers who want a fully automated experience. Thank you, Susan, for taking the time to talk to us about Oracle Database@AWS. Lois: That's all we have for today. If you want to learn more about the topics we discussed, head over to mylearn.oracle.com and search for the Oracle Database@AWS Architect Professional course. In our next episode, we'll find out how to get started with the Oracle Database@AWS service. Until then, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 16:06 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.
Multicloud is changing the way modern teams run their workloads: with real choice and real control. In this episode, hosts Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham welcome Senior Principal OCI Instructor Sergio Castro, who explains how Oracle has partnered with Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS to bring Oracle Database directly inside their data centers, unlocking sub-millisecond latency and new levels of flexibility. They discuss how organizations can seamlessly migrate from on-premises or between clouds with minimal disruption, take advantage of best-in-class cloud services, and enhance business continuity. Oracle Database@AWS Architect Professional: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/course/oracle-databaseaws-architect-professional/155574 Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, Anna Hulkower, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode. ------------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started! 00:26 Lois: Hello and welcome to the Oracle University Podcast! I'm Lois Houston, Director of Communications and Adoption with Customer Success Services, and with me is Nikita Abraham, Team Lead: Editorial Services. Nikita: Hi everyone! We're kicking off a new season of the podcast today, this time on Oracle Database@AWS. But before we fully dive into that, we've got Sergio Castro with us to introduce multicloud and talk about some of its use cases. Sergio, who you may have heard on the podcast before, is a Senior Principal OCI Instructor with Oracle University. 01:02 Lois: Hi Sergio! Thanks for joining us today. We've spoken a lot about multicloud before, but we couldn't possibly discuss Oracle Database@AWS without another quick intro to multicloud. So, for anyone who doesn't already know, what is multicloud? And could you also talk about what Oracle is doing in this space? Sergio: It is the use of several Cloud providers to deliver an IT service. Basically, a multi-cloud strategy allows organizations to distribute their workloads across multiple Cloud platforms and providers. This will help aiding the flexibility when picking the right tool for each job. Basically, by selecting the best Cloud Service, IT architects can take advantage of each provider's strengths, including custom hardware, software, and service capabilities. And Oracle is a pioneer in multi-cloud. We have partnerships with Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, and we've been doing multi-cloud since 2019, including Oracle Interconnect for Azure and Oracle Interconnect for Google Cloud. Our multi-cloud products is the Oracle Database Service at Azure, at Google Cloud, and at AWS. Here we have our database inside the data centers of these Cloud Service providers. And multi-cloud can be complemented by resources that you have on-premises, providing you with a hybrid Cloud model. And our public Cloud offerings are not limited to the commercial realm. Multi-cloud is beginning to be available also in the government realm. You can now find Oracle Interconnect for Azure in the US government realm. We also have government realm offerings in the UK and in the European Union. And of course, dedicated Cloud. If you're going to be involving on-premises, you can also have all the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure resources behind your firewall, behind your routers with dedicated Cloud. So the offers from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure are really exceptional. It offers you great flexibility and choice. And the choice is yours. You select the platform for your Oracle Cloud solutions. 03:39 Nikita: You've already mentioned a few of them, but could you talk about the various benefits of multicloud? Sergio: A solid multi-cloud approach enables organizations to leverage the unique strengths and offerings of various Cloud service providers. By not being limited to a single vendor's capabilities or policies, businesses can adapt quickly to changing environments, deploy workloads where they fit best, and rapidly integrate new solutions as market demands evolve. Relying on a single Cloud vendor can make it challenging and costly to migrate workloads or switch providers if businesses needs change. Multi-cloud strategies mitigate this risk by distributing applications and data across multiple platforms, making technology transition smoother and giving organizations greater bargaining power. Now, diminishing single points of failure at the Cloud service provider level is great, because distributing systems and data across multiple clouds can definitely reduce dependence on a single provider or region. This increased geographic diversity improves resilience and provides a more robust backup and recovery option, helping to ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster or even an outage. With access to a range of pricing models and service levels from different providers, organizations can allocate workloads based on cost effectiveness. This best fit approach encourages cost savings by enabling the selection of the most economical provider for each workload. And this facilitates continuous cost optimization efforts. For example, OCI provides significantly lower data egress charges, this in comparison to our competitors. Multicloud management empowers organizations to place their workloads in the environments where they perform the best. By distributing workloads based on latency, processing power, or data proximity, businesses can realize performance improvements and achieve higher availability for their critical services. Now regarding best of breed, each Cloud provider brings unique innovations and specialized services to the market. With a multi-cloud approach, organizations can tailor solutions to meet specific business needs. Operating across multiple Cloud platforms means access to a wider array of data centers worldwide. This extended reach supports expansion into new markets, improves local performance for users, and helps satisfy data sovereignty requirements in diverse jurisdictions. And speaking about jurisdictions, this flexibility helps meet industry standards and regional data protection laws more effectively. 06:50 Nikita: You mentioned that Oracle's multicloud journey started in 2019 with Azure. What was that early phase like? Sergio: The Oracle Cloud Infrastructure multi-cloud offering started with the Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure, where we connect FastConnect, our digital circuit, to the equivalent Express Route, the digital circuit of Microsoft Azure. Basically FastConnect, it is used typically for extending the OCI services into on-premises. In this case, it is extending these services into another Cloud Service provider, Microsoft Azure or various applications. 07:29 Lois: And then we moved on to Oracle Database Service for Azure, right? Sergio: It's very similar to what we have right now, the Oracle Database Service at Azure, except that back then, the interface was on OCI. Basically on OCI, we had a console that resembled Azure, but all the services were still running on OCI. Now, the difference with Oracle Database Service at Azure is that we extended Oracle Cloud Infrastructure into the Azure data centers. So Oracle Database at Azure is a child site in the Microsoft Azure data centers. Basically we are placing our hardware in Azure data centers. And this gives us a very good latency, sub-one millisecond latency. 08:24 Lois: What about Oracle's multicloud services with Google and Amazon Web Services? Sergio: Oracle Interconnect org and Oracle Database app are available for Google Cloud. We do have a service called Oracle Interconnect or Google Cloud, similar to the Azure one. And we also have the Oracle Database inside the Google Cloud data centers operating as a child site. And back in 2024 during Oracle Cloud World, we announced Oracle Database@AWS. This product is now available in two AWS regions. In a similar way, we have the Oracle Database inside the AWS data center with sub-one millisecond latency. We are currently in two data centers, but we have brought plans for being available in over 20 plan regions between Oracle Cloud and Amazon Web Services. 09:32 Nikita: Sergio, how do the capabilities of Oracle Database multicloud help enterprises modernize? Sergio: Oracle Database multi-cloud capabilities help enterprise modernize, adopting a Gen AI strategy, obviously, using the Oracle database to bring Oracle's powerful AI to business data. When you move to multi-cloud environments, you have a playground for you to test and run your workloads and then go into productions with your choice of services on the Oracle Exadata. And reducing risk, it's very easy to move to cloud and gain Oracle maximum availability architecture benefits. And by moving into a multi-cloud environment, you guarantee that you're going to be lowering your cost because you're going to be selecting the best of breed of the services that the Cloud Service provider can offer. Now, with the Oracle Database on multi-cloud environments, you're able to port your Oracle Database knowledge that you have from on-premises to a single cloud provider to a multi-cloud environment. It is the same solution, the same Oracle Database capabilities available everywhere-- on-premises, on your private cloud, on a single cloud provider, or on a multi-cloud environment. Having the same capabilities make it very easy to migrate from on-premises or to migrate from one cloud service provider to the other. Oracle Database multi-cloud solutions really offer the best of both worlds. So a choice of services directly from hyperscaler marketplace and the vendor's cloud portal. 11:21 Lois: And when you say "hyperscalers," who exactly are you referring to? Sergio: These hyperscalers, we're talking about OCI, we're talking about Azure, we're talking about Google cloud, we're talking about AWS. Having the Oracle Database inside the Cloud data centers, regardless of who the hyperscaler provider is, guarantees low latency from your application into your database. But Oracle Database is not the only product. We also offer Oracle Interconnect for Azure and GCP. So if you want to go beyond Oracle Database@Cloud Service provider, or if you're looking to going into a region where the service is not available yet, you can leverage the Oracle Interconnect for Azure or Google Cloud platform. Basically, this service interconnects the Cloud Service providers. We have a partnership and selected regions where we interconnect with either Azure or Google Cloud platform. 12:25 Are you working toward an Oracle Certification? Join one of our live certification prep events! Get insider tips from seasoned experts and connect with others on the same path. Visit mylearn.oracle.com and kick off your certification journey today! 12:45 Nikita: Welcome back! Sergio, could you tell us about some key Oracle Database multicloud use cases? Sergio: Move to cloud. Lift and shift from on-premises to Cloud. Lift and shift from one Cloud Service provider to the other, and consolidate your database on Exadata. This will guarantee all the tools that you need for building innovative applications, bringing artificial intelligence to your business data, on the Oracle powerful AI suite, and combine Database AI with hyperscaler services and frameworks. Remember, the best of breed from the Cloud Service provider of your choice. And this will allow you to reduce complexity and cost. Now according to knowledge is not the only thing. You can also lift and ship without refactoring your data, reducing migration times, complexity, and costs with the Oracle Database Exadata and maximum availability architecture. 13:47 Nikita: What are the key differentiators and benefits of moving Oracle Database workloads to the cloud? Sergio: Extreme performance. Accelerate your database workloads with scalability, scale infrastructure, and consumption, and extreme cost optimization. But that's not all. You also get extreme availability with the Oracle maximum availability architecture, extreme resiliency, making sure that you're always running with high availability and disaster recovery protection and extreme simplicity. So you can use all your Oracle Database and Exadata capabilities. Build innovative applications with Cloud-First capabilities. These are Cloud native capabilities that are going to enable you to innovate for all your applications. And having a unified multi-cloud environment reduce complexity and cost because you can leverage your Exadata infrastructure with share licenses, low administration with database lifecycle automation, and purchase through your hyperscaler marketplace. So you can only have one vendor running all billing, even if you're leveraging multi-cloud solutions. And you can leverage your Oracle investments with bring-your-own-license and earn up to 33% towards Oracle tech license. Reduce administration by up to 65% with the Autonomous self-driving database. Only pay consumption for actual usage with online scaling, Autonomous Database, elastic pools, and per second billing. And enjoy advanced features at no added cost, like using the built-in AI vector search. 15:31 Lois: Can you give us a real-world example of a company using Oracle Database@AWS? Sergio: Fidelity Investments rely on Oracle Database@AWS. They were one of the very first customers to leverage the best of both worlds, in this case, the offering from the AWS hyperscale applications and the Oracle Database Exadata Cloud service inside AWS. Specifically, Fidelity uses this integration to make it easier to move some of its database workloads to AWS, combining the reliability and security of AWS with the critical enterprise software provided by Oracle. 16:17 Lois: Thank you, Sergio, for joining us on the podcast! To learn more about what we discussed today, head over to mylearn.oracle.com and search for the Oracle Database@AWS Architect Professional course. Join us next week when we dive deep into what Oracle Database@AWS is all about. Until then, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 16:43 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.
Microsoft (MSFT) sold off on earnings while Meta Platforms (META) rallied. Michael Ni believes that happened because of how each company is backing margins through CapEx spending. He points to Meta's AI integration for advertising as the strongest point, while noting Microsoft's narrative as unclear. With that in mind, Stephanie Walter still cites Microsoft Azure growth as robust. She makes the case to Microsoft's sell-off as unwarranted. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
Send us a textIn this episode of the B2B Go-To-Market Leaders Podcast, Vijay Damojipurapu sits down with Joseph Sirosh, Founder & CEO of CreatorsAGI, to explore how go-to-market strategy fundamentally changes in the age of AI, and why trust, differentiation, and customer clarity matter more than ever.With nearly three decades of experience leading AI initiatives at FICO, Amazon, Microsoft Azure, Compass, and Alexa Shopping, Joseph shares rare behind-the-scenes insights into how AI products actually make it to market, from early neural networks and fraud detection to today's agentic AI systems.The conversation spans founder-led sales, product-led vs. sales-led growth, and why AI forces companies to rethink how customers discover, evaluate, and trust complex products.They dive into:How Joseph defines GTM as ICP clarity plus differentiated value, not tactics or channels.Why GTM is never static and must evolve alongside product and customer maturity.The role of trust in B2B buying, and why buyers are betting their careers on your product.Lessons from selling AI at hyperscale versus starting from zero as a founder.Why product-led growth resembles DevOps for go-to-market.When sales-led growth is unavoidable and why complex products demand partnership selling.The early pivot from creator-focused AI to B2B agentic AI at Creators AGI.A real GTM success story showing how AI agents cut sales cycles in half.Why customers can't always tell you what AI product to build, and what founders should do instead.Practical advice for founders building GTM motions around emerging, fast-moving technology.This episode is a masterclass in AI-native go-to-market strategy, blending deep technical insight with real-world GTM execution from one of the industry's most experienced AI leaders.Connect with Vijay Damojipurapu on LinkedInConnect with Joseph Sirosh on LinkedInBrought to you by: stratyve.com
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I explore how AI and healthcare are intersecting at an unprecedented pace.Highlights00:14 — Discoveries in healthcare are coming at an unprecedented pace. Capabilities have never been greater, and new methods of consulting with and treating patients are consistently emerging. However, all of this progress brings with it a significant administrative burden, because the more variables you introduce, the more complexity arises.00:34 — The key to unraveling this complexity and alleviating the burden on healthcare professionals is AI. Microsoft has announced that Anthropic has added tools, connectors, and skills to Claude in Microsoft Foundry. These new capabilities enable healthcare and life sciences organizations to leverage advanced reasoning, agentic workflows, and model intelligence.01:30 — Claude for Healthcare provides domain-specific tools and resources to support both medical and operational workflows, covering a wide range of use cases such as patient care, triage, coordination, and claims processing. Claude for Life Sciences helps accelerate research and development by connecting to scientific platforms and enabling the generation of high-quality protocol materials with far greater ease.02:23 — It's important to note that these services are delivered through Foundry, which benefits from a secure, enterprise-ready foundation provided by Microsoft Azure. This enables companies to scale their capabilities securely and compliantly. AI is most powerful and impactful when next-generation models like Claude are paired with infrastructure such as Foundry. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
In this episode with Pinecone CEO Ash Ashutosh, James explores why Pinecone stands out in the AI landscape. Pinecone is designed to handle billions of vectors with low latency, transforming data into actionable knowledge, thus enhancing business processes and decision-making. James speaks with Ash about Pinecone's strategic partnership with Microsoft Azure, and Pinecone empowers enterprises to fully leverage AI's potential. The focus on context-aware systems provides real-time, relevant solutions, making AI more valuable and aligning with essential AI-first strategies for modern businesses.Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8xWvZ8jTZUConnect with Ash @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashashutosh/.Connect with James @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmcaton/
This year's AWS re:Inforce conference was larger and fueled by greater agentic capabilities. Part of the 451 Research team that was at the conference, Henry Baltazar, Scott Crawford, William Fellows and Melanie Posey, join host Eric Hanselman to explore the announcements and progress that's been made in expanding agentic capabilities and much more. As an incumbent infrastructure provider, AWS is looking to the top of the infrastructure stack to secure their advantage. A suite of developer tools, including the Kiro IDE, are looking to make the creation and operation of agents simpler. There was progress in FinOps, with greater cost transparency and support for partner opportunities in helping customers manage their cloud spend. There was also a more enthusiastic embrace of multicloud environments, with the introduction of AWS Interconnect, a service that provides easy and scalable interconnection with other cloud providers, with Google being the first and Microsoft Azure said to be in the works. 451 Research's Voice of the Enterprise (VotE) data shows dramatic increases in data migration volumes, making interconnection performance more critical. With the holidays in full swing, how many Mariah Carey song title references can you spot in this episode? More S&P Global Content: Next in Tech episode 236: Data Migration Next in Tech episode 222: FinOps AI for security: Agentic AI will be a focus for security operations in 2025 For S&P Global subscribers: 2026 Trends in Applied Infrastructure & DevOps Data Insight: SKU removals run out of steam — hyperscale SKU changes for November 2025 AWS' agentic strategy comes into focus with AgentCore platform and pre-built agents Cloud spending expansion on tap for 2026 despite bleak macroeconomic outlook – Highlights from VotE… Credits: Host/Author: Eric Hanselman Guests: Henry Baltazar, Scott Crawford, William Fellows, Melanie Posey Producer/Editor: Feranmi Adeoshun Published With Assistance From: Sophie Carr, Kyra Smith
Join us for the final episode of 2025 as Mark Tinderholt (Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft Azure, HashiCorp Ambassador, and author of "Mastering Terraform") teaches us Infrastructure as Code through Minecraft! If you've ever wanted to learn Terraform in a fun, visual way, this is the episode for you. Mark demonstrates how to use the Minecraft Terraform provider to build infrastructure in-game, making complex IaC concepts tangible and engaging. You'll see live demos of provisioning Minecraft resources, managing dependencies, handling state, and even importing existing structures into Terraform. This unique approach transforms abstract infrastructure concepts into something you can literally see and interact with—perfect for visual learners, educators, or anyone looking to make IaC training more engaging. Whether you're teaching your team Terraform or just want a creative way to understand infrastructure patterns, this episode shows you how gaming and cloud engineering can come together. Subscribe to vBrownBag for weekly tech education! ⸻ Timestamps 0:00 Welcome & Technical Difficulties 1:27 Last Episode of 2025! 4:41 Planning for 2026 5:37 Mark Tinderholt Joins 6:14 Introduction to Minecraft + Terraform 8:52 Why Use Minecraft for Teaching IaC? 12:35 Getting Started: Requirements & Setup 16:47 The Minecraft Terraform Provider 20:18 First Demo: Provisioning Basic Blocks 28:32 Managing State in Minecraft 35:41 Working with Dependencies 42:16 Advanced Patterns: For_each & Count 48:55 Importing Existing Structures 55:23 Real-World Applications & Teaching 1:00:17 Q&A: Provider Limitations & Features 1:05:24 Minecraft Level Building Tools Discussion 1:09:05 Final Giveaway & Wrap-Up How to find Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marktinderholt/ Links from the show: Marks repos: https://github.com/markti?tab=repositories Marks book: https://amzn.to/3N1rnuJ Mark's Ignite talk: https://ignite.microsoft.com/en-US/sessions/7fa5095f-9f65-46e3-9f82-9af6603ea903
Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Jen Odess, Group Vice President of Partner Excellence at ServiceNow, joins Vince Menzione to discuss the company’s incredible transformation from an IT ticketing solution to a leading AI-native platform for business transformation. Jen dives deep into how ServiceNow has strategically invested in and infused AI into its unified platform over the last decade, enabling over a billion workflows daily. She also outlines the critical role of the partner ecosystem, which executes 87% of all implementations, and reveals the company’s strategic initiatives, including its commitment to the hyperscaler marketplaces, the goal to hit half a billion dollars in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI product, and the push for partners to adopt an ‘AI-native’ methodology to capitalize on the fact that customers still want over 70% of AI buying to be done through partners. Key Takeaways ServiceNow is an ‘AI-native’ company, having invested in and built AI directly into its unified platform for over a decade. The company’s core value today is in its unified AI platform, single data model, and leadership in workflows that connect the entire enterprise. ServiceNow will hit $500 million in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI products by the end of 2025, making it the fastest-growing product in company history. An astonishing 87% of all ServiceNow implementations are done by its global partner ecosystem, highlighting their crucial role. The company is leveraging the half-trillion-dollar opportunity of durable cloud budgets by driving marketplace transactions and helping customers burn down cloud commits using ServiceNow solutions. To win in the AI era, partners must adopt AI internally, co-innovate on the platform, and strategically differentiate themselves to rank higher in the forthcoming agentic matching system. Key Tags: ServiceNow, AI-native platform, Now Assist, Jen Odess, partner excellence, workflow leader, AI platform for business transformation, hyperscalers, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, marketplace transactions, cloud commits, AIDA model, agentic matching, F-Pattern, Z-Pattern, group vice president, MSP, GSI, co-innovation, autonomous implementation, technical constraints, visual hierarchy, UX, UI, responsive design. Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript: Jen Odess Audio Podcast [00:00:00] Jen Odess: The AI platform for business transformation, and I love to say to people, it sounds like a handful of cliche words that just got stacked together. The AI platform for business transformation. Yeah. We all know these words, so many companies use ’em, but it is such deliberate language and I love to explain why. [00:00:20] Vince Menzione: Welcome to, or welcome back to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi on your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. Today we have a special leader, Jen Odes is the GVP for Partner Excellence at ServiceNow. And joins me here in the studio in Boca Raton. [00:00:40] Vince Menzione: Jen, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Vince. It’s so great to be here. I am so thrilled to welcome you. To Boca Raton, Florida. Our podcast home look at this amazing background we have Here is this, and this is where we host our ultimate partner Winter retreat. Actually, in February, we’re gonna give that a plug. [00:00:58] Vince Menzione: Okay. I’d love to have you come back. I’d love to have an invite. And you flew in this morning from Washington DC [00:01:04] Jen Odess: I did. It was 20 degrees when I left my house this morning and this backdrop. Is definitely giving me, island South Florida like vibes. It’s fabulous. [00:01:13] Vince Menzione: And we’re gonna talk about ServiceNow. [00:01:14] Vince Menzione: And you’re also opening an office down here? We [00:01:17] Jen Odess: are [00:01:17] Vince Menzione: in West Palm Beach. Not too far from where we are. Yes. Later 2026. Yeah. I love that. And then so we’ll work on the recruiting year, but let’s dive in. Okay. So thrilled to have ServiceNow and to have you in the room. This has been an incredible time for your organization. [00:01:31] Vince Menzione: I have been watching, obviously I work with Microsoft. We’ve had Google. In the studio, Amazon onboard as well. And other than those three organizations, I can’t think of any other legacy organization that has embraced AI more succinctly than ServiceNow. And I thought we’d start there, but I really wanna spend some time getting to know you and getting to know your role, your mission, and your journey to this incredible. [00:01:57] Vince Menzione: Leadership role as a global vice president. We’ll talk about Or [00:02:01] Jen Odess: group. Group Vice president. I know it doesn’t roll off the tongue. I get it. A group vice president doesn’t roll. [00:02:05] Vince Menzione: G-V-P-G-V-P doesn’t roll off the time. And in some organizations it is global. It is in other organizations, it’s group. So let’s, you’re not [00:02:12] Jen Odess: the first to say global vice president. [00:02:14] Jen Odess: Okay. I’ll take either way. It’s fine. [00:02:15] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Yeah. And might be a promotion. Let’s talk. Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about you and your career journey and your mission. [00:02:22] Jen Odess: Yeah, so I’ve been at ServiceNow for five years. In fact, January will be like the five year anniversary and then it will be the beginning of my sixth year. [00:02:31] Jen Odess: Amazing. And I actually got hired originally to build out the initial partner enablement function. So it didn’t really exist five years ago. There was certainly enablement that happened to Sure. All individuals that were. Using, consuming, buying ServiceNow, working with ServiceNow. But the partner enablement function from pre to post-sale, that whole life cycle didn’t exist yet. [00:02:54] Jen Odess: So that was my initial job. I got hired to run partner enablement and it before. And how big [00:02:59] Vince Menzione: was your partner organization at that point? It must have been pretty small. [00:03:01] Jen Odess: It was actually not as small as you would think. Gosh, that’s a great question. You’re challenging my memory from five years ago. [00:03:08] Jen Odess: I know that we’re over 2,500 partners today and we add hundreds every year, so it had to have been in the low one thousands. Wow. Is where we were five years ago. But the maturity of the ecosystem is grossly larger today than it was then. I can imagine. So back then there was less than 30,000 individuals that were skilled on ServiceNow to sell or solution or deliver. [00:03:34] Jen Odess: Today there’s almost a hundred thousand. Wow. So yeah that’s like the maturity in the capability within the ecosystem. But before I start on my ServiceNow and my group vice president. Which is a great role, by the way. Group Vice President. Yeah. Partner Excellence group. I’m very proud of it. [00:03:49] Jen Odess: But but let me tell you what brought me here, please. So I actually came from a partner, but not in the ServiceNow ecosystem. Okay. I won’t name the partner, but let’s just say it’s a competitor, a competitive ecosystem. And I worked for a services shop that today I would refer to as multinational. [00:04:11] Jen Odess: Kind of a boutique darling, but with over 1,500 consultants, so Okay. A behemoth as well? Yeah. Privately held. And we were a force to be reckoned with, and it was really fun. I held so many roles. I was a customer success manager. I led the data science practice at one point. I ran global alliances and partnerships. [00:04:35] Jen Odess: At one point I was the chief of staff to the CEO at the time that company was acquired. Big global si. And and then at one point I even spun off for the big global SI and helped run a culture initiative to transform co corporate culture. Wow. Very inside the whole organization. Wow. That is very, yeah. [00:04:54] Jen Odess: Really interesting set of roles. And the whole reason I came to ServiceNow is by the time I was concluding that journey in that ecosystem on the services side, I felt like. I didn’t fully understand what it meant to be on the software product side. And I often felt like I approached friction or moments of frustration and heartache with resentment for the software company. [00:05:20] Jen Odess: Sure. Or maybe just a lack of empathy for what they must be going through as well. It always felt like I was on the kind of [00:05:26] Vince Menzione: negative you were on the other side of the table. Totally. [00:05:27] Jen Odess: Yeah. And, or maybe like the redheaded stepchild kind of a concept as a partner. And so I sought out to. Learn more, which is probably a big piece of my journey is just constant curiosity. [00:05:38] Jen Odess: Nice. And I thought I think the thing I’m missing is seeing what it means firsthand to be on the software product side. And that was what led me to a career at ServiceNow. Five years strong. Yeah. So [00:05:50] Vince Menzione: talk about partner experience for those who don’t know what that means. [00:05:53] Jen Odess: Yeah. Today my role is partner excellence, but it used to be partner experience. [00:05:58] Jen Odess: Okay. And so the don’t. Yeah, that’s normal to say both things. And they actually mean two very different things. [00:06:04] Vince Menzione: Yeah, I would say so. [00:06:05] Jen Odess: And we deliberately changed the title about a year ago. So today, partner Excellence is about really ensuring that we build a vibrant AI led ecosystem. And that’s from the whole life cycle of the partner, from the day they choose to be a partner and onboard, and hopefully to the day they’re just. [00:06:23] Jen Odess: Thriving and growing like crazy, and then across the whole life cycle of the customer pre to post sale. So it’s, we are almost like the underpinning and the infras infrastructure. Someone once said it’s like we’re the insurance policy of all global partnerships and channels. That’s how we operate across global partnerships and channels and service Now. [00:06:42] Vince Menzione: And you have a very intimate relationship with those partners. We’re gonna dive in on that as well. Yes. But let’s talk about this time like no other. I talk about tectonic shifts at all of our events. People that listen to our podcasts know we talk about the acceleration of transformation, and it’s happening so fast. [00:06:58] Vince Menzione: It was happening fast even during COVID. But then. I’ll call this date or time period, the November 20, 22 time period when Chat GPT launched. Oh yeah. And that really changed the world in many respects, right? Yeah. Microsoft had already leaned in with chat, GPT, Google, we talked to Google about this. [00:07:17] Vince Menzione: Even having them in the room was like, they were caught flatfooted in a way, and they had a lot of the technology and they didn’t lean in. But it feels like ServiceNow was one of the first, certainly on the ISV side of the house and refer to the term ISV. Loosely, because hyperscalers are ISVs as well. [00:07:34] Vince Menzione: They were early to lean in and have leaned it in such a way from a business application perspective that I believe we haven’t seen embracing and infusing AI into your platform. I was hoping we could dive in a little bit on ServiceNow from a. Kinda legacy, what the organization was and is today. [00:07:56] Vince Menzione: And then also this infusion of AI into the platform. If you don’t mind, [00:07:59] Jen Odess: I love this topic. Okay. And I feel like it’s such a privilege to talk about ServiceNow on this topic because we really are a leader in the category. I’ll almost rewind back to over 20 years ago when the company was founded. [00:08:11] Jen Odess: Today, fast forward, we are so much more than an IT ticketing company. We are, [00:08:16] Vince Menzione: but that was the legacy. That’s how I knew service now 20 years ago. [00:08:19] Jen Odess: And what a beautiful legacy. Yeah. But we have expanded immensely beyond that. And that’s the beautiful story to tell customers. That’s so fun. [00:08:28] Jen Odess: But what what I love is that. So 20 years ago, that was where we started. And today, do you know that over a billion workflows are put to work every single day for our customers? A billion [00:08:38] Vince Menzione: workflows, over a billion workflows. That’s crazy. [00:08:40] Jen Odess: And 87% of all implementations for ServiceNow were done by partnerships. [00:08:46] Jen Odess: And channels. That’s fantastic. So you think about those billion plus workflows daily, all because of our partner ecosystem. This is my small plug. I’m just very proud 80, proud 86%. [00:08:56] Vince Menzione: Did you hear that? Part’s 86%. [00:08:57] Jen Odess: Amazing. And so that’s like what we’re, that’s what we’re a leader in the category. We are a leader in workflows categorically. [00:09:05] Jen Odess: But then over a decade ago, we started investing in ai. We started building it right into our platform, and this becomes the next kind of notch on our belt, which is we are a unified platform. Nothing is bolted on, nothing is just apid in. Yeah, it is a unified platform. So all of that AI that for the past decade we’ve been building in into our platform. [00:09:28] Jen Odess: Just in our AI platform, which is now what we are calling it, the AI platform. [00:09:34] Vince Menzione: And I would say that unless you were a startup starting up from scratch today and building on an LLM, we were building in a way I don’t think any other organization’s gonna actually state that [00:09:45] Jen Odess: what’s actually why we call ourselves AI native. [00:09:47] Jen Odess: Yeah, beca for that exact reason. And that’s who we’re competing with a lot these days, is the truly AI native startups where they didn’t have, the 20 years. Previously that we had, but that’s what makes us so unique in the situation, is that unified AI platform, a single data model that can connect to anything. [00:10:07] Jen Odess: And then the workflow leader. And when you put all those things together, AI plus data, plus workflows and that’s where the magic happens. Yeah. Across the enterprise. It’s pretty cool. [00:10:17] Vince Menzione: That is very cool. And you start thinking about, and we start talking about agent as a, as an example. Let’s talk about this for a second. [00:10:23] Vince Menzione: You, when what is this bolt-on, we could use the terms co-pilot, we could use Ag Agent ai, but they are generally bolted onto an existing application today. So take us through the 10 years and how it has become a portion or a significant portion. Of ServiceNow. [00:10:41] Jen Odess: When say the question a little bit more. [00:10:43] Jen Odess: Like when you say it’s, yeah, when which examples have bolted on? [00:10:47] Vince Menzione: So exa, we, what we see today is the hyperscalers coming out with their own solution sets, right? They’re taking and they’re offering it up to their ecosystem to infuse it into their product and portfolio. To me, those that look like bolted on in many respects, unless it’s an AI need as a native organization, a startup organization. [00:11:07] Vince Menzione: They’re mostly taking and re-engineering or bolting onto their existing solutions. [00:11:12] Jen Odess: I follow. Yeah. Thank you for giving me a little more context. So I call this our any problem. It’s like one of the best problems to have we can connect into. Anything, any cloud, any ai, any platform, any system, any data, any workflow, and that’s where any hyperscaler, and that’s the part that makes it so incredible. [00:11:32] Jen Odess: So your word is bolt on, and I use the word any the, any problem. Yeah. We’ve got this beautiful kind of stack visual that just, it’s like it just one on top of the other. Any. Any, and no one else can really say that. I gotta see [00:11:45] Vince Menzione: that visual. Yeah. Yeah. So talk about this a little bit more. So you’re uniquely positioned. [00:11:52] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about how you position, you talked about being AI native. What does that imply and what does that mean in terms of the evolution of the platform? From ticketing to workflows to the business applications? What are the type of applications Yeah. Markets, industries that you’re starting to see. [00:12:08] Jen Odess: So I’ll actually answer this with, taking on a small, maybe marketing or positioning journey. So there was a time when our tagline would be The World Works with ServiceNow. There was a time when it was, we put AI to work for people and today and it, I think it was around Knowledge 2025, this came out. [00:12:28] Jen Odess: It was the AI platform for business transformation. And I love to say to people, it sounds like a handful of. Cliche words that just got stacked together. The AI platform for business transformation. Yeah. We all know these words, so many companies use ’em, but it is such deliberate language and I love to explain why. [00:12:46] Jen Odess: So the first is the AI platform is calling out that we are an AI native platform. We are a unified platform. It’s a chance to say all that goodness I already shared with you. Yeah. And the business transformation is actually telling the story of no longer being a solution. Point or no longer being an individual product that does X. [00:13:06] Jen Odess: It’s about saying. The ServiceNow platform can go north to south and east to west across your entire enterprise. Okay. Up and down the entire tech stack. Any. And then east to west, it can cut across the enterprise, the C-suite, the buying centers, all into one unified AI platform. With one data model. [00:13:26] Jen Odess: I love it. And so I love that AI platform for business transformation actually has so much purpose. [00:13:32] Vince Menzione: It does. So you’re going across the stack, so you’re going all the way from the bottom layer, all the way up to the top from the ue. Ui. And then you’re going across the organization, right? You’re going across the C-suite, you’re going across all the business functions of an organization. [00:13:46] Vince Menzione: Correct. And so the workflows are going across each of those business functions? [00:13:49] Jen Odess: Correct. And then our AI control tower is sitting at the very top, governing over all of it. [00:13:53] Vince Menzione: I love the control tower. [00:13:54] Jen Odess: I know the governance, security risk protocol, managing all the agents interoperability. Yeah. [00:14:01] Vince Menzione: And then data at the very bottom right. [00:14:03] Vince Menzione: Controlling all those elements and the governance of the data and the right, the cleanliness of the data and so on. Yeah. That’s incredible. I we could probably talk about business applications. I know one, in fact, I’ve had a person sit in this, your chair from we’ll call it a large GSIA very significant GSI one of the top five. [00:14:21] Vince Menzione: And they took ServiceNow and they applied it to their business partnering function. And they used, and we, you probably don’t know about this one, but I know that that’s a, an example of taking it and applying it all across all the workflows, across all the geographies of the organization and taking a lot of the process that was all done manually. [00:14:40] Vince Menzione: That was stove pipe business processes that were all stove piped and removing the stove pipe and making for a fluid organizational flow. [00:14:47] Jen Odess: And I’ll bet you the end user didn’t even realize ServiceNow was the backend. That’s some of the greatest examples actually. [00:14:53] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Yeah. So Jen, we work with all the hyperscalers. [00:14:56] Vince Menzione: We have a very strong relationship with Microsoft. Goes back many years, my back to my days at Microsoft and we’ve had Google in the room. We have AWS now as well. We bring them all together because we believe that partners work with, need to work with all three. And I know that you have had an interesting transformation at ServiceNow around the hyperscalers. [00:15:16] Vince Menzione: I was hoping you could dive in a little deeper with us. [00:15:19] Jen Odess: Yeah. We are so proud of our relationships with the hyperscalers, so the same three, so it’s Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS. And really it’s it’s a strategic 360 partnership and our goal is really to drive marketplace transactions. [00:15:34] Jen Odess: So ServiceNow selling in all of their marketplaces and then. Burn down of our customers cloud commits. I love it. It’s really a beautiful story for our customers and for the hyperscalers and for ServiceNow. And so we’ve, it’s brand, it’s a brand new announcement from late in the year 2025. Love it. And we’re really excited about it. [00:15:51] Vince Menzione: Yeah. And then we, and we get all of the marketplace leaders in the room. So we’ve worked with all of those people. And one of the key points about this is there is over a half a trillion dollars in durable cloud budgets with customers that [00:16:08] Vince Menzione: Already committed to, I know, so that tam available, a half a trillion dollars is available to customers to burn down and utilize your solutions and professional services with partners as well in terms of driving a complete solution. [00:16:21] Jen Odess: That’s exactly the motion we’re pushing is to go and leverage those cloud commits to get on ServiceNow and in some cases, maybe even take out other products to go with ServiceNow and actually end up funding the transition to ServiceNow. Yeah. Yeah. [00:16:37] Vince Menzione: So you serve thousands of customers today, thousands of customers. [00:16:42] Vince Menzione: I can’t even. Fathom the exact number, but you have this partner ecosystem that you described, and their reach is even more incredible, like hundreds of thousands. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about how you think about that, and then how do you drive the partner ecosystem in the right way to drive this partner excellence that you described. [00:17:02] Jen Odess: Yeah, that’s a great question. So yeah, thousands of ServiceNow customers and we’re barely scratching the surface in comparison to our partners customers. So we have over 2,500 partners Wow. In our ecosystem. And today they cut across what I would call five routes to market. That partners can go to market with ServiceNow. [00:17:21] Jen Odess: Okay. The first is consulting and implementation. This will be your classic kind of consulting shop or GSI approach. The second is resell, just like it sounds. Yep. [00:17:30] Vince Menzione: Transactional. [00:17:31] Jen Odess: Yep. The third is managed service provider. [00:17:33] Vince Menzione: Okay. [00:17:34] Jen Odess: The fourth is what we call build, which is. The ISV, strategic Tech partner realm, and then the fifth is hyperscaler. [00:17:43] Jen Odess: Those are the five routes to market. So partners can choose to be in one or all or two. It doesn’t matter. It’s whichever one fits the kind of business they want to go drive. Nice. Where they’re. Expertise lies. And then we’ve got partners that show up globally, partners that show up multinational and partners that show up regionally and then partners that show up locally, in country and that’s it. [00:18:06] Jen Odess: And we really want a diverse set of partners capable of delivering where any of our customers are. So it’s important that we have that dynamic ecosystem where we really push them. We’re actually trying hard to balance this. Yeah, you would’ve heard it from many of your other partners. This direct versus indirect. [00:18:24] Jen Odess: Yes. Motion. For anyone listening that doesn’t know the difference, right? Direct is ServiceNow is selling direct to a customer, there might be a partner involved influencing that will implement. Yeah, likely but ServiceNow is really driving the sale versus indirect where the whole thing routes through the partner. [00:18:39] Jen Odess: Right? Which is your classic reseller or managed service provider and often a an ISV. And you know that balance is never gonna be perfect ’cause we’re not gonna commit to go all direct or all indirect. We’re gonna continue to sit in this space where we’re trying to find a healthy balance. [00:18:56] Jen Odess: So I find a lot of our time trying to figure out how do you set all those parties up for success? Yeah. The parties are the ServiceNow field sellers? And then you’ve also got the partnerships and channels, so the ecosystem, and then you’ve got the people in global partnerships and channels. So my broader organization, and we’re all trying to figure out how to work harmoniously together and it’s a lot of, it is my job to get us there. [00:19:19] Jen Odess: And so we use lots of things like incentives and benefits and we will put in place gated entry, really strategic gated entry. What does [00:19:29] Vince Menzione: gated entry mean? [00:19:30] Jen Odess: Yeah. What I mean is if you want to have a chance at being matched with a customer Yeah. For a very specific deal. Or it’s really one of three to get matched. [00:19:41] Jen Odess: ‘Cause you can never match one-to-one. It has to be three or more. Okay. We have good compliance rules in place. Yeah. But in order to even. Like surface to the top of the list to be matched. There’s a gated entry, which is, you’ve gotta have validated practices. Okay. Which is how, it’s these various ways, as you described, you quantify and qualify the partner’s capabilities. [00:20:00] Vince Menzione: Yeah. So you have to meet these qualifications. Yes. And you could be one of three to enter and be. Potentially matched, considered significant or Yes. Match for this deal? [00:20:08] Jen Odess: Yes, that’s exactly right. So we use, various things like that. And then we try to carve what I would call dance card space reseller in commercial, try to sit here and like carve by geo, by region, by country dance card space as well to help the partners really know exactly where they can unleash versus, hey, this is the process and the rules of engagement. To go and sell alongside the direct org sales organization [00:20:33] Vince Menzione: and you’re gonna have multiple partners in the same opportunities. [00:20:37] Vince Menzione: Absolutely not. Not necessarily competing with each other. There’s three competing each with each other, but also you’re gonna have other partners that provide different capabilities as well. You might have that have some that are just transac. Those are gonna be those channel or reseller partners. [00:20:52] Vince Menzione: You might have an MSP that’s actually delivering, or at least providing some type of managed service on top of the stack. Like supporting the customer. Yeah. And then you might have an SI GSI an integration partner that’s also doing the con the consulting work around getting the solution to meet with the customer’s requirements. [00:21:12] Vince Menzione: Would you say [00:21:13] Jen Odess: so? That’s exactly right. Yeah. And actually in. AI era, we’re seeing more of it than ever. And even on the smaller deals, maybe not the GSIs on the smaller deals, but we’re seeing multiple partners come in to serve up their specific expertise, which is actually a best practice. That’s [00:21:33] Vince Menzione: terrific. [00:21:33] Jen Odess: We don’t want. If you’ve got an area that’s a blind spot and you’re a partner, but that’s something your customer is buying from you, there’s no harm in saying let’s bring in an expert in that category to deliver that piece of the business. That’s right. And we’ll maybe shadow and watch alongside. [00:21:46] Jen Odess: So we’re seeing more and more of it. And I actually think like the world of. Partnerships and ecosystems. If I go back to like my previous ecosystem as well, it’s become so much more communal than ever before. Yes. This idea that we can share and be more open and maybe even commiserate over the things, gosh, I can’t believe we have the same frustrations or we have the same. [00:22:09] Jen Odess: Wow, that’s amazing. And you’re in this country. And I’m in this country. And so we’re seeing more and more coming together on deals which I really respect a lot. ’cause So one of the new facts we’ve just learned actually, Vince, is that. Of all the ai buying that customers are doing out there, they actually still want over 70% of it to be done by partners. [00:22:32] Vince Menzione: Yes. [00:22:33] Jen Odess: So even though it looks like it could be maybe set up easy configured, easy plug and play it. It to get, it’s not real ROI. You still need a partner with expertise in that industry or that domain, or in that location or in that language to come and bring the value to life. And we will certainly accelerate, help accelerate time to value with things that ServiceNow will do for our partners. [00:22:56] Jen Odess: But if over 70% is gonna go to partners and AI is so new, wouldn’t you want more than one partner Sometimes on a absolutely on a deal, at least while we’re all learning. I think we can keep ebbing and flowing [00:23:07] Vince Menzione: on this. We you, I dunno if Jay McBain, ’cause we’ve had him in the room here and he is a, he’s an analyst that does a lot of work around this topic. [00:23:14] Vince Menzione: And we talk about the seven seats at the table because there are, again, you need more you, first of all, you need to have your trusted, you need to have the organizations that you work with. And you also, in the world of ai, with all of the tectonic shifts, all the constant changing that’s going on right now, I need to make sure that I have the right. [00:23:31] Vince Menzione: People by my side that I can trust, they can help me deliver what I need to deliver. ’cause it might have changed from six months ago. And the technology is changing. Everything is changing so rapidly right now. So again, having all those right people I want to pick up on something ’cause we talked a little bit about MSPs and they’ve become a favorite topic of ours. [00:23:52] Vince Menzione: I have become acutely aware of the Ms P community recently. I kinda looked at them as well. There’s little small partners, but you’ve suggested this as well. They have regional expert, they have expertise in a specific area. And can be trusted, and maybe you’re integrating multiple solution sets for a customer. [00:24:11] Vince Menzione: But we’ve seen this MSP community become very vibrant lately, and I feel like they woke up to technology and to AI in such a big way. Can you comment on that? [00:24:20] Jen Odess: So we feel and see the same thing I’ve always valued what managed service providers bring to the table. It’s like that. [00:24:26] Jen Odess: Classic are you a transformation shop or are you a ta? The tail end or the run business shop? And so many partners are like we’re both, and I wanna be like, but are you? But now I feel like we finally are seeing the run business is so fruitful. So AI is innovating. All the time. [00:24:46] Jen Odess: We, we are innovating as a AI platform all the time. What used to be six month, every six months family releases of our software. Yeah. It became quarterly and now we’re practically seeing releases of new innovation every six to eight weeks. So why wouldn’t you want a managed service provider? Paying close attention to your whole instance on ServiceNow and taking into account all the latest innovation and building it into your existing instance, and then looking out for what new things you should be bringing in. [00:25:20] Jen Odess: So that’s the beauty of the, it’s almost partnerships, observing, and then suggesting how to keep. Doing better and more and better versus always jumping straight back to complete redesign and transformation. Yeah, and that’s one of the things I like about the MSPs in this space. [00:25:36] Vince Menzione: So let’s broaden out from this part of the conversation ’cause you’re giving specific guidance to the MSPs, but let’s think about this whole partner community. [00:25:43] Vince Menzione: And you’ve seen this transformation coming over to ServiceNow and even within ServiceNow these last five years. How do these organizations need to think differently? And how do they need to structure their services in this newent world? [00:25:58] Jen Odess: Great question. There’s really four things that I think they have to be thoughtful of. [00:26:02] Jen Odess: The first is maybe the most obvious they have to adopt AI as their own ways of doing work methodology. Delivery, whatever it is, because only through the, it’s not about taking out people in jobs, it’s about doing the job faster, right? It’s about getting the customer to value faster so that adoption of AI will make or break some partners. [00:26:24] Jen Odess: And our goal is that every partner comes on the other side of this AI journey, thriving and surviving. So we’re really pushing. This agenda. And maybe later I can talk to you a little bit more about this autonomous implementation concept. Please. ’cause I that will [00:26:37] Vince Menzione: resonate. So you’re saying they need to, we used to use the term eat their own dog food. [00:26:41] Vince Menzione: Now it’s drink your own champagne. Yeah. But they need to adopt it as well internally. [00:26:46] Jen Odess: Yeah. And I think whether they’re using, I hope they’re using ServiceNow as like a client, zero. To do some of that adoption. But there’s lots of other tools that are great AI tools that will make your job and your day-to-day life and the execution of that job easier. [00:26:59] Jen Odess: So we want them adopting all of that. The second is, we really need to see partners. Innovating on the ServiceNow platform. Yeah. And whether that’s building agents AI agents that go into the ServiceNow store, whether it’s building a really fantastic solution that we wanna joint jointly go to market with, or maybe it’s one of those embedded solutions you were commenting where the end user doesn’t even know that the backend, like a tax and audit solution that is actually just. [00:27:29] Jen Odess: The backend is all ServiceNow. Yeah. But that partner is going to market and selling it to all their customers. Exactly. So I think this co-innovation is gonna be a place that we will really win in market. The third is if a partner wants to stand out right now, they have to differentiate on paper too. [00:27:47] Jen Odess: It’s gotta like what does that mean? So if there’s 2,500 partners. And it’s not like we don’t walk around and just say, you should talk to this partner. Yeah. Or here’s my secret list. You should, we don’t do that. That’s not good business and it’s not compliant. So we have algorithms that take all the quantitative and qualitative data on our partners and they know all the data points ’cause it’s part of the partner program Nice. [00:28:10] Jen Odess: That they adhere to and then ranks them on status. And all those data points are what I’m referring to as on paper. You’ve gotta be differentiated. So whether or not you wanna be great at one thing or great across the whole thing, think about how all of those quantitative and qualitative data points are making you stand out, because that’s where those matches that I was referring to. [00:28:35] Jen Odess: Yes. That’s where that’s gonna come to life. And it’s skills, it’s capabilities. It’s deployments. So Proofpoint and deployments, customer success stories, csat, all the things. So [00:28:47] Vince Menzione: those are all the qualifi qualifiers for and more, but those are the types [00:28:49] Jen Odess: of qualifications. Yeah. [00:28:51] Vince Menzione: And then do your, does your sales organization do a match against that based on a customer’s requirements that they’re working with and who they work with and co-sell with? [00:29:00] Jen Odess: And I feel like you just lobbed me the greatest question. I didn’t even know you were gonna ask it, but I’m so glad you did. So today. Today there is something called a partner finder, which is which is nice, but it’s a little bit old school in a world of ai. Yeah. So you go to servicenow.com, you click partner from the top navigation, and then it says find a partner and you can literally type in the products you’re buying the country, you’re, that you’re headquartered out of. [00:29:26] Jen Odess: Whatever thing you’re looking for. And it will start to filter based on all those data points, the right partners, and you can actually click right there to be connected to a partner. So lead generation. Okay, interesting. But where we’re going is a agentic matching right in our CRM for the field. Oh. So those data points are gonna matter even more, and that’s where the gated. [00:29:48] Jen Odess: I say gated entry, which is probably too extreme, right? It’s really gated. If you wanna surface toward the top, there’s gated parameters to try to surface to the top, but those data points will feed the algorithm and it will genetically match right in our CRM for the field. Who are the best suited partners? [00:30:09] Jen Odess: Would you like to talk to them? [00:30:10] Vince Menzione: Okay. And so is it. Partner facing? Is it sales team facing [00:30:14] Jen Odess: Right now? It’s sales. It’ll, when it goes live, it will be sales team facing. Okay. But we have greater ambition for what partners can do with it. Yeah. Not just in the indirect motion, but also what partners may be able to do with it to interface with our field. [00:30:30] Jen Odess: The. [00:30:31] Vince Menzione: The, yeah the collaboration [00:30:33] Jen Odess: opportunity. Which is always a friction point that we’re working on [00:30:36] Vince Menzione: always because it’s very manual. It’s people intensive. Yeah. Partner development managers sitting on both sides of the equation and the interface between the sales organization and a partner organization is not always the. The easiest. So right. Automated, quite a bit of that. [00:30:49] Jen Odess: My boss is obsessed with the easy button, which I know is a phrase many of us in the US know from I think it’s an Office Depot, all these ways in which we can have easy button moments for the partner ecosystem is what we’re trying to focus on. [00:31:01] Jen Odess: I love the easy button. [00:31:02] Vince Menzione: Yeah. And I love your boss too. Yeah, he’s fabulous. Fabulous. So Michael and I go back like many years ago. You must have, [00:31:08] Jen Odess: yeah. You must have had paths crossing on numerous occasions. [00:31:12] Vince Menzione: Yeah we we worked together micro I’m going to hijack the session for a second here. [00:31:16] Vince Menzione: But when I first came to Microsoft, he was leading a, the se, a segment of the business, and he invited me to come to his event and interviewed me on stage at his event. [00:31:26] Jen Odess: No way. [00:31:26] Vince Menzione: And we got to know each other and yeah. So he was terrific. He was what a great find for, oh, he’s for service now. [00:31:32] Vince Menzione: He’s really [00:31:32] Jen Odess: has been a fantastic addition [00:31:34] Vince Menzione: to the global partnerships and channels team. And Michael, we have to have you on the podcast. Yes. Or cut down here in the studio at some point too with Jen and I. That’d be great. So this is terrific. We are getting it’s an incredible time. [00:31:44] Vince Menzione: It’s going so fast this time, 2022 was, seems like it was five, it feels like it was almost 10 years ago now. It wasn’t that we just started talking about it and you were implementing AI 10 years ago, but it wasn’t getting the attention that it’s getting today. And it really wasn’t until that moment that it really started to kick off in a way that everybody, yeah. It became pervasive overnight I would say. But now we’re starting 2026, like we’re at. This precipice of time and it’s continuing. I don’t even know what 2030 is gonna look like, right? So I’m a partner. [00:32:16] Vince Menzione: What are the one, two, or three things that I need to do now to win over and work with ServiceNow? [00:32:23] Jen Odess: One, two or three things? I’ll tell you the first thing. So today ServiceNow will end up hitting 500 million in annual contract value in our Now Assist, which is our AI products by the end of 2025, which is the fastest growing product in all of ServiceNow history. [00:32:37] Jen Odess: That’s one product that’s so there’s lots of SKUs. Yeah, but it is. It’s our AI product. Yeah. And it is, but yeah, because of all the various ways. [00:32:45] Vince Menzione: So half a billion dollars, [00:32:46] Jen Odess: half a billion by the end of 2025. And I think, someone’s gonna have to keep me honest here, but if memory serves me right, the first skews didn’t even launch until 2024. [00:32:54] Jen Odess: So we’re talking about wow, in a year it’s fast. Over 1,700 customers are live with our now assist products. Again, in a matter of, let’s call it over, a little over a year, 1,700 partners. So I think the first thing a partner needs to do is they’ve gotta get on this AI bandwagon, and they’ve gotta be selling and positioning AI use cases to their customers, because that’s the only way they’re gonna get. [00:33:20] Jen Odess: Experience and an opportunity to see what it feels like to deliver. So we have to do that. And I think you could sell a big use case like that big, we talked north, south, east, west, you could do that whole thing. Brilliant. But you could also start small. Go pick a single use case. Like a really simple example of something you wanna, some work you wanna drive productivity on. [00:33:41] Jen Odess: Yeah. And make sure you’ve got multiple stakeholders that love it and then go drive proving that use case. That’s what we’re telling a lot of partners. That’s the first thing. The second is they have got to build skills on AI and they have to keep up with it. And so we’re trying to really think about our broader learning and development team at ServiceNow is just next level. [00:34:00] Jen Odess: And they’re really re-imagining how to have more real time bite size. Training and enablement that will help individuals keep up with that pace of innovation. So individuals have got to get skilled. Yes. On AI today, of that a hundred thousand or so individuals in the ecosystem right now, about 35% of those individuals hold one or more AI credential. [00:34:25] Jen Odess: Again, that’s in a little over a year, which is the fastest growing skill development we’ve ever had, but it should be a hundred percent. Yeah. All of our goals should be that every account is being sold ai. ’cause that’s where the customer’s gonna get to value a ServiceNow is if they have the AI capabilities. [00:34:40] Jen Odess: And [00:34:41] Vince Menzione: how are you providing enablement and training? Is it all online? It’s, we have [00:34:44] Jen Odess: all sorts of ways of doing it. So that we have ServiceNow University, which is just a really robust, learning platform. Elba is our professor in residence. Very cool. Which is very cool. And they’re all content. [00:34:57] Jen Odess: Is free to partners. The training is free to partners that is on demand. Beyond that, partners can still get, instructor led training, whether that’s in person or virtual. And then my team offers enablement. That’s a little bit more, it’s like not formal training, it’s more like hands-on labs and experiences. [00:35:17] Jen Odess: We bring in lots of groups that sit around me that help and we very cool hands on with partners face-to-face. And do you do an annual event where you bring all these partners together? No, because we do we have three major milestones a year for partners. So the first is at sales kickoff, which is coming up the third week in January. [00:35:33] Jen Odess: And alongside sales kickoff is partner kickoff. Okay. And so we do a whole day of enabling them. So that’s your [00:35:39] Vince Menzione: partner kickoff? [00:35:40] Jen Odess: That’s partner kickoff. But of the, of all the partners in the ecosystem, it’s not like they can all make it. So we still also record and then live stream some of the content there. [00:35:49] Jen Odess: Then at Knowledge, there’s a whole partner track at Knowledge and same concept. Yeah, it’s like it’s all about customers and we wanna, build as much pipeline and wow as many customers as possible, but we also need to help our partners come along the journey. Then the third and final moment is in September, always, and it’s called our Global Partner Ecosystem Summit. [00:36:08] Jen Odess: We should have you, I’d love to join this next year. I love that. And it’s really, that’s the one time if sales kickoff is all about the sales motion in the field and knowledge is all about the customers and getting customers value. Global Partner Ecosystem Summit is only about the partners, what they need, why they need it, and what we’re doing to make their lives easier. [00:36:28] Jen Odess: I love it. Yeah. I’ll be there September. I love it. Dates yet set yet? I have to, it’s getting locked. I’ll get it to you. [00:36:34] Vince Menzione: Okay. All right. I’ll, we’ll be there. Okay. So you’ve been incredible. I just love having you. We could spend hours, honestly, and I want to have you back here. I’d love to, I have you back for a more meaningful conversation with the hyperscalers. [00:36:45] Vince Menzione: Talk to some of the partners that join us at Ultimate Partner events. We’ll find a way to do that, but I have this one question. It’s a favorite question of mine, and I love to ask all my guests this. Okay. You’re hosting a dinner party. And you could host a dinner party anywhere in the world. We could talk about great locations and where your favorite places are, and you can invite any three guests from the present or the past to this amazing dinner party. [00:37:11] Vince Menzione: We had one guest who wanted to do them in the future, like three people that hadn’t reached a future date. Whom would you invite Jen and why? [00:37:21] Jen Odess: Oh, first of all, you’re hitting home for me because I love to host dinner parties. I actually used to have a catering company. This is like one of those weird facts that, we didn’t talk about my pre services and ecosystem days, but I also had a catering company, so I love cooking and hosting dinner parties. [00:37:38] Jen Odess: So this is a great question. I feel like it’s a loaded question and I have to say my spouse. I love my husband dearly, but I have. To invite Lee to my dinner party. Okay. He’s in [00:37:47] Vince Menzione: Lee’s guest number one. Lee’s [00:37:49] Jen Odess: guest, number one. And the reason why is, first of all, I love him dearly, but he’s super interesting and he has such thought provoking topics to, to discuss and ways of viewing the world. [00:38:00] Jen Odess: He’s actually in security tech, so it’s like a tangential space, but not the same. [00:38:05] Vince Menzione: Yeah. But an important space right now, especially. Yeah. And [00:38:07] Jen Odess: he, yeah. And he’s, he’s just a delight to be around. So he’d be number one. Number two would be Frank Lloyd Wright. [00:38:15] Vince Menzione: Frank. Lloyd Wright. [00:38:17] Jen Odess: Yeah. I am an architecture and design junkie. [00:38:21] Jen Odess: Maybe I don’t do any of it myself, though. I dabble with friends that do it, and I try to apply it to my home life when I can. And Frank Lloyd Wright sort of embodies some of my favorite. Components of any kind of environment that you are experiencing, whether it’s a home or it’s an office building or it’s an outdoor space. [00:38:39] Jen Odess: I love the idea of minimalism and simplicity. I love the idea of monochromatic colors. I love the idea of spaces that can be used for multipurpose. And then I love the idea of the outside being in and the inside being out. I love it. So I would like love to pick his brain on some of his, how he came up with some of his ideas. [00:38:59] Jen Odess: Fascinating for some of his greatest. Yeah. Designs. Okay. That’s number two. Number three, I think it would be Pharrell Williams. Really? Yeah, I, Pharrell Williams. Yeah. I love fashion music and all things creativity. He’s got that, Annie’s philanthropic. He’s just yeah. The whole package of a good person. [00:39:26] Jen Odess: That’s super interesting and I very cool. I would love to pick his brain on what it was like to be behind the scenes on some of the fashion lines he’s collaborated with on some of his music collabs he’s had, and then just some of the work he’s doing around philanthropy. I would. I could just spend all night probably listening to him. [00:39:43] Jen Odess: This would be a [00:39:44] Vince Menzione: really cool conversation night. [00:39:45] Jen Odess: Don’t you wanna come to my dinner? Was gonna say, I’m sorry I didn’t invite you to identify. No [00:39:49] Vince Menzione: I was, can I bring dessert? [00:39:50] Jen Odess: Yeah. I come [00:39:50] Vince Menzione: for dessert. I, but it can’t, [00:39:51] Jen Odess: it has to be like a chocolate dessert. It’s gotta have [00:39:54] Vince Menzione: I love chocolate dessert. [00:39:55] Vince Menzione: Okay, great. So it would not be a problem for me, Jen. This is terrific. You have been absolutely amazing. So great to have you come here. Yeah. Such a busy time of year to have you make the trip here to Boca. We will have you back in the studio. I promise that I’ll have you back on stage. Stage. [00:40:10] Jen Odess: This is beautiful. [00:40:10] Jen Odess: Look at it. Yeah. This is [00:40:11] Vince Menzione: beautiful. And we transformed this into, to a room, basically a conference room. And then we also have our ultimate partner events. I would love to come, we would love to have you join us. Like I said, ServiceNow is such an impactful time. Your leadership in this segment market, and I wouldn’t say segment across all of AI in terms of all the use cases of AI is just so meaningful, especially for within the enterprise. [00:40:33] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Right now. So just really a jogger nut right now within the industry. So great to have you and have ServiceNow join us. So Jen, thank you so much for joining us. [00:40:42] Jen Odess: Thanks Vince. Appreciate the time. It’s a pleasure to be here. [00:40:44] Vince Menzione: Thank you very much. Thanks for tuning into this episode of Ultimate Eye to Partnering. [00:40:50] Vince Menzione: We’re bringing these episodes to you to help you level up your strategy. If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to take action and think about joining our community. We created a unique place, UPX or Ultimate partner experience. It’s more than a community. It’s your competitive edge with insider insights, real-time education, and direct access to people who are driving the ecosystem forward. [00:41:16] Vince Menzione: UPX helps you get results. And we’re just getting started as we’re taking this studio. And we’ll be hosting live stream and digital events here, including our January live stream, the Boca Winter Retreat, and more to come. So visit our website, the ultimate partner.com to learn more and join us. Now’s the time to take your partnerships to the next level.
In this week's show Patrick Gray and Adam Boileau discuss the week's cybersecurity news, including: Salesforce partner Gainsight has customer data stolen Crowdstrike fires insider who gave hackers screenshots of internal systems Australian Parliament turns off wifi and bluetooth in fear of of visiting Chinese bigwigs Shai-Hulud npm/Github worm is back, and rm -rf'ier than ever SEC gives up on Solarwinds lawsuit Dog eats cryptographer's key material This week's episode is sponsored by runZero. HD Moore pops in to talk about how they're integrating runZero with Bloodhound-style graph databases. He also discusses uses for driving runZero's tools with an AI, plus the complexities of shipping AI when the company has a variety of deployment models. This episode is also available on Youtube. Show notes Google says hackers stole data from 200 companies following Gainsight breach Gainsight Status Trust Status CrowdStrike fires 'suspicious insider' who passed information to hackers Salesforce cuts off access to third-party app after discovering ‘unusual activity' Атаки разящей панды: APT31 сегодня Office of Public Affairs | Seven Hackers Associated with Chinese Government Charged with Computer Intrusions Australian federal MPs warned to turn off phones when Chinese delegation visits Parliament House Sha1-Hulud: The Second Coming of the NPM Worm is Digging For Secrets FCC eliminates cybersecurity requirements for telecom companies Trade Associations Cybersecurity Practices Ex Parte SEC voluntarily dismisses SolarWinds lawsuit Record-breaking DDoS attack against Microsoft Azure mitigated The Cloudflare Outage May Be a Security Roadmap – Krebs on Security Critics scoff after Microsoft warns AI feature can infect machines and pilfer data vx-underground on X: "I've had a surprising amount of people ask me about Copilot" Researchers warn command injection flaw in Fortinet FortiWeb is under exploitation Two suspected Scattered Spider hackers plead not guilty over Transport for London cyberattack Russia arrests young cybersecurity entrepreneur on treason charges This campaign aims to tackle persistent security myths in favor of better advice Oops. Cryptographers cancel election results after losing decryption key. Uncovering network attack paths with runZeroHound Model Context Protocol
The Data Center Boom: Five Trends Engineering Firms Need to Know The data center market is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by artificial intelligence adoption and changing infrastructure demands. For ACEC member firms, this represents both a substantial business opportunity and a chance to shape critical national infrastructure. ACEC's latest Market Intelligence Brief reveals a market poised to reach $62 billion in design and construction spending by 2029, with implications that extend far beyond traditional data center engineering. The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 marked an inflection point. What began as voice assistants has evolved into sophisticated language learning models that consume dramatically more energy. A standard AI query uses about 0.012 kilowatt-hours, while generating a single high-quality image requires 2.0 kWh—roughly 20 times the daily consumption of a standard LED lightbulb. As weekly ChatGPT users surged from 100 million to 700 million between November 2023 and August 2025, the infrastructure implications became impossible to ignore. AI-driven data center power demand, which stood at just 4 gigawatts in 2024, is projected to reach 123 gigawatts by 2035. Even more striking: 70 percent of data center power demand will be driven by AI workloads. This explosive growth requires engineering solutions at unprecedented scale, from power distribution and backup systems to advanced cooling technologies and grid integration strategies. Public perception about data center water consumption often overlooks important nuances in cooling technology. While mechanical cooling systems have historically consumed significant water resources, newer approaches could dramatically reduce water use. Free air cooling, closed-loop systems, and liquid immersion technologies offer low-water use alternatives, with some methods reducing freshwater consumption by 70 percent or more compared to traditional systems. As Thom Jackson, mechanical engineer and partner at Dunham Engineering, notes: "Most data centers utilize closed loop cooling systems requiring no makeup water and minimal maintenance." The "big four" hyperscale operators—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Meta—have all committed to becoming water-positive by 2030, replenishing more water than they consume. These commitments are driving innovation in cooling system design and creating opportunities for engineering firms with expertise in sustainable mechanical systems. The days of one-size-fits-all data centers are over. Latency requirements, scalability needs, and proximity to end users are accelerating adoption of diverse building types. Edge data centers bring computing closer to users for real-time applications like IoT and 5G. Hyperscale facilities support massive cloud and AI workloads with 100,000-plus servers. Colocation models enable scalable shared environments for enterprises, while modular designs—prefabricated with integrated power and cooling—offer rapid, cost-effective deployment. Each model presents distinct engineering challenges and opportunities, from specialized HVAC systems and high floor-to-ceiling ratios for hyperscale facilities to distributed infrastructure planning for edge networks. Two emerging trends deserve particular attention. First, the Department of Energy has selected four federal sites to host AI data centers paired with clean energy generation, including small modular reactors (SMRs). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission anticipates at least 25 SMR license applications by 2029, signaling strong demand for nuclear co-location expertise. Second, developers are increasingly exploring adaptive reuse of underutilized office spaces, Brownfield sites, and historical buildings. These locations offer existing utility infrastructure that can reduce construction time and costs, making them attractive alternatives despite some design constraints. Recent federal policy changes are streamlining data center deployment. Executive Order 14318 directs agencies to accelerate environmental reviews and permitting, while revisions to New Source Review under the Clean Air Act could allow construction to begin before air permits are issued. ACEC recently formed the Data Center Task Force to advocate for policies that balance speed, affordability, and national security in data center development, complimenting EO 14318. For engineering firms, site selection expertise has become increasingly valuable. Success hinges on sales and use tax exemptions, existing power and fiber connectivity, effective community engagement, and thorough environmental risk assessment. AI-driven planning tools like UrbanFootprint and ESRI ArcGIS are helping developers evaluate site suitability, identifying opportunities for firms. The data center market offers engineering firms a chance to lead in sustainable design, infrastructure innovation, and strategic planning at a moment when digital infrastructure has become as critical as traditional utilities.
Microsoft has launched Agent 365, a management platform designed for overseeing AI agents within enterprise environments. This platform, now available in early access, includes features such as the Microsoft Entra Registry for managing agent identities, risk-based access policies, and performance measurement tools. The introduction of Agent 365 signifies a shift towards integrating AI agents into standard business operations, allowing organizations to manage both Microsoft-built and third-party AI agents in a unified system. This development is part of a broader trend where AI governance and customer expectations are becoming increasingly critical for Managed Service Providers (MSPs).In conjunction with the launch of Agent 365, Microsoft has formed strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Anthropic to enhance access to Anthropic's Cloud AI model, which will be scaled on Microsoft Azure. Anthropic has committed to purchasing $30 billion in Azure compute capacity, indicating a significant investment in cloud infrastructure. This partnership will allow Microsoft Foundry customers to access various versions of Anthropic's AI models, further solidifying Microsoft's position in the AI landscape. The implications of these partnerships extend to the operational costs and strategies of organizations that rely on AI, as the control of compute resources becomes a central factor in AI deployment.Additional announcements from Microsoft Ignite include new AI capabilities for Windows 11 and enhancements to Office applications, which will introduce free AI features aimed at improving user productivity. Vendors such as NinjaOne, Pax8, and Nerdio have also announced integrations and initiatives to align with Microsoft's evolving ecosystem, focusing on improving visibility, compliance, and modernization of virtual desktop infrastructure. These developments reflect a concerted effort by various companies to integrate more deeply into Microsoft's cloud and AI frameworks.For MSPs and IT service leaders, these advancements underscore the necessity of adapting to a rapidly changing technological landscape. The introduction of AI agents and the associated governance requirements will demand that MSPs develop frameworks for managing AI behavior and expectations. As AI features become standard in widely used applications, MSPs will need to address client expectations regarding AI functionality and reliability. The consolidation of media narratives around cybersecurity also highlights the importance of maintaining a balanced perspective on technology strategy, ensuring that MSPs focus on comprehensive solutions that address a range of client needs beyond just security. Three things to know today 00:00 Microsoft Signals Shift to an “Agentic OS” as Microsoft Deepens Anthropic Partnership and Expands AI Across Windows and Microsoft 36507:29 Ignite Highlights Vendor Rush Into Microsoft's Orbit, Raising Questions About MSP Differentiation and Over-Standardization11:57 CyberRisk Alliance Buys ChannelPro — and Shifts the MSP Storyline Toward Security This is the Business of Tech. Supported by: https://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/https://cometbackup.com/?utm_source=mspradio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorship
In today's Cloud Wars Minute, I take a look at how Oracle's bold multicloud partnerships — with Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud.Highlights00:15 — One of the ways in which Oracle has been distinguishing itself is not just with its new technology, but with interesting go-to-market approaches. Now, Ellison recently said that while Oracle's multicloud business, where its three competitors, Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud, all offer the Oracle Database to their customers, that revenue was up over 1,500%.01:11 — He said so far, almost all of that growth has been generated by the Microsoft partnership because it was the first to come on board. Ellison believes that as the AWS partnership and Google get up to speed — and they get all the infrastructure set up to support that — you'd think that's going to drive a new round of growth for the Oracle Database business.02:12 — Can the Oracle Database hit $20 billion in revenue in five years? Ellison seemed bullish on that. One reason is the new Oracle AI Database, purpose-built for the AI Revolution. Second is these multicloud partnerships. There's such a demand among customers who have wanted the Oracle Database but have felt trapped using Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.03:15 — The AI reasoning, which Ellison was calling it, also known as inferencing, is something a lot of companies are going to be doing when they take these new tools and say, “How do I suit this for my retail company or my clothing company or my trucking company?” That's where, Ellison said, everybody's going to want to do this. He sees massive demand for it.04:32 — In a full-length article that I have today on CloudWars.com, I offer four specific points on why this approach that Ellison led with Oracle — and that the others fully agreed to — is so important. It's a great trend moving forward in the direction of more capability, more choice, more power in the hands of customers here in the buyer-seller equation. Visit Cloud Wars for more.
Every night, IT professionals across the country go home and cry. They work until 10PM unpaid. They become "the guy" their entire organization depends on. They stay in toxic jobs because they feel guilty, or because people are counting on them, or because they simply can't imagine leaving.In this episode of The Catalyst by Softchoice, we follow two IT professionals through their burnout journeys. Sean stayed at a behavioral health nonprofit for years, supporting 1500 users with just two techs and management that thought IT "just helps people log in." He rebuilt the entire infrastructure while crying himself to sleep at night, driven by mission and what clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Ginsberg calls "responsibility handcuffs."John worked at a Manhattan company where he felt so grateful for his salary that he stayed through years of abuse and lies. He'd sit at his desk until 9 or 10PM—not because of emergencies, but because he had no energy left to stand up.One stayed and rebuilt his broken department into a world-class operation. The other escaped to his dream job doing Linux work. Both had to heal from trauma. And according to Business Insider, 57% of IT workers report the same burnout they experienced.Through their stories and expert analysis from Dr. Rick Ginsberg, we explore why burnout has become epidemic in IT, what the warning signs are, and—most importantly—what can actually be done about it.Key Takeaways:Why IT professionals are particularly vulnerable to "responsibility handcuffs"The difference between staying to rebuild and knowing when to leaveHow gratitude can become a trap that keeps you in toxic environmentsWhat managers need to do differently to prevent team burnoutWhy 76% of IT workers say job stress is getting worse every year------------------------------------------------------This episode is brought to you by Softchoice Cloud Lifecycle Services Plus for Microsoft Azure. Get control of your Azure subscriptions, optimize your cloud spend, and access the technical support you actually need when you need it. Visit softchoice.com/azurecls to learn more.The Catalyst by Softchoice is the podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of humans and technology.
This week, we discuss cloud earnings, Siri teaming up with Gemini, and AI bottlenecks. Plus, is cloning your dog weird? Watch the YouTube Live Recording of Episode (https://www.youtube.com/live/1FjknxuDc9Y?si=JH6rSQHErGMQQp9w) 545 (https://www.youtube.com/live/1FjknxuDc9Y?si=JH6rSQHErGMQQp9w) Runner-up Titles Stack the deck Pets and Chickens Blame it on Android They're fungible Are they going to have to introduce a new principle? Managers of rocks The world we live in Marketing wins We're the healthy skeptics Rundown Ex-NFL star QB Brady claims his dog is a clone (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46848973/tom-brady-says-dog-clone-family-previous-pet) Cloud Earnings AI & Cloud Trends for October 2025 (https://www.thecloudcast.net/2025/11/ai-cloud-trends-for-october-2025.html) Alphabet tops $100 billion quarterly revenue for first time, cloud grows 34% (https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/10/29/alphabet-google-q3-earnings.html) Google Cloud Q3 revenue surges 34% as backlog hits $155 billion (https://www.constellationr.com/blog-news/insights/google-cloud-q3-revenue-surges-34-backlog-hits-155-billion) Microsoft Azure sees 40% revenue growth in Q1 (https://www.constellationr.com/blog-news/insights/microsoft-azure-sees-40-revenue-growth-q1) Meta stock drops 10% as heightened AI spending overshadows strong results (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/30/meta-stock-earnings-ai-spend.html) Amazon revenues rise 13% on strength in cloud computing unit (https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/b798e937-c39d-4e40-84a6-aa9210774e49) Clouded Judgement 10.31.25 - Cloud Giants Report Q3 (https://cloudedjudgement.substack.com/p/clouded-judgement-103125-cloud-giants?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=56878&post_id=177617088&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2l9&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email) 7m OpenAI work users (https://openai.com/index/1-million-businesses-putting-ai-to-work/) Amazon's culture went the wrong way (https://cote.io/2025/11/01/amazons-culture-went-the-wrong.html) Octoverse: A new developer joins GitHub every second as AI leads TypeScript to #1 (https://github.blog/news-insights/octoverse/octoverse-a-new-developer-joins-github-every-second-as-ai-leads-typescript-to-1/) What do we think of GitHub saying there are 180m developers in the world? (https://cote.io/2025/10/31/what-do-we-think-of.html) AWS and OpenAI announce multi-year strategic partnership (https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/aws/aws-open-ai-workloads-compute-infrastructure) Amazon stock jumps on $38 billion deal with OpenAI to use hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-stock-jumps-on-38-billion-deal-with-openai-to-use-hundreds-of-thousands-of-nvidia-chips-145357373.html) Relevant to your Interests Azure outage: Microsoft still working on fix, says recovery expected in several hours (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/29/microsoft-hit-with-azure-365-outage-ahead-of-quarterly-earnings.html) Microsoft takes $3.1 billion hit from OpenAI investment (https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/10/29/microsoft-open-ai-investment-earnings.html) Meta Stock Slides After Earnings. (https://www.investors.com/news/technology/meta-stock-q3-2025-earnings-ai-meta-news-zuckerberg/) AWS to Bare Metal Two Years Later: Answering Your Toughest Questions (https://oneuptime.com/blog/post/2025-10-29-aws-to-bare-metal-two-years-later/view) Meta denies torrenting porn to train AI, says downloads were for “personal use” (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/meta-says-porn-downloads-on-its-ips-were-for-personal-use-not-ai-training/) Shocker! Reversal in AI ROI slide-wisdom: AI does works well (https://cote.io/2025/11/01/shocker-reversal-in-ai-roi.html) SaaS Monopoly | Khushi Lunkad (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/khushilunkad_saas-monopoly-activity-7390752595469914112-UWVw?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAADVjQ8Btsl3lKfl-gEYa6_6hmjCdJyRJyw&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link) The State of Developer Experience and Developer Productivity (https://lp.jetbrains.com/devex-productivity-report-full-2025-dataviz/?tab-OneOfTabWrapperBlock-1756889760421-44980=their-top-pain-points-) Why the “Free” Chef Version Could Be Your Most Expensive Mistake | Chef (https://www.chef.io/blog/chef-open-source-software-advice) Nonsense Disney yanks channels from YouTube TV after media giants fail to resolve carriage dispute | CNN Business (https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/media/disney-youtube-deal-biz-hnk) Traffic hits record high as commuters rewrite the rush hour - Texas A&M Transportation Institute (https://tti.tamu.edu/2025/10/traffic-hits-record-high-as-commuters-rewrite-the-rush-hour/) Denny's to be acquired and taken private in a deal valued at $620 million (https://apnews.com/article/dennys-investors-deal-private-company-f626f6b8c27f29f698a5c823ba855fc3) Conferences SREDay Amsterdam (https://sreday.com/2025-amsterdam-q4/), November 7th, Coté speaking. Wiz Wizdom Conferences (https://www.wiz.io/wizdom), November 17-19, London DevOpsDayLA at SCALE23x (https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/23x), March 6th, Pasadena, CA Use code: DEVOP for 50% off. CFP open until Dec. 1st. SDT News & Community Join our Slack community (https://softwaredefinedtalk.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-1hn55iv5d-UTfN7mVX1D9D5ExRt3ZJYQ#/shared-invite/email) Email the show: questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:questions@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Free stickers: Email your address to stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:stickers@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Follow us on social media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/softwaredeftalk), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@softwaredefinedtalk), Mastodon (https://hachyderm.io/@softwaredefinedtalk), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/software-defined-talk/), BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/softwaredefinedtalk.com) Watch us on: Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/sdtpodcast), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi3OJPV6h9tp-hbsGBLGsDQ/featured), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/softwaredefinedtalk/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@softwaredefinedtalk) Book offer: Use code SDT for $20 off "Digital WTF" by Coté (https://leanpub.com/digitalwtf/c/sdt) Sponsor the show (https://www.softwaredefinedtalk.com/ads): ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com (mailto:ads@softwaredefinedtalk.com) Recommendations Brandon: Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle (https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-26-1-features/) Matt: The Other Two (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8310612) Coté: NØLSON shirts (https://nolson.nl) Photo Credits Header (https://unsplash.com/photos/a-dog-sniffing-a-box-full-of-chickens-wyCOBbCztVw)
Why is Amazon laying off 14,000 people during a massive AI boom? Todd and John analyze the Seattle tech paradox, digging into Andy Jassy's 'startup' reasoning and debating whether the AI frenzy is a bubble. Then, they take on the Cascadia high-speed rail: a necessary connector or a misguided project? Related headlines from the week Amazon layoffs Amazon confirms 14,000 job cuts, says push for ‘efficiency gains’ will continue into 2026 A tale of two Seattles in the age of AI: Harsh realities and new hope for the tech community Filing: Amazon cuts more than 2,300 jobs in Washington state as part of broader layoffs Amazon layoffs hit software engineers hardest in Washington Amazon layoffs reaction: ‘Thought I was a top performer but guess I’m expendable’ Amazon CEO says massive corporate layoffs were about agility — not AI or cost-cutting Amazon earnings Amazon stock soars 11% after topping Q3 estimates with $180B in revenue, $21B in profits Amazon’s Anthropic investment boosts its quarterly profits by $9.5B ‘Big Beautiful’ tax benefit: Amazon and other tech giants reap the rewards of new law, for now Microsoft Azure, earnings and OpenAI Microsoft’s Azure reports cloud outage, disrupting global customers including Alaska Airlines Microsoft beats expectations, reports nearly $35B in Q1 capital spending amid Azure outage Microsoft gets 27% stake in OpenAI, and a $250B Azure commitment Seattle-Portland-Vancouver Slowly but surely, high-speed rail backers believe Cascadia mega-project will become a reality Cascadia’s AI paradox: A world-leading opportunity threatened by rising costs and a talent crunch The ‘enormous barrier’ that threatens economic growth in the Pacific Northwest Beta’s unique electric airplane flies into Seattle to wow state officials and aviation experts With GeekWire co-founders John Cook and Todd BishopSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this Halloween edition of Why We Vote, CannCon and Ashe in America welcome special guest Jessica Pollema, president of South Dakota Canvassing, for one of the most explosive deep dives into election infrastructure yet. Jessica breaks down how a small South Dakota tech company called BPro evolved into NO Inc., which later became Liberty Vote, now tied to Dominion Voting. She reveals how this system, built with state and federal funds, quietly spread to other states through sole-source contracts, questionable “free” source code deals, and Microsoft Azure cloud integration. The discussion uncovers a tangled web of cyber vulnerabilities, legal cover-ups, and political collusion, from rigged voter roll access to ERIC connectivity. Ashe and CannCon dig into how local citizens fought back through legislation and hand-count petitions, only to face coordinated lawfare from establishment players. With subpoenas now flying in South Dakota, Jessica shares breaking news that could finally expose the truth behind America's digital election systems.
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Ulrich (Uli) Homann, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, and Mark Luquire, EY Global Microsoft Alliance Co-innovation Leader, about how to build an agentic AI enterprise that doesn't just work faster, but works smarter and, most importantly, works for everyone. KEY TAKEAWAYS In the past automation has been very task driven and specific, things had to go in a certain order and you needed to know that order ahead of time. While you need some of that with generative AI, we now have a system that can help do some of that thinking, so if things change in the process along the way, you can deal with it. Now you can rethink what processes even need to exist and focus on the outcome and how to get to it in a new way. By giving everyone at EY access to generative AI a couple of years ago we learned that people were able to accomplish more more quickly. They used it as a thought-partner, used it as a way to fine tune the product they were working on. Being able to see the evolution of generative AI to now where it's coding applications on its own almost, seeing the new agent capabilities and tools, and being able to take action on its own with very little prompting, it opens the doors to possibilities and what you'll be able to do in the future. BEST MOMENTS ‘Focus on where you want to be and then rethink how you're going to get there, that's the real key.' ‘It's not just an assistant to you, providing you with information, it's actually taking on work it's actually thinking through and processing those things as well.' ABOUT THE GUESTS Ulrich (Uli) Homann is a Corporate Vice President & Distinguished Architect in the Cloud + AI business at Microsoft. As part of the senior engineering leadership team, he's responsible for the customer-led innovation efforts across the cloud and enterprise platform portfolio. Previously Homann was the Chief Architect for Microsoft worldwide enterprise services, having formerly played a key role in the business' newly formed Platforms, Technology and Strategy Group. Prior to joining Microsoft in 1991, he worked for several small consulting companies, where he designed and developed distributed systems and has spent most of his career using well-defined applications and architectures to simplify and streamline the development of business applications. Mark Luquire leads the EY organization's global efforts to co-develop innovative solutions with Microsoft and clients, driving growth and accelerating technology strategy. He oversees cross-functional teams spanning sectors and service lines, serving as a key liaison to Microsoft's product and engineering teams. Previously, Mark headed Platform Adoption for EY Global, leading enterprise-wide AI and cloud enablement, including integrating generative AI tools like EYQ, GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Copilot. He also created the first EY Global DevOps Practice and led cloud transformation efforts, making EY a leader in Microsoft Azure usage. Mark's career includes leadership roles in large healthcare enterprises and technology startups, where he established scalable operations, spearheaded digital transformation, and built high-performing global teams. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Managing Partner of Alchemy Crew a venture lab that accelerates the curation, validation, & commercialization of new tech business models. Sabine is renowned within the insurance sector for building some of the most renowned tech startup accelerators around the world working with over 30 corporate insurers, accelerated over 100 startup ventures. Sabine is the co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, a top 50 Women in Tech, a FinTech and InsurTech Influencer, an investor & multi-award winner. Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Facebook TikTok Email Website This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
In an AI push, Amazon has already axed 14,000 jobs and that total is reportedly going to hit 30,000.
OpenAI has officially transitioned to a for-profit corporation, a move approved by Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings. This restructuring allows OpenAI to raise capital more effectively while maintaining oversight from its original non-profit entity. Microsoft now holds a 27% stake in the new structure, valued at over $100 billion, and OpenAI has committed to purchasing $250 billion in Microsoft Azure cloud services. This agreement includes provisions for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which will require verification from an independent expert panel before any declarations are made. Critics have raised concerns about the potential compromise of the non-profit's independence under this new arrangement.Research from cybersecurity firm SPLX indicates that AI agents, such as OpenAI's Atlas, are becoming new security threats due to vulnerabilities that allow malicious actors to manipulate their outputs. A survey revealed that only 17.5% of U.S. business leaders have an AI governance program in place, highlighting a significant gap in responsible AI use. The National Institute of Standards and Technology emphasizes the importance of identity governance in managing AI risks, suggesting that organizations must embed identity controls throughout AI deployment to mitigate potential threats.Additionally, a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is currently being exploited, with around 100,000 instances reported in just one week. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated actors to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, raising concerns among cybersecurity experts, especially since Microsoft has not updated its guidance on the matter. Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 Copilot has introduced a new feature enabling users to build applications and automate workflows using natural language, which could lead to governance challenges as employees create their own automations.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, these developments underscore the need for enhanced governance and security measures. The shift of OpenAI to a for-profit model signals a tighter integration with Microsoft, necessitating familiarity with Azure's AI stack. The vulnerabilities associated with AI agents and the WSUS exploit highlight the importance of proactive security measures. MSPs should prioritize establishing governance frameworks around AI usage and ensure robust identity management to mitigate risks associated with these emerging technologies.Four things to know today00:00 OpenAI Officially Becomes a For-Profit Corporation, Cementing $100B Partnership with Microsoft03:30 AI Agents Are Becoming a Security Nightmare—Because No One Knows Who They Really Are07:53 Hackers Are Targeting WSUS Servers — and You Could Be Distributing Malware Without Knowing It09:28 Microsoft's New Copilot Features Turn AI from Assistant to App Creator, Raising Governance Questions This is the Business of Tech. Supported by: https://scalepad.com/dave/https://getflexpoint.com/msp-radio/
Is your organization truly agile, or are you still clinging to outdated processes and siloed teams instead of a platform mindset?Agility requires a fundamental shift in mindset, embracing collaboration, rapid iteration, and a willingness to adapt to change. It demands a commitment to not just talking about silos, but meaningfully breaking them down, while fostering a culture of shared ownership across the organization.Today, we're going to talk about the power of a platform mindset in driving innovation and achieving true agility within large organizations. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Marcus Fontoura, Technical Fellow at Microsoft, as CTO for Azure Core at Microsoft, and author of the book “A Platform Mindset: Building a Culture of Collaboration” About Marcus Fontoura Marcus Fontoura has spent more than 20 years in big tech companies and has been at the forefront of industry-shaping technology innovations, from computational advertising to cloud computing to fintech. He is currently a Technical Fellow at Microsoft, where he works on cloud computing infrastructure.His new book, A Platform Mindset: Building a Culture ofCollaboration (8080 Books, Feb. 11, 2025), shares how companies can expand and scale processes to bring about competitive advantages.Learn more at fontoura.org. Marcus Fontoura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusfontoura/ Resources Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Get Marcus' book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Platform-Mindset-Building-Culture-Collaboration/dp/B0DSY849P8Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is your organization truly agile, or are you still clinging to outdated processes and siloed teams instead of a platform mindset?Agility requires a fundamental shift in mindset, embracing collaboration, rapid iteration, and a willingness to adapt to change. It demands a commitment to not just talking about silos, but meaningfully breaking them down, while fostering a culture of shared ownership across the organization.Today, we're going to talk about the power of a platform mindset in driving innovation and achieving true agility within large organizations. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Marcus Fontoura, Technical Fellow at Microsoft, as CTO for Azure Core at Microsoft, and author of the book “A Platform Mindset: Building a Culture of Collaboration” About Marcus Fontoura Marcus Fontoura has spent more than 20 years in big tech companies and has been at the forefront of industry-shaping technology innovations, from computational advertising to cloud computing to fintech. He is currently a Technical Fellow at Microsoft, where he works on cloud computing infrastructure.His new book, A Platform Mindset: Building a Culture ofCollaboration (8080 Books, Feb. 11, 2025), shares how companies can expand and scale processes to bring about competitive advantages.Learn more at fontoura.org. Marcus Fontoura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusfontoura/ Resources Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow Get Marcus' book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Platform-Mindset-Building-Culture-Collaboration/dp/B0DSY849P8Register now for Sitecore Symposium, November 3-5 in Orlando Florida. Use code SYM25-2Media10 to receive 10% off. Go here for more: https://symposium.sitecore.com/Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/ Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstromDon't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.showCheck out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company
The headline was kinda shocking
Microsoft and OpenAI are kinda breaking up.
This ChatGPT announcement is more important than GPT-5.Seriously.This week, OpenAI (kinda) quietly released its first open-source model since 2019.Us AI dorks are talking about it… but the business landscape is crickets.(As everyone gets hyped for GPT-5 today.)But…. Hot take on a Thursday shorties: ChatGPT's new Open Source Model will be a bigger step forward for AI tech than GPT-5 and it's not even close.Join us to find out why, how business development could change, and who will be the winners and losers.Newsletter: Sign up for our free daily newsletterMore on this Episode: Episode PageJoin the discussion: Thoughts on this? Join the convo and connect with other AI leaders on LinkedIn.Upcoming Episodes: Check out the upcoming Everyday AI Livestream lineupWebsite: YourEverydayAI.comEmail The Show: info@youreverydayai.comConnect with Jordan on LinkedInTopics Covered in This Episode:OpenAI Releases GPT OSS Open Source ModelComparison: GPT OSS vs GPT-4 Level ReasoningImpact on AI Industry Competitors & StrategyApache 2.0 License vs Meta Llama RestrictionsBusiness Benefits: Local, Secure, Free AI DeploymentTechnical Specs: 20B and 120B Parameter VersionsAI Model Customization, Fine-Tuning, and Edge UseWinners and Losers: Nvidia, Google, API ProvidersEdge Computing and On-Device AI FutureOpen Source AI Risks and Safety ConcernsGlobal AI Race: US vs China Open SourceAcceleration of AI Innovation and Model DevelopmentTimestamps:00:00 "ChatGPT's Game-Changing Open Source"05:27 Open Source AI Models Explained07:23 OpenAI's New Open-Source Model11:30 Affordable High-Performance Language Models15:54 Meta's Shift Toward Proprietary Models17:56 "AI Model Customization and Deployment"20:38 Leveraging AI for Cost Efficiency26:13 OpenAI's Strategic Competitive Advantage27:58 OpenAI's Strategic Dominance Forecast31:33 "Anticipating Google's Gemma 4 Impact"35:18 Apple's Future in AI-Powered Phones39:11 AGI: The New Global SuperpowerKeywords:GPT OSS, OpenAI, ChatGPT open source, GPT-OSS, GPT4O level reasoning, Open source AI model, Apache 2.0 license, Reasoning model, Local AI models, AI edge computing, On-device AI, Downloadable AI model, 21B parameter model, 120B parameter model, AI model fine tuning, Commercial use AI, Chain of thought, Agentic tasks, Tool use AI, Secure AI deployment, Data privacy, API providers, AI innovation, Chinese open source AI, Meta Llama, MMLU benchmark, Nvidia GPU, Microsoft Azure, AWS Bedrock, Hugging Face, Cloud AI, AI business strategy, AI market disruption, AI mid tier competitors, AI scalability, Patent protection, Cybersecurity, Bioweapon risks, Global AI race, AGI acceleration, Model weights releaSend Everyday AI and Jordan a text message. (We can't reply back unless you leave contact info) Ready for ROI on GenAI? Go to youreverydayai.com/partner