ERLEBEN, WAS VERBINDET
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 incl. Market & Trends: CRM
Market & Trends: CRM

Customer Data Platforms – Drivers and Major Players

Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) have become more  and more popular recently. The digital transformation of companies and the increase in e-commerce deployment has led to brands opening new channels to reach their customers. Despite tools such as CRM and DMP, companies struggle to collect and centralize structured and unstructured customer data on a single platform. As a result, they are turning to CDPs because they orchestrate customer journeys and show customers that they are known, recognized and understood by offering them a unique experience. 

In the future, the deployment of CDPs is expected to continue to grow among companies, especially in the retail and industrial sectors. However, users will expect CDPs to be even more powerful and feature rich, especially in terms of analytics and real-time processing. 

For the past few years, customer data platforms (CDPs) have been experiencing a real craze. Faced with such fervor, more and more companies are thinking about deploying a CDP. Multiple players are gaining ground in this market to support their customers in consumer engagement. This growth in the use of CDPs is expected to continue in the years to come, in an effort to forge even stronger relationships with customers.  

CDP use has expanded rapidly. Customer data has become essential to personalize marketing and create a qualitative omnichannel customer relationship because it is a valuable asset for a company.

(Source: SITSI, 01.02.2023)

The Future Of CRM CRM Technologies Are Core To Customer And Employee Engagement

Customer relationship management (CRM) is at the heart of every business. It’s a significant spend of $500,000 to $5 million a year for most companies. CRM is not about making your front office more productive anymore. It’s a technology that supports customers throughout their end-to-end journeys. It drives customer relationships, their retention, and, ultimately, revenue.

  • CRM becomes more powerful as it aims to support all things customer. CRM consolidates the sales tech, marketing tech, and customer service tech point product ecosystem. It coalesces with digital experience platforms into composable customer engagement ecosystems to support digital and human-assisted customer journeys. CRM bleeds into the middle office and into core contact center operations. It encroaches on the traditional span of human capital management solutions. And it becomes embedded into workplace apps, such as collaboration tools, and allows non-customer-facing employees to align around and orchestrate actions that benefit the customer.
  • CRM technology will recommend ideal organizational constructs. It captures the context in which work is done and its outcomes. Insights can be used to dynamically assemble the right teams based on skill and performance and, in the future, even recommend formal organizational hierarchies, roles, and responsibilities that drive peak performance.
  • CRM will underpin front-office employee success. CRM will train users and unlock new career paths. It does this by tracing user actions and identifying next best actions for coaching and learning. Onboarding workflows will unlock more advanced functionality as novice users gain competency; users will unlock new training paths to uplevel their skills and open opportunities for advancement. CRM captures every user action, allowing performance management to become in the moment and continuous — and able to match performance outcomes to employee incentive programs and even, in the future, compensation.
(Source: Forrester, 25.01.2023)

The Industry-Specific CRM Landscape, Q4 2022

Market Maturity

Industry-specific CRM is decades old. The first industry-specific CRMs were on-premises solutions that were deeply verticalized like SAP CRM with over 20 industry editions. In the 2010’s these solutions gave way to lightweight industry SaaS CRM. These offered scripted best practices, industry data models and UI specific labels and extensions, but never went deep enough to be very useful. Today, industry-specific CRM built on public clouds is an established market that:

  • Includes enterprise capabilities to meet larger customer demand. Industry- specific CRM adoption accelerated with the onset of the pandemic in 2020. This is because companies had to quickly digitize experiences to stay competitive — like offering telehealth to patients. Market opportunities prompted vendors to release rudimentary industry-specific CRM for a greater swath of verticals. Industry capabilities from major vendors are now commonplace as an alternative to custom development on horizontal CRM.
  • Has new entrants and few dominant leaders. We frequently see new entrants to the industry-specific CRM market, especially for vendors targeting the small to midsize deployments, or for focused use cases. These challenge the handful of global market leaders that account for the vast majority of adoption within enterprises.
  • Continues to grow. Most vendors are experiencing high-double-digit growth on both customer numbers and revenue. Salesforce’s industry-specific CRM solutions now account for over 12% of its total revenue. Microsoft pursues an industry-first approach to help it realize its $3 trillion market cap. Oracle aggressively moved into the healthcare market with its $28.3 billion acquisition of Cerner in order to scale up its cloud business in the hospital and health system market.

Industry-Specific CRM: Functionality By Use Case

Industry-Specific CRM Vendor Focus By Use Case

(Source: Forrester, 01.12.2022)

CRM vendors have an opportunity to attract SMBs as business leaders plan their 2023 budgets

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are re-examining their IT services budgets and are likely to increase their spending on customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to strengthen their connections with customers and find opportunities for revenue growth.    CRM vendors can maximise this opportunity by advertising easy-to-use software and security assurance and by explaining how CRM tools can be used to cope with inflation.  

CRM is becoming an increasingly important part of SMBs’ digital transformations
SMBs are seeking ways in which to increase engagement with their customers. As such, CRM is becoming an ever more important component of SMBs’ digital marketing strategies. CRM is especially beneficial due to the rise of omnichannel marketing, which has led to more-complex customer journeys.

SMBs’ spending on cloud CRM solutions, by region, worldwide, 2021 and 2026

 

(Source: Analysys Mason, 30.11.2022)

The Forrester Wave: Sales Engagement Platforms, Q3 2022

Forrester’s last sales engagement wave was released during the COVID-19 epidemic when sellers could not visit customers and 53% of white-collar workers planned to work from home for the foreseeable future. A year later, the Forrester/Human Resource Executive Magazine Q3 2021 US HR Decision-Maker Survey showed that 66% of companies will work in a remote or hybrid environment; the rest are in the office. Sales engagement platforms met the challenge of supporting sellers working remotely and adapted to support sellers in a hybrid environment. Meanwhile, the funding environment for sales tech providers has also changed. From Q3 2020 until Q2 2022, average sales tech funding per quarter was $978 million, a key reason sales technology companies could innovate quickly to support a changing selling environment. In Q3 2022, funding dropped to $60 million, a tenth of the amount of the average quarter since the last Wave. Sales engagement providers helped their customers succeed in an all-digital environment but must meet this new hybrid moment with less funding and a requirement to run a profitable business.

As a result of these trends, sales engagement platform customers should look for providers that:

  • Have a solution built to enable buyers’ purchasing decisions. This new hybrid environment affects buyers and sellers alike. Shifts in buying group behavior require sales engagement providers to constantly adapt to stay relevant. With the world moving back to a blend of in-person and highly engaged digital audiences, sellers must adjust once again to ensure a seamless buying experience. There is a sales engagement platform available to support every seller in every industry, regardless of the buying motion.
  • Use AI to go beyond the persona and provide a customized buyer experience. According to McKinsey’s 2021 Next in Personalization study, 71% of buyers expect a personalized experience. Sales engagement platforms have improved seller efficiency by putting engagement options at sellers’ fingertips and aligning them to a persona-based cadence. As more companies adopt these technologies, it is no longer good enough to be efficient only at the persona level. Sellers must tailor engagement to the buyer and their role within the buying group. This requires a solution that has AI capabilities such as machine learning and natural language processing to determine the next best action for each buyer.
  • Prioritize capabilities needed now versus what may come in the future. Expect providers to slow down their innovation roadmap and drive utilization of existing capabilities. Although providers will still invest in the future, they are now focused on profitable growth, so they are less likely to innovate at the pace of the past two years. These platforms are already feature rich, so sales engagement vendors are turning their focus to driving adoption and optimizing the value of their current feature set.

(Source: Forrester, 27.09.2022)

Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation Platforms

The Sales Force Automation (SFA) market grew 14.8% to an estimated $9.4 billion in 2021. Gartner continues to facilitate a large number of inquiries surrounding vendors, and their capabilities. Most notably, these inquiries involve clients revisiting their SFA investments/deployments to assess alternatives in the market, or out of the need to support a unified CX strategy and digital transformation efforts at their organizations. The increase in customer self-service capabilities and revenue models meant to support such engagements presents the SFA market with additional opportunities to expand with adjacent capabilities.

Functionality Trends
The top market trend is continuation of expanding AI and virtual selling capabilities in SFA, whereby remote selling using collaboration tools and unified communications is becoming an essential part of the sales technology stack. Furthermore, SFA tools are increasingly moving from systems of record toward systems of engagement and insights, for fostering more seamless interactions and increasing effectiveness via analytics. To support more seamless experiences, SFA solutions will eventually extend their ability to act as a system of experience by decreasing friction in communication and collaboration with partners, customers and other sellers. (For more information on the emerging modern sales technology stack, see Modern Sales Technology Emerges to Support the New World of Buying and Selling.)

Gartner has added several new capabilities meant to enable more-seamless buying and selling processes for remote sales use cases. New core SFA capabilities are described in the sections that follow.

  • Collaboration: The hybrid working environment has accelerated the need for collaborative capabilities in the SFA market and/or deep interoperability with collaboration   technologies. 
  • IoT and Bot Applications: To further improve seller efficiency and effectiveness, modern sales organizations will venture into new business models, specifically self-service and digital commerce. This is where dominant uses of bot applications will help support seller-to-customer mediation. 
  • Sales organizations are expected to increase reliance on bot capabilities to capture buyer questions and needs, and, ultimately, use the data to feed ML algorithms for next-best-action recommendations. At the same time, the customer will be interfacing with the supplier website or in a messaging application. 
  • IoT device usage is expected  to proliferate with the vast array of “smart devices.” However, provided hybrid working and remote selling are here to stay, sellers working from home or anywhere else will expect to use smart-home devices to execute daily seller tasks. 
  • Proposal and Quote: These capabilities have long been a staple through CPQ applications offered as a separate suite of products in the sales technology market. However, although proposal and quote capabilities will not be a replication of CPQ in SFA platforms, there will be an expectation among most sales organizations that vendors will provide foundational proposal and quote features. 
  • Adjacent trends driving these capabilities will be self-service and digital sales rooms. Because they are contributing to a platform offering, SFA vendors will need to support customers in creating their own solutions and quotes while in a digital sales room. 
  • Platform Composability: This is the new nexus of the application platform landscape. SFA vendors will follow in a similar trajectory, whereby the future of applications is composable, meaning modularized, adaptable and interoperable with other platforms and applications. 

These new capabilities are expected to complement existing legacy or traditional SFA capabilities, such as account and contact management, opportunity management, and forecasting.

(Source: Gartner, 20.09.2022)

Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce

The digital commerce platform market’s revenue grew by a record 22% in 2021. This Magic Quadrant evaluates 18 vendors of digital commerce platforms to help application leaders make informed decisions. 

Strategic Planning Assumptions

  • By 2023, prices for B2C digital commerce platforms will be 30% less than in 2019, due to feature commoditization and “headless” implementations.
  • By 2024, 15% of B2B organizations will use digital commerce platforms to support both customers and sales reps in all sales activities.
  • By 2024, 10% of digital commerce organizations will use packaged business capabilities to construct their application experiences.
  • By 2024, the IT costs of managing SaaS operations will be halved as a result of the adoption of composable application architectures.
  • By 2025, organizations offering a unified commerce experience by frictionlessly moving customers through journeys will see at least a 20% uplift in total revenue.

(Source: Gartner, 10.08.2022)

The Forrester Wave: CRM Suites, Q3 2022

(Source: Forrester, 27.07.2022)

The Forrester Wave: Customer Analytics Technologies, Q2 2022

(Source: Forrester, 22.07.2022)

Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs

Multichannel marketing aims to build relationships between brands and customers through relevant, connected engagements with targeted audiences. Success depends on generating data-driven insights into customer behaviors, interests, goals and needs, and then applying them at scale. It also requires knowing how channels operate most effectively — in isolation and in unison — to deliver the desired combination of the right content to the right audience at the right time. Amid the rapidly shifting business climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive disruption of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, executing on customer inputs in an agile fashion for retention and growth is more mission-critical than ever.
MMH solutions are core to this effort. They help marketers unify customer data and deepen audience insights. They also enable marketers to deliver personalized campaigns at scale that are aligned to customer, channel, timing and content preferences. Finally, MMHs enable marketing teams to attribute results to specific channels, convert campaign data into predictive insights, and prescribe profitable next best actions and offers for targeted audiences.

Digital marketing leaders rely on these capabilities to achieve business objectives, with 87% indicating that they use their MMH solution daily. Two-thirds (66%) of end users cite revenue growth as the leading measurable benefit that their organization has achieved using its MMH solution, implying that the technology is core to both the marketing organization and the company as a whole.

The following trends are shaping the market for multichannel marketing hubs and their planned capabilities:

  • CDPs are leading a sea change in multichannel marketing hubs: Nearly 60% of providers (10 of 17) in this year’s Magic Quadrant presented a customer data platform (CDP) as either a core capability of or a necessary complement to their MMH offerings.
  • Year two of the pandemic continues to spur digital transformation: Rapid digital transformation induced by COVID-19 saw organizations make the transition to work-at-home operating modes, adapting by replacing in-person events and reducing the reliance on in-store or in-person mechanisms. 
  • Marketers face a persistent struggle to deliver personalized experiences and maximize utilization: Delivering personalized experiences and mapping digital messages to audience channel preferences — endeavors that are both part of larger personalization efforts — represent persistent challenges for digital marketing leaders. 
  • Data-driven strategies are moving from big data to “rich data”: Marketing organizations are now nearly a decade into their embrace of big data, reflected in ongoing analytics investments to help them gather as much customer data as possible. 
  • Marketers see ongoing tensions between best-of-breed and integrated suite approaches: After successive years of rising preference for best-of-breed instead of integrated suite options, the 2020 Gartner Marketing Technology Survey showed a sharp reversal: 59% of marketers said they prefer to rely primarily on a single vendor with multiple interconnected capabilities to satisfy their needs. MMHs — with their expanding and often matrixed feature sets, growing integration marketplaces, and cross-application dependencies — are at the center of these oscillating preferences in approach to martech purchases. 

 

(Source: Gartner, 18.07.2022)

The Forrester Wave: B2C Commerce Solutions, Q2 2022

Modular, cloud-native commerce solutions are no longer just for the most digitally mature companies. In fact, modern commerce tech is more adaptive and provides resilience for the digital businesses that use it. Retailers and digital direct-to-consumer businesses are strapped for staff, forced to move faster than ever, and heavily reliant on technology. That reliance, coupled with lightning-fast changes to consumer expectations, drives them to seek constant technological innovation, even if their adoption of it is frustratingly slow and incremental. In-store, retailers add dedicated point-of-service store fulfillment tools or look to other categories, like order management systems (OMS), to layer on these suddenly mandatory requirements. In the meantime, their legacy technology languishes underneath as they pile on software as a service (SaaS) components until they can make the final leap to a full SaaS architecture. In commerce, this exodus to modern solutions, architecture, and delivery models rewards the vendors that have invested in tech that enables them — and their users — to innovate faster.

As a result of these trends, B2C commerce solutions customers should look for providers that:

  • Make it clear they see you as their ideal, target customer. 
  • Are built on modern, cloud-native architecture. 
  • Prioritize the nontechnical practitioner experience. 

(Source: Forrester, 28.06.2022)

The Forrester Wave: Real-Time Interaction Management, Q2 2022

According to Forrester’s recent marketing survey, the priorities resonating among the most B2C marketers for the next 12 months are: 1) improving the ROI/effectiveness of marketing (25%), 2) improving marketing alignment and collaboration with other departments (including CX, customer service, and e-commerce) (24%), and 3) focusing on post-sale customer engagement (23%). RTIM vendors across functional segments are rising to meet these challenges — especially those with next best experience (NBX) decision engines. Others, fueled by recent mergers and acquisitions, enrich RTIM with customer journey orchestration (CJO) capabilities. But enterprise marketing technology (martech) vendors are poised to disrupt the RTIM space as they add more CX capabilities. And customer data platforms (CDPs) provide cost-effective alternatives for those in need of data-driven solutions to specific RTIM use cases like audience activation or optimization.

As a result of these trends, RTIM customers should look for providers that:

  • Enable NBX decision-making. 
  • Facilitate cross-functional alignment. 
  • Power advanced CX measurement and optimization. 

(Source: Forrester, 26.05.2022)

The Forrester Wave: B2B Commerce Solutions, Q2 2022

Two generations of technology sourced by two types of technology buyers define the market. The older vendors originally built their products with monolithic architecture and offer many mature (but slowly evolving) B2B functions that have been battle-hardened over 15 years. The newer vendors built their products with cloud-native architecture and offer less mature (but quickly evolving) B2B functions as APIs that are designed for B2B businesses to compose into tailored solutions. Digitally mature B2B firms have the culture and development skills to take advantage of modern vendors. Less digitally mature B2B firms — i.e., those that continue to delay modernization — risk being tied to outdated vendor offerings. But here’s the rub: The modern vendors aren’t function-mature, and (with Oracle as the one exception) the function-mature stalwarts have antiquated architecture that impedes innovation.

As a result of these trends, B2B commerce solutions customers should look for providers that:

  • Are built on modern cloud-native architecture. 
  • Have modern ISV partners.
  • Have modern service partners.
  • Prioritize the practitioner experience.
  • Align to future fit principles that govern smart investments. 

(Source: Forrester, 28.04.2022)

Low-Code Platforms: Competitive Landscape Assessment

Low-code platform providers have found themselves in an enviable position as enterprises are highly motivated to prioritize their modern software delivery initiatives through high-productivity development tools. Increased prominence has ensured lucrative funding, acquisitions, and profitability. Heightened importance around low-code app development platforms has been prompted by complex application architectures (e.g., microservices and serverless-based apps), a global shortage of professional software developers, and the need for business transformation delivered through meaningful back-end data integrations.

Market Drivers

  • Coding and Data Science Democratization: The extremely transformative value of low-code platforms for enabling a broader audience of stakeholders in the app development process has increased market demand in recent years. 
  • Cloud Native: For application modernization efforts, the cloud is no longer a future opportunity but a current requirement as enterprises seek to share select workloads and data repositories between premises and cloud to achieve CICD. 
  • The COVID-19 Effect: Over the past two years global news events have highlighted numerous applications being created overnight without writing a single line of code by leveraging low-code platforms to address various business, community and state-wide issues in response to the COVID-19 crisis. 
  • Embedded Analytics: While embedded analytics have been around for a few years, developers and non-coders are gaining access to AI through low-code platforms. 
  • Automating IT: To reduce risk and lower costs associated with digitization, operations teams are seeking DevOps tools in the form of newly consolidated platforms. 
  • Digital Transformation: Vendors envision a wealth of opportunity building solutions that help enterprises address the labor-intensive processes around supporting customer engagement, chatbots, and integration into modern apps, through the optimization of those processes from a cognitive perspective. 

 

(Source: GlobalData, 29.03.2022)

Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms

Today’s analytics and BI platforms are augmented throughout and enable users to compose low/no-code workflows and applications. Cloud ecosystems and alignment with digital workplace tools are key selection factors. This research helps data and analytics leaders plan for and select these platforms.

According to Gartner’s market share analysis, revenue in the ABI platform market grew by 16% in 2020, compared with 19% in 2019, to reach just over $7 billion. Pricing pressure and strong competition were broadly responsible for this small deceleration. As reported in prior years, although spending on ABI is growing more slowly than in the 2010s, the number of people using ABI platforms is accelerating massively into the millions. This huge increase in user numbers is due to the growing variety of analytics use cases stemming from the pandemic, combined with more accessible pricing with the price per user being a fraction of what it was a decade ago.

Currently, one vendor — Microsoft — dominates the market in terms of user adoption. The massive growth of the Microsoft Power BI cloud service has continued, fueled largely by the bundling of this product with Office 365 (at E5 license level) at a greatly reduced price. The increasing integration of Power BI with Microsoft Teams fuels further growth, given the importance of remote working.

(Source: Gartner, 22.03.2022)

The Future Of CRM

CRM is a strategic technology that underpins customer obsession and employee engagement. There has been a steady progression of CRM technology bleeding into adjacent software categories as it aims to support all things “customer” and front-office “employee.” AI and automation are at the heart of CRM, driving optimized interactions throughout the customer journey, heightened employee engagement, and collaboration. Insights, derived from using CRM, help coach and upskill the front-office workforce as the nature of work changes. This report highlights the forces that elevate the importance of CRM and the future of this technology.

CRM is a foundational technology that enables customer obsession — a significant spend of $500,000 to $5 million a year for most companies. Enterprises originally deployed CRM to provide operational efficiencies for sales, marketing, and customer service organizations. Today, CRM is experiencing a second wave of adoption aimed at transforming experiences, where it’s used more broadly to support customers throughout their end-to-end journeys. It enables companies to access 360-degree views of customers in real time, driving trusted, personal experiences along the customer journey.

CRM is at the heart of every business. According to Forrester data, 82% of software decision-makers at enterprises and 73% of software decision-makers at small and medium-size businesses say their firm plans to use or uses CRM as a sales and fulfillment technology. New purpose has reshaped its enterprisewide value. Specifically, CRM:

  • Is growing into a C-level business imperative
  • Provides structure to tangible customer value
  • Engineers a connected experience
  • Empowers front-office employees to anticipate needs
  • Delivers unique journeys
  • Supports industry needs

New Purpose Reshapes CRM’s Enterprisewide Value

(Source: Forrester, 24.12.2021)

Predictions 2022: Digital Commerce

Companies will invest massively in commerce technology to reach and serve customers in every shopping moment: owned, paid, and influenced. They will fight to earn customers’ loyalty, replatform incrementally to add capabilities to compete with marketplaces, and take advantage of consolidating ecosystems. Anywhere Commerce will translate into investments in experience architectures, cloud components, and a steadily expanding portfolio of high-leverage capabilities.

In 2022, brands and businesses will make direct relationships and better shopping experiences a priority to keep customers away from marketplaces and coming back for more. The mantra will become “Anywhere Commerce” as first movers and fast followers alike pursue presence in every possible shopping moment, from an owned website to an influenced marketplace or social platform to a paid retail media placement. Commerce technology is a vital component in any shopping experience — owned, influenced, or paid. To fulfill the potential of Anywhere Commerce, merchants and B2B companies will tackle their technology foundations with more investment energy. We predict you’ll see five changes in digital commerce technology in 2022:

  • New enterprise “experience” architectures will evolve to deliver Anywhere Commerce. 
  • A carve-out/add-on frenzy will triple investment in commerce cloud components. 
  • Commerce tech spend will soar as companies reclaim their brands from marketplaces. 
  • Payments and transactions will become the lubrication for hosted commerce platforms. 
  • Mobile endless aisle solutions will bring online experiences to in-store shopping.

 

(Source: Forrester, 04.11.2021)

Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce, 2021

Over the next two years, visual configuration, digital wallets, customer identity and access management (CIAM) and virtual customer assistants (VCAs) will have high impact on digital commerce as mainstream adoption of these technologies increases, according to the 2021 Gartner, Inc. Hype Cycle for Digital Commerce.

“Digital commerce is a fast-changing market where competitive pressures and the need to innovate means new technologies emerge frequently,” said  Sandy Shen, research vice president at Gartner. “Application leaders can use the hype cycle to differentiate between technologies that are fads that will disappear over time, and those that are expected to have a significant business impact. By understanding the capabilities and challenges of each technology, they can make informed decisions regarding resources at hand.”

 

(Source: Gartner, 04.10.2021)

Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce

Strategic Planning Assumptions

  • By 2023, prices for B2C digital commerce platforms will be 30% less than in 2019, due to feature commoditization and “headless” implementations.
  • By 2023, organizations that have operated enterprise marketplaces for more than one year will see at least a 10% increase in digital revenue.
  • By 2024, 15% of B2B organizations will use digital commerce platforms to support both its customers and sales reps in all sales activities.
  • By 2024, 10% of digital commerce organizations will use packaged business capabilities to construct their application experiences.
  • By 2024, subscriptions will contribute to 20% of revenue growth for digital commerce organizations.
  • By 2024, leading commerce organizations will generate 10% of online revenue from services attached to physical products.

(Source: Gartner, 31.08.2021)

The Forrester Wave: Digital Experience Platforms, Q3 2021

Digital experience platform customers should look for providers that:

  • Offer prebuilt integrations to more digital experience parts. Platforms are expected to deliver efficiency — not just the ability — for assembling capabilities. Larger vendors proclaim that their product portfolios are pre-integrated and work well together. Smaller vendors focus on pre-integrating their narrower portfolios with cloud parts from the broader ecosystem. Customers tell Forrester that they want an integrated set of capabilities that "just works" — regardless of whether it comprises parts from one or many vendors.
  • Prioritize the practitioner experience. Task-focused, frictionless digital experiences inspire customers to reach their journey goals and realize the value your firm delivers. It's high time the experience-builders levy those expectations on their vendors — because the benefits are the same. Streamlined tools allow practitioners to maintain focus on crafting digital interactions that lead to differentiated customer outcomes.
  • Elevate testing and optimization to a first-class capability. Content is the soul of, but not the whole of, experience. Pervasive changes in customer behavior caused by COVID-19 demonstrated how fragile predictive behavioral models can be in periods of turbulence. Practitioners need tools to continuously test and optimize all facets of their digital experiences at scale to be resilient in the face of black swan events.
  • Have a microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native, headless (MACH) offering. Digital teams need scaling to be instant and APIs to be productive for modern developers. They need cloud-native platform parts to evolve continuously without requiring upgrades. And they need a platform built for interoperability and composability. All the vendors in this evaluation are headed in this direction, but some are much farther along than others.

 

(Source: Forrester, 21.07.2021)

Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center

Market Overview

The $22.9 billion CRM CSS software market, of which the CEC market is part, will grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate of 10.3% in U.S. dollars through 2024 and remain the largest subsegment of the customer experience/CRM market (CSS’s proportion of the CRM market was about 34% in 2019). Although forecast growth rates in 2020 dropped from about 17% (2018 to 2019) to 5% (2019 to 2020), in common with other CRM subsegments, CSS revenue is somewhat protected as organizations prioritize CSS technology. Moving into 2021, growth rates are expected to improve to 12%. (Source: Forecast Analysis: CRM Customer Service and Support Software, Worldwide) 

Competition in the CSS market is intense but highly fragmented. The bulk of this CSS market is held by the top 10 vendors, which together command a 57% share. The core CSS technology is the CEC, which accounts for about 63% of the CSS market. The leading CRM CEC vendors by revenue are, in descending order, Salesforce, Oracle, SAP and Zendesk. The CEC market also includes a host of smaller vendors, particularly those with upcoming technologies supporting AI, chat, analytics and self-service. (Source: Market Opportunity Map: Customer Service and Support and Digital Commerce, Worldwide)

(Source: Gartner, 15.06.2021)

The Forrester Wave Salesforce Consulting Partners, Q2 2021

Salesforce has evolved to become a sophisticated foundation for business operations — spanning traditional CRM and customer experience (CX), industry operations, employee experience, and beyond. But building a businesswide customer-centric platform requires much more than an application development or systems integration effort. Even if you build out a platform iteratively, the increased complexity of such ambition requires a partner that can bring a vision for how to transform your business using Salesforce, along with the prebuilt accelerators, change management, industry knowledge, and technology know-how to achieve results faster.

As a result of these trends, Salesforce consulting partners’ customers should look for providers that:

  • Bring platform thinking and industry innovation to customers. Salesforce’s strategic value lies in how firms leverage the ecosystem, not just the software itself. Successful firms use Salesforce as a platform to enable them to adapt quickly to shifting user demands and market challenges while providing a resilient business foundation. Leading partners inspire and educate their clients about what a platform approach can do for their industry rather than just how to build a generic sales or service process. Top Salesforce partners establish credibility with senior business and technology executives and help drive significant values-driven change from the dual perspectives of customer and employee experience.
  • Know multiple Salesforce clouds and how to enable practices that cross clouds. Salesforce has continued to push its Customer 360 vision based on the idea that the best way to gain a holistic view of customers (and partners) is through a multicloud strategy with the right integration to Salesforce and beyond. If partners are less versed in some clouds or in integration chops, or are limited in their multicloud experience, they can’t help you achieve that vision and will contribute to further siloed views of the customer.
  • Advise you on product mix and architecture — built with the future in mind. Salesforce customers face lots of product choices, including Salesforce products and versions, AppExchange add-ons, custom development on or off Salesforce, and non-Salesforce products such as Microsoft or SAP. Future fit partners can provide unbiased advice and help you navigate through the key trade-offs and considerations. For example, they can guide you to consider the benefits of an industry version, even if it lacks the depth of current standard editions. And partners can help you make smart decisions that balance long-term cost and agility while considering your specific everyday needs as well as broader vision, software landscape, and skill set requirements.

(Source: Forrester, 10.06.2021)

Now Tech: Salesforce Consulting Partners, Q1 2021

Key Takeaways

Improve Customer Results With Salesforce Consulting Partners; Salesforce consulting partners provide a combination of vision, experience, and tools to help Salesforce projects reach their full potential.

Select Vendors Based On Size And Functionality;Salesforce has attracted a wide range of partners in this ever-growing space. Customers should select providers based on their service capabilities, industry experience, and product skills.

Weigh The Trade-Offs Of Breadth Versus Specialization; Each provider has a unique mix of skills and experience across Salesforce and other apps and vendors. Make sure your provider has experience that aligns with your specific needs for the best fit.

Now Tech Large Vendors: Salesforce Consulting Partners, Q1 2021

Now Tech Midsize Vendors: Salesforce Consulting Partners, Q1 2021

Now Tech Small Vendors: Salesforce Consulting Partners, Q1 2021

(Source: Forrester, 02.02.2021)

The Five CRM Trends In 2021 That Will Shape Engagement, Relationships, And Revenue

Key Takeaways

Business Challenges Catalyze The Adoption Of Modern CRM; Modern CRM supports a breadth of business models, industries, and purchasing patterns. Firms can easily deploy, configure, and extend it to enable business resiliency.

AI Empowers CRM Users To Strengthen Customer Relationships; AI and automation offload repetitive tasks and allow frontline customer personnel to concentrate on nurturing customer relationships. Companies that master the interplay between AI, automation, and human relationships will dominate their industries.

Hyperpersonalization, CRM Unification, And Edge Engagement Best Support Customers; Firms will leverage unified CRM that supports consistent processes and data for customer engagement. Personalization delivers in-context engagement. New digital channels bring engagement closer to the customer. Together, these trends fuel customer retention.

Five Trends Are Shaping The Modern CRM Landscape

The CRM industry continues to grow at a staggering rate. Why? Because CRM is at the heart of every business that wants to compete on customer experience. It enables companies to access 360-degree views of customers in real time to drive reliable, trusted, personal, and in-context experiences along customer journeys.

AD&D pros should make resource decisions based on the trends reshaping CRM in 2021

Here are the top five:

(Source: Forrester, 22.01.2021)

Market Share Analysis: CRM Customer Service and Support, Worldwide, 2019

The $19.4 billion customer service and support market is driven by the demand for seamless multichannel customer experience supplemented by AI-assisted technologies, particularly digital and self-service. Providers should focus on AI-assisted and self-service conversations and case management.

Key Market Findings

  • The customer service and support (CSS) market grew 14.7% year over year to reach $19.4 billion in 2019.
  • The top 10 vendors held 58% of the CSS market revenue, whereas the next 20 vendors together contributed only 7% of the overall revenue, showing this is a significantly fragmented market.
  • North America has the majority stake in the CSS market with 59% share, followed by Western Europe at 21%. Japan, Eurasia and North America are the fastest-growing regions, having year-over-year growth rates of 18%, 17.4% and 16.4%, respectively.

(Source: , 12.12.2020)

Predicts 2021: New Selling Imperatives Drive CRM Sales Technology Roadmaps

Key Findings

Sellers continue to experience difficulty with technology due to poor user experience (UX) or complicated business processes leading to their disengagement and lack of productivity.

Predictive analytics improves the quality of sales analysis, but it does not improve users’ decision making.

Implementing a multichannel B2B sales vision for postpandemic selling will ultimately require composable applications and analytics efforts.

To overcome uncertain channel demand forecasts because of the pandemic, channel managers are assuming more control over the processes and tools for qualifying leads managed by their indirect channel partners.

Strategic Planning Assumption

  • By 2025, 80% of organizations will use DAS across the sales stack to overcome insufficient application UXs.
  • By 2025, 30% of large B2B companies will use AI predictive analytics to drive all of their sales KPIs and insights.
  • By 2025, 20% of B2B companies will see revenue growth from multiexperience sales due to a well-executed “everywhere customer” vision.
  • By 2025, 50% of companies with indirect B2B sales will manage prospect data for their resell partners through PRM technologies as a means for getting access to end-customer market data.
  • By 2024, 80% of ordering and replenishment will be touchless for most organizations.

CRM Sales Technology Predictions for the Future of Sales

(Source: Gartner, 03.12.2020)

Predicts 2021: CRM Customer Service and Support

Key Findings

  • To provide a seamless customer experience, organizations are developing unifi  ed roles, such as chief revenue officer, to incorporate the various and overlapping responsibilities of sales, marketing and service/support.
  • Messaging is rapidly becoming the preferred means of communication, thanks to the native messaging capabilities of text, multimedia and rich communication services, and to third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger.
  • In increasingly complex product and organizational environments, individuals, even at expert levels of the hierarchical customer service escalation structure, may not have the cross-domain fluency needed to address many customer requests successfully.
  • Organizations are increasingly striving to become more proactive as they increase their digital footprints and launch new channels.

Strategic Planning Assumptions

  • By 2025, 40% of customer service organizations will become profit centers by becoming de facto leaders in digital customer engagement.
  • By 2025, 80% of customer service organizations will have abandoned native mobile apps in favor of messaging for a better customer experience.
  • By 2025, 10% of customer service organizations will revamp hierarchical staffing models to create
  • “huddle groups” committed to the well-being of specific customer segments.
  • By 2025, proactive (outbound) customer engagement interactions will outnumber reactive (inbound) customer engagement interactions.

10 Dilemmas Facing Customer Service Organizations

(Source: Gartner, 01.12.2020)

Market Opportunity Map: CRM, ERP and SCM Applications, Worldwide

CRM (Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Digital Commerce)

CRM cloud is expected to represent 89% percent of the total CRM market by 2024, up from 78% in 2019.

Spending on CRM (in relation to unit adoption) increases as companies grow, expand into new markets, acquire more customers and expand their new-customer installed base. As a result, they need to better engage their customers by investing in marketing, sales, customer service, digital commerce and so forth. As a result of the economic impacts of COVID-19, there is a shift toward e-commerce in 2020 and 2021.

The sustained interest in marketing software is driven by a continued rise in investment in software by companies to support improvements in customer engagement and customer experience (CX). As organizations shift to the experience economy they continue to improve and differentiate on CX, resulting in increased demand for CRM software.

Cloud Share of Market, Worldwide

   

(Source: Gartner, 30.10.2020)

Market Share Analysis: CRM Sales Software, Worldwide, 2019

The CRM sales software market grew by 13.7% to register an overall revenue of $14 billion in 2019. Sales force automation is the largest component of the larger sales technology market, accounting for about 55% of the overall sales technology market in 2019.

Key Market Findings

  • The top five vendors hold 53% of the CRM sales market share, down from 54% in 2018, leaving a highly fragmented 47% stake for hundreds of vendors with small to midrange sales revenue.
  • CRM sales cloud service revenue grew by 17% in 2019
  • North America held the maximum share in the CRM sales space by occupying 60% of the market. It was followed by Western Europe and mature Asia/Pacific, with their shares at 21%and 4.5%, respectively, in 2019.

Vendor Performance Highlights

  • Salesforce continued its dominance among the sales software providers by registering the highest market share of 32.4% and market growth of 13.3% in 2019, led by strong market strategy, a high number of product enhancements, and improved platform capabilities as compared to its competitors.
  • Microsoft jumped to the second position in 2019 by replacing SAP and registering a growth rate of 12.5%. SAP slipped to the third position and was the only vendor in top five to show a market decline of 5.3% in 2019.
  • Among the top 10 sales software providers, apart from SAP and Xactly, all the vendors registered double-digit growth, with Zoho showcasing the maximum growth of approximately 35%.

Top 10 Vendors of CRM Sales Software Market Share by Revenue, Worldwide, 2018 and 2019 (Millions of Dollars)

Top Five Sales Software Providers by Subsegment

(Source: Gartner, 27.10.2020)

Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation

Market Overview

In 2019, the sales technology sales force automation (SFA) market grew by an estimated 11.1% to $7.8 billion, with almost all the growth relating to cloud-based offerings. The SFA market grew by a slower rate than the year previous, which was an estimated 12.8%. And the SFA market is growing at a slower pace than the overall sales technology market, which grew by an estimated 13.7% in 2018.

SFA is the largest component of the larger sales technology market. Gartner estimates that SFA technology comprises approximately 55% of the overall sales technology market.

Functionality Trends

As has been the case in the last two years, the top market trend is the expansion AI capabilities in SFA product suites. The majority of vendors in this Magic Quadrant now offer predictive analytics for at least one of the following use cases: opportunity scoring, lead scoring, account health scoring or natural language processing (NLP).

Prescriptive next best actions — an aspect of B2B guided selling capabilities — is still not a mature offering. Some SFA vendors offer it as an aspect of their AI platform combined with custom sales process modeling. But this capability is a long way from turnkey dynamic, AI-based next best action functionality.

A handful of vendors have started offering advanced customer engagement functionality, such as multichannel chatbots, robotic process automation (RPA) or conversational intelligence.

Looking at vendors’ roadmaps, Gartner expects that vendors will move into data-driven sales coaching functions. This will allow sales managers to more quickly identify which sellers are executing the expected sales processes. Gartner also expects that chatbots will become a valuable UI for end users. This will reduce the amount of manual data entry expected of sellers.

SFA Technology and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gartner found that the COVID-19 outbreak caught many of its clients flat-footed. Selling organizations that rely heavily on human-to-human interactions were the most unprepared, and the disruption left them feeling uncertain about the impact on their sales processes and revenue.

This impact has had a knock-on effect on SFA technology. If selling organizations were not using their SFA systems in a consistent, disciplined manner before the pandemic, then they probably lack the discipline to optimize their odds of success on current deals.

(Source: Gartner, 28.08.2020)

Forrester Wave: Mobile Engagement Automation, Q3 2020

Key Takeaways

Braze, Airship, Adobe, And Acoustic Lead The Pack; Forrester’s research uncovered a market in which Braze, Airship, Adobe, and Acoustic are Leaders; MoEngage is a Strong Performer; and Salesforce, Leanplum, Swrve, and Upland Software are Challengers.

Integrations, Testing, And Automation Are Key Differentiators; As brands no longer view mobile engagement as a silo but rather a part of the customer experience, MEA vendors’ integrations, iterative messaging, and testing and reporting capabilities will dictate which providers will lead the pack. Vendors that can provide rich integrations with marketing technology (martech), flexible and responsive messaging, and sophisticated testing and reporting position themselves to successfully deliver and optimize mobile engagement in the context of broader customer journeys. 

(Source: Forrester, 25.08.2020)

The Forrester Wave: Customer Analytics Technologies, Q3 2020

Key Takeaways

SAS, Salesforce, Microsoft, And Adobe Lead The Pack; Forrester’s research uncovered a market in which SAS, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Adobe are Leaders; Teradata, Arm Treasure Data, and Manthan are Strong Performers; Acoustic, SAP, and Periscope by McKinsey are Contenders; and FICO is a Challenger.

Optimizing Experiences And Accommodating Diverse Users Are Key Differentiators; As the ability to generate customer analytics models becomes commoditized, the ability to optimize decisions at a customer level and cater to a wide range of enterprise users will dictate which providers lead the pack.

(Source: Forrester, 05.08.2020)

Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center

Strategic Planning Assumptions

  • By 2022, 50% of large organizations will have still failed to unify engagement channels. This will result in the continuation of a disjointed and siloed customer experience that lacks context.
  • By 2023, 30% of customer service organizations will deliver proactive customer service using artificial intelligence (AI), process orchestration and continuous intelligence.
  • By 2025, customer service organizations that embed AI in their multichannel customer engagement platforms will elevate operational efficiency by 25%.
  • By 2023, over 40% of field service management (FSM) deployments will include mobile augmented reality collaboration and knowledge sharing tools, up from less than 10% in 2019.

(Source: Gartner, 04.06.2020)

Forecast Analysis: CRM Sales Software, Worldwide

Forecast Assumptions

  • By 2023, 91% of new CRM sales software spend will be for cloud-based deployments, up from 81% in 2018.
  • By 2023, 80% of large enterprises worldwide will have adopted sales software, up from 70% in 2018.
  • By 2023, 50% of all B2B companies will employ some kind of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment at least one of their primary sales processes.
  • By 2023, a company will double its spending on additional CRM users and product functional modules within five years of the first purchase.

 

Market Impacts

  • Sales software within CRM in Gartner’s market taxonomy is made up of a number of subsegments. In 2018, the market size of the aggregated sales subsegments was $11.98 billion, and we expect this to grow to $22 billion by 2023.
  • Sales is among the top 10 fastest-growing software subsegments out of 100 major subsegments tracked by Gartner across the enterprise software market. However, it is the slowest of the four CRM market segments (the others being customer service and support, digital commerce, and marketing). Although the most mature CRM module, it is quite a healthy market, unlike most mature subsegments.
  • Sales software is a mature segment. But newer technologies, such as mobile and AI, have been applied to many use cases and have stimulated demand and driven adoption both for inside sales and field sales. These factors help the market maintain its strong growth.
  • All subsegments are showing strong growth of more than 10%, with the leading segments from a compound annual rate growth (CAGR) perspective being sales enablement, closely followed by configure, price and quote (CPQ). CPQ usually has a business case associated with compliance, accuracy, margin control, order accuracy and efficiency (speeding up the time to create and deliver a quote, as the first quote in front of the prospect often wins). Sales enablement is about making sales reps more effective, so companies can get more out of their significant investment in sales resources, processes and technology

CRM Sales Software End-User Spending by Segment

(Source: Gartner, 02.06.2020)

Critical Capabilities for CRM and Customer Experience Implementation Services, Worldwide

The demand for CRM and CX implementation services challenges sourcing, procurement and vendor management leaders to identify experienced service providers. This research offers 11 capabilities that are important to identify for selecting a successful implementation partner.

Key Findings

  • High demand for CRM and customer experience implementation services is causing providers profiled in this research to grow by 21% in 2019 revenue, ahead of an 18% growth in FTEs. The  largest markets continue to be North America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with 42%and 38%, respectively.
  • Reference clients rated technology architecture and integration, customer service and support (CSS), and sales experience the highest among the rated vendors. Organizational change management and commerce experience were the lowest-rated capabilities, with comments regarding the need to better align business, internal IT and vendor resources.
  • Included vendors demonstrate high competence in CRM technology implementation, and diverse capabilities in complex CX projects. Although complex CX implementations require experience in all critical capabilities, no single vendor is an expert across all of them.

(Source: Gartner, 09.04.2020)

Top CRM Sales Technologies for the New Realities of Selling in the COVID-19 World

The COVID-19 pandemic changes how sellers engage with customers, as they can no longer rely on traditional practices. Application leaders supporting sales should adopt new planning, guided selling, conversation intelligence, forecasting, digital commerce and pricing technologies.

On 20 March 2020, Gartner surveyed 47 chief sales officers (CSOs) about the impact that COVID-19 has had on their sales processes and customer demand. Most of the audience stated that there was no cause for immediate change in strategy. While this initial report is encouraging, Gartner has also found that the outbreak caught many Gartner clients flat-footed. Selling organizations that rely heavily on human-to-human interactions are the most unprepared, leaving them uncertain about the impact on their sales processes and revenue.

(Source: Gartner, 03.04.2020)

The Forrester Wave™: Healthcare CRM Providers, Q1 2020

Healthcare organizations (HCOs) are shifting focus away from being reactive — delivering sick care — toward offering innovative services and benefits that make them relevant to customers on an ongoing basis, not just in a time of crisis. Tech giants like Amazon and retailers like CVS and Walmart are here to disrupt and vie for healthcare customers by streamlining supply chains and making care delivery more convenient via large networks of retail locations. HCOs are responding by transforming how they engage with, support, and provide value to their customers. They're investing in virtual care services, mass personalization and individualization, transparency, and customer service — all aligned with improving experiences and the digital front door — a stark contrast to priorities of the traditional market in the past. 

Pegasystems And Salesforce Lead The Pack 

Forrester's research uncovered a market in which Pegasystems and Salesforce are Leaders; Welltok is a Strong Performer; Microsoft, Healthgrades, and Creatio are Contenders; and SugarCRM is a Challenger. 

Prescriptive Analytics And Customer Segmentation Are Key Differentiators 

As legacy technology becomes outdated and less effective, improved segmentation that leads to individualization will dictate which providers will lead the pack. Vendors that can provide prescriptive analytics position themselves to successfully deliver insights that enable next best actions at the right time for their clients to best support their customers. 
 

(Source: Forrester, 12.03.2020)

Top CRM Trends For 2020

Customer experience (CX) is still king in 2020. Modern customer relationship management (CRM) must be used as a foundational technology for customer engagement in order to deliver experiences that keep your customers coming back for more. Here are our top five trends for CRM in 2020:

  1. Self-service for end-to-end customer journey support increases. More customers self-serve as the first point of contact with companies. B2B buyers want to self-educate rather than talk to a seller by a factor of nearly three to one; customers access self-service content and processes more than agent-assisted channels. We see companies increasing their investment in self-service technologies: marketing resource management solutions to track marketing outcomes, commerce solutions, and customer-facing configure price quote (CPQ) solutions, chatbots, knowledge management, and more. 
  2. AI and automation continue to improve CRM outcomes. AI-fueled CRM guides sellers and agents through the right actions, empowers them with the right insights, and optimizes campaigns, product configurations, and pricing. We see companies prioritize robotic process automation (RPA) and bots that have clear ROI. However, we see companies struggle with larger, transformative initiatives to digitize and automate core processes. 
  3. Hyperpersonalization underpins true one-to-one interactions. Customers expect engagement, tailored to their history, preferences, context, and intent. We see CRM use customer intelligence gleaned from unstructured interaction data to fuel true one-to-one conversations. The data will include broader demographic data, conversational styles, buying indicators, social data, life events, and relationship graphs. 
  4. Unified CRM boosts targeted role-based experiences. Great customer experiences rest on tailored role-based experiences, delivered by a unified CRM with tight coupling to back-office applications — not by departmental, siloed CRMs. We see the continued consolidation of departmental CRMs into broader business solutions. 
  5. Customer value models accelerate ongoing customer success. As more companies shift to subscription models, renewals and expansions become more important to their success. We predict that success, onboarding, and CRM technologies will blur; this will provide all frontline personnel with better visibility of the customer’s value to the organization. Also, new CRM licensing models that focus on business value and outcomes, rather than software consumption, will emerge. 
(Source: Forrester, 11.02.2020)

Use RPA To Deliver Better Customer Service Experiences

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a key component in the landscape of automation and AI technology for customer service operations. It bolsters agent productivity, increases process automation, and helps operations deliver differentiated experiences and uncover new revenue streams. RPA erodes repetitive work and boosts the need for superagents, new metrics, and new ways of managing an upleveled workforce. This report describes how customer service leaders benefit from RPA and how they can accommodate changing agent skills.

Key Takeaways

RPA Delivers Real ROI To Customer Service Operations; RPA is a tactical, short-term fix to digitize common, reproducible agent tasks. It overlays — and doesn’t disrupt — existing contact center applications, which makes it easy to implement and realize value from.

Start Simple With Common Agent Tasks; Customer service organizations look to automate common rules-based tasks within processes that span multiple systems. Start with five simple agent tasks, and measure ROI as you go.

Realize That Agent Skills Must Change As Your RPA Matures; RPA won’t automate agents away. It will actually make your workplace more attractive to agents, change the way they work, and force you to rethink your staffing and operational metrics.

“What are the main challenges you face when attempting to track customer journeys?”

(Source: Forrester, 06.01.2020)

2020 Trends to Watch: Customer Engagement

As digital transformation success becomes intimately tied to customer experience (CX), that emphasis will continue to drive business investments in digital transformation. 

Due to advancements in AI, machine learning (ML), interconnected partner ecosystems, and the interoperability of data to enable integrated insights, the competitive drivers of growth in CX will increasingly come to light. 

For AI to deliver value, it must be given some context to understand the significance of the events in shaping a customer behavior. That requires an awareness of both the customer journey that touchpoints help to shape, and the KPIs that are subsequently impacted by customer behavior –whether related to revenue, profitability, customer lifetime value, customer satisfaction, or other factors driving high-level business performance. 

Key messages

  • AI will become increasingly embedded across applications. 
  • Vendors will lay the integrated foundation for reliable conversational AI. 
  • Intelligent RPA will move from back office to front office. 
  • Marketing segmentation will be eclipsed by AI-driven micro-segmentation. 
  • AI-enabled journey analytics will take customer journey mapping from static to active. 
  • Single-purpose bots will disappear as intelligent digital assistants look to augment the agent experience.
(Source: OVUM, 24.12.2019)

Salesforce Customer 360 Truth provides the foundation for a better customer experience

Ovum's latest global ICT Enterprise Insights survey of around 5,000 enterprises revealed that cost control marginally leads growth as a key driver for digital investment (23.4% vs. 23.0%). Improving operating efficiency came in third at 21.4% with improvement of the customer experience trailing in fourth place at 15.4%, although it registered as the second most important priority by a fifth of respondents at 20.7%. What this indicates is that most enterprises are still grappling with operational concerns, with customer engagement and experience important but having to play second fiddle.

Key messages

  • We expect to see a more strategic and disciplined approach to customer engagement, led by enlightened CEOs and their C-suite colleagues.
  • There will be an increased focus on data management and real-time execution by leading CEP vendors.
  • More sophisticated cross-journey artificial intelligence (AI) use cases will emerge as greater platform harmonization removes barriers.
  • Vendors will add more firepower to enterprise innovation but take different approaches.
(Source: OVUM, 10.12.2019)

7 Critical CRM Trends to Keep an Eye on For 2020

Key Takeaways

  • 84% of consumers value the experience they have as much as the product or service a company offers
  • AI use cases are projected to increase more than 250% over the next two years
  • Positive social media interactions make people 7x more likely to purchase
  • Marketing organizations are expected to use data from 15 sources in 2019
  • CRM adoption will grow at 13.5% CAGR over the next three years

(Source: selecthub.com, 10.11.2019)

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide CMO 2020 Predictions

  1. GDPR Nixes RTB – Worldwide display advertising spend via real-time bidding (RTB) will decrease by 5% in 2020 and by 10% in 2021, as enforcement of GDPR makes it clear that RTB's data needs and GDPR are incompatible.
  2. Consent as Currency - In 2020, 35% of brands will adopt consent management systems to build trust and differentiate their data relationships with customers based on transparency and governance.
  3. Surveillance Economy – By 2021 more than 75% of consumer digital interactions will include digitally informed behavior modification efforts conducted by the brand.
  4. IRL Marketing - By 2021, 20% of event marketers will implement augmented reality into their major event experiences.
  5. Fake Content Runs Amok – By 2022 AI driven creation of fake content will outpace the ability to detect it, resulting in more than 50% of people indicating they don’t trust the data and content they find on the internet.
  6. Citizen Scientists of Marketing - By 2022, the broad availability of AI will inspire 30% of marketers in companies with marketing tech stacks to volunteer for the role of citizen scientist. 
  7. Brand with a Cause - By 2022, 20% of global technology brands will be forced to incorporate the impact of controversial company positions in social or political causes into their marketing strategy.
  8. Boss Bots- By 2022, Email Marketing will be the first marketing job to be fully automatable with AI.
  9. Accountable Marketing – By 2023, 75% of digital marketers will use multi-touch attribution, owing to recent rapid tech improvements supporting multiple channels, advanced statistics, AI/ML and easier implementation.
  10. Marketing Data Operations - By 2024, Data Operations will become a core competency for marketing organizations and Data Ops will overtake Data Science as the fastest growing job function in marketing. 
(Source: IDC, 05.11.2019)

Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites

In 2018, the CPQ market grew by 12.4% to an estimated $1.2 billion. It remains highly competitive and fragmented, with no vendor taking more than 15% market share. This research evaluates 16 vendors to help application leaders choose the best CPQ suite for their needs.

Gartner clients consistently request cloud solutions when evaluating CPQ vendors and their offerings. Consequently, the CPQ vendors included in this Magic Quadrant all offer cloud-deployed solutions that provide out-of-the-box support for sales force automation integration, product selection, configuration of options, pricing and proposal generation, at a minimum. If a vendor offered on-premises and cloud versions of its CPQ product, we evaluated only the cloud version.

Gartner’s view of the CPQ market is focused on transformational technologies or approaches delivering the future needs of end users. It is not focused on the market as it is today, but on CPQ technology that will contribute to digital business strategies and outcomes.

Salesforce

Salesforce is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant due to its leading market share. A public company based in San Francisco, Salesforce has offices globally with teams in San Francisco, Chicago and India focusing on the CPQ product roadmap and development.

Built on Salesforce’s Lightning platform, Salesforce CPQ is integrated with Salesforce’s Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Partner Community. In addition, Salesforce offers a suite of quote-to-cash capabilities including Salesforce Billing, Salesforce B2B Commerce and an AI offering named Einstein.

SAP

SAP is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant due to its growth in market share, geographic reach and comprehensive quote-to-cash suite. The company is based in Walldorf, Germany. In April 2018, SAP acquired Callidus Software, located in Dublin, California, to add cloud-native CPQ application functionality to its SAP customer experience suite, SAP C/4HANA, which includes Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Customer Data Cloud. SAP CPQ is positioned as part of SAP Sales Cloud.

SAP CPQ is well suited for companies that sell simple or complex manufactured products through multiple channels, especially if they use SAP S/4HANA.

(Source: Gartner, 28.10.2019)

Advances in Customer Engagement Platforms: 2019–20

While customer experience is a top business transformation priority, based on Ovum's ICT Enterprise Insights 2018/19 – Global: ICT Drivers and Technology Priorities study, only around 10% of the 4,889 enterprises surveyed, felt that they could support customer engagement across all channels. Meanwhile customer expectations continue to rise, shaped in part by their positive experiences with internet native businesses, from Amazon through to Uber. Among the many reasons why digital transformation progress is proving painfully and dangerously slow, is a lack of understanding of how the art of the technologically possible, has changed. Customer relationship management (CRM) applications that once promised so much have all too frequently proved disappointing. CRM applications were at best a component or set of components within a broader engagement IT landscape. Over the last few years, however, a new phenomenon has emerged from the ashes of CRM – the customer engagement platform (CEP). In this Market Radar report, we explore CEPs from eight vendors, the advances each has made over the last year, and what we can expect in 2020.

Key messages:

  • The ideal CEP consists of eight technology layers.
  • Get your customer engagement strategy in place first before selecting technology.
  • Adobe extends its reach way beyond the marketing department.
  • bpm'online evolves from CRM to a CEP.
  • Microsoft is well positioned for real-time customer engagement at massive scale.
  • Oracle builds on its data heritage to create an effective CEP.
  • Pega Infinity has an architectural advantage for large-scale high-volume and complex environments.
  • Strategic acquisitions and developments boost Salesforce's digital transformation credentials.
  • SAP C/4HANA is at the vanguard of the intelligent enterprise and permission-based CXM.
  • SugarCRM goes native and transforms into SugarCloud CEP.
(Source: OVUM, 26.09.2019)

The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Marketing Software Suites, Q3 2019

Key Takeaways

Adobe, SAS, And Salesforce Lead The Pack Forrester’s research uncovered a market in which Adobe, SAS, and Salesforce are Leaders; Acoustic, Oracle, and SAP are Strong Performers; and Zeta is a Contender.
Vision, Data And Intelligence Capabilities, And Integration Are Key Differentiators

Salesforce takes on CX to connect customer journeys. Salesforce appears to succeed with a “go big or go home” ethos, as evidenced by arguably the broadest CX solution, the most clients, and outsized market positioning. But the true strength of its vision isn’t pure scale; quite the opposite. It’s the imperative to go small by supporting granular customer journeys for individual customers. Since our last evaluation, Salesforce has built on its core messaging, social, and advertising capabilities with expansions into real-time engagement with the release of Interaction Studio; analytics with the acquisition of Datorama; and data handling with the initial release of Customer360 and acquisition of MuleSoft.

(Source: Forrester, 25.09.2019)

GlobalData Market Opportunity Forecasts to 2023

GlobalData Market Opportunity Forecasts to 2023: CRM Applications Worldwide

Vertical  2018 (Est.)   2019 (F)  2020 (F)  2021 (F)   2022 (F)  2023 (F)   CAGR
Western Europe          3.579          3.716          3.910          4.128          4.376          4.658 5,4%
Central & E. Europe             689             712             743             778             818             862 4,6%
Middle East & Africa             675             693             717             744             775             808 3,7%
North America          6.385          6.564          6.816          7.094          7.407          7.757 4,0%
Central & Lat America             851             876             912             951             995          1.045 4,2%
Asia Pacific          5.365          5.523          5.743          5.987          6.263          6.571 4,1%
Total    17.544    18.084    18.841    19.682    20.635    21.701 4,3%

GlobalData Market Opportunity Forecasts to 2023: CRM Applications Germany by Industry

Vertical  2018 (Est.)   2019 (F)  2020 (F)  2021 (F)   2022 (F)  2023 (F)   CAGR
Communication                15                15                16                16                17                18 3,9%
Construction                45                46                48                50                52                54 3,4%
Consumer Goods                27                28                29                31                33                34 4,7%
Education                17                17                18                19                20                21 4,7%
Energy                16                17                17                18                19                20 4,8%
Financial Markets                  6                  6                  6                  7                  7                  7 4,3%
Foodservice                  6                  6                  6                  7                  7                  7 4,9%
Government                19                22                28                35                45                58 25,5%
Healthcare                31                32                34                36                38                40 5,0%
Information Technology                34                35                37                38                40                42 4,2%
Insurance                34                35                37                38                40                42 4,3%
Manufacturing             166             172             179             188             197             206 4,4%
Media                  9                  9                  9                10                10                11 4,0%
Medical Devices                17                18                19                20                21                22 4,6%
Mining                  0                  0                  0                  0                  0                  0 3,2%
Others             147             151             158             165             172             180 4,2%
Pharmaceuticals                16                16                17                18                18                19 3,6%
Retail                18                18                19                20                21                22 4,5%
Retail Banking                35                37                39                41                43                45 5,2%
Transport and Logistics                53                55                57                60                63                66 4,6%
Travel and Leisure                  6                  7                  7                  7                  8                  8 5,2%
Utilities                13                14                15                16                17                18 6,1%
Gesamtergebnis         731         758         796         838         887         942 5,2%

Figures in USD mil

(Source: GlobalData, 31.08.2019)

News

Strategy

AWS pledges to spend $5B in Mexico, launches new Mexico server region;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to invest $5 billion in Mexico over the next 15 years as a part of a “long-term commitment” in the region. A portion of that investment is a new server region launching today, AWS Mexico (Central) Region, that will allow AWS customers to run applications and serve end users from AWS data centers located in Mexico. AWS estimates that construction and ongoing operation of AWS Mexico will add approximately $10 billion to Mexico’s GDP and support roughly 7,000 “full time equivalent jobs.” 

==> techcrunch.com; 14.01.2025

AWS to invest $5bn in Thailand with new cloud region launch;

AWS plans to invest $5 billion in Thailand to establish a new cloud infrastructure region with three Availability Zones, supporting local data center operations and boosting Thailand's digital economy. The initiative aligns with Thailand's "Cloud First" policy, aiming to enhance government services, enable local data storage, and foster innovation. Similar investments are being made globally, including in the UK, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, as AWS expands its cloud and AI infrastructure.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 08.01.2025

AWS plans to invest at least $11 billion in Georgia to expand infrastructure to support AI and cloud technologies;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to invest $11 billion in Georgia to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure, creating at least 550 technical jobs and supporting construction and supply chain roles. This investment builds on AWS's history in the state, including economic contributions, renewable energy projects, and disaster relief efforts. AWS also aims to provide community benefits through education programs, workforce training, and partnerships to enhance local infrastructure.

==> www.aboutamazon.com; 07.01.2025

AWS hires former SAP and Microsoft executive as new marketing chief;

AWS has appointed Julia White, a former SAP and Microsoft executive, as its new Chief Marketing Officer, replacing Raejeanne Skillern. This marks another leadership shift as AWS continues to adjust its executive team, following notable departures such as former CEO Adam Selipsky in May and VP of AI Matt Wood in October. White joins amid other recent hires, including Colleen Aubrey and Baskar Sridharan, in senior roles.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 18.11.2024

Partners will form part of AWS European Sovereign Cloud plans;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signalled a range of partner solutions will be available on the European Sovereign Cloud the firm is launching by the end of next year. In response to customer calls for access to a cloud that meets with regulatory requirements to demonstrate the data is hosted locally, AWS is rolling out an option that should keep European users happy. Max Peterson, vice-president of AWS Sovereign Cloud, took to the web to outline what it was doing to meet customer demands and involve partners in the process.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 15.11.2024

AWS to invest $1.3 billion in Italy’s data centre expansion;

AWS plans to invest €1.2 billion in Italy over the next five years to expand its data center operations, aiming for a total investment of €2 billion by 2029. This initiative is expected to create 5,500 jobs and supports AWS's strategy to strengthen cloud infrastructure across Europe, following significant investments in Spain and Germany. The expansion builds on AWS's 2020 launch of a cloud region in Italy, serving major clients like Ferrari and Assicurazioni Generali.

==> dig.watch; 11.11.2024

AWS signs strategic collaboration agreement with Xebia;

AWS has entered a five-year strategic collaboration with Xebia, a digital transformation consultancy, to enhance Xebia's capabilities in leveraging AWS technologies and driving growth in key markets like Europe, the Middle East, and the US. The partnership focuses on sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and retail, enabling Xebia to develop tailored cloud solutions and expand its global footprint. This positions Xebia alongside other top AWS consulting partners like Deloitte and PwC.

==> www.consultancy.eu; 11.11.2024

Amazon Is Betting Big On Small Nuclear Reactors To Power Its Data Centers;

Amazon is investing heavily in nuclear power, partnering with Dominion Energy and X-energy to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of its $52 billion U.S. data center expansion. These reactors, smaller and more cost-effective than traditional nuclear plants, are key to meeting the growing energy demands of data centers while supporting Amazon's net-zero emissions goal by 2040. While nuclear power offers reliable, carbon-free energy, challenges remain around cost, waste management, and the feasibility of large-scale SMR deployment, though Amazon sees nuclear as crucial for scaling energy solutions.

==> www.forbes.com; 16.10.2024

Cisco COO Jumps To AWS As VP Of Global Sales Operations;

Pilar Schenk, a seasoned sales and operations executive with experience at Dell EMC, McAfee, and Cisco, has joined AWS as vice president of global sales operations. At Cisco, she was the COO of strategy, planning, and operations for a large global sales team, focusing on sales growth and operational improvements. In her new role at AWS, Schenk aims to drive global sales growth through data-driven strategies, automation, and operational excellence to enhance customer success.

==> www.crn.com; 08.10.2024

AWS CEO Matt Garman on generative AI, open source, and closing services;

Adam Selipsky's unexpected departure as AWS CEO was followed by Matt Garman's promotion, a longtime Amazon employee who previously led AWS sales and global services. Garman has not made significant organizational changes but emphasized a renewed focus on startups and maintaining AWS’s lead in innovation, particularly in generative AI. He highlighted AWS’s deliberate approach to AI development with platforms like Bedrock, aiming for flexible, customizable models rather than rushing chatbots to market, while also addressing challenges like high generative AI costs. Additionally, Garman underscored AWS's commitment to open-source collaboration.

==> techcrunch.com; 06.10.2024

crowdstrike, aws & nvidia launch cybersecurity accelerator ;

CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA have launched a Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator to support emerging AI and cloud security companies. The program offers technical resources, mentorship, and up to $25,000 in AWS credits, with NVIDIA contributing additional AI technologies and computing power. Selected startups will join an eight-week program, with opportunities to showcase their work at an in-person demo day in San Francisco during the RSA Conference 2025, potentially receiving funding from the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund.

==> securitybrief.com.au; 18.09.2024

AWS To Invest £8 Billion In UK, Amid Cloud AI Expansion;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced an £8 billion investment over the next five years to build and maintain data centers in the UK, supporting an estimated 14,000 jobs. This move aligns with the growing demand for AI and cloud infrastructure, enhancing the UK's digital economy. The investment, which follows previous commitments by AWS, is expected to significantly contribute to the UK's GDP and bolster its technology sector.

==> www.silicon.co.uk; 11.09.2024

Pega and AWS offer European customers more control over their data;

Pegasystems is collaborating with AWS to provide European customers greater control over their data through the Pega EU Service Boundary, built on AWS's European Sovereign Cloud. This initiative is aimed at ensuring data remains within the EU and is managed by EU employees, addressing stringent regulations on digital residency, especially in highly regulated sectors like finance and the public sector. The solution integrates Pega’s cloud capabilities with AWS infrastructure, maintaining security and compliance while allowing full access to AWS services.

==> www.techzine.eu; 27.08.2024

AWS to expand data center operations in Telangana, boost AI offerings;

Amazon plans to significantly expand its data center operations and workforce in Hyderabad, Telangana, following positive discussions with state officials. AWS has already established Hyderabad as a strategic region with three operational data centers and aims to further grow its infrastructure, including new hyperscale data centers critical for AI/ML services. This expansion will strengthen Telangana's position as a key hub for cloud and data center infrastructure in India.

==> digitalinfranetwork.com; 13.08.2024

Amazon to ramp up capex for AWS and AI;

Amazon's AWS division continues to grow, despite lower-than-expected revenue, with plans to increase capital expenditures to meet the rising demand for AI-driven cloud services. In its latest financial results, Amazon reported a 91% increase in operating income, driven by cost cuts and efficiency improvements, even as net sales came in slightly below estimates. AWS revenue growth accelerated, supported by the introduction of numerous AI features, making it the preferred choice for customers. Amazon is prioritizing heavy investments in AI infrastructure, including custom silicon chips, to sustain long-term growth, despite the impact on short-term margins.

==> www.digitimes.com; 02.08.2024

Amazon cloud giant AWS wants public sector to embrace AI;

AWS is actively promoting the adoption of generative AI in the public sector, highlighting its potential to transform services in health, security, and more. Despite the challenges of engaging government and nonprofit entities compared to private companies, AWS has launched a $50 million initiative offering cloud credits, training, and support to encourage public sector experimentation with AI. This push comes as AWS seeks to maintain its lead over rivals like Microsoft and Google in the cloud computing market, emphasizing the security and readiness of its AI offerings amidst growing competition and the inherent unpredictability of generative AI technology.

==> www.digitaljournal.com; 26.06.2024

Amazon to invest an extra €10 billion in Germany;

Amazon has announced a significant investment of €10 billion in Germany, with €8.8 billion allocated to expanding the facilities of its cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, around Frankfurt. The remaining funds will enhance logistics, robotics, and establish two new corporate offices. This investment is part of a broader effort by Amazon, which has already invested over €77 billion in Germany since 2010, and aims to expand its workforce to 40,000 by the end of the year, reflecting Germany's appeal as a high-tech business hub.

==> www.dw.com; 19.06.2024

Cybersecurity label should not exclude AWS and Azure warns European industry;

Twenty-six European industry groups have raised concerns that the European cybersecurity label for cloud services, known as EUCS, could potentially exclude major U.S. cloud service providers like AWS and Azure. These groups advocate for an inclusive and non-discriminatory certification that allows free movement of cloud services within Europe. This comes amid discussions by the European Commission, ENISA, and EU countries about the certification, with concerns also revolving around potential U.S. government spying on data stored by American cloud services in Europe.

==> www.techzine.eu; 17.06.2024

AWS to launch new infrastructure region in TaiwanAmazon's AWS to invest in cloud infrastructure in Taiwan;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced plans to launch a new AWS Asia Pacific (Taipei) Region in Taiwan by early 2025 and invest billions of dollars over the next 15 years. This new region will include three Availability Zones and aims to meet the growing demand for cloud services in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific, enabling various sectors to run applications locally with enhanced security and low latency. Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai welcomed the investment, highlighting its potential to boost industrial growth, create high-quality jobs, and support sustainable development.

==> focustaiwan.tw; 12.06.2024

AWS Announces New Leadership Structure Under CEO Matt Garman;

Matt Garman, the new CEO of AWS, recently announced an update to the company’s leadership structure. Effective as of June 3, these changes are part of an ongoing effort at AWS to enhance customer connections, speed up operations, and better align resources.

==> www.hpcwire.com; 05.06.2024

AWS to invest €15.7 billion into Spain, announces 600MW in renewable energy projects;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to significantly increase its investments in Spain, expanding its cloud infrastructure in Aragón and investing in nearly 600MW of renewable energy projects. AWS will invest €15.7 billion in the AWS Europe (Spain) Region, supporting local talent and sustainability initiatives. Additionally, AWS launched its first combined solar and battery storage project in California, with 10 more solar projects paired with battery storage planned across California and Arizona.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 22.05.2024

AWS confirms it will launch European ‘sovereign cloud’ in Germany by 2025, plans €7.8B investment over 15 years;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has detailed plans for its first European "sovereign cloud" in Brandenburg, Germany, aiming for operation by the end of 2025 with an investment of €7.8 billion ($8.5 billion) through 2040. This initiative addresses data residency concerns in Europe, particularly for public sector bodies and regulated industries, by ensuring stricter data controls and keeping all metadata within the EU, inaccessible to AWS staff outside the EU. The move, which contrasts AWS's earlier skepticism of sovereign clouds, reflects a strategic pivot in response to regulatory pressures and competitive developments in the cloud industry.

==> techcrunch.com; 14.05.2024

AWS announces CEO changes: Selipsky is out, Garman is in;

Adam Selipsky is stepping down as CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS) after leading the company for three years, with Matt Garman set to replace him on June 3. During Selipsky's tenure, AWS reached a $100 billion annual revenue run rate and launched significant generative AI services, contributing to the company's long-term customer success. Garman, a veteran at AWS with nearly two decades of experience, including pivotal roles in developing core services like Amazon EC2 and EBS, will take over at a time when the public cloud market is intensely competitive and continues to grow rapidly.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 14.05.2024

Amazon to invest $1.3 bln in France, create 3,000 jobs;

Amazon announced a significant investment of over 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in its French operations, which includes creating more than 3,000 new permanent jobs. This investment is part of France's annual "Choose France" event and will enhance Amazon Web Services' cloud infrastructure in the Paris area to support the burgeoning generative AI sector, as well as expand logistics capabilities in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Additionally, Amazon aims to improve delivery speeds and reduce carbon emissions through this investment, building on its extensive presence in France where it has invested over 20 billion euros since 2010 and employs more than 22,000 people.

==> www.reuters.com; 13.05.2024

AWS announces $11bn data center campus in Indiana;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to invest $11 billion in building a data center campus in north central Indiana, marking the largest capital investment in the state's history. This significant move will bolster AWS's infrastructure and digital transformation efforts across the United States, particularly tapping into Indiana's tech sector and economic growth. Alongside substantial tax breaks and incentives provided by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, this project is expected to create numerous jobs and have a long-term positive impact on the local and regional economy.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 25.04.2024

Amazon's AWS to launch Saudi Arabia data centers, invest over $5.3 bln;

Amazon Web Services said on Monday it will launch data centers in Saudi Arabia in 2026 and plans to invest more than $5.3 billion in the kingdom. The cloud region will enable customers to securely store content and run workloads while offering higher speed for its users.

==> www.reuters.com; 04.03.2024

AWS Overhauls 60,000-Person Sales Team to Fix ‘Fiefdoms,’ Customer Complaints;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is restructuring its 60,000-member sales team to address issues and stay competitive against Microsoft and Google in the cloud computing market. This reorganization, led by sales and marketing chief Matt Garman, aims to unify various sales teams with conflicting strategies and improve the assignment of technical staff to customers. Despite being the leading player in cloud infrastructure, AWS faces challenges, including slower growth and not meeting internal targets, especially in the startup and small-business segments. AWS contests claims of underperformance, emphasizing its significant market leadership and revenue growth, despite rivals reporting higher percentage increases. This change follows the departure of key executives and an increase in lower-level managerial exits.

==> siliconangle.com; 19.01.2024

AWS Taps Amazon’s Global Operations Leader As New CFO;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has appointed John Felton, former operations and logistics leader at Amazon, as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Felton, who has been with Amazon for nearly two decades, will report directly to AWS CEO Adam Selipsky. He replaces AWS' current CFO, Richard Puccio, who is leaving the company.

==> www.crn.com; 19.01.2024

AWS chief Adam Selipsky talks Amazon’s AI vision, cloud cost cutting ;

Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), discussed the company's approach to generative AI and cloud spending in a recent interview. He highlighted AWS's investment in infrastructure, multiple foundation models, and consuming applications as the three layers of the generative AI stack. Selipsky also emphasized AWS's commitment to responsible AI, collaborative efforts with companies like Anthropic, and the expectation of a rapid evolution in the field of generative AI.

==> www.seattletimes.com; 14.12.2023

Amazon announces new cloud AI chip as Microsoft rivalry intensifies;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced Trainium2, the second generation of its artificial intelligence (AI) chip designed for training AI systems. AWS claims that Trainium2 is four times faster than its predecessor while being twice as energy efficient. The move comes in response to increasing competition, as Microsoft recently introduced its own AI chip called Maia, and both companies seek to complement Nvidia, the market leader in AI chips.

==> www.reuters.com; 28.11.2023

Google, Azure and AWS battle for the hyperscale data center market;

According to Synergy Research Group, the top three cloud providers account for 65% of the worldwide market. At the end of the first quarter of 2023, that meant 32% for AWS, 23% for Microsoft Azure and 10% for Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The next 20 providers have only carved out a combined 26% slice of the pie. Of those, the ones with the highest growth rates are Oracle, Snowflake, MongoDB, Huawei and three Chinese telcos.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 02.10.2023

AWS hopes for a savior in AI as revenue growth continues to slow;

Revenue growth at Amazon’s cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, continued to slow in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 as enterprises pressed on with their cost-cutting measures. Revenue growth for AWS continued to be on a constant decline. The 12% growth in the second quarter is slower than the 16% and 20% growth seen in the first quarter of 2023 and the fourth quarter of 2022, respectively. For the third and second quarter of 2022, AWS reported that its business grew by 27.5% and 33% respectively. Top executives at the company predicted the revenue growth rate will stabilize post the second quarter.

==> www.cio.com; 04.08.2023

AI leaders from Google, AWS discuss promise and perils of generative AI;

Generative AI isn’t some overhyped short-lived trend; it could transform the world as we know it. That’s according to executives from Google and Amazon. In a wide-ranging conversation with VentureBeat founder Matt Marshall at the VentureBeat Transform 2023 conference today, Gerrit Kazmaier, VP data and analytics at Google Cloud, and Matt Wood, VP of product at Amazon Web Services (AWS), discussed the opportunities and risks of generative AI.

==> venturebeat.com; 12.07.2023

AWS launches $100M program to fund generative AI initiatives;

Called the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center, the program will put $100 million toward connecting AWS-affiliated data scientists, strategists, engineers and solutions architects with customers and partners to — as Amazon puts it in a press release — “accelerate enterprise innovation and success with generative AI.”

==> techcrunch.com; 22.06.2023

Skepticism Rises Over AWS’s AI Strategy ;

A month after Amazon Web Services unveiled a slew of cloud services to help app developers use the latest artificial intelligence advances, some of its cloud customers say they haven’t been able to test the services and view them as incomplete, according to a Bloomberg report. 

==> www.theinformation.com; 25.05.2023

What is AWS’ Generative AI Strategy?;

Generative AI has revolutionised the technology landscape, opening up a plethora of possibilities for enterprises across various domains. Today, organisations are actively exploring and uncovering potential use cases to harness the power of generative AI. AWS, which is the largest cloud service provider in the world, is also investing heavily in generative AI. 

==> analyticsindiamag.com; 24.05.2023

Amazon's cloud unit to invest $13 billion in India by 2030;

Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) cloud computing unit will invest 1.06 trillion rupees ($13 billion) in India by the end of this decade, doubling down on its past investments to cater to the growing demand for such services in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies. This comes on top of its $6.5 billion investment in e-commerce in India, where it has rapidly expanded over the years but faces a strict regulatory environment that forces it to run only a marketplace.

==> www.reuters.com; 18.05.2023

AWS revenue growth slows as cloud market expands ;

AWS’ net sales grew 16% year over year, yielding $5.1 billion in operating income for Q1 2023, Amazon reported Thursday. The cloud division remained the tech giant’s most profitable unit, as overall operating income grew nearly 30% year over year to $4.8 billion. Revenue growth has been slowing for Amazon’s cloud division as customers seek cost savings in workload optimization. “As expected, customers continue to evaluate ways to optimize their cloud spending in response to these tough economic conditions in the first quarter,” Brian Olsavsky, the tech giant’s CFO, said during a Thursday earnings call.

==> www.ciodive.com; 28.04.2023

Public Cloud Spending to Jump 22% in ’23, Driven by AWS, Azure, Google;

 Public cloud spending just keeps growing, driven by the usual suspects, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. This year alone, end users will shell out more than $597 billion on public cloud, up almost 22% from 2022, according to fresh numbers from Gartner. And generative AI – the likes of Microsoft’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and AWS’ newly launched Bedrock – will underlie much of cloud computing’s consumption from now on. So will Web 3.0 and the so-called metaverse, Gartner found.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 19.04.2023

AWS to spend $13 billion on Australian cloud;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) this week said it is planning to spend $13.2 billion on cloud infrastructure in Sydney and Melbourne between now and 2027. Of the total $13.2 billion, $11 billion will go toward the Sydney region which “includes the capital and operative expenditures associated with constructing, connecting, operating, and maintaining” the region.

==> ia.acs.org.au; 06.04.2023

AWS announces accelerator program for generative AI startups;

Amazon’s cloud arm AWS has launched a 10-week Generative AI Accelerator program. Under the accelerator program, select generative AI startups will have access to artificial intelligence models and tools, customised go-to-market strategies, and machine learning stack optimisation, among others.  

==> www.techcircle.in; 05.04.2023

Amazon wants to boost ten generative AI startups around the globe;

Announced today, AWS has created a 10-week program for generative AI startups around the globe. Generative AI startup founders within the cohort can expect to have access to AI models and tools as well as machine learning stack optimization and custom go-to-market advice. There’s also a Demo Day in San Francisco at the end of the program. Accepted startups will receive up to $300,000 in AWS credits to help build their companies. Applications are open for the next two weeks and 10 startups will be chosen, the company says.

==> techcrunch.com; 04.04.2023

AWS confirms healthcare accelerator startup programme participants;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced details of the 23 startups selected to participate in its latest accelerator programme, which is geared towards helping the healthcare industry improve how it retains, deploys and trains staff. The 2023 Healthcare Accelerator: Global Cohort for Workforce programme reportedly garnered hundreds of applications from technology startups around the world – with 10 of the 23 successful applicants originating in the UK.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 28.03.2023

AWS announces startups selected for Healthcare Accelerator;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the 11 participants chosen for the AWS Healthcare Accelerator Australia/New Zealand for Aged Care and Digital Health. The cohort is developing a range of solutions, using the power of the cloud, to improve equitable access to health, social, and aged care services, support aged care and health service providers to deliver higher quality care, and promote new and productive ways of delivering services.

==> insideageing.com.au; 09.03.2023

Cloud Marketplace Guru On AWS, Microsoft, Google, ISV Trends;

Tackle.io CEO John Jahnke is an expert in helping independent software vendors (ISVs) drive revenue through cloud marketplaces from the likes of AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud, and believes 2023 is the year solution providers need to dive deeper into the $15 billion cloud marketplace opportunity. 

==> www.crn.com; 02.03.2023

AWS Pouring $35 Billion In Data Centers Amid Amazon Layoffs;

Although parent company Amazon is laying off 18,000 employees, it’s clear that Amazon Web Services is a top priority as the company unveils plans to invest $35 billion in building data centers across Virginia to boost its cloud computing capabilities and customer base. Seattle, Wash.-based AWS has invested more than $35 billion in Virginia alone since 2006, with AWS planning to invest another $35 billion to boost its cloud computing capabilities in Virginia—known as the data center capital of the world—by 2040. 

       

==> www.crn.com; 23.01.2023

Amazon Web Services Expands Footprint in Australia;

The company said it is launching a new infrastructure region--the AWS Asia Pacific (Melbourne) Region--which will provide its customers with more options to run workloads and securely store data in the country. Amazon Web Services said it would invest $4.5 billion, or about 6.8 billion Australian dollars, in Australia by 2037 through the new region. It adds to the company's footprint in Australia, where it launched the AWS Asia Pacific (Sydney) Region in 2012. 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 23.01.2023

Marktführer AWS reagiert auf Microsoft und Google – und verspricht mehr Kontrolle über Cloud-Daten;

Kontrolle über digitale Ressourcen sei heute wichtiger denn je, schrieb Matt Garman, der bei AWS Vertrieb und Marketing leitet, in einem Blogpost. Sowohl die Gesetzgeber als auch die Regulierungsbehörden entwickelten vielerorts ihre Vorgaben zu IT-Sicherheit und Datenschutz stetig weiter. Daher verspreche der Konzern mit dem „Digital Sovereignty Pledge“ die Datenhoheit. Experten sehen den Marktführer unter Zugzwang. „AWS musste auf die Ankündigungen von Microsoft und Google reagieren“, sagte René Büst, Analyst beim Marktforschungs- und Beratungsunternehmen Gartner. Dabei lässt auch AWS viele Details im Vagen. Topmanager Garman versprach etwa, dass der Konzern weiter daran arbeiten werde, „unser Angebot flexibel und innovativ an die sich weiter wandelnden Bedürfnisse und Anforderungen von Kunden und Regulatoren anzupassen“.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 29.11.2022

AWS 'levels up' digital sovereignty to give customers 'greater control over their data';

AWS says it is ramping up its commitment to offer customers a better set of sovereignty controls and features available in the cloud. The AWS Digital Sovereignty Pledge aims to expand the hyperscaler's capabilities to allow global customers to meet their digital sovereignty requirements without compromising on the capabilities, performance, innovation, and scale of the AWS Cloud. Some of these include AWS Control Tower which aims to give customers more control over the physical location of where data is stored and processed. 

==> www.channelweb.co.uk; 29.11.2022

AWS announces Digital Sovereignty Pledge;

Right on time for its annual post-Thanksgiving re:Invent festivities in Las Vegas, AWS last night announced its "AWS Digital Sovereignty Pledge" -- and before you click away, let me just point out that this is definitely more important than the prosaic name implies. As nations across the globe introduce legislation that governs how and where businesses can keep data on their local users, the large clouds either have to offer attractive solutions or run the risk of having their customers move to local clouds. Microsoft, with Purview, and Google, with Dataplex, also offer data governance tools, but none of them have gone quite as far as AWS in making digital sovereignty a core pillar of their cloud strategy.

==> ca.news.yahoo.com; 28.11.2022

Amazon web services to add 48,000 jobs, invest $4.4 bn in India by 2030 ;

Through the new AWS Asia Pacific region, the company is planning to invest an estimated $4.4 billion in India. The investment will include capital expenditures on the construction of data centers, operational expenses related to ongoing utilities and facility costs and purchases of goods and services from regional businesses. The AWS region will add an estimated $7.6 billion or ₹63,600 crore to India’s gross domestic product by 2030. AWS opened its first infrastructure region in Asia-Pacific region in 2016. With the launch of the AWS Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) Region, AWS now has 96 Availability Zones across 30 geographic regions, with announced plans to launch 15 more Availability Zones and five more AWS Regions in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and Thailand, according to the company. 

==> www.fortuneindia.com; 22.11.2022

AWS announces the launch of Clean Energy Accelerator 3.0 ;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch and call for applications for the Clean Energy Accelerator 3.0, a high-pace, non-equity dilutive accelerator designed to facilitate partnerships with mature startups developing breakthrough clean energy technologies. The announcement was made by Kara Hurst, Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, during a session at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The AWS Clean Energy Accelerator 3.0 is focused on the requirements of mature entrepreneurs from across the world and is aimed to stimulate co-innovation through energy collaborations.

==> mystartupworld.com; 21.11.2022

AWS Launches Infrastructure Region in Spain;

mazon Web Services, Inc. announced the launch of its eighth infrastructure Region in Europe, the AWS Europe (Spain) Region. Starting today, developers, startups, entrepreneurs, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and nonprofit organizations, will have even greater choice for running their applications and serving end users from data centers located in Spain. AWS estimates that its projected spending on the construction and operation of the new Region will support more than 1,300 full-time jobs, with a planned $2.5 billion (approx. 2.5 billion euros) investment in Spain over 10 years. 

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 16.11.2022

AWS to launch infrastructure region in Thailand ;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to open an infrastructure region in Thailand. which it says will consist of three availability ones, adding to the existing 87 availability ones across 27 geographic regions, including Australia.

==> itwire.com; 18.10.2022

How AWS is tapping the groundswell in cloud adoption;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains the 800lb gorilla in the cloud computing market which it pioneered in as early as 2006 when it started selling IT infrastructure services to businesses in the form of web services. In an interview with Computer Weekly, Phil Davis, managing director of AWS in Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ), offers insights on the company’s growth strategy in the region amid the groundswell of cloud adoption, how it is retaining customers and supporting them in their cloud journey.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 26.09.2022

AWS to invest $5 billion in Indonesia’s digital transformation;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) says it is ready to help Indonesia embrace the digital transformation. The US-based company set up its Jakarta infrastructure "region" in December 2021 and has committed to investing US$5 billion in the country over a period of 15 years. AWS ASEAN managing director Conor McNamara spoke to The Jakarta Post’s Deni Ghifari on Aug. 31 about the company’s philosophy, its views on Indonesia and the digital transformation.

==> www.thejakartapost.com; 12.09.2022

AWS announces new region in United Arab Emirates;

AWS has announced the launch of its new region in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking its second establishment in the Middle East. The new AWS Region, besides contributing to UAE’s gross domestic product, will support nearly 6,000 full-time jobs annually through an estimated $5 billion (AED 20 billion) planned investment in the UAE through 2036. The arrangement will facilitate local customers’ data residency requirements, including enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and governments, in addition to offering low latency for high availability (HA) systems.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 30.08.2022

AWS Crushing Microsoft and Google Cloud for Snowflake Customers;

With Snowflake product revenue soaring 83% last quarter, it was fascinating to see how all that high-flying data-cloud love is being spread across the three big hyperscalers: 80% to AWS, 18% to Microsoft Azure, and just 2% to Google Cloud. Now, that could be due to the fact that both Microsoft and Google Cloud are eager to push their own data-cloud solutions, and aren’t as motivated as AWS to bring Snowflake into the mix. But in the battle for big cloud-infrastructure deals, I would think that both Microsoft and Google Cloud would want to ensure that customers have as many options and choices as possible, rather than feeling limited by the old “not invented here” nemesis.

==> accelerationeconomy.com; 26.08.2022

Azure vs. AWS: Selecting a Cloud Provider for Your IoT Product;

Companies starting design and development on new IoT products have often heard about how cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) can help deploy and rapidly scale their products. Because of this, one of the most frequently asked questions is: What cloud provider should I choose? Both Azure and AWS have been expanding their services over the past years, so let’s take a deeper look at Azure vs. AWS and which cloud provider might be right for you and your new IoT product.

==> www.iotforall.com; 03.08.2022

AWS planning cloud region in Santiago, Chile;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is planning to develop a cloud region in Santiago, Chile. The company this week outlined some of its plans to expand further into Latin America, with a particular focus on Chile. "In the future we plan to invest more and expand our physical presence in Chile, to the extent that customers demand it and need it to meet their needs," Vice President for Latin America Jaime Valles told Reuters. The company also said it started the process to obtain an environmental permit needed to build a $205 million data center in Chile's capital. 

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 28.07.2022

AWS Announces Enhancements to Cloud Security, Privacy, Compliance;

AWS has announced a new Customer Incident Response Team (CIRT), whose goal is to provide assistance to customers during active security events that impact systems and data for which the customer is responsible. The AWS CIRT can be contacted by opening a support case. The cloud computing giant has made several announcements related to partners. This includes the preview version of AWS Marketplace Vendor Insights, whose goal is to streamline third-party risk assessments by allowing sellers to make security and compliance information available on the AWS Marketplace.

==> www.securityweek.com; 27.07.2022

Amazon Web Services backs digital health startup focused on equity;

Amazon's cloud computing service is supporting a health tech company focused on improving health equity as part of a new initiative from the tech giant. Amazon Web Services will provide credits and technical expertise to Harmony Health, a digital platform that aims to connect underserved individuals with preventive care beginning in the Los Angeles region, according to a July 11 news release from the startup.

==> www.beckershospitalreview.com; 13.07.2022

AWS planning ‘hundreds’ of Local Zones in future;

AWS plans to launch hundreds of Local Zones in the future, massively expanding its Edge cloud network. Local Zones act as Edge locations to host applications that require low latency to end-users or on-premises installations. Each zone offers services such as compute, storage and database, close to population centers for latency-sensitive applications, usually where Amazon doesn't have an existing data center footprint.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 15.06.2022

AWS grows as Amazon posts net loss;

Amazon has reported a net loss of  $3.8bn in the first quarter, compared with net income of $8.1bn in the first quarter of 2021. The net loss includes the company’s investment in Rivian Automotive. Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO, said: “The pandemic and subsequent war in Ukraine have brought unusual growth and challenges.” However, he said the AWS public cloud business has grown 34% annually over the last two years, and 37% year-on-year in the first quarter, “Our Consumer business has grown 23% annually over the past two years, with extraordinary growth in 2020 of 39% year-over-year,” said Jassy. This meant that over the past two years, the company has needed to double the size of its fulfilment network.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 29.04.2022

Google, Microsoft aim to make their cloud environments more secure as cyberattacks increase;

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have all made acquisitions in the cybersecurity space over the past year. By 2025, Gartner predicts more than 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, up from just 30% in 2021. The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) earlier this month launched a countdown to April 14, 2030, the date by which CSA estimates a quantum computer will be able to break present-day cybersecurity infrastructure.

==> www.cnbc.com; 29.03.2022

AWS to double UK investment with £1.8bn pledge;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will spend £1.8bn on cloud computing infrastructure in the UK over the next two years, doubling its investment in Britain. AWS is the cloud market leader, but is facing increased competition from fellow tech giants Microsoft and Google in the battle to secure enterprise clients. AWS said it is making the move “to meet the growing needs of our customers and to help strengthen the UK’s digital infrastructure”. In a statement the company added: “This will bring AWS’s total investment in the UK to more than double what it is today, since launching the AWS London Region in 2016.”

==> techmonitor.ai; 16.03.2022

Deutsche Unternehmen beziehen SAP häufiger aus der AWS-Cloud;

Der Markt für SAP in der AWS-Cloud wächst in Deutschland spürbar und bietet ein großes Geschäftspotenzial für die großen Cloud-Anbieter und ihre Partner. Dies meldet der neue „ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report Germany 2021“ der Information Services Group (ISG). Zwar hätten viele Anwenderunternehmen weiterhin Vorbehalte gegenüber AWS-SAP, vor allem da SAP-Lösungen oft geschäftskritische Abläufe im Unternehmen steuern. Doch sei immer häufiger ein Strategiewechsel Richtung Cloud zu verzeichnen.

==> www.it-daily.net; 08.03.2022

Growth at Amazon Web Services continues despite ‘painful’ outages, says chief;

Adam Selipsky tells FT the cloud computing business has avoided a post-lockdown slowdown faced by the likes of Zoom. The head of Amazon Web Services said recent outages of its cloud computing service were “incredibly painful” but insisted that its rapid growth would not lead to wider disruption for customers and internet users. Amazon’s cloud computing infrastructure experienced two big failures late last year, including a December outage at its data centre in northern Virginia, which had also suffered problems in 2020. 

==> www.ft.com; 07.03.2022

100 days after IBM split, Kyndryl signs strategic cloud pact with AWS;

Kyndryl announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Wednesday centered on expanding its enterprise offerings and building out its internal infrastructure in the cloud. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said Kyndryl will establish an AWS Cloud Center of Excellence (CCOE) to "offer state-of-the-art customer solutions and services for supporting mission-critical infrastructure, next-generation technologies and modernizing applications and workflows across industries." 

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.02.2022

Amazons AWS baut Angebot in Deutschland aus;

Seattle - Amazons Cloud-Dienst AWS baut sein Angebot in Deutschland mit Infrastruktur für besonders kurze Reaktionszeiten aus. Die sogenannte Latenz im einstelligen Millisekunden-Bereich wird etwa für Cloud-Videospiele, Live-Videostreaming oder technische Simulationen benötigt. AWS stellt Datendienste mit so kurzen Reaktionszeiten in zusätzlichen "Local Zones" in der Nähe großer Bevölkerungs- oder Industriezentren bereit. Die ersten zwei davon in Deutschland öffnen in Berlin und München, wie das Unternehmen am Donnerstag mitteilte.

==> www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de; 17.02.2022

AWS hires global channel chief as outgoing leader shifts to retail role;

Ruba Borno, formerly senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's customer experience centers, will lead Amazon Web Services' global channel, the Seattle-based tech giant confirmed Tuesday. She's replacing Doug Yeum, whose departure from AWS was announced in an internal email last week. He'll be sliding over to Amazon's retail business, effective Dec. 6.

==> www.bizjournals.com; 24.11.2021

What to expect from AWS re:Invent 2021;

When you’re as well-known as Amazon Web Services (AWS), the event starts long before the users get on site. As a result, there are already road to re:Invent video sessions being shown to prelude AWS re:Invent 2021, with the event proper being staged in Las Vegas from November 29 to December 3 this year.  With some 1500 sessions to work through, this event is as much about training and certification (if not more so) than it is about customer contact and corporate messaging. This is a TechEd style cloud data-developer-administrator-manager (etc.) event in everything but name.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 11.11.2021

AWS Announces Plans to Open Second Region in Canada;

Amazon Web Services, Inc.announced plans to open an infrastructure Region in Alberta, Canada, in late 2023/early 2024. The new AWS Canada West (Calgary) Region will consist of three Availability Zones (AZs) at launch and join the existing AWS Canada (Central) Region in Montreal, which also consists of three Availability Zones.

==> www.businesswire.com; 08.11.2021

AWS to open cloud region in New Zealand;

AWS said it plans to invest NZ$7.5bn (US$5.3bn) in New Zealand over the next 15 years through the new cloud region, including capital expenditures on the construction of datacentres, operational expenses such as ongoing utilities and facility costs, and purchases of goods and services from regional businesses. Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice-president of infrastructure services at AWS, said the company’s investment in New Zealand reflects its deep and long-term commitment to the country.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 27.10.2021

How AWS is disrupting the contact center sector;

The Enterprise Connect industry event took place week and, as is the case with prior conferences, unified communications and contact center vendors used the opportunity to announce updates or major products. Amazon Web Services (AWS), although a relative newcomer to the UC and CC industries, has become a significant participant at the event. At this show four years ago, it took the covers off its contact center product, Amazon Connect. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 06.10.2021

Google, AWS, IBM, Microsoft and Morgan Stanley partner for a new cloud data framework;

Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Microsoft and other major tech giants have joined forces with the EDM Council -- a cross-industry trade association for data management and analytics -- to create the Cloud Data Management Capabilities (CDMC) framework. More than 100 companies worked on the project, which involved developing a comprehensive set of cloud data management capabilities, standards and best practices for cloud, multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud implementations while also incorporating automated key controls for protecting sensitive data.

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.09.2021

AWS to launch first data centre region in New Zealand by 2024;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to launch its first data centre region in New Zealand by 2024, as part of a NZ$7.5 billion investment strategy in the country over the next 15 years. To be based in Auckland, the data centre cluster will feature three availability zones. These will join the existing 81 availability zones that exist globally in 25 geographic regions.

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.09.2021

Amazon considers more proactive approach to determining what belongs on its cloud service;

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) plans to take a more proactive approach to determine what types of content violate its cloud service policies, such as rules against promoting violence, and enforce its removal, according to two sources, a move likely to renew debate about how much power tech companies should have to restrict free speech. Over the coming months, Amazon will expand the Trust & Safety team at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) division and hire a small group of people to develop expertise and work with outside researchers to monitor for future threats, one of the sources familiar with the matter said.

==> www.reuters.com; 06.09.2021

Amazon is hiring a digital currency and blockchain expert, signaling a growing interest in cryptocurrency;

Amazon’s payments team is looking to hire a digital currency and blockchain expert, according to a recent job posting. The posting signals that Amazon may be taking a more serious look at cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. Amazon doesn’t accept any cryptocurrencies as payment for its products.

==> www.cnbc.com; 23.07.2021

Amazon acquires secure chat app used by government agencies;

Amazon’s cloud-computing business has acquired Wickr, an encrypted messaging platform used by government agencies and enterprises, the company announced Friday. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The announcement comes as Amazon Web Services looks to pick up more government business. AWS has been locked in a protracted legal battle with Microsoft over the Pentagon’s multibillion-dollar cloud deal. Thousands of government agencies use Amazon’s cloud-computing services.

==> www.cnbc.com; 25.06.2021

AWS to launch Spanish region ahead of time;

The new region will be located in Aragon, and like other regions will have three data centers (or availability zones). The facilities will be the company's first dedicated zones in Spain., though it currently has three Edge locations in Madrid. The company said it will be investing €2.5 billion ($3bn) in the country over the next 10 years.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 08.06.2021

The secret behind Amazon's domination in cloud computing;

Amazon’s massive cloud-computing unit is aggressively recruiting U.S. government officials as it pushes to make itself essential to branches such as the military and the intelligence community, a POLITICO analysis has found. Since 2018, Amazon Web Services has hired at least 66 former government officials with acquisition, procurement or technology adoption experience, most hired directly away from government posts and more than half of them from the Defense Department. The hiring numbers show a particularly aggressive strategy by Amazon as it seeks to “dominate the federal space,” said Dave Drabkin, principal at consulting firm Drabkin and Associates and a former top procurement official with the Defense Department and the General Services Administration. 

==> www.politico.com; 04.06.2021

Amazon goes after Google Maps with the official launch of Amazon Location Service ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. announced the general availability of a new service today that developers can use to add location-based capabilities such as package tracking to applications. Amazon Location Service is a direct rival to Google LLC’s better known Google Maps Platform, which is a service for developers based on Google Maps that’s used to integrate location data into apps. Amazon is also taking on Microsoft Corp.’s Azure Maps, which is a similar service for developers that want to add location capabilities to apps hosted on the Azure cloud.

==> siliconangle.com; 01.06.2021

Amazon hires former executive Adam Selipsky to run AWS;

Amazon has chosen to Adam Selipsky, currently CEO of Salesforce-owned data-visualization software maker Tableau, to run its Amazon Web Services division. Andy Jassy, the current head of AWS and the person chosen to replace Jeff Bezos as the head of all of Amazon, informed employees in an email on Tuesday. Selipsky is one of the people several insiders had identified as a possible successor to Jassy. The two men have an excellent relationship, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Selipsky had held a prominent position inside AWS, as vice president for sales, marketing and support, before leaving to run then-public Tableau in 2016. Salesforce bought Tableau for $15.7 billion in 2019.

==> www.cnbc.com; 23.03.2021

AWS Launches Second Region in Japan ;

Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced the launch of a second full region in Japan, the AWS Asia Pacific (Osaka) Region. The region is an expansion of the existing AWS Osaka Local Region. The new region consists of three Availability Zones (AZs) and joins the existing 25 Availability Zones in eight AWS Regions across Asia Pacific.

==> www.businesswire.com; 01.03.2021

Amazon’s Incoming CEO Jassy Ushered in Cloud Computing Boom;

ncoming Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy cuts a low profile outside of the wonky world of cloud computing. But for much of the last decade he’s been arguably the most important person in the tech industry. “Andy brings the first principles thinking that has always been a part of what’s made Amazon successful -- deeply trying to understand the end customer, creating building blocks by which other people can build and than being good at rapidly iterating,” said Matt McIlwain, a managing director with Madrona Venture Group in Seattle, who has closely tracked Amazon’s rise.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 03.02.2021

AWS CEO Andy Jassy Named New Amazon CEO, Replacing Bezos;

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy – credited as the ‘father’ of cloud computing – will be the new CEO of parent company Amazon.com when founder Jeff Bezos steps down in the third quarter. Amazon made the announcement in its fourth-quarter earnings report issued after the market closing bell today.

==> www.crn.com; 02.02.2021

AWS, Google Cloud, Equinix among Europe climate neutral data centre pact founders;

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Equinix are among the founding members of a new initiative to make data centres in Europe climate neutral by 2030. The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, alongside the Self Regulatory Initiative, has been formed by 25 companies and 17 associations in what is described as ‘an historic and unprecedented commitment by an industry to proactively lead the transition to a climate neutral economy.’ The move comes one year after the adoption of the European Green Deal, a wider strategy to make the EU economy sustainable by ‘turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities.’

==> cloudcomputing-news.net; 21.12.2020

AWS to Launch Second Cloud Data Center Region in India;

The Hyderabad region, expected to come online in 2022, will consist of three availability zones, the company said. The New Indian Express reported the company's plans to build cloud data centers in the region in February. AWS’s announcement Friday included a list of Indian companies which, according to Amazon, were “moving their mission-critical workloads to AWS…” The list included Axis Bank, Bajaj Capital, Druva, Mahindra Electric, RBL Bank, Tata Sky, and others.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 06.11.2020

AWS to Open Data Centers in Switzerland ;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced it will open an infrastructure region in Switzerland in the second half of 2022. The AWS Europe (Zurich) Region will comprise three Availability Zones and join existing regions in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the UK. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 01.11.2020

Wipro and AWS open Sydney innovation centre;

Indian IT services giant Wipro and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have opened an innovation centre in western Sydney to help local businesses tap the expertise of both companies. Dubbed the Wipro-AWS Launch Pad, it will offer in-house technical expertise for businesses as well as a physical studio to drive cloud adoption and improve business operations. “We are investing A$1.6bn into a Digital Restart Fund to make NSW the digital capital of the southern hemisphere. Sydney is becoming a global hub, with more than 600 multinational corporations basing their regional headquarters in the city,” Ayres said.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 01.10.2020

Amazon hires 150 employees in Israel to support AWS and Annapurna Labs;

Amazon has announced that it is expanding its workforce in Israel by 150 in development and related areas, bringing its total number of Israeli employees to 1,300. The new recruits are not for its retail activities in Israel. The Israeli team supports activities including Sizmek, Cloud Endure, Lab 126, Prime Air, Alexa Shopping, Annapurna Labs, AWS and E8. 

==> www.telecompaper.com; 24.09.2020

AWS appoints head of space policy as Amazon cloud giant eyes aerospace opportunities ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. has appointed former White House official Peter Marquez as its first director of space policy, the latest sign of how big a focus the space sector is becoming for the cloud giant. Marquez served as director of space policy for the White House’s National Security Council under Barack Obama and George W. Bush.  

==> siliconangle.com; 10.09.2020

Amazon in talks to invest in cloud services company Rackspace, say sources;

Amazon.com Inc is in preliminary talks to invest in U.S. cloud services provider Rackspace Technology Inc, people familiar with the discussion said on Monday. The deal would involve Amazon acquiring a minority stake in Rackspace, the sources said. Rackspace helps companies migrate their data to Amazon Web Services, and the investment would strengthen the ties between the two companies. Rackspace also migrates companies to Alphabet Inc’s Google Cloud, Microsoft Corp’s Azure and VMware Inc. 

==> www.reuters.com; 17.08.2020

Amazon moves annual AWS re:Invent conference online as part of a free 3-week event;

Amazon’s annual cloud conference is going fully digital this year as the global pandemic forces companies to move events online. Amazon Web Services’ re:Invent 2020 will be a 3-week free virtual conference from Nov. 30 to Dec. 18. It was originally scheduled for Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Las Vegas.

==> www.geekwire.com; 29.07.2020

AWS And VW Open Industrial Cloud Project To PartnersOutage Briefly Brings Down Public Cloud Workloads;

‘Having the chance to open this up to the entire value chain, that‘s truly a transformative process,’ said Dirk Didascalou, vice president of IoT at AWS. ‘If you really want the overall industrial industry to benefit from the cloud, from new technologies and digitalization, the only way to do this is open, because…the biggest impediment to industry transformation was the siloing.’ 

==> www.crn.com; 23.07.2020

Amazon's AWS hires former Space Force leader to head new space-focused business unit ;

Amazon Web Services is launching a new business unit to take its cloud computing capabilities into the frontier of space. The segment will focus on using cloud services to help process massive amounts of data and design new information technology architectures for space operations built around its cloud networks. 

==> www.bizjournals.com; 30.06.2020

AWS Looks to Accelerate Windows Migrations to the Cloud;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ratcheting up pressure on Microsoft by devoting more resources to enable IT organizations to migrate Windows workloads to the cloud. Fred Wurden, general manager for enterprise engineering at AWS, said a Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) for Windows, now generally available, provides IT teams with prescriptive guidance, consulting support, tools, training and service credits to help reduce the risk and cost of migrating to the cloud.

==> devops.com; 04.06.2020

Amazon Makes No Promises on Bezos Testimony;

Amazon responded to lawmakers on Friday who demanded that its chief executive, Jeff Bezos, testify as part of a congressional antitrust investigation. The company told lawmakers in a letter that it would be happy to send someone. It never, however, mentions Mr. Bezos in the three-page letter, which was obtained by The New York Times. Instead, the company said that it was “prepared to make the appropriate Amazon executive available to the Committee to address these important issues.”

==> www.nytimes.com; 15.05.2020

IOST Becomes First Blockchain Project Advertised by Amazon AWS China ;

IOST’s Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) platform announced on March 20, 2020, that it has strengthened its relationship with AWS China. A year after the launch of this initiative, IOST has revealed that it will further strengthen its relationships with AWS China with the aim of implementing its cloud development strategy & push forward its compliance process.

==> btcmanager.com; 20.03.2020

AWS to double sales droids as Google, Microsoft's growing clouds threaten to gobble larger slices of Bezos' pie;

The hiring spree, reportedly announced in a sales meeting in Chicago in January, will bring in security, AI, and data analytics specialists to help AWS's sales staff answer technical questions from customers and sell more services. The exact size of AWS's sales team is a closely guarded secret, even to its own staff. 

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 03.03.2020

Amazon Web Services eröffnet Niederlassung in Wien;

Das Team in Wien wird aus Account Managern, Partnermanagern, Professional Services-Mitarbeitern, Solutions Architects, Schulungspersonal und Mitarbeitern mit anderen Funktionen bestehen, die lokale Kunden und Partner dabei unterstützen, die AWS-Cloud optimal für ihr Unternehmen zu nutzen. 

==> computerwelt.at; 20.02.2020

AWS plans multimillion-dollar investment in Brazil;

The investment, to be made over the next two years, was announced by São Paulo governor João Doria, after a meeting with Shannon Kellogg, director of public policy at AWS and other company executives including the country manager for Brazil, Cleber Morais.

==> www.zdnet.com; 06.02.2020

AWS Taps Matt Garman For Top Sales And Marketing Role;

Matt Garman has been promoted to head up AWS’ demand generation team that includes sales and marketing, a role that was vacant for several years with duties akin to a chief operating officer.

==> www.crn.com; 13.01.2020

Axel Clauberg Quits DT to Join AWS ;

Axel Clauberg, a long-time advocate of next-generation networking technology and one of the best known figures in the carrier SDN and NFV sector, has left Deutsche Telekom to join Amazon Web Services (AWS). Now he boasts the job title Solutions Architects Leader, Germany, at Amazon Web Services (AWS), but says it's too early to discuss the details of that role with the media. 

==> www.lightreading.com; 02.01.2020

AWS head sees Alibaba growing in cloud;

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy tells Nikkei he sees Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) catching up in the cloud computing sector, but limited mainly to China. Jassy: "I would say that we mostly see Alibaba, as we're working with customers, and they're considering who they're going to use in China is where we mostly see them. I don't think they have much of a presence in the U.S. or Europe right now."

==> seekingalpha.com; 26.12.2019

Amazon: Trump used “improper pressure” to block AWS from DOD cloud contract;

Trump said "screw Amazon" and used contract as political weapon against Bezos, suit claims. The JEDI contract is central to DOD's efforts to rapidly adopt cloud technology. But the winner-take-all contract offer has been controversial from the start—and now Amazon claims President Trump put a whole lot more than a finger on the scales to ensure AWS lost.

==> arstechnica.com; 12.12.2019

AWS seeks niche in the cloud UC market;

For years, industry experts have been waiting for AWS to signal how seriously it planned to compete in the cloud unified communications market. Many wondered whether the tech giant would seek to displace established vendors Microsoft and Cisco.

==> searchaws.techtarget.com; 10.12.2019

Amazon Web Services to invest R365-million in black ICT firms;

Cloud computing giant Amazon Web Services plans to invest more than R365-million in developing 100% black-owned small ICT businesses in South Africa as part of an “equity equivalence” programme. AWS, which is owned by Amazon.com, said the equity equivalent investment programme, or EEIP, will support the companies to become cloud computing experts using the AWS partner network.

==> techcentral.co.za; 11.11.2019

AWS announces new savings plans to reduce complexity of reserved instances;

Reserved instances (RIs) have provided a mechanism for companies, which expect to use a certain level of AWS infrastructure resources, to get some cost certainty. But as AWS’ Jeff Barr points out, they are on the complex side. To fix that, the company announced a new method called Savings Plans.

==> techcrunch.com; 07.11.2019

Amazon Web Services to open a new region in Spain;

AWS this week announced a new infrastructure region in Spain, consisting in 3 Availability Zones at launch. The Amazon Web Services’ region in Spain is expected to open late 2022 or early 2023, following the opening of Milan, expected to launch early next year. 

==> ppc.land; 03.11.2019

Amazon prepares to strike back after Microsoft wins $10B JEDI contract;

Microsoft‘s been awarded the controversial Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, a $10 billion planned project to create and maintain an AI-powered, cloud-based weapons platform for the Pentagon.

==> thenextweb.com; 28.10.2019

Partnerships

AWS and Booz Allen to Develop Digital Solutions for Federal Agencies ;

AWS and Booz Allen Hamilton are expanding their partnership to provide federal agencies with ready-made digital solutions for cloud migration, cybersecurity, and AI. The collaboration combines AWS cloud services with Booz Allen’s expertise to improve decision-making, reduce costs, and enhance cybersecurity. These solutions will be available through the AWS Marketplace to support the U.S. government's evolving technology needs.

==> www.pymnts.com; 24.01.2025

ServiceNow and AWS Collaborate to Speed GenAI Product Delivery;

ServiceNow and AWS have expanded their collaboration with a new connector linking Amazon Bedrock models to ServiceNow’s Now Platform, enabling faster deployment of generative AI (GenAI) workflows. The connector allows organizations to integrate third-party AI models, improving workflow customization and accelerating GenAI product development. Additional integrations, like ServiceNow's tools for security incident response and procurement operations, aim to enhance operational efficiency and optimize technology investments.

==> cloudwars.com; 13.12.2024

Philips expands AWS collaboration for cloud-based services;

Philips is expanding its partnership with AWS to host its HealthSuite diagnostics portfolio on the cloud, aiming to streamline workflows and improve diagnostic access. Already implemented in over 150 sites in the Americas, the focus now shifts to accelerating cloud adoption in Europe. The cloud-based system will integrate diverse diagnostic data, enhancing collaboration, remote access, and workflow efficiency for clinicians across radiology, pathology, and cardiology.

==> www.medicaldevice-network.com; 27.11.2024

Cognizant, AWS Partner for Digital Factory, Smart Manufacturing;

Cognizant and AWS have partnered to deliver generative AI-driven smart manufacturing solutions, focusing on IoT, data, AI, and cloud adoption to enhance operational efficiency and real-time decision-making for manufacturing clients. Their collaboration includes solutions for predictive maintenance, digital twins, and factory automation, leveraging AWS’s IoT and AI services and Cognizant’s industrial expertise. This alliance aims to address challenges in smart manufacturing and empower clients with improved productivity, quality, and flexibility across operations.

==> www.engineering.com; 30.10.2024

AWS, e& Sign $1B+ Agreement to Drive Digital Transformation in Middle East ;

e& has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide secure and scalable cloud solutions tailored to the Middle East’s public sector and regulated industries. The collaboration includes a $1 billion agreement to accelerate cloud-driven innovation, offering services like AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity. The partnership also focuses on talent development and aligning with UAE's Vision 2031, aiming to support regional digital transformation and economic growth.

==> www.thefastmode.com; 17.10.2024

Deloitte Taps AWS for Industry-Specific AI, Cloud Solutions;

Deloitte and AWS have signed a multi-year agreement to use AWS’s cloud and generative AI tools, including Bedrock and SageMaker, to develop industry-specific solutions and explore next-gen technologies like quantum machine learning. They will also establish a joint innovation lab to collaborate on these solutions and support clients with funding for proofs of concept. This partnership builds on their seven-year collaboration, aiming to enhance industry innovation and operational efficiency.

==> aibusiness.com; 18.07.2024

OpenAI, Nvidia, Google and others launch AI cybersecurity consortium ;

More than a dozen tech companies have formed the Coalition for Secure AI (CoSAI) to enhance the security of artificial intelligence applications. Announced at the Aspen Security Forum and operating under the nonprofit OASIS, CoSAI aims to develop tools, technical guidance, and a collaborative ecosystem for sharing AI-related cybersecurity best practices. The coalition will also launch open-source initiatives to address specific cybersecurity challenges in AI, such as scanning machine learning workloads for risks and managing vulnerabilities in software supply chains. The consortium is backed by Amazon Web Services Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Google LLC. They are joined by Nvidia Corp., Intel Corp., IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc., Wiz Inc. and Chainguard Inc.

==> siliconangle.com; 18.07.2024

Automation Anywhere collabs with Microsoft and AWS for more automation;

Automation Anywhere announced at the Imagine conference in Austin, Texas, expanded collaborations with Microsoft and AWS to integrate generative AI into their automation offerings. With Microsoft, they've enhanced their AI + Automation Enterprise System by integrating Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to facilitate the creation of AI Agents for complex enterprise processes. Similarly, their partnership with AWS aims to transform business processes by leveraging Amazon Q, a generative AI-powered assistant, to enable conversational automation across enterprises, thus speeding up decision-making and creative processes.

==> erp.today; 18.06.2024

AWS & SAP Partnering to Transform Cloud ERP with Gen AI;

Generative AI (Gen AI) is set to revolutionize enterprise technology, with AWS and SAP partnering to enhance business processes, operational efficiencies, and innovation. The collaboration centers on SAP’s RISE with SAP solution, enabling companies to modernize their ERP systems on AWS's cloud infrastructure. Key aspects include integrating Amazon Bedrock Gen AI models into SAP’s AI Core, utilizing AWS’s advanced hardware, and supporting Amazon's Project Kuiper to improve global broadband access.

==> technologymagazine.com; 30.05.2024

Visa and AWS partner to revolutionise global digital payments landscape;

Visa has announced its integration into the AWS Partner Network (APN), a global community that utilizes AWS technologies to create diverse solutions for customers. This partnership aims to streamline access for Visa’s partners and clients, including FinTechs and financial institutions, to integrate Visa’s services more seamlessly. Under this partnership, Visa will make select payment services available in the AWS MarketplaceVisa is also part of AWS Activate, a program designed to provide startups with the resources needed to get started on AWS. 

==> ; 26.04.2024

Fujitsu and AWS deepen global partnership to accelerate legacy applications modernization on the cloud;

Fujitsu and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are expanding their partnership with a joint initiative starting April 1 to speed up the modernization of legacy applications by migrating and updating mission-critical applications from on-premise mainframes and UNIX servers to AWS Cloud. This initiative aims to support industries like finance, retail, and automotive, combining Fujitsu's expertise in systems integration and AWS's professional services and technologies, such as AWS Mainframe Modernization. The collaboration, which has been benefiting customers like Takashimaya, is set to assist the first 40 customers in Asia, Europe, and North America by 2029, with plans to expand support and incorporate AI technologies for more efficient modernization processes.

==> www.fujitsu.com; 18.03.2024

Philips and AWS Collaborate to Scale Digital Pathology in the Cloud, Enhancing Diagnostic Capabilities and Improving Productivity;

Royal Philips and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are expanding their collaboration to offer secure, scalable digital pathology solutions in the cloud, addressing the increasing need for efficient data management and analysis in pathology labs. This partnership combines Philips' digital pathology expertise with AWS' cloud infrastructure to enhance workflow efficiency, enable digital adoption in more labs, and integrate AI for improved diagnostics and patient care. The goal is to support the digitization of pathology, fostering greater collaboration and enabling advancements in healthcare diagnostics and treatment planning.

==> www.itnonline.com; 13.03.2024

Sage signs Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS to enable AI-powered solutions for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses;

Sage has entered into a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance operations for SMBs using generative AI, including tackling environmental responsibilities with Sage Earth now available in AWS Marketplace. This collaboration will see the development of a domain-specific LLM for accounting and compliance, empowering SMBs with AI-powered tools like Sage Copilot for navigating financial complexities and compliance requirements. Additionally, Sage Earth, leveraging AWS's advanced machine learning and AI services, will help businesses calculate carbon footprints and suggest emission reduction strategies, initially available in the UK and Ireland with plans for expansion. 

==> www.globenewswire.com; 27.02.2024

New telecoms alliance aims to give sector an AI boost;

The AI-RAN Alliance, launched at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, aims to integrate AI into cellular technology to enhance radio access networks (RAN), with a focus on improving efficiency and supporting new business opportunities as 5G and 6G technologies evolve. Founding members include major tech and telecom companies like Amazon Web Services, ARM, Microsoft, SoftBank, NVIDIA, Ericsson, T-Mobile, and Samsung. The alliance seeks to reduce power consumption, upgrade infrastructure, and enhance spectral efficiency, with telecom companies leading the charge in testing and implementing these AI-driven advancements.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 26.02.2024

BICS launches cloud-based roaming service with AWS ;

BICS, in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), has launched a new cloud-based roaming service aimed at providing faster and more reliable internet access for both home and international travelers, including support for bandwidth-intensive services like streaming and gaming. Utilizing AWS's infrastructure, the service promises internet speeds up to five times faster than traditional roaming services and is initially available to select MNOs and MVNOs, with plans for global deployment using BICS' PDN Gateway-based internet termination edge sites. Successful tests with SK Telecom and Proximus have demonstrated significant reductions in latency and improved roaming service quality.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 31.01.2024

Capgemini and AWS expand strategic collaboration to enable broad enterprise generative AI adoption;

Capgemini has signed a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement with AWS to accelerate the adoption of generative AI solutions. This partnership will focus on helping clients leverage generative AI for various industries and use cases, aiming to improve the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for AI production costs. Additionally, Capgemini will expand its network of AWS Centers of Excellence and train 30,000 employees over the next three years, with a focus on AI technologies, as part of its €2 billion investment in Artificial Intelligence.

==> www.capgemini.com; 16.01.2024

Siemens and AWS Partner to Democratize Generative AI in Software Development;

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2024 — Siemens and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are strengthening their partnership and making it easier for businesses of all sizes and industries to build and scale generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Domain experts in fields such as engineering and manufacturing, as well as logistics, insurance or banking will be able to create new and upgrade existing applications with the most advanced generative AI technology.

==> www.datanami.com; 10.01.2024

AWS and Nvidia in deal to power generative AI innovations;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Nvidia are expanding their strategic collaboration to deliver advanced infrastructure, software, and services for generative artificial intelligence (AI) innovations. The collaboration includes the introduction of the Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips with new multi-node NVLink technology to the cloud, the hosting of Nvidia DGX Cloud on AWS, collaboration on Project Ceiba to build the world's fastest GPU-powered AI supercomputer, and the introduction of new Amazon EC2 instances for generative AI and high-performance computing workloads. The collaboration aims to provide a comprehensive solution for generative AI across various industries.

==> www.tradearabia.com; 01.12.2023

Salesforce & AWS enhance partnership with cross-platform integration ;

Salesforce and Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced a significant expansion of their long-standing strategic partnership at AWS re:Invent on November 27, 2023. For the first time in its history, select Salesforce products will be available on the AWS Marketplace, with a goal of making it easier for customers to securely manage their data across both platforms and infuse generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their applications and workflows.

==> ecommercenews.co.nz; 01.12.2023

ServiceNow and AWS team up for AI business applications;

ServiceNow and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a five-year strategic collaboration agreement. The collaboration includes the availability of the ServiceNow platform as a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering in the AWS Marketplace. The partnership aims to provide joint customers with new ways of purchasing and using ServiceNow solutions, leveraging AWS's cloud capabilities and ServiceNow's intelligent platform for end-to-end digital transformation.

==> erp.today; 30.11.2023

ServiceNow Announces a Strategic Collaboration Agreement With AWS;

ServiceNow has entered into a five-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Beginning in early 2024, the ServiceNow Platform and its suite of solutions will be available as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering in the AWS Marketplace. The collaboration will also involve the co-development of industry-specific, AI-powered business applications to host on AWS and list in the AWS Marketplace, with an initial focus on transforming manufacturing, supply chain, call centers, and cloud transformation use cases.

==> aithority.com; 30.11.2023

AWS and NVIDIA Announce Strategic Collaboration to Offer New Supercomputing Infrastructure, Software and Services for Generative AI;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NVIDIA are expanding their strategic collaboration to offer advanced infrastructure, software, and services for generative artificial intelligence (AI) innovations. AWS will be the first cloud provider to bring NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips to the cloud, and the collaboration includes hosting NVIDIA DGX Cloud on AWS and working on Project Ceiba to design a high-performance GPU-powered AI supercomputer. The partnership aims to supercharge generative AI across various industries, offering new Amazon EC2 instances, such as P5e instances for large-scale generative AI and HPC workloads.

==> nvidianews.nvidia.com; 28.11.2023

Kyndryl signs multi-year AWS AI agreement;

Kyndryl has entered a multi-year strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop and deliver generative artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and advanced machine learning (ML) capabilities. The partnership aims to assist Kyndryl and AWS shared customers in fostering innovation, improving efficiency, and expediting digital transformation across their businesses.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 28.11.2023

Salesforce and AWS expand partnership to deliver new integrations;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Salesforce have expanded their partnership, offering enhanced product integrations in data and AI and featuring select Salesforce products on the AWS marketplace. The collaboration aims to facilitate secure data management across platforms, incorporate GenAI technologies into applications, and deepen integrations between AWS and Salesforce products. The partnership involves Salesforce utilizing AWS services like compute, storage, and AI, and AWS leveraging Salesforce products such as Data Cloud to deliver personalized customer experiences.

==> erp.today; 27.11.2023

IBM Collaborates with AWS to Launch a New Cloud Database Offering, Enabling Customers to Optimize Data Management for AI Workloads;

IBM has collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the general availability of Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for Db2. This fully managed cloud offering aims to simplify data management for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads across hybrid cloud environments, offering customers the option to modernize on-premises, on AWS, or deploy a hybrid cloud architecture.

==> newsroom.ibm.com; 27.11.2023

IBM expands AWS partnership to bring generative AI to call centers, supply chains;

IBM Consulting, the professional services arm of IBM, today announced the plan to expand its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and re-engineer their joint solutions for enterprise clients with generative AI, targeting three areas to start: contact centers, cloud value chain and supply chain.

==> venturebeat.com; 18.10.2023

Cloudera Signs Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS;

Cloudera announced that it has signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). This agreement  strengthens Cloudera’s relationship with AWS and demonstrates their commitment to accelerate and scale cloud native data management and data analytics on AWS. Through this agreement, Cloudera will leverage AWS services to deliver continuous innovation and lower costs to customers with Cloudera open data lakehouse on AWS for trusted enterprise generative AI.

==> aithority.com; 26.09.2023

Ericsson, AWS & Hitachi showcase AI-powered smart factories;

Ericsson, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Hitachi America R&D have joined forces to highlight the ability of already-available 5G, AI and automation solutions to transform manufacturing and improve productivity, efficiency, environmental impact and safety while reducing costs. The collaboration between the three companies enabled the private 5G infrastructure trial at Hitachi Astemo Americas’ electric motor vehicle manufacturing plant in Berea, Kentucky, USA.

==> technologymagazine.com; 31.08.2023

HCLTech Collaborates With AWS to Accelerate GenAI Adoption ;

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) at the company and by enterprises globally. The collaboration aims to empower enterprises to harness the power of AWS’s advanced GenAI portfolio that includes Amazon CodeWhisperer, Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Titan, AWS Trainium and AWS Inferentia. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 23.08.2023

AWS announces generative A.I. tool to save doctors time on paperwork;

Amazon Web Services on Wednesday announced a new service for health-care software providers called AWS HealthScribe. The service aims to save health-care workers time with AI-generated transcripts and summaries of patient visits, which can then be entered into the electronic health record system. The company said Wednesday that AWS HealthScribe is HIPAA compliant and does not retain any customer information.

==> www.cnbc.com; 26.07.2023

Siemens Expands Partnership with AWS;

Siemens Digital Industries Software is expanding its strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The goal is to focus on helping mutual integrated circuit (IC) and electronics design customers leverage AWS’s advanced cloud services to shorten design cycles, optimize engineering resources and boost verification coverage using current and forthcoming Siemens EDA products. This extended SCA builds upon the companies’ track record of providing customers with the agility, flexibility and adaptability needed.

==> www.digitalengineering247.com; 18.07.2023

AWS, NVIDIA launch global FinTech accelerator for seed-stage startups;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) in partnership with NVIDIA, a major supplier of artificial intelligence hardware and software, has set up a new global FinTech accelerator for seed-stage startups. The AWS Global Fintech Accelerator is dedicated to helping jump-start early-stage FinTech startups that are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to innovate financial services.

==> betakit.com; 28.06.2023

Capgemini and AWS announce the launch of a technology platform to improve the lifespan of aircraft parts;

Capgemini and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the launch of Lifecycle Optimization for Aerospace. This platform aims at accelerating the adoption of circular economy practices in the aviation industry by automating the inspection process, optimizing lifecycle analysis of aircraft parts, and guiding decisions to extend their lifespan. Several major players in the aviation sector, including Air France and Safran, participated in its development and will be amongst the first users of the platform.

==> www.capgemini.com; 21.06.2023

ISG to Publish Report on AWS Ecosystem Partners ;

Information Services Group has launched a research study examining service providers helping enterprises gain maximum benefit from the cloud capabilities of AWS.  Study results will be published in a comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ report called AWS Ecosystem Partners 2023, scheduled to be released in October. The report will cover provider services including consulting, migration, managed services, data analytics and machine learning, as well as SAP workloads on AWS. Enterprise buyers will be able to use information from the reports to evaluate their current vendor relationships, potential new engagements and available offerings, while ISG advisors use the information to recommend providers to the firm’s buy-side clients. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 05.05.2023

BT signs MEC deal with AWS;

 BT continues to drive cloudification of mobile services with EE’s 4G and 5G infrastructure set to combine with AWS cloud to facilitate low-latency, high-bandwidth IoT use-cases. First customer trial sites deploying AWS Wavelength Zone already live in Manchester, before general availability later this year.
 

==> www.telcotitans.com; 21.03.2023

OneWeb announces global agreement with AWS;

OneWeb and AWS will work together to expand both horizontal and vertical services to provide customisable and integrated solutions for edge-to-edge operations. The ambition is to provide a fully integrated satellite constellation management solution as a service to the public and satellite community. Working together to innovate, develop, and enhance industry and cloud solutions, OneWeb and AWS will aim to create the next generation of virtual network functions focused on bringing LEO connectivity to customers and communities around the globe.

==> www.broadcastprome.com; 15.03.2023

Deutsche Telekom, Orange in private wireless cloud with AWS;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) said this morning that its private wireless project will allow telcos to provide enterprises with private wireless offerings from the cloud. Valérie Cussac (pictured), Orange’s executive VP for smart mobility services, said: “With our operator-integrator expertise, Orange Business can orchestrate, integrate and operate 5G private networks on AWS and edge infrastructure to unleash innovative use cases, combining private 5G, IoT, cloud/edge, data and AI.”

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 22.02.2023

GE Digital Signs Collaboration Agreement with AWS to Help Utilities Accelerate Grid Modernization ;

GE Digital announced that it has signed a multiyear strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) aimed at helping utilities accelerate grid modernization. Through this collaboration, GE Digital and AWS plan to deliver intelligent grid orchestration solutions. These software solutions will help utilities digitally transform, modernize the power grid, and accelerate the energy transition.  With this new agreement in place, GE Digital and AWS will work together to help electric utilities accelerate hybrid cloud adoption when and where needed, along with deployment of solutions on the GridOS platform to solve mission-critical challenges at the speed of the energy transition.​ 

==> www.businesswire.com; 07.02.2023

AWS and SAP Expand Partnership to Accelerate Digital Transformation;

AWS and SAP have announced a new partnership aimed at helping customers accelerate their digital transformation. SAP has been steadily reinventing itself with a focus on cloud computing. CEO Christian Klein made clear in late-2021 that the strategy was working. The company has been building partnerships with other cloud providers to help customers accelerate their digital transformation and cloud migration. SAP partnered with IBM in early 2022, and has now expanded its partnership with AWS.

==> www.webpronews.com; 17.01.2023

AWS inks agreement with Genesys;

Cloud experience orchestration vendor Genesys has announced a new Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services. The agreement builds on a longstanding partnership between the two organisations, a move the two say represents a double-down on commitment to helping customers deliver on the expectations of discerning digital-first consumers.

==> www.technologydecisions.com.au; 13.01.2023

AWS channel boss views partners as critical to strategy;

Before the curtain came down on last year, AWS was able to outline its current position and ambitions for its channel partners. The cloud giant has celebrated a decade of its Marketplace and 12 years of its Partner Network, which has evolved and been enhanced regularly over that period. Leading those efforts is Ruba Borno, vice-president of worldwide channels and alliances at AWS, who is keen to expound on the main messages that came out of Re:Invent from a partner perspective, which included a focus on how the firm can support partners leading customers through digital transformation efforts and how working with the vendor is profitable.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.01.2023

Deutsche Bank Research: Takeaways from AWS re:Invent 2022;

We spoke with a number of AWS partners and customers one-on-one during the event, including some of the largest digital services and solutions providers, leading multi-cloud services companies, technology consulting firms including one that specializes in healthcare, data management firms, a travel company, and cloud cost optimization companies. The majority of those we talked to highlighted a broader slowdown in cloud spend recently and a general sense of indecisiveness among customers as IT budgets react to the more challenging macro environment. Key Takeaways include: Both  AWS partners and customers are seeing pressure on cloud spend given a tough macro environment leading to cost rationalization efforts across different industries. That said, the news isn't all bad; some industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, and travel, still indicated a  healthy spend outlook even in the face of broader economic pressures.

==> www.dbresearch.com; 05.12.2022

TCS and AWS partner to launch enterprise quantum services;

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is launching the TCS Quantum Computing Lab on Amazon Web Services (AWS), to empower enterprise quantum projects. The new innovation hub, which is set to be announced during AWS‘s re:Invent conference, will provide enterprises with a testbed to explore, develop, and test business solutions and accelerate the adoption of quantum computing.

==> www.information-age.com; 28.11.2022

Deloitte and AWS team up to deliver digital banking services from the cloud ;

With the planned multiyear collaboration, Deloitte will bring its ConvergePROSPERITY BankingSuite platform to the table, with AWS providing multiple cloud computing services atop that offering. The idea is to help both banks and nonbank financial services providers deliver more innovative customer experiences, modernize legacy fintech platforms and bring new products and services to market faster, the companies said.

==> siliconangle.com; 02.11.2022

McKinsey and AWS expand existing collaboration to tackle the next horizon of cloud transformation;

Building on a proven history of client impact, our organizations have now blended select Cloud by McKinsey offerings with AWS Professional Services, giving clients new ways to identify the right cloud transformation opportunities from day one—and deliver them at greater speed and scale than ever before. The collaboration is part of McKinsey’s open ecosystem of alliances and acquisitions and leverages the AWS Partner Network of more 100,000 members. Working together, McKinsey and AWS have helped a pharmaceutical company transform the patient experience by enabling remote triage through a virtual agent that is expected to handle more than one million calls annually.

==> www.mckinsey.com; 27.09.2022

Harvard and AWS launch alliance to advance research in quantum science;

Harvard University and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have launched a strategic alliance to advance fundamental research and innovation in quantum networking. This effort provides significant funding for faculty-led research at Harvard and will build capacity for student recruitment, training, outreach and workforce development in this key emerging technology field. The initiative focuses on driving rapid progress toward specific research aims in quantum networking at the Harvard Quantum Initiative (HQI).

==> www.seas.harvard.edu; 12.09.2022

AWS, Splunk and more launch cybersecurity analytics standard;

A consortium of IT vendors launched a new collaboration this week on an open source schema for cybersecurity analytics data, potentially eliminating some of what AWS calls "undifferentiated heavy lifting" for SecOps pros.

==> www.techtarget.com; 10.08.2022

Fujitsu, AWS to boost digital transformation in finance and retail industries;

Fujitsu has recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the digital transformation of customers in the financial and retail industries with new services to be built on AWS. Under the terms of the deal, Fujitsu will deploy these new services for customers in Japan and globally in AWS Marketplace. Fujitsu also said it will additionally leverage AWS Professional Services to help customers develop and operate new systems, as well as modernize their existing systems by using AWS services.

==> enterpriseiotinsights.com; 31.05.2022

Fujitsu, AWS to boost digital transformation in finance and retail industries;

Fujitsu has recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate the digital transformation of customers in the financial and retail industries with new services to be built on AWS. Under the terms of the deal, Fujitsu will deploy these new services for customers in Japan and globally in AWS Marketplace. Fujitsu also said it will additionally leverage AWS Professional Services to help customers develop and operate new systems, as well as modernize their existing systems by using AWS services.

==> enterpriseiotinsights.com; 31.05.2022

IBM Signs Collaboration Agreement to Deliver SaaS on AWS;

Building on IBM Software being available as-a-Service (aaS) on IBM Cloud, this first-of-its-kind agreement between IBM and AWS will provide clients with quick and easy access to IBM Software that spans automation, data and AI, security and sustainability capabilities, is built on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA), and runs cloud-native on AWS. The two companies are also committing to a broad range of joint investments to make it easier for clients to consume IBM Software on AWS, including integrated go-to-market activities across sales and marketing, channel incentives, developer enablement and training, and solution development for key verticals and industries such as Oil and Gas, Travel and Transportation, and others.

==> www.hpcwire.com; 11.05.2022

Amazon Web Services, Bosch collaborate on logistics marketplace;

AWS and Bosch announced on Wednesday a new partnership that will see Bosch develop a logistics platform for digital services on the AWS marketplace. The new marketplace offering will give freight carriers and forwarders around the world access to support for capacity utilization, order processing, monitoring goods flows and a host of other transportation and logistics functions.

==> www.freightwaves.com; 13.04.2022

UCL and AWS team up for health tech-focused startup accelerator;

The UCL Centre for Digital Innovation (CDI) is launching with the support of public cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS), whose technologies will be underpinning the initiative. The centre will be based at IDEALondon in Shoreditch, London, which is an existing UCL technology hub that was created specifically as a place that startups can go to get access to funding, workspace and business advice.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.04.2022

Tech Mahindra signs multi-year contract with AWS for NetOps.ai platform;

Tech Mahindra on Tuesday announced it had signed a multi-year strategic agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help power its cloud-based software-driven platform, netOps.ai. NetOps.ai is an automation and intelligent managed services platform based on cloud-native principles that helps carriers achieve business outcomes by reducing the time to market and enabling new revenue streams with 5G.

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 01.03.2022

Telenor expands deal with AWS;

As part of the agreement, Telenor and AWS will invest in joint go-to-market activities in select industries—such as manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and automotive—to enable more 5G and edge services for customers. Working with existing customers to demonstrate the possibilities of cloud-based resources, Telenor will scale its cloud footprint, while innovating to develop new services that use a combination of the most advanced and secure cloud technologies from AWS. 

==> www.lightreading.com; 20.01.2022

Siemens, AWS to push for accelerated digital twin adoption;

Siemens and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have agreed to push for the accelerated adoption of new digital twin solutions using AWS IoT TwinMaker, a newly launched AWS service that makes it faster and easier to create digital twins that incorporate multiple data sources. Integral to this agreement is driving the adoption of  Siemens’ Xcelerator as a Service – making its portfolio of integrated software, services, and application development platform more accessible, scalable, and flexible. Xcelerator as a Service acts as a catalyst for fast and predictable digital transformation—including by gaining new manufacturing insights, automating processes, and deploying connected services—and offers customisable solutions for any starting point on the digital journey.

==> futureiot.tech; 08.12.2021

AWS and IBM join forces to reduce data barriers in the energy industry;

The two companies will combine the IBM Open Data for Industries for IBM Cloud Pak for Data and the AWS Cloud to serve energy customers. This is built on Red Hat OpenShift and will run on the AWS Cloud in order to make it easier for customers to run workloads on the platform and on-premises. The collaboration, which aims to reduce data barriers in the energy industry, will allow customers to run OSDU Data Platform applications, an open source data platform for the energy industry, while addressing data residency requirements.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 15.11.2021

Panion und AWS vor Launch ihrer eMobility-Cloud für Flotten;

ABBs Corporate-Startup Panion und Amazon Web Services (AWS) starten die Testphase ihrer gemeinsam entwickelten digitalen Lösung für die Ladeplanung von Elektrofahrzeug-Flotten. Die cloudbasierte Software namens „Panion EV Charge Planning“ ist dem Echtzeitmanagement von E-Flotten und Ladeanlagen gewidmet.

==> www.electrive.net; 26.10.2021

NEC expands AWS partnership to 5G and digital government;

The newly broadened collaboration comes to support the acceleration digital transformation for customers and builds on the 2020 strategic collaboration formed by the which since then, has seen the two continue to develop offerings and strengthen delivery capabilities. The combined solution stack will be supported by NEC's system integration services to enable customers to deploy and scale 5G networks, enhance automation and improve operational economics.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 08.09.2021

AWS Sets MSSP Beachhead With New Security Competency;

Amazon Web Services is launching a new partner competency for managed security service providers (MSSPs) and will make their cloud software solutions and services available in the AWS Marketplace. The AWS Level 1 MSSP Competency, which AWS has been piloting for a year, creates a new baseline standard for managed security services that protect, monitor and respond to security events of essential AWS resources and are delivered to customers as a fully managed service.

==> www.crn.com; 24.08.2021

Fujitsu announces support of AWS for Health initiative ;

Fujitsu has announced its support of the AWS for Health initiative from Amazon Web Services (AWS) by bringing Epic in the Cloud to NHS trusts and UK healthcare providers. The development means healthcare organisations looking to deploy Epic have the option, for the first time, to run the electronic patient record (EPR) in the cloud. By working with Fujitsu and its ecosystem of strategic suppliers, trusts can expect to reduce the cost, minimise the technical risk and minimise clinical and other resources required to deploy, maintain and deliver maximum benefit from their EPR investment.

==> www.scientific-computing.com; 16.07.2021

Salesforce and AWS expand partnership to launch integrations;

Salesforce today announced an expansion of its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that the companies say will make it easier for enterprises using Salesforce and AWS together to deploy business apps. In the near future, developers will be able to build apps by connecting Salesforce data and workflows into solutions on AWS, while Salesforce customers will be able to integrate AWS services with existing Salesforce apps.

==> venturebeat.com; 23.06.2021

Vodafone deploys AWS Wavelength in London with plans for Dusseldorf;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Vodafone confirmed today that they’ve now deployed AWS Wavelength zones in London on Vodafone’s 4G/5G network. The partners said late in 2020 that they were planning to do this. They also said today that they’re planning to deploy another AWS Wavelength location at Vodafone’s mobile network in Dusseldorf, Germany with general availability scheduled for later in 2021.

==> www.fiercewireless.com; 16.06.2021

Vodafone, Amazon partner to launch 'edge computing' in UK;

Vodafone (VOD.L) said on Wednesday it has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (AMZN.O) to launch "edge computing" services for its business customers in the UK. "Edge computing" uses augmented reality and machine learning to analyse bulk data where it was gathered - whether factory floor, oil rig or office space - before moving it to remote servers in the cloud. To work, it needs fast data transfers of the kind that 5G will provide.

==> www.reuters.com; 16.06.2021

AWS Vs. Microsoft Vs. Google: How Partners Rank The Big 3 Cloud Companies;

CRN’s exclusive Cloud Barometer survey asked solution providers to divulge the biggest pros and cons of the three top platforms. Here are the results, and why it’s anyone’s game to win. 

==> www.crn.com; 07.06.2021

Fujitsu, AWS to support digital transformation of mobility industry;

Fujitsu has signed a partnership agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to support digital transformation (DX) of the mobility industry. Via this partnership, Fujitsu plans to accelerate digital transformation and expand business for companies in the mobility industry including automobile manufacturers, insurance providers, and logistics companies.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 12.05.2021

Continental and AWS unveil cloud-based automotive software;

German car parts supplier Continental is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop modular automotive software. Dubbed Continental Automotive Edge (CAEdge), the new platform connects ground vehicles to the cloud. The tool also features a virtual workbench that offers many options for developing, delivering, and maintaining software-intensive system functions. Furthermore, the workbench allows drivers to download convenient and easy software updates for the functions they want.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 15.04.2021

Verizon and AWS team on private MEC to bring enterprises an edge;

Building on a partnership initiated in 2020 to offer US enterprise customers private mobile edge computing – or multi-access edge computing (MEC) – with a dedicated infrastructure on-premise that enables ultra-low latency, higher levels of security and deeper customisation, Verizon Business and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are to expand their 5G collaboration. Partnership forged to allow enterprises to deploy a dedicated, private edge compute platform fully integrated with AWS cloud services and Verizon 5G private networks to improve productivity, safety and operational efficiencies.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 06.04.2021

Nokia announces cloud partnerships with Google, Amazon, Microsoft;

 Nokia has today announced a partnership with Google Cloud to develop new, cloud-based 5G radio solutions. The two companies will collaborate on joint solutions combining Nokia's Radio Access Network (RAN), Open RAN, Cloud RAN (vRAN) and edge cloud technologies, with Google's edge computing platform and applications ecosystem. The collaboration will lead to the development of solutions and use cases to solve key 5G scenarios for businesses worldwide. 

==> www.lightreading.com; 15.03.2021

TCS launches AWS Business Unit ;

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced the further deepening of its long-standing relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the launch of the new TCS AWS Business Unit (BU). TCS AWS Business Unit (BU) is a dedicated group within TCS that brings together the scale, technology expertise, and industry knowledge of the two companies to help enterprise customers accelerate their innovation and drive superior business outcomes using AWS. 

==> www.business-standard.com; 11.02.2021

Reply Signs an Agreement with AWS to Develop Industry Solutions ;

Reply, specialized on new communications channels and digital media, announces today it has signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Automotive, Retail, Energy, and Telco customers. Through this SCA, the Reply Group of companies dedicated to AWS – Comsysto Reply, Data Reply, Sense Reply, and Storm Reply – will work with organizations of virtually all sizes and allow them to innovate faster and deliver consistent improvements on their business processes using advanced and secure AWS technologies. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 18.01.2021

Orange Business Services strikes global partnership with AWS to accelerate enterprise cloud take-up;

Orange Business Services has signed a global strategic collaboration deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as part of its push to support enterprises in achieving their multicloud deployment goals. The French IT services provider said the partnership will enable it to establish itself as a “one-stop shop” for all of its clients’ joint Orange and AWS-related IT requirements so they can accelerate the progress of their cloud-native digital transformations.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 24.11.2020

Atos Announces Extended Collaboration with AWS as OneCloud Partner;

Atos announces that it has further extended its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as AWS is named as one of the strategic partners of Atos OneCloud, an initiative which brings together Atos’ comprehensive cloud capabilities into one powerful unique offering. This increased collaboration is a next step in the strategic alliance between Atos and AWS which started in 2012. Atos is recognized as an AWS Well-Architected Partner and has, over the years invested in achieving several AWS competencies including Migration Delivery Partner. 

==> www.hpcwire.com; 17.11.2020

NXP Collaborates with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Extend Connected Vehicle Opportunities;

NXP Semiconductors has announced a strategic relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) focused on extending the opportunities of connected vehicles. The collaboration aims to deliver a secure, edge-to-cloud compute solution for next-generation vehicles that can enable new cloud-powered services to benefit carmakers, their business partners and consumers alike.    

==> www.globenewswire.com; 17.11.2020

Atos announces extended collaboration with Amazon Web Services as Atos OneCloud partner;

Atos announces that it has further extended its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as AWS is named as one of the strategic partners of Atos OneCloud, an initiative which brings together Atos’ comprehensive cloud capabilities into one powerful unique offering. This increased collaboration is a next step in the strategic alliance between Atos and AWS which started in 2012. Atos is recognized as an AWS Well-Architected Partner and has, over the years invested in achieving several AWS competencies including Migration Delivery Partner. 

==> www.globenewswire.com; 16.11.2020

Carrier partners with Amazon on new Lynx digital platform;

Carrier announced a multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services to co-develop Carrier’s new Lynx digital platform. The Lynx platform will combine AWS’s IoT, analytics, and machine learning services with Carrier’s refrigeration and monitoring solutions, extending Carrier’s current digital offerings for managing the temperature-controlled transport and storage of perishables. 

==> www.coolingpost.com; 08.10.2020

DBS Bank teams up with AWS on AI skills;

Singapore’s DBS Bank is organising an AWS DeepRacer League to equip thousands of employees with skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Through the DBS x AWS DeepRacer League, participants will pick up ML coding skills to programme their own AWS DeepRacer autonomous vehicles. Their ML models will then be uploaded onto a virtual racing environment where employees can experiment and fine-tune their models as they engage each other in friendly competition.   

==> www.computerweekly.com; 17.08.2020

New coalition to accelerate the energy transition in transport and logistics;

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Carrefour Group, CMA CGM Group, Cluster Maritime Français, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Engie, Faurecia, Michelin, Schneider Electric, Total and Wärtsilä have formed an international coalition which is open to new members. The coalition will work towards accelerating the development of energy sources and technologies to address the challenges posed by sustainable mobility in the transport and logistics industry.

==> www.smart-energy.com; 03.07.2020

Wipro extends collaboration with Amazon Web Services for DevOps;

As a part of this alliance, both companies would collaborate to help global organizations leverage the benefits of automation, effective monitoring and rapid deployment using DevOps, said Wipro in a press release.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 09.06.2020

Slack announces multiyear cloud partnership with AWS ;

Slack Technologies Inc. today announced today a sweeping multiyear agreement with Amazon Web Services Inc. that covers both cloud services and product integrations. As part of the agreement, Slack said it intends to migrate the Slack Calls capability that powers its voice and video call features to Amazon Chime, which is Amazon’s video conferencing tool. The companies said Chime’s software development kit will be used to power audio, video and screen sharing natively within Slack.

==> siliconangle.com; 04.06.2020

T-Systems expands AWS partner status;

T-Systems today announced acceptance into the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner Program. Deutsche Telekom’s enterprise customer unit had joined into a partnership with AWS in November 2018.

==> www.webwire.com; 25.05.2020

NTT Data enters strategic collaboration deal with AWS;

Through this collaboration, NTT Data can provide clients with advisory and development services, as well as implementation, migration, and management of products on AWS. NTT Data, which has more than 900 AWS certifications, also recently acquired Flux7, a Premier Consulting Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN), to enhance the value the company can deliver in AWS, DevOps and Agile development functionalities.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 05.02.2020

German Enterprises Turn to AWS Partners for Help with Data Analytics, IoT, SAP;

The 2019-2020 ISG Provider Lens™ AWS Ecosystem Report for Germany finds the AWS provider marketplace growing quickly in Germany, with great potential for further growth in several technology segments. German enterprises are looking to service providers for help with container technology, which can assist in the migration of existing applications to the AWS cloud. The partner network for AWS migration and containers is an important success factor for the use of AWS, the report says.

==> www.globenewswire.com; 22.01.2020

BlackBerry and AWS team up to make smart vehicles even smarter;

At CES 2020, BlackBerry has announced that it has teamed up with AWS to demonstrate a safe, secure and intelligent connected vehicle software platform for in-vehicle applications. The platform combines the security of BlackBerry's QNX real-time operating system with AWS' IoT services in the cloud and in the car.

==> www.techradar.com; 06.01.2020

Cognizant Named An AWS Outposts Partner ;

Cognizant announced today that it has capabilities to support AWS Outposts, fully managed and configurable compute and storage racks - built with Amazon Web Services (AWS)-designed hardware - that allow customers to run compute and storage on-premises, while seamlessly connecting to AWS's broad array of services in the cloud. As an AWS Outposts Partner, Cognizant experts have been trained and vetted in re-architecting complex workloads to run on AWS operations to deliver positive customer outcomes at scale. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 03.12.2019

Salesforce, AWS expand partnership to bring Amazon Connect to Service Cloud;

Salesforce and AWS announced an expansion of their on-going partnership that actually goes back to a $400 million 2016 infrastructure services agreement, and expanded last year to include data integration between the two companies. This year, Salesforce announced it will be offering AWS telephony and call transcription services with Amazon Connect as part of its Service Cloud call center solution.

==> techcrunch.com; 19.11.2019

Offerings

Amazon may up its investment in Anthropic — on one condition;

Amazon is in talks to invest several billion dollars in Anthropic, contingent on the AI company using Amazon's silicon on AWS to train its models instead of Nvidia chips. Anthropic, which has raised $9.7 billion so far, faces significant financial pressures, with projected expenses of $2.7 billion in 2024, potentially making Amazon's offer difficult to decline. The investment would follow a $4 billion deal last year and comes as Anthropic seeks funding at a $40 billion valuation.

==> techcrunch.com; 07.11.2024

AWS Introduces the Salesforce Contact Center with Amazon Connect;

AWS and Salesforce are previewing a new offering that integrates Amazon Connect’s communication channels into Salesforce Service Cloud, providing a unified platform for contact center as a service (CCaaS) and customer relationship management (CRM). This integration will streamline customer support by embedding voice, chat, SMS, and video capabilities directly into Salesforce, improving data sharing across departments and enabling AI-driven insights. The solution is expected to benefit businesses by reducing management burdens and enhancing multi-channel engagement, particularly for companies already using Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 10.10.2024

AWS launches cloud region in Malaysia;

AWS has launched the AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region, offering lower latency and more options for running workloads and storing data securely in Malaysia and the broader Asia Pacific region. AWS plans to invest over $6.2 billion in Malaysia by 2038, significantly boosting the country's GDP and supporting thousands of jobs. This new region will help accelerate Malaysia's digital transformation and its role as a regional hub for AI and cloud technologies.

==> futureiot.tech; 22.08.2024

AWS launches Mithra;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Mithra, a platform designed to detect and mitigate malicious and fraudulent domains across its systems, using a large-scale graph database with 3.5 billion nodes and 48 billion edges. Mithra, combined with AWS's existing network observation tools like Sonaris, enhances AWS's ability to protect its environment by quickly processing and addressing threats. AWS continues to leverage AI and machine learning to monitor for anomalies and improve threat detection.

==> thepaypers.com; 06.08.2024

AWS is quietly killing off services under its new CEO;

AWS has quietly stopped onboarding new customers for several services, including CodeCommit, leading to mixed reactions from users. The lack of clear communication about these service deprecations has sparked concern, especially since many businesses rely on these tools. While AWS justifies the cuts as necessary to focus on innovation, customers worry about the sudden changes and the potential for more service discontinuations in the future. The issue reflects broader challenges within AWS as it navigates competition and internal restructuring.

==> www.thestack.technology; 31.07.2024

AWS Announces App Studio, the Fastest and Easiest Way to Build Applications;

AWS has launched AWS App Studio, a service that enables users with technical expertise to build enterprise-grade applications using natural language descriptions. The platform automates the development process, from generating user interfaces to connecting with data sources like AWS and Salesforce, simplifying application creation significantly. AWS App Studio handles all operational aspects, allowing users to focus on innovation without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

==> ffnews.com; 11.07.2024

AWS announces new edge location in Türkiye;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) expands its presence in Türkiye with the launch of a new Amazon CloudFront edge location in İstanbul, offering customers in the region up to 30% improved latency and performance for data delivery.

==> aws.amazon.com; 20.02.2024

AWS expands Marketplace to include third-party services;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has expanded its online marketplace to allow the sale of third-party professional services, enabling sellers to offer implementation, assessments, managed services, training, or premium support in addition to software. This move allows AWS to position itself as a one-stop-shop for not only cloud software but also managed services and other offerings, increasing its competitive edge in the cloud computing market. AWS Marketplace currently offers software across 26 categories and takes a percentage of sales from its partners.

==> www.networkworld.com; 23.01.2024

Stellantis , BlackBerry and AWS launch world’s first virtual cockpit ;

Stellantis, in collaboration with BlackBerry QNX and AWS, has launched the world's first virtual cockpit platform, part of the Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW), aimed at delivering infotainment technology to consumers at a speed 100 times faster than traditional methods. The platform utilizes BlackBerry's QNX Hypervisor in the cloud through AWS Marketplace, enabling Stellantis to create lifelike virtual simulations of car controls and systems that mimic the real experience, facilitating rapid development and validation of software. This innovation allows Stellantis to gather crucial input from customers and developers to enhance the driver's experience more efficiently.

==> www.investing.com; 09.01.2024

AWS will now let you simulate a major cloud outage to see how well your company copes;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced a new outage simulator to its Fault Injection Service (FIS), allowing customers to assess their resilience to major outages. The new simulation, called "AZ Availability: Power Interruption," mimics a power interruption in a targeted set of resources within an Availability Zone, such as EC2 instances, EBS volumes, and more. Another test, "Cross-Region: Connectivity," disrupts applications' access to resources in another region. These simulations help engineers understand dependencies and test recovery times after an outage. The tests are part of AWS's efforts to implement chaos engineering practices at scale.

==> www.techradar.com; 04.12.2023

AWS Announces Amazon Q, a New Generative AI–Powered Assistant;

AWS has introduced Amazon Q, a generative AI-powered assistant designed for professional applications. Amazon Q provides actionable information and advice in real time, facilitating conversations, issue resolution, content generation, and action-taking through the utilization of information present in code, enterprise systems, and data repositories.

     

==> www.infoq.com; 30.11.2023

AWS announces ‘sovereign cloud’ to support data residency in Europe;

Amazon is developing the "AWS European Sovereign Cloud," a dedicated independent cloud for governments and highly regulated industries in Europe. This move follows the trend of big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Oracle creating sovereign clouds for data control and compliance with European regulations. The AWS European Sovereign Cloud will provide data residency controls, keeping customer metadata within the EU and preventing AWS employees outside the EU from having operational control. It will have a dedicated region in Germany accessible to organizations across Europe. The launch date for this sovereign cloud remains uncertain.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.10.2023

AWS Announces Powerful New Offerings to Accelerate Generative AI Innovation;

Now generally available, Amazon Bedrock is a fully managed service that offers a choice of high-performing foundation models from leading AI companies, along with a broad set of capabilities to build generative AI applications, simplifying development while maintaining privacy and security. With the addition of Amazon Titan Embeddings and Meta’s Llama 2 models, Amazon Bedrock gives customers even greater choice and flexibility to find the right models for each use case 

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 28.09.2023

AWS shuts down its first-gen compute and network infrastructure;

Amazon Web Services has made good on its 2021 promise to retire EC2-Classic – the networking construct that underpinned its initial compute infrastructure-as-a-service offering. Chief technology officer Werner Vogels used his personal blog to reveal that the last EC2-Classic instance was shut down on August 15, marking the end of a near-17-year run.

==> www.theregister.com; 05.09.2023

AWS unveils local cloud zones for exclusive customer use ;

 The US cloud vendor's Dedicated Local Zones are set up in a customer-specified location to comply with regulatory needs, and Singapore is its first global customer. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced local cloud zones that are set up for a customer's exclusive use, roping in the Singapore government as its first global customer. The AWS Dedicated Local Zones aim to cater to organizations in the public sector and other regulated industries, which have to meet regulatory and compliance requirements for certain workloads.

==> www.zdnet.com; 24.08.2023

AWS Adds Large Language Models to Bedrock Service;

Amazon Web Services customers will soon be able to choose from a list of foundational large language models, through the cloud service provider’s Bedrock service. Amazon Bedrock is the company’s generative AI tool, which organizations can use to build and scale generative AI applications. It allows organizations to privately customize foundational models to fit specific use cases, alongside utilizing other AWS tools to stabilize, secure, and scale applications for private or public use. 

==> www.rtinsights.com; 18.08.2023

AWS brings easy AI app development to companies ;

The future of artificial intelligence is quickly being made into an out-of-box experience that companies can customize based on their specific needs. Optimized chat experiences that are functional far beyond question-and-answer and tools to create AI applications without months of coding development could be the next step outside of introducing new plugins and extensions.

==> www.digitaltrends.com; 14.08.2023

AWS launches Israeli cloud region in Tel Aviv;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a new cloud region in Israel. Local press report the data centers are located in Tnuvot in the Sharon region, Shoham, and the Har Tov industrial park near Beit Shemesh. AWS first announced plans for an Israeli cloud region in June 2021 - after the company was awarded a $1.2 billion tender to provide cloud services to Israeli government agencies alongside Google - and originally set to launch in the first half of 2023.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 02.08.2023

Amazon launches AWS AppFabric to help customers connect their SaaS apps;

The company today announced AWS AppFabric, a new no-code service designed to bridge the gap between software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps in enterprise environments. Amazon claims that AppFabric, generally available as of today, can deliver better security and management than rival solutions on the market. “With AppFabric, we’re enabling customers to actually get assistance and get access to information at the right time,” Federico Torreti, the head of product for AppFabric, told TechCrunch during a briefing. “Companies don’t need to worry about building and maintaining connections between various apps.”

==> techcrunch.com; 27.06.2023

AWS Expands Cloud Security Services Portfolio ;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) this week added a bevy of offerings and capabilities to its cloud security portfolio as part of an ongoing effort to automate the management of cloud security. Announced at the AWS re:Inforce conference, these extensions to the AWS cloud security portfolio include an AWS Security Lake that is now generally available and a findings summary capability that has been added to the Amazon GuardDuty threat detection service. Via the console, a summary page presents trends over time, a breakdown of vulnerabilities by severity and type and how frequently vulnerabilities are found in specific AWS resources.

==> securityboulevard.com; 14.06.2023

AWS Announces 3 New Amazon GuardDuty Capabilities;

SEATTLE, April 24, 2023 — Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) today announced three new capabilities for Amazon GuardDuty, AWS’s threat detection service, that further strengthen customer security through expanded coverage and continuous enhancements in machine learning, anomaly detection, and integrated threat intelligence. The three new capabilities can all be easily enabled organization-wide with a few steps and no other requirements or prerequisites, resulting in actionable, contextual, and timely security findings with resource-specific details to help quickly investigate and respond.

==> www.datanami.com; 24.04.2023

AWS announces Amazon Bedrock and multiple generative AI services and capabilities;

Services from AWS combine decades of machine learning experience across Amazon with breakthrough technologies poised to transform just about everything. If it seems like artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere lately, it is, but AI has been powering our everyday experiences for some time. When you ask Alexa to play a song, when you stride out—sandwich in hand—from an Amazon Just Walk Out-equipped store, or when you press play on a movie recommendation from Amazon Prime, you are tapping into AI. More specifically, you are interacting with machine learning (ML) models.

==> www.aboutamazon.eu; 17.04.2023

Amazon AWS Joins the AI Party and Announces New Nvidia Infrastructure Is Coming;

Unlike the other top cloud server providers, Amazon (AMZN -2.74%) has been quiet with generative AI solutions. But is that about to change with its recent updates of AWS using Nvidia's (NVDA -2.08%) H100 GPUs for its clouding solutions? Check out the short video to learn what semiconductor investors Jose Najarro, Nicholas Rossolillo, and Billy Duberstein had to say. Also, consider subscribing, and click the special offer link below.

==> www.fool.com; 28.03.2023

Amazon Web Services pairs with Hugging Face to target AI developers;

Amazon Web Services said it is collaborating with startup Hugging Face, a software development hub, to make it easier to carry out artificial intelligence work (AI) in Amazon's cloud.AWS said it will work with Hugging Face, a New York-based company that has become a central place online where AI developers share open-source code and models. Clem Delangue, Hugging Face's chief executive, said that while the deal is not exclusive, the startup is working closely with AWS on making it easy for developers to take code from the site and run it on the AWS cloud.

==> www.reuters.com; 21.02.2023

AWS Expands 5G Telecom, Private Wireless Work;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) expanded its telecommunications and private 5G network support running on its extensive public cloud infrastructure. The cloud giant unveiled its fully managed AWS Telco Network Builder service that is targeted at telecom operators or enterprises wanting to deploy private wireless networks with a minimum of network management requirements.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 21.02.2023

AWS announces modular data center for US Department of Defense customers;

Amazon Web Services has announced a modular data center for US Department of Defense customers. The AWS MDC is available to government customers who are eligible for the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract, the military's $9 billion cloud deal that was awarded to AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google, and Oracle.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 15.02.2023

AWS expands cloud data options with Amazon DataZone;

During the opening keynote on the second day of the AWS re:Invent 2022 user conference, AWS CEO Adam Selipsky outlined a series of new services designed to help organizations better use data in the cloud. Among the services is Amazon DataZone, which provides data management capabilities including data catalog and data governance. Another new data management services is a serverless version of the Amazon OpenSearch service that is now available in preview.

==> www.techtarget.com; 29.12.2022

Hyperscalers tackle supply chain resilience;

Microsoft and AWS unveiled supply chain management platforms that are intended to enable businesses to build capabilities in their clouds and tackle supply chain problems.

==> www.techtarget.com; 08.12.2022

AWS makes a foray into supply chain management;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making a foray into supply chain management with the release of a cloud application that integrates machine-learning to help large enterprises, which often use multiple ERP systems, get a unified view of suppliers, inventory, logistics and other supply-chain related components. The launch of the application, dubbed AWS Supply Chain, comes at a time when the world has been hit with a myriad of supply chain issues, including the pandemic and ongoing war in Ukraine.

==> www.cio.com; 29.11.2022

AWS startet Local Zone in Hamburg;

AWS erweitert Infrastruktur in Deutschland und hat in Hamburg eine neue Local Zone in Betrieb genommen. Unternehmen aus der Region können Endnutzern verteilte Edge- und Hybrid-Cloud-Anwendungsfälle mit niedriger Latenz anbieten.

==> www.it-production.com; 02.11.2022

AWS Announces Amazon Neptune Serverless ;

Amazon Web Services announced Amazon Neptune Serverless, a new serverless option for Amazon Neptune that automatically scales to support unpredictable and business-critical graph database workloads. Amazon Neptune is a fast, reliable, and fully managed service that makes it easy to build and run applications that need a graph database to efficiently store and query complex and highly connected datasets. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.10.2022

AWS announces general availability of AWS Cloud WAN;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced the general availability of AWS Cloud WAN, a new managed service that connects on-premises data centers, colocation facilities, branch offices and AWS cloud regions to simplify operating a global network. With AWS Cloud WAN, enterprises can use a central management dashboard to define their network configuration, view the health of their global network and automate routine configuration and security tasks. 

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 13.07.2022

AWS Announces the AWS Center for Quantum Networking;

Today AWS announced the AWS Center for Quantum Networking.  The purpose of the AWS Center for Quantum Networking is to accelerate the development of quantum networking technologies and applications, with the long-term goal to realize the underlying technologies that would enable the distribution of quantum information anywhere on the globe.

==> www.hpcwire.com; 21.06.2022

AWS Announces General Availability of AWS Mainframe Modernization;

AWS announced the general availability of AWS Mainframe Modernization, a new service that makes it faster and easier for customers to modernize mainframe-based workloads by moving them to the cloud to enjoy AWS’s superior agility, elasticity, and cost savings. With AWS Mainframe Modernization, customers can refactor their mainframe workloads to run on AWS by transforming mainframe-based applications into modern cloud services. 

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 08.06.2022

AWS expands its serverless offerings;

At its AWS Summit San Francisco, Amazon’s cloud computing arm today announced a number of product launches, including two focused on its serverless portfolio. The first of these is the GA launch of Amazon Aurora Serverless V2, its serverless database service, which can now scale up and down significantly faster than the previous version and is able to scale in more fine-grained increments. The other is the GA launch of SageMaker Serverless Inference. Both of these services first launched into preview at AWS re:Invent last December.

==> techcrunch.com; 21.04.2022

Amazon launches AWS IoT TwinMaker to bring digital twins into the mainstream ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. announced the general availability of a new service that enables companies to create digital twins of physical assets such as buildings, factories, products and production line equipment. With AWS IoT TwinMaker, companies can create digital twins and update them regularly with real-world data to mimic the systems they represent. They can then be used to design simulations to predict how specific products, processes and pieces of equipment will perform under different conditions.

==> siliconangle.com; 21.04.2022

Amazon launches AWS IoT TwinMaker to bring digital twins into the mainstream ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. today announced the general availability of a new service that enables companies to create digital twins of physical assets such as buildings, factories, products and production line equipment. With AWS IoT TwinMaker, companies can create digital twins and update them regularly with real-world data to mimic the systems they represent. They can then be used to design simulations to predict how specific products, processes and pieces of equipment will perform under different conditions.

==> siliconangle.com; 21.04.2022

AWS is hungry for a bigger slice of the video game pie;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a new suite of tools and services to help support and accelerate video game development. The portfolio is said to include products that support each of the three main steps in the development process, from designing and running a game to deploying new features after launch. Once a studio has published its game, meanwhile, AWS for Games will assist with the analysis of player behavior and delivery of new features, in addition to providing flexible server infrastructure to support online play.

==> www.techradar.com; 28.03.2022

VMware Announces Availability of VMware Cloud on AWS Now Available in AWS Marketplace ;

VMware, Inc. has stated that purchasing and deploying VMware Cloud on AWS will be easier for customers and partners. VMware Cloud on AWS is now available in the AWS Marketplace for Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers. Organisations can now use their existing AWS Enterprise Discount Program agreements to consume VMware Cloud on AWS and other complementary VMware Cloud services to modernise their mission-critical enterprise apps on AWS.

==> datastorageasean.com; 11.03.2022

AWS Announces AWS Cloud WAN;

At AWS re:Invent announced AWS Cloud WAN, a managed wide area network (WAN) service that makes it faster and easier for enterprises to build, manage, and monitor a unified global network that seamlessly connects cloud and on-premises environments. AWS Cloud WAN provides a central dashboard that enterprises can use to connect their on-premises branch offices, data centers, and Amazon Virtual Private Clouds (Amazon VPCs) across the AWS global network in just a few clicks. 

==> www.hpcwire.com; 03.12.2021

AWS CEO announces new private 5G service at re:Invent 2021;

AWS private 5G will allow enterprises to set up and scale private mobile networks in days, according to Selipsky, who explained that AWS will send customers the required hardware, software and SIM cards needed to build it out.  Selipsky said customers will need to say where they want the network built and the capacity they need before the service is turned on and auto-configures. The service is available for preview now in the US.

==> www.zdnet.com; 30.11.2021

AWS Announces AWS Mainframe Modernization ;

At AWS re:Invent announced AWS Mainframe Modernization, a new service that makes it faster and easier for customers to migrate mainframe and legacy workloads to the cloud, and enjoy the superior agility, elasticity, and cost savings of AWS. With AWS Mainframe Modernization, customers can refactor their mainframe workloads to run on AWS by transforming legacy applications into modern Java-based cloud services. Alternatively, customers can keep their applications as written and re-platform their workloads to AWS reusing existing code with minimal changes.

==> www.businesswire.com; 30.11.2021

AWS Announces “Build on AWS” to Help Startups Build Their Infrastructure;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced Build on AWS, a new benefit of the Activate Console. Build on AWS provides a collection of pre-built architecture templates covering a wide variety of solutions to help startups build their infrastructure on AWS.

==> www.dbta.com; 15.09.2021

AWS Announces General Availability of Amazon HealthLake ;

Amazon HealthLake uses machine learning to understand and extract meaningful medical information from unstructured data, and then organizes, indexes, and stores that information in chronological order. The result provides a holistic view of patient health. The service leverages the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) industry standard format to further enable interoperability by facilitating the exchange of information across healthcare systems, pharmaceutical companies, clinical researchers, health insurers, patients, and more. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 15.07.2021

Amazon launches digital health accelerator with a focus on virtual care, analytics startups;

Amazon's cloud division launched a healthcare accelerator to boost startups' growth in cloud technologies and enable early-stage companies to tap into AWS' technical and commercial expertise. The program will focus on technologies such as remote patient monitoring, data analytics, patient engagement, voice technology and virtual care, according to a blog post from Sandy Carter, vice president of worldwide public sector partners and programs at AWS.

==> www.fiercehealthcare.com; 21.06.2021

AWS launches Global Clusters to fast-track outage recovery;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) yesterday announced that Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) now supports what the company is calling Global Clusters, a new feature that enables enterprises to deploy a cluster that spans multiple AWS regions. In effect, this can help companies more quickly recover from regionwide outages — even in less than a minute. The main benefit of support for Global Clusters is in the event of an outage. If one occurs, the new feature allows one of the secondary regions to be promoted to full read/write capabilities in under a minute, according to AWS.

==> venturebeat.com; 03.06.2021

AWS adds UAE data centres to sprawling cloud empire;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to build three new data centres in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that will come online in the first half of 2022. The AWS Middle East Region will comprise of three separate locations, also known as “Availability Zones”. It will become AWS’ second region in the Middle East following the 2019 launch of cloud infrastructure in Bahrain.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 26.05.2021

AWS Announces General Availability of AWS App Runner ;

 Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) announced AWS App Runner, a fully managed container application service that makes it easier and faster for customers to build, deploy, and run containerized web applications and APIs with just a few clicks. AWS App Runner handles all of the operational aspects of high-performance applications and APIs, including provisioning, scaling, and managing the container orchestrators, load balancers, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, as well as allowing customers to run containers without having to think about servers or clusters at all. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 18.05.2021

AWS reveals a new method to build a more accurate quantum computer;

AWS researchers have published a new approach to error correction that could pave the way for a fault-tolerant quantum system. The paper is likely to grab the attention of many experts who are working to improve quantum error correction (QEC), a field that's growing in parallel with quantum computing that seeks to resolve one of the key barriers standing in the way of realising useful, large-scale quantum computers.

==> www.zdnet.com; 13.04.2021

AWS announces Space Accelerator program for startups ;

The objective of the AWS Space Accelerator program is to provide comprehensive technical, business and mentoring resources to startups using AWS at early stages to help solve challenges in the space industry. Applications are open today and proposals are due by April 21.

==> siliconangle.com; 31.03.2021

AWS Expands Private Marketplace Capabilities For Customers;

Amazon Web Services customers now can create multiple Private Marketplace catalogs of approved software that their teams are allowed to procure from the broader AWS Marketplace. The new capability comes a little more than two years after AWS enabled customers to create a single Private Marketplace per AWS account to control what their business and engineering teams could buy from AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog of more than 10,000 AWS-compatible software listings sold by 2,000-plus independent software vendors.

==> www.crn.com; 29.01.2021

AWS launches free eight-week app development training series on Twitch;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced it will be live streaming the first episode of its eight-part weekly series on how to build a serverless application in the AWS cloud on Thursday, January 28 via Twitch. Viewers will have the chance to code in real time alongside the hosts by leveraging AWS Lambda,  DynamoDB, API Gateway, React libraries, authentication, Simple Storage Service, Simple Queue Service, CodePipeline, and more. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.01.2021

CMC Markets Picks AWS to Accelerate Digital Transformation;

CMC Markets, an online trading services provider, announced today that it has partnered with Amazon Web Service (AWS) to make the delivery of its new products and services more efficient and secure. The broker has selected AWS to significantly reduce its delivery time. According to the official announcement, the new partnership will allow clients of CMC Markets to take advantage of faster access to the company’s innovative products. The London-based broker will primarily use AWS’s cloud-native including various services like AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Fargate and Amazon DynamoDB.

==> www.financemagnates.com; 26.01.2021

AWS Expands Its AI-Powered Contact Center Intelligence (CCI);

Amazon Web Services has expanded its artificial intelligence-powered Contact Center Intelligence (CCI) solutions, enabling customers to leverage AWS's artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities with their current contact center providers to gain efficiencies, deliver tailored customer experiences, and derive deeper insights from their data.

==> www.destinationcrm.com; 12.01.2021

Amazon ECS Anywhere - A Wild Card Entry For AWS Into The Multi-Cloud Game;

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a homegrown orchestration engine at AWS that predates managed Kubernetes services. Launched in 2015, ECS has a similar architecture as Kubernetes but aligned with AWS building blocks and terminology. The open source ECS agent is the equivalent of the kubelet agent in Kubernetes. Both the agents talk to Docker to manage the lifecycle of containers. Both the agents get instructions from the control plane on how to run the workload in a host environment like EC2. ECS is more closely related to Docker Compose while Kubernetes has its own specification to declare workloads. ECS calls the fundamental unit of execution as a task while Kubernetes calls the same as pod. Multiple tasks in ECS form a service while multiple pods represent a deployment in Kubernetes.

==> www.forbes.com; 06.12.2020

AWS Announces General Availability of AWS Network Firewall;

Amazon Web Services Inc. announced the general availability of AWS Network Firewall, a new managed security service that makes it easier for customers to enable network protections across all of their AWS workloads. 

==> finance.yahoo.com; 18.11.2020

AWS Outposts Ready Launches With 32 Validated Partners;

Partner interest in the program is a good reflection of the interest that AWS is seeing in Outposts, according to Joshua Burgin, general manager of AWS Outposts since June.
Solutions from 32 Amazon Web Services partners – from Alcide and Citrix to Trend Micro and Zadara -- are available now for AWS customers to use with their deployments of AWS Outposts, the on-premises version of the industry’s leading public cloud.

==> www.crn.com; 15.09.2020

AWS launches its Bottlerocket container operating system into general availability ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. today announced the general availability of Bottlerocket, an open-source Linux distribution it has developed specifically for running software containers. Popular Linux distributions are designed to run not only containers, which enable applications to be run in multiple computing environments, but also a range of other workloads. Because they support a large number of use cases, they have a large number of components that can be difficult to manage.

==> siliconangle.com; 01.09.2020

AWS announces AI tools to assist contact center workflows ;

Amazon Web Services Inc. today debuted a suite of Contact Center Intelligence services that customers can use to add more intelligence to their contact center operations. AWS CCI is a combination of services that enables companies to bring machine learning capabilities including text-to-speech, language comprehension, translation, enterprise search, business intelligence and chatbots to their contact centers. These capabilities can be used to help with tasks such as self-service, live-call analytics and agent assist, and post-call analytics, Amazon said.    

==> siliconangle.com; 18.08.2020

AWS announces general availability of Amazon Braket quantum computing service;

 Amazon Web Services hopes to empower companies by letting them test quantum algorithms in its fully managed Braket service. In December of last year, AWS re:Invent featured a slew of quantum computing reveals. On the opening day of the event, the company unveiled Bracket as well as the AWS Quantum Solutions Lab and AWS Center for Quantum Computing. Now, AWS is taking the next step with its quantum computing services. On Thursday, AWS announced the general availability of Braket.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 14.08.2020

Salesforce Announces GA Service Cloud Voice;

The customer experience solution Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect, is now generally available. The service, which was originally announced as part of Dreamforce 2019, brings together digital channels, voice, and CRM data for a complete unified console. With the Service Cloud Voice experience, whenever a phone call routes to an agent, it appears within that agent’s workspace. Salesforce and AWS are working together to offer Amazon Connect for pre-integrated telephony, so that companies can quickly and effectively jump into their digital transformation strategies.

==> www.uctoday.com; 11.08.2020

AWS Announces General Availability of AWS Wavelength in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area ;

 First two AWS Wavelength Zones in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area enable developers to build applications that deliver ultra-low latency to mobile devices and users by deploying AWS compute and storage at the edge of Verizon’s 5G network 

==> www.businesswire.com; 06.08.2020

Vector and AWS team up on ‘new energy platform’;

 AWS has partnered with energy firm Vector on a "New Energy Platform". Using data collected from Vector's smart meters, AWS says it will apply its analytics and IoT technologies to deliver cheaper and cleaner energy to customers in Australia and New Zealand. This is AWS's first partnership of its kind in the energy sector. It confirmed it will hire into 30 highly-skilled tech roles in New Zealand. 

==> aws.amazon.com; 27.07.2020

AWS Announces General Availability of AWS IoT SiteWise ;

Customers can use SiteWise to monitor operations across facilities, quickly compute industrial performance metrics, create applications that analyze industrial equipment data to prevent costly equipment issues, and reduce gaps in production. This allows customers to collect data consistently across devices, identify issues with remote monitoring more quickly, and improve multi-site processes with centralized data.

==> www.businesswire.com; 09.07.2020

Amazon-Tochter AWS und russische MCS bauen Cloud-Service auf;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) forciert seinen Markteintritt in Russland. Die Amazon-Tochter kooperiert dazu mit dem Unternehmen Mail.ru Cloud Solutions (MCS) – einem Ableger des russischen Digitalinvestors Mail.ru Group. Die Konzerne bieten Kunden künftig einen einheitlichen Zugang zu Cloud-Services und –Lösungen an, teilte ein Sprecher der Mail.ru Group mit. 

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 06.07.2020

Amazon launches AWS Outpost in Israel, meaning more companies can migrate onto a better-serviced cloud;

Amazon’s launch of the AWS Outpost in Israel will allow companies to expand their AWS service capabilities. Making it easier for more organizations to comply with regulatory codes and still migrate on to the cloud. AWS Outposts is a service that offers server racks for rent, that functionally run in your data center, but offer a wide array of AWS services on your local grounds.

==> www.geektime.com; 28.06.2020

AWS launches Outposts in New Zealand & APAC;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Outposts has launched in New Zealand this week, as the company announced general availability of fully managed and configurable racks of AWS-designed hardware. This hardware assists customers with running AWS compute, database, storage, and other on-premise services while connecting to AWS cloud services, bringing native AWS services, infrastructure, and operating models to data centres, co-location spaces, or on-premises facilities.

==> itbrief.com.au; 25.06.2020

AWS Announces Amazon Honeycode ;

Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) announced Amazon Honeycode, a fully managed service that allows customers to quickly build powerful mobile and web applications – with no programming required. With Amazon Honeycode, customers can use a simple visual application builder to create highly interactive web and mobile applications backed by a powerful AWS-built database to perform tasks like tracking data over time and notifying users of changes, routing approvals, and facilitating interactive business processes. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 24.06.2020

AWS Marketplace and AWS Data Exchange launch in UAE;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced that Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), data providers, and consulting partners based in the UAE can transact in AWS Marketplace and AWS Data Exchange. This expansion also means that AWS's global customers can purchase directly from UAE-based software and data providers through AWS Marketplace and AWS Data Exchange.   

==> www.khaleejtimes.com; 17.06.2020

Amazon Announces General Availability of AWS CodeArtifact;

With this service developers and organizations can securely store and share the software packages used in their development, build, and deployment processes. As a managed service, AWS CodeArtifact is designed to make it easier for organizations to control the access and versioning of packages, as well as to track dependencies of software artifacts. 

==> www.infoq.com; 17.06.2020

Amazon Announces the General Availability of EC2 M6g Instances Powered by AWS Graviton2;

Amazon announced the general availability of their 6th generation Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) General Purpose instance: the M6g – with the ‘g’ standing for "Graviton2", a next-generation Arm-based chip. The public cloud vendor and their acquired company Annapurna Labs designed this chip, which utilizes 64-bit Arm Neoverse N1 cores.

==> www.infoq.com; 22.05.2020

Ecommerce giant AWS announces enterprise search service Amazon Kendra ;

Ecommerce giant Amazon's Cloud arm Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday announced the general availability of Amazon Kendra, an enterprise search service powered by machine learning. Amazon Kendra uses machine learning to enable organisations to index all of their internal data sources, make that data searchable, and allow users to get precise answers to natural language queries.

==> www.sentinelassam.com; 11.05.2020

AWS just turned on a new region in Milan;

AWS suggests this region as a sensible option for Italian users, but says it has a “latency advantage over other existing AWS regions when serving customers from other countries such as Austria, Greece, and Bulgaria.” With Milan located in the Lombardy region that has been so hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems utterly reasonable that the opening wasn’t possible until late in the year’s fourth month.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 28.04.2020

AWS Gives AI Workloads a Human Touch;

AWS announced the general availability of its Augmented Artificial Intelligence (A2I) service, which is designed to streamline human review of low-confidence artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The managed service is designed to make it easier for users of Amazon’s various AI capabilities to implement human review and improve the overall accuracy of machine learning (ML)-based image analysis, optical character recognition, transcription, and spoken language.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 27.04.2020

AWS launches Amazon AppFlow, its new SaaS integration service;

AWS today launched Amazon AppFlow, a new integration service that makes it easier for developers to transfer data between AWS and SaaS applications like Google Analytics, Marketo, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Snowflake and Zendesk. Like similar services, including Microsoft Azure’s Power Automate, for example, developers can trigger these flows based on specific events, at pre-set times or on-demand.

==> techcrunch.com; 23.04.2020

AWS updates Snowball edge devices with refreshed hardware, new services ;

Amazon Web Services on Thursday announced updates to its "Snow" family of edge computing and data transfer devices, including refreshed hardware and some new services. In addition to refreshed Snowball Edge devices, AWS is introducing a new Snowball management platform, new Identity and Access Management capabilities and support for task automation.

==> www.zdnet.com; 16.04.2020

AWS Migration Acceleration Program for Windows now generally available;

Amazon Web Services on Monday announced the general availability of its Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) for Windows. First previewed at AWS re:Invent 2019, the program aims to help organizations execute large-scale migrations and modernizations of Windows workloads on AWS. In Monday's blog post, Amazon cited IDC figures showing that AWS hosts nearly twice as many Windows Server instances in the cloud as Microsoft Azure. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 06.04.2020

AWS launches Amazon Detective for investigating security incidents;

Amazon Detective works with machine learning and statistical analysis to build visualised maps of security threats in a customer's cloud. Rather than a security team compiling all the relevant data to analyse and conduct a lengthy investigation, it automatically pulls data from services like CloudTrail and customer logs. 

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 01.04.2020

AWS brings its Outposts hybrid cloud service to GovCloud users ;

AWS Outposts is a hybrid cloud service that was first announced in late 2018. The service extends native AWS or VMware Cloud on AWS deployments to customers’ own data centers, effectively giving them an on-premises version of the AWS cloud. It’s somewhat similar to Microsoft Corp.’s Azure Stack offering, which allows customers to run Azure cloud services within their own data centers.

==> siliconangle.com; 25.03.2020

Amazon's AWS to Invest $20M for Faster Coronavirus Testing;

This program is aimed at accelerating diagnostic research and development in a bid to speed up the detection of COVID-19. The speedy and accurate detection of this virus will likely result in accelerated treatments and shorten the course of this epidemic. The program will be available to all private entities and accredited research institutions that are using the AWS platform to bring in better and more accurate diagnostic solutions to the market. In addition, it plans to promote more effective collaboration between organizations working on the treatment of other infectious diseases.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 23.03.2020

AWS has launched a Linux OS;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch of a new open-source operating system designed to run containers on both virtual machines and bare metal hosts. Called Bottlerocket, the operating system is still in the developer review phase, with anyone interested in testing it out can do so as an Amazon Image Machine for EC2.

==> www.itproportal.com; 12.03.2020

Google Cloud and AWS launch new services on machine learning and containers respectively;

Another day, another product launch in the land of the hyperscalers – and for Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS), their new services are focusing on machine learning (ML) and containers respectively. Google’s launch of Cloud AI Platform Pipelines, in beta, aims to provide a way to deploy ‘robust, repeatable machine learning pipelines… and delivers an enterprise-ready, easy to install, secure execution environment for ML workflows.’

==> www.cloudcomputing-news.net; 12.03.2020

Amazon AWS Will Now Feature Blockchain-based Smart Contracts;

Adam Bosworth, a veteran tech executive known for his work at companies including Microsoft, Salesforce and Google, is leaving his role as an Amazon Web Services vice president but says the mysterious project he has been leading will be unveiled “relatively soon.” Past reports and online clues have linked Bosworth to an initiative dubbed “AWS for Everyone,” a technology that would allow non-developers to create business applications using little or no code. 

==> www.geekwire.com; 28.02.2020

AWS expands its managed services again;

AWS’ managed services focus on automation of things like change requests, monitoring, patch management, security, and backup services. The offering also includes full-lifecycle services to provision, run, and support AWS infrastructure.

==> www.crn.com.au; 11.02.2020

Amazon has Released Desktop AWS Client VPN for Windows and macOS;

Amazon has released a desktop client for the AWS VPN service to make people’s lives easier. Users can now access corporate networks over AWS VPN by using their corporate login credentials. The new client is offered free of any charges, and users won’t have to rely on OpenVPN clients anymore.

==> www.technadu.com; 06.02.2020

Amazon brings AWS Outposts to 7 new regions;

Amazon Web Services on Tuesday announced that AWS Outposts is now available in seven new regions, including regions in Canada, Bahrain, Singapore and Hong Kong. The service is now avialable in a total of 13 regions across 11 countries. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 21.01.2020

AWS announces AutoGluon, an open-source library for writing AI models ;

Building machine learning apps that rely on image, text or tabular data sets isn’t an easy task. For example, developers need to know how to tune the “hyperparameters” that represent the choices made when constructing an AI model. They also need to grapple with issues such as neural architecture search, which enables them to find the best architecture design for their machine learning models.

==> siliconangle.com; 09.01.2020

AWS Launches Product Blitz to Win You and More Contracts ;

Amazon’s cloud business AWS leads the market by a long way, but its share has flattened out for the past three years while its nearest rival, Microsoft Azure, has doubled its business. So, during its recent annual conference for customers and vendors, Amazon Web Services unveiled a stream of new services as it fights back against its Redmond, Washington, competitor to win cloud contracts from big businesses and the military services.

==> it.toolbox.com; 17.12.2019

AWS re:Invent 2019 announcements roundup;

Last week, Amazon’s AWS re:Invent 2019 conference welcomed more than 60,000 attendees, spread out across six venues on the Las Vegas Strip, which promised to make re:Invent 2019 the biggest re:Invent yet.

==> data-economy.com; 09.12.2019

Amazon pushes cloud revolution into its second phase ;

AWS offers to put its cloud into the datacentres of its customers. It will arrive in the shape of a rack of servers, loaded with the same software used in the company’s giant data centres. No need for your corporate data to leave the premises, or for the latency issues that can come from having computing tasks handled far away. This promises a single point of control over computing workloads that are handled locally as well as those that have been shifted to AWS. Outposts — the name for this AWS attempt to get a toehold in your data centre — highlights an important new front in the cloud computing wars. 
 

==> www.ft.com; 06.12.2019

AWS launches new local zone in LA ;

AWS announced a new local zone today in LA, designed to provide customers in southern California with a set of higher bandwidth, lower latency compute resources. It’s not a coincidence that this area is the epicenter of the entertainment industry.

==> techcrunch.com; 03.12.2019

AWS launches Braket, its quantum computing service;

AWS announced the preview launch of Braket (named after the common notation for quantum states), its own quantum computing service. It’s not building its own quantum computer, though. Instead, it’s partnering with D-Wave, IonQ and Rigetti and making their systems available through its cloud. In addition, it’s also launching the AWS Center for Quantum Computing and AWS Quantum Solutions Lab.

==> techcrunch.com; 02.12.2019

AWS expands its IoT services, brings Alexa to devices with only 1MB of RAM;

AWS today announced a number of IoT-related updates that, for the most part, aim to make getting started with its IoT services easier, especially for companies that are trying to deploy a large fleet of devices. The marquee announcement, however, is about the Alexa Voice Service, which makes Amazon’s Alex voice assistant available to hardware manufacturers who want to build it into their devices. These manufacturers can now create “Alexa built-in” devices with very low-powered chips and 1MB of RAM.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.11.2019

AWS Data Exchange: Amazon eröffnet Marktplatz für Daten;

 Mit der AWS Data Exchange hat Amazon einen Marktplatz für Daten eröffnet. Zum Start gibt es unter anderem Datensätze aus dem Gesundheitsbereich, dem Handel und dem Finanzsektor. 

==> t3n.de; 17.11.2019

Amazon launches AWS Data Exchange for tracking and sharing data sets;

Amazon today announced a new addition to its growing stable of cloud products: Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data Exchange. The company is pitching it as a way for AWS customers to “securely” find, subscribe to, and use third-party data from “category-leading” brands, including Change Healthcare and Foursquare. On the data provider side of the equation, it in theory eliminates the need to build and maintain infrastructure for storage, delivery, billing, and entitling.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.11.2019

Deals

Mapping and location company Here signs 10-year $1bn deal with AWS;

Mapping and location technology company Here has signed a 10-year deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to use its cloud computing infrastructure. In a deal valued at $1 billion, Here will combine AWS technologies with its mapping solutions to help automakers develop location-sensitive technologies for their vehicles. The cloud computing infrastructure will be used to further the development of software-defined vehicles - which can get software updates via the cloud, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and automated driving (AD).

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 07.01.2025

Mondelez taps AWS to accelerate digital transformation;

Chicago-based Mondelez said the partnership will spur digital innovation across the company, with the AWS cloud infrastructure and services bringing more security, agility, cost efficiency and reliability to operations. The transition to AWS also is expected to bolster Mondelez’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, now being migrated to the SAP RISE platform powered by AWS.

==> www.foodbusinessnews.net; 02.01.2025

SAP and Amazon Web Services help BBC simplify its IT systems in cost effective move to the cloud;

The BBC is continuing its partnership with SAP to streamline its IT systems, including finance, HR, and procurement, by adopting RISE with SAP on AWS. This move consolidates the BBC's IT infrastructure, replacing separate contracts for data centers and software licenses, making operations simpler and more cost-effective. The cloud-based transformation aims to enhance performance, resilience, and efficiency, allowing the BBC to focus more on delivering quality services to its audience.

==> news.sap.com; 27.11.2024

Boerse Stuttgart Digital Chooses AWS for Crypto Infrastructure;

Boerse Stuttgart Digital has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance its crypto infrastructure for European financial institutions, improving scalability and supporting expansion. This collaboration will simplify the deployment of solutions tailored to banks, brokers, and asset managers, as traditional institutions increasingly seek reliable ways to enter the crypto market. Boerse Stuttgart Digital's regulated infrastructure provides a secure and trusted platform for institutional clients to trade, exchange, and store digital assets.

==> www.marketsmedia.com; 14.10.2024

Australian government signs AWS to deliver $2bn top-secret cloud;

The Australian government has selected AWS to develop a top-secret cloud infrastructure, known as the TS Cloud, at a cost of $2 billion over the next decade, aimed at enhancing the country's defence and intelligence data handling. This project will include advanced features like AI and machine learning, and is designed to improve the security and interoperability of Australia’s defense communications, particularly in collaboration with the United States. The initiative, integral to the REDSPICE program, will also involve Australian businesses in its development, aiming to fortify Australia's overall cyber and national intelligence capabilities.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 04.07.2024

FWD Group pens five-year agreement with AWS to drive innovation;

FWD Group has entered a five-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance its digital infrastructure as part of a cloud-first strategy. This partnership aims to improve FWD’s agility, scalability, and resilience by leveraging AWS’s cloud and AI technologies, moving away from onsite data centers. By the end of 2023, 97% of FWD’s applications had migrated to the cloud, significantly boosting operational efficiency and customer experience.

==> fintech.global; 22.05.2024

AWS expands partnership with German football league, becomes official genAI provider;

The Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) has extended its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), now also naming AWS as its official generative artificial intelligence (genAI) provider. This expanded collaboration, announced at the SportsInnovation trade show, focuses on enhancing fan experience, media production, and data services. These enhancements include the development of a personalized, automated platform to cater to a global audience, establishing a scalable media production infrastructure, and leveraging AWS's analytics to feed comprehensive match data, enriching the viewing and fan engagement across various platforms.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 15.04.2024

Danske Bank signs multi-year cloud agreement with AWS;

Danske Bank has entered into a multi-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as part of its Forward'28 technology transformation initiative. The bank plans to migrate a significant portion of its legacy systems, data, and infrastructure to AWS, moving away from its current private cloud setup. This migration will involve over 16,000 servers and 1,000 applications, embracing a wide range of AWS's cloud technologies, including AI, machine learning, and generative AI, to enhance digital banking experiences and operational efficiency. Danske Bank's collaboration with AWS aims to expedite the development and deployment of new services while adhering to stringent security and regulatory standards.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 27.03.2024

BT rolls out AWS AI programming tool after trial success;

BT Group's digital transformation unit, led by Harmeen Mehta, has seen significant benefits from deploying generative AI tools like Amazon CodeWhisperer in its code development process, resulting in the automation of 12% of tasks. The tool, aimed at eliminating tedious tasks, is now being rolled out to 1,200 engineers at BT, with around 15 to 20 coding suggestions made per day and a 37% acceptance rate by developers. BT emphasizes responsible AI use, with guardrails in place to ensure transparency, compliance, and protection against bias, and plans to introduce more generative AI tools to support product development processes.

==> www.telcotitans.com; 20.02.2024

AWS and Accenture Help Merck Use Cloud Technology to Reduce Drug Discovery Time and Accelerate Clinical Trial Development;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is collaborating with Accenture to assist Merck in migrating a significant portion of its IT infrastructure to AWS as part of a multiyear cloud migration effort. Merck has selected AWS as its preferred cloud services provider and Accenture as its professional services partner to transition core applications, such as SAP, machine learning, and data warehouses to AWS. The collaboration aims to accelerate scientific research and discovery for Merck by leveraging AWS analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) services across its various divisions, including Research, Manufacturing, Human Health, and Animal Health.

==> newsroom.accenture.com; 29.11.2023

MUFG Adopts Cloud-First Strategy With AWS to Reduce Costs, Innovate ;

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) has entered into a multiyear global agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate its digital transformation. The collaboration aims to leverage AWS's cloud technologies, including generative artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to enhance customer service, reduce IT operating costs, and develop new digital financial products. MUFG has already experienced significant benefits, including a 20% reduction in IT operating costs and a 30% increase in productivity through automation using AWS services.

==> www.pymnts.com; 14.11.2023

AWS and Indian government unveil plan for digital health IDs;

A repurposed COVID-19 portal could serve as a single, comprehensive digital health ID for health records, with a proposal from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and India’s central government, reports Business Standard. AWS supplied the cloud infrastructure for the government’s India Stack applications, which included the biometrics-backed online Covid vaccine registration portal, CoWIN. Now, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has converted CoWIN into a universal vaccination platform called U-WIN.

==> www.biometricupdate.com; 16.10.2023

SLB, AWS and Shell Collaborate to Accelerate OSDU® Data Platform Adoption ;

SLB, Amazon Web Services and Shell Global Solutions Nederland BV (Shell) have signed a multi-year three-way collaboration agreement to deliver digital end-to-end workflows for Shell, using SLB subsurface solutions on AWS cloud infrastructure. The collaboration is intended to deliver high performance and cost efficient subsurface digital solutions, to be used by Shell and made available to the industry. 

==> www.slb.com; 10.10.2023

BMW expands its deal with Amazon Web Services to include autonomous vehicle data;

BMW says AWS will help provide cloud storage from data related to “generative artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, machine learning, and storage capabilities to help accelerate the delivery of highly automated BMW vehicles.” The AWS software will be integrated into BMW’s “Neue Klasse” platform for its future lineup of electric vehicles, due out in 2025. This platform will process roughly triple the volume of vehicle data compared to the current generation of BMW models, the company says. 

==> www.theverge.com; 05.09.2023

Old Mutual closes data centers and moves to AWS;

According to the company, by moving its entire IT infrastructure including the banking, insurance, and wealth management systems to Amazon Web Services (AWS), they have been able to reduce downtime by 50 percent. The migration involved moving more than 2,000 servers, 215 applications, 1,786 databases and 500 websites to AWS.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 22.06.2023

BBVA Selects AWS to Accelerate Its Data-Driven Transformation;

Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (BBVA) will use AWS to deliver advanced analytics and data services in the cloud, taking a decisive step in its data and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation process. BBVA will leverage a broad portfolio of AWS analytics and AI services across its operations and create a new data platform that will be deployed globally, delivering a secure repository of BBVA’s operations and customer data.

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 15.06.2023

Sinclair Selects AWS as its Preferred Cloud Provider ;

 “The multi-year collaboration is an important step to improve Sinclair’s future operations by migrating its existing media and playout operations to AWS’s Cloud,” said Del Parks, President of Technology for Sinclair. “The move to AWS is essential to accelerate Sinclair’s ability to take advantage of the new business opportunities that ATSC 3.0 provides and improve the television viewing experience for the consumer.” 

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.04.2023

Experian Selects AWS as Its Preferred Cloud Provider to Drive Product Innovation at Scale;

As part of the company’s cloud-first strategy, Experian will move core business operations, consumer-services products, analytics tools, and on-premises servers to AWS. Centralizing these critical technology platforms on the world’s leading cloud will enhance Experian’s IT security and reliability, decrease operating costs, and improve time to market for new offerings. Experian will also expand its use of AWS’s broad set of cloud services to create customized programs and deliver real-time financial services to consumers and business customers.

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 06.04.2023

AWS to modernise BT digital services ;

British telecommunication provider BT’s digital unit has partnered with Amazon Web Services to modernise its connectivity and digital services. The collaboration agreement will unlock a US$500 million revenue for BT across its spectrum of digital solutions and services over the next five years.

==> itwire.com; 03.04.2023

AWS Selected as Southwest Airlines’ Preferred Cloud Provider;

 Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced that Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider as the airline advances its digital transformation initiative. This large-scale modernization with AWS is part of the airline’s long-term plan to enhance the passenger journey, optimize operations, and efficiently invest in information technology (IT) infrastructure.

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 08.03.2023

Defra expands AWS engagement with £20m-plus deal;

Newly released procurement information indicates that Defra entered into a three-year contract with AWS on 1 January. The text of the contract reveals that the department has committed to spend a minimum of about $4.7m each year – but expects to spend almost treble this amount: $25m over three years, which equates to £20.8m.

==> www.publictechnology.net; 07.03.2023

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Further Drives Its Digitalization;

SAP SE announced a strategic partnership with Merck KGaA to jointly drive sustainable business practice innovation. The partnership will further accelerate the migration of the systems of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to the cloud with RISE with SAP, a core element of which is SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The first step of the collaboration is cloud transformation of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The leading science and technology company will use RISE with SAP for this purpose. At the core of RISE with SAP is SAP S/4HANA Cloud, which will help digitalize the company’s business processes and make them more efficient, agile and adaptable. The cloud infrastructure management is provided by the hyperscaler AWS.

==> news.sap.com; 08.02.2023

Zurich Selects AWS to Accelerate Digital Transformation and Deliver New Customer Experiences at Scale;

AWS announced that Zurich is moving its enterprise information technology (IT) infrastructure to AWS. Zurich will use AWS’s reliable global infrastructure, advanced analytics, and machine learning technologies to deliver new digital customer experiences and drive automation at scale, in support of its worldwide digital strategy. As part of the multiyear strategic collaboration, Zurich will move 1,000 applications to AWS by 2025, including core insurance and SAP workloads. Zurich will move its critical applications to AWS, simplifying, modernizing, and automating the company’s infrastructure. This approach will provide flexible and scalable application environments, enabling agile product development. 

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 31.01.2023

Yahoo Selects AWS Public Cloud for Ad Division;

Yahoo is working with AWS as a preferred public cloud provider for its advertising technology business Yahoo Ad Tech. All Yahoo advertising technology workloads — including its media-buying and supply-side platforms, analytics, and identity solutions and products — are being switched from Yahoo on-premises data centers to AWS as part of an ongoing digital transformation strategy,  according to AWS last month. The goal is to reduce IT infrastructure costs, transform advertising operations, and develop tailored and immersive solutions to help brands better connect with audiences.

==> www.datamation.com; 27.01.2023

Navy awards AWS cloud contract worth nearly $724 million;

The five-year contract gives the military branch access to the cloud giant’s full suite of commercial cloud services, trainings and certification programs. The Navy awarded Amazon Web Services a five-year contract worth nearly $724 million Monday that will provide access to the company's commercial cloud environment and professional services, including training and certification programs. The $723.9 million contract is a single-award, firm-fixed-price enterprise software license blanket purchase agreement. The BPA will allow the Navy to issue task orders under an enterprise software license agreement where it can utilize AWS tools through operation and maintenance, procurement and working capital funds, depending on the task order. 

==> fcw.com; 20.12.2022

Deloitte And AWS Bring Digital Modernization To Banking;

Deloitte has partnered with AWS to take on a persistent challenge in banking — moving to digital-first systems that extend from customer interface to back office cores. The task of replacing a banking core has been variously, if unimaginatively, compared to changing the engines on a jet airliner while it is flying or swapping out the tires on a Formula One car while it is racing. Legacy cores tend to be fairly inflexible, and may have years, or decades, of custom code written by people who are no longer with the bank, or even, perhaps, still alive.

==> www.forbes.com; 13.12.2022

Pentagon Divides Big Cloud-Computing Deal Among 4 Firms;

The Defense Department said Wednesday that it had awarded lucrative cloud-computing contracts to four companies: Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle. The contracts run through 2028 and could be valued as high as $9 billion, the Pentagon said in a news release. The work is for a new cloud architecture called the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability, which would provide the Defense Department with cloud services “across all security domains and classification levels.”

==> www.nytimes.com; 08.12.2022

MoD signs three-year deal with AWS to bolster defence sector’s cloud skills;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a cloud skills-focused three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK government’s Ministry of Defence (MoD). The arrangement will see AWS provide three years’ support to the MoD’s Digital Skills for Defence programme, which is geared to provide “critical” digital skills to people working in the defence sector. 

==> www.computerweekly.com; 30.11.2022

NAB signs multimillion cloud deal with AWS;

NAB has signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) focusing on the bank’s cloud strategy. Under the extended 'long-term' deal, the migration of key critical workloads to AWS will be accelerated, as well as the take up of AWS products such as Graviton. “AWS is a critical partner in our technology strategy and is helping us deliver new and innovative experiences for our customers,” NAB group executive technology and enterprise operations Patrick Wright said.

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 29.11.2022

BMW Group collaborates with AWS to bring new cloud technologies for fast and reliable availability of digital innovations.;

he BMW Group and AWS announced a strategic collaboration that will see the companies develop innovative cloud technologies together with the aim of harnessing the data potential of future vehicle generations to maximum effect. The two companies are also cooperating to develop commercial off-the-shelf cloud solutions for securely managing vehicle data. As in all previous collaborations, the BMW Group retains full and exclusive control of data and complies with the data protection regulations applicable in the respective markets. BMW’s connected fleet currently numbers some 20 million vehicles in over 50 countries. 

==> www.press.bmwgroup.com; 13.10.2022

Security Bank taps AWS to support digital transformation;

SECURITY BANK Corp. has tapped Amazon Web Services (AWS) to support its digital transformation as it seeks to provide more innovative products and services for its clients. “Aligned with our vision to be the most customer-centric bank in the Philippines, we’re investing in our customers and in what matters to them,” Security Bank Enterprise Technology and Operations (ETO) Head Lucose Eralil said in a statement on Wednesday.   

==> www.bworldonline.com; 06.10.2022

AWS Announces Health Equity Initiative Hits One-Year Milestone, Distributes $14M;

 Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that it has awarded $14 million in cloud services and technical expertise to help nearly 90 organizations around the world, ranging from startups and nonprofits to large enterprises, to address health equity challenges through the Health Equity Initiative. Additionally, AWS also introduced a new pillar of the program today to improve global equity in access to diagnostics.

==> www.hpcwire.com; 21.09.2022

Bridgestone to launch last-mile marketplace with AWS;

Bridgestone Corp. (OCTUS: BRDCY), known as the world’s largest producer of tires, has announced it will be using Amazon Web Services to build a marketplace for last-mile services and fleet solutions. The company said it will be working with AWS’ ProServe and AWS Marketplace teams, using machine learning, business intelligence services and Internet of Things technology to create a one-stop shop for fleet managers in need of real-time insights.

==> www.freightwaves.com; 30.08.2022

Pick n Pay Selects AWS as Its Strategic Cloud Provider;

Amazon Web Services, Inc. announced that Pick n Pay Group (JSE: PIK), a leading retail business operating in South African and other selected African countries, has migrated its entire on-premises information technology (IT) infrastructure to AWS. Pick n Pay worked with Lemongrass Consulting—an AWS Premier Consulting Partner with Migration and SAP Consulting Competencies—to migrate its on-premises SAP environment to AWS and implement a modern SAP HANA platform. 

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 25.08.2022

Delta Selects AWS as Preferred Cloud Provider;

Delta Air Lines is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the airline’s digital business transformation. Delta and AWS entered a multi-year agreement for AWS to serve as the airline’s preferred cloud provider, according to the companies this month. AWS will help Delta “unlock” technologies and streamline processes to help make the customer experience faster, smoother, and more secure, from the booking process to the flight experience.

==> www.datamation.com; 26.07.2022

Bulgaria signs MoU on cooperation with Amazon Web Services;

The MoU will encourage cooperation between the government and AWS in innovations and economic development through digital skills training, support for local cloud-based businesses and assistance to the government in digital transformation and cyber security, the ministry said in a press release.

==> ; 21.07.2022

Victoria signs gov-wide cloud deal with AWS;

The Victorian government has entered into its first state purchase contract (SPC) with Amazon Web Services, as it looks to become “cloud by design” for infrastructure and platforms.The three-year agreement, which replaces a 2014 enterprise agreement with the hyperscale cloud provider, gives all agencies a standardised way to buy more than 200 AWS cloud services. Local councils, administrative offices and other government-owned entities will also be able to access the SPC and the standardised terms and conditions that come with it, even if through a reseller.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 11.07.2022

SKF Announces Launch of SKF Axios Powered by AWS;

SKF launched SKF Axios, a solution that reinvents the fields of industrial machine reliability and predictive maintenance, that was developed based on a collaboration between SKF and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS).  SKF Axios leverages Amazon Monitron in a new condition monitoring offering to provide anomaly SKF Axiosdetection for an even wider range of applications and customers.

==> www.arcweb.com; 31.05.2022

Hertz to boost vehicle telematics platform and digital services with AWS;

Hertz has announced a partnership with cloud computing services providers Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bolster its investment in electrification, shared mobility and customer services. AWS plays a major role in digitising Hertz's customer services and its new mobility platform by improving telematics and data analytics capabilities. By incorporating the cloud computing services of AWS, Hertz aims to deliver a high-quality digitally-led customer experience and accelerate technology modernisation, thus driving innovation and agility across the company. 

==> www.globalfleet.com; 24.05.2022

Jefferies Selects AWS to Optimize the Firm’s Global Operations and Accelerate Technological Innovation ;

Jefferies will leverage AWS’s cloud expertise, broad capabilities, and proven global infrastructure to automate existing processes and workflows, as well as to develop new products and improve existing services more quickly and efficiently. In addition to greater efficiency, scale, and agility, AWS will provide Jefferies with increased security and reliability. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 24.05.2022

Temenos Delivers Digital Banking Solutions on AWS;

Temenos and Amazon Web Services (AWS), have extended their global relationship to run Temenos onboarding and origination solutions on AWS. The technology collaboration aims to allow all retail and commercial banks - incumbents and challengers - to provide digital onboarding and origination solutions with higher performance, scalability, and security. It will give banks greater agility while reducing time to market and improve cost efficiency. The two companies will go-to-market with solutions for retail, business, corporate and private banking, and wealth.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 18.05.2022

Shell announces collaboration with AWS to deploy OSDU data platform;

Shell and Amazon Web Services Inc. have entered a partnership to deploy the OSDU data platform. The OSDU Data Platform is a cloud native, open-source technology which provides the energy industry a toolbox to address the undifferentiated capabilities needed to manage large, disconnected data sets. The need for faster decision-making led us to explore how we can liberate our vast data to underpin decision making as Shell works to provide more and cleaner energy solutions to the world.

==> www.worldoil.com; 13.05.2022

BT signs five-year agreement with AWS as preferred cloud provider for internal applications to accelerate its digital transformation;

This agreement is one element of BT's broader modernisation programme that aims to deliver £2 billion in gross annualised savings by end FY24, as BT retires legacy applications, associated infrastructure, and data centres. The collaboration with AWS is a cornerstone of BT Digital’s plans to deliver an industry-leading, cloud-first architecture for BT Group. It represents a dramatic simplification from the company’s current IT estate, and is designed to be cloud-native, microservices-based, and fully modular. This approach will boost BT’s ability to move rapidly in response to and anticipation of customer needs, permitting for security, privacy and compliance by design.

==> www.telecomtv.com; 04.05.2022

Hertz Selects AWS to Accelerate Digital Customer Experience and Sustainable Mobility;

Hertz announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) to modernize and digitize the Hertz customer experience and key components of its new mobility platform including enhanced data analytics and vehicle telematics capabilities. The continued investment in cloud services is part of Hertz's ongoing commitment to lead in electrification, shared mobility and a digital-first customer experience.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 25.04.2022

Kraft Heinz and Microsoft join forces to accelerate supply chain innovation as part of broader digital transformation;

The Kraft Heinz Company (“Kraft Heinz” or the “company”) and Microsoft Corp. announced they are joining forces to develop solutions designed to accelerate the consumer goods giant’s transformation and enable a more resilient supply chain. The initiative is one of Kraft Heinz’s largest technology investments to date and a key driver of the company’s ambitious AGILE@SCALE approach.

==> news.microsoft.com; 21.04.2022

Australian government re-signs AWS for whole-of-government cloud deal;

Amazon Web Services' (AWS) whole-of-government deal with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), allowing all federal, state, territory agencies and departments, as well as public universities and government-controller corporations to access AWS cloud services has been renewed for another three years. The contract will be effective from May 1, and enable public sector customers to continue accessing AWS Cloud services, which they can purchase via the DTA or directly from AWS. Based on tender documents, the value of the contract is AU$174 million.

==> www.zdnet.com; 14.04.2022

MAN ES selects Amazon Web Services as cloud provider ;

MAN Energy Solutions has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud provider to provide advanced analytics, machine learning, and internet of things (IoT) capabilities for MAN’s CEON platform.

==> thedigitalship.com; 13.04.2022

Bulgaria partners with Google, AWS to launch computer science, AI research centre;

 Bulgaria attracted a combined investment of over 12 million levs ($6.7 million/6.1 million euro) from US technology giants Google, DeepMind and Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the newly-launched Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology, or INSAIT, which the Bulgarian government is financing to the tune of 170 million levs over ten years, INSAIT said on Monday. Bulgarian web hosting company SiteGround will also inject 12 million levs in INSAIT, with an additional 1.7 million levs to be provided by a number of local technology entrepreneurs, including Eleven Ventures managing partner and Telerik co-founder Vassil Terziev.

==> seenews.com; 11.04.2022

Boeing Taps Amazon, Microsoft and Google for Cloud Mega-Deal;

Boeing Co. is hiring the three biggest U.S. cloud-computing companies -- Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google -- to help with a digital makeover aimed at giving its airplane designers and software developers more tools. The multiyear agreements are intended to upgrade the company’s current system of hosting and maintaining software applications through a network of servers, which can be difficult to maintain, the Chicago-based manufacturer told employees Wednesday. Boeing plans to shift hundreds of applications to the cloud, where they’ll be stored and maintained in the tech giants’ data centers.

      

==> www.bloomberg.com; 06.04.2022

Best Buy Selects AWS as ‘Preferred’ Cloud provider;

Best Buy selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its “preferred” cloud provider for cloud infrastructure services and as its strategic partner for developing cloud engineering talent. Using AWS’s cloud capabilities, Best Buy’s product teams and engineers work to “transform the way people buy technology.” Best Buy applies AWS compute, storage, database, and security services to create new experiences for customers, including the ability to virtually interact with experts to receive live demos of physical products. For example, Best Buy’s Totaltech program provides members with access to 24/7 tech expertise delivered via an AWS-powered chatbot and the sense their tech support needs “can be resolved quickly.”

==> www.datamation.com; 14.02.2022

Best Buy Selects AWS as Its Strategic Cloud Provider;

 Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company, (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced that Best Buy Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: BBY) has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider for cloud infrastructure services and its strategic partner for developing cloud engineering talent. This collaboration will help Best Buy further apply cloud technology across its retail operations and support the rapid innovation of its customer experiences and the work of its teams to create world-class digital experiences that can enrich the lives of millions.

==> press.aboutamazon.com; 03.02.2022

Fender’s CIO Talks Tuning Up SAP with a Migration to AWS;

A rise in business pushed international guitar maker Fender to consider more efficient ways to use its SAP resources. Migration from company-controlled compute resources to the public cloud can be challenge. Though Fender already embraced the cloud for other aspects of its operations, there was some reluctance to make its SAP solutions part of that equation. An uptick in demand for guitars in the midst of the pandemic led the company to rethink that approach. Michael Spandau, CIO of Fender, spoke with InformationWeek about the needs that led the guitar maker to work with Lemongrass to run SAP on AWS.

==> www.informationweek.com; 17.01.2022

Germany's Adidas selects Amazon Web Services (AWS) as cloud provider;

Adidas, has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), as its preferred cloud provider for SAP workloads. Adidas will migrate its SAP environment to AWS and implement a modern SAP S/4HANA platform. Modernising its ERP system with SAP provides Adidas with the technology foundation needed to connect its data across its entire global operations.

==> www.fibre2fashion.com; 26.11.2021

Richemont migriert seine gesamte IT-Infrastruktur zu Amazon Web Services;

Der Schweizer Konzern gab am Dienstag seine Entscheidung bekannt, seine gesamte IT-Infrastruktur zu Amazon Web Services (AWS), der Cloud-Dienstleistungs-Tochter des amerikanischen E-Commerce-Riesen, zu migrieren. Infolgedessen wird Richemont seine europäischen Rechenzentren schließen und bis Ende nächsten Jahres weitere Rechenzentren in Hongkong und den USA zu AWS migrieren. Im Rahmen seiner Strategie der digitalen Transformation wird das Unternehmen mehr als 5.000 virtuelle Maschinen und andere Ressourcen zu AWS verlagern, um "seine Infrastruktur zu modernisieren, die Sicherheit zu erhöhen und die Automatisierung seiner globalen Aktivitäten voranzutreiben".

==> de.fashionnetwork.com; 24.11.2021

adidas Migrates SAP Environments to AWS ;

AWS announced that adidas AG, one of the largest sports brands in the world, has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider for SAP workloads. With this announcement, adidas will migrate its SAP environment to AWS and implement a modern SAP S/4HANA platform. Running these business-critical SAP workloads in the cloud will enable adidas to digitize core business processes across its value chain to provide better consumer experiences, become a more data-driven business, and support new business models such as direct-to-consumer.

==> www.businesswire.com; 22.11.2021

Pentagon asks AWS, Microsoft, Google and Oracle to bid for new cloud contract;

The US Defense Department on Friday asked Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google and Oracle to submit bids for a new, multi-billion-dollar cloud contract. The solicitation comes months after the Pentagon scrapped the plans for its controversial, $10 billion JEDI cloud contract, which was slated to go to Microsoft. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 19.11.2021

Under Armour Selects AWS as Its Preferred Cloud Provider for SAP Environments ;

AWS announced that Under Armour, Inc. has selected AWS as its preferred cloud provider for SAP to increase resilience, enhance security, and provide more significant insights across its business. The athletic performance brand completed the migration of its SAP environments to AWS earlier this year. Under Armour will now integrate its SAP environments with AWS’s broad and deep set of technologies, including analytics, machine learning, compute, and storage. Powered by the world’s leading cloud, this modernization brings a range of AWS capabilities to fuel innovation in areas like 3D apparel and footwear design, digitally connected footwear and apparel, resource-efficient production, direct-to-consumer sales, and global wholesale distribution.  

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.11.2021

Amazon, Google win Japan government cloud contract;

Japan's Digital Agency has picked Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform as the first service providers for its nationwide cloud computing project, giving the U.S. tech groups a foothold in an industry dominated by domestic service providers. The two services were chosen because they met about 350 requirements across security, data management and legal issues, among others, a Digital Agency official said on Tuesday. They will initially be used to run the agency's website, as well as by eight municipalities on a trial basis. The government cloud project aims to unify and standardize digital infrastructure across ministries and roughly 1,700 municipalities, which currently operate their own systems.

==> asia.nikkei.com; 26.10.2021

Amazon strikes deal with UK spy agencies to host top-secret material;

The UK’s three spy agencies, GCHQ, MI5 and MI6, have contracted AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing arm, to host classified material in a deal aimed at boosting the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence for espionage.The contract is likely to ignite concerns over sovereignty given that a vast amount of the UK’s most secret data will be hosted by a single US tech company. The agreement, estimated by industry experts to be worth £500m to £1bn over the next decade, was signed this year, according to four people familiar with the discussions. However, the details are closely guarded and were not intended to be made public.

==> www.ft.com; 25.10.2021

Korean Air completes IT migration to AWS;

Korean Air has completed the migration of its entire IT infrastructure to Amazon Web Services Korea LLC (AWS), which comes three years after announcing its plans for cloud migration in November 2018. Korean Air is the first global full service carrier to complete an all-in migration to AWS. The airline will use AWS cloud capabilities to strengthen innovation and improve customer experience, giving the company a competitive edge in the post-COVID era.

==> asianaviation.com; 29.09.2021

Sun Life signs with AWS ;

Amazon Web Services. announced that Sun Life has selected AWS as its long-term strategic cloud technology provider to become a cloud-first organization, drive ongoing innovation, and develop new digital client experiences. Sun Life will use AWS’s proven portfolio of cloud technologies, including analytics, machine learning, storage, security, and databases, to drive operational efficiency and innovation to the company’s clients and employees.

==> www.finextra.com; 27.08.2021

Wyndham Hotels inks new Cloud deal with AWS;

Amazon Web Services recently announced its Cloud deal with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. The world’s largest hotel franchising company will use AWS Cloud platform to upgrade its technology infrastructure and develop and deliver new guest services across its 21 hotel brands—including Days Inn, La Quinta, Microtel, Ramada, Super 8, and Wyndham. Wyndham will use AWS machine learning to optimize over 90,000 daily rate changes across its 9,000 hotels to help maximize occupancy rates that vary according to factors such as location, weather, and time of year.

==> infotechlead.com; 23.08.2021

Government Digital Service signs two-year public cloud hosting deal with AWS worth £12m;

The Government Digital Service (GDS) has signed a £12m, two-year hosting deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that could effectively double the amount the department has spent to-date with the public cloud giant. The deal means AWS will remain in place as a hosting provider for the department’s various digital products, which is a position the tech firm has held since signing its first 12-month hosting contract with GDS in June 2019.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 12.08.2021

Baxter extends Amazon Web Services collaboration to support new digital health, data management projects;

fter tapping Amazon Web Services to transfer all of its physical data stores to the cloud, Baxter is re-upping its long-term partnership with the goal of putting those data to work. The revamped collaboration will center on three core areas: building new digital health tools to unlock additional insights, making its supply chain and healthcare delivery processes more efficient, and drawing deeper insights from both internal and external business operations.

==> www.fiercebiotech.com; 03.08.2021

Axis Bank strikes cloud computing deal with AWS for digital transformation ;

India's third-largest private sector bank to migrate 70% of its on-premises data centre infra in next 24 months to further reduce cost, improve agility, improve customer experience. As part of a multi-year agreement, Axis Bank will draw on the breadth and depth of AWS services. This includes containers, database, and compute, to build a portfolio of new digital financial services to bring advanced banking experiences to customers. This includes online accounts that can be opened in under six minutes and instant digital payments, helping the bank increase customer satisfaction by 35 per cent and lower costs by 24 per cent. 

==> www.business-standard.com; 29.06.2021

AWS Named Swisscom's Preferred Public Cloud Provider to Accelerate Digital Transformation Strategy and Move Towards Cloud-Native 5G Network ;

Switzerland’s leading telecoms company and IT services provider to use AWS’s proven and broad infrastructure and cloud capabilities to power its 5G network, increase operational efficiency, and fuel innovation. Swisscom plans to use the forthcoming AWS Europe (Zurich) Region to provide its customers greater choice in storing and processing their data in-country, while enabling them to deliver real-time services with the lowest latency.

==> www.businesswire.com; 28.06.2021

BHP signs cloud technology pacts with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft;

BHP has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft as long-term cloud providers to help improve safety, productivity, and reliability across its globally-operated assets. The collaborations with AWS and Microsoft will support two distinct parts of BHP’s operations, it said. AWS will power BHP’s digital transformation by providing capabilities in data analytics and machine learning to rapidly deploy digital solutions globally to improve operational performance. Microsoft, through its Azure platform, will host BHP’s global applications portfolio. This will enable BHP to leverage its existing Microsoft licences and SAP applications portfolio and help to reduce its reliance on regional data centres, it said.

==> im-mining.com; 18.06.2021

Ferrari, Amazon's AWS enter agreement on data;

Ferrari and Amazon Web Services have entered an agreement to make Amazon's cloud computing unit the luxury carmaker's cloud storage, machine learning, and artificial intelligence provider. The deal will help Ferrari streamline design and testing of its cars, and allow its Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team to launch a digital fan engagement platform, AWS said in a statement.

==> www.reuters.com; 18.06.2021

Travelport makes AWS preferred cloud supplier to oversee its public cloud migration;

Travelport has named Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud partner, while outlining plans to draw on the tech giant’s portfolio to boost the performance and scalability of its operations. Travelport has confirmed it will draw on its partnership with Amazon to optimise the platform by migrating it to the AWS public cloud for scalability reasons and to improve the performance of the high performance computing (HPC) workloads that help Travelport+ run.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 16.06.2021

AWS, Google make $1.2bn Israel cloud deal official;

The Israeli government has signed a $1.2bn deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google to launch regional data centres in Israel and provide cloud services to the public sector and military. The deal is part of Israel’s Project Nimbus, which will see all of Israel’s government and other public organisations transfer their data and services into cloud infrastructure provided by the two tech giants. 

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 25.05.2021

How Bureau Veritas migrated 85% of its applications to the AWS cloud;

With a strategic five-year plan, Bureau Veritas (BV) set out on its digital transformation project in 2015. Core to that transformation was migration of the vast bulk of its applications and infrastructure to the AWS cloud. Along the way, it faced challenges in migration, day-to-day management, costs and security. We talk to BV’s IT director, Jean-Marc Devos Plancq, about the transition.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 24.05.2021

Schlumberger announces collaboration with Amazon to deploy DELFI petrotechnical suite on AWS;

Schlumberger announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy domain centric digital solutions, enabled by the DELFI cognitive E&P environment, on the cloud with AWS. This collaboration will bring AWS customers to the DELFI Petrotechnical Suite, which provides access to AI-enhanced applications from Schlumberger and high-performance computing from AWS’s secure, extensive, and reliable global infrastructure.

==> www.worldoil.com; 20.05.2021

AWS announces IoT partnership with farming solutions provider Yara;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a strategic IoT partnership with farming solutions provider Yara. Optimising crop production is vital to ensure there’s enough food to feed an increasingly overpopulated world while minimising the environmental costs. IoT technologies, as usual, will play a key role. Yara’s next-gen DPP (Digital Production Platform) will be built in collaboration with AWS.

==> iottechnews.com; 18.05.2021

Audi : launches initiative for digital factory transformation in Heilbronn;

Audi will be collaborating closely in the future with the Technical University of Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in the area of digitalization at the Bildungscampus of Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Heilbronn. Championed by Audi, the "Automotive Initiative 2025" aims to establish a world-leading competence network for digital factory transformation and innovation. The Audi site in Neckarsulm will assume a central role as a pilot factory and real-world laboratory for digital transformation. Relevant IT solutions and ideas will be provided by technology partners Amazon Web Services (AWS), SAP, Capgemini and the XL2 joint venture, in which Audi is a founding partner. 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 30.04.2021

Paysafe Selects AWS for its Strategic Cloud Services to Drive Innovation in Digital Commerce ;

Leading specialized payments platform announces strategic collaboration with AWS, moving online payments processing to the cloud to support growth and become a more-data driven organization.  The move to AWS supports Paysafe to leverage data to drive customer acquisition and engagement, as well as to run and scale products and applications for its North American and European operations in a highly reliable manner. Collectively, Paysafe’s solutions are actively used by more than 15 million people across more than 120 countries and support thousands of businesses to offer popular alternative payment methods. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 29.04.2021

Walt Disney Company confirms AWS as preferred cloud partner for Disney+ streaming service;

The Walt Disney Company has confirmed that Amazon Web Services (AWS) powered the global roll-out of its Disney+ streaming service.Since its launch in November 2019, Disney+ has signed up more than 100 million subscribers to its streaming platform and has steadily expanded the geographical coverage of its service to 59 countries around the world, with Amazon’s help.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 29.04.2021

HMRC signs reworked, three-year public cloud deal with AWS worth £94m;

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has scrapped a £40m cloud deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that was set to run until August 2022, and replaced it with a three-year deal worth £94m with the supplier, Computer Weekly has learned. The reworked deal is understood to have commenced at the start of April 2021, is set to run for a total of 36 months, and includes a commitment from HMRC to spend a minimum of approximately £29m a year on AWS services.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 08.04.2021

Microsoft Azure, AWS to host NSW Police core systems;

iTnews can reveal Australia’s largest policing agency recently down selected Microsoft and AWS to host a number of frontline IT solutions under what it calls the ‘Azura Cloud Project’. It follows a year-long expression of interest for a hybrid cloud infrastructure-as-a-service platform, through which both hyperscale providers were selected.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 07.04.2021

ABB Signs on AWS to Develop Cloud-Based Fleet Management Platform;

ABB and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a collaboration to jointly develop a cloud-based digital solution for the real-time fleet management of electric vehicles (EVs). The solution will optimise the efficient use of EVs and speed up the electrification of transport fleets, helping fleet operators worldwide maintain 100 percent business continuity as they transition to fully electric. The collaboration will combine ABB’s experience in energy management, charging technology and e-mobility solutions with AWS’s portfolio of cloud technologies and software expertise.

==> fintechnews.ch; 30.03.2021

Singtel and Optus partner AWS on telco edge;

Singtel and its Australian subsidiary Optus have added Amazon Web Services (AWS) Outposts to their stable of hybrid cloud technologies from hyperscale cloud providers in their respective multi-access edge compute (MEC) platforms. In a statement, Singtel said this will enable enterprises to take advantage of 5G solutions like robotics, drones, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence to operate at ultra-low latency, closer to the end-users.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 22.03.2021

PagerDuty expands European datacentre presence with help from AWS;

PagerDuty is drawing on its longstanding technology partnership with public cloud giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) to give European users access to a locally hosted version of its digital operations management software. Currently, its digital operations management software platform is hosted in several US-based AWS datacentre regions, but the company has now outlined plans to expand its server farm footprint, with Amazon’s help, to Europe as well.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 17.03.2021

Amazon Web Services selected as Edelweiss’s preferred cloud provider;

Edelweiss, a diversified financial services company in India has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com Inc. company as its preferred cloud provider, running most of its workloads to further drive its digital transformation efforts. To date, Edelweiss has migrated over 210 mission-critical applications from multiple business lines to AWS, including stock recommendations, public websites, and data models, to reduce cost and create new services.

==> ibsintelligence.com; 09.03.2021

Micro Focus Signs Commercial Deal With Amazon Web Services - Quick Facts ;

Micro Focus International plc (MCRO.L, MFGP) announced Wednesday the signing of a commercial agreement with Amazon Web Services or AWS, part of tech major Amazon. The commercial agreement formalizes a strategic collaboration to accelerate the modernization of mainframe applications and workloads of large public and private enterprises to the AWS Cloud.

==> www.nasdaq.com; 03.03.2021

PGA Tour teams up with AWS to improve fan engagement during tournaments;

The PGA Tour is teaming up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to revamp the viewing experience for golf fans through the use of machine learning, artificial intelligence and data analytics technologies. The partnership will see the PGA Tour draw on the public cloud giant’s portfolio of services to process and distribute video footage from each golf tournament it oversees, while making it easier for fans to engage with that content. As an example, the pair are planning to bring out an over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform – powered by AWS – called Every Shot Live that will provide viewers with live access to every shot played by each player in a tournament.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 02.03.2021

HMRC signs £43m deals with AWS;

HM Revenue and Customs has signed a £40m-plus deal for cloud computing capacity from Amazon Web Services. Newly published procurement documents reveal that the tax agency entered into a two-year contract with the tech firm on 1 September. The contract is worth £41m. Beyond this, details are scarce, but the award notice indicates that AWS has been signed up to deliver “'hyperscale' compute cloud service provision”.

==> www.publictechnology.net; 19.02.2021

Torc Robotics selects AWS as preferred cloud provider for self-driving truck fleet;

Torc Robotics has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS), Inc. as its preferred cloud provider to handle the scale and speed needed for data transfer, storage, and compute capacity as the company prepares to deploy its fleet of next-generation self-driving test trucks in New Mexico and Virginia

==> www.automotiveworld.com; 17.02.2021

Amazon inks another sports deal as AWS will power NHL’s digital transformation and in-game analytics;

Amazon Web Services is broadening its reach across the professional sports landscape, announcing a new partnership with the National Hockey League Wednesday to be the official cloud, artificial intelligence, and machine learning infrastructure provider for the league. The NHL is also turning to AWS to deliver new in-game analyses, predictions, and video highlights to enhance mobile, online, and broadcast experiences.

==> www.geekwire.com; 10.02.2021

Thomson Reuters utilizes AWS to power Digital Transformation;

As part of its on-going move to the cloud, Thomson Reuters migrated thousands of servers and hundreds of revenue-generating applications to AWS. Expanding its longstanding relationship with AWS, Thomson Reuters is also leveraging AWS’s unparalleled portfolio of cloud services including analytics, database, containers, serverless, storage, Machine Learning and security to innovate new digital products for its customers and reveal greater insights into the industries it covers.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 06.01.2021

AWS Announces Partnership with MGM to Modernize its Media Supply Chain ;

AWS announced a multi-year collaboration with Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) to reimagine its core media supply chain and enterprise-wide media distribution platform. MGM owns one of the world’s largest libraries of premium film and television content and is focused on the production, acquisition, licensing, and global distribution of its film and television content across all media platforms. MGM is migrating its content library and critical SAP workloads to AWS to power its media supply chain as well as support its content rights and distribution processes.

==> www.businesswire.com; 07.12.2020

Siemens Smart Infrastructure Chooses AWS as Its Preferred Cloud Provider for SAP Environments ;

AWS announced that Siemens Smart Infrastructure, a business of the Siemens AG group focusing on energy distribution and intelligent buildings, is moving its SAP infrastructure to AWS. The business will migrate over 20 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) systems, based on SAP HANA, to AWS before the end of 2021. Working alongside AWS as their preferred cloud provider for SAP, Siemens Smart Infrastructure will be able to integrate their SAP environments with a wide range of advanced AWS technologies, in areas such as analytics and machine learning, to uncover new business value and drive innovation.

==> www.businesswire.com; 03.12.2020

Standard Chartered Signs Deal With AWS;

The bank has signed a five-year strategic global agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to drive its digital transformation and deliver new personalized banking services in the bank’s 60 markets worldwide. Using AWS’s infrastructure and cloud services across its entire business will enable the bank to be more responsive to customer needs and create new applications, Standard Chartered said in an announcement on Thursday.

==> www.finews.asia; 12.11.2020

Aramex migriert Rechenzentren in die AWS-Cloud;

Der Logistik-Dienstleister Aramex will 60 Anwendungen modernisieren und migriert seine Data Center in die AWS-Cloud. Aramex migriert seine On-Premises-Rechenzentren in die Public Cloud von Amazon Web Services (AWS). Chief Digital Officer (CDO) Mohammed Sleeq will die Kernlandschaft des Unternehmens modernisieren. Das Unternehmen wird neben AWS auch von Rackspace Technology mit Schwerpunkt auf Professional Services beraten.

==> www.cio.de; 04.11.2020

AWS signs three-year UK government cloud deal to help SMEs win more public sector business;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK government to accelerate the adoption of cloud within the public sector, while also providing opportunities for civil servants to bolster their own tech skills. The arrangement will see UK government and public sector bodies treated like a single client by AWS so they can benefit from cost savings on its portfolio of public cloud services that the tech giant claims will be on a par with those offered to its large commercial customers.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 03.11.2020

Takeda partners with Accenture & AWS for its digital transformation;

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, the largest biopharmaceutical firm in Asia, has reportedly signed a five year strategic partnership with Accenture, the Irish professional services company, and AWS (Amazon Web Services), the renowned IT service management firm, to expedite its digital transformation. Christophe Weber, The Chief Executive Officer and President of Takeda Pharmaceutical, stated that by integrating the power of three big firms, the company has taken a bold step to be at the intersection of business growth, technology, and human health.

==> itresearchbrief.com; 15.10.2020

Weta Digital goes all-in on AWS;

Weta Digital has signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to migrate most of its IT infrastructure to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) in a bid to spread its workloads more efficiently around the world. The studio’s AWS infrastructure is expected to support a pipeline that includes 100 proprietary tools and its LED-stage virtual production service that is used to create immersive new worlds on the movie set.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 02.09.2020

Telefónica Germany to move 5G core into AWS;

Telefónica Germany / O2 is the first German network operator to build its 5G core network as well as crucial 5G network functions for new industry solutions in the cloud. Via the cloud-based 5G core network, new industry solutions can be developed faster, production and logistics processes can be automated even more and applications implemented in real-time (edge computing). 

==> www.lightreading.com; 01.09.2020

Amazon to Help Toyota Build Cloud-Based Data Services;

Toyota said its Mobility Services Platform will enable it to process and analyze data that can be used to develop vehicle services from ride and car sharing to behavior-based insurance and maintenance notifications. The deal is an expansion of Amazon Web Services’ existing collaboration with Toyota, and marks the e-commerce giant’s expanding foray into the transportation business. 

==> www.reuters.com; 17.08.2020

Amazon and Google announce major cloud customer wins ;

Amazon said today the fast food restaurant chain Jack in the Box Inc. is going “all-in” on its cloud platform, moving the entirety of its information technology infrastructure from its on-premises data centers to the AWS cloud.

==> siliconangle.com; 11.08.2020

Airtel selects AWS for public cloud to accelerate digital transformation in India;

Airtel Cloud will build an AWS Cloud Practice supported by AWS Professional Services, as well as develop differentiated Airtel Cloud products and capabilities leveraging AWS services, Airtel’s data center capabilities, and Airtel’s network and telecoms offerings. Airtel customers will benefit from an integrated sales, consulting, and support approach from both companies, and improved security, scalability, and cloud management capabilities.

==> www.crn.in; 05.08.2020

HSBC Signs Sweeping AWS Deal;

HSBC has signed a multi-year, global deal with AWS, the two announced today, as financial services firms globally accelerate their use of the cloud in a bid to improve agility, drive down cost — and as trust in cloud compliance capabilities improves. HSBC will use AWS services including “compute, containers, storage, database, analytics, machine learning, and security, to develop new digital products and support security and compliance standards for millions of personal banking customers worldwide” the two said in a joint release posted today.

==> www.cbronline.com; 15.07.2020

Estonia signs confidentiality contract with Amazon ;

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has signed a confidentiality contract with the world's biggest multinational retail and technology company Amazon. The contract gives a chance to discuss future cooperation work between the ministry and Amazon.
 

==> news.err.ee; 07.07.2020

Formula 1 announces new racing performance data backed by Amazon’s cloud service for 2020 season ;

There are 300 sensors on each F1 race car, generating more than 1.1 million data points per second, transmitted from the car to the pit. Formula 1 (F1) is introducing a new set of racing statistics for the 2020 season powered by Amazon’s cloud computing arm Amazon Web Services (AWS), giving global fans of the motor racing sport more on-screen and race-time insights into their favourite teams and drivers.

==> www.scmp.com; 23.06.2020

Waltham Forest shifts contact centre through AWS cloud;

The London Borough of Waltham Forest has managed to greatly increase the number of its contact centre staff through a shift to home working. It achieved the expansion last month by using the AWS Amazon Connect cloud call centre platform, which it implemented in just over a week in a project with integration specialist for the system VoiceFoundry. 

==> www.ukauthority.com; 22.05.2020

Safaricom partners with Amazon Web Services;

The agreement is designed to accelerate Safaricom’s internal IT transformation, lower costs and provide it with a blueprint and skilled resources to assist customers with their journey to the cloud. In addition, Safaricom will be able to offer Amazon Web Services to East-African customers, allowing businesses of all sizes to quickly get started on AWS cloud and accelerate innovation.

==> tandaabiashara.com; 28.02.2020

BP to migrate all its data to Amazon Web Services;

BP is closing its European mega data centers and migrating all data and 900 key applications currently hosted there to AWS, as part of a company-wide program to accelerate the digitization of its infrastructure and operations.

==> roboticsandautomationnews.com; 27.02.2020

Bundesliga and Amazon Web Services to Develop Next Gen Football Viewing Experience;

Germany’s Bundesliga has announced that it is the world’s first football league to establish a cooperation with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company. AWS becomes the Bundesliga‘s official technology provider and will deliver more in-depth insight into every broadcast of Bundesliga games and enable new personalized fan experiences.

==> www.sporttechie.com; 27.02.2020

3M Selects AWS as Its Preferred Cloud Provider for Enterprise IT ;

As part of a company-wide enterprise IT transformation initiative, 3M is migrating its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, including accounting, supply chain management, manufacturing, product lifecycle management, and e-commerce, along with business-critical enterprise IT applications, to the cloud. 3M will modernize its infrastructure and drive operational efficiencies across its global operations.

==> www.businesswire.com; 17.02.2020

Carrier Selects AWS as its Preferred Cloud Provider to Drive Digital Transformation;

Global provider of HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation technologies will rely on AWS to streamline operations, increase pace of innovation, and deliver on potential of more sustainable, more intelligent buildings

==> finance.yahoo.com; 05.02.2020

BlackBerry and AWS team up to make smart vehicles even smarter;

At CES 2020, BlackBerry has announced that it has teamed up with AWS to demonstrate a safe, secure and intelligent connected vehicle software platform for in-vehicle applications. The platform combines the security of BlackBerry's QNX real-time operating system with AWS' IoT services in the cloud and in the car.

==> www.techradar.com; 06.01.2020

Novartis partners with Amazon to revamp manufacturing ;

Novartis and Amazon Web Services entered a multi-year deal to make more efficient the Swiss drugmaker's manufacturing, supply chain and delivery operations. 
Amazon said the partnership will rely on its cloud services to help Novartis get better real-time information on its more than 60 production facilities, which sprawl across the globe. 

==> www.biopharmadive.com; 05.12.2019

Cerner taps AWS to power new AI healthcare platform;

Amazon Web Services Inc. announced today that Cerner Corp., one of the world’s biggest providers of information technology for healthcare organizations, is standardizing machine learning workloads on its public cloud.Cerner named AWS as its preferred cloud provider in July. The company has now bumped up the Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary’s status to “preferred cloud, artificial intelligence and machine learning provider,” a move that will entail the company building several new AI projects on AWS. 

==> siliconangle.com; 03.12.2019

Klarna signs with AWS;

Klarna is leveraging AWS’s global infrastructure to increase redundancy and fault tolerance as it continues to scale its business, growing from a startup into a global company that supports 60 million customers across 170,000 merchants, in 17 countries.

==> www.finextra.com; 02.12.2019

ProSieben setzt in Zukunft auf die AWS Cloud-Plattform und ML Services von Amazon;

AWS ist damit primärer Cloud Provider des deutschen Medienkonzerns. Neue Produkte sollen in Zukunft auf Basis der Analyse-Software und Machine Learning (ML) Services sowie neuralen Netze (SageMaker) von AWS entwickelt werden.

==> www.it-times.de; 28.11.2019

Amazon Web Services brags about snagging a key customer from Microsoft;

Amazon Web Services announced on Monday that it had nabbed the Seattle Seahawks as a customer, largely thanks to the fact that the National Football League (NFL) itself is a big AWS user. This is a big score for Amazon because the Seahawks have deep ties to Microsoft: The Seahawks are famously owned by the estate of Paul Allen, the late cofounder of Microsoft.

==> www.businessinsider.de; 25.11.2019

Western Union transfers to AWS cloud;

Western Union is moving a large portion of its IT infrastructure to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud as part of its digital transformation, which includes a cloud-first ambition. This is an important part of the cross-border payments company’s transformation, which will see it move from datacentres to a microservice architecture in the AWS public cloud.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 21.11.2019

Arvato Systems und AWS: Deal über mehrere Millionen Euro;

Das Cloud-Geschäft von Arvato Systems wächst nach Unternehmensangaben beständig. Jetzt vereinbarten Arvato Systems und Amazon Web Services die Abnahme von AWS-Services im Wert von mehreren Millionen Euro.

==> www.film-tv-video.de; 11.11.2019

Good News

AWS Announces £5m Grant for Cyber Education in the UK;

AWS is launching a £5m ($6.2m) grant to improve cybersecurity in UK educational institutions, offering cloud-based security solutions, training, and incident response support. This follows a government report showing widespread cyberattacks on schools and universities. Similar grants were previously launched in the US and Canada.

==> www.infosecurity-magazine.com; 24.01.2025

AWS named Leader in the 2024 ISG Provider Lens report for Sovereign Cloud Infrastructure Services (EU);

AWS has been named a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens Quadrant report for Sovereign Cloud Infrastructure Services (EU) for the second consecutive year. The report highlights AWS's strengths in portfolio attractiveness and competitive capabilities, noting its innovative solutions for digital sovereignty and compliance in the EU. AWS plans to invest €7.8 billion in its European Sovereign Cloud, set to launch by the end of 2025.

==> aws.amazon.com; 18.12.2024

AWS revenue growth stabilizes with a boost from generative AI-led services;

AWS posted a stable 12% revenue growth in the third quarter of 2023 buoyed by demand for generative AI-led services, despite customers trying to optimize their cloud spending. For the last few sequential quarters, revenue growth for AWS has been on a constant decline. The 12% growth in the September quarter is a sign of stability for AWS since it also posted 12% growth in the previous sequential quarter. For the September quarter, AWS’ operating income rose by 29% year-on-year. For the previous sequential quarter, operating income declined by 6% year-on-year.

==> www.cio.com; 27.10.2023

Google Cloud growing 45% a year, with Azure at 40%, says Canalys;

Google Cloud’s business has grown by 45% year-on-year in the latest quarter, with rivals Microsoft Azure growing 40% in the same time, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) growing 33%. Figures from Canalys (see chart) show that both Google and Azure are growing faster than the industry average, while AWS is tracking the global industry’s growth rate of 33%.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 02.08.2022

Cloud-Marktführer AWS schafft 600 Stellen in Deutschland;

Der Cloud-Spezialist AWS hat das Geschäft in Deutschland deutlich ausgebaut – wegen der Coronapandemie investieren viele Unternehmen in die Digitalisierung. Das macht sich bei der Personalsuche bemerkbar: Im Laufe des Jahres werde man 600 neue Stellen schaffen, sagte Klaus Bürg, der bei der Amazon-Tochter für den deutschsprachigen Raum verantwortlich ist, dem Handelsblatt.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 08.07.2022

Ukraine awards Microsoft and AWS peace prize for cloud services & digital support;

The government of Ukraine has awarded Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) peace prizes for providing critical cloud and digital services during Russia's unprovoked invasion. "Big tech support Ukraine," Ukraine's vice prime minister and digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said. "Microsoft delegation has been awarded today with 'Peace Prize' from the President of Ukraine Zelenskyy. We are grateful to have you on the light side of digital. Microsoft stands for truth and for peace.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 07.07.2022

Amazon’s revenue and profits increase significantly as AWS business grows;

Amazon’s revenue reached $ 113.1 billion, which is 27% more than in the second quarter of last year; which brought in about $ 88.9 billion. Yet the result shown was below analysts’ forecasts, who called the figure of $ 115.2 billion. AWS revenue was $ 14.81 billion, up 37% year-on-year. Moreover, the growth rates have increased: in the first quarter of this year with a 32% increase.

==> www.gizchina.com; 30.07.2021

Pentagon Scraps Microsoft’s $10 Billion Cloud Computing Deal After Lawsuit From Amazon;

The Department of Defense is canceling a $10 billion cloud computing contract with Microsoft, the military announced Tuesday, ending years of legal battles after Amazon wasn’t awarded the 2019 contract. In a statement, the DOD said the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract — a 10-year deal offering classified data storage and cloud computing services to the military — does not meet its current needs, citing “evolving requirements, increased cloud conversancy, and industry advances.”

==> www.forbes.com; 06.07.2021

AWS’ History-Making Quarter Results In $51B Revenue Run Rate;

Amazon Web Services ended last year with its strongest quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year performance since its 2006 launch, putting the cloud computing leader on track for a $51 billion annualized revenue run rate. “AWS added more revenue quarter over quarter and year over year than any quarter in its history,” Amazon chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky said during an earnings call with analysts on Tuesday.

==> www.crn.com; 02.02.2021

Amid cloud spending boom, Microsoft Azure, AWS gain IT spend;

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated spending on cloud computing, automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning and Microsoft and Amazon Web Services appear to be big winners, according to a Flexera report. Flexera's State of Tech Spend Report found that 49% of companies expect to increase information technology spending in 2021 with another 19% maintaining current levels. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 12.01.2021

Amazon Web Services cranks out $11.6 billion in third quarter revenue;

Driven in part by digital transformations related to Covid-19, Amazon Web Services reported $11.6 billion in Q3 revenue, which was an increase of almost 29% from the same quarter a year ago. While parent company Amazon posted solid Q3 numbers due to selling more goods during the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon Web Services accounted for more than $3.5 billion of Amazon's nearly $6.2 billion in operating income in the quarter. "In AWS, customer usage remained strong," said Amazon's Brian Olsavsky, senior vice president and chief financial officer, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript. "We continue to see companies meaningfully growing their plans to move to AWS."

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 30.10.2020

AWS hits $10B for the quarter putting it on a $40B run rate;

AWS announced it has passed $10 billion for the quarter, putting the cloud business on an impressive run rate of more than $40 billion. It was a bright spot for the company in an earnings report that saw it report net income of $2.5 billion, down $1 billion from a year ago.

==> techcrunch.com; 30.04.2020

Microsoft Skins AWS in Forrester Cloud Ranking;

Microsoft scored a razor-thin victory over larger rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Forrester Research’s latest ranking of public cloud providers in North America. However, AWS can wipe away those tears with the billions of dollars of additional revenue it generates compared to its smaller rival.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 20.03.2020

Amazon AWS launches $20 million initiative to help fight the coronavirus;

That includes, but won’t be limited to, helping push forward a more accurate, faster coronavirus COVID-19 test. Amazon specifies that the program, called the AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative, is open to accredited research institutions and private entities that are AWS customers. At launch, the program includes 35 global research institutions, startups and businesses. 

==> www.cnbc.com; 20.03.2020

Pentagon ‘wishes to reconsider’ awarding JEDI contract to Microsoft;

The US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics. A judge last month issued an order at Amazon’s request temporarily blocking the US military from starting work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, or JEDI.

==> www.rawstory.com; 13.03.2020

Gartner vision quest sees Microsoft, Google and IBM nipping at Amazon Web Services' heels in cloud AI;

Gartner analysts have exhaled a "Magic Quadrant" report on Cloud AI developer services, concluding that while AWS is fractionally ahead, rivals Microsoft and Google are close behind, and that IBM is the only other company deserving a place in the "Leaders" section of the chart. 

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 04.03.2020

Judge rules in favor of Amazon, halts work on JEDI contract by Microsoft;

On Thursday, a federal judge granted Amazon’s request and imposed an injunction that stopped work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project between the Department of Defense (DoD) and Microsoft.

==> www.wsws.org; 17.02.2020

AWS brings in nearly $10b in sales for Amazon in Q4, hits $40b annual run rate;

Once again, AWS accounted for most of Amazon's operating income, though its growth rate continued to decelerate slightly. While the growth rate has slowed, AWS's annual run rate grew from $30 billion at the end of 2018, he noted. "We continue to be happy with our top line growth," he said. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 30.01.2020

Despite JEDI loss, AWS retains dominant market position;

AWS took a hard blow last year when it lost the $10 billion, decade-long JEDI cloud contract to rival Microsoft. Yet even without that mega deal for building out the nation’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, the company remains fully in control of the cloud infrastructure market — and it intends to fight that decision. In fact, AWS still owns almost twice as much cloud infrastructure market share as Microsoft, its closest rival. 

==> techcrunch.com; 06.01.2020

AWS outperforms rivals in test of cloud capabilities;

Cockroach Labs tested the speed and strength of the three major cloud providers and found that Amazon Web Services holds an edge over Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure.  

==> www.techrepublic.com; 13.12.2019

Bad News

AWS Critical Vulnerabilities and Their Implications for Cloud Security;

Several critical vulnerabilities were recently discovered in Amazon Web Services (AWS) by Aqua Security's Nautilus team, affecting key services like CloudFormation, Glue, and SageMaker. These flaws could have led to severe security breaches, including remote code execution and data exfiltration. Two primary attack vectors, "Shadow Resource" and "Bucket Monopoly," were identified, exploiting predictable AWS resource naming conventions and automatically created resources, highlighting significant risks in cloud security.

==> www.dqindia.com; 13.08.2024

AWS Outage Hits Amazon Services, Ring, Whole Foods, Alexa;

AWS experienced a significant outage on Tuesday, disrupting services like Alexa, Whole Foods' self-checkout lanes, and Amazon delivery operations, among others. The issue, rooted in a problem with the Kinesis service in the US-EAST-1 region, caused increased error rates and affected multiple AWS services. AWS engineers identified the cause and worked on resolving it, but recovery took longer than anticipated, with the issue finally resolved by late evening.

==> www.crn.com; 30.07.2024

AWS’ AI And GenAI Leader Leaves For DigitalOcean As New CTO;

DigitalOcean has nabbed Amazon Web Services’ AI general manager, Bratin Saha, as its new chief product and technology officer, a move the company said will help make DigitalOcean the “best cloud” for developers and growing businesses. Saha spent the past six years at AWS as vice president and general manager for AI and machine learning and data infrastructure. 

==> www.crn.com; 17.06.2024

Here's why Broadcom is ditching its AWS channel partnership;

Broadcom has altered its sales strategy for the VMware Cloud on AWS product, moving away from selling directly through AWS and its channel partners to handling sales through Broadcom or authorized resellers. This shift aims to give Broadcom more direct control over customer relationships and revenue streams. Despite this significant change in the partnership with AWS, Broadcom is expected to maintain its channel partnerships with other major hyperscalers like Google Cloud and Microsoft, reflecting a broader strategy to position VMware as a central platform in the hybrid cloud ecosystem.

==> www.fierce-network.com; 08.05.2024

AWS told to pay $525m in damages after losing cloud storage patent infringement case;

A U.S. jury has ordered Amazon Web Services (AWS) to pay $525 million to Kove, a computer storage and data management company, for infringing on three of its patents related to data storage, search, and retrieval technologies. The lawsuit, filed by Kove in December 2018, claimed that AWS used its pioneering cloud storage technology without permission in products like Amazon's S3 storage and DynamoDB database service. While the jury sided with Kove, they did not find the infringement to be willful, and Amazon has expressed disagreement with the ruling and plans to appeal.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 11.04.2024

AWS cuts several hundred jobs to tackle ‘inefficiency’ as customer cloud cost-cutting continues;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced another series of job cuts affecting several hundred employees, particularly in its training, certification, and sales operations. These cuts, as explained by AWS senior vice-president Matt Garman, are part of a strategy to outsource training programs to third parties and focus more on self-study certifications, aiming to reduce duplication and inefficiency within the organization. This move is in response to the need for AWS to remain agile in a competitive industry, emphasizing a shift towards strategic areas expected to have the most impact. This development follows a significant hiring spree by Amazon during the Covid-19 pandemic and comes amidst broader efforts to adapt to customers' increasing focus on cost optimization in cloud services.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 04.04.2024

Amazon.com sued by tech startup after web-traffic deal sputters;

Subspace Omega, a defunct tech startup that provided internet connections for companies like Epic Games, has filed a lawsuit against Amazon Web Services (AWS), accusing it of unlawfully terminating a web-traffic agreement and driving Subspace out of business. The lawsuit alleges violations of U.S. antitrust law and seeks $417 million in damages, claiming that AWS had no legitimate business justification for ending the "peering" agreement, which impacted Subspace's ability to perform under its contract for Epic Games.

==> www.reuters.com; 20.11.2023

Microsoft and Amazon face UK regulator investigation over cloud services;

The UK regulator is investigating licensing practices from Microsoft and Amazon for public cloud infrastructure. The clouds are gathering over Microsoft’s Azure operations in the EU and now the UK, with the launch of a new investigation into major cloud service providers that also includes Amazon. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is just about to wrap up its concerns over cloud gaming with Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, but it will soon turn its attention to Microsoft’s Azure cloud offerings and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

==> www.theverge.com; 05.10.2023

Amazon Web Services briefly hit by wide-ranging outage, impacting major websites ;

Amazon Web Services was briefly hit by a wide-ranging outage on Tuesday afternoon that impacted a large number of major websites, including the Boston Globe and New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. The afternoon outage affected some news organization’s ability to publish coverage of former President Donald Trump’s court appearance in Miami. In a tweet, The Boston Globe wrote, “Amazon Web Services is experiencing an outage, which has affected digital publishing operations at the Globe since around 2:45 p.m. EDT.” 

==> edition.cnn.com; 13.06.2023

Cloud outages are on the rise. Here’s why;

One in four I.T. leaders believe infrastructure outages are the most likely source of disruption for their organization, according to a recent report from Splunky. Such outages have an estimated cost of $365,000 per hour of downtime for businesses. Perhaps more worryingly, half of the respondents’ organizations don’t have a digitally resilient infrastructure designed to mitigate or outright prevent the impact of a cloud service outage.

==> fortune.com; 07.06.2023

AWS job cuts: Managers, engineers, and recruiters impacted; CEO responds;

As part of Amazon's recent layoff round of 9,000 employees, Amazon Web Services has laid off a range of employees, including partner marketing managers, enterprise account executives, engineers, and recruiters. These recently laid-off employees have taken to LinkedIn to inform their social network of the situation. The laid-off employees comprise a variety of roles, ranging from software development engineers, cybersecurity consultants, and senior cloud architects, to senior and enterprise account executives, DevOps consultants, senior specialist solutions architects, software development engineers, and data scientist managers.

==> www.peoplematters.in; 01.05.2023

AWS suffers year-on-year drop in profit and revenue growth as enterprises curb cloud spend;

The annual revenue growth rate for Amazon’s cloud arm is continuing to slow, as enterprises look for ways to optimise the costs involved in running their IT estates off-premise, as evidenced by the e-commerce giant’s first-quarter results for 2023. The revenue generated by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the quarter covering the three months to 31 March 2023 reached $21.4bn, which is up 16% on the previous year. It did, however, suffer a year-on-year drop in profit from $6.5bn during Q1 2022 to $5.1bn this year.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 28.04.2023

Amazon, Microsoft could face UK antitrust probe over cloud services;

 Britain’s media and communications regulator Ofcom says it has “significant concerns” that Amazon and Microsoft could be harming competition in the market for cloud services. In a statement Wednesday, Ofcom said it was “proposing to refer” the cloud services market to the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK antitrust regulator, for further investigation. 

==> edition.cnn.com; 05.04.2023

AWS takes a hit in latest round of Amazon layoffs;

When Amazon announced it was laying off another 9,000 employees today, AWS employees were not exempt with Amazon CEO (and former AWS CEO) Andy Jassy announcing the cloud division would be included into today’s round. TechCrunch is hearing that around 10% of today’s total came from AWS. The company would not confirm those numbers, instead referring to Jassy’s memo to employees that was published this morning as the gist of its statement.

==> techcrunch.com; 20.03.2023

Google Cloud and AWS grow, but slow - the macro-economic crisis hits home for platform providers ;

A tale of two cloud platforms - AWS growth is slowing in the current macro-economic climate, whereas Google Cloud momentum was a bright spot in Alphabets Q4 earnings.At Amazon, AWS net sales increased to $21.4 billion in Q4, up 20% year-on-year and now represents an annualized sales run rate of more than $85 billion. Meanwhile over at Alphabet, the Google Cloud business saw year-on-year growth of 32% to take Q4 revenues to $7.3 billion, with Google Cloud Platform being the best performer. But as CFO Ruth Porat noted: In Q4, we saw slower growth of consumption as customers optimized GCP costs, reflecting the macro backdrop. Google Cloud had an operating loss of $480 million.

==> diginomica.com; 03.02.2023

Amazon Earnings Preview: AWS May Join Azure in Reporting Slower Growth;

 Amazon.com Inc., having predicted its slowest-ever holiday-season growth, now seems poised to turn in a better performance than expected — thanks in part to resilient US consumers. The question is whether a decent Christmas season will be enough to offset slowing sales growth at the company’s cloud services division, which for years has generated most of Amazon’s profit. 

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 02.02.2023

AWS Experienced an Outage in Its US-East 2 Availability Zone;

Fresh off the firm’s re:Invent conference which hosted 50,000 of the industry’s top pros, Amazon Web Services experienced an outage in its US-East 2 region. Representatives at AWS declined to comment on the cause of the outage and pointed us to their official statement online. Granted, US-East 2 is just one zone out of the total 96 for AWS, it still underlines the vulnerability of connectivity through the cloud for enterprises. If the world’s largest cloud service provider experiences down time, even for a short period, it affects millions of customers and many more of those customers’ customers.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 05.12.2022

Gemini down due to Amazon Web Services EBS outage; exchange working on restoring functions;

Crypto exchange Gemini services are down, causing speculation that it is the latest victim of the FTX crisis. Further investigation has revealed that the outage is due to an Amazon Web Services EBS outage with one of their primary databases. As of now, the exchange has confirmed that they are still investigating the issue and that they will provide more updates as they become available. 

==> cryptoslate.com; 16.11.2022

Amazon layoffs begin, including AWS contractors and cloud gaming staff;

The full scale of the cuts is not known, but earlier reports put it at around 10,000. Amazon has yet to make an official companywide statement to employees, instead reaching out to individuals to let them know they're being let go. On LinkedIn, employees at Amazon's cloud gaming division 'Luna,' which is part of Amazon's devices business and not AWS, say that they have been let go. But even Amazon's highly profitable cloud unit has not been left untouched.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 16.11.2022

Amazon to layoff 10,000 employees: Report;

Joining other technology companies that are laying off workers to battle global economic headwinds, Amazon is expected to cut close to 10,000 employees by the end of this week, according to a report from The New York Times. The job cuts, which would represent just a small fraction of Amazon's 1.5 million-strong workforce, are expected to include technology as well as corporate positions, the report says, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

==> www.computerworld.com; 14.11.2022

Public cloud spending up $11bn but hyperscalers AWS and Azure report slowing growth;

The booming public cloud market is showing signs of slowing down, with two of the hyperscaler cloud providers, Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft Azure, reporting slowing growth this week. Newly released figures show the value of the cloud market grew by $11bn in the last quarter, representing a significant year-on-year downturn in growth as the global economic situation impacts IT spending. The lower-than-expected cloud revenue growth hit the share price of both Amazon and Microsoft following the results announcements. The third member of the hyperscaler trio which dominate the public cloud market – Google Cloud – fared somewhat better, beating expectations with revenue growth of 38%, to $6.9bn. This is still off last year, where it enjoyed 45% growth.

==> techmonitor.ai; 28.10.2022

AWS revenue growth rate falls as enterprise customers seek to cut costs ;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has reported its slowest year-on-year rate of revenue growth since 2014 as enterprises seek to cut costs as economic uncertainty hits. Rising energy costs and customers looking to cut costs are both cited as reasons why Amazon Web Services (AWS) recorded its weakest revenue growth rate to-date during the three months to 30 September 2022. Since the firm’s parent company, Amazon.com, started providing a separate breakdown of AWS’s financials in its quarterly results in 2014, the firm has seen its revenue growth rate hit a high of 78% in 2015, before hovering between the 40-50% mark for several years after.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 28.10.2022

Ofcom to probe hyperscaler dominance of the UK public cloud market;

UK communications watchdog Ofcom is opening an investigation into the dominance held by cloud hyperscalers Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud over the public cloud market. It is part of a wider investigation Ofcom is conducting into how digital communications operate in Britain, which will also probe messaging services and smart speaker markets. Globally, AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud accounted for 65% of the public cloud market in Q2 2022, according to data from Synergy Research Group. If the regulator notes negative impacts, it can make recommendations to the government about necessary changes of policy, or recommend that the Competition and Markets Authority opens investigations into any potential competition concerns.

==> techmonitor.ai; 22.09.2022

Major AWS outage in South Africa;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) appears to be having an outage causing headaches for Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) customers in its South African region. Some report they can directly connect to existing servers but can’t log into their AWS console and select the region to make changes or spin up new servers.

==> mybroadband.co.za; 14.09.2022

Growth Slows for Cloud Giants AWS, GCP, Microsoft Azure;

AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure saw a slowdown of their huge revenue growth rates in the second quarter, according to the companies’ quarterly earnings reports. Executives pointed to macroeconomic conditions and said they remained bullish on cloud services under any economic conditions.

==> www.informationweek.com; 03.08.2022

Lehrt Cloudflare die Hyperscaler das Fürchten?;

Cloudflare befindet sich inmitten eines signifikanten Wandels: Das inzwischen 18 Jahre alte Unternehmen geht auf Kollisionskurs mit den marktbeherrschenden Cloud-Hyperscalern Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft und Google Cloud.

==> www.computerwoche.de; 03.08.2022

Cloudflare outage disrupts sites including Google, AWS and Twitter;

Content delivery network Cloudflare has provided details of an outage that caused service disruptions at hundreds of websites this morning. The company said that a change to its network configuration triggered an outage across 19 of its data centres. This impacted 50% of the HTTP requests on its network. Cloudflare says it has identified a number of areas of improvement that would prevent such outages in future, including refinements to its network architecture and increased automation. 

==> techmonitor.ai; 21.06.2022

Ex-AWS engineer convicted of hacking data of 100 million customers ;

A former female engineer of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Cloud arm of commerce giant Amazon, has been found guilty of hacking into more than 100 million customers' cloud storage systems and stealing data linked to the 2019 Capital One breach. "Thompson used her hacking skills to steal the personal information of more than 100 million people, and hijacked computer servers to mine cryptocurrency," said US Attorney Nick Brown.

==> www.business-standard.com; 19.06.2022

Azure surpasses AWS for some enterprise cloud uses;

A recent survey of cloud decision-makers showed that enterprises have begun to turn to Microsoft Azure as much as or more often than AWS. The accelerated migration of on-premises workloads to the cloud during the pandemic helped Microsoft Azure edge past archrival AWS in several major categories, according to the Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report.

==> www.techtarget.com; 21.04.2022

Denonia malware may be first to target AWS Lambda;

A newly discovered malware, dubbed Denonia after the domain name used by its operators, may be the first case of malware specifically targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) Lambda environments, according to the researchers at Cado Labs, who first spotted it in the wild.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 06.04.2022

EU ushers in brave new world of Big Tech regulation ;

Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft and other global players such as accommodation outfit Booking and Chinese e-commerce player Alibaba will come under the scope of the Digital Markets Act, which introduces a series of dos and don’ts for tech firms' behavior across digital markets. A final list of firms will now be drawn up by the Commission. For their part, the tech giants will be under intense pressure to update their products and services to comply with rules. After the expected final approval by Parliament and Council, which will come imminently, the text will enter into force 20 days after, and the rules will become applicable six months after that date. 

==> www.politico.eu; 25.03.2022

Apple (AAPL) Resolves Massive Service Outage;

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple employees had been told by the company that domain name system (DNS) problems caused the outages. DNS failures occur when a server fails to connect to an internet protocol (IP) address and are often caused by human errors. Meanwhile, Apple is heavily dependent on cloud services provided by AWS and Google.As a result, pending official confirmation, there is a possibility that all these service disruptions were interconnected.

==> www.investopedia.com; 22.03.2022

Cloud-Markt 2022 Microsoft Azure holt AWS ein;

Data Warehouses, Datenbanken und Container sind die beliebtesten Cloud-Anwendungen. Laut einer aktuellen Studie hat Microsoft Azure den Erzrivalen AWS eingeholt. Konkret berichten die Autoren: 80 Prozent der Unternehmen weltweit nutzen bereits Azure, für AWS liegt der Wert nur bei 77 Prozent. Flexera geht dabei von privaten Unternehmen und Public-Sector-Organisationen mit mehr als 1000 Mitarbeitenden aus. Der Bericht zeigt auch, dass Unternehmen weiterhin stark auf Multicloud-Strategien setzen. 89 Prozent der Befragten gehen diesen Weg, 80 Prozent verfolgen eine Hybrid-Cloud-Strategie.

==> www.cio.de; 11.03.2022

EU to launch probe over use of cloud services by public sector;

European privacy watchdog said on Tuesday it will launch joint investigations with 22 national regulators into the use of cloud-based services by the public sector to check if they comply with its privacy safeguards. The investigations will cover over 80 public bodies across the European Economic Area, including EU institutions, covering sectors such as health, finance, tax, education and providers of IT services), The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said. The EDPB will publish a report on the outcome of this analysis before the end of 2022.

==> www.reuters.com; 15.02.2022

Home8 security suffers outage, blames AWS for problem;

If you use Home8 for the security of your house or business then you’ve been having a rough time as of late. It’s perhaps the last thing you want to have problems with. But no matter which service you choose, you can expect a hiccup once in a while. Today, it is again the turn of Home8, as it has just informed customers via email that they experiencing a limited outage.

==> betanews.com; 07.02.2022

Amazon’s Devoted Cloud Customers Face A Decision After Outages: Leave, Stay Or Diversify?;

When Amazon Web Services suffered its third major outage in a matter of weeks last month – affecting millions of people, from Citi Bike riders to Disney+ viewers and Delta Airlines customers – almost none of its corporate clients expressed frustration publicly. AWS has long been the cloud leader, holding 41% of the global cloud infrastructure market, and generated $16 billion revenue in the third quarter of 2021. Though as a first-mover cloud vendor since it launched in 2006 – becoming essential for small and medium businesses looking to outsource their networks – AWS has been fending off tough competition from Microsoft, which Gartner says grew twice as fast as AWS in 2020 as it moved to secure large corporations. Microsoft doesn’t break out its public cloud revenue, but the most recent comparable figures from Gartner show that in 2020, Azure generated $12 billion revenue from public cloud infrastructure services, compared to $26 billion by AWS. (Google Cloud trailed at $4 billion).

==> www.forbes.com; 27.01.2022

Amazon confirms Alexa outage in UK and mainland Europe ;

Amazon has confirmed its Alexa virtual assistant service suffered an outage in the UK and mainland Europe but is now back to normal. In December last year, several Amazon services – including its website, Prime Video and applications that use Amazon Web Services (AWS) – went down for thousands of users. At the time the e-commerce company said the outage was because of problems related to the application programming interface (API), which is a set of protocols for building and integrating application software.

==> www.theguardian.com; 21.01.2022

The UK wants contingencies for Microsoft, Amazon, and Google cloud disruptions;

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have scored increased attention from the UK's Prudential Regulation Authority. A new report indicates the regulatory body is figuring out how to best oversee these companies' operations. The need for increased involvement on regulators' parts comes as a result of a mounting fear over cyber attacks and other dangers that could threaten third-party operations and, by extension, those of the UK citizenry.
 

==> www.windowscentral.com; 10.01.2022

Amazon Web Services’ third outage in a month exposes a weak point in the internet’s backbone;

Amazon’s massive cloud-computing operation Wednesday suffered its third outage in a month, briefly shutting down a vast number of online services critical to everyday life and highlighting again the vulnerabilities of an increasingly interconnected web. It’s the latest of several recent AWS outages that took down large chunks of the digital economy. Two weeks ago, service problems tied to malfunctioning network devices knocked offline Amazon’s Ring doorbells and Roomba vacuums. Another outage occurred last week.

==> www.seattletimes.com; 22.12.2021

AWS Outage Stresses Telco Cloud Challenges;

Amazon’s outage last week, which lasted the better part of a day, serves as yet another reminder that telecom networks can’t yet, and may never be able to, fully rely on cloud infrastructure for critical services and workloads. However, “communications service providers have much stricter service level agreements (SLA) and service-uptime guarantees remain stringent relative to cloud software and platforms,” he wrote in response to questions. 

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 15.12.2021

Amazon's cloud outage showed its immense reach. Here's why that could be a problem.;

The ripple effects of Amazon Web Services' major outage on Tuesday showed how deeply the company's cloud infrastructure is enmeshed with the global economy. It also showed there's no clear fix. Outages will affect even more people in coming years, as industries shift to cloud infrastructures. Nasdaq last week announced plans to migrate trading to the cloud. An event like Tuesday's could severely disrupt trading for a day.

==> www.bizjournals.com; 09.12.2021

Amazon cloud outage hits major websites, streaming apps;

A major outage disrupted Amazon's cloud services on Tuesday, temporarily knocking out streaming platforms Netflix and Disney+, Robinhood, a wide range of apps and Amazon.com Inc's e-commerce website as consumers shopped ahead of Christmas. Amazon said the outage was related to network devices and linked to application programming interface, or API, which is a set of protocols for building and integrating application software. Amazon has experienced 27 outages over the past 12 months related to its services, according to web tool reviewing website ToolTester.

==> www.reuters.com; 08.12.2021

Report: AWS uncertain about true cause of massive outage, internal note warns of firewall "overwhelmed by unknown source";

Amazon Web Services (AWS) engineers still are not entirely sure what caused a massive outage on December 7. While the company has publicly said that the prolonged downtime at its us-east-1 was due to "network device issues," leaked internal messages show much more confusion and concern amongst staff. Business Insider reports that the company traced the root cause to "a problem with several network devices within the internal AWS network," where the "devices are receiving more traffic than they are able to process, which is leading to elevated latency and packet loss for the traffic traversing them."

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 08.12.2021

The executive suing Amazon Web Services: ‘I wouldn’t want my worst enemy working there’;

Cindy Warner saw a promising career at the cloud computing company. What she found, she says, was ‘toxic’. Her lawsuit is one of several Amazon is currently facing over allegations of workplace discrimination, and it underscores the challenges women face from the bottom to the top of the tech industry. An Amazon spokesperson, Jaci Anderson, said Warner’s characterization of the circumstances under which she left AWS was “not accurate”, saying Warner had been encouraged to find another role within the company before her employment was terminated.

==> www.theguardian.com; 16.11.2021

Japan investigating Amazon cloud disruptions to brokers, airline;

Japan is investigating an Amazon Web Services outage that caused disruptions at major online brokerages, a leading mobile phone carrier and the country's biggest airline, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. The outage, at least the third for Amazon since June, hit ANA Holdings Inc, which said some flights were delayed after problems with its ticketing and check-in system, although services were later restored.

==> www.reuters.com; 02.09.2021

Microsoft challenges NSA cloud contract reportedly awarded to Amazon;

Microsoft has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office against the National Security Agency, challenging the recent award of a cloud computing contract. The NSA awarded the contract to cloud rival Amazon, multiple outlets reported. Amazon previously challenged a high-profile Pentagon cloud contract awarded to Microsoft, which was later canceled by the Department of Defense.

==> www.cnbc.com; 12.08.2021

AWS Hires Investigators After Gender Discrimination Petition;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is at the centre of internal staff tensions, after a petition was circulated last week containing serious allegations. CNN saw the staff petition, which alleges “systemic discrimination, harassment, bullying and bias against women and under-represented groups.”

==> www.silicon.co.uk; 27.07.2021

Amazon restores service after global outage;

According to outage monitoring website Downdetector, services were disrupted for nearly two hours and at the peak of the disruption, more than 38,000 user reports indicated issues with Amazon's online stores. They occurred on Sunday evening in the United States and Monday morning for much of the rest of the world. It was the second broad disruption since late June when users experienced a brief outage on Amazon platforms including Alexa and Prime Video before services were restored. read more 

==> www.reuters.com; 12.07.2021

AWS Frankfurt experiences major breakdown that staff couldn’t fix for hours due to ‘environmental conditions’ on data centre floor;

Cloud colossus says aircon fail caused kit to shut down, networks dropped out and EC2 instances went dark. AWS has updated its incident report by revealing that the incident was caused by "failure of a control system which disabled multiple air handlers in the affected Availability Zone." The air handlers cool the data center, so once they stopped working "ambient temperatures began to rise" to unsafe levels, so AWS servers networking kit shut down.

==> www.theregister.com; 11.06.2021

Parler drops one lawsuit against AWS, immediately files another;

Parler has dropped its bid to force AWS to host the controversial social media site using an antitrust lawsuit. However, Parler has filed a new lawsuit in Washington state claiming defamation and breach of contract by Amazon. The company is claiming damages, saying AWS acted in bad faith and violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act., when it removed Parler from its cloud service in January , after the right-wing attack on the Capitol in Washington DC 

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 04.03.2021

Amazon sued by Black cloud-computing manager over alleged racial discrimination and sexual harassment ;

A discrimination lawsuit by an Amazon senior manager depicts a stark contrast between the company’s public statements affirming its commitment to racial equity and how the employer treats its nonwhite workers. Charlotte Newman filed a federal suit Monday in Washington, D.C., alleging the Seattle-based commerce giant paid her less than similarly qualified white peers and executives used racial stereotypes to justify denying her opportunities for promotion.

==> www.seattletimes.com; 01.03.2021

FTX exchange down due to AWS issues; resumes ops ‘for now’;

According to Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX exchange, AWS “crashed,” and temporarily caused some network issues on the platform. However, the CEO quickly responded that the issue also affected other crypto exchanges. Taking to Twitter, he assured users that the exchange was back up online “for now.” According to one Twitter user, “FTX has been down for the last 19 minutes.” The tweet in question was published at 2:38 PM UTC. At the same time, another user quickly commented on Twitter about facing connectivity issues while using FTX.  

==> ambcrypto.com; 19.02.2021

AWS urges US court to throw out Parler breach of contract lawsuit;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has urged the United States District Court to dismiss Parler’s application to have its service reinstated on its public cloud platform. The stricken social media firm filed a temporary restraining order lawsuit earlier this week against AWS, that sought to reverse Amazon’s decision to prevent Parler from using its servers to host its app and website for violating the terms of its acceptable use policy.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 14.01.2021

Amazon details cause of AWS outage that hobbled thousands of online sites and services;

A “relatively small addition of capacity” to the Amazon Kinesis real-time data processing service triggered a widespread Amazon Web Services outage last week, the company said in a detailed technical analysis over the weekend. The outage impacted online services from big tech companies such as Adobe, Roku, Twilio, Flickr, Autodesk, and others, including New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority. The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, was also impacted by the outage.

==> www.geekwire.com; 30.11.2020

Amazon Web Services outage takes a portion of the internet down with it;

Several AWS services were experiencing problems as of early Wednesday, according to its status page. That means any app, site or service that relies on AWS might also be down, too. Amazon says the issue is largely localized to North America. The company didn’t give a reason for the outage, only that it was experiencing increased error rates and that it was working on a resolution. The irony is that the outage is also affecting the company’s “ability to post updates to the Service Health Dashboard,” so not even Amazon is immune from its own downtime.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.11.2020

Azure UK South Outage: Overheating Cloud Dried Up Services for Customers;

UK South — one of Microsoft Azure’s two local cloud regions — crashed offline on Monday after an outage triggered by a cooling system failure in a data centre. The incident, between 14:54 BST on 14 Sep 2020 and 01:41 BST on 15 Sep 2020, left engineers scrambling to place the automated cooling system into manual mode and reset affected pumps, after rising internal temperatures saw systems shut down all network, compute, and storage resources “to protect data durability”.

==> www.cbronline.com; 15.09.2020

Amazon 'thwarts largest ever DDoS cyber-attack';

Amazon says its online cloud, which provides the infrastructure on which many websites rely, has fended off the largest DDoS attack in history. Amazon Web Services (AWS) said the February attack had fired 2.3Tbps. However, protection services such as AWS Shield, Cloudflare, and Akamai, among others, have been used by many major online services in an attempt to limit their effectiveness.

==> www.bbc.com; 18.06.2020

Amazon.com was briefly down for many in the US;

Amazon.com was down for many people in the US for a short while Thursday afternoon. A number of Verge staffers were unable to access the site, and countless user reports of an outage across the country poured in on Downdetector.

==> www.theverge.com; 28.05.2020

Zoom Hires Oracle, Not Amazon or Microsoft, For Cloud Deal;

Zoom Video Communications has chosen Oracle's Cloud Infrastructure to support its core video product, although it will continue working with Amazon and Microsoft on some cloud projects as well. In a press release, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said that the company had explored multiple platforms before choosing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. "We chose Oracle Cloud Infrastructure because of its industry-leading security, outstanding performance, and unmatched level of support."  

==> www.fool.com; 28.04.2020

AWS slams lack of White House cooperation in JEDI cloud contract investigation;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has rubbished the findings of a 317-page investigative report into “ethical misconduct” allegations pertaining to the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) controversial Joint Enterprise Defense infrastructure (JEDI) cloud contract. The inspector general (IG) for the DoD has published details of its investigation into various allegations made about how the procurement was conducted, right back to the decision to award such a sizeable contract to a single supplier, and concluded that the entire process was carried out fairly and in accordance with the law.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 17.04.2020

NASA to launch 247 petabytes of data into AWS – but forgot about eye-watering cloudy egress costs before lift-off;

NASA needs 215 more petabytes of storage by the year 2025, and expects Amazon Web Services to provide the bulk of that capacity. However, the space agency didn’t realize this would cost it plenty in cloud egress charges. As in, it will have to pay as scientists download its data. That omission alone has left NASA's cloud strategy pointing at the ground rather than at the heavens.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 19.03.2020

AWS cancels Sydney Summit due to COVID-19;

The cloud giant announced the decision to cull its AWS Summit Sydney and Amazon Innovation Day 2020 after “careful review of the current situation with COVID-19”. The event was due to take place between March 31 and April 2 at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, Sydney.

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 05.03.2020

AWS cancels Mumbai Summit due to coronavirus concerns;

Most of the companies are avoiding large gatherings as new coronavirus can spread faster in such settings. Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Realme on Tuesday announced to cancel their product launch events in India this month owing to the growing COVID-19 fears.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 04.03.2020

Amazon’s AWS lost cloud market share to Microsoft Azure in 2019;

As expected, Amazon’s AWS lost cloud market share to Microsoft Azure in 2019. In 2019, Amazon AWS had 32.3% of the market, down from 36% in 2018, and Microsoft Azure had 16.9% of the market, up from 14.2% in 2018. The difference between Azure and AWS reduced from 18.5% in 2018 to 15.4% in 2019. Canalys mentioned in its report that Azure saw $18.1 billion revenue in 2019, nearly half when compared to Amazon’s $34.6 billion revenue.

==> mspoweruser.com; 21.02.2020

Amazon Engineer Leaked Private Encryption Keys. Outside Analysts Discovered Them in Minutes;

An Amazon Web Services (AWS) engineer last week inadvertently made public almost a gigabyte’s worth of sensitive data, including their own personal documents as well as passwords and cryptographic keys to various AWS environments. 

==> gizmodo.com; 22.01.2020

Google Cloud Intensifies Battles Against Microsoft, Amazon with 4 Key Moves;

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian is buying and building new firepower to snatch customers, prospects and market share from Microsoft and Amazon in the viciously competitive enterprise-cloud marketplace. While each of these moves is significant, the true impact is how they cumulatively reveal Google Cloud’s true intention of becoming not just a better version of itself but ultimately the world’s pre-eminent enterprise-cloud player.

==> cloudwars.co; 21.01.2020

New CFO takes over Amazon's AWS division;

Sean Boyle, CFO of multi-billion dollar cloud-computing business Amazon Web Services (AWS) since 2015, has "moved to another role within AWS," a spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider Tuesday. Boyle has been with Amazon for 13 years and previously served as CFO of software company, Apptio. Luis Visoso, who has headed finance for Amazon's global consumer segment since 2018, has stepped in as CFO. 

==> www.cfodive.com; 08.01.2020

Microsoft Azure has an edge over Amazon Web Services at big companies, Goldman Sachs survey says;

The latest results suggest that Microsoft could continue to gain cloud market share. Microsoft stock has outpaced the major indices as CEO Satya Nadella has focused the company more on cloud services, particularly for business use. Further cloud growth could help bring the stock higher, as analysts expect.

==> www.cnbc.com; 07.01.2020

AWS denies open source software stealing claim;

The cloud giant was less than pleased with a recent article in the New York Times which criticized the company for integrating open source software created by others into its own offerings. In the article, the chief executive of the open source database MariaDB, Michael Howard even went as far as to say that “A.W.S.’s success is built on strip-mining open-source technology”.

==> www.techradar.com; 19.12.2019

The FTC has reportedly opened a probe into Amazon's cloud business;

The US Federal Trade Commission is expanding the scope of its Amazon probe to include its cloud business, according to Bloomberg. In addition to looking into the company's e-commerce business, investigators have reportedly started asking the software companies Amazon works with about Web Services' practices to figure out it's been harming competition or violating any antitrust laws.

==> www.engadget.com; 04.12.2019

Amazon could be forced to spin off AWS, Oppenheimer says;

Amazon, which has faced increasing antitrust pressure this year in the U.S. and European Union, may have to spin off its lucrative cloud business, Oppenheimer warned investors on Monday.

==> www.cnbc.com; 18.11.2019

Google, Microsoft Azure Beat AWS in Cloud Performance;

Google and Microsoft Azure delivered more predictable performance — especially outside the United States — when compared to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Alibaba Cloud, the report concluded. IBM’s performance varies by region but it also stands apart due to its hybrid approach, which utilizes a private and public internet backbone.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 14.11.2019

Amazon is saying nothing about the DDoS attack that took down AWS, but others are;

Amazon has still not provided any useful information or insights into the DDoS attack that took down swathes of websites last week, so let’s turn to others that were watching.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 28.10.2019

Amazon’s cloud growth slows, but the future is bright;

AWS still leads the cloud computing market by some distance from its rivals, but its revenue growth slowed noticeably in its most recent quarter, and investors were not at all happy. Indeed, their displeasure became clear with AWS’ shares falling more than 6% in the aftermath of the report, though it did recover most of those losses in the hours that followed.

==> siliconangle.com; 28.10.2019

Strategy

Microsoft announces $3 bn AI investment in India;

Microsoft plans to invest $3 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure in India over the next two years, including new data centers, as the country emerges as a key hub for AI innovation and talent. This move aligns with Microsoft's broader strategy, which includes $80 billion in global AI investments this fiscal year. The initiative highlights India's growing role in the global AI landscape and Microsoft's focus on expanding cloud services.

==> techxplore.com; 07.01.2025

Microsoft acquires twice as many Nvidia AI chips as tech rivals;

Microsoft significantly outpaced competitors in purchasing Nvidia's AI chips in 2024, acquiring 485,000 of the flagship Hopper GPUs to bolster its AI infrastructure, far ahead of Meta's 224,000 and other rivals like Amazon and Google. This investment supports Microsoft's AI services, including OpenAI collaborations, while competitors develop their own custom AI chips to reduce reliance on Nvidia. Global tech companies are expected to spend $229 billion on servers in 2024, with Nvidia capturing a dominant share of AI-related capital expenditure.

==> www.ft.com; 18.12.2024

Azure cloud infrastructure expands to Western Australia;

Microsoft will establish an Azure Extended Zone in Perth, Western Australia, by mid-2025 to meet growing demand for cloud and AI services. The expansion aims to enhance service delivery for public and private sectors, with a focus on improving healthcare, education, and supporting the WA government’s digital transformation initiatives. This move aligns with the state’s Industries Acceleration Strategy, which promotes digital security and innovation.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 11.12.2024

Copilot Flying Higher Than Expected - JEF Survey;

Jefferies surveyed 49 MSFT decision makers who have 1K+ M365 seats. Respondents were weighted to custs with >10K MSFT seats (68%), so it is a good read-through on adoption within large enterprises. Key takes:

  • AI is a main driver to MSFT spend growth in '25. Azure AI is listed by 53% of respondents as a main driver for spend increase vs only 23% citing Core Azure. Additionally, 50% of respondents listed Copilots as a main driver of growth.
  • Broad AI impact is evident with a majority of respondents indicating that Copilots will significantly boost their Azure & Security spend.
    • 88% of respondents believe that their firm's deployment on MSFT's Copilots will increase its Azure spend (36% saying it will increase it by >6%).
    • 72% believe their adoption of MSFT's Copilots will increase their MSFT security spend.
    • 56% of respondents up-tiered current O365 seat tier due to M365 Copilot
  • Strong MSFT M365 Copilot adoption at 67% of respondents today. All of our respondents indicated they planned to adopt M365 Copilot, rolling out to an avg of 58% of their seats, in next 24 months.
  • Varied pricing for M365 Copilot with avg paying incremental $18 per seat/month. Incremental price per seat/month of M365 Copilot was incredibly varied with respondents paying anywhere from $6 to $30. We note that this may be attributed to up-tiering or deployment size.
  • 27% have adopted Security Copilot. 57% of respondents are planning to adopt Security Copilot within the next 24 months.
  • 51% of respondents have adopted Azure OpenAI Services. 76% & 88% plan to adopt Azure OpenAI Services within next 12 & 24 months, respectively.
  • Internally built application adoption lags ChatGPT & M365 Copilot. Evidencing the complexities of building vs buying, internally built application adoption, at 45% today, is below M365 Copilot at 67% & ChatGPT at 63%.
  • Our what-if M365 Copilot rev build shows potential for $13B+ in rev by CY26. Using conservative assumptions of just 300M O365 eligible seats, straight line adoption, & conservatism vs our survey results, our build indicates that M365 Copilot could be generating$2.3B in ARR today and has the potential to drive $5.4B/$13.1B in CY25/CY26 rev.

Current vs. Planned Adoption of Microsoft Copilots and Products

(Please contact MI for more details on the survey)

==> jefferies.com; 29.10.2024

Microsoft, BlackRock to launch $30 billion fund for AI infrastructure;

BlackRock and Microsoft plan to launch a $30 billion fund to invest in AI infrastructure, focusing on data centers and energy projects to meet the growing computational demands of AI. The Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership, supported by Abu Dhabi's MGX and AI chipmaker Nvidia, aims to enhance AI supply chains and energy sourcing. The initiative could mobilize up to $100 billion in total investment, with most funds directed to U.S. projects and others to partner countries.

==> www.reuters.com; 18.09.2024

Microsoft plans Windows security overhaul after CrowdStrike outage;

Microsoft is considering changes to improve Windows' resilience to third-party software issues following a global outage caused by a faulty CrowdStrike update, which impacted millions of devices. The changes could involve restricting access to the Windows kernel, a move that may disadvantage external security vendors while benefiting Microsoft’s own Defender software. The shift has sparked concerns among competitors and regulators, as it could alter Microsoft's approach to third-party integration and raise challenges for cybersecurity software developers.

==> www.ft.com; 23.08.2024

Microsoft Announces Mandatory MFA for Azure Sign-ins to Bolster Cloud Defenses;

Starting in October 2024, Microsoft will implement mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all Azure sign-ins to enhance security and protect against unauthorized access. The rollout will occur in two phases: the first phase will enforce MFA for key administration portals, and the second phase in early 2025 will expand enforcement to all Azure clients, including Azure CLI and PowerShell, ensuring comprehensive protection across the platform.

==> thecyberexpress.com; 16.08.2024

German Cyber Agency Wants Changes in Microsoft, CrowdStrike Products After Tech Outage;

Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is pushing for stricter controls on cybersecurity companies' access to the Windows kernel following the massive July 2024 IT outage caused by a flawed CrowdStrike update. The BSI argues that reducing kernel access is crucial to preventing similar incidents and is organizing a conference with major tech firms to discuss potential changes. Despite Microsoft’s claim that an EU agreement limits its ability to restrict access, the BSI believes that robust technical solutions that comply with EU regulations are possible.

==> www.wsj.com; 14.08.2024

Microsoft Fiscal Q4 Partner Survey: Partners 1% Below Plan as Several Metrics Downtick; AI Indications Remain Strong;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ4 (Jun) survey (n=29) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 0.7% Below Plan, a downtick from last quarter’s +2.6% and a reversion from the ‘return-to-normalcy’ streak seen over the prior three quarters, with the current reading landing below the historical average of +3.0%.
  2. CY24 Practice Growth Expectations Resilient at 12%. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 12.2% in CY24. Diverging from several other aspects of the survey, this projection modestly improves and lands better than six of the prior seven quarters.
  3. Most Other Metrics Downtick as Demand Backdrop Remains Uneven. Pace of Business, Bookings Expectations, Product Momentum, and Tone of Business by Segment all downtick compared to the prior quarter. Broadly these metrics trended below the last couple of quarters, but still in positive territory and holding above the heavy-optimization and inflation-adjustment period of mid- 2022 to mid/late-2023. Overall, the downtick in several key survey metrics is undesirable, but may prove temporary and manageable, while our recent CIO Survey and qualitative partner commentary remain highly favorable for Microsoft for the long-term horizon.
  4. Product Momentum Scoring for AI Toolkit Remains Strong. AI-related mentions as the single biggest trend of the quarter remain dominant at >60%, with several partners indicating that AI is the “pervading technology” and that it is “developing very rapidly.” M365 Copilot and Azure OpenAI Service also rank among the top two products in terms of product momentum scoring for yet another quarter, reflecting Microsoft’s continued leadership in GenAI across the infrastructure and application layers. Azure and Office 365 product momentum indications compress sequentially, notable due to the size of these revenue streams.
  5. Partners Net-Positive on M365 Copilot Feedback/Traction; Adoption-Barriers Largely Temporary. When asked about early- stage traction and user feedback for M365 Copilot, 50% of partners are positive, 36% neutral, and only 14% negative, relaying “significant productivity gains” and customers using it on an “hourly basis”, partially balanced with a lower volume of feedback that the implementation is “not straight-forward.” For those customers who have not yet moved forward with M365 Copilot, partners identify most hurdles to adoption as temporary, with Security / Privacy and Product Cost / ROI each receiving 38% of indications.

(Please contact MI for more details on the survey)

==> jpmorgan.com; 26.07.2024

Microsoft signs antitrust truce with OVHcloud ;

Microsoft has reached a settlement with French cloud provider OVHcloud, leading to the withdrawal of OVHcloud's antitrust complaint to the European Union. This agreement, which involves several changes in Microsoft's practices, allows OVHcloud's users to more easily deploy Microsoft's solutions across different cloud platforms. The settlement mitigates the immediate risk of an EU investigation and reflects broader changes Microsoft is making in response to regulatory pressures in Europe.

==> www.politico.eu; 18.07.2024

Microsoft reaches deal with European cloud players over privileging Azure;

Microsoft has resolved a dispute with European cloud providers and Amazon AWS over allegations of using its market dominance to unfairly promote its Azure cloud service, particularly by imposing higher fees for using Office software outside of Azure. The agreement involves Microsoft compensating the complainants, provided they withdraw their official complaint, and making changes to its software licenses within nine months to prevent similar issues in the future. Despite this settlement, some parties, including Amazon, remain unsatisfied, criticizing the agreement for not sufficiently addressing the broader issues affecting Microsoft customers globally.

==> www.techzine.eu; 11.07.2024

Cybersecurity label should not exclude AWS and Azure warns European industry;

Twenty-six European industry groups have raised concerns that the European cybersecurity label for cloud services, known as EUCS, could potentially exclude major U.S. cloud service providers like AWS and Azure. These groups advocate for an inclusive and non-discriminatory certification that allows free movement of cloud services within Europe. This comes amid discussions by the European Commission, ENISA, and EU countries about the certification, with concerns also revolving around potential U.S. government spying on data stored by American cloud services in Europe.

==> www.techzine.eu; 17.06.2024

Microsoft’s US$4bn Investment in France’s Data Centres;

Microsoft announced a substantial investment of €4 billion (US$4.31 billion) in data center infrastructure in France at the Choose France summit. This investment is intended to enhance the adoption of AI and cloud technologies, bolstering the French digital ecosystem and job market. The plan includes the construction of a new data center near Mulhouse and the expansion of existing sites in Paris and Marseille, aiming to meet the rising demand for sustainable, AI-driven computing power in both private and public sectors.

==> datacentremagazine.com; 14.05.2024

Microsoft expands its AI empire abroad;

The rapid rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT has positioned generative AI as a revolutionary force in technology, propelling Microsoft to the forefront as the world's most valuable company and intensifying competition with major tech firms like Google, Meta, and Amazon. Microsoft has committed nearly $10 billion to global AI investments, enhancing its cloud offerings and rolling out AI tools like Copilot, driving significant earnings growth and market dominance. This aggressive investment strategy is seen as pivotal for maintaining leadership in the burgeoning AI sector, likened to Microsoft's 'iPhone moment' for its potential to dramatically increase annual revenue.

==> techxplore.com; 26.04.2024

Microsoft hires former Meta exec to bolster AI supercomputing team ;

Former Meta executive Jason Taylor has joined Microsoft's AI supercomputing team as corporate vice president and deputy CTO, as announced by Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott. Taylor, who managed AI, data, and privacy infrastructure at Meta, will help Microsoft build advanced AI systems. His recruitment aligns with Microsoft's efforts to enhance their hardware capabilities to support increasingly complex AI models, despite speculation about a $100 billion supercomputer project deemed inaccurate by Scott.

==> www.theverge.com; 22.04.2024

Siemens and Microsoft to Converge Digital Twin Definition Language with W3C Thing Description Standard;

Siemens and Microsoft are collaborating with the W3C Consortium to standardize the Digital Twin Definition Language (DTDL) and integrate it with the W3C Thing Description standard. This effort aims to address IoT fragmentation by ensuring interoperability and simplifying system integration across various digital twin platforms and systems. By aligning their digital twin languages, they intend to enhance modeling experiences, reduce vendor lock-in, and promote consistent data exchange in industries such as building management, power distribution, and smart grids.

==> www.arcweb.com; 16.04.2024

Microsoft to invest $2.9 billion to boost AI and cloud in Japan;

Microsoft has announced a significant $2.9 billion investment over the next two years to enhance its hyperscale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Japan. This investment coincides with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to the U.S., the first such visit in nine years. Alongside the infrastructure investment, Microsoft aims to expand digital training to impart AI skills to over 3 million individuals in three years and plans to establish an AI and robotics lab in Japan, strengthening its cybersecurity collaboration with the Japanese government.

==> www.japantimes.co.jp; 10.04.2024

Microsoft announces new AI office in UK;

Microsoft is set to open a new AI research and development office in London, aiming to hire top AI scientists and engineers as part of a significant, long-term investment in the region. The new hub, led by AI engineer Jordan Hoffmann, will focus on advancing language models and their infrastructure. This move highlights the UK's growing reputation as a leader in AI innovation, supported by its "safety-first" approach to AI and proactive efforts to attract global talent and businesses in the tech sector.

==> www.bbc.com; 08.04.2024

Exclusive: Microsoft to separate Teams and Office globally amid antitrust scrutiny;

Microsoft has announced it will sell its chat and video application Teams separately from its Office suite globally, a move initially made in Europe to address EU antitrust concerns. This decision follows a European Commission investigation triggered by a complaint from Slack in 2020, alleging that Microsoft's bundling of Office and Teams gave it an unfair competitive advantage. Despite the separation, analysts believe this may not significantly impact Teams' integration into business workflows or its user base, which has remained stable since the unbundling in Europe. Microsoft aims to offer more purchasing flexibility for multinational companies and is introducing new Microsoft 365 and Office 365 suites without Teams, alongside a standalone Teams option for enterprise customers. 

==> www.reuters.com; 01.04.2024

Microsoft hires DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to run new consumer AI unit;

Microsoft has appointed Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind and CEO of AI startup Inflection, to lead a new consumer AI unit, aiming to consolidate consumer-facing products like Microsoft’s Copilot, Bing, and Edge under the Microsoft AI team. This move, part of Microsoft's strategy to leverage the generative AI boom, follows its $13 billion investment in OpenAI and the integration of ChatGPT into its products, positioning Microsoft at the forefront of AI technology deployment. Suleyman's role will involve projects such as integrating an AI version of Copilot into Windows and enhancing Bing with generative AI, marking a significant organizational shift at Microsoft and amplifying its commitment to developing AI technologies safely and responsibly.

==> www.ft.com; 19.03.2024

Microsoft expands its artificial intelligence infrastructure in Spain;

n Microsoft will expand its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure in Spain, investing $2.1 billion over the next two years, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets. "Our investments go beyond just building data centers. This is proof of Spain's 37-year commitment to its security, development and digital transformation of its government, business and people," he said.

==> www.azernews.az; 21.02.2024

Microsoft aims to reduce Nvidia reliance with new AI server equipment ;

Microsoft is developing a new network card to enhance its Maia AI server chip, possibly reducing reliance on Nvidia. Led by Pradeep Sindhu, the new card, similar to Nvidia's ConnectX-7, aims to expedite OpenAI model training on Microsoft servers. This move coincides with Nvidia's continued success, becoming Wall Street's third-most traded and valuable company, while global tech giants like Apple and Amazon shift towards in-house chip development.

==> www.theinformation.com; 21.02.2024

Microsoft investiert 3,3 Milliarden Euro in KI in Deutschland;

Microsoft plant, in den kommenden zwei Jahren knapp 3,3 Milliarden Euro in künstliche Intelligenz (KI) in Deutschland zu investieren, um Rechenzentrumskapazitäten für KI-Anwendungen und Cloud-Computing auszubauen. Dies ist die größte Einzelinvestition von Microsoft in Deutschland und beinhaltet ein KI-Weiterbildungsprogramm für bis zu 1,2 Millionen Menschen. Die Investitionen sollen in Bedburg, Bergheim und Elsdorf bei Köln angesiedelt werden, um die räumliche Nähe zu Großkunden wie Bayer und RWE zu gewährleisten und Verzögerungen im Datenaustausch zu minimieren.

==> www.zeit.de; 15.02.2024

Microsoft in deal with Semafor to create news stories with aid of AI chatbot;

Microsoft is collaborating with media start-up Semafor to utilize its AI chatbot in developing news stories, sponsoring a breaking news feed called "Signals" with about a dozen posts a day, aiming to provide diverse perspectives on global events. Amid concerns over AI's impact on media, the partnership emphasizes the use of AI as a research tool to inform journalistic content, while Microsoft faces a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from The New York Times over alleged use of its articles in AI development.

==> www.ft.com; 05.02.2024

Benefitting from Early & Deep GenAI Leadership, 6-Point AI Tailwind Perpetuates Healthy Double-Digit Growth;

JP Morgans Key Takeways

  1. Azure's growth exceeded expectations, reaching 28% in FQ2, with AI services doubling their growth contribution to 6%. Despite a slowing growth rate excluding AI services, Azure's overall growth remains strong due to its leadership in GenAI.
  2. Microsoft noted the end of a period of significant optimizations and reluctance for new workloads, signaling a more positive outlook for cloud infrastructure expansions.
  3. Microsoft raised FY24 operating margin guidance, attributing the increase to efficiency improvements and disciplined cost management, even as it invests in cloud and AI capabilities. 
  4. Some business areas showed weakness, including LinkedIn Talent Solutions and Dynamics 365, but AI and other sectors helped offset these challenges.
  5. The M365 Copilot suite is gaining traction, improving productivity by up to 70% for certain tasks, showcasing Microsoft's leadership in generative AI application and infrastructure.
==> jpmorgan.com; 31.01.2024

Microsoft says AI is getting deployed 'at scale';

Microsoft's sales surged in late 2023, driven by high demand for its artificial intelligence tools, resulting in revenue exceeding $60 billion from September to December, marking an 18% year-on-year increase. CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the company's focus on AI "at scale," while the success confirms Microsoft's position as a leader in the tech industry's race to capitalize on AI advancements. Despite these gains, both Microsoft and Alphabet have downsized their workforces, with Microsoft trimming its gaming unit by 1,900 jobs following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

==> www.bbc.com; 30.01.2024

Microsoft hires energy mavericks in quest for nuclear-powered datacenters;

Microsoft has hired Archana "Archie" Manoharan as the director of nuclear technologies to lead a program developing small-scale atomic reactors for datacenters. With over 15 years in the energy industry, Manoharan previously served as the director of nuclear strategy & programs at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. Microsoft, aiming to decarbonize its electricity sector, is exploring small modular reactors (SMRs) or microreactors as an alternative to fossil fuels, recognizing the potential benefits of modular, prefabricated nuclear technology for datacenters' expanding energy needs.

==> www.theregister.com; 23.01.2024

Microsoft Launches New Partner Benefits Packages;

Microsoft is rolling out three partner benefits packages for solution providers at different growth stages, featuring access to Microsoft Sales Copilot, product licenses, and Azure credits. The packages include Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits, targeting partners building their first offering, expanding capabilities, or scaling up. Microsoft aims to support partners' growth and enhance success in delivering solutions to customers, with the packages available in major markets and expanding to most other locations by the end of March.

==> www.crn.com; 22.01.2024

Our investment in AI infrastructure, skills and security to boost the UK’s AI potential ;

Microsoft has announced a major AI infrastructure and skilling investment in the UK, committing over £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) to expand its next-generation AI datacenter infrastructure. The investment will include more than 20,000 advanced GPUs in the UK by 2026 and will support AI research, talent development, and security measures, aiming to accelerate AI innovation, create jobs, improve services, and ensure safety progress. Additionally, Microsoft will extend its Accelerating Foundation Models Research program to include prioritized access to GPUs for the UK's science and research community to accelerate scientific discovery using AI tools.

==> blogs.microsoft.com; 30.11.2023

Microsoft Investing $500 Million to Grow Digital Footprint in Quebec ;

Microsoft plans to invest $500 million to expand its digital infrastructure in Quebec, aiming to boost its cloud computing and AI capabilities in Canada. The investment over the next two years will significantly increase Microsoft's local cloud infrastructure footprint, expanding computing capacity by about 240% and accelerating AI innovation.

==> uk.marketscreener.com; 22.11.2023

Microsoft announces custom AI chip that could compete with Nvidia;

Microsoft introduced two new chips at its Ignite conference, including the Maia 100 artificial intelligence chip, which could compete with Nvidia's AI graphics processing units, and the Cobalt 100 Arm chip, aimed at general computing tasks and potentially competing with Intel processors. The Maia 100 is being tested for applications like Microsoft's Bing search engine's AI chatbot and GitHub Copilot coding assistant. The Cobalt processors will become commercially available through Microsoft's Azure cloud in 2024, while the release timeline for the Maia 100 is yet to be announced.

==> www.cnbc.com; 15.11.2023

Microsoft signs multi-year agreement to use Oracle Cloud;

Microsoft has entered into a multi-year agreement with Oracle to utilize Oracle Cloud for AI inferencing on its Bing search service. Microsoft is leveraging Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) AI infrastructure in combination with its own Azure AI infrastructure for the inferencing of AI models that power Bing's conversational searches. The collaboration aims to enhance the search experience by bringing new AI capabilities to a global audience and improving the speed of search results.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 07.11.2023

Microsoft’s AI strategy is paying off with solid cloud revenue growth;

Crediting growing demand for large AI models across consumer and commercial products that are driving increased cloud consumption, Microsoft reported strong FY24 Q1 results last night. First quarter revenue was up 13% to $56.5 billion compared to $50.1 billion last year. Operating Income still grew 25% despite Microsoft’s AI investments, showing the company’s ability to balance growth and profitability.

==> venturebeat.com; 25.10.2023

Microsoft to create team dedicated to data center automation and robotics;

Microsoft plans to build a team to research data center automation and robotics. The company is hiring for a hardware automation team manager with a specialism in robotics, DCD can reveal. The move comes a month after a Microsoft Azure outage in Australia was partially blamed on poor software automation. A utility power sag tripped cooling units, shutting them down and causing temperatures to rise. 

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 14.10.2023

Microsoft to launch its new AI chip 'Athena' next month;

Microsoft has been developing a computer chip under a project codenamed ‘Athena’ for some time. Now, as per a recent report, it is believed that the company is ready to unveil the AI chip at its annual event ‘Ignite’ next month. This is a significant development because it would mean that Microsoft would be able to reduce its reliance on GPUs produced by NVIDIA, the uncrowned king of the semiconductor industry, reported Interesting Engineering in April. Athena has been designed to power Microsoft’s data center servers that are used to train and run large language models.

==> interestingengineering.com; 10.10.2023

Google, Azure and AWS battle for the hyperscale data center market;

According to Synergy Research Group, the top three cloud providers account for 65% of the worldwide market. At the end of the first quarter of 2023, that meant 32% for AWS, 23% for Microsoft Azure and 10% for Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The next 20 providers have only carved out a combined 26% slice of the pie. Of those, the ones with the highest growth rates are Oracle, Snowflake, MongoDB, Huawei and three Chinese telcos.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 02.10.2023

Microsoft advances healthcare cloud strategy, brings generative AI to Mercy ;

Microsoft and Mercy entered a long-term partnership to deploy generative AI-based solutions across the health system, the two companies said Wednesday. The healthcare organization will use Azure OpenAI Services tools to assist patients, improve scheduling procedures and power an administrative chatbot. Microsoft is leveraging its partnership with OpenAI to grow its healthcare sector cloud footprint. Last month, the tech giant stood up an electronic health records cloud database solution with Epic, and the two companies are working to infuse Epic’s EHR systems with generative AI.
 

==> www.ciodive.com; 27.09.2023

Microsoft says it will take the heat if Copilot AI commercial users get sued;

Microsoft is telling customers it will assume legal responsibility if they get sued for copyright infringement while using the company’s AI Copilot services. In a blog post about an initiative called the Copilot Copyright Commitment, Microsoft chief legal officer Brad Smith said the company will take the heat for any potential legal risks as more copyright holders question how AI companies handle protected works. Microsoft said the policy is an extension of its overall AI customer commitments, announced earlier this year.

==> www.theverge.com; 07.09.2023

Apple and Microsoft challenge regulatory scope of EU’s Digital Markets Act;

Apple and Microsoft are attempting to circumvent the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by arguing that neither iMessage nor Bing are sufficiently popular enough to be regulated by the legislation. The DMA was approved in July 2022 and is designed to rein in the power of large tech corporations such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta, forcing them to change how they integrate digital services and handle customer data.

==> www.computerworld.com; 05.09.2023

Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic announce industry group to promote safe AI development;

The new organization, known as the Frontier Model Forum, was announced Wednesday by Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic. The companies said the forum’s mission would be to develop best practices for AI safety, promote research into AI risks, and to publicly share information with governments and civil society. 

==> edition.cnn.com; 26.07.2023

Inflection AI raises $1.3B in funding led by Microsoft and Nvidia ;

Palo Alto-based Inflection AI announced the completion of a $1.3 billion raise led by Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt and Nvidia. The new capital will be partly allocated to building a 22,000-unit Nvidia H100 Tensor GPU cluster, which the company claims is the largest in the world. The GPUs will be used to develop large-scale artificial intelligence models. 

==> cointelegraph.com; 29.06.2023

SAP and Microsoft Collaborate on Joint Generative AI Offerings to Help Customers Address the Talent Gap;

The companies will collaborate on integrating SAP SuccessFactors solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot in Viva Learning, as well as Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to access powerful language models that analyze and generate natural language. The integrations will enable new experiences designed to improve how organizations attract, retain and skill their people.

==> news.sap.com; 15.05.2023

Public Cloud Spending to Jump 22% in ’23, Driven by AWS, Azure, Google;

 Public cloud spending just keeps growing, driven by the usual suspects, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. This year alone, end users will shell out more than $597 billion on public cloud, up almost 22% from 2022, according to fresh numbers from Gartner. And generative AI – the likes of Microsoft’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and AWS’ newly launched Bedrock – will underlie much of cloud computing’s consumption from now on. So will Web 3.0 and the so-called metaverse, Gartner found.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 19.04.2023

Cloud Marketplace Guru On AWS, Microsoft, Google, ISV Trends;

Tackle.io CEO John Jahnke is an expert in helping independent software vendors (ISVs) drive revenue through cloud marketplaces from the likes of AWS, Microsoft and Google Cloud, and believes 2023 is the year solution providers need to dive deeper into the $15 billion cloud marketplace opportunity. 

==> www.crn.com; 02.03.2023

Microsoft’s $10bn bet on ChatGPT developer marks new era of AI;

The $10bn investment that Microsoft is considering in San Francisco-based research outfit OpenAI looks set to become the defining deal for a new era of artificial intelligence. If the US software giant is right about the far-reaching implications of the technology, it could also trigger a realignment in the AI world as other tech groups race to stake out their place in the new field of generative AI. OpenAI grabbed global headlines last month with the launch of ChatGPT, an AI system that can answer queries and produce text in natural-sounding language. But Microsoft executives believe the technology behind the service will soon have a deeper impact throughout the tech world.

==> www.ft.com; 16.01.2023

Microsoft acquires DPU maker Fungible;

Microsoft's acquisition of Fungible Inc., a startup known for its data processing units, has caught some industry watchers off guard. But considering the hyperscaler landscape and the reported price tag  -- $190 million -- the idea may be less surprising, analysts said. News of the acquisition surfaced in late December, but it wasn't until Jan. 9 that both companies confirmed the deal. Fungible's team will join  Microsoft's data center infrastructure engineering teams, which will focus on DPU services for storage and networking, according to a press release. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

==> www.techtarget.com; 09.01.2023

Microsoft and OpenAI Working on ChatGPT-Powered Bing in Challenge to Google;

Microsoft could soon get a return on its $1 billion investment in OpenAI, creator of the ChatGPT chatbot, which gives humanlike text answers to questions. Microsoft is preparing to launch a version of its Bing search engine that uses the artificial intelligence behind ChatGPT to answer some search queries rather than just showing a list of links, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plans. Microsoft hopes the new feature, which could launch before the end of March, will help it outflank Google, its much bigger search rival.
 

==> www.theinformation.com; 03.01.2023

Microsoft to start multi-year rollout of EU data localization offering on January 1;

The EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud, as it’s branding the provision for local storage and processing of cloud services’ customer data, is intended to respond to a regional rise in demand for digital sovereignty that’s been amplified by legal uncertainties over EU-U.S. data flows stemming from the clash between the bloc’s data protection rights and U.S. surveillance practices.

==> techcrunch.com; 15.12.2022

Key Announcements from Google Next, Microsoft Ignite, Oracle CloudWorld;


Here's what's coming for data centers from cloud computing, digital infrastructure, and hyperscale giants in the industry. After a flurry of conferences, announcements, and events in the tech industry last month, it’s clear cloud providers experienced exponential growth in the last few years in AI and cloud capabilities. Microsoft Ignite was heavy with 365-related news and announcements. Focusing on the next 10 years was Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella’s keynote address which suggested capitalizing on the increase in hybrid work, digital business, and telehealth. Google made more than 123 announcements during Google Next as they presented and demonstrated the upcoming features which emphasize data protection, cybersecurity, hybrid work, and more for the Google Cloud Platform.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 07.11.2022

Alert! Critical Vulnerability in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB ;

Researchers with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) and Orca Security drew the covers back this week on a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB that impacts its Cosmos DB Jupyter Notebooks feature. The remote code execution (RCE) bug provides a portrait into how weaknesses in the authentication architecture of cloud-native and machine learning-friendly environments could be used by attackers.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 03.11.2022

Rising cloud revenue helps soften Microsoft’s growth slowdown ;

Microsoft reported its slowest growth in five years for the first quarter of its fiscal 2023, due largely to a strong US dollar and an ongoing decline in personal computer sales, causing net income to fall by 14% to $17.56 billion from this time last year. However, the company was still able to post an overall increase in revenue, up 11% to $50.1 billion for the three months that ended September 30, driven by the ongoing strength of its cloud computing services, which exceeded $25 billion in quarterly revenue, up 24%.

     

==> www.computerworld.com; 26.10.2022

Remember when Microsoft was going to put Azure in space? It's still trying;

Microsoft has announced some movement within its two-year-old Azure Space program, which as the name suggests aims to offer cloud services to satellite operators. The program lineup now includes a preview of Azure Orbital Cloud Access, which relays connections from the Azure cloud to data terminals on Earth via satellite; the general availability of Azure Orbital Ground Station, said to be a fully managed ground station service; and a virtualization service.

==> www.theregister.com; 14.09.2022

AWS Crushing Microsoft and Google Cloud for Snowflake Customers;

With Snowflake product revenue soaring 83% last quarter, it was fascinating to see how all that high-flying data-cloud love is being spread across the three big hyperscalers: 80% to AWS, 18% to Microsoft Azure, and just 2% to Google Cloud. Now, that could be due to the fact that both Microsoft and Google Cloud are eager to push their own data-cloud solutions, and aren’t as motivated as AWS to bring Snowflake into the mix. But in the battle for big cloud-infrastructure deals, I would think that both Microsoft and Google Cloud would want to ensure that customers have as many options and choices as possible, rather than feeling limited by the old “not invented here” nemesis.

==> accelerationeconomy.com; 26.08.2022

Google is exiting the IoT services business. Microsoft is doing the opposite ;

Google will be shuttering its IoT Core service; the company disclosed last week. Its stated reason: Partners can better manage customers' IoT services and devices. While Microsoft also is relying heavily on partners as part of its IoT and edge-computing strategies, it is continuing to build up its stable of IoT services and more tightly integrate them with Azure. CEO Satya Nadella's "intelligent cloud/intelligent edge" pitch is morphing into more of an intelligent end-to-end distributed-computing play. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.08.2022

Azure vs. AWS: Selecting a Cloud Provider for Your IoT Product;

Companies starting design and development on new IoT products have often heard about how cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) can help deploy and rapidly scale their products. Because of this, one of the most frequently asked questions is: What cloud provider should I choose? Both Azure and AWS have been expanding their services over the past years, so let’s take a deeper look at Azure vs. AWS and which cloud provider might be right for you and your new IoT product.

==> www.iotforall.com; 03.08.2022

Microsoft Cuts Numerous Job Openings in Azure Cloud, Security Software;

Microsoft is eliminating numerous job openings in its Azure cloud business and its security software unit. However, it still plans to add workers in the year ahead. Microsoft confirmed a Bloomberg report that hiring cuts will continue for the foreseeable future. It’s still honoring job offers that have already been made for open roles. In addition, it will make some exceptions for critical jobs.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 22.07.2022

Microsoft Azure targets UK telcos with new Enfield facility;

Microsoft opens the doors to its newest and largest global engineering development hub in the UK. The company aims to get closer to UK operators as it develops its Azure for Operators (AfO) cloud offering. AfO is gaining traction with UK telcos, Microsoft CVP Martin Lund told TelecomTV. Lund believes AfO has a differentiated proposition for telcos compared with Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services, both of which have scored big with BT recently.

==> www.telecomtv.com; 27.05.2022

Microsoft Azure changes will help meet EU sovereign cloud requirements;

Microsoft has confirmed it is changing the policies governing its Azure cloud platform following complaints from European cloud providers. The move could be a bid to stave off a full-scale antitrust investigation from the European Commission, and an attempt to meet the growing demands within EU countries for sovereign cloud arrangements for data of citizens and businesses.

==> techmonitor.ai; 19.05.2022

Microsoft acquires process-mining vendor Minit;

Microsoft has acquired process-mining vendor Minit for an undisclosed amount. Microsoft announced the deal on March 31. Microsoft had been dabbling around the edges of process mining with Power Automate, but as of the Minit acquisition, Microsoft now is a true player in the growing process-mining space. Minit was founded in 2017. In 2019, Minit completed Series A funding from Salesforce Ventures and others. Minit is headquartered in Amsterdam.

==> www.zdnet.com; 31.03.2022

Google, Microsoft aim to make their cloud environments more secure as cyberattacks increase;

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have all made acquisitions in the cybersecurity space over the past year. By 2025, Gartner predicts more than 95% of new digital workloads will be deployed on cloud-native platforms, up from just 30% in 2021. The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) earlier this month launched a countdown to April 14, 2030, the date by which CSA estimates a quantum computer will be able to break present-day cybersecurity infrastructure.

==> www.cnbc.com; 29.03.2022

Microsoft announces new Finland cloud region - with district heating by Fortum;

Microsoft is building a new data center region in Finland, joining a project started by local utility Fortum to deliver its heat output to homes and businesses in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The new facility will allow Finnish organizations to store their data in Finland, with a very low response time, while also providing zero-carbon heat to Fortum customers in Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi, West of Helsinki.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 17.03.2022

Microsoft stops sales in Russia;

Microsoft has ceased all new sales in Russia, the company announced Friday. Microsoft also announced that it will work with Ukrainian cybersecurity officials to help protect the country against Russian cyberattacks. 

==> www.polygon.com; 04.03.2022

Microsoft says hello again to China, goodbye to Russia;

Microsoft has opened a fifth Azure region in China with one hand while putting a stop to new sales in Russia with the other. The Redmond software giant declared today that its new Azure region in North China went live with unrestricted access for customers on 1 March, with capabilities including hybrid and multi-cloud deployment, IoT, edge computing, and data intelligence.

==> www.theregister.com; 04.03.2022

Microsoft uses Q2 2022 earnings to delve into metaverse;

Overall, the company’s Q2 2022 filing shows strong growth in its cloud-based services. Microsoft reported revenue of $51.7bn, an increase of 20% over the previous year. Revenue in its Intelligent Cloud business was $18.3bn, which represents an increase of 26% over the previous year. Server products and cloud services revenue increased by 29% driven by Azure, and other cloud services saw revenue growth of 46%. Touching on the company’s plans to acquire games developer Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn, Nadella discussed its strategy to become part of the metaverse and described Microsoft’s position both in terms of platform infrastructure and applications.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 27.01.2022

Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard in $68.7 billion deal;

Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard in a blockbuster deal worth nearly $70 billion. It's one of the biggest acquisitions in the tech industry in recent years, one that will boost Microsoft's standing in the growing gaming industry but could be complicated by recent concerns about Activision's toxic culture.The all-cash transaction is valued at $68.7 billion, and Microsoft says it will make the company the third-largest gaming company by revenue, after Tencent and Sony. 

==> edition.cnn.com; 18.01.2022

Microsoft hires key Apple engineer to design server chips;

Microsoft Corp hired a key Apple Inc engineer to design its own chips for its servers, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The software giant hired chip industry veteran Mike Filippo, who worked for Apple for over two years, the report said. Microsoft is working on in-house processors for the servers running its cloud-computing services and Surface line of personal computers, a source told Reuters in December 2020.

==> www.reuters.com; 12.01.2022

Microsoft expands Azure Space ecosystem - SpaceNews;

 Microsoft offered further proof of its intent to play a growing role in the space sector by unveiling new Azure Space products and announcing partnerships with Airbus, Kongsberg Satellite Services, STE iDirect, Orbital Insight, ESRI and Blackshark. “Microsoft is serious about space, and we are expanding our partner ecosystem and innovation,” Steve Kitay, Azure Space senior director, told SpaceNews.

==> spacenews.com; 09.12.2021

Azure adds new infrastructure, storage, and networking products;

Microsoft’s Ignite 2021 conference heralds the launch of a host of new Azure services, some of which touch on infrastructure, storage, and networking. New features in Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets let companies more easily manage virtual machines in high-volume environments, while Azure Virtual Network Manager allows developers to manage their virtual networks across subscriptions while scaling cloud-based workloads.

==> venturebeat.com; 02.11.2021

Microsoft acquires Clear Software to strengthen process automation offerings;

Microsoft announced that it acquired Clear Software, a startup developing enterprise software automation technologies. In a blog post, Microsoft partner general manager Stephen Siciliano said that Clear’s solutions will “make it a more seamless experience” to use Microsoft’s Power Apps and Power Automate platforms to build automations for systems such as SAP and Oracle. Clearc provides an integration platform-as-a-service (IPaaS) and business process products with connectivity into SAP and Oracle. Clear’s services support the development of integration flows connecting cloud-based processes, services, apps, and data with around 100 prebuilt abstractions that can be customized to support organizations’ needs.

==> venturebeat.com; 22.10.2021

Microsoft shutting down LinkedIn in China;

Microsoft is shutting down its social network, LinkedIn, in China, saying having to comply with the Chinese state has become increasingly challenging. It comes after the career-networking site faced questions for blocking the profiles of some journalists. LinkedIn will launch a jobs-only version of the site, called InJobs, later this year. 

==> www.bbc.com; 14.10.2021

SAP Hires Former Microsoft Azure Exec For S/4HANA Product Management Post;

Former Microsoft Azure marketing executive Arpan Shah has taken a new position at software giant SAP as the company’s new senior vice president of product management for SAP S/4 HANA Cloud, the company’s flagship cloud ERP application suite. “I’m excited to join the team and help shape how SAP’s innovations drive customer success. Like Microsoft, I think SAP has best-in-class products, a belief in a cloud mindset, and great people,” Shah wrote.

==> www.crn.com; 11.10.2021

Google, AWS, IBM, Microsoft and Morgan Stanley partner for a new cloud data framework;

Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Microsoft and other major tech giants have joined forces with the EDM Council -- a cross-industry trade association for data management and analytics -- to create the Cloud Data Management Capabilities (CDMC) framework. More than 100 companies worked on the project, which involved developing a comprehensive set of cloud data management capabilities, standards and best practices for cloud, multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud implementations while also incorporating automated key controls for protecting sensitive data.

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.09.2021

Microsoft acquires web-based video editor Clipchamp;

Microsoft today announced that it acquired Clipchamp, an in-browser video creation startup founded in Brisbane, Australia. While the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, Chris Pratley, CVP of Microsoft’s office media group, said that the purchase would enable Microsoft to incorporate Clipchamp’s technology with Windows as well as product offerings available through Microsoft 365. Ahead of Clipchamp’s launch on the Microsoft Store in July, the company revealed that it had 17 million registered users on its platform across more than 390,000 companies — a 54% year-over-year increase.

==> venturebeat.com; 07.09.2021

Microsoft hires former Amazon cloud executive Charlie Bell;

Microsoft has hired Amazon cloud executive Charlie Bell as a corporate vice president, CNBC has confirmed. The move represents a victory for Microsoft, whose Azure cloud business is trying to take share from market-leading Amazon Web Services. Bell was considered a candidate to become head of AWS once Amazon chose Andy Jassy, the AWS CEO, to lead all of Amazon. Bell belonged to Amazon’s S-team of top leaders, and his responsibilities as a senior vice president included pricing, software development service operations and financial results, CNBC reported earlier this month as Bell left Amazon.

==> www.cnbc.com; 25.08.2021

Microsoft announces price increase for Office 365 and Microsoft 365;

Microsoft is announcing its first price increase for its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 services in a decade. The price increases will affect commercial and business users of Microsoft’s software as a service (SaaS) offerings next year, with no changes to pricing for education or consumers.

==> www.theverge.com; 19.08.2021

Microsoft hires former Uber exec in effort to grow its Teams consumer business;

Microsoft has hired former Uber Chief Product Officer Manik Gupta to try, yet again, to give its consumer business a boost. Gupta will be the new Corporate Vice President for Teams Consumer, Skype and GroupMe, reporting directly to Jeff Teper, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft 365 Collaboration. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 17.08.2021

Microsoft acquires Peer5 to beef up Teams livestreaming;

Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Peer5, which is developing a platform to optimize bandwidth usage via mesh networking technology. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Microsoft said it would use Peer5’s services to enhance live video streaming in Microsoft Teams.Palo Alto, California-based Peer5 focuses on the tech underpinning these types of streaming solutions. The company, which was founded in 2012, operates what it claims is the world’s largest peer-to-peer content delivery network.

==> venturebeat.com; 10.08.2021

Microsoft acquires privileged access management vendor CloudKnox Security;

Microsoft is acquiring CloudKnox Security to help build out its cloud security and Zero Trust strategy for an undisclosed amount, officials announced on July 21. Officials said they will provide more information on what they'll be doing with CloudKnox's technology as they integrate it with Microsoft's existing identity, security, and compliance services, including Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender, and Azure Sentinel. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 21.07.2021

Microsoft acquires AT&T networking tech to bolster its Azure for Operators strategy;

AT&T has been working with Microsoft for several years to test its 5G workloads on Azure. Today, June 30 -- the last day of Microsoft's fiscal 2021 -- the pair announced the renewal of their partnership, with Microsoft acquiring AT&T's carrier-grade Network Cloud platform technology. "This move brings real-world production 5G workloads to Azure for Operators," said Microsoft via a press release. Microsoft will make offers to the AT&T Network Cloud platform engineering team to move to work for Microsoft. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 30.06.2021

Microsoft is planning major Asia cloud push;

As demand for cloud computing services has grown in Asia, Microsoft is planning to add four new data centers in China by the beginning of 2022 according to a new report from Bloomberg which spoke with people familiar with the matter. The software giant already has six data centers in the country but back in March it announced its plans to expand its service capacity in the region by adding a new Azure region in Northern China. Just like with its existing data centers, these new facilities will by operated by its local partner 21Vianet.

==> www.techradar.com; 17.06.2021

Microsoft announces it will end Windows 10 support in October 2025 ;

 As the next version of Windows is expected to be unveiled on June 24, Microsoft has revealed that it will end support for Windows 10. The company quietly announced the news in a support page update, as spotted by Thurrott. Previously, the page noted when Microsoft would end support for certain versions of Windows 10, reports Engadget.

==> www.business-standard.com; 15.06.2021

Microsoft is shutting down its Azure Blockchain Service;

Microsoft is shutting down its Azure Blockchain Service on September 10, 2021. Existing deployments will be supported until that date, but as of May 10 this year, no new deployments or member creation is being supported. Microsoft ended up fielding a preview of Azure BaaS, but lately had not done much to update the service. However, Microsoft's product page for Azure BaaS lists GE, J.P. Morgan, Singapore Airlines, Starbucks and Xbox as customers.

==> www.zdnet.com; 12.05.2021

Microsoft just acquired Kinvolk GmbH to help with Azure;

Microsoft refuses to slow down. After huge cloud gains in its FY21 Q3 earnings report and two massive acquisitions still visible in the rearview mirror, the company is grabbing one more company on its path to world tech domination. This time, the newly acquired business is Kinvolk GmbH. Kinvolk is a company focused on building open cloud-native stack, which Microsoft cites as an ideal fit for its investments in Kubernetes and its open-source initiatives. Here's some of what Microsoft had to say in the announcement post celebrating the acquisition:

==> www.windowscentral.com; 29.04.2021

Microsoft posts 50% Azure growth again as ‘strategic’ cloud and industry deals emphasised;

Microsoft has posted another quarter of 50% growth in Azure – with overall revenues slightly down on the previous quarter, at $41.7 billion (£30bn). The company continues to keep specific revenue figures for Azure to itself, but all three of its primary buckets saw solid uptick. Intelligent Cloud, which covers a majority of Azure but not all of it, saw a year-on-year rise of 23% to $15.1bn, while Productivity and Business Processes rose 15% to $13.6bn.

==> cloudcomputing-news.net; 28.04.2021

Microsoft posts 50% Azure growth again as ‘strategic’ cloud and industry deals emphasised;

Microsoft has posted another quarter of 50% growth in Azure – with overall revenues slightly down on the previous quarter, at $41.7 billion (£30bn). The company continues to keep specific revenue figures for Azure to itself, but all three of its primary buckets saw solid uptick. Intelligent Cloud, which covers a majority of Azure but not all of it, saw a year-on-year rise of 23% to $15.1bn, while Productivity and Business Processes rose 15% to $13.6bn.

==> cloudcomputing-news.net; 28.04.2021

Microsoft plans to build up to 100 new data centres each year;

Microsoft is further ramping up its cloud game, with plans to build between 50 and 100 new data centres each year for the foreseeable future. Indeed, the company is slated to add data centres in at least 10 more countries this year alone, according to Noelle Walsh, Microsoft corporate vice president and leader of the team that builds and operates the company’s cloud infrastructure. 

==> www.channelasia.tech; 21.04.2021

Microsoft marches toward launching its 'Cloud PC' service, possibly this summer;

Microsoft seems to be getting closer to launching its Cloud PC desktop virtualization service. It also is making moves toward revamping the Windows 10 app store, according to a new report.  Microsoft may be targeting June or early July 2021 as the launch date for this virtualized, desktop-as-a-service offering, I'm hearing. Microsoft's annual Inspire partner conference is mid-July this year, and given Microsoft will likely want partners to help sell Cloud PC, this timing makes a lot of sense. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 20.04.2021

Microsoft to launch first data centre region in Malaysia;

The country's first region will be located in the Greater Kuala Lumpur area and deliver access to the full Microsoft Cloud, as well as deliver Azure Availability Zones and support Microsoft's sustainability goals. The announcement forms part of the company's Bersama Malaysia -- Together with Malaysia -- initiative, which it has touted as marking a significant commitment to empowering Malaysia's inclusive digital economy and advancing the nation's digital transformation.

==> www.zdnet.com; 20.04.2021

Why Nuance? Microsoft is making a $19.7 billion bet on ambient digital healthcare;

The deal for Nuance comes as the enterprise and healthcare artificial intelligence company is just hitting its stride. Not only does Microsoft's purchase of Nuance make more sense than rumored talks for TikTok, Pinterest, and Discord, but the two companies are already partners and can drive revenue across the healthcare industry and enterprises. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 12.04.2021

Inside Microsoft’s industry cloud strategy;

Microsoft recently made a bigger push to strengthen its position in the cloud computing market with a slew of industry-specific cloud offerings for the financial services, manufacturing and non-profit sectors. In an interview with Computer Weekly, Microsoft dives deeper into its industry cloud strategy, the components of its industry cloud stack and what it means for enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region. The Microsoft industry clouds comprise new and released industry capabilities and were created by bringing together common industry data models, cross-cloud connectors, workflows, application programming interfaces (APIs), and industry-specific components and standards, with the breadth of Microsoft’s cloud services, including Microsoft 365 and Teams, Azure, Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and security solutions.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 08.04.2021

Microsoft Expands Azure Space Efforts with Azure Orbital Ground Stations;

Microsoft has launched its first Azure Orbital "ground station as a service" units, the company announced this week, starting with its own datacenter in Quincy, Wash. Ground stations are used to both ingest data and communicate with satellites. Microsoft unveiled a preview of Azure Orbital at its September Ignite event as part of its larger Azure Space effort. Microsoft Azure Modular Datacenters, boxcar-like structures that provide compute and storage capabilities in remote environments, are also part of Azure Space.

==> rcpmag.com; 07.04.2021

Microsoft Eyes $10 Billion Acquisition Of Digital Communications Platform Discord;

Voice, video and text communications platform Discord is being eyed by Microsoft for a possible $10 billion-plus acquisition, Bloomberg reported . Microsoft Xbox users can already link their gaming accounts to Discord, making the tech behemoth prime to take the startup over, GeekWire reported. The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) app was designed for creating communities and was largely seen as gaming-focused chat software. Discord nearly doubled its user base last year and has seen revenues surge to $130 million.

==> www.pymnts.com; 23.03.2021

Microsoft creates 15,000-member 'Digital Transformation Platform Group' in latest reorg;

Microsoft announced internally YAR (yet another reorg) on Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie's Cloud and AI side of the house. The reorg was spurred, at least in part, by the June retirement of head of Corporate Strategy Kurt DelBene -- a move Microsoft announced in January 2021. However, the reorg also seems to be meant to consolidate many of the disparate piece parts of the "Microsoft Cloud," including Dynamics ERP/CRM, AI, IoT and Microsoft's data platform products. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 18.03.2021

Microsoft adopted ‘aggressive’ strategy for sharing SolarWinds Attack intel;

In the wake of a widespread cyberattack, enterprise IT providers can play a key role in how businesses learn about and mitigate the security threat. That role has evolved as attacks grow more complex – and it presents a tricky challenge when a provider must keep businesses informed of an attack that has infiltrated its own walls and affected tens of thousands of its customers, as Microsoft experienced during the recent SolarWinds incident.

==> urgentcomm.com; 08.03.2021

Microsoft prioritizes telco space, highlights Azure's growth;

Microsoft Azure EVP Jason Zander said Microsoft’s work with telecom operators is “part of the core strategy” for Azure, noting in an investor call that Microsoft has been “doing a lot of work around some of the telco communications operator space.” Microsoft demonstrated its determination to become part of the telecom ecosystem through its 2020 purchases of Affirmed, a network virtualization specialist, and telecom software developer Metaswitch, followed by its launch of Azure for Operators, which combines virtual network functions from many different providers in the Azure environment. 

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 05.03.2021

Microsoft announces new Azure China data center region in Hebei;

Microsoft has announced a new Azure data center region in Northern China. Quietly announced during its Ignite conference this week, the China North 3 region will be located in Hebei and be the company’s fifth in the country. Microsoft also has a region in Taiwan, which the Chinese Government considers part of China. Microsoft has since confirmed the new region will go live in 22. The company says the new region will enable more customers to utilize Microsoft Cloud, including Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Power BI.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 02.03.2021

Microsoft is going to have lots of clouds for industries. Here's why they matter;

Microsoft already has two vertical 'clouds for industry' for healthcare and retail; expect more. "These are the two first ones that came out but there'll be more to come," Takuya Hirano, Microsoft vice president for global alliances and systems integrators partners said during a recent announcement about the state of the Microsoft partner ecosystem. The plan is to create several more industry clouds where there are opportunities for Microsoft partners and integrators to use their deep industry knowledge and Microsoft tools to create specific end-to-end solutions that fit those types of businesses.

==> www.zdnet.com; 12.02.2021

Microsoft announces new U.S. datacenter region ;

A couple of weeks back, Microsoft made Azure Availability Zones for the South Central U.S. datacenter region generally available. These zones are physical locations containing one or more datacenters with independent power, cooling, and networking systems, which stay resilient in the case of availability failures. The tech giant also announced new sustainable regions for the state of Arizona in September.

==> www.neowin.net; 11.02.2021

Microsoft approached Pinterest about a takeover ;

Microsoft approached Pinterest in recent months about a potential deal to acquire the $51bn social media company popular with hobbyists posting home decor, food and wedding collages, people briefed on the matter said. The talks were currently not active, said one of the people briefed. Microsoft has been pursuing an acquisition strategy aimed at amassing a portfolio of active online communities that could run on top of its cloud computing platform.
 

==> www.ft.com; 11.02.2021

Microsoft sides with Australian gov in digital news fight, suggests Bing to replace Google;

Following Google’s threat to exit the Australian market last month, Microsoft has suggested it’s ready and waiting to step in to become Australia’s search engine of choice, offering up its own service Bing as a replacement. Microsoft has today (February 3, 2020) publicly thrown its support behind the Australian Federal Government’s efforts to pass a proposed media bargaining code, which would require tech giants such as Google and Facebook to pay Australian news organizations for their content.

==> www.techradar.com; 04.02.2021

Microsoft cloud revenues soar on digital transformation trend;

Momentum for Microsoft Azure continues to build with the company reporting a 50% increase in sales of the cloud platform, helping lift sales of the company's other cloud offerings. The remote work era spurred on by the pandemic continues to send Microsoft's cloud revenues rocketing skyward, particularly Azure. The company reported a 50% increase in Azure sales in its second fiscal quarter 2021, with overall sales rising 17% to $43.1 billion. Revenue from productivity software, including Office and LinkedIn, increased 11% to $13.4 billion.

==> searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com; 27.01.2021

Microsoft to open Swedish data center region in 2021;

Microsoft plans to open a data center region in Sweden in 2021. The company began building a data center near Malmö back in 2019, following land purchases in Gävle and Sandviken.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 24.11.2020

Microsoft announces “Open Azure Day” event to show developers how to run Linux apps “your way” on Azure ;

Microsoft’s announced a virtual event for November 18th intended to illustrate the utility of its Azure cloud platform to Linux-centric developers. The company’s Open Azure Day will feature two keynotes, four breakout sessions and 12 technical deep dives showing how Linux, open-source and Azure can be combined.

==> www.onmsft.com; 11.11.2020

Microsoft announces its first Azure data center region in Taiwan;

After announcing its latest data center region in Austria earlier this month and an expansion of its footprint in Brazil, Microsoft today unveiled its plans to open a new region in Taiwan. This new region will augment its existing presence in East Asia, where the company already runs data centers in China (operated by 21Vianet), Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. This new region will bring Microsoft’s total presence around the world to 66 cloud regions.

==> techcrunch.com; 28.10.2020

Microsoft Teams With Adobe and C3.ai to Take on Salesforce on Its Home Turf;

Microsoft Corp. is teaming with Adobe Inc. and C3.ai, the company of customer-software pioneer Tom Siebel, in another bid to better compete with Salesforce.com Inc., the market leader for such programs.  Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, has been trying for more than 15 years to catch Salesforce. “Salesforce has done a fantastic job, but they have 20% share and therein lies the story — we talk about this as if it’s all over, and the reality is it is a pretty competitive market,” Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said in an interview. Called C3 AI CRM powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365, the software is available beginning Monday and will be jointly sold by the three companies.

==> ; 26.10.2020

Microsoft Azure announces its first region in Austria;

Microsoft today announced its plans to launch a new data center region in Austria, its first in the country. With nearby Azure regions in Switzerland, Germany, France and a planned new region in northern Italy, this part of Europe now has its fair share of Azure coverage. Microsoft also noted that it plans to launch a new “Center of Digital Excellence” in Austria to “to modernize Austria’s IT infrastructure, public governmental services and industry innovation.”

==> techcrunch.com; 20.10.2020

Microsoft buys Fallout creator Bethesda for $7.5bn;

Microsoft has acquired the games company behind blockbuster titles including Doom, Fallout, Skyrim and Wolfenstein. It is paying $7.5bn (£5.85bn) for Bethesda's parent ZeniMax Media. Xbox has said that the publisher's franchises would be added to its Game Pass subscription package for consoles and PCs.

==> www.bbc.com; 21.09.2020

Microsoft says it’s not acquiring TikTok after ByteDance rejects offer;

 After weeks of talks and very public back and forths involving the Trump administration, Microsoft ultimately failed in its attempts to acquire TikTok. “ByteDance let us know today they would not be selling TikTok’s US operations to Microsoft,” says Microsoft in a statement. Microsoft originally confirmed last month that it was pursuing a deal to buy TikTok’s operations in the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Reports also suggested Microsoft might be considering buying all of TikTok’s global operations, with the Financial Times suggesting talks around this particular deal were at the “preliminary” stage.

==> www.theverge.com; 13.09.2020

Walmart and Microsoft launch joint bid to buy TikTok;

Walmart is partnering with Microsoft in its purchase of TikTok. The retail giant confirmed to CNBC that it is interested in buying the viral video app. “We believe a potential relationship with TikTok US in partnership with Microsoft could add this key functionality and provide Walmart with an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses,” it said.

==> www.independent.co.uk; 27.08.2020

Windows reorg brings more of the COSINE team under Chief Product Officer Panos Panay;

Microsoft is reorganizing its Azure team and moving part of its Windows engineering team out of Azure and into the Experiences and Devices Group. The changes, which Microsoft announced internally on August 6, will result in more of Windows moving under Chief Device Officer Panos Panay. On the Azure side, Microsoft is creating a new Azure Core team, which will unite Compute, Networking and Storage Services and be led by Girish Bablani. The remaining part of COSINE, known as the Azure COSINE team, will be heavily focused on Azure Edge. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 06.08.2020

Microsoft confirms talks to buy TikTok in U.S., aims to finish deal by Sept. 15;

Microsoft  confirmed that it has held talks with Chinese technology company ByteDance to acquire its trendy social app TikTok in the U.S. Microsoft said in a statement that it will keep working with the U.S. government on a deal and that it intends to conclude talks by September 15. If it were to complete the deal, Microsoft could simultaneously resolve a recent controversy in Washington and gain power in consumer technology.

==> www.cnbc.com; 02.08.2020

Microsoft is shutting down Cortana on multiple devices, including iOS and Android;

Microsoft is rethinking its Cortana assistant, announcing that it will shut down the current iOS and Android apps, end Cortana support for the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker, and remove the original Cortana functionality from the first-generation Surface Headphones starting in 2021. 

==> www.theverge.com; 31.07.2020

Facebook’s boycott problems worsen as SAP, Microsoft and HP suspend ad spend, but it’s SMB activism that’s needed to get the message home;

Leading enterprise tech firms are the latest to turn their backs on Facebook. Microsoft and HP have added their voices to the #StopHateForProfit advertising boycott, joining SAP, which flagged up its support last week. The boycott campaign was launched by a coalition of US civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP and Color of Change, in the wake of the killing at police hands of George Floyd last month. 

==> diginomica.com; 01.07.2020

Microsoft acquires CyberX to bolster Azure IoT security;

Microsoft has announced the acquisition of IoT security specialist CyberX to beef up Azure IoT’s capabilities and help customers assess their risk profile across industrial environments. CyberX, which will complement existing Azure IoT security offerings, aims to solve two specific challenges, according to a blog post from Microsoft announcing the news. 

==> iottechnews.com; 24.06.2020

Microsoft acquires data modeling startup ADRM Software;

Microsoft has acquired ADRM Software, a company that sells industry-specific data models used by large companies. “As we worked closely with the Azure team during the past year, we became very enthusiastic about the tremendous additional acceleration we can unlock for enterprise customers by combining ADRM’s comprehensive industry data models with the limitless storage and compute from Azure to power the next generation of intelligent data lakes, modern DWs, next-level analytics, and AI/ML,” ARDM CEO Kevin Schofield wrote in a LinkedIn post.

     

==> www.geekwire.com; 18.06.2020

Microsoft announces new supercomputer, lays out vision for future AI work;

Built in collaboration with and exclusively for OpenAI, the supercomputer hosted in Azure was designed specifically to train that company’s AI models. It represents a key milestone in a partnership announced last year to jointly create new supercomputing technologies in Azure.

==> blogs.microsoft.com; 19.05.2020

Microsoft is acquiring Metaswitch Networks to expand its Azure 5G strategy;

Just weeks after announcing a deal to acquire 5G specialist Affirmed Networks, Microsoft is making another acquisition to strengthen its cloud-based telecoms offering. It’s acquiring Metaswitch Networks, a U.K.-based provider of cloud-based communications products used by carriers and network providers (customers include the likes of BT in the U.K., Sprint and virtual network consortium RINA.

==> techcrunch.com; 14.05.2020

Microsoft Announces $1.5 Billion Investment Plan to Accelerate Digital Transformation in Italy;

Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion, five-year investment plan in Italy, marking a significant commitment to support local innovation and growth, including the intent to bring Microsoft’s first datacenter region to the country.

==> fintechnews.ch; 11.05.2020

Microsoft announces limited Azure Sphere bug bounty program;

Microsoft has announced a new security research / bug bounty program aimed at testing and improving the security of Azure Sphere, its comprehensive IoT security solution. This new bug bounty program – or, as Microsoft calls it, security research challenge – is an expansion of the Azure Security Lab and will focus on the Azure Sphere OS.

==> www.helpnetsecurity.com; 06.05.2020

Microsoft Nears $165M Deal For IoT Security Startup CyberX;

Microsoft is in the latter stages of finalizing a $165 million acquisition of Internet of Things (IoT) security startup CyberX, according to Israeli media reports. The two sides are getting signatures on the deal from CyberX’s shareholders, and an announcement is expected from Microsoft in the next few days, according to Haaretz. Calcalist, meanwhile, reported that the deal is expected to be signed in June.

==> www.crn.com; 06.05.2020

Microsoft’s Conference Strategy Reboot;

The company has officially announced that all internal and external events will be virtual-only which is a significant change from prior years. No longer is Microsoft trying to sell tickets or booth space, the company is now focusing on how to deliver its major conferences through new mediums and in ways that are not simply videos playing on webpages.

==> www.petri.com; 07.04.2020

Microsoft to end investments in facial recognition firms after AnyVision controversy;

Microsoft says it will no longer invest in third-party facial recognition companies following a controversy around its funding of Israeli startup AnyVision, which critics and human rights activists say powered a surveillance program in the West Bank following an NBC News report about the company’s relationship with the Israeli government. 

==> www.theverge.com; 27.03.2020

Microsoft to prioritize cloud access for first responders and emergency services;

Microsoft is planning to prioritize access to its cloud-based Azure services to first responders, emergency services, and critical infrastructure if there are capacity constraints. The software giant experienced some Microsoft Teams issues last week after a surge of nearly 40 percent occurred as businesses turned to remote working during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft is now trying to avoid impacting existing customers while managing new demand.

==> www.theverge.com; 23.03.2020

Microsoft is closing its retail stores around the world indefinitely because of the coronavirus crisis;

Microsoft is closing all of its retail stores indefinitely due to novel coronavirus health concerns. The company operates over a hundred such stores all over the world, including a flagship location in New York City.  Microsoft said the closures were effective immediately. The company joins several major retailers in closing stores amid the outbreak.

==> www.businessinsider.de; 17.03.2020

Microsoft wants to invest in Indonesia data centers, says Indonesian president;

Microsoft Corp is keen to invest in data centers in Indonesia which will soon make regulatory changes to facilitate the move, the country’s president said after meeting with the software giant’s CEO on Thursday. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

==> www.reuters.com; 27.02.2020

Microsoft To Build First Cloud Data Center Region In Mexico;

Microsoft will build its first cloud data center region in Mexico as part of a $1.1 billion investment in the country in the next five years.  The cloud computing provider also will open laboratories with state-of-the-art technologies at three public Mexican universities to help develop students' tech skills as part of its “Innovate for Mexico” plan to drive digital transformation and development there.

==> www.crn.com; 20.02.2020

Atos Furthers Collaboration With Microsoft to Accelerate the Cloud Transformation of SAP’s Largest Customers;

Atos and Microsoft intend to jointly support their respective largest customers and other prospective customers. The partners have built a joint team that will guide developments and go-to-market activities for their respective field organizations, with a common engagement model.

==> martechseries.com; 17.02.2020

Microsoft names new CEO to LinkedIn business;

 Jeff Weiner will become executive chairman after 11 years as LinkedIn's CEO. Ryan Roslansky, senior vice president of product, will become CEO as of June 1.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 05.02.2020

Microsoft to force Chrome default search to Bing using Office 365 installer;

Microsoft is planning to use the Office 365 installer to forcibly switch Chrome users over to the company’s Bing search engine. Microsoft’s Office 365 ProPlus installer, used by businesses, will include a new Chrome extension next month that switches the default search engine to Bing. 

==> www.theverge.com; 22.01.2020

Microsoft is testing ads for Office 365 in WordPad;

In yet another attempt to further monetize Windows 10, Microsoft is testing out advertisements in WordPad, the word processing app that's been built into the OS for decades. The Office web apps make up the free tier of Office 365. If you move to that, the obvious goal is to turn you into a paying Office 365 customer.

==> www.neowin.net; 21.01.2020

Microsoft extends security updates for Windows Server 2008, but only through Azure;

Microsoft partners transitioning customers away Windows Server 2008 will be able to offer them three years of security updates if they move to Azure.

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 15.01.2020

Microsoft is planning to phase out the Windows 10 Store for Business;

Microsoft is continuing to try to clean up its digital app-store mess. Its latest planned move, according to my contacts: Get rid of the Microsoft Store for Business and Microsoft Store for Education. To date, Microsoft hasn't said anything publicly about what's going to happen to any of its digital app stores. But privately, officials across various teams at the company have been trying to come up with a concerted strategy, I've heard. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 10.01.2020

Microsoft: We're creating a new Rust-like programming language for secure coding;

Microsoft can't just throw away older Windows code, but the company's Project Verona aims to make older low-level components in Windows 10 more secure by integrating Mozilla-developed Rust.  The company has partially explained its security-related motives for experimenting with Rust, but hasn't gone into much detail about the broader reasons for its move.

==> www.zdnet.com; 02.12.2019

Microsoft announces changes to cloud contract terms following EU privacy probe;

Microsoft has announced changes to commercial cloud contracts following privacy concerns raised by European Union data protection authorities. The changes to contactual terms will apply globally and to all its commercial customers — whether public or private sector entity, or large or small business, it said today.

==> ; 18.11.2019

Microsoft’s vision for the multi-cloud future;


While its new offerings are compelling, it may be equally as relevant that Microsoft is clearly creating a culture that embraces partnership and open development, and one that even extends to competitors.
 

==> www.networkworld.com; 08.11.2019

Partnerships

ServiceNow and Microsoft Partner for AI Integration to Transform Front-Office Processes;

ServiceNow and Microsoft have expanded their partnership to enhance front-office processes through AI-powered integrations, notably combining ServiceNow's Now Assist with Microsoft Copilot. This collaboration enables seamless workflows, with Copilot accessing ServiceNow's knowledge base and integrating automated agents to handle customer issues and back-end workflows. The partnership aims to leverage both platforms' strengths to streamline operations, improve productivity, and support broader adoption of AI-driven task automation.

==> cloudwars.com; 02.12.2024

Nokia expands 5-year partnership with Microsoft Azure for data centre networking;

Nokia has extended its agreement with Microsoft Azure for five years to supply routers and switches for Azure's global data centers across more than 30 countries. This partnership includes deploying Nokia’s SONiC-based routers and switches to upgrade Azure's infrastructure from 100GE to 400GE, addressing increasing traffic demands. The deal solidifies Nokia's position as a key supplier for Microsoft's cloud infrastructure, with new deployments starting in February 2025.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 21.11.2024

Siemens and Microsoft scale industrial AI;

Siemens and Microsoft have enhanced the Siemens Industrial Copilot by integrating Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, enabling it to tackle complex industrial automation tasks. Over 100 companies, including thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering, use the Copilot to streamline operations, manage labor shortages, and boost productivity through generative AI-powered support. Set for a global rollout in 2025, the Copilot automates repetitive engineering tasks, like battery quality assurance, freeing engineers to focus on high-value work and improving efficiency across industrial sectors.

==> news.microsoft.com; 24.10.2024

KT signs multibillion-dollar AI deal with Microsoft to develop solutions for Korean businesses;

KT, a South Korean telecommunications company, has partnered with Microsoft in a multibillion-dollar, five-year deal to develop AI and cloud solutions for 650,000 businesses and 17 million customers in Korea. KT will migrate its IT workloads to Microsoft Azure, implement Microsoft 365 and GitHub Copilot, and train 19,000 employees in cloud and AI skills, while also using Microsoft tools like Azure OpenAI Service to develop custom AI applications. The partnership aims to provide secure cloud services for regulated industries and foster AI innovation through a new AI transformation service company and a co-innovation center in Korea.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 01.10.2024

Google claims it beats Microsoft on VMware costs;

Google is asserting its pricing advantage over Microsoft in the competition for VMware customers transitioning to cloud environments following Broadcom's acquisition. Google claims its VMware Cloud Foundation product offers significant cost savings, including 20% lower commitment prices and up to 35% lower costs for moving workloads to its cloud, compared to pre-Broadcom pricing models. Meanwhile, Microsoft is responding with its own incentives, offering discounts and credits for customers who commit to using its Azure VMware Solution, while AWS remains notably distant from this pricing fray despite changes in how VMware Cloud on AWS is distributed.

==> www.techzine.eu; 22.07.2024

OpenAI, Nvidia, Google and others launch AI cybersecurity consortium ;

More than a dozen tech companies have formed the Coalition for Secure AI (CoSAI) to enhance the security of artificial intelligence applications. Announced at the Aspen Security Forum and operating under the nonprofit OASIS, CoSAI aims to develop tools, technical guidance, and a collaborative ecosystem for sharing AI-related cybersecurity best practices. The coalition will also launch open-source initiatives to address specific cybersecurity challenges in AI, such as scanning machine learning workloads for risks and managing vulnerabilities in software supply chains. The consortium is backed by Amazon Web Services Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Google LLC. They are joined by Nvidia Corp., Intel Corp., IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc., Wiz Inc. and Chainguard Inc.

==> siliconangle.com; 18.07.2024

IBM Consulting and Microsoft Collaborate to Help Clients Modernize Security Operations and Protect Against Cloud Identity Threats;

IBM and Microsoft are intensifying their cybersecurity collaboration to offer enhanced security solutions for hybrid cloud environments and AI applications, focusing on simplifying and modernizing security operations. Their partnership integrates IBM Consulting's cybersecurity services with Microsoft's security technology, including Microsoft Sentinel and Defender, to provide comprehensive protection and management for hybrid cloud identities. This initiative is designed to help organizations streamline security operations, better manage threats, and support their digital transformation with a focus on foundational security.

==> newsroom.ibm.com; 01.07.2024

Automation Anywhere collabs with Microsoft and AWS for more automation;

Automation Anywhere announced at the Imagine conference in Austin, Texas, expanded collaborations with Microsoft and AWS to integrate generative AI into their automation offerings. With Microsoft, they've enhanced their AI + Automation Enterprise System by integrating Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to facilitate the creation of AI Agents for complex enterprise processes. Similarly, their partnership with AWS aims to transform business processes by leveraging Amazon Q, a generative AI-powered assistant, to enable conversational automation across enterprises, thus speeding up decision-making and creative processes.

==> erp.today; 18.06.2024

Atos and Microsoft team up to help clients achieve seamless integration;

Atos Group, through its Eviden unit, has partnered with Microsoft to enhance the adoption of RISE with SAP on Microsoft Azure. This strategic collaboration will establish a Dedicated Service Unit within Eviden to expedite SAP S/4HANA transformations and Microsoft Cloud adoption, providing specialized services and integrating advanced business solutions. The initiative aims to facilitate seamless integration of various SAP and Microsoft technologies, improving agility, flexibility, and innovation for customers.

==> erp.today; 13.06.2024

VMware moves away from AWS, expands partnership with Microsoft;

VMware has partnered with Microsoft to enable the use of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) licenses on Azure VMware Solution and in private data centers, providing companies with more flexibility. This partnership allows for seamless migration of VMware workloads to Azure without significant changes, leveraging Azure's scalable cloud infrastructure. Despite the new collaboration, VMware Cloud on AWS remains available, with no plans to discontinue it, according to Broadcom's CEO Hock Tan.

==> www.techzine.eu; 31.05.2024

ServiceNow & Microsoft Partnership Driving Enterprise Gen AI;

ServiceNow and Microsoft have expanded their partnership, integrating their generative AI capabilities to enhance the enterprise experience. Announced at ServiceNow's Knowledge 2024 event, this collaboration will allow their AI assistants, Now Assist and Copilot, to interact seamlessly, enabling more intuitive and efficient task management across enterprise systems. This alliance is set to transform workplace productivity by allowing AI-driven interactions that reduce context switching and streamline work tasks.

==> technologymagazine.com; 09.05.2024

Microsoft Fiscal Q3 Partner Survey: Partners 3% Above Plan, with Uplift in Azure Forward Indications ;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ3 (Mar) survey (n=25) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 2.6% Above Plan, similar to last quarter’s +3.2% and extending the return-to-normalcy streak, as performance-vs-plan broke out of a year-long “only-inline slump” three quarters ago.
  2. CY24 Practice Growth Expectations Come in at 12%. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 11.6%, on average, in CY24. While indications can fluctuate and this downticked by ~1 point, we are encouraged to see that this metric continues to hold a double-digit growth trajectory and lands above 5 of the past 6 quarters.
  3. Most Metrics Stable-to-Improving as Technology Vision Reading Hits All-Time High. Pace of Business and Product Momentum readings are relatively stable, while Bookings Expectations, Technology Vision, and Tone of Business by Segment improve. Microsoft’s Momentum / Technology Vision assessment reaches an all-time high of +76% net positive, reflecting validation of its early, deep investments in GenAI. Net-net, although not conveying a V-shaped recovery, we see the survey conveying stable to gradually improving tone for modernization investments and supporting a double-digit growth trendline rooted in AI category leadership.
  4. Partners Net-Positive on the Launch of M365 Copilot Thus Far. We asked partners to rank on a scale of 1-10 how they view the response/adoption of M365 Copilot relative to other successful Microsoft product launches such as PowerBI, Teams, E3 & E5 Office plans, Windows 10, and Surface Devices. Partners rank the M365 launch a 6.2 out of 10. While M365 Copilot has obviously not landed as a flawless 10-out-of-10 offering due to wide-ranging opinions, partners view it to be at least on par with a handful of Microsoft’s better products which ultimately succeeded as enduring elements of the tapestry.  Logic should dictate that M365 Copilot holds similar long-term potential as users work through a learning curve and navigate typical enterprise-adoption timeframes.
  5. https://www.jpmorgan.com/. Partners see potential for Azure growth to uptick from the 28% level seen last quarter (Dec) to ~29% one year from now, or 2 points above consensus. In suggesting 1 point of acceleration potential in the NTM, partners convey a notably more optimistic view, as they typically expect 2-12 points of annual deceleration. We are encouraged, considering the good directional track record for this exercise, and believe this optimism could reflect the combination of (a) sustained / potentially accelerating AI-related consumption revenue tailwinds and (b) gradual abatement of extraordinary optimization headwinds.  Partners see a 24% Azure CAGR for the next 3 years, representing remarkable growth at scale.
==> www.jpmorgan.com; 24.04.2024

Microsoft, Cloud Software enter 8-year strategic partnership;

Microsoft Corp. and Cloud Software Group Inc. decided on Thursday to expand their collaboration by entering into an eight-year strategic partnership agreement, the latter revealed in a statement. "The agreement will strengthen the go-to-market collaboration for the Citrix virtual application and desktop platform and support the development of new cloud and AI solutions with an integrated product roadmap. Additionally, Cloud Software Group will make a $1.65 billion commitment to the Microsoft cloud and its generative AI capabilities," the tech giant detailed.

==> breakingthenews.net; 04.04.2024

Adobe and Microsoft partner to bring new generative AI capabilities to marketers as they work in Microsoft 365 applications;

At the Adobe Summit, Adobe and Microsoft announced a collaboration to integrate Adobe Experience Cloud workflows and insights into Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, aiming to enhance marketer efficiency by reducing application and data silos. This partnership will streamline marketers' daily tasks across Adobe and Microsoft applications, such as Outlook, Teams, and Word, by incorporating marketing insights and workflows directly into these tools. The integration focuses on improving planning, collaboration, content creation, and campaign execution, offering unique capabilities to address the complexities of marketing disciplines and the challenges of working across multiple teams and platforms.

==> news.microsoft.com; 26.03.2024

Microsoft and NVIDIA announce major integrations to accelerate generative AI for enterprises everywhere;

Microsoft and NVIDIA are deepening their collaboration by integrating NVIDIA's latest generative AI and Omniverse technologies across Microsoft's Azure, Azure AI services, Microsoft Fabric, and Microsoft 365 platforms. This partnership aims to enhance AI capabilities for users and organizations, bringing cutting-edge AI infrastructure to Azure. Additionally, the collaboration will extend to healthcare and life sciences, leveraging cloud, AI, and supercomputing technologies to drive innovations in clinical research and patient care. 

==> news.microsoft.com; 18.03.2024

New telecoms alliance aims to give sector an AI boost;

The AI-RAN Alliance, launched at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, aims to integrate AI into cellular technology to enhance radio access networks (RAN), with a focus on improving efficiency and supporting new business opportunities as 5G and 6G technologies evolve. Founding members include major tech and telecom companies like Amazon Web Services, ARM, Microsoft, SoftBank, NVIDIA, Ericsson, T-Mobile, and Samsung. The alliance seeks to reduce power consumption, upgrade infrastructure, and enhance spectral efficiency, with telecom companies leading the charge in testing and implementing these AI-driven advancements.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 26.02.2024

EY and Microsoft Azure Launch Comprehensive Climate Risk Management Solution;

EY, in partnership with Microsoft Azure, has launched the EY Climate Stress Testing and Scenario Analysis, aiming to assist financial institutions in complying with the OSFI B-15 Climate Risk Management Guideline, simplifying the complex process of managing climate-related risks outlined in the 2020 guideline. This innovative solution utilizes data analytics, AI, and cloud technology to assess transition and physical risks associated with climate change, enabling institutions to make informed risk management strategies and decisions. Ultimately, this initiative supports the shift towards a sustainable and resilient financial system, crucial for long-term economic stability and prosperity.

==> bnnbreaking.com; 14.02.2024

Vodafone signs $1.5 billion Microsoft deal for AI, cloud and IoT;

Vodafone has entered into a 10-year partnership with Microsoft to offer generative AI, digital, enterprise, and cloud services to over 300 million businesses and consumers in its European and African markets. Vodafone plans to invest $1.5 billion in customer-focused AI, leveraging Microsoft's Azure OpenAI and Copilot technologies, and migrate to Azure cloud services, replacing physical data centers. Microsoft will also become an equity investor in Vodafone's managed IoT platform and collaborate on scaling Vodafone's mobile financial platform in Africa.

==> www.reuters.com; 16.01.2024

Microsoft and SAP unveil new AI solutions for retail ahead of NRF 2024;

Microsoft and SAP are introducing AI-powered capabilities for retailers to help them adapt to changing consumer behaviors and market volatility. SAP is enhancing its supply-chain management and order orchestration offerings with AI to automate replenishment processes and provide detailed fulfillment updates. Microsoft is integrating its Copilot AI into Dynamics 365 applications for customer insights and marketing optimization and offering retail-specific AI templates and data connectors to accelerate AI adoption for retailers looking to enhance efficiency and profitability in the face of digital transformation challenges.

==> venturebeat.com; 11.01.2024

Microsoft Announces New AI Alliance With AFL-CIO Union Federation;

Microsoft has announced a pioneering AI alliance with the AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. labor federation, representing 12.5 million workers. This partnership aims to acknowledge the crucial role of workers in AI development and democratization while addressing concerns about AI's impact on jobs. Microsoft plans to offer AI learning sessions to labor leaders and workers, conduct workshops for career preparation, and hold labor summits to facilitate direct feedback between labor representatives and AI developers, researchers, and business leaders.

==> www.thurrott.com; 11.12.2023

Microsoft and Siemens launch AI-powered Industrial Copilot for manufacturing;

The launch is part of an ongoing partnership between the companies, which will also see Siemens’ Teamcenter software for product life-cycle management integrated with Microsoft Teams, a move the duo says will pave the way for “enabling the industrial metaverse“. The Copilot will apparently allow users to generate, optimise and debug complex automation code, something that Siemens says will significantly shorten simulation times, reducing a task that previously took weeks to complete to a matter of minutes. The system is able to ingest automation and process simulation information from the Siemens Xcelerator digital platform and enhances this using Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service. 

==> techmonitor.ai; 31.10.2023

Microsoft Fiscal Q1 Partner Survey: Partners 4% Above Plan, See 60% Copilot Adoption in 2.5 Years;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ1 (Sep) survey (n=24) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 4.4% Above Plan, improving materially from last quarter’s +0.7% and above the historical average of +3.1%. While one quarter does not make a trend or ensure follow-through, Microsoft’s Generative AI leadership position is driving customer discussions and a re-thinking of existing digital initiatives.
  2. CY23 Growth Expectation for Microsoft Practices Recovers Close to 10%. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 9.5%, on average, in CY 2023, an improvement from last quarter’s 7.4%, though this remains below the historical average of 11.7%. While it is clear from some of the commentary that customers remain cost-conscious and the environment uneven, we are encouraged to see this metric mean-revert toward a more comfortable level.
  3. A Few Key Metrics Improve, Others Tread Water. A few key metrics tracked by our survey improve, while a couple degrade and business sentiment across segments conveys variability. Key improving metrics include performance-vs-plan and CY23 partner practice growth expectations (mentioned above) and observed pace of business. Deteriorating metrics include momentum / vision score (although still landing at a healthy level) and tone of business is consistent overall, but with deterioration in the Enterprise segment. We view the net feedback as positive, but acknowledge an odd mix of drill-down components consistent with some ongoing unevenness and variability in the environment.
  4. Overwhelmingly Net-Positive M365 Copilot Feedback. 42% of partners relayed positive feedback regarding Microsoft’s M365 Copilot private previews while only 4% mentioned negative feedback. Positive commentary includes: “certainly a wow factor” and “people are amazed about what it can do”; “adoption could reach 80-100%” due to getting work done “3-4x faster” with this “amazing productivity tool” which can “help save 10 hours per week per person”. Negative feedback shows evaluations are still in process: “Humanity is still adjusting… this is going very, very fast right now” and “The Jury is [still] out on Copilot.”
  5. 60%+ Copilot Adoption Seen in 2.5 Years. Partners indicate that it will take ~2.5 years for M365 Copilots to penetrate 60%+ of ~160M eligible users. This includes a relatively slow period for the first 1-2 quarters, and a rapid ascent developing in months 18 through 36. Data resoundingly refutes the bear thesis (“minimal Copilot interest & overpriced”). Roughly 100M people could be running M365 Copilots, and paying real money for them, within 3 years. This is just one component of Microsoft’s broad and deep GenAI roadmap.
     
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 19.10.2023

Infosys and Microsoft collaborate to provide cutting-edge AI solutions;

The integration of Infosys’ cutting-edge solutions with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Cognitive Services promises to be a game-changer in the business landscape. Through this collaboration, Infosys Topaz, the company’s AI-focused division, is poised to leverage the power of Azure to augment its capabilities, providing enterprise customers with a bridge from digital to AI-driven solutions.

==> wire19.com; 27.09.2023

EPAM Expands Partnership with Microsoft – Becomes Globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator;

 EPAM Systems announced that it is now a Microsoft Globally Managed Enterprise Systems Integrator (SI) partner—helping to accelerate technology innovation, growth and business impact for enterprises through end-to-end solution design and implementation in the cloud. The newly acquired Globally Managed Enterprise SI partner status marks a significant milestone in EPAM’s expanding strategic partnership with Microsoft. 

==> www.epam.com; 26.09.2023

Deutsche Telekom tested the new private 5G network solution with Microsoft in a lab environment in Bonn;

German carrier Deutsche Telekom launched its new “Campus Network Smart” solution, which will be delivered in collaboration with Microsoft, the operator said in a release. Deutsche Telekom also said that the new offering complements its current portfolio of 5G private networks for industrial use in Europe. The new campus solution is built on Microsoft Azure private multi-access edge compute (MEC), which includes the new Azure Private 5G Core service deployed on Azure Stack Edge.

==> www.rcrwireless.com; 14.09.2023

IBM, Microsoft launch generative AI managed service ;

IBM and Microsoft deepened their collaboration around generative AI, deploying a large language model managed service in Azure Marketplace, the companies announced Thursday. The IBM Consulting Azure OpenAI Service gives developers and data scientists access to generative AI tools, including GPT and Codex, and provides organizations with a suite of pre-built enterprise use cases for the technology. The partnership advances IBM’s multi-model open-ecosystem approach to the technology, providing customers with multiple AI solutions across various hyperscaler platforms, as well as through watsonx, the enterprise AI and data studio deployed last month.

==> www.ciodive.com; 17.08.2023

Microsoft partners with Aptos blockchain to marry AI and web3;

Artificial intelligence has captured the hearts, minds and wallets of the technology industry. So it’s little surprise that Microsoft, which has several irons in the AI fire, is working to expand its footprint in the area. On Wednesday, the company announced that it is partnering with layer-1 blockchain Aptos Labs to work on AI and web3. The collaboration allows Microsoft’s AI models to be trained using Aptos’ verified blockchain information, Shaikh explained. Aptos will also run validator nodes for its blockchain on Microsoft’s Azure cloud, which it anticipates will bring greater reliability and security to its service.

==> techcrunch.com; 08.08.2023

KPMG and Microsoft enter landmark agreement to put AI at the forefront of professional services;

KPMG and Microsoft have announced a significant expansion of their global relationship that will reshape professional services across a number of business-critical areas including workforce modernization, safe and secure development, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for clients, industries and society more broadly. The industry-leading collaboration between the two global organizations includes a KPMG multibillion dollar commitment in Microsoft Cloud and AI services over the next 5 years that will help to unlock potential incremental growth opportunity for KPMG of over US$12 billion.

==> www.zawya.com; 02.08.2023

Meta and Microsoft launch open-source AI model Llama 2 ;

Meta and Microsoft have teamed up to launch Llama 2, an open-source large language model from Meta that will feature on Microsoft’s Windows and cloud computing platform Azure. The pair announced the collaboration on July 18 saying Llama 2 was made free for research and commercial use while also being optimized to run on Windows. The announcement confirmed rumors from last week that said Llama 2 would be built for businesses and researchers to create applications on Meta’s AI tech stack.

==> cointelegraph.com; 19.07.2023

Capgemini and Microsoft collaborate to transform industries with accelerated generative AI implementations;

Capgemini announced an Azure Intelligent App Factory, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, that aims to empower organizations to scale responsible and sustainable generative AI capabilities for their business at speed. This co-created solution will see Capgemini and Microsoft combine their industry knowledge, resources and technology, including the Microsoft Cloud, Azure OpenAI Service and Github Copilot, to transform business intelligence and drive tangible business outcomes across industries, using generative AI.

==> www.capgemini.com; 19.07.2023

KPMG to invest $2 billion in AI in expanded partnership with Microsoft;

KPMG and Microsoft have announced an expanded global collaboration aimed at enhancing professional services through workforce modernization, secure development and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. This new multi-year alliance seeks to streamline KPMG’s client engagement across the audit, tax and advisory sectors. As part of the initiative, KPMG has pledged a $2 billion investment in Microsoft Cloud and AI services over the next five years. This is anticipated to unlock a potential incremental growth opportunity of over $12 billion for KPMG.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.07.2023

ABB and Microsoft bring generative AI to industry ;

ABB is collaborating with Microsoft to integrate the Azure OpenAI generative AI technology into ABB’s Ability Genix Industrial Analytics and AI suite, leading to safer, smarter and more sustainable industrial operations. They say the integrated platform could provide real-time actionable insights for better decision-making and improved productivity, extending asset lifespans by up to 20% and cutting unplanned downtime by up to 60%.

==> drivesncontrols.com; 10.07.2023

Microsoft signs deal for A.I. computing power with Nvidia-backed CoreWeave that could be worth billions;

Microsoft’s agreement with CoreWeave could be worth billions of dollars over multiple years, people familiar with the matter said. CoreWeave offers Nvidia graphics cards that other companies rent out. Nvidia has invested $100 million in CoreWeave, which in April was valued at $2 billion. CNBC has learned from people with knowledge of the matter that Microsoft has agreed to spend potentially billions of dollars over multiple years on cloud computing infrastructure from startup CoreWeave, which announced Wednesday that it raised $200 million. That financing comes just over a month after the company attained a valuation of $2 billion.

==> www.cnbc.com; 01.06.2023

NVIDIA Integrates AI Enterprise into Azure Machine Learning;

NVIDIA announced that it is integrating its NVIDIA AI Enterprise software into Microsoft’s Azure Machine Learning to help enterprises accelerate their AI initiatives. The integration will create a secure, enterprise-ready platform that enables Azure customers worldwide to quickly build, deploy and manage customized applications using the more than 100 NVIDIA AI frameworks and tools that come fully supported in NVIDIA AI Enterprise, the software layer of NVIDIA’s AI platform.

==> www.pipelinepub.com; 23.05.2023

Microsoft Working With AMD on Expansion Into AI Processors;

The companies are teaming up to offer an alternative to Nvidia Corp., which dominates the market for AI-capable chips called graphics processing units, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The software giant is providing support to bolster AMD’s efforts, including engineering resources, and working with the chipmaker on a homegrown Microsoft processor for AI workloads, code-named Athena, the people said.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 04.05.2023

Microsoft (MSFT) Azure Expands Strategic Partnership With Epic;

Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) announced that it expanded its long-standing partnership with Epic. The company will integrate Azure OpenAI Service with Epic’s industry-leading electronic health record ("EHR") software. The collaboration is focused to provide an array of AI-powered solutions. With EHR, it will provide enhanced care, improve financial integrity of health systems globally and boost productivity. Stanford Health Care, UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin and UC San Diego Health have already started integrating solutions to automatically draft query responses.

==> www.zacks.com; 26.04.2023

JPMorgan: Microsoft Fiscal Q3 Partner Survey;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ3 (Mar) survey results are:

  1. Partners Finish Marginally Below Plan, at -0.2%, degrading immaterially from last quarter’s inline performance and below the LT average of +3%. As the second lowest reading for the history of our survey, ongoing macro constraints are evident.
  2. Most Major Survey Metrics in a Holding Pattern. Most of the survey metrics are sending the same message, including pace of business, momentum / vision score, expected practice growth, performance vs. plan, and tone of business across Enterprise / Midsized / Small business. While some metrics have softened and others have shown improvement, the overall pattern closely resembles the findings from the December-quarter survey.
  3. CY23 Growth Expectations for Microsoft Practices Hold Firm. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 9.7% on average in CY 2023, a very minor uptick from last quarter’s 9.3%, but below the long-term average of 13.8%. Considering the tremendous scale of the company and overlaying macro headwinds, this conveys relative stability and prioritization.
  4. Partners See Extra Focus On Cloud “Optimization” Stretching For 4 More Quarters. As companies seek to do more with less, this implies that Azure and broad hyperscaler spend may face optimization headwinds extending into CY 2024.  While easier Azure comps emerge in the Sept & Dec quarters and some of this belt-tightening should wind down before the end of this calendar year, partners see more wood to chop for now, and this should mean further deceleration with downside potential.
  5. Partners See Undeniable Opportunity in Generative AI. Partners’ awareness and enthusiasm for Generative AI  has skyrocketed in the 90 days since our last survey, with partners noting “ChatGPT and Co-pilots have taken [the] industry by [storm]” and that “This is very powerful and will disrupt [the] industry.” With potential use cases across a wide swath of Microsoft’s portfolio, partners see the GenAI opportunity as “huge” and “the next big battleground in IT” consistent with our highly bullish assessment. While regulatory considerations and the degree to which Microsoft should balance monetization vs. widespread adoption remain open questions, the value of early category leadership for Microsoft is substantial, likely surpassing current comprehension.

What is the SINGLE BIGGEST TREND you have seen in the Microsoft ecosystem in recent months, in terms of product adoption or customer purchasing behavior? (n=22)

==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 24.04.2023

BAE Systems and Microsoft join forces to equip defence programmes with innovative cloud technology;

BAE Systems and Microsoft have signed a strategic agreement aiming to support faster and easier development, deployment and management of digital defence capabilities in an increasingly data centric world. The collaboration brings together BAE Systems’ knowledge of building complex digital systems for militaries and governments with Microsoft’s approach to developing applications using its Azure Cloud platform.

==> www.themanufacturer.com; 14.04.2023

Siemens and Microsoft partner on generative AI;

The companies are integrating Siemens’ Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management with Microsoft’s collaboration platform Teams and the language models in Azure OpenAI Service as well as other Azure AI capabilities. The aim is to demonstrate how generative AI can enhance automation and operations through AI-powered software development, problem reporting and visual quality inspection.

==> www.smart-energy.com; 14.04.2023

Palantir and Microsoft Expand Cloud Partnership to Public Sector;

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) today announced that Palantir Federal Cloud Service (PFCS) achieved FedRAMP authorization and accreditation to support workloads at U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level (IL) 4 and DOD IL5 on Microsoft Azure. This new milestone enables U.S. government customers and industry partners to access Palantir and Microsoft's secure, integrated, enterprise-grade capabilities in both Microsoft Azure Government and Azure Commercial environments. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 05.04.2023

Microsoft Unveils Key Cloud Partner Program Enhancements;

Microsoft is readying partners to deliver its new GPT-4 in Azure OpenAI service and launching enablement capabilities for ISVs. Nicole Dezen, Microsoft’s chief partner officer, revealed planned enhancements to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP). Dezen explained the MCPP enhancements in a State of the Partner Ecosystem 2023 report. Microsoft will offer ISVs multi-party private offers and new training and support service designations. Also, for ISVs, Microsoft will launch new diversity and socially sound business classifications in its Partner Center portal.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 22.03.2023

Bayer, Microsoft formalize and launch cloud-based data manager, tools for agriculture;

Bayer and Microsoft have formalized the partnership they announced just over a year ago to create a cloud-based set of data tools and data science solutions for the food and agriculture industry.

==> agfundernews.com; 14.03.2023

Infosys expands Cloud collaborates with Microsoft;

Infosys has announced that it will expand its collaboration with Microsoft, to help accelerate enterprise cloud transformation journeys worldwide. The extended strategic collaboration between Infosys and Microsoft will greatly benefit enterprises by bringing them the best of Infosys Cobalt cloud offerings and Microsoft’s cloud computing technologies, led by Azure, across the business value-chain.

==> timesofindia.indiatimes.com; 23.02.2023

Shell and Microsoft collaborate on digital skilling for non-IT students in vocational education institutes;

Shell and Microsoft announced a collaboration to impart digital skills to students in vocational education institutes. The project aims to enable 5,000 underserved youth across 24 government institutes with digital productivity and employability skills, and prepare them for digital careers in manufacturing and energy sectors. 

==> news.microsoft.com; 15.02.2023

Microsoft Fiscal Q2 Partner Survey: Partners Finish Inline with Plan as Sentiment Remains Muted; Security & Automation Gain Traction;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ2 (Dec) survey (n=20) results are:

  1. Partners finished inline with their plan, degrading marginally from last quarter’s +0.2%, below the LTM average of +3.0%and the second lowest reading for the history of our survey, reflecting continued macro constraints.
  2. CY23 Growth Expectations for Microsoft Practices Remain in High Single Digits. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 9.3% on average in 2023, inline with last quarter’s 9.2%, but below the LTM average of 13.8%. For context, the lowest reading came in at 4.1% during the peak-pandemic period (June 2020). While this conveys deterioration relative to prior indications, it may reflect slightly better than the broader software industry, which is seeing growth roughly cut in half.
  3. Major Survey Metrics Show Little Deviation. Most major survey metrics land only slightly above or slightly below the prior quarter. This includes performance vs. plan, observed pace of business, momentum/vision score, expected practice growth, and pace of business across Enterprise / Midsized / Small business. Metrics are softer y/y but fairly stable sequentially.
  4. Bookings Feedback Softer, Complicated Setup. Bookings expectations moved a bit more than other key metrics, in terms of a low net reading of -5%, close to the -4% reading seen two quarters ago. Bookings feedback can be quite volatile and shouldn’t warrant undue attention, but in this case, we see a very tough y/y comp at 37% CC year-prior, one of the toughest comps we have seen in this metric. We suspect the broader volume of business has softened due to “optimization” efforts, while Microsoft might have booked some discrete larger transactions, ~$2.8B for the LSE deal and perhaps another chunk for the JWCC contract.
  5. Security Products, Teams, and Power Apps Take Lead; Azure Sees Rare Downtick. Security continues its strong momentum, which has been consistent over recent surveys and corroborated with commentary from respondents and conversations with industry partners. Teams moves to the second position, reflecting strong adoption and movement toward becoming a critical collaboration standard. Azure’s product momentum score compressed materially q/q, likely reflecting macro constraints and cost-cutting initiatives.
  6. Azure Growth Expected to Slow by 12 Points in Next 12 Months. On average, partners see Azure growth slowing by ~12 points in the next 12 months, consistent with their viewpoint last July. This may translate to downward-drift in forecasts.
  7. Partners See Microsoft as “the best bet in this environment” and believe that “other software products less ingrained in the organization are more likely to be chopped” if it comes to that. Some partners noted that “ larger organizations have slowed down more materially” this quarter relative to the prior; they expect that “we may see some dips in Azure growth” based on the “h”, but that they are optimistic this will not last too long.
     
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 23.01.2023

AWS and SAP Expand Partnership to Accelerate Digital Transformation;

AWS and SAP have announced a new partnership aimed at helping customers accelerate their digital transformation. SAP has been steadily reinventing itself with a focus on cloud computing. CEO Christian Klein made clear in late-2021 that the strategy was working. The company has been building partnerships with other cloud providers to help customers accelerate their digital transformation and cloud migration. SAP partnered with IBM in early 2022, and has now expanded its partnership with AWS.

==> www.webpronews.com; 17.01.2023

Tech Mahindra and Microsoft join hands to bring cloud-powered 5G core network modernization to telecom partners;

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, and Microsoft, have announced a strategic collaboration to enable cloud-powered 5G core network modernization for telecom operators globally. The 5G core network transformation will help telecom operators to develop 5G core use cases and meet their customers’ growing technological (Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), IoT (Internet of Things), and edge computing) requirements.

==> news.microsoft.com; 12.01.2023

NVIDIA Teams With Microsoft to Build Massive Cloud AI Computer;

NVIDIA today announced a multi-year collaboration with Microsoft to build one of the most powerful AI supercomputers in the world, powered by Microsoft Azure’s advanced supercomputing infrastructure combined with NVIDIA GPUs, networking and full stack of AI software to help enterprises train, deploy and scale AI, including large, state-of-the-art models.

==> nvidianews.nvidia.com; 16.11.2022

Raytheon Technologies partners with Microsoft to accelerate cloud adoption;

Raytheon Technologies is deepening its collaboration with Microsoft to equip the aerospace and defense company’s employees with cloud-based tools, technologies, and platforms to enhance collaboration, optimize operations and unlock insights that drive greater value for customers. The effort includes co-development of capabilities, as well as Raytheon Technologies’ use of existing or modified versions of Microsoft solutions such as Microsoft Teams. It is part of the company’s strategy to optimize operations and give employees access to standardized digital tools globally.

==> www.helpnetsecurity.com; 05.11.2022

MTN Group, Microsoft sign strategic alliance agreement;

Telecommunications giant MTN Group and Microsoft have partnered to accelerate digital and cloud transformation across Africa. The new strategic alliance, centred on transforming and modernising MTN’s communications and technology infrastructure, aims to deliver digital solutions that support governments, businesses of all sizes and customers using the versatility of Microsoft platforms, solutions and capabilities to accelerate value creation.

==> www.engineeringnews.co.za; 03.11.2022

Capgemini and Microsoft collaborate to offer cloud-native digital twin solution to help organizations rethink their operations;

 Capgemini today announced that it is collaborating with Microsoft to deliver a first-of-its kind, cloud-native, serverless Azure-based digital twin platform, called ReflectIoD. This secure, highly scalable platform will leverage best-in-class architecture and technological components from the Azure suite to help transform an organization’s operations and maintenance efficiency, enabling intelligent industry and driving sustainable business value. It will also enable enterprises to meet the ever-growing needs of standardized brownfields management throughout their life cycle and across ecosystems.

==> www.capgemini.com; 12.10.2022

New partnership brings Microsoft Teams to Cisco meeting room devices;

Cisco and Microsoft Corp. announced at Microsoft’s annual Ignite conference a new partnership that will provide customers with more choice. In the first half of 2023, Cisco and Microsoft will soon offer the ability to run Microsoft Teams natively on Cisco Room and Desk devices Certified for Microsoft Teams, with the option of Teams as the default experience. Cisco will become a partner in the Certified for Microsoft Teams program for the first time.

==> news.microsoft.com; 12.10.2022

Cisco tightens its SD-WAN integration with Microsoft Azure;

This week Cisco and Microsoft extended their SD-WAN/Microsoft Azure integration to enable building single or multiple overlays on top of Microsoft’s backbone to interconnect enterprise sites worldwide, and to connect sites to workloads running inside Azure, similar to an arrangement Cisco has with Google Cloud.

==> www.networkworld.com; 05.10.2022

As Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Launches, Company Readies ISV Expansion;

The planned launch of the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program is now official, putting in place the company’s new partner designations. Microsoft marked the official beginning of its new partner program on Monday outlining the changes that are now in place. Many partners complained that the scoring required to meet the six new designations penalized them, despite long ties with Microsoft. For some, the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program will require them to change how they do business with the company.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 03.10.2022

Microsoft Fiscal Q4 Partner Survey;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ4 (June) survey (n=24) results are:

  1. Partners finished 3.8% above plan, trending similar to the LTM average of +4.1% and remaining well above peak pandemic era averages, a solid performance despite incremental macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.
  2. CY22 Growth Expectation for Microsoft Practices Remains in Very Healthy Double-Digits. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 15.0% on average in 2022.  While down from the unusually-high 18.3% indication last quarter, 15% growth remains a stellar indication, the second-highest reading in several years.
  3. Downtick in Pace of Business, Momentum and Commercial Bookings Expectations. We believe the downtick in these metrics reflects increasing constraints in the economic backdrop, largely surrounding inflation, recessionary pressures, and supply chain bottlenecks. Despite the near-term noise, we note the tempered expectations appear small in magnitude and do not appear to suggest systemic issues for Microsoft, which continues to remain a long-term outperformer, as indicated in our Massive-Scale CIO Survey.
  4. Teams, Power Apps / Power Automate, and Azure Headline Product Momentum Scores, while Security Products Remain Strong. Teams product momentum upticked in Q4, remaining very strong even as many workers return to the office. Power Apps / Power Automate also scored well, again registering a strong Q/Q improvement, with several partners indicating adoption of these products remains robust. Continued threats of cyber attacks and the White House’s executive order have kept Microsoft’s security suite of products in focus and carrying momentum, with a partner noting “a large uptake in security products such as Enterprise Mobility + Security and Defender.”
  5.  Forward Expected Azure Growth Rates Moderate as Partners Expect to See Consumption Constraints. On average, partners see Azure growth slowing from 49% to 37% in the next 12 months, a slower indication than the 45% indicated ~6 months ago. While this is a downtick, it still supports our and consensus’ forecast, albeit with less upside. In addition, 48% of partners indicate that they have seen or expect to see customers constraining their usage/consumption of software products, which could potentially include products such as Azure Credits / Teams Communication Credits. While some partners indicate digital transformation tailwinds remain and “Azure will remain strong,” others note customers moving to “tighten their spending levels” and “prepare for a recession.”

Please rate the following Microsoft products in terms of their momentum within your base of customers and prospects. (5 = significantly gaining momentum, 1 = significantly losing momentum) (n=24)

What is the SINGLE BIGGEST TREND you have seen in the Microsoft ecosystem in recent months, in terms of product adoption or customer purchasing behavior? (n=24)

==> jpmorgan.com; 21.07.2022

P&G and Microsoft co-innovate to build the future of digital manufacturing;

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) (P&G) and Microsoft Corp. announced a new multiyear collaboration that will leverage the Microsoft Cloud to help create the future of digital manufacturing at P&G. The two companies will co-innovate to accelerate and expand P&G’s digital manufacturing platform and leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to bring products to consumers faster, increase customer satisfaction and improve productivity to reduce costs.

==> news.microsoft.com; 08.06.2022

JPMorgan: Microsoft Fiscal Q3 Partner Survey;

The most noteworthy elements of the FQ3 (March) survey (n=23) results are:

  1. Partners finished 4.1% above plan, trending inline with the LTM average despite incremental macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.
  2. Pace of Business, Technology Vision and Commercial Bookings expectation down-tick y/y, but remain within historical ranges for a FQ3. These are a few metrics in the mix which could arguably convey some y/y moderation in the demand environment. We are cautious on the mechanics for Commercial Bookings growth this quarter, but the survey results all-in still speak to the relative resilience and durability of Microsoft’s footprint.
  3. CY22 Growth Expectation for Microsoft practices climbs unexpectedly. Partners expect their Microsoft practices to grow 18.3% on average in 2022 up from the 12.8% indication last quarter. This marks one element of the survey which is a very high outlier; as such, we would acknowledge but not over-index to this indication, as  we expect it to mean-revert in the future.
  4. Security Products, Power Apps / Power Automate headline product momentum scores, while Azure and Teams remain strong. Amid increasing threats of cyber attacks, Microsoft’s security suite of products emerged to the pole position in terms of product momentum, ahead of Azure, with partners describing a “massive focus on security” and sensing a “greater, deeper security posture”. Power Apps / Power Automate also scored well, marking a notable improvement, with partners citing strong demand for “more advanced tools” and that the Power Platform “as a low code platform has grabbed attention”.
  5. Partners See Office 365, Teams leading the way in the Communication / Collaboration Markets. Partners indicate that they expect Office 365 and Microsoft Teams to each surpass 60% employee adoption within the next 3-5 years, far outweighing competing product offerings. This compares favorably with Zoom expected to reach 34% adoption and Slack expected to reach 24% adoption. The data also foreshadows future trends in the CWM / Project Management market across offerings from Microsoft, Monday.com, Smartsheet, Asana, and others.
  6. Net/net, the survey indicates that the demand environment for Microsoft remains relatively consistent overall, with emerging vectors of strength for Security products and Power Platform in particular, while the O365 price increase appears well accepted due to the slate of new features. 

Please rate the following Microsoft products in terms of their momentum within your base of customers and prospects. (5 = significantly gaining momentum, 1 = significantly losing momentum) (n=23)

 What is the SINGLE BIGGEST TREND you have seen in the Microsoft ecosystem in recent months, in terms of product adoption or customer purchasing behavior? 

==> www.jpmorgan.com; 21.04.2022

TCS to be launch partner for Microsoft Cloud for Retail;

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Tuesday announced that it is now a partner for the newly-launched Microsoft Cloud for Retail, expanding its collaboration with the company. Microsoft Cloud for Retail is an industry-specific cloud that brings together various Microsoft technologies, linked by a common data model to connect experiences across the end-to-end shopper journey with integrated and intelligent capabilities.

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 02.02.2022

FedEx and Microsoft announce new cross-platform logistics solution for e-commerce;

FedEx Corp. and Microsoft Corp. announced the next solution as part of their multiyear collaboration to transform commerce, supply chains and logistics. FedEx and Microsoft will bring together FedEx network intelligence with capabilities from Microsoft Dynamics 365 to introduce a cross-platform “logistics as a service” for retailers, merchants and brands.

==> news.microsoft.com; 24.01.2022

Microsoft and KPMG collaborate to build industry optimization solutions using Azure Quantum;

Microsoft and KPMG are working together to explore and solve common business problems utilizing quantum-inspired optimization techniques available through Azure Quantum. Initial collaboration projects expect to focus on benchmarking solutions for financial services portfolio optimization and telecommunication service fleet optimization. The teams plan to share results in the coming months.

==> cloudblogs.microsoft.com; 02.12.2021

Bayer announces Azure cloud partnership with Microsoft;

Bayer and Microsoft will co-develop new solutions that address critical industry scenarios such as farming operations, sustainable sourcing, manufacturing and supply chain improvement, and ESG monitoring and measurement.

==> mspoweruser.com; 17.11.2021

Microsoft announces multi-year partnership with cyber insurance firm At-Bay;

Microsoft unveiled a new partnership with cyber insurance company At-Bay on Wednesday, announcing that it was seeking to help the insurance industry "create superior and data-driven cyber insurance products backed by Microsoft's security solutions." At-Bay claimed their insureds are seven times less likely to experience a ransomware incident than the industry average and noted that they provide insights to their customers about ways they can better protect themselves. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 29.09.2021

Microsoft joins Open Infrastructure Foundation;

The OpenInfra Foundation, the successor to the OpenStack Foundation, announced today that Microsoft has joined it to further its open-source, cloud technologies. Because together they can advance and profit from using these cloud technologies to further the hybrid cloud and, an OpenStack specialty, 5G. Microsoft is joining the Open Infrastructure Foundation as a Platinum Member.

==> www.zdnet.com; 07.09.2021

Microsoft and NEC expand strategic partnership to boost business resiliency and growth;

Microsoft Corp. and NEC Corporation announced an expansion of their decades-long collaboration. Through a new multi-year strategic partnership, the companies will leverage Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, NEC’s network and IT expertise, including 5G technologies, and each other’s AI and IoT solutions to help enterprise customers and the public sector across multiple markets and industries further accelerate their cloud adoption and digital transformation initiatives.

==> news.microsoft.com; 12.07.2021

AWS Vs. Microsoft Vs. Google: How Partners Rank The Big 3 Cloud Companies;

CRN’s exclusive Cloud Barometer survey asked solution providers to divulge the biggest pros and cons of the three top platforms. Here are the results, and why it’s anyone’s game to win. 

==> www.crn.com; 07.06.2021

Orange and Capgemini launch French cloud company 'Bleu,' will sell Microsoft services from local data centers;

'Bleu' will offer Microsoft Azure and 365 cloud services, but Capgemini and Orange will control the data centers, which will be separate from the wider Azure infrastructure. This should mean that Bleu can be classified as a "Cloud de Confiance” and receive an ANSSI SecNumCloud label. This will allow the company to bid for government and critical infrastructure jobs that foreign companies are blocked from participating in under a new French cloud strategy.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 27.05.2021

ServiceNow Expands Microsoft Partnership to Protect Data;

ServiceNow is extending its partnership with Microsoft to help protect organization’s data. The company is expanding its partnership with Microsoft to include Microsoft Azure Sentinel, Microsoft Threat & Vulnerability Management, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft SharePoint. The integration will allow data from Microsoft’s service to be pulled into ServiceNow for analysis.

==> www.webpronews.com; 24.05.2021

Microsoft und Siemens verstärken Open Industry 4.0 Alliance um SAP ;

Die Open Industry 4.0 Alliance um SAP und Automationsspezialisten wie Kuka nimmt mächtig Fahrt auf: Fast 80 Unternehmen sind bereits Mitglied der Allianz, eine neue Kollaborationsplattform steht bereit, ein Community-App-Store stellt Industrie-Anwendungen bereit – und nun schließen sich mit Microsoft und Siemens zwei echte IoT-Schwergewichte der offenen IoT-Allianz an.

==> automationspraxis.industrie.de; 22.04.2021

Nokia announces cloud partnerships with Google, Amazon, Microsoft;

 Nokia has today announced a partnership with Google Cloud to develop new, cloud-based 5G radio solutions. The two companies will collaborate on joint solutions combining Nokia's Radio Access Network (RAN), Open RAN, Cloud RAN (vRAN) and edge cloud technologies, with Google's edge computing platform and applications ecosystem. The collaboration will lead to the development of solutions and use cases to solve key 5G scenarios for businesses worldwide. 

==> www.lightreading.com; 15.03.2021

Capgemini Strengthens Its Strategic Partnership With Microsoft in North America ;

Capgemini has further strengthened its strategic initiative with Microsoft in North America to help clients accelerate their digital transformations and embrace new cloud-based ways of working. Under this initiative, Capgemini and Microsoft will collaborate to help organizations in North America drive their digital agendas forward by connecting business and IT strategy. The two partners will also develop employee talent jointly through broader technical training and certification. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 03.03.2021

Amadeus and Microsoft form strategic partnership to drive future innovation in travel;

Amadeus and Microsoft today announce a global strategic partnership that will harness cloud technology to innovate and explore new products and solutions and create smoother travel experiences in the future. The partnership will combine Microsoft trusted, secure cloud platforms and industry-leading collaboration and enterprise technologies with Amadeus’ proven expertise and innovation in travel technology.

==> news.microsoft.com; 25.02.2021

Volkswagen Group partners with Microsoft on automated driving;

The Volkswagen Group’s software company Car.Software Organization will collaborate with Microsoft to build a cloud-based Automated Driving Platform on Microsoft Azure and tp leverage its compute and data capabilities with the goal of delivering reliable and safe automated driving (AD) experiences even faster and on a global scale.  Volkswagen and Microsoft have been strategic partners on the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud since 2018, which will span all of Volkswagen's future digital services and mobility offerings. 

==> www.greencarcongress.com; 12.02.2021

Microsoft to support HPE's Spaceborne Computer with Azure connectivity, AI processing at the edge;

Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said they'll be working together to connect Azure to HPE's Spaceborne Computer-2. The pair are touting the partnership as bringing compute and AI capabilities to the ultimate edge device -- a supercomputer in space. HP and NASA partnered to build the Spaceborne Computer, which is a commercial, off-the-shelf supercomputer. The HPE Spaceborne Computer-2 is designed to simulate computation loads during space travel via data-intensive applications. On February 20, HPE's Spaceborne Computer-2 is scheduled to launch into orbit on the 15th Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission to Space Station (NG-15). 

==> www.zdnet.com; 11.02.2021

Microsoft to integrate Teams with SAP as partnership expands;

Microsoft has unveiled plans to integrate Teams with a range of SAP business applications, enabling workers to share information more easily without leaving the collaboration platform. The two companies announced that the German enterprise software vendor’s S/4HANA enterprise resource planning (ERP) application, used by many of the world’s largest organizations, will connect into Microsoft’s collaboration platform. This will allow SAP users to share information such as supplier details with colleagues within Teams without switching screens, for instance.

==> www.computerworld.com; 25.01.2021

Microsoft teams up with Cruise on self-driving cars, chips in for $2 billion investment;

Microsoft is joining forces with Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, to help speed up the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. The software giant is also chipping in on a new equity investment of $2 billion for Cruise, along with previous investors Honda and GM, bringing the AV company’s valuation up to a whopping $30 billion. 

==> www.theverge.com; 19.01.2021

ServiceNow and Microsoft extend partnership for highly regulated industries in France;

ServiceNow has announced the Now Platform and SaaS solutions will be available on Microsoft Azure Regions in France for highly regulated industries, starting in January 2021. Government and highly regulated customers will be able to leverage ServiceNow on Azure to accelerate their Digital Transformation, while assisting French customer data residency needs. “Our partnership with ServiceNow creates a great opportunity for French organisations in highly regulated markets to embrace Digital Transformation,” said Agnès Van de Walle, One Commercial Partner Director at Microsoft, France.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 24.11.2020

Bentley Systems and Microsoft team up on city digital twins;

The agreement will combine Microsoft’s Azure IoT Digital Twins and Azure Maps with Bentley Systems’ iTwins platform, enabling engineers, architects, constructors and city planners to work within a comprehensive city-scale digital twin. The companies say this will better inform decisions, boost operational efficiency and reduce costs. Microsoft Teams will facilitate collaboration for infrastructure engineers.

==> cities-today.com; 21.10.2020

Microsoft partners chip maker Arm to boost AI innovation for IoT devices ;

 SoftBank-owned UK chip maker Arm has partnered with Microsoft to create Azure-based tools to enable developers transfer data from Arm-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices to Azure Cloud. The partnership will enable developers to easily target a broad range of Arm-based devices like intelligent computer-vision-enabled cameras, connected vehicles, AI gateways and intelligent appliances.

==> www.business-standard.com; 09.10.2020

Microsoft Unveils 5G/Telco Playbook With ‘Azure For Operators’;

Microsoft Azure Monday laid out its playbook to partner with communications  service providers by providing a carrier-grade platform for edge and cloud computing to help network operators realize the full potential of 5G technology. The No. 2 cloud provider’s new Azure for Operators telco strategy is fortified by its past and current telco-related work—including its partnerships with operators such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and its development of Azure Edge Zones—and acquisitions of telco-geared software makers Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch earlier this year.

==> www.crn.com; 28.09.2020

ServiceNow extends Microsoft partnership with new Teams functionality;

ServiceNow has extended its partnership with Microsoft to enhance the integration with Teams and improve employee experiences. At Microsoft Ignite 2020, ServiceNow introduced new workflows embedded in Microsoft Teams to improve employee productivity with self-service and improved case resolution. Powered by ServiceNow’s digital workflow platform, the Now Platform, the new capabilities are also said to improve agent productivity by enabling them to more effectively collaborate and complete key tasks in Microsoft Teams.

==> itbrief.com.au; 25.09.2020

Birlasoft announces global strategic cloud partnership with Microsoft;

Birlasoft  announced a global strategic cloud alliance with Microsoft. The collaboration will allow Birlasoft to support its enterprise clients with their cloud transformation needs, right from infrastructure to business applications. The company said it intends to grow its Microsoft cloud business to $100 million with this partnership. Birlasoft has been a Microsoft Gold partner for 10 years now.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 18.08.2020

Mastercard partners with Microsoft to accelerate innovation across payments;

The collaboration will accelerate Mastercard Labs’ cloud native research and development activities, enabled by Azure and AI, to de-risk and commercialize emerging technologies and platforms for digital commerce. Using Mastercard’s global network and Azure’s global reach, the collaboration will enable Mastercard’s ecosystem of partners to explore the use of emerging innovations and new commerce capabilities, like devices that enable digital payments in new ways.

==> tearsheet.co; 28.07.2020

Microsoft announces 2020 Partner of the Year Awards winners and finalists;

This year, Microsoft acknowledged partners in 49 categories celebrating each of the solution areas, industries and sectors globally in which Microsoft technologies are used. Microsoft introduced ten new categories this year, including the first-ever Community Response Award, which recognizes partners that have made a great difference, providing innovative and unique services or solutions to help solve problems for our customers and community during these unprecedented times.

==> news.microsoft.com; 13.07.2020

IBM, SAP announce new offerings towards digital transformation;

The next evolution of the IBM and SAP partnership aims to help drive faster business transformation time to value, accelerate industry innovation through industry-specific data value offerings, turbocharge customer and employee experiences and provide ultimate flexibility and choice to run their workloads in hybrid cloud environments.

==> malaya.com.ph; 08.07.2020

Microsoft, Hitachi team on digital transformations;

Under the strategic multi-year alliance, Hitachi and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) will "accelerate the digital transformation of the manufacturing and logistics industries across Southeast Asia, North America and Japan." Hitachi will integrate its Lumada IoT platform and its IoT ready industry controllers with Microsoft's Azure cloud platform. The first solutions will be available next month in Thailand. The rollout will extend to North America and Japan in the future. Two years ago, Microsoft pledged $5B to build its own IoT platform.

==> seekingalpha.com; 25.06.2020

Microsoft Azure becomes SAS’s preferred cloud platform;

SAS and Microsoft are jointly announcing today a strategic partnership making Azure the preferred cloud platform for SAS's analytics portfolio. Although nothing is firm at this point, there is potential to integrate SAS with many Azure services. While SAS will support other clouds going forward, Azure will be first among equals. The SAS/Microsoft Azure partnership extends to go-to-market and joint technology development. Existing customers will be able to get SAS from the Azure marketplace; the same goes for channel partners, who can resell from the marketplace.

==> www.zdnet.com; 15.06.2020

BBC launches Beeb voice assistant in partnership with Microsoft;

The BBC has launched an early version of its previously announced voice assistant in partnership with Microsoft. Beeb, as the assistant is called, will initially be made available in the U.K. as part of Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program, where participants will contribute to improving the voice assistant ahead of a wider rollout.

==> venturebeat.com; 02.06.2020

FedEx announces partnership with Microsoft;

 The aim of the partnership is to create opportunities for their customers through a number of joint offerings that are powered by Azure and Dynamics 365. These use data and analytics solutions to reinvent the most critical aspects of the commerce experience and enable businesses to better compete in today’s increasingly digital landscape.

==> apex-insight.com; 19.05.2020

Wipro invests in Microsoft partnership with dedicated business unit;

The unit will leverage Microsoft’s enterprise cloud services and will consist of a team of trained and certified Azure consultants and specialists. According to a statement, the move comes from Wipro’s expanded global alliance with Microsoft to accelerate cloud adoption. The duo have been strategic partners for decades and Wipro is a Microsoft Gold Competency Partner.

==> itbrief.co.nz; 20.03.2020

Microsoft to open Azure regions in Spain, expands Telefonica relationship;

 Telefonica now is calling Microsoft "its strategic cloud partner," as part of the February 25 announcement. Microsoft officials said today they will be delivering Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform from new datacenter regions in Spain. Microsoft officials also said they would "leverage Telefonica infrastructure" as part of today's announcement. And Telefonica will be accelerating its use of Microsoft cloud technology internally as part of the arrangement, the pair said in a press release. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 25.02.2020

Ericsson and Microsoft team up for the next generation of connected cars;

Ericsson is building its Connected Vehicle Cloud on top of the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform that is running on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. The integrated solution allows automakers to deploy and scale global vehicle services such as fleet management, over-the-air software updates and connected safety services much easier and faster while reducing costs. 

==> www.ericsson.com; 19.12.2019

Springboard raises $11 million and partners with Microsoft to combat global tech talent shortage;

The San Francisco-based company also announced a partnership with Microsoft to train thousands of students for data analytics roles in the coming years. This represents the latest in a line of tie-ups between technology companies and massive open online course (MOOC) platforms that are designed to plug the talent gap across the technology and digital industries.

==> venturebeat.com; 17.12.2019

Microsoft and Ford try using quantum-style computing to solve Seattle’s traffic problem;

The quantum frontier hasn’t yet reached the point at which a general-purpose computer can solve the mother of all traffic jams. But the two companies are using quantum-inspired simulations to address the optimization problem that arises when all the drivers are following the same app-generated driving directions.

==> www.geekwire.com; 10.12.2019

Nokia and Microsoft sign cloud and networking partnership;

A new Microsoft and Nokia partnership will see the two companies combine their respective IT and telecoms technologies into joint products for enterprises and communication service providers (CSPs).

==> www.techradar.com; 07.11.2019

SAP and Microsoft Strengthens Partnership;

SAP and Microsoft announced the extension of its partnership last week. As said, the goal of the alliance was to ensure tighter integrations between S/4 ERP applications that are running on the SAP HANA database deployed on the Microsoft Azure cloud.

==> insidesap.com.au; 05.11.2019

Offerings

Microsoft expands AI offering with DeepSeek’s R1 model on Azure AI Foundry;

Microsoft has added DeepSeek’s reasoning model R1 to its Azure AI Foundry platform after extensive security testing and evaluations. The company also plans to release smaller, local versions of R1 for Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft aims to expand its AI model catalog and explore enterprise applications for R1.

==> www.dimsumdaily.hk; 30.01.2025

Microsoft’s AI Tools aim to Empower Healthcare Workers;

Microsoft has introduced new tools in Azure AI Studio as part of its Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, aimed at enhancing healthcare data management, improving patient care, and reducing clinician burnout. These tools allow healthcare organizations to integrate and analyze diverse data types, streamline workflows, and deploy AI solutions with minimal computing requirements. By automating administrative tasks and enhancing data access, Microsoft's AI-powered platform helps healthcare professionals focus more on patient care and improves operational efficiency.

==> healthcare-digital.com; 11.10.2024

European hospitals launch Microsoft-backed AI network to agree privacy guardrails;

Artificial intelligence is poised to significantly transform healthcare, akin to the changes post the 1918 flu pandemic. To support this transformation, the Microsoft-backed Trustworthy & Responsible AI Network (TRAIN) consortium was launched in Europe at the Hlth Europe show in Amsterdam. TRAIN aims to foster collaboration on technical and ethical AI issues in healthcare, including developing tools for responsible AI, establishing usage guardrails, and sharing best practices to mitigate bias through a federated AI outcomes registry. This initiative includes major medical institutions across Europe and mirrors efforts like the Coalition for Health AI in the U.S.

==> www.cio.com; 19.06.2024

Microsoft announces Copilot Plus PCs with built-in AI hardware;

Microsoft is launching "Copilot Plus PCs," which integrate AI hardware and features across the Windows operating system. Major laptop brands, including Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, Acer, and Asus, along with Microsoft’s Surface line, will offer these AI-powered laptops featuring neural processors and supporting OpenAI's GPT-4o model. These devices, promising significant speed and battery life improvements, will begin shipping on June 18 with Qualcomm processors, followed later by Intel and AMD models.

==> www.theverge.com; 20.05.2024

Amadeus and Microsoft launch virtual airport operations app;

Amadeus, in partnership with Microsoft, has launched a Virtual Airport Operations Centre (APOC) to enhance the management of airport operations through an app-based solution integrated with Microsoft Teams. This innovation aims to improve communication among stakeholders in a fully digitalized environment, accelerating response to disruptions. The virtual operations centre is designed to overcome challenges posed by data silos and outdated communication methods, thereby boosting collaboration and decision-making efficiency at airports.

==> www.airport-technology.com; 16.04.2024

Microsoft and OpenAI plan to build a $100 billion supercomputer to power artificial intelligence: report;

Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly developing a groundbreaking supercomputer named "Stargate," potentially costing up to $100 billion, as part of a larger project to establish a series of supercomputer installations over the next six years. This supercomputer aims to significantly advance OpenAI's AI capabilities and could be operational by 2028. The project, highlighting the intense investment in AI's future, faces challenges in acquiring the necessary server chips and securing sufficient power sources, with discussions around using alternative energy like nuclear power.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 30.03.2024

Microsoft launches new Azure AI tools to cut out LLM safety and reliability risks;

Microsoft has announced the introduction of new Azure AI tools aimed at enhancing the safety and reliability of generative AI applications. These tools are designed to mitigate issues such as "automatic hallucinations" and security vulnerabilities, including prompt injection attacks that could lead to the generation of personal or harmful content. The tools, which are currently in preview, include features like Prompt Shields for blocking malicious prompts and advanced machine learning algorithms for detecting and preventing inaccurate outputs. Microsoft's initiative reflects a commitment to fostering a secure and trustworthy environment for developing and deploying generative AI applications, addressing growing concerns around the technology's potential risks.

==> venturebeat.com; 28.03.2024

Microsoft expands availability of its AI-powered cybersecurity assistant;

Starting April 1, Microsoft will expand the availability of its AI-powered 'Security Copilot' tool for cybersecurity professionals, shifting to a 'pay-as-you-go' pricing model. Initially soft-launched last year, Security Copilot assists analysts with tasks such as summarizing incidents and analyzing vulnerabilities through a simple prompt interface. This approach aims to lower entry barriers, according to Microsoft Corporate Vice President Vasu Jakkal, with about 300 customers currently utilizing the tool.

==> www.reuters.com; 13.03.2024

Microsoft launches AI-powered ‘Copilot for Finance’ ;

Microsoft has introduced "Copilot for Finance," an AI-powered service designed to enhance productivity within the Microsoft 365 suite by offering generative AI and automation specifically for finance professionals. This service, which has been tested by Microsoft's financial professionals and their business partners, integrates ChatGPT-like functionalities tailored for finance workflows. "Copilot for Finance" joins Microsoft's suite of professional AI assistants, including Copilot for Sales and Service, to address the demand for AI models that provide the precision required in the finance sector.

==> cointelegraph.com; 29.02.2024

Microsoft makes Azure OpenAI service available in government cloud platform ;

Federal agencies using Microsoft's Azure Government service now have access to Azure OpenAI Service, offering AI tools in a regulated environment with stringent security and compliance measures highlighted by Microsoft's Candice Ling. Azure OpenAI is being submitted for federal cloud services authorizations, including FedRAMP's "high" baseline and Department of Defense's Impact Levels 4 and 5, to enable use with higher-impact data, while ensuring data security measures such as preventing prompts and proprietary data from being used to train the model.

==> fedscoop.com; 06.02.2024

Microsoft offers to store all personal data of cloud customers in EU;

Microsoft is rolling out a phased plan to allow its European Union cloud customers to process and store all personal data within the EU region. This move is in response to privacy and security legislation, similar to Amazon Web Services' announcement in October. Microsoft is also planning to introduce a paid support option that provides initial technical response from within the EU to further enhance data privacy and compliance with regulations.

==> www.reuters.com; 12.01.2024

Microsoft grows EU cloud localization services;

Microsoft is upgrading its cloud computing services in the European Union (EU) to keep data within the EU, in compliance with stricter privacy regulations. These changes impact services such as Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365. Microsoft aims to provide data residency to its European customers and address concerns about data privacy and surveillance, particularly in light of strict EU data protection laws and the need to protect data from foreign government interference.

==> www.networkworld.com; 11.01.2024

Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty now generally available, opening new pathways for government innovation;

Microsoft has announced the general availability of "Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty" across all Azure regions. This initiative is designed to help governments meet compliance, security, and policy requirements while utilizing cloud technology for the benefit of their citizens. It offers features such as data residency options, sovereign controls for data protection, and policy initiatives to address national and regional regulatory requirements. Microsoft is also introducing new capabilities like drift analysis, transparency logs, and configuration tools to enhance sovereignty in the hyperscale cloud. The initiative has been developed in collaboration with government partners and customers in various regions, including the Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium.

==> blogs.microsoft.com; 14.12.2023

Microsoft announces retirement dates for Azure ACS and SharePoint Add-In services;

Microsoft has set retirement dates for Azure ACS and SharePoint Add-In services, ending for new tenants on November 1, 2024, and completely retiring on April 2, 2026. Users are advised to switch to Microsoft Entra ID for authentication and migrate custom-developed SharePoint Add-Ins to SharePoint Framework solutions. The public marketplace for SharePoint Add-Ins will stop accepting new submissions on March 1, 2024, and acquiring them will cease from July 1, 2024, with the overall retirement date for SharePoint Add-Ins on April 2, 2026.


 

==> www.neowin.net; 27.11.2023

Microsoft expands AI security capabilities amid rising cyber threats ;

Microsoft is expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for security with the introduction of Microsoft Security Copilot, an AI solution that leverages a large-scale data advantage of 65 trillion daily signals. The system is designed to enhance the capabilities of cybersecurity professionals by providing insights, monitoring cyber threat groups, and employing Zero Trust principles. Early adopters reported improvements in task accuracy, speed, and overall work quality, suggesting the potential of Copilot to be a "change accelerator" in the cybersecurity landscape.

==> securitybrief.com.au; 17.11.2023

Microsoft expands AI reach with Azure AI studio, genAI tools;

Microsoft has introduced new generative and traditional AI capabilities, including the preview release of Azure AI Studio, a platform for building, testing, exploring, and deploying AI systems. Azure AI Studio enables the development of generative AI applications, including those using Microsoft's generative AI-based assistant, Copilot. Additionally, Microsoft announced multimodal AI capabilities in Azure OpenAI Service, allowing organizations to build generative AI systems with images, text, and video, and expanded access to the Copilot Copyright Commitment to address responsible AI concerns.

==> www.techtarget.com; 15.11.2023

Microsoft launches new AI services for Health;

Microsoft has continued to accelerate its drive into AI tools for health, with the launch of a series of new analytics and AI services, as part of its new Fabric data analytics platform and Azure AI services. The new health specific tools in Microsoft’s Fabric analytics platform, include tools to ingest FHIR, imaging and medical device data, and to prepare and enrich data to enable users to create analytics and insights.

==> www.digitalhealth.net; 11.10.2023

Microsoft sovereign cloud offers a private data center alternative;

Microsoft released a new sovereign cloud offering aimed at accelerating government customers’ digital transformation while prioritizing compliance, security and policy requirements. As part of the public preview, Microsoft has made its Sovereign Landing Zone policy initiative available on GitHub, which provides examples of guardrails for workloads in sovereign cloud environments and best practices for securing those environments according to local regulations.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 04.10.2023

Microsoft announces AI Copilot for Windows coming September 26th;

Microsoft has been an early leader in generative AI thanks to its investment in — and integrations with — OpenAI and the latter’s hit conversational large language model (LLM) app ChatGPT. Among the new features the Copilot in Windows integration offers is “Sound Like Me,” the ability for the Copilot AI to scan and analyze your writing style and compose emails for you in Microsoft Outlook, the software giant’s popular email application for businesses and individual users.

==> venturebeat.com; 21.09.2023

Oracle and Microsoft strengthen cloud partnership with Oracle Database@Azure launch;

Oracle and Microsoft have announced a new service that will allow customers to access Oracle database servers located in Microsoft Azure data centers. The service will see Oracle database services running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) hosted for the first time in Azure data centers, widening the availability of Oracle’s various product offerings and bringing in new benefits such as the low latency of Azure. Customers will be able to purchase Oracle Database@Azure through the Azure Marketplace, and deploy the service using developer tools such as Azure application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kids (SDKs).

==> www.itpro.com; 15.09.2023

Microsoft shuts down Cortana app on Windows 11;

Microsoft has shut down its Cortana app for Windows 11. A new update is rolling out for Cortana that simply disables the digital assistant three years after Microsoft also discontinued its Cortana apps for iOS and Android. Microsoft is now working on Windows Copilot, a new sidebar for Windows 11 that is powered by Bing Chat and can control Windows settings, answer questions, and lots more. 

==> www.theverge.com; 11.08.2023

Microsoft Announces General Availability for Its Telco Offering Azure Operator Nexus;

Operator Nexus is a platform that supports various partner virtualized and containerized network functions while automating lifecycle management for infrastructure and tenant workloads. It integrates compute, network, and storage and offers self-service capabilities through the Azure portal, CLI, SDKs, and other tools.

==> www.infoq.com; 10.08.2023

Microsoft-Epic partnership yields EHR cloud solution ;

Microsoft introduced a new electronic health records cloud database solution Thursday, which leverages Azure Large Instances infrastructure and is designed to handle high-volume, mission-critical workloads. The solution stems from Microsoft’s long-standing partnership with Epic, the largest EHR provider in the U.S. The two companies deepened their alliance in April around integrating cloud-based generative AI into healthcare. Mount Sinai Health System is the first provider to implement the new solution, which is now available to all Epic customers, Microsoft said in an email.
 

==> www.ciodive.com; 10.08.2023

Microsoft announces Azure AI trio at Inspire 2023 ;

Microsoft announced a slew of new capabilities at its Inspire 2023 conference today. Among them are three new AI capabilities that merit deeper exploration. These capabilities follow a substantial number of Azure-based AI releases this year from the Redmond-based corporation. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 18.07.2023

Microsoft beefs up ChatGPT and Bing in wide-ranging AI product launch;

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Tuesday started making available to users a host of AI upgrades, including to ChatGPT, its search engine Bing as well as to cloud services - an expansive launch that seeks to narrow the gap with Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google. Among key changes is the rollout of live search results from Bing to ChatGPT, the viral chatbot from its partner OpenAI whose answers originally were limited to information as of 2021.

==> www.reuters.com; 23.05.2023

Habu Announces Collaboration With Microsoft Azure to Deliver Zero-Trust Data Clean Room ;

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Habu, a global innovator in data clean room software, today announced a collaboration with Microsoft Azure to integrate its Data Clean Room applications with Azure confidential computing enabling businesses to unlock insights from sensitive data without sacrificing security, privacy, or performance. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 23.05.2023

Microsoft 365’s AI-powered Copilot is getting more features and paid access;

Microsoft is expanding preview access to its Microsoft 365 Copilot, a digital assistant based on OpenAI’s GPT-4 that brings AI-powered capabilities across Microsoft 365 apps and services. The tech giant has also announced a new indexing tool that lets Copilot more accurately report on internal company data, alongside some new Copilot features for apps like Microsoft Whiteboard, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

==> www.theverge.com; 09.05.2023

Google, Microsoft launch new cloud solutions for payers ;

Google and Microsoft are both rolling out new cloud-based care management platforms designed for payers that will support unlocking unstructured data and better member outreach. Google Cloud said April 13 it has launched an AI-enabled platform for prior authorization and claims processing powered by a new data and analytics tool, Claims Data Activator. Microsoft Cloud is expanding member and care management services to payers, the company's corporate vice president for worldwide health, Tom McGuinness, wrote in an April 12 blog post

==> www.beckerspayer.com; 13.04.2023

Microsoft announces generative AI Security Copilot;

AI Security Copilot’s basic interface is similar to the chatbot functionality familiar to generative AI users. It can be used in the same way, to answer security questions in a natural manner, but the more impressive features stem from its tight integration with Microsoft’s existing security products, including Defender, Sentinel, Entra, Purview, Priva, and Intune. Copilot can interpret data from all of those security products and provide automated, in-depth explanations (including visualizations), as well as suggested remedies.

==> www.csoonline.com; 28.03.2023

Microsoft Azure expands its telco solutions;

New smartphones may get most of the headlines at MWC, but at its core, the annual trade show is still a telco event. It’s maybe no surprise then that the large cloud providers, which are all vying for the lucrative telco market, also made a few announcements ahead of the event. AWS jumped ahead of its competitors by announcing its news a week early, and today, it’s Microsoft’s turn. The new features the company today announced for telco’s using its Azure cloud services focus on four areas: network transformation, automation and AI, network-aware applications and what Microsoft calls “ubiquitous computing from cloud to edge.”

==> techcrunch.com; 27.02.2023

Microsoft announces release date for Teams Premium offering;

Teams Premium, a new tier of Microsoft Teams first announced at the company’s Ignite event in October, is set to be generally available from February this year. Operating in public preview since December, the Premium version of the collaboration application offers users advanced security features, such as the ability to watermark meetings, turn on end-to-end encryption for meetings with more than 50 participants, and add sensitivity labels for virtual meetings that will prevent participants from copying and pasting meeting chats.

==> www.computerworld.com; 11.01.2023

Hyperscalers tackle supply chain resilience;

Microsoft and AWS unveiled supply chain management platforms that are intended to enable businesses to build capabilities in their clouds and tackle supply chain problems.

==> www.techtarget.com; 08.12.2022

Microsoft expands military training footprint with wider Hadean tie-up at I/ITSEC 2022;

Hadean is set to collaborate with Microsoft to create scalable, interoperable and secure cloud-based military training capabilities, the former announced on 29 November at I/ITSEC 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Hadean and Microsoft have already worked together to build, run, and deliver a cloud-distributed simulation to the British Army’s Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) pathfinder project. 

==> www.shephardmedia.com; 30.11.2022

Microsoft announces new supply chain management tools;

Microsoft has announced the Supply Chain Platform and the Supply Chain Center to at least make managing it a little bit easier. The Supply Chain Platform is designed as the foundation for supply chain data orchestration, while the Supply Chain Centre provides a “command centre” experience for users and is a part of the Supply Chain Platform. Ray Smith, vice president of supply chain at Microsoft’s business applications and platform group, underscored that viewing supply chains as simple starting and endpoints simply won’t work anymore.

==> www.itworldcanada.com; 15.11.2022

Microsoft Expands DevOps Portfolio in the Cloud;

At the Ignite conference this week, Microsoft launched a slew of updates to its DevOps portfolio as part of an effort to make it simpler to build, manage and secure cloud applications. Microsoft is adding Azure Deployment Environments, available in preview, that enable developer teams to invoke a set of best practices to quickly spin up application infrastructure using project-based templates.

==> devops.com; 13.10.2022

Microsoft Azure cloud region settles over desert in Doha, Qatar;

Microsoft Azure launched a long-awaited new cloud region in Doha, Qatar, on Monday. "In the coming two weeks we will be launching the region globally, but definitely the datacenter is already here in Qatar," Lana Khalaf, general manager of Microsoft Qatar, told local media outlet The Peninsula in late June.

==> www.theregister.com; 16.08.2022

Oracle partners with Microsoft to launch database service for Azure;

The new offering, which is based on a three-year-old relationship between the two companies that allowed their common customer enterprises to run workloads across Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud to reduce latency, is a managed service that enables enterprises to provision and manage Oracle databases running on OCI using an Azure-native API and console, said Kris Rice, vice president of software development for Oracle Database.

==> www.infoworld.com; 20.07.2022

Microsoft releases cloud contact center platform;

The contact center as a service (CCaaS) includes telephony in the form of Teams Phone. It also includes Teams and Dynamics 365 integrations, as well as natural language processing (NLP) features and AI from both Microsoft and Nuance Communications, which Microsoft acquired earlier this year for nearly $20 billion. The AI tools not only perform voice recognition and NLP, but also look up and suggest relevant content to both live agents and self-service bots during customer engagements. They also can point customers and live agents to relevant and personalized offers; such features cross-pollinate sales automation and marketing automation with customer service.

==> www.techtarget.com; 17.07.2022

Microsoft will remove emotion-detecting AI tools from Azure;

Microsoft will remove controversial automated tools that predict a person’s age, gender and emotional state from its Azure Face API artificial intelligence service that analyzes faces in images, according to a report published by The New York Times on Tuesday. The technology giant said the AI features, which have been criticized as potentially biased and unreliable, will no longer be available to new users beginning this week and will be phased out for existing users within the year, the newspaper reported.

==> www.protocol.com; 21.06.2022

Microsoft to develop Cloud system for air taxi services;

German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter has teamed up with Microsoft to develop a Cloud-based system on Microsoft Azure for urban air mobility (UAM) operations. The strategic collaboration is expected to help provide the data management requirements for advanced air mobility applications, including the operation of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

==> www.airport-technology.com; 18.05.2022

Microsoft announces preview of its first Arm-based Azure virtual machines ;

Microsoft Corp. said today it’s making its first-ever batch of Azure virtual machines powered by Ampere Computing LLC’s Arm-based Altra server chips available in preview. The company said the new VMs, which are essentially computers in software, include the general-purpose Dpsv5 and the memory-optimized Epsv5, which can deliver a price-performance boost of up to 50% versus comparable x86-based VMs. They’re designed for a range of tasks, including running web applications and videogame servers, Microsoft said.

==> siliconangle.com; 04.04.2022

HIMSS 2022: Microsoft rolls out Azure Health Data Services to unify clinical, imaging and medical device data;

In conjunction with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Global Conference in Orlando, Florida, the tech giant said the platform as a service offering is purpose-built for protected health information and uses global interoperability standards of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine. According to Microsoft, Azure Health Data Services is the only generally available solution of its kind to ingest, manage and transform a combination of clinical, imaging and medtech data. While other solutions exist for clinical and imaging data, Azure Health Data Services provides the most holistic view of the patient by unifying all three types of health data.

==> www.fiercehealthcare.com; 16.03.2022

Microsoft expands Azure for Operators with hybrid cloud platform ;

Microsoft’s push into the telecoms sector has been strengthened at Mobile Worlrd Congress 2022 (MWC) with the launch of several new services that expand its ‘Azure for Operators’ cloud proposition The most revolutionary of 5G applications – such as Industry 4.0, virtual reality and some AI workloads that rely on real time data - will require ultra-low latency that is simply impossible to achieve using a traditional cloud structure and a centralised data centre.

==> www.techradar.com; 03.03.2022

Microsoft Expands Azure DevOps Portfolio;

Additions to the Microsoft DevOps portfolio were announced at the Microsoft Ignite 2021 conference and include DevOps Workflow Generator, a free tool designed to help DevOps teams visualize their toolchain, and updates to Azure Automanage, a framework for automating the management of virtual machines on Windows Server and, in preview, on Linux. At the same time, Microsoft has added support for open source OpenTelemetry agent software to Azure Monitor and made available a preview of Azure Chaos Studio, a service for testing application resiliency.

==> devops.com; 08.11.2021

Microsoft Reveals ‘All-in-One Digital Contact Centre’;

Microsoft has announced that voice will be coming to Dynamics 365, creating an “all-in-one digital contact centre solution”. Microsoft said that the addition means Dynamics 365 Customer Service can now deliver a 360-degree view of a customer across all channels, as well as support for power Virtual Agent to act as interactive voice response. Embedded Microsoft Teams can also be used to allow agents to collaborate with each other and solve issues faster.

==> www.uctoday.com; 03.11.2021

Microsoft announces new endpoint security solution for SMBs;

Microsoft Defender for Business is an endpoint security solution that helps businesses with up to 300 employees protect against cybersecurity threats, including malware and ransomware, in an easy-to-use, cost-effective package. This endpoint protection solution was released in response to the 300% increase in ransomware attacks in the past year, with more than 50% of them impacting SMBs, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 02.11.2021

Microsoft prepares for launch of Cloud for Financial Services;

Microsoft will continue to execute on its industry cloud strategy with the announcement that the Cloud for Financial Services will reach GA on November 1. Microsoft will also be launching the offering with a range of industry-focused partners that include global SIs like Avanade, Accenture, Capgemini, and PwC along with ISVs like Finastra and VeriPark. Partners have both contributed to the IP of the industry cloud through its data model and other custom capabilities and by working with pilot customers to deploy and build upon it.

==> msdynamicsworld.com; 04.10.2021

Microsoft launches Azure Government Top Secret cloud;

Microsoft has launched Azure Government Top Secret, a collection of cloud services developed for the U.S. intelligence community. Microsoft made the product generally available last week with more than 60 cloud services for U.S. spy agencies, the Department of Defense and federal civilian organizations. The services and facilities that deliver them are compliant with standards set by Intelligence Community Directive 503 and 705.

==> searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com; 25.08.2021

Microsoft announces new ransomware detection features for Azure;

Microsoft has unveiled a new ransomware detection feature for its Azure customers that will send alerts to security teams when the system observes actions "potentially associated with ransomware activities." Microsoft's Sylvie Liu said Azure worked with the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center to create Fusion detection for ransomware in a blog post. Microsoft's Fusion technology uses machine learning to find potential attacks in progress and alert security teams.

==> www.zdnet.com; 10.08.2021

Microsoft announces general availability of its Windows 365 cloud service;

Microsoft has announced the general availability of its Windows 365 cloud service. Unveiled last month, Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud, allowing users to stream the full Windows experience including apps, data, and settings to personal or corporate devices. 

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 03.08.2021

Microsoft announces Cloud PCs that can run on any device with Windows 365 ;

Microsoft Corp. will launch a new virtual machine service next month called Windows 365 that will enable business workers to access “Cloud PCs” from any web browser. The company said in a blog post today that Windows 365 will be able to stream a version of Windows 10 or Windows 11 to any kind of device, including a MacBook, iPad, Linux computer or Android phone. Users will be able to pick up instantly from wherever they left off, with immediate access to their data and the applications and tools they were using.

==> siliconangle.com; 14.07.2021

Microsoft Launches 'Inside Azure for IT' Learning Portal;

Inside Azure for IT contains links to so-called "fireside chats" on various Azure topics, aiming "to solve your real-world IT challenges," according to Erin Chapple, Microsoft's corporate vice president for the Azure core infrastructure, in the announcement. The site also has a Microsoft "expert series" that include live public Q&A segments, plus it has links to resources. 

==> redmondmag.com; 13.07.2021

Microsoft rebrands WVD as 'Azure Virtual Desktop'; adds new app-streaming pricing option;

On June 7, Microsoft officials unveiled the new, now-AVD-branded capabilities that Microsoft is readying to "establish broader outlines for the product," in the words of Kam VedBrat, General Manager of AVD. The biggest of these coming features is a new pricing option for application streaming. Microsoft is enabling customers and ISVs to use AVD to stream desktops and applications to users outside their own organizations. This will enable both IT departments and ISVs to use AVD as the underlying infrastructure for delivering apps as a service. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 07.06.2021

Microsoft To Share Next-Gen Windows Details on June 24;

An upcoming online presentation promises to shed some light on what Microsoft has planned for the Windows operating system. A "What's New for Windows" event scheduled for June 24 will feature Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 

==> rcpmag.com; 03.06.2021

Microsoft announces the official end of Internet Explorer;

It's been a long time coming, but Microsoft has finally announced the official end of life date for Internet Explorer: June 15, 2022. A blog post by Microsoft's Sean Lyndersay, partner group manager for Microsoft Edge, spells out the specifics of IE's official demise, with plans to transition everyone to Microsoft's newer Chromium-based browser, Edge. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 19.05.2021

Johnson Controls and Microsoft birth ‘digital twin’ for building management;

Johnson Controls built its digital twin platform in Microsoft Azure to simulate building management operations. The platform, called OpenBlue Digital Twin, reimagines machines and other physical objects as software that enables companies to create digital versions — called twins — of physical buildings and systems and visualize them.

==> www.cio.com; 12.04.2021

RIP Cortana: Microsoft Silences Digital Assistant On iOS And Android;

From today, the Cortana mobile app - which was removed from the App Store and Google Play in November - is no longer supported. This means that lists and reminders will no longer be available through Cortana apps on mobile, though Microsoft days these can still be accessed via Cortana on Windows 10 and Microsoft’s To Do apps, available for both Android and iOS.

==> www.forbes.com; 01.04.2021

Azure Arc Becomes The Foundation For Microsoft’s Hybrid And Multi-Cloud Strategy;

Microsoft continues to expand Azure Arc’s capabilities to transform it into a hybrid cloud and multi-cloud platform. At the recent Spring Ignite conference, Microsoft announced the general availability of Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes, and the preview of Arc enabled machine learning. Initially announced in 2019, Azure Arc is a strategic technology for Microsoft to expand its footprint to the enterprise data center and other public cloud platforms. Azure Arc is the only offering available in the market to manage both the legacy infrastructure based on physical servers and modern infrastructure powered by containers and Kubernetes. 

==> www.forbes.com; 15.03.2021

Microsoft Announces Dynamics 365 Capabilities at Ignite Event;

Microsoft introduced a number of capabilities for Microsoft Dynamics 365, its CRM platform. Among them is real-time customer journey orchestration capabilities in Dynamics 365 Marketing as part of the April release wave 1 updates. These capabilities will allow customer experience teams to engage customers in real time based on interactions across marketing, sales, commerce, and service to win customers and earn loyalty faster. 

==> www.destinationcrm.com; 02.03.2021

Microsoft brings tighter integration to Dynamics 365 and Teams;

As the pandemic drags on and we learn about the requirements of working from home with distributed teams, users could be craving more integration across their tools to help reduce the clicks required to complete a set of tasks. Today at the Ignite Conference, Microsoft announced tighter integration between its business suite Dynamics 365 and its collaboration tool Teams to help with that issue.

==> techcrunch.com; 02.03.2021

Microsoft Azure expands its NoSQL portfolio with Managed Instances for Apache Cassandra;

At its Ignite conference today, Microsoft announced the launch of Azure Managed Instance for Apache Cassandra, its latest NoSQL database offering and a competitor to Cassandra-centric companies like Datastax. Microsoft describes the new service as a “semi-managed offering that will help companies bring more of their Cassandra-based workloads into its cloud.”

==> techcrunch.com; 02.03.2021

Microsoft Announces Azure IoT Edge Modules for Linux on Windows in Public Preview;

Recently Microsoft announced the public preview of Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows, also known as EFLOW. With EFLOW, customers run production Linux-based cloud-native workloads on Windows IoT.
 

==> www.infoq.com; 19.02.2021

Microsoft launches Viva as employee experience platform born out of Teams;

Microsoft has launched what it calls an “employee experience platform” based on Microsoft Teams, its cloud-based collaboration software that is part of its Office 365 applications suite. The launch is of a piece with such recent IT market events as Salesforce’s acquisition of business instant messaging company Slack and the intensified partnership between SAP, with its applications, and Microsoft itself, with Teams – which goes beyond video conferencing à la Zoom to messaging and file sharing.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 04.02.2021

Microsoft to launch dedicated cloud service for retail sector;

Microsoft Cloud for Retail is designed specifically to help retailers turn data into insights through various Microsoft services, including Advertising, Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. These are delivered through a common data model that is secure and meets compliance needs. Microsoft WW retail and consumer goods industry corporate vice president Shelley Bransten says that by combining disparate data sources, retailers could improve their core business processes.

==> datacentrenews.eu; 15.01.2021

Microsoft announces Azure data center region in Denmark;

Microsoft has announced a data center region for its Azure cloud services in Denmark. The announcement follows the establishment of two regions in Norway, and comes after the company started work on a data center in Sweden. The new region will be powered by Denmark's plentiful renewable energy, and will be accompanied by a Microsoft campaign to help get Demark's public sector online, and an investment to train 200,000 Danes in digital skills by 2024.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 08.12.2020

Azure Digital Twins now generally available: Create IoT solutions that model the real world;

After two years of development, Microsoft announced that Azure Digital Twins is generally available, and that the Digital Twins Consortium, a collaborative effort cofounded by Microsoft in May 2020 to drive consistency in digital twin technology, now has over 170 members spanning companies, government agencies, and academia. Azure Digital Twins enables users to model environments such as buildings, factories, farms, energy networks, railways, stadiums, and cities by connecting assets like internet of things devices and existing business systems.

==> venturebeat.com; 08.12.2020

Microsoft expands Teams with meetings apps and low-code tools;

Microsoft today announced the general availability of Teams apps for meetings. For those who prefer a low-code approach, Power Apps for Teams, the Power Automate app, the Power Virtual Agents app, and Dataverse have also hit general availability. These announcements come on the heels of Teams passing 115 million daily active users (DAUs) last month. This is a pandemic-induced explosion, given that 16 months ago Teams had 13 million DAUs.

==> venturebeat.com; 16.11.2020

Microsoft teams up with SpaceX to launch Azure Space to bring cloud computing into the final frontier;

Azure Space, Microsoft's cloud computing platform Azure, aims to offer mobile cloud computing data centers that can deploy anywhere. For the emerging business, Microsoft has called upon SpaceX's  Starlink internet satellites and expanded its agreement with satellite company SES for Azure Space. 

==> www.space.com; 21.10.2020

Microsoft prepares to go all in on iOS14 for Microsoft 365 ;

If Apple announced the public release of iOS 14 earlier this week, Microsoft is keen to provide details about its suite of Office apps that are fully prepared for the new software update. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about all the changes introduced in the latest update.

==> www.onmsft.com; 17.09.2020

Improved Azure outage assistance by Microsoft;

Microsoft announced the plans to enhance the outage alerts issued to Azure end-users. They intend to deploy similar methods for Power Platform and Microsoft 365 services. The organization has designed customized individual Service Health pages, instead of the traditional public-facing Azure Status website. 

==> enterprisetalk.com; 20.08.2020

Microsoft is working on an Azure-powered Cloud PC service;

Microsoft is currently calling the coming virtualization service "Cloud PC." Cloud PC won't replace locally installed Windows (and Office) -- for the foreseeable future, anyway. It will be an option for customers who want to use their own Windows PCs made by Microsoft and/or other PC makers basically like thin clients, with Windows, Office and potentially other software delivered virtually by Microsoft. Microsoft is planning to make Cloud PC a Microsoft-365-powered experience that is managed by Microsoft and sold for a flat per user price. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 20.07.2020

Microsoft releases its plan for its next set of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform features coming this fall;

Microsoft is going public with the next set of features coming to its Dynamics 365 ERP, CRM and HR apps, as well as its Power Platform apps. The rollout of these features starts October 1.Microsoft will be making some of these coming features available for early access for testing and validation purposes in non-production environments starting August 3, 2020. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 08.07.2020

Microsoft continues to build out its Azure Cognitive Services API family;

The idea behind Azure Cognitive Services is to enable developers to use an API call in building heir apps to add sight, speech, search, and other AI capabilities without having to master machine learning techniques first.

==> www.zdnet.com; 08.07.2020

Microsoft announces Project Reunion to make Windows app development easier again – TechCrunch;

This is a move the company signaled at its 2019 developer conference when Microsoft developer platform chief Kevin Gallo talked about how developers had told Microsoft that they would like it to “decouple many parts of the Universal Windows Platform so that you can adopt them incrementally.” And that’s pretty much what the company is now doing with Project Reunion.

==> techcrunch.com; 19.05.2020

Microsoft announces first vertical cloud offering: Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare;

At Build 2020, Microsoft officials are announcing a public preview and six-month free trial for its first industry-specific cloud offering, the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. The Cloud for Healthcare is going to be one of several "Microsoft Industry Clouds" that are designed for data analysis, collaboration, and operations for some of the company's key vertical markets. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 19.05.2020

Microsoft launches Azure Synapse Link to help enterprises get faster insights from their data;

At its Build developer conference, Microsoft today announced Azure Synapse Link, a new enterprise service that allows businesses to analyze their data faster and more efficiently, using an approach that’s generally called “hybrid transaction/analytical processing” (HTAP). That’s a mouthful; it essentially enables enterprises to use the same database system for analytical and transactional workloads on a single system. 

==> techcrunch.com; 19.05.2020

Microsoft Announces Azure VMware Solution Preview;

 The long and winding road to run VMware virtualization tech on the Microsoft Azure cloud has taken a new turn with a preview of an updated Azure VMware Solution announced this week.  It's a first-party Azure service built and supported by Microsoft and endorsed by VMware, announced in a blog post that features complimentary commentary from both companies, with VMware touting "a long-standing partnership and a shared heritage in supporting our customers." 

==> virtualizationreview.com; 05.05.2020

Office 365 is now Microsoft 365: What you need to know;

As of April 21, 2020, the official branding of Microsoft's productivity suite has changed from Office 365 to just Microsoft 365. The new naming convention reflects Microsoft's strategy of providing a single complete productivity platform for its customers.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 27.04.2020

Microsoft Updates Teams Video Conferencing;

Microsoft has been busy adding functionality to Teams, its communications and collaboration platform, to compete with Zoom's momentum. To do that it has just announced a change that will bump the number of users participants can see in video calls from the current four meeting participants to nine. This change will go into effect the end of this month.

==> www.cmswire.com; 17.04.2020

Microsoft delays end of support for older versions of Windows 10 due to coronavirus;

Microsoft is providing IT admins with an extra six months of support for some older versions of Windows. The software giant has been working with businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and delay the end of support dates that mostly impact Windows 10 versions. The extensions will be a great relief to many IT admins who are supporting workers remotely through the pandemic. It means patches and security updates will continue to be issued for these older versions of Windows over the next six months. 

==> www.theverge.com; 14.04.2020

Microsoft Reportedly Changes Windows 10X Plans, Won’t Launch Surface Neo This Year;

Mary Jo Foley first reported that Microsoft is now changing its focus for Windows 10X from dual-screen, foldable devices to single-screen devices. That also means the company’s Windows 10X device, the Surface Neo, may no longer be launched on Holiday 2020 as originally promised.

==> www.thurrott.com; 09.04.2020

Microsoft Teams doubles down on security advice;

Microsoft has laid out plans to make its Teams collaboration software more secure than ever as it deals with the remote working boom. The video conferencing service has seen a huge surge in users in recent weeks as workers around the world are forced to work from home.

==> www.techradar.com; 07.04.2020

Microsoft Unveils A Comprehensive Edge Computing Strategy With Azure Edge Zones;

Microsoft announced Azure Edge Zones, an infrastructure service that is an extension of Azure public cloud, which will be available within Microsoft’s global network, telecom provider’s 5G networks, and customer data centers.  Azure Edge Zones is the industry’s most comprehensive edge computing platform. Built on the solid foundation of Azure public cloud and Azure Stack portfolio, Edge Zones brings the power of the cloud to the last mile. 

==> www.forbes.com; 03.04.2020

Office 365 is becoming Microsoft 365 with new features for the same price;

Microsoft is rebranding its Office suite, now dubbing it Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans, adding some new features to its subscription software. These combine the Office 365 suite with new features and two new apps: Family Safety and Teams for Consumers. 

==> us.cnn.com; 30.03.2020

Microsoft Files Patent Application for Crypto Mining System Powered by Human Activity;

In a patent application filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Thursday, the American computer giant said sensors could detect activity associated with specific tasks – such as time spent viewing ads – and convert it into computer-readable data to solve computational problems, in much the same way as a conventional proof-of-work system. 

==> www.coindesk.com; 30.03.2020

Microsoft's cloud-based printing service is now in private preview;

Microsoft is targeting the new cloud printing service at Microsoft 365 commercial and educational customers. The service allows IT admins to deploy and manage centrally their organizations' printers which are connected to their Windows 10 devices joined via Azure Active Directory. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 02.03.2020

Microsoft makes Office 365 and Dynamics 365 available from German datacenter regions;

Microsoft has been investing significantly in making its cloud-based services available from a multitude of new regions, including Switzerland, Germany, and more recently, Israel. This is especially important for companies that work, for example, in financial services, or those in the public sector. Some of the companies taking advantage of this local availability of the cloud services include Deutsche Bank, SAP, and Rohde & Schwarz.

==> www.neowin.net; 20.02.2020

Microsoft erweitert sein deutsches Cloud-Angebot ;

Vorerst für kommerzielle Neukunden mit deutscher Rechnungsanschrift hostet Microsoft die Server zu seiner Office-Mietsoftware Office 365 ab sofort standardmäßig in deutschen Rechenzentren. Das gilt auch für die Chat-, Videocall- und Data-Sharing-Anwendung Teams, den Nachfolger von Skype for Business.

==> www.heise.de; 20.02.2020

Microsoft’s new Dynamics 365 services apply AI to finance and project operations;

A Dynamics 365 Customer Insights update will bring connectors to enrich customer profiles and enable insights with Azure Synapse Analytics, Microsoft’s cloud analytics service. Both Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Sales Insights will get predictive forecasting capabilities and an engagement center for sales reps.

==> venturebeat.com; 19.02.2020

Microsoft’s Office app that replaces Word, Excel, and PowerPoint hits general availability;

The unified app means you no longer need to download, install, and switch between the individual Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps. The company today also announced new features coming to the app this spring: Word Dictation, Excel Cards View, and Outline to PowerPoint. 

==> venturebeat.com; 19.02.2020

Microsoft Previews Conditional Access Policies for Office 365 Apps;

Conditional access policies can be used to check if certain conditions are in place before granting end users access to applications, which is known as "early-bound policy enforcement." There's also a "late-bound policy enforcement" approach where one application makes a request of another, Microsoft's "Service Dependencies" document explained. 

==> redmondmag.com; 04.02.2020

Microsoft To Launch New Cloud Datacenter Region In Israel;

The Israeli region will be Microsoft’s 56th cloud region across 21 countries. It is set to be launched in 2021 starting with Microsoft Azure, which offers computing, networking, databases, analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) services, and with Office 365 to follow.

==> nocamels.com; 22.01.2020

Microsoft Launches Preview of Office 365's Fluid Framework;

The preview will let Office 365 end users "create, share and edit Fluid Framework files." They can also collaborate on documents and send instant messages via the Office 365 @mentions feature. It'll also be possible to "insert built-in components," which weren't described by Microsoft.

==> rcpmag.com; 09.01.2020

Microsoft Expands Office 365 Tool for Keeping End Users in the Dark;

The capability, called "Office What's New Management," is currently at the preview stage. It's accessible by IT pros via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center portal, as well as the Office 365 Client Configuration Service via the Services tab. The preview gives IT pros control over which new Office 365 features can be seen by end users when they access the "What's New" section of their Office Desktop App client.

==> redmondmag.com; 09.01.2020

Microsoft Pushes Cloud Services to Retailers Anxious to Avoid Amazon;

Microsoft is adding a feature to its Slack rival, the Teams corporate chat program, that lets store workers push a button to turn their mobile phones into walkie-talkies for in-store communications. In a speech on Jan. 12 at a retail industry event, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella plans to discuss how Ikea shifted more than 70,000 workers to Teams, using the service for meetings and chat. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 09.01.2020

Microsoft’s first Office app arrives on Linux;

The software maker is releasing Microsoft Teams into a public preview, with the app available in native Linux packages in .deb and .rpm formats. “The Microsoft Teams client is the first Office app that is coming to Linux desktops, and will support all of Teams’ core capabilities,” explains Marissa Salazar, a product marketing manager at Microsoft.

==> www.theverge.com; 10.12.2019

Microsoft to finally shut down to-do list app Wunderlist on May 6, 2020;

Microsoft is finally announcing a shut-down date for Wunderlist of May 6, 2020. After this date, Wunderlist to-dos will no longer sync, but users will still be able to import their content into Microsoft’s own To Do app.

==> techcrunch.com; 09.12.2019

Microsoft has turned Outlook into a Progressive Web App;

Microsoft is turning its Outlook.com and Outlook for the Web mail services into Progressive Web Apps (PWA). This allows any Outlook user to install the web app into Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, and other platforms that natively support PWAs. It’s a useful alternative to the cluttered Outlook Windows desktop app or the Windows Mail client that ships as part of Windows 10.

==> www.theverge.com; 26.11.2019

Microsoft is bringing Gmail, Google Drive, and Calendar to Outlook.com;

Microsoft is planning to integrate Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar into its Outlook.com web mail client. The software maker has started testing this integration on some accounts recently, and Twitter user Florian B was able to access it today. After a quick setup process, you simply link a Google Account to an Outlook.com account, and Gmail, Drive documents, and Google Calendar will all be automatically displayed inside Outlook.com on the web.

==> www.theverge.com; 20.11.2019

Microsoft’s Cortana gets meeting scheduler, male voice, and voice email briefings;

Microsoft’s Cortana is getting its biggest round of upgrades of the year with an integration into its Outlook email and Microsoft 365. Cortana can now read your emails to you, book and reschedule meetings, and provide personalized daily rundowns to help you prepare for meetings.

==> venturebeat.com; 04.11.2019

Microsoft looks to secure the IoT with Azure Sphere;

At this year's IoT Solutions Word Congress, Microsoft announced that its Azure Sphere microcontroller (MCU) and cloud security service will be generally available in February 2020.

==> www.techradar.com; 28.10.2019

Deals

Flemish government partners with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation;

The Flemish government has partnered with Microsoft to drive digital transformation, making Microsoft 365 available to all local administrations and equipping 10,000 public sector employees with Copilot. The initiative aims to enhance efficiency through AI-driven automation following successful pilot projects in 2024. The government emphasizes a thoughtful, ethical, and secure approach to AI adoption.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 27.01.2025

Lufthansa Technik announces artificial intelligence collaboration with Microsoft;

Lufthansa Technik is collaborating with Microsoft to integrate AI technologies into over 50 maintenance, repair, and overhaul processes using Microsoft Azure AI Services. The partnership aims to optimize complex maintenance workflows while prioritizing security and data protection. This initiative is expected to enhance operational efficiency and service quality.

==> www.inflight-online.com; 13.12.2024

Vodafone Qatar signs major Microsoft Azure deal;

Vodafone Qatar has partnered with Microsoft for a five-year deal to transform its network and customer service operations using Microsoft Azure and Azure OpenAI. The collaboration aims to enhance efficiency, scalability, and data security while developing a generative AI center of excellence in Doha. Vodafone will also focus on workforce development and deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences, while expanding cloud and AI services to the Qatar enterprise market.

==> developingtelecoms.com; 10.09.2024

Coca-Cola signs $1.1 bln deal to use Microsoft cloud, AI services;

Microsoft has secured a $1.1 billion deal over five years with Coca-Cola for the use of its cloud computing and artificial intelligence services, including experiments with Azure OpenAI. This collaboration will focus on integrating AI tools like Microsoft's Copilot to enhance productivity at Coca-Cola by assisting in tasks such as summarizing emails and creating business presentations. Additionally, the agreement extends Coca-Cola's use of Microsoft's conventional software, including Dynamics 365, which is instrumental for sales professionals.

==> www.reuters.com; 25.04.2024

Andritz teams up with Microsoft;

Andritz has partnered with Microsoft to enhance its Metris digital platform through Microsoft's Cloud for Manufacturing, aiming to develop fully autonomous factories and modernize internal workflows for better customer support. This collaboration is part of Andritz's digital transformation, leveraging Microsoft’s digital solutions to improve their platform and create a more optimized working environment for employees. The integration includes a Copilot solution based on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, which aids in anomaly detection and facilitates real-time communication between operators and machines, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability in industrial plants.

==> www.innovationintextiles.com; 11.04.2024

FWD announces AI partnership with Microsoft to enhance insurance operations ;

FWD Group, a leading life insurance company in Asia, has partnered with Microsoft for four years to leverage Microsoft's latest GenAI technology via Azure OpenAI Service to enhance various aspects of its operations, including customer service and operational efficiency. This collaboration will provide FWD with advanced AI models, private networking, and security features, despite the challenges posed by US-China technological tensions and sanctions that block direct access to OpenAI's services in China and Hong Kong. FWD aims to improve customer experience and efficiency across different sectors, continuing its digital innovation journey that began in 2019 with the development of nearly 200 active AI models for over 600 use cases.

==> www.lifeinsuranceinternational.com; 26.02.2024

The Benefits of Microsoft Azure Open AI Service at Vontobel;

Vontobel, a Swiss private banking and investment management corporation, is set to implement Microsoft Azure Open AI Service in the autumn of 2023. This move aims to improve productivity and enhance the hybrid client experience across various business sectors, including programming and data analysis. By utilizing AI technology, Vontobel plans to increase efficiency and support manual data analysis and text processing. Through initial assessments, the company will explore potential areas where Azure Open AI Service can further assist employees in their daily work.

==> fagenwasanni.com; 27.07.2023

Microsoft signs 1.5 million seat contract for Office 365 and more;

England's National Health Service has inked a £774.5 million ($940 million) contract with Microsoft to license its Office 365 and security software. The initial deal with one of the world's biggest employers is for 34 months, with the option to extend for up to a further two years, according to a contract notice published yesterday.

==> www.theregister.com; 30.06.2023

Defense company Leonardo moves to Microsoft Azure’s cloud;

Working in partnership with Microsoft and Accenture, Leonardo is the first major defense company in the UK to make a move to a 'secure cloud computing strategy'. Leonardo has deployed the cloud-based Azure across its UK business, enabling UK-based scientists and engineers to remotely access its digital backbone.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 20.04.2023

Palantir Expands Microsoft Cloud Computing Pact To Government Agencies ;

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) on Wednesday expanded its cloud computing partnership with Microsoft (MSFT) on federal government contracts. PLTR stock fell on the news as the Nasdaq composite sold off. In addition, a government procurement arm, FedRAMP, has approved the Palantir cloud service using Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure.

==> www.investors.com; 05.04.2023

Accenture and Microsoft take Unilever on 18-month 'cloud-only' enterprise journey;

Accenture and Microsoft claim to have jointly completed one of the largest and most complex cloud migrations in the consumer goods space on behalf of Unilever. The 18-month project has seen the consumer goods giant transition into a cloud-only enterprise, with the bulk of its off-premise estate now being run on the Microsoft Azure public cloud platform. The company is, however, known to also use the Google Cloud platform, with both firms previously going on record to discuss how they were working together to bolster the sustainability of Unilever’s supply chains and product sourcing strategies.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 04.04.2023

WEF taps Accenture and Microsoft to build metaverse for leaders;

As the dust settles on the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the event’s policy makers are planning ahead for the event’s digital and virtual future in the metaverse. Tasked to help design and build WEF’s metaverse for CEOs and government leaders are Accenture and Microsoft. Over the next year, organisations will be invited to build their presence in the WEF’s metaverse, and in the background, Accenture and Microsoft will develop and launch new functionalities.

==> www.consultancy-me.com; 17.02.2023

CSI Selects Microsoft Azure as Platform for Its Public Cloud Solutions ;

CSI announced it is working with Microsoft to rebuild its solutions in the public cloud on Microsoft Azure. Working with Azure allows CSI to seamlessly integrate and execute its long-term strategic vision for cloud solutions that provide financial institutions and global organizations alike with scalable technologies to meet evolving customer needs, increase revenue and improve speed to market. Solutions developed through the collaboration have already been adopted by customers such as Iowa-based Marion County Bank. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 05.01.2023

HDFC Bank partners with Microsoft for digital transformation journey;

 HDFC Bank will leverage Microsoft’s Azure platform to consolidate and modernize its enterprise data landscape through a Federated Data Lake to scale its information management capabilities across enterprise reporting, and advanced analytics using artificial intelligence.  The private sector lender is developing in-house IPs as well as partnering with several companies, including FinTechs, to co-create technology IPs, the lender said in a statement.

 

==> www.livemint.com; 03.01.2023

Cloud Infrastructure Deal: LSEG and Microsoft Launch 10-Year Strategic Partnership;

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Microsoft have entered into a new long-term strategic partnership to architect LSEG’s data infrastructure using the Microsoft Cloud, and to jointly develop new products and services for data and analytics. The partnership will build on the good progress made by LSEG on the integration of Refinitiv and enhance its position as a world-leading financial markets infrastructure and data provider.

==> fintechnews.ch; 12.12.2022

Pentagon Divides Big Cloud-Computing Deal Among 4 Firms;

The Defense Department said Wednesday that it had awarded lucrative cloud-computing contracts to four companies: Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle. The contracts run through 2028 and could be valued as high as $9 billion, the Pentagon said in a news release. The work is for a new cloud architecture called the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability, which would provide the Defense Department with cloud services “across all security domains and classification levels.”

==> www.nytimes.com; 08.12.2022

BAE Systems adds Microsoft to modeling and simulation ecosystem;

BAE Systems is expanding the network of companies in its modeling and simulations ecosystem to include Microsoft. With this addition, BAE Systems’ Pioneer wargaming platform will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing enabled services to deliver more realism in the platform’s high fidelity simulations providing customers increased confidence in decision making.

==> www.baesystems.com; 29.11.2022

Hadean Teams Up with Microsoft Azure for Cloud-enabled Military Training Capabilities;

Metaverse infrastructure startup, Hadean, today announced a partnership with Microsoft Azure to power the digital transformation of the defence industrial base with scalable, interoperable, and secure cloud-based military training capabilities. Both companies have already worked together to deliver a cloud-distributed simulation to the British Army Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP), set to be demonstrated at the I/ITSEC 2022 Innovation Center on Nov 30 at 11:20 AM.

==> www.nftgators.com; 29.11.2022

Bank BTPN chooses Microsoft 365 to improve hybrid working;

The bank is adopting the Microsoft 365 ecosystem to support the implementation of an inclusive hybrid working model for more than 9,600 employees. Microsoft 365 will provide Bank BTPN with capabilities for monitoring tasks and productivity, multifactor authentication and secure file sharing. Hybrid working will also allow the bank to digitise various processes such as completing attendance lists, signatures, workplace reservations and vendor management, which will help reduce paper usage.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 28.11.2022

Lockheed gets Microsoft classified cloud to speed work with Pentagon;

Microsoft will provide Lockheed Martin with its first classified cloud as part of a three-year deal, executives said on Wednesday, making it easier for the United States' largest weapons maker to share information with the Pentagon, its top customer. The secure cloud partnership will permit Lockheed (LMT.N) to avoid some of the repetitive security compliance processes for each new government project.

==> www.reuters.com; 16.11.2022

Lakeba partners with Microsoft for technology scalability and security;

Venture catalyst firm Lakeba has partnered with Microsoft to improve the scalability and security of its technology-led businesses. It will also use the Microsoft Azure cloud to expand its DoxAI marketplace, helping financial services organisations access disruptive technologies.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 08.11.2022

Infosys and Microsoft collaborate for Spark's ERP driven business transformation ;

 Infosys and Microsoft today announced the successful migration of Spark's corporate functions to Microsoft Dynamics 365. Infosys was chosen to assist Spark on this journey for its rich Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) experience, Microsoft Dynamics 365 expertise, and ability to deliver digital and business transformation solutions in an agile and scalable manner. 

==> www.business-standard.com; 02.11.2022

Mercedes-Benz setzt für Digital Twins auf Microsoft Azure ;

Mercedes-Benz und Microsoft wollen die Autoherstellung effizienter, widerstandsfähiger und nachhaltiger gestalten. Dies soll mit der neuen MO360 Data Platform gelingen, mit der Mercedes-Benz seine weltweit rund 30 Autofabriken mit der Microsoft Cloud verbinden will, heisst es in einer Mitteilung. Damit möchte der Autohersteller Transparenz und Prognostizierbarkeit entlang der digitalen Produktions- und Lieferkettenprozesse verbessern.

==> www.it-markt.ch; 17.10.2022

Bank of Queensland's cloud plans take on Azure hue;

The Bank of Queensland has announced the next phase of its digital transformation, appointing Microsoft as its preferred cloud provider in a five-year strategic partnership. In its deal with Microsoft, the bank will be “progressively transitioning its technology infrastructure and applications to Microsoft Azure by 2025”, Microsoft said in a statement.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 13.09.2022

Bridgestone Collaborates with Microsoft to Accelerate Advanced Tire Analytics Integration Across Global Portfolio of Connected Tires and Mobility Solutions;

Bridgestone will use Microsoft Azure to accelerate its digital transformation and enhance its portfolio of connected tires and mobility solutions worldwide. Bridgestone and Microsoft will collaborate to bring Bridgestone mobility solutions platforms to new mobility players, original equipment manufacturers and fleets. The collaboration will accelerate Bridgestone's technical innovation in artificial intelligence and machine learning to support the "Efficiency," "Extension" and "Economy" values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.
 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 04.08.2022

Microsoft wins five-year digital transformation deal with Australia’s largest telco;

Microsoft has secured a five-year partnership with Telstra, Australia’s largest telco, to accelerate the country’s digital transformation. The agreement is one of the largest partnerships Microsoft has established with a telecommunications provider globally, the companies said today. As part of this, the agreement is set to boost the tech giant’s connectivity and growth in the country as it will become an “anchor tenant” on Telstra’s new ultra-fast intercity fibre network. Telstra will become Microsoft’s largest supplier of its network capacity requirements on terrestrial fibre in Australia. Additionally, the tech giant will also explore boosting capacity on Telstra’s Asia-Pacific subsea cable network. 

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 26.07.2022

Boeing Partnering With Microsoft for Digital Transformation;

The partnership is intended to help Boeing “unlock tangible and sustainable value” in its data estate and reinforce the companies’ commitment to “lead aerospace innovation.” Under the expanded collaboration, Boeing will use Microsoft Cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to update its technology infrastructure and mission-critical applications with “intelligent,” data-driven solutions. The technology should create new ways of “working, operating, and doing business.”

==> www.datamation.com; 03.05.2022

Mastercard teams with Microsoft on digital fraud prevention initiative;

Mastercard has announced a partnership with Microsoft on the creation of an enhanced identity solution to fight digital fraud within the online shopping environment. The Purchase-headquartered Mastercard noted that first-party fraud is estimated to be a $50 billion global issue. To address this issue, Mastercard said was enhancing its Digital Transaction Insights solution with next-generation authentication and real-time decisioning intelligence capabilities designed to confirm a consumer’s identity and provide financial institutions with the additional intelligence needed to optimize authorization decisions.

==> westfaironline.com; 27.04.2022

Woolworths completes SAP cloud migration to Microsoft Azure;

Under the eight-month project, Microsoft assisted Woolworths with migrating its SAP mission-critical applications and platforms, including SAP ERP and SAP Cloud platform, into Azure. Specifically, this consisted of transitioning more than 20 SAP applications, 75 terabytes of data, 135 database servers, and 435 application servers that underpin the group's retail business, supply chain, corporate finance, and enterprise support teams. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 18.04.2022

Boeing Taps Amazon, Microsoft and Google for Cloud Mega-Deal;

Boeing Co. is hiring the three biggest U.S. cloud-computing companies -- Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google -- to help with a digital makeover aimed at giving its airplane designers and software developers more tools. The multiyear agreements are intended to upgrade the company’s current system of hosting and maintaining software applications through a network of servers, which can be difficult to maintain, the Chicago-based manufacturer told employees Wednesday. Boeing plans to shift hundreds of applications to the cloud, where they’ll be stored and maintained in the tech giants’ data centers.

      

==> www.bloomberg.com; 06.04.2022

Newcrest and Microsoft partner on digital twin and sustainability modelling projects;

Microsoft has announced a strategic partnership with Newcrest, which will see the mining company adopt Azure as its preferred cloud provider on a global basis, as well as work on digital twins and a sustainability data model. As an industry-leading user of Microsoft technology, Newcrest has migrated all key workloads, including SAP, from private cloud to Azure. Microsoft 365 is deployed across the organisation, as is Teams and Power BI.

==> im-mining.com; 22.03.2022

U.S. Bank leverages Microsoft Azure to modernise banking processes;

U.S. Bank has partnered with Microsoft to use the Azure cloud platform to analyse data and deliver new products to customers.  The two firms will work together to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to modernise applications and personalise experiences. The transition to the cloud will also improve the security of data, financial assets and customer privacy while strengthening the bank’s technology risk management capabilities. 

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 23.02.2022

Singapore signs for Azure-hued sovereign cloud from Microsoft;

Singapore is getting its first sovereign cloud, thanks to a partnership between the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and Microsoft that was signed into existence on Thursday. Singapore's government wants its data in a cloud. The city-state laid out a five-year plan back in 2018 to migrate 70 per cent of its less sensitive government IT systems from on-premises infrastructure to the commercial cloud. In June 2021, Singaporean digital agency GovTech revealed that close to 600 systems had been migrated.

==> www.theregister.com; 11.02.2022

Microsoft to help Johnson & Johnson transform digital surgery solutions;

Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies (JJMDC) has partnered with Microsoft to transform its digital surgery solutions. The Microsoft Cloud will support a secure and compliant platform to “improve workflow and enhance surgical decision-making for a better overall customer experience and improved patient outcomes”, says JJMDC.  

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 11.01.2022

CVS inks tech partnership with Microsoft to accelerate its 'digital-first' strategy;

CVS Health is tapping into Microsoft's technologies, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence, to accelerate its "digital-first" strategy. Microsoft's capabilities and the Azure cloud computing service will provide CVS with a "technology-forward, digital-first" foundation as it works to ramp up its consumer-centric digital strategy, Roshan Navagamuwa, CVS' chief information officer, told Fierce Healthcare.

==> www.fiercehealthcare.com; 02.12.2021

Pentagon asks AWS, Microsoft, Google and Oracle to bid for new cloud contract;

The US Defense Department on Friday asked Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google and Oracle to submit bids for a new, multi-billion-dollar cloud contract. The solicitation comes months after the Pentagon scrapped the plans for its controversial, $10 billion JEDI cloud contract, which was slated to go to Microsoft. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 19.11.2021

BNY Mellon moves wire payments into Microsoft Azure ;

 BNY Mellon has migrated infrastructure supporting wire payments into the cloud with Microsoft Azure. BNY Mellon says the move expands capacity while also increasing the resiliency of its payments platform by introducing an alternative workflow outside of physically hosted servers in processing centres. 

==> www.finextra.com; 12.10.2021

Infosys and Microsoft sign cloud deal with Ausgrid;

Global digital services and consulting partner Infosys has signed a multi-year cloud modernisation deal with Ausgrid that leverages Microsoft Azure. The Australian electricity distributor aims to revamp its IT infrastructure, systems and applications using both Azure and Infosys’ Cobalt ecosystem of platforms and solutions. 

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 13.09.2021

Shell uses Microsoft Azure computing to reduce carbon footprint;

Shell is using Microsoft Azure-based high-performance computing (HPC) to reduce its carbon footprint and explore alternative fuels. The technology enables the global energy provider to run the massive calculations required for a project of this size, while maximising its agility and cost-effectiveness.  Shell is aiming to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, in line with the UN Paris Agreement on climate change. To achieve this, it is working to reduce emissions from its operations and from its customers’ use of its fuels, by storing remaining emissions using technology or balancing them with offsets. 

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 25.08.2021

NIH expands biomedical research in the cloud with Microsoft Azure;

Microsoft Azure has joined the National Institutes of Health’s Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation, and Sustainability (STRIDES) Initiative as the newest cloud service provider to support biomedical research. The addition of this latest industry partner will further the STRIDES Initiative’s aim to accelerate biomedical research in the cloud by reducing economic and process barriers as well as providing cost-effective access to cloud platforms, training, cloud experts, and best practices for optimizing research in the cloud.

==> www.nih.gov; 20.07.2021

CIBC signs agreement to use Microsoft Azure as cloud platform;

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has signed a multi-year agreement with Microsoft to use Azure as its primary cloud platform. The agreement includes cloud technology and infrastructure, security and training for CIBC. Microsoft Azure will be used to speed up the launch and scaling up of new cloud applications, migrate applications to the cloud and add artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.     

==> seekingalpha.com; 08.07.2021

BHP signs cloud technology pacts with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft;

BHP has selected Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft as long-term cloud providers to help improve safety, productivity, and reliability across its globally-operated assets. The collaborations with AWS and Microsoft will support two distinct parts of BHP’s operations, it said. AWS will power BHP’s digital transformation by providing capabilities in data analytics and machine learning to rapidly deploy digital solutions globally to improve operational performance. Microsoft, through its Azure platform, will host BHP’s global applications portfolio. This will enable BHP to leverage its existing Microsoft licences and SAP applications portfolio and help to reduce its reliance on regional data centres, it said.

==> im-mining.com; 18.06.2021

Standard Bank partners with Microsoft to establish the African Digital Foundry;

Standard Bank and Microsoft announce a strategic partnership to accelerate the digital transformation of Africa’s largest financial institution and further drive the continent’s growth. The Bank’s growing investment in the Microsoft Cloud will enable the innovation, efficiencies, and resilience required to respond to market dynamics and customer needs. “Investing in the cloud will allow Standard Bank to achieve its strategy to transform from a traditional financial services company into a digital platform company, providing financial services, plus ancillary and associated services,” says Standard Bank Group Chief Executive, Sim Tshabalala.

==> microsoftcaregh.com; 15.06.2021

La Liga expands Microsoft Azure partnership for OTT services and ML enhancements;

The two companies promise to ‘digitally transform the sports experience globally’, and are focusing on improvements for fans, broadcasters and stadia operations alike. Azure Event Hubs and Azure Data Lake, as well as Azure’s machine learning tools, will provide ‘data-enhanced match coverage’ as well as personalised OTT streaming options, such as camera angle selection in matches. The integration between Azure and data and analytics platform Databricks will also be utilised; the latter completed the hyperscaler hat-trick, in football parlance, with Google Cloud integration back in February.

==> cloudcomputing-news.net; 20.05.2021

Mars to drive digital transformation with intelligent supply chains;

Mars is expanding its long-term partnership with Microsoft to accelerate digital transformation. The confectionery manufacturer will use the Microsoft Azure platform to improve operational speed and realise intelligent manufacturing supply chains.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 14.05.2021

UK government renews cloud discount pricing MoU with Microsoft;

The UK government has renewed its longstanding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Microsoft so that public sector organisations can continue to access discounted pricing on the tech giant’s cloud infrastructure and software products. The Digital Transformation Arrangement 2021 (DTA21) MoU is set to run for three years from 1 May 2021 until April 2024 and will give all eligible public sector organisations access to preferential pricing and beneficial terms of service on a mix of Microsoft cloud products, as well as related consultancy and support.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 21.04.2021

Google, AWS win $1.2 billion Israel tender for cloud services;

Tech giants Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud services arm of Amazon, have been chosen as the winners of a NIS 4 billion tender ($1.2 billion) to provide cloud-based regional data services to Israel, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. The two tech giants won against Microsoft, Oracle and IBM. All of the multinationals had offered their services to build data centers and provide cloud services to local public entities, with all of the data secured within the borders of Israel under strict security guidelines. 

==> www.timesofisrael.com; 21.04.2021

AXA and Microsoft join forces to build digital healthcare platform;

AXA has announced it is launching a digital healthcare platform in partnership with Microsoft. The platform is available to AXA customers in Germany and Italy, following a successful pilot last year, which included a self-assessment tool, teleconsultation and medical concierge for appointment booking.  Roll-out is planned for the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland by 2022, followed by other countries worldwide. 

==> www.healthcareitnews.com; 14.04.2021

Microsoft Azure, AWS to host NSW Police core systems;

iTnews can reveal Australia’s largest policing agency recently down selected Microsoft and AWS to host a number of frontline IT solutions under what it calls the ‘Azura Cloud Project’. It follows a year-long expression of interest for a hybrid cloud infrastructure-as-a-service platform, through which both hyperscale providers were selected.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 07.04.2021

Microsoft steht vor Prestigeprojekt mit der Bundesregierung – Kritiker sind alarmiert;

Der amerikanische IT-Konzern soll eine Cloud für deutsche Ministerien aufbauen. Die Konkurrenz warnt vor dem Verlust der digitalen Souveränität. Die Bundesregierung plant einen Test mehrerer Cloud-Dienste von Microsoft, der zur Einführung in der gesamten Bundesverwaltung führen könnte. Das Bundesfinanzministerium ist beauftragt, mit Microsoft „ergebnisoffene Verhandlungen“ über ein sogenanntes „Proof of Concept“ für Cloud-Technologien zu führen. Das geht aus der Antwort auf eine Anfrage des FDP-Bundestagsabgeordneten Manuel Höferlin hervor, die dem Handelsblatt vorliegt.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 07.04.2021

Repsol and Microsoft expand collaboration for digital transformation;

The two companies will work together to build artificial intelligence-powered digital solutions for the energy sector. The initial focus of the project will be the use of technology to enable autonomous systems and efficient operations, improved productivity and safety for employees and supporting the development of advanced energy solutions. The collaboration will also see Repsol provide Microsoft with a supply of wind and solar power for its operations in Europe. Microsoft has committed to sourcing 100 per cent of its energy supply from renewable energy by 2025, while Repsol has set a target of becoming a net zero emissions company by 2050.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 18.03.2021

City Bank partners with Microsoft to enable its employees to work from home;

The City Bank Limited has partnered with Microsoft to facilitate its employees with necessary digital platform to enable them to work from home conveniently. It said that apart from helping the employees navigate conveniently, Microsoft solutions would also benefit The City Bank to quickly offer an array of products and services to its customers. The City Bank will be using Microsoft 365 – Teams, Azure AD Premium, Intune, Microsoft Information Protection, and Microsoft Cloud App Security.

==> www.theindependentbd.com; 06.03.2021

DB Schenker advances IT infrastructure with Microsoft Azure;

In a collaborative partnership with Microsoft, DB Schenker has established plans that will advance its IT infrastructure transformation with the help of Microsoft Azure. As part of the collaboration, DB Schenker will take a step closer to becoming a leading global digital logistics company, as well as establish new milestones for the evolution of its future ‘logistics-as-a-service’ approach.

==> www.supplychaindigital.com; 10.02.2021

Microsoft just completed the world's largest email migration, shifting 2.1 million mailboxes for the NHS;

England's National Health Service (NHS) has completed the largest-ever migration of enterprise email accounts, after moving 2.1 million mailboxes from on-premises servers to Microsoft Exchange Online. The six-month project involved moving some 22,000 NHSmail accounts into Microsoft's Azure cloud every day, rising to 83,000 at the weekend. Sarah Wilkinson, CEO of NHS Digital, said: "The migration of NHSmail to Exchange Online has enabled us to provide staff across the NHS with a mail system which is functionally richer, more secure and lower cost.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 05.02.2021

Kaiser Permanente taps Microsoft, Accenture for multiyear cloud partnership;

Kaiser Permanente is collaborating with Accenture and Microsoft to beef up its cloud computing capabilities and improve digital experiences for clinicians and patients. The multiyear agreement will leverage Microsoft Azure to enable stronger cloud computational power and data insights readily available to care teams, so Kaiser’s members—and patients—will benefit from more timely and personalized healthcare, the health system said. Kaiser tapped Microsoft and Accenture to build up and scale its cloud environment, which supports its more than 85,000 clinicians and 12.4 million members. 

==> www.fiercehealthcare.com; 03.02.2021

ZF geht strategische Partnerschaft mit Microsoft und PwC ein ;

ZF, Microsoft und PwC Deutschland werden künftig gemeinsam die Prozesse im ZF-Werk Diepholz in Norddeutschland transformieren und die Erkenntnisse dann ZF-weit nutzen, wie es in einer Pressemitteilung von ZF heißt. Das Projekt ermöglicht ZF, Herstellungskosten zu reduzieren, den Lagerbestand, die Leistung und Qualität des Werks zu verbessern und die Effizienz der Belegschaft zu erhöhen.

==> industrie.de; 15.01.2021

Microsoft Strikes 7-Year Cloud Deal With Deutsche Telekom;

Microsoft and Deutsche Telekom today announced a seven-year agreement that expands their longstanding partnership to help enterprises and schools shift more IT resources to the cloud. The Germany operator and cloud giant intend to combine their respective services in a framework that aims to deliver more resilient and flexible cloud-based tools for remote productivity and education. 

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 10.12.2020

7-Eleven Australia migrates SAP environment to Azure;

7-Eleven Stores Australia has re-platformed its SAP environment onto Azure as part of an ongoing digital transformation project. The convenience store operator said today that it is working with Microsoft to upgrade backend IT and data systems. General manager of strategy and technology Stephen Eyears said the convenience retailer’s transformation works are already “well underway” and aimed to meet customer needs across store and digital channels.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 01.12.2020

Uniper selects Microsoft Azure to maintain operations;

Uniper is using Microsoft Azure to maintain operations and reduce the chance of outages. It is now running its SAP systems in the cloud ensure digital security and system availability. Uniper inherited a legacy IT infrastructure from its parent company in 2016 so it turned to Microsoft and its partner DXC Technology to migrate its SAP systems and modernise its operations, ready for a more digital-centric energy landscape. 

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 09.10.2020

Zeiss chooses Azure for new healthcare solutions;

Optic and optoelectronics business Zeiss has partnered with Microsoft for the delivery of patient care and manufacturing solutions. Using Microsoft Azure, artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT), the organisations will deliver new digital healthcare solutions and develop new solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). As part of the partnership, Zeiss will make Azure its preferred cloud platform, which Microsoft says will enable it to “provide its customers with enhanced digital experiences, address changing market needs more quickly and increase its productivity”.

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 08.10.2020

Ukrainian govt works with Microsoft on digital transformation;

The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and Microsoft Ukraine have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a partnership in digital modernisation using Microsoft Azure as a vehicle, as well using modern workplace automation products for government-owned companies to enable seamless collaboration across Ukraine and within the government.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 06.10.2020

Houston expands digital alliance with Microsoft;

The expansion builds on an Internet of Things (IoT) alliance forged between Microsoft and the city’s administration in May 2018. Houston, aims to address economic recovery through skilling both underserved communities and re-skilling the many Americans impacted by Covid-19. The collaboration is intended to create new economic opportunity, close equity and digital skills gaps, and prepare a workforce for the 21st century through innovation in big data, artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

==> www.smartcitiesworld.net; 25.08.2020

Standard Chartered Bank goes multicloud, with Azure as its preferred partner;

Standard Chartered Bank plans to become a cloud-first business, adopting a multicloud strategy - but with Microsoft Azure at the top of the list. The two companies entered into a three-year strategic partnership, as part of a plan for the bank to have all its core banking and trading systems in the cloud by 2025. “Cloud is a cornerstone of Standard Chartered’s strategy to meet the present and future banking needs of our clients," Michael Gorriz, Standard Chartered's group CIO, said.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 12.08.2020

PepsiCo and Microsoft broker a new Azure partnership;

PepsiCo and Microsoft announced a new five year partnership to shift PepsiCo's infrastructure, data estate and ERP to Azure. As part of the agreement, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 will be extended to all 270,000 PepsiCo employees worldwide. Additionally, the announcement is part of a broader cloud compute initiative on the part of Microsoft, as it helps shift PepsiCo's SAP environments into the cloud. 

==> msdynamicsworld.com; 27.07.2020

Halliburton to close its data centers, move to Microsoft Azure cloud;

As part of the partnership, Halliburton will fully migrate from its physical data center deployments by 2022. The full extent of its footprint is not known, but it moved much of its workloads to a CyrusOne data center in Fort Worth back in 2008, and was an IBM Cloud customer in the past. The company plans to use Halliburton for storage and processing, as well as improve its real-time monitoring of remote operations, and use machine learning and AI tools to improve its analytics capability with the Halliburton Data Lake.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 17.07.2020

Defence turns to Microsoft to host SAP ERP system;

The Department of Defence will push its first major workload into a public cloud environment after selecting Microsoft to host its new SAP enterprise resources planning (ERP) platform. Microsoft has revealed that the department has begun using its Azure region in Canberra to develop and deploy the system.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 18.06.2020

Johns Hopkins Medicine signs five-year cloud deal with Microsoft;

The new cloud deal will support Johns Hopkins inHealth, a precision medicine program at the Baltimore-based healthcare organization. Under the agreement with Microsoft Azure, Johns Hopkins inHealth will be able to use the company's artificial-intelligence and analytics tools to analyze patient data.

==> www.modernhealthcare.com; 18.06.2020

NHS strikes landmark IT deal with Microsoft ;

More than a million staff members across the NHS will have access to the Microsoft 365 suite of apps and services as part of a landmark agreement struck between NHS Digital, NHSX and Microsoft. The productivity and collaboration suite, which includes Microsoft Teams, will be deployed to 1.2 million NHS staff in Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, and health Informatics Services in an effort to create a more joined-up NHS.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 15.06.2020

Coca-Cola taps Microsoft for 5-year multicloud, software deal ;

The Coca-Cola Company entered a five-year deal with Microsoft to use its software and cloud products, the companies announced Monday. The soft drink maker plans to "gain new insights from data across the enterprise" using Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365. The deal provides ​all 86,000 Coca-Cola employees access to Dynamics 365 Customer Service, the Power Platform and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft and Coca-Cola representatives declined to comment on the cost of the deal.

==> www.ciodive.com; 28.04.2020

Microsoft signs multiyear deal with the NBA for Azure and Surface;

Microsoft has signed a multiyear deal with National Basketball Association (NBA) to become the official AI, cloud, and laptop provider for the league. The deal will see the NBA using Microsoft’s Azure platform to broadcast live and on-demand basketball games, with personalized content.

==> www.theverge.com; 16.04.2020

CDC uses Microsoft healthcare chatbot service to create coronavirus symptom checker;

The CDC has used Microsoft’s Healthcare Bot service to create a COVID-19 assessment chatbot to screen Americans who may be unsure whether to seek medical care. The Coronavirus Self Checker bot asks a series of questions based on CDC guidelines about symptoms and risk factors and suggests next steps, including whether to self-isolate, consult with a telehealth professional, or visit an emergency room.

==> www.theverge.com; 21.03.2020

Kubota uses Microsoft Azure cloud for digital transformation;

It will migrate its IT infrastructure and SAP systems onto the Microsoft Azure cloud and develop artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for food, water and the environment. Together, Kubota and Microsoft will launch a new AI Machine Learning Lab to accelerate innovations and train new developers building AI solutions. Kubota will explore the application of AI in agriculture, water system infrastructure and the environment and Microsoft will support this with Azure Machine Learning.  

==> www.technologyrecord.com; 17.03.2020

Standard Bank partners with Microsoft and SAP to accelerate its digital journey;

Standard Bank South Africa says it is moving its core SAP Cloud Platform services to Microsoft Azure to improve the experience customers have with the bank, while enabling it to introduce new solutions to market more efficiently.​​​​​​​        

==> businesstech.co.za; 03.03.2020

Microsoft strikes a new deal with NFL to have all 32 teams use Microsoft Teams;

The expanded partnership is a huge win for the tech giant weeks after IBM chose Slack over Microsoft Teams as the internal communication tool for its employees. Microsoft Teams will now be used by all 32 NFL teams, according to Microsoft. The service allows organizations to connect to one communication hub to host calls, chats, meetings, as well as manage internal calendars and documents. 

==> www.theverge.com; 03.03.2020

Tractor Supply Selects Microsoft As Preferred And Strategic Cloud Provider;

The strategic agreement supports Tractor Supply's ONETractor strategy of leveraging physical and digital assets to deliver personalized, convenient shopping experiences anytime, anywhere and in any way customers choose. As part of the agreement, Tractor Supply will leverage cloud solutions, including Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365, for enterprise initiatives supporting both the in-store and digital experience.

==> www.nasdaq.com; 09.01.2020

Microsoft wins US$5 bn digital transformation deal from KPMG;

The US$5 billion digital strategy investment will focus on technology, people and innovation, and will primarily leverage the Microsoft 365 suite of cloud-based collaboration and productivity tools, including Microsoft Teams. In addition, KPMG will also utilize Microsoft Azure and Azure AI as the backbone for a new common, global cloud-based platform.

==> infotechlead.com; 05.12.2019

Egypt- SAP, Microsoft to carry out digital transformation of 60 public enterprises;

The Ministry of Public Enterprise Sector announced the completion of the Middle East and North Africa's largest information technology tender for the digital transformation of the ministry's subsidiaries. SAP and Microsoft won the tender to manage the resources of 60 subsidiaries and holding companies, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) in six main areas.

==> menafn.com; 27.11.2019

Good News

Tech Giants Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce Launch 20 Million Ton Nature-Based Carbon Removal Buyers Coalition;

Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce announced today the launch of the Symbiosis Coalition, a new advance market commitment (AMC) collaboration aimed at supporting the development and growth of the nature-based carbon removal market, with a collective commitment to contract up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits. According to the companies, the coalition aims to send a strong demand signal, enabling the development of high-impact, and science-based restoration projects that will advance progress on global climate goals.

==> www.esgtoday.com; 22.05.2024

Microsoft signs 3.33 million-tonne carbon capture deal in Sweden;

Microsoft has signed the world's largest carbon capture deal with Stockholm Exergi to remove 3.33 million tonnes of carbon from a biomass plant in Sweden. The 10-year agreement, starting in 2028, will leverage BECCS technology to permanently remove up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. This deal represents a significant step in Microsoft's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and inspire further corporate investments in carbon capture.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 07.05.2024

Artificial intelligence puts Microsoft Azure in top gear;

Earnings from the Azure public cloud accounted for half of Microsoft’s $56.2bn revenue in its fourth quarter filing, with the company reporting overall annual revenue of $212bn, 7% higher than 2022. Microsoft reported that its productivity and business processes business posted a 10% revenue increase to $18.3bn. This was driven mainly by its Office 365 Commercial business, which increased revenue by 15%.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 26.07.2023

Microsoft wins dismissal of gamers' suit over $69 billion Activision deal;

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) on Monday won dismissal of a private consumer antitrust lawsuit over its $69 billion proposed purchase of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard Inc (ATVI.O), but the plaintiffs were given 20 days to refine their legal challenge. A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that the lawsuit from a group of video game plaintiffs "lacks allegations" supporting their claim that the proposed acquisition would harm market competition.

==> www.reuters.com; 21.03.2023

SAP and Microsoft Recognized as a Leader in 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools ;

==> www.gartner.com; 23.08.2022

Microsoft and VMWare recognized as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management Tools ;

==> news.vmware.com; 16.08.2022

Google Cloud growing 45% a year, with Azure at 40%, says Canalys;

Google Cloud’s business has grown by 45% year-on-year in the latest quarter, with rivals Microsoft Azure growing 40% in the same time, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) growing 33%. Figures from Canalys (see chart) show that both Google and Azure are growing faster than the industry average, while AWS is tracking the global industry’s growth rate of 33%.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 02.08.2022

Walmart's multi-cloud strategy cuts millions in IT costs ;

Walmart's advice to companies trying to control the hefty cost of running workloads on the three largest cloud providers comes down to one word: choice. Walmart built one of the world's biggest hybrid clouds on an architecture designed to run a workload on Azure, Google Cloud or the Walmart Cloud Native Platform -- a Kubernetes-based system the company built from the ground up in 2020. Azure and Google's public clouds have AI and other services Walmart prefers to rent than build. But, in general, the three IaaS platforms are equal with one critical difference: Walmart can deliver to its developers computing, storage and network resources for less.

==> www.techtarget.com; 12.07.2022

Ukraine awards Microsoft and AWS peace prize for cloud services & digital support;

The government of Ukraine has awarded Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) peace prizes for providing critical cloud and digital services during Russia's unprovoked invasion. "Big tech support Ukraine," Ukraine's vice prime minister and digital transformation minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said. "Microsoft delegation has been awarded today with 'Peace Prize' from the President of Ukraine Zelenskyy. We are grateful to have you on the light side of digital. Microsoft stands for truth and for peace.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 07.07.2022

Frost & Sullivan awards Microsoft with the Platform of the year for its IoT Solutions;

Frost and Sullivan recognizes Microsoft as Global IoT Platform of the Year Award. The company provides integrated IoT solutions using its Microsoft Azure IoT platform to enable enterprises to expand features, add applications, and/or scale their systems during integration. IoT is an ecosystem of devices, systems, solutions, and software that must be integrated seamlessly to transform an enterprise. Microsoft provides customers with an end-to-end portfolio of technologies and services to make IoT deployments successful.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 17.05.2022

German Microsoft Ecosystem Cools With Slower IT Spending ;

The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ Microsoft Ecosystem Partners report for Germany finds digital transformation projects spiked in the first year of the pandemic as companies adjusted to new operating requirements. However, an overall migration to the cloud continues, the report says. More German enterprises are now turning to Azure managed services providers to handle data consolidation, governance, compliance and security issues related to the cloud, ISG says. Managed services can help companies reduce costs, maximize automation and keep better track of their cloud capacity utilization and costs. ISG expects a healthy market for Microsoft services over the next few years as enterprises begin to consolidate their applications with fewer cloud providers. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 13.05.2022

Cloud-Geschäft lässt Microsoft deutlich wachsen ;

 Microsoft hat im ersten Quartal 2022 vom Cloud-Geschäft profitiert. Der Umsatz stieg um 18 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahresquartal, der Nettogewinn um acht Prozent auf 16 Milliarden Dollar. Das ist mehr, als Analysten erwartet hatten. Nachbörslich sackte die Microsoft-Aktie am Dienstag jedoch zunächst in die Verlustzone, erholte sich im weiteren Verlauf aber leicht. CEO Nadella sieht keine Anzeichen für Einsparungen bei den IT-Ausgaben in Unternehmen. Im Gegenteil: Er betonte, Automation und Software könnten helfen, mit den gegenwärtig steigenden Preisen umzugehen. Was Office angehe, habe man erstmals auch Produkte, um gezielt Kunden in Schwellenländern anzusprechen.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 26.04.2022

Azure surpasses AWS for some enterprise cloud uses;

A recent survey of cloud decision-makers showed that enterprises have begun to turn to Microsoft Azure as much as or more often than AWS. The accelerated migration of on-premises workloads to the cloud during the pandemic helped Microsoft Azure edge past archrival AWS in several major categories, according to the Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report.

==> www.techtarget.com; 21.04.2022

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit disrupts criminal botnet ZLoader;

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) said it disrupted the ZLoader botnet, a malware-as-a-service network run by an organized crime gang that has compromised home, work, and other machines to extort money. Microsoft said it is taking legal action against ZLoader and has received a court order from the U.S. District Court for Northern Georgia to take control of at least 65 domains owned by the cybercriminal group. It is currently working to block ZLoader’s domain generation algorithm. 

==> www.geekwire.com; 13.04.2022

Cloud-Markt 2022 Microsoft Azure holt AWS ein;

Data Warehouses, Datenbanken und Container sind die beliebtesten Cloud-Anwendungen. Laut einer aktuellen Studie hat Microsoft Azure den Erzrivalen AWS eingeholt. Konkret berichten die Autoren: 80 Prozent der Unternehmen weltweit nutzen bereits Azure, für AWS liegt der Wert nur bei 77 Prozent. Flexera geht dabei von privaten Unternehmen und Public-Sector-Organisationen mit mehr als 1000 Mitarbeitenden aus. Der Bericht zeigt auch, dass Unternehmen weiterhin stark auf Multicloud-Strategien setzen. 89 Prozent der Befragten gehen diesen Weg, 80 Prozent verfolgen eine Hybrid-Cloud-Strategie.

==> www.cio.de; 11.03.2022

Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud results soar as the world goes digital;

Both Microsoft and Google have issued strong quarterly results driven by a healthy increase in revenues of their respective cloud computing divisions.  Microsoft Cloud generated $20.7 billion in revenue for Q3 2021, which is an year on year increase of 36%, driven by a 50% growth in Azure and other cloud services revenue. Similarly, Google Cloud revenues neared $5 billion thanks to a 45% jump, while operating loss narrowed to $644 million from $1.21 billion a year ago.  

==> www.techradar.com; 27.10.2021

Microsoft Office, Windows, and cloud boosts Q1 2022 earnings;

Microsoft posted the first quarter of its 2022 financial results today, reporting revenue of $45.3 billion and a net income of $20.5 billion (GAAP). Revenue is up 22 percent, and net income has increased by 48 percent. Microsoft has seen strong revenue performance in its cloud, server, and Office businesses this quarter. As always, it’s the cloud growth that has been impressive for Microsoft’s revenues, particularly as businesses adjust to hybrid work. Revenue in intelligent cloud is up 31 percent year over year, including Azure and other cloud services revenue growth of 50 percent. 

==> www.theverge.com; 26.10.2021

Microsoft thwarts mega-DDoS attack on Azure platform;

Microsoft’s Azure Networking team have shared details of how they beat off one of the largest attempted distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in internet history, which targeted an unnamed Azure customer in Europe. In a disclosure blog, Microsoft Azure Networking programme manager Alethea Toh and principal network engineer Syed Pasha revealed that the attack traffic originated from about 70,000 sources in multiple APAC countries, and the US.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 12.10.2021

Microsoft announces the next steps in its global skills initiative;

Microsoft this week launched Career Connector, a service that will help place 50,000 job seekers skilled by Microsoft's nonprofit and learning partners in tech-enabled jobs in the Microsoft ecosystem in the next three years. Career Connector will have a specific focus on women and underrepresented minorities in technology, the company said.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 30.03.2021

Amid cloud spending boom, Microsoft Azure, AWS gain IT spend;

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated spending on cloud computing, automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning and Microsoft and Amazon Web Services appear to be big winners, according to a Flexera report. Flexera's State of Tech Spend Report found that 49% of companies expect to increase information technology spending in 2021 with another 19% maintaining current levels. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 12.01.2021

Microsoft shares rise after the tech giant posts 15% growth;

Microsoft reported its third-quarter, fiscal 2020 quarter earnings, the period of time corresponding to Q1 2020 on the regular calendar. The technology giant generated $35 billion in revenue, up 15% from the year-ago period. Other headlines from the company’s earnings report include Azure growing 59% from its year-ago result, 25% growth in Office 365 commercial incomes, LinkedIn top line growing 21% from the year-ago period and roughly flat results from its Xbox, search and Surface businesses.

==> techcrunch.com; 29.04.2020

Microsoft Skins AWS in Forrester Cloud Ranking;

Microsoft scored a razor-thin victory over larger rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Forrester Research’s latest ranking of public cloud providers in North America. However, AWS can wipe away those tears with the billions of dollars of additional revenue it generates compared to its smaller rival.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 20.03.2020

Microsoft Leads $101B SaaS Market Followed By Salesforce, Adobe;

The same five enterprise software giants continue to lead in SaaS, but they only hold half the market between them. Collaboration and HR solutions are the fastest-growing segments. While Infrastructure-as-a-Service is dominated by a few hyperscale giants, the cloud-based application market remains diverse and wide-open—Microsoft ended the fourth quarter as the leading player with 17 percent share. Salesforce, which Microsoft overtook as the SaaS leader in 2016, followed with a 12 percent share. Adobe took third place with 10 percent, and SAP and Oracle both brought up the rear of the top five with 6 percent share. 

==> www.crn.com; 09.03.2020

Gartner vision quest sees Microsoft, Google and IBM nipping at Amazon Web Services' heels in cloud AI;

Gartner analysts have exhaled a "Magic Quadrant" report on Cloud AI developer services, concluding that while AWS is fractionally ahead, rivals Microsoft and Google are close behind, and that IBM is the only other company deserving a place in the "Leaders" section of the chart. 

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 04.03.2020

Google and Microsoft are giving away enterprise conferencing tools due to coronavirus;

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has pushed more companies and organizations to transition to remote work, and now both Google and Microsoft have said they will grant access to their more robust teleconferencing and collaboration tools that are typically only available to enterprise customers to make it easier for people to work from home. Both companies are only offering free access for a limited time.

==> www.theverge.com; 03.03.2020

Microsoft Azure has an edge over Amazon Web Services at big companies, Goldman Sachs survey says;

The latest results suggest that Microsoft could continue to gain cloud market share. Microsoft stock has outpaced the major indices as CEO Satya Nadella has focused the company more on cloud services, particularly for business use. Further cloud growth could help bring the stock higher, as analysts expect.

==> www.cnbc.com; 07.01.2020

Google, Microsoft Azure Beat AWS in Cloud Performance;

Google and Microsoft Azure delivered more predictable performance — especially outside the United States — when compared to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Alibaba Cloud, the report concluded. IBM’s performance varies by region but it also stands apart due to its hybrid approach, which utilizes a private and public internet backbone.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 14.11.2019

Pentagon deal to boost Microsoft's position in cloud computing: ;

 Amazon.com Inc’s  firm grip on the cloud computing market could be threatened by Microsoft Corp’s multi-billion dollar contract with the Pentagon, Wall Street analysts said on Monday. “Bottom line, the contract is a significant win for Microsoft and vaults Azure forward in the cloud platform wars,” J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Murphy said. 

==> www.reuters.com; 28.10.2019

Bad News

Microsoft's cloud outlook knocks shares, Meta rises on AI payoff signs;

Microsoft's stock dropped 6% as its AI investments failed to significantly boost Azure cloud revenue, while Meta gained 4% after Zuckerberg reassured investors about growth. Analysts noted Microsoft's focus on AI workloads may have slowed core Azure growth, delaying the expected acceleration. The company’s weaker-than-expected cloud forecast led to a market cap loss of around $182 billion.

==> www.reuters.com; 30.01.2025

Microsoft to Shutdown Its Dynamics 365 Unified Service Desk (USD);

Microsoft will retire Dynamics 365 Unified Service Desk (USD) by June 2028, phasing out support and updates in the years leading up to that date. The company recommends users transition to Customer Service Workspace (CSW), which offers faster performance, AI-driven agent assist, and ongoing updates. While Microsoft is pushing CSW as the preferred alternative, other companies like Google and Here provide similar unified agent desktop solutions.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 24.01.2025

Azure networking snafu enters day 2, some services still limping;

Microsoft's Azure cloud services experienced disruptions in the US East 2 region due to a networking configuration issue, affecting various services and causing connectivity problems. While most systems were restored by January 10, intermittent errors and degraded performance persisted for some customers. Microsoft continues to work on recovery and advises users to implement disaster recovery plans.

==> www.theregister.com; 10.01.2025

Microsoft confirms performance-based job cuts across departments;

Microsoft is cutting less than 1% of its workforce based on performance, following earlier layoffs in its gaming unit and broader staff reductions in 2023. Despite its strong financial performance, the company faces challenges, including a strained partnership with OpenAI and slower-than-expected adoption of its AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft remains focused on growth, particularly through Azure's AI infrastructure.

==> www.cnbc.com; 08.01.2025

Microsoft faces £1bn class action case in UK over software prices;

A legal claim filed in the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal accuses Microsoft of overcharging businesses for Windows Server software, seeking over £1 billion in compensation on behalf of UK businesses. The claim alleges Microsoft’s licensing practices unfairly increased costs for companies using rival cloud providers like Google and Amazon, restricting competition. Filed on an "opt-out" basis, the lawsuit highlights the impact on small businesses and forms part of broader scrutiny of cloud computing practices by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.

==> www.bbc.com; 03.12.2024

Microsoft Outages: Issues Resolved More Than 24 Hours After Outlook, Teams Impacted;

Microsoft resolved issues with Outlook and Teams by Tuesday afternoon, over a day after thousands of users reported outages. Most problems were tied to Exchange Online and Teams calendars, with fixes deployed by Monday morning but slower-than-expected progress for many users. The disruption coincided with the rollout of a new Recall AI tool, though Microsoft did not confirm a direct link.

==> www.forbes.com; 26.11.2024

Elon Musk targets Microsoft in expanded OpenAI lawsuit;

Elon Musk has expanded his lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker OpenAI, adding federal antitrust and other claims and adding OpenAI’s largest financial backer, Microsoft, as a defendant. Musk’s amended lawsuit, filed on Thursday night in federal court in Oakland, California, said Microsoft and OpenAI illegally sought to monopolize the market for generative artificial intelligence and sideline competitors.

==> www.theguardian.com; 15.11.2024

US regulators plan to investigate Microsoft’s cloud business;

The FTC is preparing to investigate Microsoft for alleged anti-competitive practices in its cloud computing business, focusing on claims of restrictive licensing, high exit fees, and incompatibility of Office 365 with rival platforms. This aligns with ongoing scrutiny of Big Tech by regulators globally, including similar investigations by the UK and EU. The inquiry follows broader concerns about monopolistic behaviors in the cloud market, where Microsoft holds a 20% market share behind AWS but ahead of Google Cloud.

==> www.ft.com; 13.11.2024

Microsoft accuses Google of ‘shadow campaign’ to influence cloud regulation in Europe;

Microsoft has accused Google of covertly organizing the Open Cloud Coalition to influence European regulators and counter Microsoft’s cloud practices, labeling it an "astroturf" campaign. The coalition, led by smaller cloud firms but reportedly funded by Google, seeks to advocate for cloud market openness and interoperability, allegedly to counter Microsoft's 2019 licensing changes, which made it more costly to use Microsoft software on non-Azure clouds. This clash intensifies as Europe and the U.K. investigate market lock-in by major cloud providers, with both companies aiming to shape upcoming regulatory decisions.

==> techcrunch.com; 28.10.2024

Google Cloud files EU complaint over Microsoft's cloud licensing practices;

Google Cloud accuses Microsoft of using restrictive cloud licensing practices to lock customers into Azure, significantly increasing costs for businesses that wish to switch to other providers. Google claims these practices harm European companies, stifle competition, and lead to wasted tax funds and security risks. Despite a prior settlement with some European cloud providers, Google has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission, seeking further investigation into Microsoft's actions.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 26.09.2024

Nvidia and Microsoft accused of patent theft and violating antitrust laws by DPU startup Xockets;

Xockets has filed a lawsuit against Nvidia and Microsoft, accusing them of patent infringement and forming an illegal cartel. Xockets alleges that Nvidia and Microsoft stole its Data Processing Unit (DPU) technology, which is crucial for AI computing, and used it to dominate their respective markets. The lawsuit seeks damages and aims to block Nvidia from selling its upcoming GPUs and Microsoft from using the infringing technology in AI platforms.

==> direct.datacenterdynamics.com; 06.09.2024

Lloyds Bank and Nationwide hit by online issues as Microsoft reports outage ;

Lloyds Bank and Nationwide apologized for online service disruptions that affected customers on Monday, with users reporting issues viewing transactions. The outages coincided with a separate issue reported by Microsoft involving its Azure cloud platform, though it’s unclear if the incidents were related. Virgin Money also experienced problems with its online services, but these were confirmed to be unrelated to Azure.

==> www.cityam.com; 02.09.2024

How Microsoft is abusing the CrowdStrike outage to its advantage;

Microsoft blamed the EU's 2009 agreement for the massive IT outage on July 19, 2024, claiming that the requirement to allow third-party access to the Windows kernel compromised security. However, critics argue that Microsoft is deflecting blame to avoid scrutiny, noting that the company welcomed the agreement at the time and could have implemented safer interfaces. The incident highlights concerns about relying too heavily on a single vendor like Microsoft, whose outdated Windows architecture was also criticized for contributing to the disaster.

==> www.it-daily.net; 13.08.2024

Microsoft Says Delta Was Largely Responsible for Flight Cancellations;

Microsoft criticized Delta Air Lines for falsely blaming it for a disruption that led to thousands of flight cancellations, arguing that Delta was deflecting from its own shortcomings and outdated IT infrastructure. Despite offering free assistance during the crisis, Microsoft claimed Delta repeatedly declined help, likely due to issues with systems managed by other companies. Microsoft also indicated it would vigorously defend itself if Delta pursued legal action.

==> www.nytimes.com; 06.08.2024

Delay to Nvidia's new AI chip could affect Microsoft, Google, Meta, the Information says;

Design flaws could delay the launch of Nvidia's upcoming AI chips by three months or more, potentially impacting major customers like Meta, Google, and Microsoft, who have placed large orders. Nvidia has informed Microsoft and another cloud provider about the delay, despite earlier claims that production was on track for the second half of the year.

==> www.reuters.com; 04.08.2024

Microsoft hit by global outage of some Azure and Office cloud services;

Microsoft is facing a significant global outage affecting its cloud and Office services, including Azure and Microsoft 365 applications like Outlook, Word, and Excel. The company has made network adjustments to address the issue, and service availability is improving, but they continue to monitor the situation. This outage follows recent disruptions, including an Azure outage and a separate incident that impacted millions of Windows systems.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 30.07.2024

Microsoft says EU to blame for the world's worst IT outage ;

Microsoft says the European Union is to blame for the world's biggest IT outage on Friday following a faulty security update. A 2009 agreement insisted on by the European Commission meant that Microsoft could not make security changes that would have blocked the update. Microsoft has Windows Defender, its in-house alternative to CrowdStrike, but because of the 2009 agreement made to avoid a European competition investigation, had allowed multiple security providers to install software at the kernel level.

==> www.euronews.com; 22.07.2024

Companies around the world hit by Microsoft outage;

A major IT outage, one of the largest ever, significantly disrupted global operations across various sectors following a problematic security update from CrowdStrike affecting Microsoft Windows systems. The issue caused massive disruptions including thousands of flight cancellations, widespread work stoppages, and significant delays in healthcare services, with ongoing recovery efforts. The fault, which started from a routine update, has had cascading effects, leading to considerable operational challenges worldwide, prompting urgent responses from companies and critical infrastructure sectors still struggling with the fallout.

==> www.ft.com; 19.07.2024

Google: We're still working to defeat Microsoft's 'anticompetitive' cloud policy;

Google has criticized Microsoft's recent settlement with European cloud providers, led by CISPE, regarding software licensing disputes, dismissing it as a financial maneuver to silence complaints without addressing the underlying issues. Under the agreement, Microsoft will pay an undisclosed sum to CISPE, release an Azure Stack version for European hosts, and establish a monitoring mechanism. However, Google and AWS argue that the settlement fails to address broader anticompetitive practices and does not benefit the majority of cloud customers, indicating a continued struggle over Microsoft's licensing policies that they claim inhibit market choice and innovation.

==> www.theregister.com; 11.07.2024

Users rage as Microsoft announces retirement of Office 365 connectors within Teams;

Microsoft has announced that Office 365 connectors within Teams, critical for integrating various workflows into Teams channels, will be discontinued. Connector creation will cease from August 15, 2024, and all existing connectors will stop functioning from October 1, 2024. Microsoft advises users to switch to Power Automate workflows for future integrations, citing the need for a more scalable and secure architecture, though the decision has met with significant user backlash due to the short notice and perceived inconvenience.

==> www.theregister.com; 09.07.2024

Microsoft lays off employees in new round of cuts;

Microsoft has executed another round of layoffs affecting multiple teams and locations, though specific numbers were not disclosed. This action is part of regular organizational adjustments that Microsoft often makes at the start of its fiscal year to align with strategic growth areas and maintain profitability, especially as it invests heavily in cloud infrastructure for AI applications. These layoffs follow earlier reductions this year in various departments, including its Azure cloud unit and gaming division, as the company seeks to manage its workforce amid broader tech industry cutbacks.

==> www.geekwire.com; 03.07.2024

Microsoft hit with EU antitrust charge over Teams app, risks hefty fine;

The European Commission has accused Microsoft of illegally tying its Teams application with its Office suite, potentially giving it an unfair advantage over competitors like Slack, prompting antitrust charges. This action follows a complaint by Slack in 2020 and could lead to Microsoft facing a significant fine, potentially up to 10% of its annual global turnover. The Commission argues that despite Microsoft's efforts to unbundle Teams from Office and improve interoperability, these measures are insufficient to address the competitive concerns and restore market fairness.

==> www.reuters.com; 25.06.2024

Microsoft Delays Controversial Recall Feature, Undercutting Copilot+ PC Launch;

Microsoft is pitching Recall, which takes periodic screenshots of a computer’s screen to enable new search capabilities, as a key feature for Copilot+ PCs. Launching next week, these devices are what the company is calling ‘the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built.’

==> www.crn.com; 14.06.2024

US to launch antitrust probes into Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia;

The US Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are launching antitrust investigations into Microsoft, OpenAI, and Nvidia to assess their dominance in the AI sector. The Justice Department will investigate Nvidia, while the FTC will focus on AI deals between Microsoft and OpenAI, examining if their collaborations provide an unfair advantage. This regulatory scrutiny reflects broader concerns about the potential large-scale impact of AI and the need to ensure competitive practices in the industry.

==> www.siliconrepublic.com; 07.06.2024

Major service tag security problems reported in Microsoft Azure;

Tenable Research discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft Azure service tags that allows attackers to bypass firewall rules by forging requests from trusted services, affecting over ten Azure services. The vulnerability permits attackers to access internal and private Azure services, emphasizing the need for adding authentication layers to service tags. Experts suggest that while Microsoft’s decision not to impose native authentication may be reasonable, it requires enterprises to balance security with usability, as many organizations mistakenly assume service tags alone are secure.

==> www.csoonline.com; 04.06.2024

Microsoft is laying off hundreds in its Azure cloud business, sources say;

Microsoft is cutting hundreds of jobs from its Azure cloud business, particularly impacting the Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering teams, with up to 1,500 job cuts reported. These teams are part of the Strategic Missions and Technologies organization, which focuses on innovative initiatives like quantum computing and space. These layoffs come amid Microsoft's ongoing adjustments, including last year's announcement to cut 10,000 jobs, as the company adapts to its evolving focus on generative AI through its partnership with OpenAI.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 03.06.2024

Thursday outage impacted Microsoft services including Bing Search, Copilot, and ChatGPT;

Microsoft services, including Bing, Copilot, and ChatGPT's Internet search, experienced a multi-hour outage on Thursday, primarily affecting users in Asia and Europe. The outage, which caused 429 HTTP errors, has since been resolved, with Microsoft continuing to investigate the root cause. Broader Azure services were unaffected.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 24.05.2024

Eight US newspapers sue OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement;

A coalition of eight U.S. newspapers, including prominent titles like the New York Daily News and the Chicago Tribune, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The suit, lodged in a New York federal court, accuses the tech firms of using copyrighted news articles to train their AI chatbots without authorization or compensation. This legal action follows a similar lawsuit by the New York Times in December, highlighting ongoing concerns among media outlets about the exploitation of their content by major tech companies to develop AI technologies.

==> www.theguardian.com; 30.04.2024

Microsoft derides ‘doomsday futurology’ of New York Times’ AI lawsuit;

Microsoft has criticized The New York Times for employing what it calls "doomsday futurology" regarding the potential impact of ChatGPT on the news industry, as part of its defense in a lawsuit where the newspaper accuses OpenAI of copyright infringement. Microsoft, a major investor in OpenAI, compared the lawsuit to historical resistance against innovations like the VCR, arguing that copyright law does not impede the development of large language models such as ChatGPT. The New York Times has accused Microsoft and OpenAI of using its content without permission to develop ChatGPT, seeking billions in damages.

==> www.ft.com; 05.03.2024

Exclusive: Google steps up Microsoft criticism, warns of rival's monopoly in cloud;

Google Cloud has intensified its criticism of Microsoft's cloud computing practices, accusing the company of aiming for a monopoly that could stifle innovation in areas like generative AI. Google Cloud's Vice President, Amit Zavery, expressed concerns about Microsoft's strategy creating a "walled garden" around its Azure cloud service, limiting customer choices and potentially monopolizing next-generation technologies. Zavery called for regulatory intervention to prevent Microsoft from extending its on-premise software monopoly to the cloud. Microsoft, however, dismissed these claims, arguing that competition in the cloud market remains robust, with both Microsoft and Google making gains on the market leader, AWS.

==> www.reuters.com; 26.02.2024

Microsoft is not deprecating Azure IoT Central; claims a recent system message was an error;

Reports earlier this week about Microsoft deprecating Azure IoT Central, with a system message suggesting a shutdown by March 31st, 2027, were later clarified as an error. Microsoft posted a blog entry explaining that they do not use system messages for product retirements and assured their commitment to Azure IoT services, emphasizing their goal to help customers create IoT solutions. Additionally, Microsoft is running a public preview of Azure IoT Operations, aimed at simplifying IoT service deployment and providing users more control over their IoT devices and data.

==> www.neowin.net; 17.02.2024

Microsoft Teams hit by second outage in three days;

Microsoft is investigating a second outage affecting Microsoft Teams users in North and South America within three days, with reports of connectivity issues and message delays. The company is working on resolving the issue, which impacts users' ability to access Teams and features. This follows a previous outage attributed to a networking issue affecting database infrastructure, causing similar disruptions across multiple regions.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 31.01.2024

Microsoft’s and Google’s AI plans clouded by concerns of rising costs ;

Investor enthusiasm over Big Tech's gains from generative AI was tempered following Microsoft and Google's warnings about increased expenses due to investments in AI development. Despite strong quarterly results, both companies' shares fell after they announced plans for significant capital expenditure on data centers and servers to support generative AI technologies. Microsoft's cloud sales surged due to AI services demand, while Alphabet's shares dropped due to advertising revenue shortfalls, even as both companies prepare for further AI integration and infrastructure expansion.

==> www.ft.com; 31.01.2024

Microsoft, OpenAI hit with new lawsuit by authors over AI training;

Authors Nicholas Basbanes and Nicholas Gage have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against OpenAI and its financial backer, Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement. They claim that their books were used as part of the data to train OpenAI's GPT large language model, including the popular chatbot ChatGPT, without their permission or compensation. This lawsuit is part of a series of legal actions by both fiction and nonfiction writers against tech companies for using their work to train AI programs.

==> www.reuters.com; 08.01.2024

The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft for using its stories to train chatbots;

The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the companies are using its news articles to train chatbots, thereby threatening its revenue and stealing its journalists' work. The newspaper argues that AI chatbots divert web traffic away from the original source, making it less likely for users to visit their site for information. OpenAI responded by stating they respect content creators' rights and are working constructively with the Times, while Microsoft did not comment. The lawsuit is part of a growing trend of legal actions related to copyright infringement in the AI industry.

==> apnews.com; 27.12.2023

Not even LinkedIn is that keen on Microsoft's cloud: Shift to Azure abandoned;

LinkedIn has abandoned its "Blueshift" project to migrate its datacenter infrastructure to Microsoft Azure, citing challenges that arose since Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016. The reversal comes after LinkedIn's 2019 announcement to migrate its workloads to a public cloud, with plans to leverage Azure for innovation and global scale. However, the company has now opted to invest in its own datacenters and consolidate locations, using Azure services selectively. The challenges reportedly emerged when attempting to lift and shift existing software tools to Azure without refactoring them for the cloud provider's tools.

==> www.theregister.com; 14.12.2023

OpenAI, Microsoft hit with new author copyright lawsuit over AI training;

OpenAI and Microsoft are facing a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses them of misusing the work of nonfiction authors to train AI models, including OpenAI's ChatGPT. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI copied tens of thousands of nonfiction books without permission to train its language models, and it is the first to name Microsoft as a defendant in an author lawsuit against OpenAI.

==> www.reuters.com; 22.11.2023

Microsoft says Teams and Xbox fixed in UK and Europe;

Microsoft has said problems with accessing its Teams messaging app and XBox gaming platform across the UK and Europe have now been resolved. More than 1,500 people in the UK reported issues with Teams, according to outage tracker Downdetector. A similar number also said there were problems with Xbox Live.

==> www.bbc.com; 10.11.2023

Microsoft admits 'power issue' downed Azure services in West Europe;

Microsoft techies are trying to recover storage nodes for a "small" number of customers following a "power issue" on October 20 that triggered Azure service disruptions and ruined breakfast for those wanting to use hosted virtual machines or SQL DB.Microsoft says in an incident report on its Azure status history page: "Due to an upstream utility disturbance, we moved to generator power for a section of one datacenter at approximately 0731 UTC. A subset of those generators supporting that section failed to take over as expected during the switch over from utility power, resulting in the impact."

==> www.theregister.com; 23.10.2023

Microsoft announces new round of mass layoffs at LinkedIn;

Hundreds of employees are being laid off from LinkedIn, marking the second time this year the company has announced major cuts in staffing. The Microsoft-owned social media site said Monday that 688 employees would be released across engineering, product, talent and finance teams. 

==> www.upi.com; 16.10.2023

Microsoft and Amazon face UK regulator investigation over cloud services;

The UK regulator is investigating licensing practices from Microsoft and Amazon for public cloud infrastructure. The clouds are gathering over Microsoft’s Azure operations in the EU and now the UK, with the launch of a new investigation into major cloud service providers that also includes Amazon. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is just about to wrap up its concerns over cloud gaming with Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, but it will soon turn its attention to Microsoft’s Azure cloud offerings and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

==> www.theverge.com; 05.10.2023

Microsoft Teams down: Ongoing outage behind message failures, delays;

Microsoft is investigating an ongoing outage preventing customers from sending or receiving messages using the company's Microsoft Teams communication platform. While Redmond is yet to provide details on what platforms are affected, users report experiencing these issues while using the desktop and mobile Teams apps.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 13.09.2023

Microsoft finally explains cause of Azure breach: An engineer’s account was hacked;

Microsoft said the corporate account of one of its engineers was hacked by a highly skilled threat actor that acquired a signing key used to hack dozens of Azure and Exchange accounts belonging to high-profile users. The disclosure solves two mysteries at the center of a disclosure Microsoft made in July. The company said that hackers tracked as Storm-0558 had been inside its corporate network for more than a month and had gained access to Azure and Exchange accounts, several of which were later identified as belonging to the US Departments of State and Commerce.

==> arstechnica.com; 06.09.2023

OpenAI, Microsoft hit with new US consumer privacy class action;

OpenAI and its main backer Microsoft (MSFT.O) are facing at least their second class action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court for allegedly breaking several privacy laws in developing OpenAI's popular chatbot ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence systems. The complaint, filed on Tuesday on behalf of two unnamed software engineers who use ChatGPT, accuses the companies of training their fast-growing AI technology using stolen personal information from hundreds of millions of internet users.

==> www.reuters.com; 06.09.2023

Microsoft admits slim staff and broken automation contributed to Azure outage;

Microsoft's preliminary analysis of an incident that took out its Australia East cloud region last week – and which appears also to have caused trouble for Oracle – attributes the incident in part to insufficient staff numbers on site, slowing recovery efforts. The software colossus has blamed the incident on "a utility power sag [that] tripped a subset of the cooling units offline in one datacenter, within one of the Availability Zones."

==> www.theregister.com; 04.09.2023

Oracle Cloud, Netsuite, and Azure go down, hard, Down Under;

Oracle, Netsuite, and Microsoft's clouds have gone down, hard, in the Sydney, Australia, region likely due to an issue at a datacenter provider in which both are tenants. Microsoft advised customers of its Azure cloud that as of approximately 0830 UTC on August 30 it was suffering an outage due to a cooling problem: "A utility power surge in the Australia East region tripped a subset of the cooling units offline in one datacenter, within one of the Availability Zones."

==> www.theregister.com; 30.08.2023

Experten üben vernichtende Kritik an Sicherheit von Microsofts Azure-Cloud;

Der Softwarehersteller ist seit März über eine kritische Sicherheitslücke in seinen Cloud-Diensten informiert. Ein erster Fix war unvollständig, der zweite sollte bis September warten. Es sind Worte, die an Deutlichkeit nichts vermissen lassen: Amit Yoran, Chef der Sicherheitsfirma Tenable, wirft in einem Posting auf Linkedin Microsoft nicht nur vor, in Sicherheitsfragen "grob fahrlässig" zu agieren, das Unternehmen sei geradezu in einer "toxischen Kultur der Verschleierung" gefangen.

==> www.derstandard.de; 04.08.2023

Microsoft Teams Faces EU Antitrust Probe in Salesforce Clash;

Microsoft Corp. faces a European Union probe over concerns it’s driving out competition by unfairly bundling its Teams video conferencing app with its popular business software suite. The European Commission said Thursday it opened the formal investigation to examine whether Microsoft may have breached EU competition rules by tying or bundling Teams to its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 packages. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 27.07.2023

New round of Microsoft job cuts hits customer service, support, and sales teams;

Microsoft announced a new round of job cuts internally Monday morning, impacting an unknown number of employees in customer service, support, and sales. The cuts go beyond the 10,000 global layoffs announced by Microsoft on Jan. 18. Microsoft’s fiscal year 2023 ended June 30. It’s not uncommon for Microsoft to restructure parts of its business as it begins a new fiscal year. The company confirmed the layoffs in response to GeekWire’s inquiry, without providing details. 

==> www.geekwire.com; 10.07.2023

Microsoft's Azure West Europe region blew away in freak summer storm;

A freak summer storm in the Netherlands is being blamed for causing network issues in Microsoft's Azure West Europe region last week, according to a preliminary post-incident review by the company.

==> www.theregister.com; 10.07.2023

Report: EU expected to launch new antitrust investigation into Microsoft ;

Microsoft Corp. could find itself the target of a new antitrust investigation in Europe after talks with regulators aimed at averting such a move broke down, Reuters reported Monday. The investigation stems from a 2020 complaint by the Salesforce Inc.-owned messaging app Slack, relating to Microsoft’s 2017 decision to bundle its Teams collaboration application with Office 365, effectively making it free for Office users. The Teams app eventually replaced Microsoft’s previous chat and video conferencing app, Skype for Business.

==> siliconangle.com; 04.07.2023

Microsoft, OpenAI sued for $3B after allegedly trampling privacy with ChatGPT;

Microsoft and OpenAI were sued on Wednesday by sixteen pseudonymous individuals who claim the companies' AI products based on ChatGPT collected and divulged their personal information without adequate notice or consent. The complaint, filed in federal court in San Francisco, California, alleges the two businesses ignored the legal means of obtaining data for their AI models and chose to gather it without paying for it.

==> www.theregister.com; 28.06.2023

Google takes aim at Microsoft's Azure and software licensing;

Microsoft’s licensing models are once again coming under scrutiny after Google filed a comment with the US Federal Trade Commission claiming Microsoft locks-in customers to its Azure public cloud services. Google is alleging Microsoft has created anti-competitive practices via its bundling and software licensing agreements to make it difficult for clients to use anything outside of its Azure infrastructure solutions.

==> www.crn.com.au; 26.06.2023

Microsoft slammed for hitting European cloud users with ‘unfair, additional’ charges;

European enterprises and public sector organisations are spending billions of pounds extra each year for the privilege of running software they own in the Microsoft Azure public cloud, suggests research published by non-profit Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE). The research, carried out by Frédéric Jenny, emeritus professor of economics at the ESSEC Business School in France, set out to establish how the public cloud market’s current setup may allow unfair and anti-competitive practices to thrive.  

==> www.computerweekly.com; 23.06.2023

Where are we now, Microsoft 362.5? Europe reports outages;

Some Microsoft 365 users in Western Europe earlier today were reporting service problems today, though those in the UK seem to have avoided many of the issues. A scan of comments from users on Reddit show a range of complaints from error messages while trying to open Outlook to outages to LinkedIn being down. Users in Sweden, Austria, Germany, and other countries were reporting in.

==> www.theregister.com; 20.06.2023

Microsoft confirms Azure, Outlook outages caused by DDoS attacks;

Microsoft has confirmed that recent outages to Azure, Outlook, and OneDrive web portals resulted from Layer 7 DDoS attacks against the company's services. The attacks are being attributed to a threat actor tracked by Microsoft as Storm-1359, who calls themselves Anonymous Sudan. In a preliminary root cause report released last week, Microsoft further hinted at DDoS attacks, stating that a spike in network traffic caused the Azure outage.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 18.06.2023

F.T.C. Sues to Stop Microsoft’s Activision Deal From Closing;

The Federal Trade Commission sued Microsoft on Monday to stop the company from closing its $69 billion purchase of the video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard, escalating the federal government’s efforts to stymie the largest consumer technology deal in decades. In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the F.T.C. said the move was necessary because “Microsoft and Activision have represented that they may consummate” the deal. The lawsuit is the latest blow to Microsoft’s purchase of Activision, which makes popular video games like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. 

==> www.nytimes.com; 12.06.2023

Microsoft Hit With Another Outage As Azure Portal Goes Down;

In what appears to be the third major Microsoft service outage this week, the company confirmed that the portal for its Azure cloud platform was down as of Friday morning. On its Azure status page, Microsoft said Friday that it’s aware of users receiving “errors accessing the Azure Portal” and that the company has been “applying mitigation” to address the issue. The problems appear to have been resolved as of this posting. The Azure portal outage follows availability issues that impacted OneDrive on Thursday and that took down several Microsoft 365 services — including Teams and SharePoint Online — on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

==> www.crn.com; 09.06.2023

Cloud outages are on the rise. Here’s why;

One in four I.T. leaders believe infrastructure outages are the most likely source of disruption for their organization, according to a recent report from Splunky. Such outages have an estimated cost of $365,000 per hour of downtime for businesses. Perhaps more worryingly, half of the respondents’ organizations don’t have a digitally resilient infrastructure designed to mitigate or outright prevent the impact of a cloud service outage.

==> fortune.com; 07.06.2023

Microsoft Outlook users hit with brief Monday morning outage;

More than 15,000 users reported issues with Microsoft 365, the web version of the Microsoft Outlook application, according to outage-tracking site DownDetector. Reports of the outage began to tick up at around 10 am ET, according to DownDetector data. By around noon ET, however, the reports of issues began to rapidly subside and the company confirmed early in the afternoon that the issue had been resolved.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 05.06.2023

Microsoft Azure outage in Brazil caused by typo;

An outage experienced by Microsoft Azure DevOps in Brazil was caused by a typo in the update code.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 05.06.2023

Microsoft 365 suffers another outage, its sixth this year;

Microsoft 365 suffered another outage on Monday, preventing users from accessing Microsoft 365 apps. “We’re investigating an issue affecting access to https://msft.it/6016gbJ06 and Microsoft 365 apps,” the company said in a Tweet. Users reported that they were experiencing issues when accessing their Outlook mailboxes and were unable to connect to the Microsoft 365 servers.

==> www.computerworld.com; 23.05.2023

Latest Microsoft layoffs bring tech giant’s Seattle-area total to nearly 3,000 ;

Microsoft announced 158 more layoffs Tuesday, bringing the Redmond-based tech giant’s total for the Seattle area to 2,901 for the year, the most since at least 2004. But Tuesday’s cuts, which affect workers at Microsoft’s Redmond offices, are separate from the 10,000 layoffs that were announced in January, and instead resulted from a regular review of business operations, the company said. 

==> www.seattletimes.com; 10.05.2023

Microsoft 365 outage blocks access to web apps and services;

Microsoft is investigating an outage blocking customers worldwide from accessing and using web apps like Excel Online and online services. The list of affected services includes Microsoft 365 suite, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Yammer Enterprise, Planner, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 for the web, and Project for the web.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 20.04.2023

Microsoft not a Teams player as admin center, 365 service suffer partial outage;

Microsoft is investigating an issue that is keeping some users from being able to fully use the Microsoft 365 cloud service and Teams admin centers on Thursday. The problem kicked off this morning with Redmond saying it was looking into errors within its caching infrastructure. In an advisory, the Windows goliath wrote "some users may be intermittently unable to view or access web apps in Microsoft 365."

==> www.theregister.com; 20.04.2023

Amazon, Microsoft could face UK antitrust probe over cloud services;

 Britain’s media and communications regulator Ofcom says it has “significant concerns” that Amazon and Microsoft could be harming competition in the market for cloud services. In a statement Wednesday, Ofcom said it was “proposing to refer” the cloud services market to the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK antitrust regulator, for further investigation. 

==> edition.cnn.com; 05.04.2023

Microsoft ditches plans for 500,000 sq ft London office;

Microsoft has called off the search for a swanky 500,000 sq ft office in the heart of England's capital amid a cost-cutting drive that has seen thousands of employees forced out. In other efforts to reduce overheads, Microsoft said at the time it was also making "changes to our hardware portfolio, and lease consolidation to create a higher density across our workspaces."

==> www.theregister.com; 05.04.2023

Microsoft breaks geolocation, locking users out of Azure and M365;

Microsoft has found a new and interesting way to break its cloud services: by messing up geolocation services and sending its users to Uzbekistan, which made it impossible for them to log in. A kind Reg reader sent more detail: a Microsoft status notice that defined the problem as "a subset of users with geolocation-based conditional access policies experienced sign-in disruptions to Azure services." The reader's info said the mess was caused by "a recent deployment applied to an infrastructure for regulating user geolocation had inadvertently provided incorrect IP location data."

==> www.theregister.com; 24.03.2023

Latest Microsoft Layoff Wave Hits Supply Chain, Cloud, IoT Employees;

Microsoft has conducted its third wave of layoffs that are part of the 10,000 employees the vendor announced it would cut this year, this time laying off employees in roles related to supply chain, artificial intelligence and internet of things (IoT). A Microsoft spokesperson told CRN that the job cuts were across various levels, functions, teams and geographies. 

    

==> www.crn.com; 10.03.2023

Exposed Military Emails Linked To Microsoft Azure: Reports;

Multiple news outlets report that Microsoft and the United States Department of Defense are investigating the exposure of a terabyte or more of military emails. The exposed server was secured Monday afternoon. The data was stored in the Azure cloud computing service by Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft. The data included personal information, at least one SF-86 form used for security clearances and conversations among officials, according to Bloomberg. 

==> www.crn.com; 22.02.2023

Microsoft Experiences Second Major Cloud Outage in 2 Weeks;

Late Monday night in Redmond, Washington, where the technology giant is based, it reported that some services, including Outlook.com webmail, became inaccessible for users in North America and beyond. The outage has continued into Tuesday. The outage appears to only affect Microsoft's consumer-focused services. Outlook.com is its free webmail service formerly known as Hotmail, and not the same as Outlook for Web, or OWA, which is corporate-focused webmail.

==> www.bankinfosecurity.com; 07.02.2023

Global network outage hits Microsoft: Azure, Teams, Outlook all down;

Microsoft is currently rolling back a network change across its wide area network that it believes toppled over a raft of its cloud services this morning, perhaps in solidarity with the company's tumbling profits. Users all over the world are venting their anger on social media at not being able to send or receive email, connect to Teams meetings or access many other services.

==> www.theregister.com; 25.01.2023

Microsoft announces layoffs as cloud revenue slows across the board;

Add Microsoft to the growing list of technology companies laying off workers as the economy tightens and the ramped-up hiring during the peaks of the coronavirus pandemic no longer proves sustainable. Microsoft today said it would cut approximately 10,000 employees through the end of its third quarter that ends March 31, with notifications beginning today. The layoffs represent less than 5% of Microsoft’s total workforce, CEO Satya Nadella said in an email to employees made public through a blog post today.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 18.01.2023

Microsoft Hit With Teams, Microsoft 365 Outage Issues;

Microsoft is grappling with an outage that is affecting the ability for users in North America to access Teams and Microsoft 365. “We’re investigating an issue where some users in North America are unable to access Microsoft 365 services,” said Microsoft in a Twitter post on Tuesday at 9:17 a.m. EST. “We’re analyzing network trace logs to isolate the source of the issue.” Microsoft said in a Twitter post that its telemetry indicates that the “Microsoft managed network is healthy” and that the issue “appears to be limited to a specific local ISP.”

==> www.crn.com; 17.01.2023

Microsoft 365 bleibt laut Datenschutzkonferenz datenschutzwidrig;

Laut der deutschen Datenschutzkonferenz (DSK) bleibt Microsoft 365 datenschutzwidrig und sei damit beispielsweise nicht für die rechtskonforme Verwendung in Schulen oder Behörden geeignet. Es gebe zwar leichte Fortschritte, allerdings reiche das keineswegs aus, um den rechtlichen Anforderungen an Privatsphäre und Sicherheit gerecht zu werden. Laut dem Bundesdatenschutzbeauftragten Ulrich Kelber fehle es aber weiterhin an der notwendigen Transparenz. Denn es sei immer noch zu nebulös, welche Daten exakt für eigene Agenden herhalten.

==> stadt-bremerhaven.de; 26.11.2022

Teams investigation could be just the start of Microsoft’s EU antitrust problems;

Microsoft is expected to be the subject of an EU anti-trust investigation over the way it bundles its Teams collaboration tool with the Office 365 suite of products. The investigation is likely to be launched following a complaint by Salesforce, owner of Teams rival Slack, and could herald the start of more intense scrutiny on MSFT from Brussels as it enacts the Digital Markets Act.

==> techmonitor.ai; 25.11.2022

France says non to Office 365 and Google Workspace in school;

The French minister of national education and youth has said that free versions of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace should not be used in schools – a position that reflects ongoing European concerns about cloud data sovereignty, competition, and privacy rules. Last week, the Ministry of National Education published a written reply to confirm that French public procurement contracts require "consideration" – payment.

==> www.theregister.com; 22.11.2022

Microsoft faces new EU antitrust complaint from competing cloud services;

A long-standing criticism that Microsoft has set unfair terms for running software services, like Windows, on competitors’ cloud infrastructure might result in EU antitrust scrutiny following a new complaint. The complaint that Microsoft’s software licensing practices are unfair was filed to the European Commission on Wednesday (9 November) by Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE), a trade association that includes Amazon’s AWS, the French OVHcloud, and the Italian Aruba.

==> www.euractiv.com; 09.11.2022

Public cloud spending up $11bn but hyperscalers AWS and Azure report slowing growth;

The booming public cloud market is showing signs of slowing down, with two of the hyperscaler cloud providers, Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft Azure, reporting slowing growth this week. Newly released figures show the value of the cloud market grew by $11bn in the last quarter, representing a significant year-on-year downturn in growth as the global economic situation impacts IT spending. The lower-than-expected cloud revenue growth hit the share price of both Amazon and Microsoft following the results announcements. The third member of the hyperscaler trio which dominate the public cloud market – Google Cloud – fared somewhat better, beating expectations with revenue growth of 38%, to $6.9bn. This is still off last year, where it enjoyed 45% growth.

==> techmonitor.ai; 28.10.2022

Microsoft Plunges on Forecast for Lackluster Azure Growth;

Microsoft Corp. shares had their biggest intraday drop since March 2020 after the company gave a lackluster forecast for sales growth in its Azure cloud-computing services business, a closely watched measure of corporate demand. Revenue growth for Azure, which lets companies run and store software applications, will drop by five percentage points in the current period from the prior quarter, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said on a conference call Tuesday. Azure sales rose 42% in the fiscal first quarter, excluding the impact of foreign-currency exchange rates, implying a gain of 37% for the second quarter, which ends in December. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 26.10.2022

Microsoft data breach exposed sensitive data of 65,000 companies ;

Microsoft servers have been subject to a breach that might have affected over 65,000 entities across 111 countries, according to the security research firm, SOCRadar. SOCRadar claims that it shared with Microsoft its findings, which detailed that a misconfigured Azure Blob Storage was compromised and might have exposed approximately 2.4TB of privileged data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses, company names, and attached files containing proprietary company information, such as proof of concept documents, sales data, product orders, among other information.

==> www.digitaltrends.com; 20.10.2022

Microsoft confirms job cuts after calling for growth to slow;

    A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the move, which comes three months after the company announced a round of layoffs affecting less than 1% of employees. The software maker called for the slowest revenue growth in more than five years in the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

==> www.cnbc.com; 17.10.2022

Ofcom to probe hyperscaler dominance of the UK public cloud market;

UK communications watchdog Ofcom is opening an investigation into the dominance held by cloud hyperscalers Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud over the public cloud market. It is part of a wider investigation Ofcom is conducting into how digital communications operate in Britain, which will also probe messaging services and smart speaker markets. Globally, AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud accounted for 65% of the public cloud market in Q2 2022, according to data from Synergy Research Group. If the regulator notes negative impacts, it can make recommendations to the government about necessary changes of policy, or recommend that the Competition and Markets Authority opens investigations into any potential competition concerns.

==> techmonitor.ai; 22.09.2022

Microsoft Azure outage knocks Ubuntu VMs offline after buggy update;

Microsoft Azure customers' virtual machines (VMs) running Ubuntu 18.04 have been taken offline by an ongoing outage caused by a faulty systemd update. The outage started nine hours earlier, around 06:00 UTC, after the affected customers upgraded to systemd version 237-3ubuntu10.54 and their VMs started experiencing DNS errors, with no DNS resolver addresses available on impacted systems. According to the Azure status page, services currently impacted worldwide by this outage include Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Monitor, Azure Sentinel, Azure Container Apps, and more.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 30.08.2022

Microsoft 365 outage triggered by Meraki firewall false positive;

An ongoing outage affects multiple Microsoft 365 services, blocking users from connecting to Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, Outlook desktop clients, and OneDrive for Business. While Microsoft says that this incident has only affected customers in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region, users have been reporting server connection issues and sign-in failures worldwide.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 10.08.2022

Microsoft makes further cuts focused on consumer R&D group;

After pulling open roles across its Office and Windows divisions and letting go of a portion of its 180,000-person workforce in July, Microsoft made additional cuts this week. This layoff round was concentrated in its Modern Life Experiences (MLX) group, one of the groups responsible for customer-focused project R&D at the company. It’s unclear how many employees were let go. When reached for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson declined to provide details but didn’t deny that the layoffs had occurred.

==> techcrunch.com; 09.08.2022

Growth Slows for Cloud Giants AWS, GCP, Microsoft Azure;

AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure saw a slowdown of their huge revenue growth rates in the second quarter, according to the companies’ quarterly earnings reports. Executives pointed to macroeconomic conditions and said they remained bullish on cloud services under any economic conditions.

==> www.informationweek.com; 03.08.2022

Lehrt Cloudflare die Hyperscaler das Fürchten?;

Cloudflare befindet sich inmitten eines signifikanten Wandels: Das inzwischen 18 Jahre alte Unternehmen geht auf Kollisionskurs mit den marktbeherrschenden Cloud-Hyperscalern Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft und Google Cloud.

==> www.computerwoche.de; 03.08.2022

Major Microsoft Teams and Azure outage in South Africa;

Network connectivity issues are affecting Microsoft services in South Africa, the company has reported. Microsoft says that the issues started as early as 10:00 in South Africa. It warned customers may experience latency or intermittent network connectivity issues when trying to access their Azure cloud resources in its South Africa North and Brazil South regions.

==> mybroadband.co.za; 29.07.2022

Microsoft Teams Hit with a 6-Hour Outage;

Microsoft has confirmed that its Microsoft 365 apps and Teams services were down for some users on Wednesday night. The July 20 outage was briefly addressed publicly by Microsoft in this Twitter post series, which suggested that it occurred because of "a broken connection to an internal storage service." The outage affected "multiple Microsoft 365 services with Teams integration, such as Microsoft Word, Office Online and SharePoint Online."

==> rcpmag.com; 21.07.2022

Microsoft lays off a portion of its workforce as part of a 'realignment';

Microsoft today became the latest Big Tech company to cut jobs during a period of mounting economic uncertainty. Bloomberg reports that the Redmond firm is “realigning business groups and roles” after the close of its fiscal year (on June 30), even as the company intends to grow its headcount in the coming months. The layoffs reportedly affect less than 1% of Microsoft’s 180,000-person workforce and follow no clear pattern with respect to geography or product division, touching on teams including customer and partner solutions and consulting. They come after Microsoft slowed hiring in the Windows, Teams and Office groups while assuring that recruitment hadn’t been affected by industry headwinds.

==> techcrunch.com; 12.07.2022

A Microsoft Office 365 Feature Could Help Ransomware Hackers Hold Cloud Files Hostage;

A "dangerous piece of functionality" has been discovered in Microsoft 365 suite that could be potentially abused by a malicious actor to ransom files stored on SharePoint and OneDrive and launch attacks on cloud infrastructure. The cloud ransomware attack makes it possible to launch file-encrypting malware to "encrypt files stored on SharePoint and OneDrive in a way that makes them unrecoverable without dedicated backups or a decryption key from the attacker," Proofpoint said in a report published today.

==> thehackernews.com; 16.06.2022

Azure Active Directory logs are lagging, alerts may be wrong or missing;

Microsoft has warned users that Azure Active Directory isn't currently producing reliable sign-in logs. "Customers using Azure Active Directory and other downstream impacted services may experience a significant delay in availability of logging data for resources," the Azure status page explains. Tools including Azure Portal, MSGraph, Log Analytics, PowerShell, and/or Application Insights are all impacted.

==> www.theregister.com; 01.06.2022

Report: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Causing System Issues for Users;

According to Borncity, the problems Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is causing have been ongoing for around a month. This issues include memory running extremely high when the program is running, black screen delays of 2 minutes or more when logging in, and issues with opening Word 2016 or newer. The report also points to an issue where Windows Event View is taking longer than normal to show events. It seems all the issues stem from Defender for Endpoint causing memory overloads that impact wider performance on Windows 10 20H2.

==> winbuzzer.com; 02.05.2022

Microsoft President of 15,000-person Digital Transformation Group, James Phillips, is out;

Ten-year Microsoft veteran and head of its 15,000-person Digital Transformation Group, James Phillips, is leaving the company effective April 15. Microsoft Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie announced Phillips' departure -- for an unspecified "external opportunity" -- via email today, April 4. Phillips' departure, after an extended sabbatical, is just one of several moves happening in Microsoft's Cloud + AI division. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 06.04.2022

EU ushers in brave new world of Big Tech regulation ;

Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft and other global players such as accommodation outfit Booking and Chinese e-commerce player Alibaba will come under the scope of the Digital Markets Act, which introduces a series of dos and don’ts for tech firms' behavior across digital markets. A final list of firms will now be drawn up by the Commission. For their part, the tech giants will be under intense pressure to update their products and services to comply with rules. After the expected final approval by Parliament and Council, which will come imminently, the text will enter into force 20 days after, and the rules will become applicable six months after that date. 

==> www.politico.eu; 25.03.2022

Microsoft confirms Lapsus$ hackers stole source code via ‘limited’ access;

The hacking group Lapsus$, known for claiming to have hacked Nvidia, Samsung, and more, this week claimed it has even hacked Microsoft. The group posted a file that it claimed contains partial source code for Bing and Cortana in an archive holding nearly 37GB of data.  Microsoft maintains that the leaked code is not severe enough to cause an elevation of risk, and that its response teams shut down the hackers mid-operation. 

==> www.theverge.com; 22.03.2022

Angriffe auf das Azure Active Directory und auf Azure-Dienste ;

 Microsofts Identitätsdienste sind auf überraschend vielfältige Weise angreifbar. Noch erstaunlicher: Oft sind die Angriffe auch sehr einfach. Das ist die Folge des komplexen Berechtigungssystems, der Exponiertheit von Cloud-Anwendungen und nicht zuletzt der Verknüpfung von On-Premises Active Directory und Azure AD. Dieser Artikel erklärt die wichtigsten Angriffe auf das Azure Active Directory. 

==> www.heise.de; 17.03.2022

Zelensky Presses Companies—Microsoft, SAP And Oracle—To Punish Russia More;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Microsoft, Oracle and SAP—who have all announced significant steps to roll back business operations in Russia—to take further action against Russia Sunday, but Oracle said it’s already done everything possible in Russia despite Zelensky’s plea.

==> www.forbes.com; 13.03.2022

Peloton, Slack and Microsoft’s GitHub Recover From Outages;

Peloton Interactive Inc., Salesforce.com Inc.’s Slack and Microsoft Corp.’s GitHub generally recovered Tuesday from earlier service outages, according to the websites and Downdetector, which monitors internet issues.  Slack users saw the message “something’s gone awry, and we’re having trouble loading your workspace” in their workplace chat app. The disruption, which began about 9 a.m. New York time, was reported by as many as 11,000 users, according to Downdetector. The issue subsided within a few hours. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 22.02.2022

EU to launch probe over use of cloud services by public sector;

European privacy watchdog said on Tuesday it will launch joint investigations with 22 national regulators into the use of cloud-based services by the public sector to check if they comply with its privacy safeguards. The investigations will cover over 80 public bodies across the European Economic Area, including EU institutions, covering sectors such as health, finance, tax, education and providers of IT services), The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said. The EDPB will publish a report on the outcome of this analysis before the end of 2022.

==> www.reuters.com; 15.02.2022

The UK wants contingencies for Microsoft, Amazon, and Google cloud disruptions;

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have scored increased attention from the UK's Prudential Regulation Authority. A new report indicates the regulatory body is figuring out how to best oversee these companies' operations. The need for increased involvement on regulators' parts comes as a result of a mounting fear over cyber attacks and other dangers that could threaten third-party operations and, by extension, those of the UK citizenry.
 

==> www.windowscentral.com; 10.01.2022

Global Azure outage knocked out virtual machines, other VM-dependent services;

Microsoft customers were hit by a global outage of the company's Azure virtual machine service -- as well as other Azure services -- that went on about eight hours. Microsoft's Azure status page said the VM outage began around 5 a.m. UTC, or just after midnight ET on October 13. Services with dependencies on Windows VMs, such as Azure DevOps, also may have been affected, the status page noted. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 13.10.2021

Microsoft 365 MFA outage locks users out of their accounts;

Microsoft is investigating an ongoing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) issue preventing some customers from logging into their Microsoft 365 accounts. "We're investigating an issue with Multi-Factor Authentication that is preventing some users from accessing Microsoft 365 services. Additional information will be provided in the admin center under MO287933, the company tweeted. According to the company, only customers using on-premises Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) servers are impacted by this Microsoft 365 issue, with Cloud Authentication not affected.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 28.09.2021

Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases;

Microsoft warned thousands of its cloud computing customers, including some of the world's largest companies, that intruders could have the ability to read, change or even delete their main databases, according to a copy of the email and a cyber security researcher. The vulnerability is in Microsoft Azure's flagship Cosmos DB database. A research team at security company Wiz discovered it was able to access keys that control access to databases held by thousands of companies. Wiz Chief Technology Officer Ami Luttwak is a former chief technology officer at Microsoft's Cloud Security Group.

==> www.reuters.com; 28.08.2021

Microsoft challenges NSA cloud contract reportedly awarded to Amazon;

Microsoft has filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office against the National Security Agency, challenging the recent award of a cloud computing contract. The NSA awarded the contract to cloud rival Amazon, multiple outlets reported. Amazon previously challenged a high-profile Pentagon cloud contract awarded to Microsoft, which was later canceled by the Department of Defense.

==> www.cnbc.com; 12.08.2021

Pentagon Scraps Microsoft’s $10 Billion Cloud Computing Deal After Lawsuit From Amazon;

The Department of Defense is canceling a $10 billion cloud computing contract with Microsoft, the military announced Tuesday, ending years of legal battles after Amazon wasn’t awarded the 2019 contract. In a statement, the DOD said the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract — a 10-year deal offering classified data storage and cloud computing services to the military — does not meet its current needs, citing “evolving requirements, increased cloud conversancy, and industry advances.”

==> www.forbes.com; 06.07.2021

SAP steps back from S/4HANA-on-Azure preference;

Microsoft Azure’s preferred status for hosting S/4HANA appears to be coming to an end. SAP, which has been recommending pairing its ERP suite with Azure as part of a deal it struck with Microsoft, will now encourage customers to host S/4HANA wherever they want. According to SAP, the companies’ Embrace partnership will now refocus on customer choice. At the same time, SAP is pushing a new way to pay for its software: a subscription-based, hosted offering that it calls “Rise with SAP,” which will be in the spotlight at its Sapphire Now 2021 customer event in June.

==> www.cio.com; 28.05.2021

Microsoft Teams was down worldwide for many users for two hours;

Microsoft Teams was down and experiencing an outage worldwide for many users for more than two hours today. The issues started at around 6:30AM this morning, and were blocking connectivity for lots of Microsoft Teams users across Europe and Asia. Microsoft says it has identified the root cause for the issues and has put a fix in place. “We’re seeing signs of recovery and will continue to monitor the service.”

==> www.theverge.com; 27.04.2021

Microsoft schließt weitere Lücken in E-Mail-System Exchange;

Als Microsoft im März Schwachstellen im E-Mail-Programm Exchange schloss, schien das Problem zumindest für die Zukunft gelöst. Doch nun ist klar, dass damals nicht alle Lücken erwischt wurden. Der Software-Konzern veröffentlichte Aktualisierungen für Versionen aus den Jahren 2013, 2016 und 2019. Sie waren auch von Schwachstellen betroffen, die Microsoft bereits im März mit einem Update geschlossen hatte. Der Hinweis auf zwei der vier neuen Probleme kam vom US-Geheimdienst NSA.
 

==> www.kurier.de; 14.04.2021

Microsoft Apologizes For Another Azure, Teams Outage;

The company blamed the outage on DNS issues that prevented access to a number of cloud services, and it was the second major Microsoft outage in three weeks. It was the second major outage for Azure and other key Microsoft services -- such as the widely used Teams collaboration app -- in the past three weeks. On March 15, a worldwide outage impacted Microsoft services as the result of “authentication errors” across multiple cloud services, the company said at the time.

==> www.crn.com; 02.04.2021

Microsoft Exchange Experte: Microsoft-Sicherheitslücke für Erpressung genutzt ;

 Die Sicherheitslücken im Microsoft-Kommunikationssystem Exchange werden nach Einschätzung von Experten immer häufiger von Hackern zur Erpressung ihrer Opfer genutzt. Das sagte Sicherheitsexperte Rüdiger Trost vom finnischen Softwareunternehmen F-Secure der Deutschen Presse-Agentur. Zuvor hatte bereits das Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Infomationstechnik (BSI) die höchste Alarmstufe ausgegeben. Die Gefahr einer Erpressung sieht auch Microsoft und fordert deshalb seine Kunden bringend auf, die vorhandenen Updates einzuspielen, mit denen die Lücken geschlossen werden.

==> www.leonberger-kreiszeitung.de; 16.03.2021

Microsoft cloud users hit by global outage linked to Azure Active Directory issue;

Microsoft has identified a recent change to an authentication system as a possible cause of an outage that blighted users of its cloud-based portfolio of productivity and back-office apps across the world. The company went on to confirm that any service that relies on its cloud-based identity and access management service Azure Active Directory (AAD) may be affected. These include the component services that make up Microsoft 365, such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, but access to the firm’s wider portfolio of cloud services was also affected by the issues.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 16.03.2021

Microsoft 365 authentication issue causes Microsoft Teams and other services to go down;

Microsoft is investigating an authentication issue impacting multiple Microsoft 365 cloud services including Microsoft Teams, as well as Xbox Live. The company said the problem began just after noon PT Monday and could affect users worldwide.

==> www.geekwire.com; 15.03.2021

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn goes down for some users;

The Microsoft-owned LinkedIn business social network ran into technical issues during U.S. business hours on Tuesday, leading people to post about their troubles accessing the LinkedIn website and app. The downtime resulted from a configuration change in internal systems, a LinkedIn representative told CNBC.

==> www.cnbc.com; 23.02.2021

Microsoft says Teams app technical issue mostly resolved;

Microsoft Corp said it had mostly resolved the technical issue that delayed message delivery on its widely used Teams workplace messaging app earlier on Wednesday. The glitch, which was caused by a potential networking issue, affected users in the Americas, the company had said.

==> www.reuters.com; 17.02.2021

Microsoft Teams is not working for hundreds of UK workers due to an unknown issue;

Hundreds of workers who rely on Microsoft Teams to communicate and collaborate with colleagues remotely have been left unable to login to the app this morning, due to an unknown issue. According to independent tracker DownDetector, which uses social media mentions to determine when online services are experiencing issues for users, hundreds of people have been left offline ahead of their Monday morning meeting.

==> www.express.co.uk; 18.01.2021

Microsoft's Azure marketing chief Julia White joins SAP;

Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Product Marketing for Azure, Developer Tools and Servers Julia White is joining the SAP Executive Board and leaving Microsoft. SAP announced White's hire on January 15. White has been with Microsoft for nearly 20 years. She started at the company as Product Manager in the Windows Server division. She later joined the Office Division and became well-known for her demos during key Microsoft events. She has been spearheading marketing for Azure for the past five years. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 15.01.2021

Microsoft consumer cloud outage blights Outlook.com and OneDrive users ;

Microsoft claims to have rectified the technical difficulties that left users of several of its consumer-grade cloud communication and collaboration tools struggling to log in on Tuesday 10 November. In a subsequent tweet, the software giant said there was evidence to suggest that the issues were only affecting parts of its consumer cloud services portfolio, namely Outlook.com and its online storage service OneDrive, as well as Sharepoint Online users who logged in via guest accounts.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 11.11.2020

Microsoft cloud outages continue as Office and Outlook customers report problems;

Last week, a major Azure Active Directory authentication issue affected users worldwide. A follow-up Exchange/Outlook issue later in the week affected European and Indian Office 365/Microsoft 365 customers. This week, Microsoft's cloud services issues are continuing, affecting a number of Exchange, Outlook, Teams and SharePoint users. Microsoft was still warning some Office 365/Microsoft 365 customers as this week kicked off of some possible residual Exchange/Outlook issues, including problems accessing the admin center and syncing issues between Outlook mobile and desktop.

==> www.zdnet.com; 08.10.2020

Microsoft Services Suffer Two Major Global Outages in One Week;

Microsoft did not have a very good week, as on two separate occasions critical services were down worldwide for several hours. The latest was early Thursday morning when Outlook was down for several hours due to what Microsoft says was an issue caused by a “configuration update.” It comes just days after a host of Microsoft services were down for several hours Monday evening.

==> mytechdecisions.com; 02.10.2020

Microsoft outage brings down Azure, Office 365 and Teams;

Between 2125 UTC and 0023 UTC, Microsoft's Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) suffered an outage, which affected authentication services, preventing logins. Microsoft said the problem was caused by a recent "configuration change". It rolled back that change, and reports that most users should be able to use the services as normal, by around 2.30 UTC. Despite reports of a global outage, Microsoft's status reports said the outage affected "a subset of customers in the Azure Public and Azure Government clouds." 

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 29.09.2020

SAP hires Sabine Bendiek from Microsoft for COO role;

Sabine Bendiek will also be the labor director to the SAP board of directors for early 2021 and chief operating officer of SAP in mid-2021. SAP appointed Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein for the role of co-CEOs as the replacement of Bill McDermott in January 2020. But Jennifer Morgan announced her resignation in April 2020 due to differences with the management. Sabine Bendiek was responsible for a cloud growth of 50 percent in 2020 at Microsoft Germany. She also led the company’s move to the cloud, which contributed significantly to Microsoft’s strong position in Germany and the company’s overall transformation.

==> infotechlead.com; 03.09.2020

Microsoft Shares Drop as Azure Cloud-Services Sales Slow;

Microsoft Corp. reported slowing growth in its Azure cloud-computing business, failing to match lofty investor predictions for a continued boom in demand for internet-based services during the coronavirus outbreak. Azure revenue rose 47% in the quarter ended June 30, missing analysts’ predictions for a 49% gain and notably lower than the 59% jump of the prior quarter.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 22.07.2020

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn cuts 960 jobs as coronavirus slows hiring;

Microsoft’s professional networking site LinkedIn will cut about 960 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce, as the coronavirus pandemic is having a sustained impact on demand for its recruitment products. Jobs will be cut across sales and hiring divisions of the group globally. Chief Executive Ryan Roslansky said the company would provide at least 10 weeks of severance pay as well as health insurance for a year for U.S. employees, and will hire for newly created roles from laid-off staff.

==> www.cnbc.com; 22.07.2020

Slack Accuses Microsoft of Illegally Crushing Competition;

Slack Technologies, whose popular chat and collaboration software has become embedded in the daily routines of millions of workers at thousands of companies, is hoping to change that. Slack claims that Microsoft has illegally tied its collaboration software, Microsoft Teams, to its dominant suite of productivity programs, Microsoft Office, which includes Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. That bundling tactic, Slack contends, is part of a pattern of anticompetitive behavior by Microsoft.

==> www.nytimes.com; 20.07.2020

Microsoft announces to permanently shut all its 83 retail stores;

Microsoft has announced to permanently close its 83 retail stores and will now focus on its online store and retail team members will continue to serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support. Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows, reaching more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets.

==> www.crn.in; 28.06.2020

Microsoft hit by Office 365 login issues in A/NZ;

Microsoft has confirmed login issues with Office 365 for users in Australia and New Zealand, with thousands reporting problems. Users of the online productivity suite and Microsoft's hosted Dynamics customer relationship management (CRM) logged several thousand instances of issues via DownDetector and Twitter on Monday morning.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 15.06.2020

Microsoft Azure AD outage causes authentication issues for customers;

An Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) outage that lasted for about 2 hours and 40 minutes in the morning caused authentication issues for several customers in the Australia and New Zealand region.

==> mspoweruser.com; 15.06.2020

Microsoft Issues Windows 10 Update Warning;

Microsoft has made a massive new Windows 10 upgrade available to users around the world. Unfortunately, the company has also confirmed it is full of problems. In its official release information for Windows 10 v2004 (also known as the ‘May 2020 Update’), Microsoft has listed 10 significant “Known Issues” which are currently active. These include problems with Bluetooth, audio, gaming, connectivity, graphics card drivers and system stability. 

==> www.forbes.com; 30.05.2020

Microsoft is cutting dozens of MSN news production workers and replacing them with artificial intelligence;

Microsoft won’t renew the contracts for dozens of news production contractors working at MSN and plans to use artificial intelligence to replace them, several people close to the situation confirmed on Friday. The roughly 50 employees — contracted through staffing agencies Aquent, IFG and MAQ Consulting — were notified Wednesday that their services would no longer be needed beyond June 30.

==> www.seattletimes.com; 29.05.2020

Microsoft Azure suffers lengthy Indian cloud outage;

Microsoft's Central India Azure region was hit by an overnight outage, disrupting services across the country. Lasting from around 12:41 UTC on 18 May 2020 to 08:30 UTC on 19 May 2020, the incident was blamed on a grid failure, and subsequent issues with air handling units. "A power issue with the regional utility power provider caused a Central India data center to transfer to generator power," Microsoft said on its status page. 

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 19.05.2020

Zoom Hires Oracle, Not Amazon or Microsoft, For Cloud Deal;

Zoom Video Communications has chosen Oracle's Cloud Infrastructure to support its core video product, although it will continue working with Amazon and Microsoft on some cloud projects as well. In a press release, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said that the company had explored multiple platforms before choosing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. "We chose Oracle Cloud Infrastructure because of its industry-leading security, outstanding performance, and unmatched level of support."  

==> www.fool.com; 28.04.2020

Microsoft: Pandemic Traffic Caused Azure Outage;

Microsoft last week confirmed that a March outage affecting Azure cloud services in Europe and the United Kingdom was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Cloud computing platforms and services have become instrumental in the face of a huge surge in remote work and stay-at-home directives that result in people connecting with services such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and so on. 

==> virtualizationreview.com; 13.04.2020

Microsoft’s Skype struggles have created a Zoom moment;

The coronavirus pandemic had swept across the world in 2011, everyone would have been using Skype to connect over video and voice calls. Instead, rivals like Zoom and Houseparty are having a moment of huge growth in 2020 thanks to consumers looking for Skype alternatives. In recent weeks we’ve seen people across the world sheltering at home and holding virtual yoga classes, beers with friends, and even school classes all over Zoom.

==> www.theverge.com; 31.03.2020

Microsoft Confirms New Windows 10 Update Crashes, Boot Failures;

Microsoft recently made Windows 10 users a big promise to improve the user experience. But today it has issued new warnings about known problems in the updates it has pushed to millions of users. The biggest concern is the Windows 10 March 2020 update. On its support page, Microsoft states that every version of Windows 10 and Windows Server can be impacted by a bug which can slow or stops software and apps from accessing the Internet. 

==> www.forbes.com; 28.03.2020

Microsoft Scales Back Office 365 Features to Handle High Loads;

Microsoft is currently scaling down select non-essential Office 365 capabilities in response to the incoming growth in demand and the influx of new Microsoft 365 users caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic."To best support our Microsoft 365 customers worldwide and accommodate new growth and demand during these unprecedented times, we're making temporary adjustments to select non-essential capabilities," the messages read.

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 18.03.2020

Microsoft Teams outage affecting users in Europe;

Microsoft Teams has been down for a number of users, primarily in Europe, for several hours this morning, March 16. Microsoft officials posted that they'd mitigated the issue, only to re-open it again after continued user reports of problems. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 16.03.2020

Microsoft cloud outages extends to Office 365, with some services inaccessible;

The issue appears to be due to problems with Microsoft’s West Central US Azure region and the report states Exchange Online, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, Intune, Power BI, and potentially other services are affected. Microsoft is currently investigating, and we will let our readers know of the situation improves.

==> mspoweruser.com; 15.03.2020

Bill Gates leaves Microsoft’s board;

Bill Gates has stepped down from the board of Microsoft to spend more time on his philanthropic endeavors, the company announced Friday afternoon. Though he will remain technology advisor to CEO Satya Nadella, this move reduces his involvement with the company to the lowest level it has ever been.

==> techcrunch.com; 13.03.2020

Pentagon ‘wishes to reconsider’ awarding JEDI contract to Microsoft;

The US Department of Defense said Thursday it wants to reconsider its decision to award a multi-billion-dollar military cloud computing contract to Microsoft in a bidding process Amazon claims was tainted by politics. A judge last month issued an order at Amazon’s request temporarily blocking the US military from starting work on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, or JEDI.

==> www.rawstory.com; 13.03.2020

Coronavirus conference cancellations continue: Google and Microsoft axe WSL and Cloud Next;

Microsoft axed its WSL Conference, which was set to take place next week in Washington, earlier today. "We will be converting our existing live streaming setup into a fully remote, interactive experience," the organisers said in a statement posted on Twitter.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 03.03.2020

Microsoft Issues Financial Warning Because of Coronavirus;

The tech giant said the virus was causing issues with its supply chain, about a week after Apple said it was facing similar problems. While its fast-growing cloud computing business is not affected, the company said its personal computing business, which includes Windows installations and its Surface laptops and tablets, would record lower sales than it told investors to expect last month.

==> www.nytimes.com; 27.02.2020

Windows search went down for hours because of a Microsoft services outage;

Microsoft’s built-in Windows search went down for many users for more than three hours today. Windows search is built into Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system, and it started presenting blank search results for apps or any other search queries. Microsoft confirmed it was investigating access and latency issues “with multiple Microsoft 365 services.” Microsoft blames a “third-party networking fiber provider” for experiencing a network disruption resulting in multiple Microsoft 365 services issues.

==> www.theverge.com; 05.02.2020

Microsoft Teams goes down after Microsoft forgot to renew a certificate ;

Microsoft Teams went down this morning for nearly three hours after Microsoft forgot to renew a critical security certificate. Users of Microsoft’s Slack competitor were met with error messages attempting to sign into the service on Monday morning, with the app noting it had failed to establish an HTTPS connection to Microsoft’s servers.

==> www.theverge.com; 03.02.2020

Opposition grows to Microsoft's make-Chrome-use-Bing plan for Office 365 customers;

Resistance has mounted over the last several days to Microsoft's decision to change the default search engine of Google's Chrome to Bing on personal computers running Office 365 ProPlus. Customers rail against Microsoft's 'overreach,' calling it 'browser hijacking,' 'adware' and 'malware.'
 

==> www.computerworld.com; 28.01.2020

Microsoft Leaks 250M Customer Details in Azure Fat-Finger Faux Pas ;

A Microsoft customer support database has been discovered by researchers, open to the public internet. No encryption, no passwords, no nothin. Some of the data were redacted. But it turns out, the redaction process was buggy, too.

==> securityboulevard.com; 23.01.2020

Google Cloud Intensifies Battles Against Microsoft, Amazon with 4 Key Moves;

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian is buying and building new firepower to snatch customers, prospects and market share from Microsoft and Amazon in the viciously competitive enterprise-cloud marketplace. While each of these moves is significant, the true impact is how they cumulatively reveal Google Cloud’s true intention of becoming not just a better version of itself but ultimately the world’s pre-eminent enterprise-cloud player.

==> cloudwars.co; 21.01.2020

Office 365 hackers use malicious app to gain access to user accounts ;

The attack path starts with a traditional phishing message impersonating an internal SharePoint and OneDrive file-share designed to trick users into clicking on a link, but then it gets interesting. Users are taken to a legitimate Office 365 login page if they’re not already logged in.

==> siliconangle.com; 09.01.2020

Lawsuit claims Apple, Microsoft have profited from child miners ;

 A new lawsuit accuses several of the world’s largest technology firms of knowingly profiting from children laboring under brutal conditions in African cobalt mines. The suit, filed this week in Washington by the nongovernmental organization International Rights Advocates, seeks damages from Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Tesla and Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

==> nypost.com; 18.12.2019

A bug in Microsoft’s login system put users at risk of account hijacks;

The bug allowed attackers to quietly steal account tokens, which websites and apps use to grant users access to their accounts without requiring them to constantly re-enter their passwords. These tokens are created by an app or a website in place of a username and password after a user logs in. That keeps the user persistently logged into the site, but also allows users to access third-party apps and websites without having to directly hand over their passwords.

==> techcrunch.com; 02.12.2019

Microsoft's Windows 10 November Update is borking File Explorer;

The company released the November 2019 Update to Windows 10 earlier this month and lo and behold, there's a problem. Windows updates have become a running joke since before the legendary Build 1809 debacle which saw the company actively roll back the update. This time, the problem is reasonably fundamental - File Explorer searches are broken in the 1909 build.

==> www.theinquirer.net; 26.11.2019

Amazon Web Services brags about snagging a key customer from Microsoft;

Amazon Web Services announced on Monday that it had nabbed the Seattle Seahawks as a customer, largely thanks to the fact that the National Football League (NFL) itself is a big AWS user. This is a big score for Amazon because the Seahawks have deep ties to Microsoft: The Seahawks are famously owned by the estate of Paul Allen, the late cofounder of Microsoft.

==> www.businessinsider.de; 25.11.2019

Microsoft winds down its bigger plans for Cortana with mobile app shutdown;

At Microsoft’s Ignite conference this month, the company announced a new vision for its personal productivity assistant, Cortana — one which aimed to make it more useful in your day-to-day work, including email, but one which also saw Microsoft scaling its ambitions back from Cortana as a true Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant competitor. Now, the other shoe has dropped, as Microsoft says it’s planning to shut down its standalone Cortana mobile apps across a number of markets.

==> techcrunch.com; 18.11.2019

Microsoft to probe work of Israeli facial recognition startup it funded;

Microsoft Corp has hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate whether the use of facial recognition technology developed by an Israeli startup it funded complies with its ethics principles, the company said on Friday. 

==> www.reuters.com; 16.11.2019

Microsoft Azure customers reporting hitting virtual machine limits in U.S. East regions;

Starting a couple of weeks ago, some Azure customers began reporting they were hitting virtual machine (VM) limits in Microsoft's cloud in the U.S. East regions. Users say Microsoft doesn't have enough of the server types needed to spin up certain types of VMs, especially in East US2. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 31.10.2019

Amazon prepares to strike back after Microsoft wins $10B JEDI contract;

Microsoft‘s been awarded the controversial Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract, a $10 billion planned project to create and maintain an AI-powered, cloud-based weapons platform for the Pentagon.

==> thenextweb.com; 28.10.2019

Strategy

Salesforce Has Already Won Thousands of Agentforce Deals, Claims CEO;

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff highlighted Agentforce's rapid success, stating it has secured thousands of deals in Q4 and significantly reduced Salesforce's own case volume. Agentforce allows businesses to deploy AI-powered agents for automating enterprise workflows, with companies like AAA and Wiley already reporting efficiency gains and high ROI. Salesforce has quickly expanded the platform with Agentforce 2.0, introducing enhanced management tools, a reasoning engine for improved decision-making, and industry-specific AI solutions like Agentforce for Retail.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 27.01.2025

Salesforce to launch Agentforce 2.0 to change digital labor for enterprise ;

Salesforce is launching Agentforce 2.0, an upgraded AI platform that allows businesses to build more versatile and customizable generative AI agents. The new version introduces the ability to combine multiple skill templates, enabling agents to handle tasks across departments, such as integrating customer service and marketing workflows. Enhanced tools, including a testing center and the Atlas reasoning engine, aim to improve agent accuracy and streamline deployment.

==> siliconangle.com; 16.12.2024

Salesforce Partner Survey: Most Metrics Regain Some Ground as Agentforce Captivates Customers, Highlights the Art of the Possible in AI;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q3 (October ended) survey (n=24) results are: 

  1. Partners Finish 1.0% Below Plan, improving from the previous quarter’s -3.2% result. The metric continues to trend below the LT average of +2.2%, though marks the best result in a year and a half, as partners cite some lingering trends in the macro backdrop, including budget scrutiny. 
  2. Practice Growth Rate Improves; Runway for 10%+ Growth Extends. Expectations for CY24 practice growth rates improve from the previous quarter’s 6.4% to the current quarter’s 7.9%. Salesforce itself tends to grow a couple/few points faster than partner practices, with the recent price increase likely additive to growth. Partner expectations for Salesforce’s long-term 10%+ growth runway extend to 3.5 years vs. 2.9 years in the prior quarter. 
  3. Pace of Business & Bookings Expectations Uptick, Though Macro Remains Variable. Net pace of business scoring improves to roughly flat this quarter relative to -23% in the prior quarter and net bookings expectations improve from -41% to -13% this quarter, though the latter metric can be quite noisy. While we are pleased to see the sequential improvement in both metrics, we note that both remain below long-term historical averages, with partners relaying ongoing spending scrutiny in the backdrop, including a “shift toward budget-conscious spending” and that “purchasing behavior has paused” in some cases. Tone of business by segment improves meaningfully in both Enterprise and Midsized Business segments, seeming to break out of a multi-quarter slide in this metric. 
  4. Agentforce Leads Product Momentum Scoring Higher, Tying for Highest-Ever Rating in Survey History. Agentforce debuts with a 4.0 momentum score, soaring above 521 discrete product ratings across the history of our survey, matching the highest all-time score. This sends a loud message alongside sequential improvements in Data Cloud, Service GPT, and Sales GPT, as resonating interest in Salesforce’s GenAI roadmap develops. Net technology vision and momentum scoring improves to +25% this quarter vs. -9% in the prior quarter, the largest sequential uptick to date in our survey. 
  5. Agentforce Feedback Convincing, Commands Attention: Likely a Solid Product Cycle for FY26/FY27. 8% of partners indicate already having closed Agentforce deals, a remarkable development in the product’s first few weeks since launch, while another 21% see a likelihood of near-term Agentforce deal activity. 44% of partners indicate a positive impression on the product’s ability to catalyze incremental customer activity and subscription sales for Salesforce over the next several years, versus only 9% with a skeptical view. Qualitative partner feedback leans overwhelmingly positive, describing Agentforce as a “pivotal step forward”, “marking the beginning of a ‘Salesforce 2.0’” where “autonomous AI and intelligent automation become core components of the CRM ecosystem”, and it being a “game changer for Salesforce”; those with more measured views indicate that it remains in early days with somewhat limited partner enablement to date and that the “current per-conversation pricing model may limit adoption”
     
==> jpmorgan.com; 28.11.2024

Salesforce acquires Israeli startup for $1.9b.;

Salesforce has completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of Own, an Israeli data backup and management startup, marking one of the largest Israeli tech acquisitions of 2024. This deal is Salesforce’s largest since acquiring Slack in 2021 and follows its acquisition of Israeli company Zoomin earlier this year. Own, founded in 2015 and serving 7,000 customers globally, will now integrate its operations with Salesforce.

==> www.israel21c.org; 20.11.2024

Salesforce Set to Hire 1,000+ Employees to Keep up with Agentforce Demand;

Salesforce plans to hire over 1,000 workers to support its new Agentforce platform, a generative AI-powered tool for creating and deploying AI agents to enhance workflows. The platform, launched in late October, has garnered positive customer feedback and significant promotion, including global tour events and CEO Marc Benioff’s vocal criticisms of competitors like Microsoft. This recruitment drive aligns with Salesforce’s broader growth efforts following layoffs earlier in 2023 and has contributed to an 18% rise in its share price over the past month.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 12.11.2024

Salesforce buys Israeli startup Zoomin to feed more data to its AI agents ;

Salesforce has acquired Israel-based Zoomin Software for about $450 million, following its $1.9 billion purchase of Own Co. Zoomin specializes in processing unstructured data, helping companies like Dell and Mastercard organize vast amounts of technical content, which can be integrated into AI systems for more accurate responses. Salesforce plans to incorporate Zoomin's technology into its Agentforce platform, enhancing its AI agents' ability to process unstructured data and improving customer service automation, sales forecasts, and marketing strategies.

==> siliconangle.com; 24.09.2024

Salesforce signs agreement to acquire Own ;

Salesforce has agreed to acquire Own, a data protection and management company, for $1.9 billion to enhance its data security offerings. This follows Salesforce's August 2024 acquisition of Predictspring and aims to bolster its end-to-end solutions for safeguarding customer data and ensuring compliance. The deal is expected to close in Q4 of Salesforce's fiscal year 2025, with no anticipated impact on its capital return program or financial guidance.

==> thepaypers.com; 09.09.2024

Salesforce acquires data management firm Own for $1.9B in cash;

Salesforce has acquired Own, a data management and protection solutions provider, for $1.9 billion in cash, marking its largest acquisition since Slack in 2021. The deal highlights Salesforce's focus on enhancing data security, with Own offering tools for data backup, disaster recovery, and compliance, serving around 7,000 customers. This acquisition could signal Salesforce's renewed interest in larger deals after a pause on mergers and acquisitions, with the transaction expected to close in fiscal Q4 2025.

==> ; 05.09.2024

Salesforce Partner Survey: Most Metrics Degrade on Uneven Macro; High Single Digit Growth Still in Reach with Favorable FCF/Sh Trajectory;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q2 (July ended) survey (n=22) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 3.2% Below Plan, degrading from the previous quarter’s -1.7% result. The metric continues to trend below the LT average of +2.3% as partners cite an uneven macroeconomic backdrop, elections, and summer doldrums.
  2. Practice Growth Rate Fluctuates Modestly; Runway for 10%+ Growth Degrades. Expectations for CY24 practice growth rates contract modestly from the previous quarter’s 8.1% to the current quarter’s 6.4%, about inline with the LTM rolling average of ~6-7%. The 6.4% indication is 2.2% better than the 4.2% reading this time last year, and Salesforce tends to grow a couple/few points faster than partner practices, with the price increase adding incremental support. Partner expectations for Salesforce’s long-term 10%+ growth runway declined from 3.6 years in the previous quarter to 2.9 years, a mild downtick from 3.0 years indicated one year ago.
  3. Bookings Expectations & Net Pace of Business Degrade But Remain Above Trough Levels. Net bookings expectations degrade from -19% in the previous quarter to -41%, though still above the nearly -70% levels seen during Q4 FY23. As a reminder, the bookings metric can be quite noisy, and we note that Salesforce faces a tougher Q3 cRPO comp due to a large deal in the prior year which contributed 1-2 extra points to cRPO. Net pace of business declines as well, falling from -11% in the previous quarter to - 23%, though similarly remains above trough levels of -35% seen in Q3 FY23.
  4. GenAI Products & Data Cloud See Momentum Across Quantitative & Qualitative Feedback. On the positive side of the ledger, the average product momentum score holds stable this quarter, and the ratings for the top 3 products – Einstein (AI), Service GPT, and Data Cloud – improve sequentially in aggregate. It is worth noting that each of the top 3 products are related to key strategic vectors of AI and data, showing Salesforce’s alignment to emerging priorities. Data Cloud in particular is seeing strong momentum and positive qualitative feedback such as “a strong shift to focus on Data Cloud” and “interest is definitely growing around Data Cloud, so we expect Q3-Q4 to be great”.
  5. Salesforce Price Increase Being Accepted as Customers Adopt More Products as Part of Negotiations. We asked partners how customers have been responding to the 9% price increase which became effective in August 2023. While the response to any price increase will always be mixed as it can introduce some challenges, Salesforce has shown a willingness to negotiate and provide added value through various means, including relief measures such as additional volume discounts, providing extra seats, upgrading to higher-tier editions, bundling complementary tools like MuleSoft and Tableau, and offering customized solutions. Net/net, we believe customers have largely accepted the price increase while negotiating for access to more Salesforce products as an offset.

(Please contact MI for more details on the survey)

==> jpmorgan.com; 27.08.2024

Jefferies: Survey Says Demand Environment Remains Sluggish; All Eyes Remain On Margins;

Demand Environment and Partner Feedback

  • Sluggish Demand: Survey and partner checks indicate a sluggish demand environment, with growth below historical rates.
  • Q2 Survey Results:
    • Positive Indicators: Slight improvement in Einstein adoption, better platform performance, and improved growth expectations for 2024.
    • Negative Indicators: Continued sluggishness, increased promotional activity, deal pushouts, and declining pipelines.
  • Partner Sentiment:
    • Mixed demand environment with some expecting better performance in 2H 2024.
    • AI and Data Cloud adoption are still in early stages with limited current demand.

Key Takeaways from Partner Calls

  1. Mixed Demand Environment: Varying expectations among partners, with some seeing flat or slow growth.
  2. AI Adoption: Early stages, expected to impact more in 2025.
  3. Data Cloud: Limited demand and aggressive discounting to drive adoption.
  4. Steady Install Base: Net new deals are slow to close, but no significant customer losses.
  5. MuleSoft Demand: Strong demand, followed by Revenue Cloud, while Commerce Cloud and Slack remain weak.
  6. Improved Partner Management: Better engagement with the partner ecosystem.

(Please contact MI for more details on the survey)

==> jefferies.com; 20.08.2024

Salesforce launches public sector division in India; unveils digital lending solution;

Salesforce has launched a public sector division in India to capitalize on the growing market and introduced a digital lending solution tailored specifically for Indian banks and lenders. The company aims to support government agencies and financial institutions in enhancing citizen and customer experiences through advanced Salesforce technology. This expansion is part of Salesforce's broader strategy to scale up operations and innovation in India, responding to the country's rapid digital transformation and increasing adoption of cloud and AI technologies.

==> telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com; 19.06.2024

Salesforce Targets UK Market – Announces AI Center & Data Cloud on Hyperforce;

Salesforce announced the opening of its first AI Center in London's Blue Fin building and the launch of Data Cloud on Hyperforce for UK customers, underscoring its commitment to the UK AI market. The AI Center will serve as a collaborative hub for industry experts, partners, and customers, providing upskilling and training opportunities, while Data Cloud on Hyperforce will offer UK companies enhanced data storage, security, and AI capabilities. Salesforce aims to drive growth and innovation in the UK AI sector, contributing to significant job creation and economic impact.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 07.06.2024

Salesforce Secures Digital Transformation Services From NTT DATA ;

 NTT DATA, a digital business and IT services leader, has been selected by Salesforce, the #1 AI CRM, to help standardize and streamline the company’s application environment. NTT DATA will support the management and development of applications across Salesforce’s organization, including its internal instance of Salesforce. The applications span Salesforce Sales, Marketing, Service, Experience, and Commerce Clouds, MuleSoft, Heroku, Slack, and hundreds of third-party and custom apps.

==> ventureburn.com; 17.05.2024

Salesforce abandons pursuit of Informatica, source says;

Salesforce has backed away from its talks to acquire data-management software firm Informatica after the two companies could not agree on terms, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday. The talks between the two companies were at an advanced stage earlier in April, Reuters reported. If the two sides had agreed on a deal, it would've ranked as one of Salesforce's biggest acquisitions.

==> www.reuters.com; 22.04.2024

Salesforce May Acquire Informatica For More Than $11B: Reports;

Salesforce is reportedly considering purchasing Informatica, a cloud data management firm, a move that would significantly enhance its competitive edge in data management and generative AI capabilities. This acquisition, potentially worth over $11 billion, aligns with Salesforce's strategy to bolster its Data Cloud service and better compete with major tech firms like Microsoft and Snowflake. Analysts are cautiously optimistic, noting the strategic fit but also highlighting challenges such as integrating Informatica's substantial on-premises annual recurring revenue into Salesforce's cloud-centric model.

==> www.crn.com; 15.04.2024

Salesforce predicts lower growth as CEO focuses on AI’s problems;

Salesforce reported significant profits and revenue growth in Q4 2023, largely driven by the success of its data cloud segment, with around a quarter of deals exceeding $1 million involving data cloud. Despite President and COO Brian Millham's indication of increased demand for AI transformation readiness, CEO Marc Benioff expressed concerns about AI's problems during the earnings call, emphasizing the risks of AI and its potential fiscal dangers, despite the recent announcement of Einstein Copilot, an AI-powered chatbot assistant. As a result, Salesforce expects only single-digit revenue growth for the fiscal year 2025, with AI not expected to significantly impact earnings in the near term.

 

==> martech.org; 29.02.2024

4Q Preview: Survey Shows Steady 4Q Execution and Modestly Improving Macro;

CRM reports 4Q on 2/28. Our partner survey showed consistent execution vs. 3Q, and the initial outlook for the out-year was slightly better than last year. We think CRM should benefit from strong enterprise spending conditions in 4Q, though we continue to hear of more  mixed trends in the mid-market, largely due to more competitive conditions. In terms of survey feedback on products, Service Cloud holds the #1 rank for potential growth acceleration over next 6-12 months. Marketing Cloud & Integration Cloud tied for the #2 spot, both upticking from #6 last qtr, which we think signals higher demand for multi-cloud bundling. Sales Cloud & Data Cloud tied for the #4 spot, both showing a stepdown in rank Q/Q. Demand trends down-ticked for Tableau & and up-ticked for MuleSoft, noting a strong Mulesoft qtr would help drive greater rev upside. Interest in Sales/Service GPT add-ons saw a small up-tick but remains low.

==> www.cowen.com; 16.02.2024

CRM Partner Checks Indicate Solid Finish to F24;

CRM partners highlighted an improvement in demand in 4Q driven by multi cloud adoption, public sector strength, and rebounding tech vertical spend. Partners expect demand to accel in '24 with AI helping in 2H24. Data Cloud and AI still remain in early days with limited monetization. Customers view CRM as a consolidator of front office spend, but remain mixed on Data Cloud. We hosted two CRM customers who cited they adopted CRM to consolidate their front office apps spend. They have adopted other parts of the portfolio beyond Sales Cloud like Tableau, Einstein, MuleSoft, and Marketing Cloud. 

==> www.jefferies.com; 13.02.2024

Salesforce hones its GSI partnering strategy for AI ;

Salesforce aims to boost its AI growth by focusing on its Global System Integrators (GSIs), particularly the top 20 partners. The company is establishing an AI Hub and supporting teams for sales and product enablement to create embedded partnerships with key GSIs like Accenture, Capgemini, Deloitte, IBM, and PwC. While Salesforce emphasizes collaboration with GSIs, it assures continued support for regional and specialist partners, with plans to enhance programs and reduce friction for mid-market partners, demonstrating a commitment to developing AI capabilities with partners of all sizes.

==> www.digitalcommerce360.com; 12.01.2024

Industry Contact Reveals “Consistent and Genuine􀋙 AI Interest Driving UE+ Adoption; Consumption Model a Hurdle;

We are presenting our recent conversation with a Salesforce ecosystem contact to provide a front-line view of the trends that we expect to drive fundamentals for Salesforce over the next 12-18 months. This contact is specifically focused on the transportation and logistics (T&L) industry, but also relays some broader cross-industry trends. Key Takeaways:

  1. T&L Demand Environment Troughed in July / August; Customers Across Industries Seeing Stability Over Recent Past, but Recession Remains an Overhang. Many Transportation and Logistics (T&L) operators feel they have been in their own recession for a while, citing weak housing starts, sluggish auto sales, labor market challenges, and a high-interest rate environment as contributing factors. While the T&L industry seems to have stabilized since July/August, the fear of a recession lingers in people's minds, leading to cautious buying behavior and a lack of conviction about the future direction of the economy.
  2. Efficiencies & Cost Savings Driving Software Investments. Cost savings continue to drive software investments for Transportation and Logistics (T&L) customers, with the initial shock of slower growth leading to a temporary halt in software spending. T&L customers, anticipating a tougher macro environment, laid off employees and turned to software to enhance productivity in existing staff, emphasizing efficiency gains over rehiring.
  3. Contact Sees Reasonable Case for Salesforce Growth Beyond 10%; Long-term Path to Double-Digit Teens Growth Does Rely on Data Cloud and GenAI Products Gaining Traction. The contact is positive about Salesforce's potential to grow more than 10%, suggesting the company could achieve low-teens or even mid-teens growth, given its current 10% growth in an imperfect software demand environment. However, the contact emphasizes that for sustained strong growth over the long term, Salesforce needs its bets, such as Data Cloud and GenAI products, to prove their ROI at scale, with the CRM giant being considered the standard for most large enterprises.
  4. Consistent and Genuine GenAI Interest from Customers Driving Opportunity for Salesforce Data Cloud and GenAI Solutions. The contact notes consistent and genuine interest from customers in GenAI solutions, emphasizing that it is not a passing trend, with well-attended and engaging GenAI-focused customer events. While some customers aim for perfect data, the contact suggests that transitioning from poor data hygiene to good enough is driving investments into Salesforce's Data Cloud solution, and estimates that material numbers of customers may start deploying GenAI at scale around mid-2024.
  5. GenAI Cost Savings Characterized as a “No-brainer˙. The motivation for GenAI investments in the Transportation and Logistics (T&L) industry is driven by customers' focus on "hard ROI," with a clear emphasis on quantifiable dollar savings and visible financial benefits. The primary driver of cost savings in the T&L sector is identified as headcount savings, particularly in functions like contact centers, where GenAI tools can significantly optimize processes, such as summarizing key notes for agents and reducing operational time.
     
==> jpmorgan.com; 09.01.2024

Salesforce soars 8% as cost cutting shows its ‘brand new religion’ to increase profits;

Salesforce saw an over 8% surge in extended trading after exceeding analysts' profit forecasts for the current quarter, driven by CEO Marc Benioff's aggressive cost-cutting efforts, including an 11% reduction in the workforce. The company aims to increase profit margins by focusing on self-service software purchasing, recently expanding its products on Amazon Web Services. Salesforce's Q3 revenue reached $8.72 billion, meeting estimates, with a profit of $2.11 per share and an adjusted operating margin of 31%.

==> fortune.com; 30.11.2023

Salesforce announces the appointment of Denise Dresser as the new CEO of Slack;

Salesforce Inc. named Denise Dresser as the new chief executive officer of Slack, promoting a longtime internal executive as the third leader for the workplace communications unit in the past year. Dresser takes the helm at Slack after the previous CEO, Lidiane Jones, announced earlier this month she was leaving to take up the position at dating app Bumble Inc. Most recently, Dresser served as president of accelerated industries at Salesforce and previously was an executive vice president for enterprise sales.

==> hrme.economictimes.indiatimes.com; 16.11.2023

Salesforce to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents;

Salesforce has announced plans to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform that helps e-commerce companies build AI-powered customer service agents. In its original guise, Airkit was a self-serve customer engagement platform that allowed businesses to integrate data silos and help with use cases such as onboarding new users. But last month, the company relaunched as Airkit.ai and launched its first out-of-the-box integrated product, a GPT-4-based platform that allows companies such as OpenTable and ShipBob to build specialized customer service chatbots that can deal with queries around order status, refunds, product information and more.

==> techcrunch.com; 21.09.2023

Salesforce to hire 3,300 people after layoffs earlier this year, Bloomberg reports;

Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) is hiring 3,300 people across various departments after cutting 10% jobs in January this year, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing CEO Marc Benioff. "Our job is to grow the company and to continue to achieve great margins," Benioff told Bloomberg in an interview. "We know we have to hire thousands of people." The new hires will be split among sales, engineering and those working on Saleforce's data cloud product, Chief Operating Officer Brian Millham told Bloomberg.

==> www.reuters.com; 15.09.2023

RBC: Takeaways from Dreamforce: Demand Trends, Thoughts on AI, and More;

In general, demand trends appear stable. The selling environment remains tough, with most partners citing good pipeline, but more friction around conversion as IT budget scrutiny continues. Projects continue to be broken up into smaller chunks or are on hold until budget clearance (most partners noted customers point to Q4 and the next renewal date). This commentary matches what we have heard in our previous Salesforce partner conversations (and across most of software). Partners were encouraged by how far Data Cloud has come (formerly known as Genie and also Salesforce CDP) and described the value proposition as enabling citizen developers (i.e., sophisticated Salesforce admins) to configure a domain-specific data lakehouse. Partners believe the alternative would be having several technical developers unfamiliar with the Salesforce ecosystem build an in-house solution, which would likely be time-consuming, resource-intensive, and hard to maintain. 

==> www.rbcinsightresearch.com; 15.09.2023

Salesforce lifts annual forecast as business software demand stays strong;

Salesforce raised its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday and projected quarterly sales above estimates as it benefits from a recent price hike and resilient demand for its cloud and business software offerings in an uncertain economy. The results fan optimism about a recovery in technology spending in the second half of 2023 after earnings from major cloud players including Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Alphabet-owned Google suggested that the slowdown was nearing an end.

==> www.reuters.com; 31.08.2023

Salesforce shares pop on earnings beat and optimistic forecast;

Salesforce’s revenue in the fiscal second quarter increased 11% from a year earlier, according to a statement. Net income rose to $1.27 billion, or $1.28 per share, from $68 million, or 7 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. An uncertain economy continues to pressure Salesforce’s growth, finance chief Amy Weaver said on a conference call with analysts. The company encountered softness in the U.S. during the quarter, and in several industries like technology, retail and consumer goods, she said.

==> www.cnbc.com; 30.08.2023

Hugging Face gets a $235M group hug led by Salesforce;

A day after Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff jumped the gun with a post on X saying the company’s venture arm was “thrilled to lead” a new round of financing, Hugging Face has officially announced a $235 million equivalent of a group hug — the other participants in the round are Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, IBM and Sound Ventures — that will bring the AI startup’s valuation up to a frothy $4 billion. 

==> venturebeat.com; 24.08.2023

Salesforce Leads Financing of AI Startup at More Than $4 Billion Valuation;

Salesforce is leading a financing round in Hugging Face, one of the most highly valued startups helping businesses use artificial intelligence, at a valuation north of $4 billion, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The roughly $200 million funding round more than doubles the share price and private valuation of the New York–based company, one of these people said.

==> www.theinformation.com; 22.08.2023

Why is Salesforce hiking prices, and how does it affect customers?;

Salesforce’s decision to raise the price of its software products starting in August can be attributed to a combination of factors, including inflation and pressure to fuel revenue after a pause in price hikes during the pandemic period — issues that are affecting other major technology suppliers, analysts said. Investor pressure to drive more revenue from products is a major reason for the price hikes, according to said Liz Herbert, principal analyst at Forrester. The change in pricing strategy will impact Salesforce’s many enterprise customers almost immediately, and may force relatively smaller enterprises to look at other options, such as Zoho or Oracle, according to Shimmin.

==> www.cio.com; 13.07.2023

Salesforce to invest $4 billion in UK on AI innovation;

 Salesforce (CRM.N) will invest $4 billion in its UK business in the next five years, the U.S. software company said on Thursday, thanks to strong demand for digital transformations and artificial intelligence. The company said the plan builds on a previous five-year injection of $2.5 billion it set out in 2018.

==> www.reuters.com; 29.06.2023

Connections 2023: GenAI Steals Spotlight, but Data Cloud May Be the Opportunity;

We attended CRM’s Connections 2023 event in Chicago from June 7-8 and came away slightly more positive on the company’s position and ability to execute beyond near-term macro-driven demand headwinds. We received mixed feedback from partners on recent deal dynamics, with some partners noting a slowdown in finserv digital transformation projects over the past several months while another partner shared that business was picking up a bit recently.

Partner Feedback

1. Deal Environment

  • Customers are skittish but optimistic; budgets are still on hold but there’s a lot of interest to utilize it; budgets may be released in 2H and we may see a reacceleration of spend in 2024.
  • One partner noted that business has picked up a bit recently though deal cycles are still elongated (6-10 months); customers are having to justify spend more and asking consulting partners for a lot of data to present back to leadership on ROI.

2. Data Cloud (CDP)

  • – Sales and Service Clouds give CRM a moat for cross-selling Marketing and Data clouds via personalization push.
  • – Data regulatory compliance is a big factor driving adoption of CRM’s CDP over ADBE/SHOP as many customer are existing Sales/Service Cloud users.
  • – Companies are frustrated about advertising attribution/ROAS, which is driving purchases of Personalization and Intelligence products within Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud suite (in addition to Engagement product) to better capture consumer journeys.

3. GenAI

  • Unanimous agreement among partners that customers are excited about genAI.
  • Uncertain how GPTs will be monetized, but some hypothesized that it could be an additional SKU/line item within enterprise licenses.
  • One partner said that he doesn’t believe GPT will significantly affect monetization as customers will have their own open AI models, but that it could help expand the number of seats engaging with CRM.
==> www.citivelocity.com; 12.06.2023

Salesforce unveils AI Cloud offering, doubles fund for AI startups to $500 million;

Salesforce (CRM.N) on Monday doubled its venture capital fund for generative AI startups to $500 million and unveiled the AI Cloud service that hopes to attract enterprises by offering the company's AI-powered products under one umbrella.The move underscores the race among technology companies to incorporate their tools with generative AI, which can create new text, imagery and other content based on inputs from past data. Salesforce said it plans to ensure data privacy for businesses using such offerings by helping prevent the LLMs from retaining sensitive customer information.

==> www.reuters.com; 12.06.2023

Salesforce CEO Benioff shakes up executive team with new hires;

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has made a number of changes to the company’s management team, six months after the company’s co-CEO Bret Taylor announced he was leaving the organization. The roles of chief revenue officer, chief marketing officer, chief operating officer, and chief of staff are among the jobs that are undergoing a personnel or responsibility change, all of which have been confirmed by Benioff on Twitter. The shakeup comes five months after the cloud-based CRM software provider announced it would be cutting around 950 jobs, about 10% of its global workforce.

==> www.cio.com; 07.06.2023

Salesforce Partner Survey;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q1 (April ended) survey (n=30) results are:

  1. Partners Finished 1.7% Below Plan on average, a downtick from last quarter’s -0.5% and remaining well below the historical average of +3.0%. This is the third consecutive quarter this metric has dipped negative, extending beyond two quarters of negative results during the pandemic onset period, though it remains above the pandemic trough of -3.5%.
  2. Survey Metrics Remain Muted, But Some Show Signs of Stabilization. Last quarter we had noted that the rate of change in survey metrics began to stabilize relative to Q2 and Q3 of last year, and we see further evidence of that for Q1. While remaining well below historical averages, partners’ CY23 growth expectations and view on Salesforce’s net technology vision/momentum show some signs of improvement relative to Q4, coupled with less-negative bookings expectations. However, in addition to performance vs. plan, net pace of business shows further signs of macro constraint, with several partners noting a slow demand environment and ongoing sales elongations dragging net-new business.
  3. Partners See Multi-Year Double-Digit Growth Runway. Partners expect Salesforce to grow its revenue at least 10-20% for 3 years, which at the low end is in-line with Salesforce’s FY24 guidance calling for 10% revenue growth. Because we observe a healthy investor debate on whether Salesforce can grow its revenue 10% amidst macro pressures, tech industry layoffs and its own restructuring efforts, we view this reading as a positive divergence and conclude that the bar may be set low enough, even against a backdrop of muted partner commentary.
  4. 80% of Partners See Generative AI as Favorable to Salesforce. Partner feedback lands largely positive regarding Generative AI’s effect on Salesforce’s opportunity set and growth potential, with partners noting the potential to reduce busy-work for sales reps, accelerate Salesforce implementations, automate interactions, and reduce labor costs. While some see it as a “game changer”, other partners maintain a more cautious posture as the roadmap for AI remains in early stages with rapidly evolving competitive dynamics.
     
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 30.05.2023

Salesforce drives customer transformation in the Middle East with latest AI, data and CRM tools;

 Salesforce is experiencing strong growth in the Middle East and enabling customer-focused transformation across the region, with new AI-powered solutions helping organizations to boost productivity and improve customer service and personalization, according to Thierry Nicault, Area Vice President and General Manager, Salesforce Middle East, speaking at the company’s Salesforce World Tour Essentials Dubai event today.

==> www.zawya.com; 18.05.2023

Salesforce aims to shed more than 200K square feet of Tableau office space in Seattle area;

Salesforce is putting more than 200,000 square feet of Tableau Software office space in the Seattle region up for sublease. The decision comes after Salesforce said in January that it would reduce its real estate footprint as part of other cost-cutting moves. “Tableau is a critical and thriving part of our business and we remain fully committed to our Seattle-based home and employees,” a Salesforce spokesperson said in a statement. “They will always have access to a vibrant office environment where they can connect with colleagues in the area.”

==> www.geekwire.com; 19.04.2023

Salesforce ventures launch $250 million generative AI fund;

Salesforce Ventures, the company’s global investment arm, has launched a new $250 million generative AI fund to bolster the startup ecosystem and spark the development of responsible generative AI. Announced at TrailblazerDX, the fund will initially invest in four companies, including Anthropic, Cohere, Hearth.AI, and You.com.

==> www.itp.net; 17.03.2023

Salesforce Partner Survey: Macro Constraints Remain Evident, But All Eyes on Margin and FCF/Sh;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q4 (January ended) survey (n=21) results are:

  1. Partners Finished 0.5% Below Plan on average, a slight uptick from last quarter’s -1.0% but still well below the historical average of +3.2%. This marks the second consecutive quarter that this metric has dipped negative, which last occurred in the pandemic-onset period (April and July quarters of 2020), also when a recession looked likely.
  2. Some Growth Metrics Continue to Deteriorate.  Looking across the metrics, we see continued sequential decay in Bookings Expectations, Technology Vision/Momentum, growth runway duration, and tone of spending across Enterprise /Mid / Small Business segments. However, many growth metrics saw a bigger step-down in our FQ2 and FQ3 surveys than they do in our FQ4 survey.
  3. Partners See Salesforce’s Growth Slowing to ~6% and Bottoming Out Within a Year. Assuming a recession scenario, partners expect Salesforce’s growth would slow to ~6%, landing below their prior assessment which called for growth to trough at ~12%.  As we had previously noted investor discussions gravitating toward 5-7% revenue growth guidance for FY24 due to the confluence of temporary adverse factors, we see alignment between partner and investor expectations.  The good news is that 62% of partners believe growth will bottom by early CY24, up from 55% in our prior survey. We reiterate that stocks typically bottom before fundamentals bottom, and thus there is a case to be made that we could begin to see a shift in sentiment ~spring/summer 2023, which we have called out previously.
  4. Product Vectors Improve for Einstein/AI, MuleSoft; Stability for Sales Cloud & Service Cloud. After four quarters of downticking product momentum, Einstein (AI) showed the largest sequential improvement in the quarter. We believe this reflects increased visibility for Generative AI models and heightened need for automated decision making. MuleSoft recorded a second straight quarter of improving product momentum after showing slight uptick in Q3, a trend we called out as worth monitoring closely going forward.  Flagship Sales & Service Clouds show stability / minor improvement. 

Deep Dive Interviews (Q4 FY23) - Industry Contact

On Demand Environment

  • Partner describes the demand environment as “OK” but relatively lethargic: “What I can say is the deals we are working on are not closing as fast as they would have been in the past, customers are taking the time to reevaluate decisions made in the past, budgets are tighter, there is more focus on ROI, and so on, and those things are having an impact.”
  • Partner believes the environment has deteriorated slightly since the close of 2022, noting that “belts are tightening right now.”
  • Further opines that “everyone knows a recession is coming, they’re more cautious and they’re trying to save more money.”
  • Describing the current dynamic, the partner notes that it still has a lot of projects and work to go through, but that the pipeline is coming down, describing their numbers as not really that great right now: “if you look at Q1 and Q2, they aren’t looking good in terms of demand [as implied by the pipeline].”
  • Partner notes that understanding the health of the demand environment and customer sentiment is particularly hard in the higher end of the market because there is volatility around large deals as “these are long-tail sales, you don’t really have a huge number of these deals, they move the needle a lot since they include purchases of whole suites or platforms, and when they are delayed or scrapped” it can really change the picture.
  • In further explaining the market environment, the partner says that customers are not shutting down or scaling back Salesforce, Adobe, or similar platforms, but rather  refusing to add new seats: “I haven’t heard of anyone reducing seats, but it is extremely hard to add seats… they’ve made gates and hurdles, sometimes artificial or arbitrary, to getting new licenses purposefully because they’re so expensive.”
  • Partner describes some customers as refusing to upgrade or migrate to newer versions of software as a method to save money.

On Salesforce Performance 

  • Partner notes that Salesforce is seeing an overall dip in demand, noting that they are laying people off.
  • Partner adds that he has been hearing about a lot of employees being laid off in Salesforce’s services and implementation divisions and that either could mean Salesforce intends to lean more heavily on the partner ecosystem or that they expect a dip in demand, “and it’s probably the [dip in demand driving it].”
  • Adds that they think it will be very important for the large software vendors to somehow, whether through their own internal service teams or the partner ecosystem, find ways to enable customers to realize the value of their platforms, and that dynamic will separate the winners from the losers.
  • Partner opines that they are seeing Salesforce struggling more than Adobe recently, particularly as Salesforce is working through the tumult associated with management transition and the recent RIFs, adding that volatility in the share price isn’t helping from the employee perspective either.
  • In contrasting Salesforce and Adobe, the partner notes that, in their experience, Salesforce has generally been focused on growing quickly and fueling that growth, so there tend to be a larger number of Salesforce sales representatives, but sometimes the sales reps can be of lower quality who are less experienced, helpful, and specialized.
  • In comparison, contact describes Adobe as more measured in their approach with a sales team that generally takes on a larger portion of the work (with the other portion being ecosystem partners) and has sales representatives that are “surgical” and know the product, the vertical, and the use case very well.
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 28.02.2023

Salesforce, activist investor Elliott may soon reach deal;

Cloud-based software firm Salesforce and activist investor Elliott Management are in discussions to reach an agreement that may end a possible board challenge, according to two people familiar with the matter. The battle at Salesforce has pitted Elliott as well as other activist investors against Marc Benioff, one of Silicon Valley's most iconic chief executives.

          

==> www.itnews.com.au; 20.02.2023

Feedback From Salesforce Partners;

C'4Q22 Results Were Underwhelming

  • For one partner, December came in strong, but that didn't make up far the lack of deal closures in September-November,- saw same yly contraction in certain months of 2022
  • Another partner saw flattish yly growth in the Dec Q due ta deal slippage amid mare caution and "Salesforce fatigue"
  • One partner believes growth was between 5-8% from an ACV perspective, - net new adds were based an add-ons of smaller
  • capabilities, e.g._ security, rather than entire clouds

Partners have lowered growth expectations for 2023 to 8-10% (compared to 15% in our prior F'3Q23 checks) after achieving high-teens growth in 2022

  • Tap-of-funnel demand remains strong but is taking longer, with projects still focused an digital transformation/customer service
  • Growth rates may differ by Salesforce product and industry serviced
  • Conditions are getting softer and utilization of consultants across the industry is going dawn
  • Focus has shifted mare from new customers ta existing customers,- speed of new logos coming dawn
  • One partner expecting flattish yly growth in 1Q (similar ta C'4Q22) and hoping growth improves through rest of year
  • Seeing a mixed bag far 4Q deals that were pushed ta 1 Q,-same are moving forward while others are not
  • YTD, things are tracking slower than 1 H22,- don't see a lat of active client interest in expanding portfolio in FY24

Seat Contraction in High-Tech Sector Not Unique to CRM but a Big Risk

  • Seat contraction in high-tech in 2023 will damage Sa/es/Service cloud revenues and have a ripple effect an platform in the farm of lower app exchange vendor fees ta CRM
  • Believes 30% of clients have shelfware, though it is only a real problem far about 5-10% of clients

Pricing Behavior is Changing in Response to Tough Environment

  • One partner said that anecdotally, they are hearing 7% increases an subscription pricing, which is leading customers ta question whether they need all their seats/features and same customers ta dump subscription
  • Another partner said they are seeing a bit of commercial pressure in terms of discounting and that CRM seems mare open an licensing & discounting aver the past 4-5 months.
  • CRM was not too opportunistic in pulling pricing levers,- they were reading the roam and avoiding big 15% pricing increases

CRM Core Products Holding Up Well While Public Sector Shows Momentum; Landing Industry Cloud Deals Gets Tougher

  • Tap inbounds are still coming in far Sales Claud, Experience Claud, Service Claud
  • Marketing Claud is holding up pretty well so far,- one partner saw a 30% yly uptick in marketing cloud wins in January, but performance can be inconsistent
  • Tableau still strong but may see mare pressure with stiff competition from MSFT Power Bl
  • Mulesoft is clearly struggling as AP/ market challenged by open-source software offerings
  • Slack seeing mare discounting via packaging, but less traction as a standalone product
  • CRM seeing deal strength in public sector at state/city/county /eve/,- use cases would include building out self-service options far applications of licenses or permits,- seeing significant RFPs far entire state OMV departments,- believe public sector is only 10% penetrated and still in very early stages of transformation
  • Same industry cloud contracts are containing clauses that if solution doesn't provide expected value ta client, they can revert ta what they had before

Expect More Sales Teams Rationalization

  • There could be 1-2K mare people cut if 10 product sales teams and 3 service sales teams were ta get rationalized
  • CRM is changing the way they operate large accounts, putting in mare sales incentives ta close deals, and realigning internal product teams

Commerce Cloud Continues to Face Competition From In-House Solutions, External Vendors

  • One partner heard about a client leaving Commerce Claud and deciding ta build custom solution in-house
  • Commerce Claud is still easiest ta use far multi-brand, multi-country companies, - doesn't see anything that can replace or catch up with capabilities of Commerce Claud as it would require years of investment
  • Salesforce has an alternative commerce solution ta Shopify called Quick start based an headless value proposition (decoupled back end+ front-end+ front-end acceleration)
  • Doesn't think handling traffic is an issue far Shopify
  • Commercetools and Elastic Path are also interesting vendors an headless commerce side
  • CRM partners that are positioned as cast-conscious partners are seeing mare interest
     
==> www.citivelocity.com; 17.02.2023

Investor Elliott steigt offenbar bei Salesforce ein;

Der aktivistische Investor Elliott Management Corp. ist einem Zeitungsbericht zufolge mit mehreren Milliarden Dollar bei dem SAP-Rivalen Salesforce eingestiegen. „Wir freuen uns auf eine konstruktive Zusammenarbeit mit Salesforce, um den Wert zu realisieren, der einem Unternehmen seiner Größe angemessen ist“, sagte Jesse Cohn, geschäftsführender Partner bei Elliott, gegenüber der Zeitung „Wall Street Journal“ (WSJ). Elliott und Salesforce reagierten nicht sofort auf Anfragen, unter anderem der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Die Marktkapitalisierung von Salesforce liegt derzeit bei 151 Milliarden US-Dollar. 2021 betrug sie 300 Milliarden und sank seitdem beträchtlich.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 23.01.2023

Salesforce's new hires are less productive, says CEO Benioff;

Salesforce founder and soon-to-be sole CEO Marc Benioff says newbies on the payroll are being less productive and he is trying to get a better handle on why this might be, asking staff if the lack of office time is a contributing factor. In a message posted on the corporate Slack channel at the end of last week, as revealed first by CNBC, the billionaire questioned how his organization could increase the potency of its most recent hires.

==> www.theregister.com; 19.12.2022

Salesforce (CRM) Expands Through Buyouts, Digitalization ;

Salesforce CRM has been benefiting from the strong adoption of its cloud-based products and solutions as customers are undergoing a major digital transformation amid the ongoing hybrid work environment. Moreover, the cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software provider’s sustained focus on acquisitions and partnerships is helping it enhance its product offerings and expand across newer markets.

==> www.nasdaq.com; 03.10.2022

Salesforce new training goal: 20K new admins, developers;

Salesforce partners with nonprofits and customers to mint more admins, developers and consultants needed to sustain the company's five-year growth plan.

==> www.techtarget.com; 15.09.2022

Salesforce Stock Falls After Exec Shuffle;

Shares of Salesforce fell Tuesday after the company announced changes to its C-suite via a regulatory filing Monday. Brian Millham has become chief operating officer. He most recently served as chief customer success officer. Gavin Patterson has become chief strategy officer. He most recently served as chief revenue officer.

==> www.wsj.com; 09.08.2022

Salesforce Ventures backs Berlin’s conversational commerce platform Charles in €19.5M round: Know more;

Berlin-based Charles, a startup that helps companies integrate their existing ecommerce and chatbot tools into one interface, announced on Thursday (July 14, 2022) that it has raised $20M (approximately €19.52M) in a Series A round of funding. The company says the raised capital will help it to further expand its operations from Germany into key European markets, and target larger enterprise clients. The round was led by Salesforce Ventures. Existing investors Accel and HV Capital, who led the company’s Seed round in 2021, also participated in this round.

==> siliconcanals.com; 20.07.2022

Salesforce doubles down on UK support;

Salesforce has declared its long-standing support for UK businesses as they look to bounce back following the pandemic. The CRM giant doubled down on its commitment to the UK (opens in new tab), highlighting the role it hopes to play in helping firms of all sizes grow and prosper.

==> www.techradar.com; 16.06.2022

Salesforce to slow hiring and M&A activity after posting strong Q1 results;

Salesforce saw revenue rise 24% year over year to $7.41 billion, marking a strong start the financial year for the software-as-a-service giant. However, net income fell 94% from $469 million to $28 million for the quarter. However, responding to an analyst question about hiring, Salesforce Chief Financial Officer Amy Weaver said “we’re going to continue to hire” but that it will do so at “a much more measured pace, and we’re focusing the majority of our new hires on roles that will support customer success and the execution of our top priorities.” “Right now, large-scale M&A is not part of our current plans. Obviously, we’re opportunistic as all strategic tech companies are, and I never say never, but that is just not something that’s on our current radar screen,” Weaver told analysts.

==> www.computerworld.com; 01.06.2022

Salesforce sees robust profit, expects little impact from inflation;

Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) raised its full-year adjusted profit forecast and said it did not see any material impact from the uncertain broader economic environment, sending the enterprise software firm's shares up about 8% in extended trading. The company said on Tuesday there was strong demand for its software from companies looking to improve efficiencies and incorporate modern-day work-flows, including hybrid work, despite a four-decade high inflation and tapering consumer demand.

==> www.reuters.com; 01.06.2022

Salesforce acquires Troops.ai to make useful Slack bots;

Salesforce announced that it will acquire Troops.ai, a bot-based service that integrates with Slack to make it easier for sales teams to retrieve and update data across Salesforce’s various systems. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Salesforce said that Troops will become a part of Slack when the acquisition closes in Q2 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

==> techcrunch.com; 10.05.2022

Slack has started disconnecting customers in Russia;

Slack has begun cutting off access to some customers in Russia as it looks to comply with both international sanctions and the policies of parent company Salesforce. Driving the news: Several organizations have reported being entirely locked out of their accounts without any notice, eliminating the opportunity to download any data.

==> www.axios.com; 16.03.2022

Salesforce to acquire Traction on Demand;

Salesforce consulting firm, Traction on Demand is becoming part of Salesforce Professional Services. Traction on Demand announced on February 25 that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Salesforce. “We anticipate the transaction will close in the first quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2023, ending April 30, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions,” a Salesforce spokesperson told BetaKit.

==> betakit.com; 25.02.2022

Salesforce announces new Legal Entity in South Africa with the appointment of a Head of Sales and Head of Solution Engineering;

Salesforce announced that it has pushed forward with expansion plans in South Africa by establishing its first legal entity in the country. Additionally, the company announced the appointment of its first two South African leaders: Zuko Mdwaba as Head Of Sales and Linda Saunders as Head of Solution Engineering. 

==> www.engineeringnews.co.za; 22.02.2022

Salesforce Acquires Atonit to Add a Marketplace Platform to its Ecommerce Portfolio;

Salesforce will acquire Brazilian marketplace solution Atonit, adding marketplace capabilities to its own ecommerce platform. Salesforce will share more details regarding the product roadmap once the acquisition closes, which is expected before April 30, 2022. Salesforce’s goal for its Commerce Marketplace is to help retailers drive revenue growth by increasing cart sizes, earning commissions and receiving membership subscription revenue from vendors. The platform also aims to help retailers expand into new categories with no inventory required.

==> www.retailtouchpoints.com; 02.02.2022

Salesforce to buy Narrative Science, roll it into Tableau;

Data storytelling vendor Narrative Science revealed that it has reached an agreement to be acquired by Salesforce, and upon closing will become part of Tableau. A spokesperson for Tableau subsequently confirmed the acquisition, but said there will be no official announcement from Salesforce or Tableau.

==> searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com; 16.11.2021

Salesforce and Atlassian double down on developer security with $75M Snyk investment;

Snyk, the company behind an open source security scanning platform, has extended its series F round of funding by another $75 million. The Boston-headquartered company announced a $530 million investment just a few weeks back at a whopping $8.5 billion valuation. The transaction included both primary and secondary investments, meaning that Snyk had in fact only raised around $300 million in fresh capital. For the extension, which closes the series F round off at $605 million, Snyk has attracted return investments from the venture capital arms of Atlassian and Salesforce, which are now responsible for 10% of Snyk’s $850 million total raised since its inception. And for the record, Snyk is now valued at $8.6 billion.

==> www.nextplatform.com; 30.09.2021

Salesforce set to acquire Toronto-based LevelJump.io ;

Salesforce has entered an agreement to acquire Toronto SaaS startup LevelJump.io. LevelJump was founded in 2014 by founder and CEO David Bloom. The company offers sales onboarding and enablement software entirely built on Salesforce’s platform. Users are able to link exercises to CRM milestones, metrics and business outcomes. Managers also have the ability to get insight into a business rep’s progression, which can be compared to other users. 

==> betakit.com; 24.09.2021

Salesforce backs Indian payments startup Razorpay;

Razorpay said on Monday it has received a “strategic investment” from the venture arm of the American enterprise giant. The investment will help the startup “further strengthen its presence in the business banking space,” it said. The two firms didn’t disclose the size of the investment, but the Sequoia Capital India-backed startup said the deal will “make an impactful contribution to the industry and drive adoption and financial growth for underserved small businesses in the next twelve months.”

==> techcrunch.com; 20.09.2021

Salesforce delivers strong Q2, ups outlook for fiscal 2022;

Salesforce handily topped expectations for the second quarter as the company begins to integrate the acquisition of Slack and prep for its Dreamforce conference. The company reported second quarter earnings of 56 cents a share on revenue of $6.34 billion, up 23% from a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings were $1.48 a share. For Salesforce, the quarter marked the first one topping $6 billion in revenue. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 25.08.2021

Salesforce wants Salesforce+ to be the Netflix of biz content;

Today the CRM giant announced it was taking a leap into streaming media with Salesforce+, a forthcoming digital media network with a focus on video that, in the words of the company, “will bring the magic of Dreamforce to viewers across the globe with luminary speakers.” (Whether that’s a good thing or not is in the eye of the beholder.) Salesforce president and CMO Sarah Franklin said in an official post that her company has had to “reimagine how to succeed in the new digital-first world.” The answer apparently involves getting the larger Salesforce community together in a new live, and recorded video push.

==> techcrunch.com; 10.08.2021

MuleSoft acquires RPA provider Servicetrace;

Salesforce today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Servicetrace, a robotic process automation provider (RPA) headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany. When the deal closes, Servicetrace will become part of Salesforce-owned MuleSoft, the companies said in a joint press release. MuleSoft’s Servicetrace acquisition — Salesforce’s first in the RPA space — is expected to complete in Q3 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

==> venturebeat.com; 02.08.2021

Salesforce bets on Slack to make it top workplace software provider;

Salesforce.com has closed its $27.7 billion purchase of Slack Technologies Inc, a massive bet that Slack's workplace app will become popular for collaborations within and between companies. The merger partners hope the deal will bolster efforts to connect their joint customers to smooth out common business deals, Salesforce President Bret Taylor and Slack Chief Executive Stewart Butterfield said in an interview on Wednesday. While analysts view Teams as Slack's largest rival, Butterfield said Slack will continue to integrate with the Microsoft app in line with its goal to make it easier for employees to get things done.

==> www.trtworld.com; 22.07.2021

Slack, Salesforce Merger Nears Closure After DoJ Drops Antitrust Review;

Slack Technologies  (WORK) - Get Report shares edged higher in active trading Monday after an antitrust probe into its $27.7 billion takeover by Salesforce  (CRM) - Get Report was dropped by the Department of Justice. The DoJ's Antitrust Division opened a "second request" review into the deal earlier this year as the new administration of President Joe Biden vowed to take a closer look at big tech mergers. Slack said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it expects the deal to close on July 21.

==> www.thestreet.com; 19.07.2021

Salesforce Gains on Strong Profit Forecast Topping Estimates;

Salesforce.com Inc., the top maker of cloud-based customer relations software, projected annual profit that would top analysts’ estimates, suggesting increased purchasing by companies emerging from the pandemic. Shares gained about 5% on the forecast. Fiscal-year earnings, excluding some items, will be $3.79 to $3.81 a share, the San Francisco-based company said Thursday in a statement. Analysts, on average, projected $3.45, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Annual revenue will be as much as $26 billion, compared with analysts’ average estimate of $25.8 billion.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 27.05.2021

Salesforce research reveals digital divide in manufacturing sector;

Salesforce has published its first Trends in Manufacturing report, providing insight into some of the issues that global manufacturing leaders currently face and how they plan to adapt to a post-COVID era. It also spotlights the technological innovations that certain manufacturers have embraced in order to feel prepared for the future of their industry. 

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 01.04.2021

Salesforce COO Bret Taylor discusses the company’s push to digital-first;

Salesforce is hoping to tap into a growing digital-first sales world with its latest product update. The company unveiled its revamped sales cloud 360 this week, which features a number of services including the use of artificial intelligence to track sales performance. Bret Taylor, Salesforce president and COO, and Snowflake chairman and CEO Frank Slootman, joins ‘Closing Bell’ to discuss. 

==> www.cnbc.com; 26.03.2021

Salesforce to cut even more San Francisco real estate by subleasing part of 30-story tower;

Salesforce is listing part of its San Francisco offices at 350 Mission St. for sublease after canceling a separate deal at a nearby Transbay project, two of the largest tech real estate reductions during the pandemic. The announcements come as business is booming for Salesforce, with annual revenue up 24% to over $21.2 billion in the past fiscal year. But the company is shedding space with a permanent plan for most workers to stay remote for one to four days a week.

==> www.sfchronicle.com; 10.03.2021

Salesforce's Taylor emerges as CEO candidate - sources;

Salesforce.com Inc is grooming its chief operating officer Bret Taylor for a chief executive position to support the U.S. business software conglomerate’s co-founder Marc Benioff, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The sources said Taylor’s potential promotion is not imminent and could happen in the coming months.

==> www.reuters.com; 09.03.2021

Salesforce announces permanent remote work for most employees;

Salesforce introduced its “Work From Anywhere” strategy, estimating that more than 65% of employees will adopt the new system, based on a company survey. For those that will be coming into an office, the current spaces will be redesigned to accommodate more of a “community hub” feel, focusing on collaboration and breakout areas to foster moments of human connection.

==> www.sfgate.com; 09.02.2021

Salesforce promotes former Vlocity CEO David Schmaier to president and CPO;

The company announced today that it was promoting former Vlocity CEO David Schmaier to president and chief product officer. Schmaier came to the organization last year when Salesforce acquired his company for $1.33 billion. It seemed like a good match, given that Vlocity sold Salesforce solutions designed for certain niches like financial services, health, energy and utilities and government and nonprofits. In a Q&A on the Salesforce website announcing the promotion, Schmaier talked about the challenges companies faced in the last year. 

==> techcrunch.com; 01.02.2021

Salesforce invests in IoT firm for 6th time to expand reach in UK ;

Salesforce has invested for an unprecedented sixth time in the Japanese IoT firm, Uhuru Corporation to expand the company's reach into the UK Salesforce invests in IoT firm for 6th time to expand reach in UK. The Japanese IoT firm, Uhuru, simplifies IoT for mass adoption by orchestrating and co-ordinating devices. It is the first company to have received six separate investments from Salesforce.

==> www.information-age.com; 06.01.2021

Salesforce Says Goodbye to CMO Stephanie Buscemi, Elevates Platform Manager to the Role;

Salesforce today announced that Stephanie Buscemi, its chief marketing officer for the past three years, is stepping down from the role and leaving the company. Taking her place is Sarah Franklin, most recently general manager of platform for the cloud-based software provider. Franklin, who is taking over for Buscemi effective immediately, has been at Salesforce for more than 13 years. She’s also an advocate for diversifying STEM and led the Salesforce team that launched Trailhead in 2014, an online, gamified learning platform that aims to democratize tech by making the expertise it requires more accessible to those interested in a career change.

==> www.adweek.com; 05.01.2021

Salesforce to Buy Acumen Solutions;

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has agreed to acquire professional services firm Acumen Solutions for an undisclosed sum as part of efforts to expand its platforms and service offerings to help customers advance their digital transformation efforts. The transaction will enable Salesforce Professional Services to use Acumen’s industry knowledge to better deliver services to clients through the Customer 360 platform. 

==> www.govconwire.com; 03.12.2020

Salesforce Is in Advanced Talks to Buy Slack Technologies ;

Salesforce.com Inc. is in advanced talks to buy Slack Technologies Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, a deal that would unite a giant in business software with a buzzy newcomer on a mission to replace office email. The companies could reach a deal within days—possibly by the time Salesforce reports its third-quarter financial results Tuesday, some of the people said. Slack, with a market value of more than $17 billion as of Wednesday morning, would be Salesforce’s largest acquisition ever. There is no guarantee the companies will reach an agreement.

==> www.wsj.com; 25.11.2020

Salesforce announces 12,000 new jobs in the next year just weeks after laying off 1,000;

Salesforce CEO and co-founder Marc Benioff announced in a tweet that the company would be hiring 4,000 new employees in the next six months, and 12,000 in the next year. While it seems like a mixed message, it’s probably more about reallocating resources to areas where they are needed more. While Salesforce wouldn’t comment further on the hirings, the company has obviously been doing well in spite of the pandemic, which has had an impact on customers.

==> techcrunch.com; 18.09.2020

Tech giant Salesforce acquires Vancouver's Mobify for undisclosed amount;

The BC-based mobile commerce platform, Mobify, announced on Friday that it would be acquired by Salesforce, a leader in CRM that allows companies to better manage clients. The terms of the acquisition are undisclosed, but Mobify said in a release it is the extension of a multi-year partnership with the cloud-based customer relationship management company.

==> dailyhive.com; 05.09.2020

Ex-Schweiz-Chef von SAP wird DACH-Chef von Salesforce ;

Stefan Höchbauer wird neuer Executive Vice President und CEO DACH von Salesforce, einem Anbieter von CRM-Lösungen. Seit über zwei Jahren ist Höchbauer Global President Digital Core von SAP. Dort hat er 2011 als Schweiz-Chef angefangen. Gleich zwei neue Stellen, darunter die von Höchbauer, sollen das Wachstum des EMEA-Raums unterstützen. Neben Höchbauer hat im Sommer bereits Denis Terrien als neuer Executive Vice President und CEO Südeuropa gestartet.

==> www.netzwoche.ch; 11.08.2020

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Reportedly Hints At No Digital Dreamforce This Year;

Benioff also said he’s not sure how much longer he’ll run the company, according to a report. Salesforce might just opt to entirely forego Dreamforce, the industry’s largest and most star-studded affair, in any form in 2020, Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff told The Information in a report published Monday. 

==> www.crn.com; 10.08.2020

Salesforce Acquires Stake In Hearsay Systems, Announces Strategic Partnership;

 The partnership will align Hearsay Systems' digital communications, compliance and marketing capabilities for the financial services industry with Salesforce’s client relationship management system, according to an announcement from Hearsay on Tuesday. Hearsay Systems offers technology that allows for compliant advisor-client communications across difficult-to-monitor channels like text messaging and social media. It also offers insight into client and prospect online behavior as well as data security and third-party content reviewable by home offices and compliance department.

==> www.fa-mag.com; 30.07.2020

Salesforce Quietly Shuts Down the Einstein Voice Assistant;

The end of the voice assistant marks a shift in priorities for Salesforce’s AI plans, just two years after it launched, and less than a year since Salesforce began opening up the platform for clients to build their own custom voice assistants.

==> voicebot.ai; 21.07.2020

Cybersecurity Firm Auth0 Raises $120M In Salesforce-Led Funding;

The Series F funding raises Auth0’s valuation to $1.92 billion, and will allow the identity security vendor to establish a direct presence in emerging markets like India, Southeast Asia, the Nordics and Central Europe, according to CEO Eugenio Pace.

==> www.crn.com; 14.07.2020

Salesforce invests in security software provider Tanium at $9 billion valuation;

Salesforce’s venture arm, which has emerged as among the most active corporate venture groups in technology, is investing in Tanium in a funding round that values the security software vendor at $9 billion. Tanium said it has now raised $900 million total, suggesting that Salesforce is investing about $100 million into the security company. Salesforce said that it’s partnering with Tanium to protect employees in the “the new all-digital, work-from-anywhere world.”

==> www.cnbc.com; 25.06.2020

Salesforce stock is taking a hit today after lighter guidance in yesterday’s earning’s report;

The guidance, which was a projection for next quarter’s earnings, was lighter than what the analysts on Wall Street expected. While Salesforce was projecting revenue for next quarter in the range of $4.89 to $4.90 billion, according to CNBC, analysts had expected $5.03 billion. In yesterday’s report, CEO Marc Benioff indicated that the company has been offering some customers some flexibility around payment as they navigate the economic fallout of COVID-19, and the company’s operating cash took a bit of a hit because of this.

==> techcrunch.com; 29.05.2020

US tech giant Salesforce moves European sales out of Britain due to Brexit pound movements ;

The Silicon Valley software giant Salesforce has stopped registering some European sales in the UK and is increasing investment to Ireland, blaming the pound’s volatility after Brexit. Salesforce has begun charging customers directly from local offices in France and Germany, instead of its Europe base in London, in what it said was a move away from its “UK-centralised European structure”.

==> www.telegraph.co.uk; 17.05.2020

Salesforce, Tencent, ANZ back Airwallex in $160m round;

Airwallex has raised $160 million in a Series D round, with the Australian fintech startup now reaching a fund total of over $360 million. The majority of the funding came from new investors, including the corporate venture capital arm of ANZ Bank, called ANZi Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures, which is the global investment arm of Salesforce. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 16.04.2020

Salesforce Can't Stop Buying Companies And Should Focus On Profitability;

Salesforce is exhibiting behaviors that are risky in recessionary times: accelerating M&A and paying top dollar for companies that may continue to drag down Salesforce's bottom line. Pro forma operating margins actually declined in FY20, a terrible signal to investors in a market environment that has emphasized safety and profitability. Sales momentum may run into headwinds in 2020 as well. The departure of co-CEO Keith Block, who was in charge of go-to-market operations, and the cancellation of sales events are big contributors. 

==> seekingalpha.com; 27.03.2020

Salesforce Acquires The CMO Club to Unify Marketing Thoughts with B2B Practices;

The latest acquisition marks a new chapter in the B2B publication industry where a martech company has acquired a member-based Content Marketing and Media company. By acquiring The CMO Club, Salesforce will further stitch CMO insights into the contemporary B2B practices, providing customers and young marketing technology professionals with best-in-marketing resources, events and online webinars. 

==> martechseries.com; 03.03.2020

Salesforce to buy Vlocity for $1.3 billion;

Tuesday's earnings call went beyond finances as Salesforce officials announced changes to its leadership team and details of its latest acquisition. Vlocity builds software on top of Salesforce that is customized for verticals such as insurance, media and entertainment and communications. Salesforce said the acquisition of Vlocity will help “open up new industry capabilities built on the Salesforce platform.”

==> martechtoday.com; 26.02.2020

Salesforce co-CEO Keith Block steps down ;

This leaves company founder Marc Benioff as the sole CEO and chair of the CRM juggernaut. Block’s bio has already been wiped from Salesforce’s leadership page. Industry pundits saw his elevation to the co-CEO role as a sign that Block was next in line as the company’s sole CEO in the future (assuming Benioff would ever step down). After this short tenure as co-CEO, it doesn’t look like that will be the case, but for the time being, Block will stay on as an advisor to Benioff.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.02.2020

Why Salesforce Invested In This Data Warehousing Startup Called Snowflake;

Salesforce can take advantage of the partnership to position itself as the largest enterprise data warehousing provider, adding some value to its assets — MuleSoft’s data management along with Einstein and Tableau analytics capabilities by riding on the cloud-neutral nature of Snowflake. As a result of the collaboration with Salesforce, data from that company’s cloud services will not need even a single click for customers who are starting to use Snowflake.

==> analyticsindiamag.com; 10.02.2020

Cloud Database Startup Snowflake Vaults to $12B Valuation, Partners with Salesforce;

The increased valuation came about as part of the new relationship with Salesforce, Frank Slootman, Snowflake’s chief executive officer, said Friday in an interview. “They want to invest in the company as a condition of the partnership,” he said. “They want to benefit from the upside from them being a partner."

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 09.02.2020

Salesforce Acquires Evergage;

Salesforce acquired Evergage, the leading software platform for real-time 1:1 personalization, to accelerate the company's efforts to offer enhanced personalization solutions to its thousands of customers. This acquisition comes on the heels of Evergage being named a Leader in The Forrester WaveTM: Digital Intelligence Platforms, Q4 2019. In addition, Evergage earned numerous awards in 2019, most recently being named "CDP of the Year" and "Personalization Tech Solution of the Year" in the inaugural Rele Awards.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 07.02.2020

Salesforce and Samsung invest in blockchain firm Digital Asset;

Digital Asset has revealed that Salesforce Ventures and Samsung Venture Investment Corp participated in its latest financing round, with the Series C raise exceeding $35 million. It said it will use the funds raised to accelerate the adoption of DAML across multiple industries, expand the number and variety of DAML-enabled partner products, and fund the development of new developer-focused products.

==> www.zdnet.com; 05.02.2020

Why Google buying Salesforce would make sense;

Rumours emerged last week of the tech titan considering a move for the CRM giant to bolster its cloud business. CRN asks whether a move would be logical for Google.

==> www.channelweb.co.uk; 21.01.2020

​Salesforce Ventures part of US$40 million investment into Soul Machines;

Soul Machines is an AGI Research company developing an autonomous animation platform aimed at humanising brands and the ways people engage with them. The latest investment round was led by Temasek from Singapore, with participation from Lakestar, a European Venture Fund, and Salesforce Ventures.

==> www.cmo.com.au; 10.01.2020

What experts think is ahead for Salesforce in 2020: More acquisitions and the possibility of a massive leadership upheaval;

The biggest theme for Salesforce this year will be how well Salesforce can do with its recent acquisition of Tableau, Steve Koenig, a Wedbush analyst, told Business Insider. So this is a "make it/break it year" for Salesforce to show how Tableau will fit into the company, Newman told Business Insider. Some believe this could be the year when co-CEO and cofounder Marc Benioff steps away from his day-to-day role at the company — opening the door for a massive executive reshuffling.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 06.01.2020

Salesforce promotes Bret Taylor to president and COO;

In his new position, Taylor will be responsible for a number of activities, including leading Salesforce’s global product vision, engineering, security, marketing and communications. That’s a big job, and as such he will report directly to chairman Marc Benioff.

==> techcrunch.com; 13.12.2019

Salesforce opens up its platform, bets on serverless and CIM;

CRM giant Salesforce took some big steps towards opening up its proprietary platform in announcements at last month's Dreamforce conference. Perhaps the most significant is the donation of its internal data model to the Linux Foundation to form the basis of the Customer Information Model (CIM).

==> diginomica.com; 09.12.2019

At Dreamforce 2019, Salesforce tries to pull more data into its orbit;

At Dreamforce 2019, the CRM giant gave the impression that it's not just facilitating the creation of new jobs or new workflows -- it's pulling existing business value into its orbit.  "We recognize as a community we're going to bring all of our partners in," Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said during the Dreamforce keynote address. He stood in front of a screen displaying major tech industry players -- Microsoft, Apple, AWS, Google, IBM, HPE, Cisco, Dell, Abibaba -- with Salesforce in the middle.

==> www.zdnet.com; 25.11.2019

How Salesforce Plans to Defeat Oracle and SAP While Scaling to $35B;

At its Dreamforce Investor Day presentation, Marc Benioff’s company laid out in bold strokes the market dynamics and internal plans that it says will allow it to double its revenue in a 4-year span from $17 billion for fiscal 2020 (ending Jan. 31, 2020) to $35 billion for fiscal 2023 (ending Jan. 31, 2024). 

==> cloudwars.co; 22.11.2019

Salesforce Appoints Adam Blitzer as the New CEO of Marketing Cloud;

In his new role, Blitzer's immediate focus will be the customer data platform that Salesforce plans to launch next year, designed to help marketers unify their customer data.

==> www.martechadvisor.com; 07.11.2019

UK regulators finally clear Salesforce and Tableau to integrate, but continue review of $15.7B deal;

Regulators in the UK have given Salesforce and Tableau Software the go-ahead to start integrating their business operations, more than three months after the San Francisco cloud giant completed the $15.7 billion acquisition of the Seattle-based data visualization company.

==> www.geekwire.com; 05.11.2019

Big changes at Salesforce: Bob Stutz jumps to rival; Marketing Cloud division gets new chief;

Bob Stutz—who until last month led Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud unit—has left the San Francisco-based company to become the president of engineering for customer experience at SAP. Adam Blitzer, who had been the marketing cloud’s executive vice president, has stepped into the unit’s top spot and is located in San Francisco, according to his social media profiles.

==> www.ibj.com; 28.10.2019

Partnerships

Salesforce: Gradual Improvement Per 30+ Partner Check; Positive On Agentforce;

Strength

  • Slight Improvement In Partners Above Plan. 9% were above plan over the past 3 mos. above 6% last Q. Most or 59% still remain below plan.
  • Partners See Modest Seq. Improvement In Pipes. 36% saw their pipelines improve, indicating seq. improvement from 28% last Q and 23% two Qs ago.
  • Growth Expectations For '24 Improve Slightly. Partners now expect 6% growth for '24 vs. 5%last Q.
  • AI Momentum Strong Since Dreamforce '24. 71% have seen more customer interest in AI products since the Agentforce launch.
  • Higher AI Monetization. 77% believe that the customer's ACV will increase likely due to the pricing uplift from AI, up from 49% last Q and 68% two Qs ago.
  • Data Cloud Adoption Slightly Better; Could Get Pull With Agentforce. 29% have seen some adoption of Data Cloud, above 23% last Q.

Weaknesses

  • Macro Still Remains Uncertain. 74% saw their pipelines impacted by macro vs. 57% last Q.
  • Unhappiness in Partner Ecosystem. Only 9% were very happy with ecosystem vs. 17% last Q.
==> jefferies.com; 25.11.2024

Dreamforce 2024: Salesforce partners with Google Cloud to launch autonomous AI agents;

Salesforce and Google Cloud expanded their partnership to launch Salesforce Agentforce, AI-powered agents that help businesses automate tasks and collaborate securely across Salesforce Customer 360 and Google Workspace apps. These agents will streamline workflows, manage records, and create documents, enhancing productivity while ensuring privacy and data protection. The initiative aims to create a fully AI-integrated productivity suite, supporting real-world business needs like e-commerce and business development, with enterprise-grade security, announced at Dreamforce 2024.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 17.09.2024

Salesforce Partner Survey: Partners 1.7% Below Plan with Mixed-Bag Across Key Metrics, But Data Cloud on the Rise;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q1 (April ended) survey (n=27) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 1.7% Below Plan, modestly degrading from the prior quarter’s -1.2% reading. The metric continues to trend below the long-term average of +2.4% with lingering mentions of cautious buying behavior and an uncertain macro.
  2. Practice Growth Rate Expectations Improve; Runway for 10%+ Growth Remains Stable. Expectations for CY24 practice growth rates rise from the 6.4% LTM rolling average to ~8% for the current survey. The ~8% indication is 1 point better than the 7% reading for the same period last year. Partner expectations for Salesforce’s long-term growth runway remain essentially consistent, with 10%+ growth seen for the next 3.6 years.
  3. Bookings Expectations & Net Pace of Business Degrade. Net bookings expectations deteriorate appreciably from -3% in the previous quarter to -19% in the current quarter, though well-removed from the troughs of -40% to -70% seen three to six quarters ago. We reiterate that the bookings metric can be quite noisy. Net pace of business reverts to negative territory with a -11% reading after having finally reached positive territory (+3%) in Q4 for the first time in a year and a half.
  4. Top Four Product-Momentum Scores All Relate to Data & AI. Net technology vision and momentum improves and moves into positive territory at +11% in Q1, potentially reflecting some traction with Einstein (AI) and Data Cloud products. Product momentum scores place Einstein (AI), Data Cloud, Service GPT and Sales GPT in the top 4 positions, underscoring Salesforce’s pivot to address blossoming demand for Data & AI prioritization, as interest in longer-cycle digital transformation projects continues to wane.
  5. Partners Net-Optimistic on Data Cloud Platform. We take a closer look at Salesforce’s critical Data Cloud product and find partners reflect a net-optimistic view of +22%. Positive views describe Data Cloud appealing to large enterprises as a “game changer to help bridge the divide across disparate systems and then be able to drive AI on the data.” Negative views note the implementation is “hard work” and that high cost of the product “presents a barrier.” Our deep dive interviews with partners mostly align with positive feedback, including good customer adoption and focus / investment from Salesforce toward Data Cloud.

(Please contact CMI for more details on the survey)

==> jpmorgan.com; 28.05.2024

Salesforce and IBM Strengthen Partnership, Target AI and Data Improvements;

Salesforce and IBM are expanding their strategic partnership to enhance AI and data offerings, combining IBM’s Watsonx AI and Data Platform with Salesforce’s Einstein 1 software. This collaboration will provide customers with improved data-driven decision-making, bidirectional data integration, flexible large language models (LLMs), and prebuilt actions and prompts for CRM solutions. The partnership aims to streamline data usage and access, enabling more efficient and integrated customer experiences across various industries.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 22.05.2024

Siemens und Salesforce treiben gemeinsam die digitale Transformation voran;

Siemens Digital Industries Software und Salesforce haben die neue Teamcenter SLM App im Salesforce App Exchange eingeführt, um Produktentwicklung und Produktservice zu integrieren. Diese App kombiniert Siemens' Teamcenter Service Lifecycle Management-Lösung aus dem Xcelerator-Portfolio mit der Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud und Service Cloud. Die Zusammenarbeit zielt darauf ab, den Kundenservice durch eine nahtlose Integration zu optimieren, die Produktwissen mit umfassender Kundenhistorie verbindet, um die betriebliche Effizienz zu verbessern, Servicekosten zu senken und die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Ingenieur- und Serviceteams zu fördern.

==> www.maschinenmarkt.ch; 22.02.2024

Siemens, Salesforce Co-Create Software That Enhances Manufacturing Customer Service;

Siemens and Salesforce have collaborated to create the Teamcenter Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) app, available on Salesforce AppExchange, aiming to enhance manufacturing customer service and drive revenue growth by combining Teamcenter SLM with Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud and Service Cloud. The app enables manufacturers to improve operational efficiency, gain greater visibility into customer information, and enhance product improvement efforts by leveraging AI technologies and connecting service data to digital twins, reflecting a customer-centric approach and emphasizing the value of co-creation partnerships.

==> accelerationeconomy.com; 31.01.2024

Salesforce & AWS enhance partnership with cross-platform integration ;

Salesforce and Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced a significant expansion of their long-standing strategic partnership at AWS re:Invent on November 27, 2023. For the first time in its history, select Salesforce products will be available on the AWS Marketplace, with a goal of making it easier for customers to securely manage their data across both platforms and infuse generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their applications and workflows.

==> ecommercenews.co.nz; 01.12.2023

Salesforce and AWS expand partnership to deliver new integrations;

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Salesforce have expanded their partnership, offering enhanced product integrations in data and AI and featuring select Salesforce products on the AWS marketplace. The collaboration aims to facilitate secure data management across platforms, incorporate GenAI technologies into applications, and deepen integrations between AWS and Salesforce products. The partnership involves Salesforce utilizing AWS services like compute, storage, and AI, and AWS leveraging Salesforce products such as Data Cloud to deliver personalized customer experiences.

==> erp.today; 27.11.2023

Accenture and Salesforce Collaborate to Help Life Sciences Companies Create Differentiation with Data and AI;

Accenture and Salesforce are jointly investing in the development of Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud, utilizing data and artificial intelligence (AI) to drive growth and create sustainable value for life sciences companies. Leveraging their generative AI collaboration, the companies will use the joint generative AI acceleration hub, Salesforce Data Cloud, and Einstein AI to develop innovative solutions for the life sciences sector. The partnership aims to establish a digital foundation for life sciences organizations, enabling omni-channel experiences across sales, service, and marketing with a focus on data and intelligence.

==> newsroom.accenture.com; 06.11.2023

Salesforce Inc Partner Feedback Highlights Some Demand Signals Picking Up; AI, Industry Clouds Critical Levers to Sustain Stable Growth Trajectory;
  • The contact highlights sporadic incremental growth signals in Salesforce demand but notes ongoing challenges in net-new deals.
  • Salesforce's long-term positioning is seen as optimistic, with AI and industry clouds as critical for sustaining double-digit growth.
  • Some demand improvements noted in the Salesforce practice, with mid-teens growth, but sales cycles remain extended.
  • Focus on existing account penetration as net-new business remains limited, and Salesforce increases product value.
  • AI is viewed as a promising growth vector, but it's in the early stages, and demonstrating value-add is crucial.
  • Smart CRM and Industry Clouds are gaining importance, and Salesforce is seen as an attractive front-office tool.
  • Competition comes from ServiceNow, Microsoft, and SAP in specific areas.
  • Untapped revenue streams, including AI and industry-specific solutions, are seen as necessary for sustained growth.
  • Salesforce's growth may slow but is expected to maintain profitability and generate FCF, with a focus on FCF margin over time.
==> jpmorgan.com; 26.09.2023

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce Join Forces to Accelerate Innovation for the BioPharma Industry;

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce announced plans to accelerate CRM innovation for the BioPharma industry. As this sector rapidly evolves, legacy platforms struggle to keep pace, hampering progress and innovation. Informed by Deloitte Digital's deep life sciences and health care experience serving clients around the world and Salesforce's CRM technology, the two organizations intend to develop new solutions to advance BioPharma innovation.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 13.09.2023

Salesforce and Google Expand Partnership to Deliver a New Era of Business Productivity Powered by Generative AI ;

Salesforce and Google today announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to bring together Salesforce, the #1 AI CRM, and Google Workspace, the world’s most popular productivity tool, to drive productivity with AI. This partnership will deliver new bidirectional integrations that allow customers to bring together context from Salesforce and Google Workspace, including Google Calendar, Docs, Meet, Gmail, and more, to power generative AI experiences across platforms. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 12.09.2023

McKinsey teams up with Salesforce to deliver on the promise of AI-powered growth;

This collaboration will bring together Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) technologies, including Einstein and Data Cloud, with McKinsey’s proprietary AI and data models, assets, and capability building power. McKinsey and Salesforce will help companies bring together relevant structured and unstructured data to improve customer buying experiences, increase sales productivity, personalize digital marketing campaigns and reduce call resolution time.

==> www.mckinsey.com; 07.09.2023

Salesforce announces new high-level partnership following strong earnings beat;

Salesforce  (CRM) - Get Free Report is partnering up with IBM  (IBM ) - Get Free Reportin an effort to aid its customers' adoption of artificial intelligence tech and software. The two companies will collaborate with a group of shared clients in order to accelerate their "business transformations with generative AI." Part of this collaboration involves the efforts of IBM Consulting to help guide these shared clients through the adoption and application of Salesforce's AI-driven technology.

==> www.thestreet.com; 31.08.2023

IBM and Salesforce Team Up To Help Businesses Accelerate Adoption of Trustworthy AI;

IBM and Salesforce announced a collaboration to help businesses worldwide across industries accelerate their adoption of AI for CRM. Together, the two companies support clients to revolutionize customer, partner and employee experiences, while helping safeguard their data. IBM Consulting and Salesforce are working with our shared clients to help accelerate business transformations with generative AI.

==> newsroom.ibm.com; 31.08.2023

Salesforce Partner Survey;

Partners 3% Below Plan as Macro Unevenness Continues; Removing from AFL Post-60% YTD Rise. The most noteworthy elements of the Q2 (July ended) survey (n=26) results are:

  1. Partners Finish 3.1% Below Plan on average, a drop from last quarter's -1.7% and remaining well below the historical average of +2.8%. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter this metric has landed in negative territory, and the slowest indication in the last 3 years, suggesting ongoing unevenness in demand for front-office SaaS.
  2. Expected Practice Growth Rate Downticks; Still Constructive on Salesforce Multi-Year Glidepath. Partners now expect their practices to grow 4.2% for CY23, a downtick vs. 7.0% in our Q1 survey, with qualitative feedback suggesting complexity, including emergence of some incremental pockets of softness in the demand environment and some sporadic reports of a fragile/subtle recovery. Despite tempered growth for this year within their own firms, partners still expect Salesforce to maintain 10-20% growth for the next 3 years, consistent with our prior survey.
  3. Bookings Expectations, Pace of Business Still Muted; Technology Vision Trending Up. Partner sentiment on Q2 bookings expectations remains sluggish, with 0% sensing bookings above expectations and 42% anticipating bookings below expectations, roughly inline with Q1. Net pace of business scoring modestly improves to -19% (vs. -33% in Q1), though remains well below the LT historical average of +24%, with partners indicating ongoing sales elongations, deal scrutiny, and cost sensitivity. However, partners' view of Salesforce's technology vision sequentially improves, with this metric flat on a net-basis vs. -7% in Q1, with partners expressing increased engagement into Salesforce's AI capabilities.
  4. Partners See 30%+ AI Penetration Potential for Service GPT, Sales GPT. On average, partners expect ~34% of Service and Sales Cloud users, who are not already on Salesforce's Unlimited Edition tier, to pay the $50/ user/month fee to gain access to Service GPT and Sales GPT in the next 3-5 years. Given the fairly premium price point of these and other GenAI tools, we view this indication as an encouraging reading on their long-term penetration potential, with an ability to drive revenue uplift as customers gain comfort.
==> jpmorgan.com; 29.08.2023

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce collaborate to help unleash the power of trusted AI for CRM;

Salesforce and Deloitte Digital announced a collaboration to provide businesses around the world with the accelerators and strategies they need to deploy trusted AI for CRM. Deloitte Digital will offer its AI services, industry experience, and deep knowledge of data protection regulations to help organizations implement and scale AI Cloud.

==> www.zawya.com; 26.07.2023

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce Collaborate to Help Unleash the Power of AI for CRM;

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce announced a collaboration to provide organizations around the world with the accelerators and strategies they need to deploy trusted AI for CRM. Deloitte Digital will offer its AI services, industry experience, and deep knowledge of data protection to help organizations implement and scale Salesforce AI Cloud, Salesforce's suite of trusted, open and business-ready generative AI-powered applications. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 29.06.2023

Germany Eyes Industry-Specific Salesforce Solutions ;

 The 2023 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for Germany finds that strong growth in German Salesforce adoption is leading to growing demand on service providers for increased implementation capacity. A primary bottleneck has been a lack of qualified people with Salesforce expertise who can carry out these implementations, the report finds. This has triggered a significant consolidation trend in the market for corresponding services, as the major system integrators acquire other providers to expand their capacities. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 11.05.2023

Stellantis and Salesforce Reveal New Digital and Connectivity Features;

In another step to advance digital connectivity and features in vehicles, Stellantis, which has its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills and offers 14 brands, and Salesforce, a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM), today announced new details of AI, real time data, and automation features. Salesforces’ New Automotive Cloud features help automotive companies increase productivity, revenue, and customer loyalty. With Automotive Cloud, automotive companies can deliver immersive, in-car experiences powered by real-time personalization and build connected experiences at every customer touch point, whether they are driving, buying, or servicing their vehicle.

==> www.dbusiness.com; 30.03.2023

Qualcomm, Salesforce team up to provide connected automotive experiences;

Mobile tech giant uses CES to reveal more of automotive tech slate in partnership with leading customer relationship management company. Hot on the heels of revealing the accelerated adoption of its Snapdragon Ride Platform from global automotive companies developing safe and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), Qualcomm Technologies has forged a partnership with Salesforce to develop an intelligent connected vehicle platform for the automotive industry.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.01.2023

Salesforce Partner Survey: Partners 1% Below Plan; As Spending Pulls Back, Focus Should Shift to FCF Per Share;

The most noteworthy elements of the Q3 (October ended) survey (n=20) results are:

  1. Partners Finished 1.0% Below Plan on average, a downtick from last quarter’s +2.0% and below the historical average of +3.4%. This marks the first time since the onset of the pandemic that this metric has turned negative.
  2. As Expected, Most Growth Metrics Continue to Deteriorate. Looking across the metrics, we see a continued sequential decay in Perf-vs-Plan, Pace of Business, Bookings Expectations, Technology Vision/Momentum, and tone of spending across Enterprise / Mid / Small Business segments. Momentum also downticked across most product categories and most notably in Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, Slack, Tableau, and Einstein. While our survey work has been downticking for several quarters now, the falloff is more pronounced this quarter, and aligns with our “Winter is Coming for Software” thesis. We have clearly expected to see downticks accumulating due to the confluence of rates & inflation, Fed tapering, stimulus withdrawal, recession talk, and the Russia-Ukraine war affecting business confidence. One advantage for Salesforce is that it saw the business environment turning and attempted to factor it in sooner than its peers, as it tried to de-risk 2H estimates back in August.
  3. Partners See Salesforce’s Growth Slowing to 12% and Bottoming Out in Late 2023. Assuming a recession scenario, partners expect Salesforce’s growth would slow to ~11-12% from 16% last quarter and to bottom out in late 2023 before recovering. We note that stocks typically bottom before fundamentals bottom, and thus there is a case to be made that we could begin to see a shift in sentiment ~spring/summer 2023, which we have called out in prior discussions.
  4. A Couple of Measures Improve or Show Relative Stability. After two quarters of downticking product momentum, MuleSoft is one of the few product categories to show a slight uptick in Q3, a trend to monitor in going forward as Salesforce looks to re-accelerate growth in that business. In addition, partners see practice growth of 14% for CY22, down a couple of points but suggesting relative resilience with preservation of double-digit growth for now.

Question: Please rate the following Salesforce products in terms of their momentum within your base of customers and prospects (5 = gaining significant momentum, 1 = losing significant momentum) (n=20) 

  • Industry Products, Experience Cloud, and Marketing Cloud secure the top 3 positions.  The Marketing Cloud indication is probably not reflecting GMV-based Commerce revenue streams, which are likely soft in the current environment.
  • Service Cloud, Sales Cloud, and Einstein (AI) showed the largest rate of deterioration relative to the prior quarter, which we believe could be reflective of digestion following amplified levels of spend on front-office modernization over the prior two years, as these initiatives were accelerated in the wake of the pandemic and currently being de-prioritized.
  • Integration Cloud (MuleSoft) improved slightly relative to the prior quarter, while product momentum scores across nearly all other major product categories deteriorated.
  • The average score across all products landed at 3.10, falling below the prior Q (3.30) and below with the LT historical average of 3.32.
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 28.11.2022

Partner Suggests Some Summer Slowness Extended into Fall, Although Strength in Pockets Remains Durable;

We are presenting our recent conversation with a Salesforce partner to provide a frontline view of the trends that we expect to drive fundamentals for Salesforce over the next 12–18 months. Key Takeaways: 

  1. Customers Remain Thoughtful on Spend; Macro Pressures Extend Into Fall. The partner indicated that “customers are definitely tightening their belts” amid rising macroeconomic pressures, which he believes is being reflected more in net-new purchases, coupled with rising deal scrutiny requiring more senior-level involvement for sign-off, thus ”slowing down [his firm’s] conversion cycle”. Partner feedback also reflected that some of the macro headwinds discussed by the company at its September Investor Day have continued into the fall, noting that “some of the summer slowdown has persisted”, while suggesting he has not seen a material reversal in the environment as the 2H has progressed. We believe some of these increased spending pressures are likely to manifest in Salesforce’s FQ3 (Oct ended) cRPO figure, reflected in our estimate for a ~3 point deceleration vs. FQ2 (Jul ended), though note that a large drag on this metric is likely to stem from incremental FX headwinds given the ongoing strengthening of the USD.
  2. Health Cloud Momentum Continues; Optimistic on Net Zero Cloud. Consistent with prior feedback from other partners and customers, the partner indicated that his firm continues to see success with Salesforce’s verticalized healthcare-oriented solutions, noting that “Health Cloud has been one of the strongest adopters” for his practice, and believes that a “huge under-penetrated install base” remains as use cases continue to evolve within this market. Within the financial services market, the partner noted seeing customers “heavily focused on optimization” as these businesses navigate company-specific demand issues, though sees potential for Salesforce’s Net Zero Cloud as a longerterm opportunity within the vertical amid rising SEC pressures on sustainability.
  3. Slack Continues to Face Competition from Deep Teams Install Base. The partner noted that while Salesforce “remains aggressive” on its Slack integrations, that Microsoft Teams continues to be the “gorilla in the room”, indicating that existing customers of Salesforce have been less responsive to picking up Slack given many already standardized on Teams during the pandemic. However, the partner shared that a potential avenue for new user adoption is through making the Customer 360 platform “nearly dependent” on Slack to maximize outcomes, which he believes could increase the relevancy of the Slack portfolio in future conversations with Salesforce customers.
  4. Genie in Early Innings; Sees Upsell Potential vs. New Growth Catalyst. Despite indicating that Salesforce’s new Genie product (announced at Dreamforce in Sept 2022) is taking a “standard CDP and making it better”, the partner remains relatively neutral on the runway for Genie, indicating that he is unsure of how much of a needle mover it will truly be in customer conversations. However, while the partner does not see it as a “ground breaking evolution”, he believes that it presents an attractive upsell opportunity.
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 09.11.2022

Deloitte Digital and Salesforce Collaborate to Help Create a More Diverse Workforce With Launch of Wave Training Program;

Deloitte Digital announced the rollout of Wave, a free training program which will expand on its commitment with Salesforce to help create more diverse workforces and launch career paths for racially and ethnically diverse individuals. The global training program, debuting first in the U.S. and expanding to the U.K. and other regions, will provide hands-on training opportunities that help bridge the gap between credentials and job offer extensions.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 19.09.2022

McKinsey and Salesforce forge new alliance to help organizations accelerate digital transformations;

“Together, Salesforce and McKinsey have created a powerful new way to support our joint customers in their digital transformation journeys—from ideation to value realization,” said Brian Millham, Salesforce President and COO. McKinsey global managing partner Bob Sternfels agrees. “The combination of McKinsey’s expert insights paired with Salesforce’s best-in-class technology allows us to help companies address their most urgent business challenges and drive sustainable, inclusive growth.”

==> www.mckinsey.com; 16.09.2022

Fujitsu, Salesforce Japan Collaborate on Personalized Healthcare Solutions ;

As the first step of their collaborations, Fujitsu and Salesforce Japan will establish new, transformative digital products for insurance companies and promote the broad use of personalized insurance products in Japan.  These personalized insurance-based solutions are designed to help resolve societal and economic issues, including health concerns related to various diseases, increased advanced medical care costs, and the cost of living during retirement.

==> www.thefastmode.com; 13.07.2022

Fujitsu, Salesforce team up for new digital solutions for insurers;

Fujitsu has partnered with Salesforce Japan, a customer relations management service company, to develop new digital solutions for the insurance sector. According to a press statement, the two companies aim to support insurance companies in their development of optimised insurance products based on medical and health data.

==> www.mobihealthnews.com; 24.06.2022

F4Q Survey - Despite Pullforward, Partners Expect Steady Growth In '22;
  • Partners Expect A Stabilization or Acceleration In Growth in '22 (F23). 54% of respondents expect a stabilization while 46% expect to see an acceleration. We believe this indicates that the digital transformation tailwinds are sustainable in '22, and we should not see a material digestion in the NT.
  • Most Partners Expect Their CRM Practices To Grow In '22. 88% expect their CRM practices to grow in 2022. 37% expect growth of 20%+ in '22. Chart 1. We believe the secular tailwinds towards front office digital transformation will result in sustainable growth in '22 despite the pullforward dynamics.
  • More Partners Attaining Their Plans. The net %, which is the total % above plan minus the total % below plan, was positive 20% this Q vs. positive 2% last Q. This is the highest net percentage we have seen in 11 Qs driven by fewer partners being below plan.

Question: Rank the following based on where you see the most opportunity in the next twelve months (11 being the most opportunity and 1 being the least)?

 

==> ; 24.02.2022

Salesforce Partner Survey: Salesforce Partners 4.4% Above Plan;

Key Takeaways

  1. Partners Finished 4.4% Above Plan on average, an improvement from last quarter and the best reading over the past six quarters of our survey. While still below the ~5% above-plan levels we occasionally saw prior to the pandemic, this metric suggests a healthy demand environment, improving every quarter since troughing in Q2 FY21, to close the year at a high.
  2. Positive CY22 Growth Assessment Works Against “Pull Forward” Thesis. We are impressed by the +21% first-blush expected growth in partner practices for 2022, which is well above the +18% first-blush read for 2021. Ex-outliers, the growth indication of +19% is roughly equivalent to the outlook from one year ago (+18%), suggesting stability rather than an insurmountable “digital digestion” period.
  3. Slight Upticks in Pace of Business, Bookings Expectation. We see stability or modest improvement in sentiment across most other metrics in our survey, including Bookings expectations, Technology Vision & Momentum and Pace of Business.
  4. Partners Envision 4.1 Years of Runway to Grow at least 15-20%. On average, partners expect salesforce to grow its revenue at least 15-20% for 4.1 years, an uptick from the prior quarter’s reading of 3.8 years, and supporting salesforce’s LT guidance of 17-19% growth through FY26 (CY25) provided in its latest analyst day.
  5. Partners Positive on Salesforce’s Industry Cloud, Recent Portfolio Additions. Partners highlight healthy product momentum in salesforce’s industry-specific suite of products, resulting in the highest product momentum score in this category to date. Consistent with our last quarter survey, partners remain positive on the product momentum within salesforce’s recent acquisitions, particularly in Slack, MuleSoft, and Tableau. Partners indicate salesforce being “ahead of the curve on acquisitions”, while “constantly upgrading and adding solutions to their various platforms”.

Question: In the most recent quarter (i.e. Nov/Dec/Jan) how did your organization perform versus its internal plan for salesforce.com business? (n=25)

==> ; 17.02.2022

Google, Salesforce, others team up to launch MVSP security baseline project;

Industry giants including Google and Salesforce have announced the creation of a “vendor-neutral” security baseline for businesses. Dubbed the ‘Minimum Viable Secure Product’ (MVSP), Google’s Royal Hansen, vice president of security, said in a blog post on Wednesday that the scheme will establish “minimum acceptable security baselines” for corporations. In particular, the project will focus on securing business-to-business software developers and businesses that outsource to suppliers.

==> portswigger.net; 29.10.2021

Digital River Teams With Salesforce to Launch B2B Commerce App;

Digital Rive has rolled out an integration with Salesforce Commerce Cloud to help users add a new checkout solution with more comprehensive protections, a press release says. The release says the new app will give B2B merchants the ability to work with Salesforce’s commerce capabilities alongside Digital River’s services for global payments, fraud, tax and compliance services.

==> www.pymnts.com; 12.10.2021

Alibaba Cloud and Salesforce plan to launch new commerce product;

Alibaba Cloud and Salesforce have announced they're working toward an agreement to launch Salesforce Social Commerce, a headless commerce product designed and built in China to help multinational brands succeed in the region. The new product is intended to help businesses unify data across their Chinese storefronts and offer integrations with key local systems. It will be hosted in China on Alibaba Cloud, one of the world's top three cloud providers and largest in APAC.

==> e-commercenews.co.nz; 21.09.2021

FedEx, Salesforce partner to help retailers step up their e-commerce game;

Salesforce will integrate its Commerce Cloud and Order Management tools with FedEx's logistics capabilities, helping retailers manage their supply chain and meet customer expectations for services like 2-day shipping. Salesforce and FedEx on Tuesday announced a new, multi-year partnership that will help retailers improve their digital sales and supply chain operations, with the aim of meeting rising customer expectations for e-commerce. The new partnership between Salesforce and FedEx aims to ease a range of challenges, from attracting new customers and optimizing inventory to managing fulfillment operations. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 14.09.2021

Salesforce and AWS expand partnership to launch integrations;

Salesforce today announced an expansion of its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that the companies say will make it easier for enterprises using Salesforce and AWS together to deploy business apps. In the near future, developers will be able to build apps by connecting Salesforce data and workflows into solutions on AWS, while Salesforce customers will be able to integrate AWS services with existing Salesforce apps.

==> venturebeat.com; 23.06.2021

Stripe announces new partnership with Salesforce;

he San Francisco-based fintech, which is led by Irish co-founders Patrick and John Collison, revealed that it will process payments for a new Salesforce service. The deal relates to Salesforce’s new Digital 360 platform, which brings together marketing, commerce and digital experience products to drive digital transformation in enterprises.

==> www.siliconrepublic.com; 24.09.2020

Siemens and Salesforce Partner to Deliver the Future Experience for Safe Workplaces ;

Salesforce and Siemens announced a strategic partnership to develop a new workplace technology suite that will support businesses globally to safely reopen and deliver the future experience for physical workplaces. The partnership will combine Salesforce’s Work.com, powered by Customer 360, and Siemens’ Smart Infrastructure solutions, including Comfy and Enlighted, to orchestrate the processes, people and things that are essential to creating safe, connected workplaces for the future.

==> www.enterpriseai.news; 23.06.2020

PwC, Google and Salesforce create community for Australian businesses, Project Spirit;

The Project Spirit community leverages Salesforce​’s #1 CRM to help companies of every size and across any industry, to better connect with other businesses and share resources using the Salesforce Customer 360 platform. Google will provide insights about what people are searching for during COVID-19 and its experience in creating helpful tools for Australian businesses. PwC will bring its power of connecting people, expertise and technology to help businesses solve their most important problems.

==> mumbrella.com.au; 10.06.2020

Workday Announces New Partnership with Salesforce to Help Organizations Safely Return to Work;

The companies will offer integrated solutions between Workday, the source of truth for real-time worker information and skills insights for today’s dynamic workforce, and Salesforce’s Work.com, an all-new suite of applications and advisory resources to help business and community leaders around the world reopen safely. The pairing will equip joint customers with rich, timely insights and tools to help them manage their workforce as businesses move further into a reopening strategy in the face of COVID-19.

==> www.globenewswire.com; 27.05.2020

Salesforce Enhances Partner Program;

Salesforce is introducing a new partnership model that includes a new program design, economic model, and greater product and industry expertise, all aimed at making it easier for consulting and agency partners and ISVs to collaborate and drive customer success.

==> www.channelnomics.com; 05.03.2020

Salesforce Backs Cloud Services Company AllCloud in $18 Million Round;

The round was led by Eastside Partners with participation from Salesforce Ventures, the venture arm of San Francisco-headquartered customer relations management company Salesforce.com Inc.

==> www.calcalistech.com; 17.12.2019

Salesforce, AWS expand partnership to bring Amazon Connect to Service Cloud;

Salesforce and AWS announced an expansion of their on-going partnership that actually goes back to a $400 million 2016 infrastructure services agreement, and expanded last year to include data integration between the two companies. This year, Salesforce announced it will be offering AWS telephony and call transcription services with Amazon Connect as part of its Service Cloud call center solution.

==> techcrunch.com; 19.11.2019

Offerings

Salesforce brings an AI-powered digital labor force to retailers ;

Salesforce Inc. is targeting retailers with its latest artificial intelligence innovations announced today, including a customized version of the Agentforce platform and a new product called Retail Cloud with Modern POS. The new tools will help to boost the productivity of store associates, digital merchants and customer service teams and help them to provide more personalized experiences, the company said.

==> siliconangle.com; 10.01.2025

AWS Introduces the Salesforce Contact Center with Amazon Connect;

AWS and Salesforce are previewing a new offering that integrates Amazon Connect’s communication channels into Salesforce Service Cloud, providing a unified platform for contact center as a service (CCaaS) and customer relationship management (CRM). This integration will streamline customer support by embedding voice, chat, SMS, and video capabilities directly into Salesforce, improving data sharing across departments and enabling AI-driven insights. The solution is expected to benefit businesses by reducing management burdens and enhancing multi-channel engagement, particularly for companies already using Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 10.10.2024

Salesforce unveils a pioneering suite of autonomous AI agents;

Salesforce introduced Agentforce, a suite of autonomous AI agents designed to handle tasks across service, sales, marketing, and commerce without human intervention. Organizations can customize and deploy these agents for various purposes, including data analysis, customer service, and decision-making, while utilizing real-time data to adapt to changes. Salesforce aims to scale Agentforce to one billion agents by 2025, emphasizing its enterprise readiness and integration across workflows.

==> futurecio.tech; 19.09.2024

Salesforce shapes industry-tailored AI strategy targeting 15 sectors ;

Salesforce launched an AI Use Case Library with over 100 AI-powered capabilities tailored to 15 industries, including healthcare, retail, and automotive. These tools, such as generative AI for complaint summaries and inventory checks, are integrated into Salesforce’s industry clouds and will be available by October 2024 and February 2025. The initiative aims to address complex, sector-specific challenges, providing more targeted AI solutions as the company expands its industry-focused offerings.

==> www.ciodive.com; 09.09.2024

Salesforce debuts gen AI benchmark for CRM;

Salesforce has launched a new generative AI benchmark for CRM to help businesses effectively select the right large language models (LLMs) for their specific needs. This evaluation tool assesses LLMs based on accuracy, cost, speed, and trust and safety, using real CRM data to provide practical insights. The goal is to enable companies to make informed choices that balance performance and cost without compromising on compliance or security.

==> www.cio.com; 18.06.2024

Salesforce open model AI strategy aims for trust, automation;

Salesforce is advancing its integration of generative AI into sales, marketing, and customer service applications by adopting a strategy they call "BYOLLM" (bring your own LLM), allowing users to either utilize Salesforce-developed models or introduce their own large language models (LLMs). This approach, spearheaded by Salesforce's senior vice president of AI, Jayesh Govindarajan, includes a trust layer that is model agnostic to ensure the safety and reliability of AI-generated outputs. By embedding generative AI into daily workflows, Salesforce aims to significantly boost productivity and effectiveness in these core areas, while emphasizing the importance of security and appropriate controls.

==> www.techtarget.com; 06.05.2024

Salesforce rolls out Tableau platform data updates and AI infrastructure improvements ;

Salesforce Inc. has announced enhancements to its Tableau Software platform, focusing on data visualization and AI infrastructure to improve data usability for analysts and scalability for artificial intelligence applications. The updates include integration with Salesforce's Hyperforce, providing global data residency and quicker access to data through multiple data centers, which supports the recent introduction of Einstein Copilot for Tableau. Additionally, Tableau has introduced quality-of-life improvements for chart building and presentations, such as Viz Extensions and a new Snakey extension, simplifying complex data visualization processes and enhancing the platform's overall capability to handle intricate data models and analytics workflows.

==> siliconangle.com; 30.04.2024

Salesforce announces AI and automation capabilities for public sector;

Salesforce has announced Public Sector Einstein 1 for Service, including CRM, trusted AI and data capabilities to help government employees automate administrative tasks and provide faster service to constituents. According to Salesforce, BCG estimates that generative AI could unlock a USD$1.75-trillion productivity opportunity annually across many functions and levels of government. However, 62% of IT decision-makers across industries, including those in the public sector, feel their organisation's data systems are not ready to leverage AI.

==> www.mediaupdate.co.za; 22.04.2024

Calvary partners with Salesforce to build digital platform;

Calvary has collaborated with Salesforce to develop a digital platform designed to improve connectivity within its operations and enhance the healthcare experience for its patients, clients, residents, donors, and staff. The Calvary Care System aims to provide a seamless transition of care services, allowing staff to efficiently adapt and tailor healthcare solutions. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to modernize healthcare delivery, with initial implementation in home care services, and plans to expand to residential aged care and hospital services nationally over the next five years.

==> www.hospitalhealth.com.au; 15.04.2024

Salesforce Announces Public Sector Einstein 1 for Service – Bringing CX Solutions to Government;

Salesforce has introduced the Public Sector Einstein 1 for Service, a new solution designed to enhance government customer service by integrating CRM, trusted AI, and advanced data capabilities to automate administrative tasks and improve constituent experiences. This solution includes features like GenAI for efficient case report generation and real-time call transcriptions, and leverages Salesforce's Data Cloud to consolidate data across various sectors, enabling personalized service offerings. The tool is aimed at simplifying the technology stack for public sector organizations, boosting employee productivity, and enhancing constituent engagement by reducing administrative burdens.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 11.04.2024

Salesforce expands AI features in Service Cloud ;

Salesforce Inc. is enhancing its Service Cloud with new artificial intelligence features to improve issue identification, recommend actions based on customer feedback, and facilitate quicker resolutions by customer service agents. Leveraging the updated Einstein 1 AI platform, these capabilities aim to unify customer service experiences, preventing customers from having to repeat information across departments. The AI will analyze conversation data to pinpoint common issues, generating support materials and suggesting resources in real-time across various communication channels. Additionally, generative AI will be employed to derive insights from customer interactions and create knowledge articles, with these updates expected to commence in the summer.

==> siliconangle.com; 25.03.2024

Salesforce launches ‘Pro Suite’ to capture more of the SMB market;

Salesforce has introduced the "Pro Suite" in its CRM lineup, aimed at small businesses seeking advanced functions beyond what the Starter tier offers. Priced at $100/month per user without a seat limit, the Pro Suite is designed to handle more complex business workflows and will soon include AI capabilities. This move is part of Salesforce's strategy to compete in the SMB segment against companies like Zoho and Hubspot, offering businesses a scalable solution from basic to enterprise levels.

==> venturebeat.com; 12.03.2024

Salesforce unveils AI healthcare platform Einstein 1;

Salesforce has launched the Einstein Copilot Platform, enhancing its Einstein 1 software with AI capabilities tailored for healthcare professionals. This innovation enables doctors to quickly generate comprehensive patient summaries, integrating essential information like medications and diagnoses, thus streamlining their workflow. The platform, which includes Einstein Copilot: Health Actions and an Assessment Generation tool, merges metadata management, unified data views, and generative AI to facilitate AI-driven processes and ensure data security and regulatory compliance. Set to be widely available by the end of the year, this development represents Salesforce's commitment to leveraging AI in healthcare to improve efficiency and patient care.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 07.03.2024

Salesforce innovations help scale clean energy programs;

Salesforce has launched its Clean Energy Program Management for Energy and Utilities Cloud, aiming to streamline the launch and management of energy efficiency, conservation, and EV charging programs for electric, gas, and water utilities. This new solution helps program managers quickly start and oversee new programs, increasing customer participation, and comes as the energy industry adapts to net-zero plans, offering tools to simplify sustainability programs amid policy changes. Kelly James, senior vice president at Salesforce, highlights the opportunity for utilities to guide customers toward a clean energy future using automation and partnerships, leveraging Salesforce's platform with AI, data, and CRM capabilities to drive efficiency and personalized experiences.

==> erp.today; 16.02.2024

Salesforce Introduces Slack AI;

Salesforce has unveiled Slack AI, an integrated generative artificial intelligence within the Slack collaboration platform, enabling users to access collective knowledge in Slack for AI-powered search, channel recaps, and thread summaries. CEO Denise Dresser emphasizes the transformational potential of Slack AI to enhance productivity and innovation, offering features like personalized search responses, channel highlights, and thread summaries. Future developments include native integration with Salesforce's Einstein Copilot, and partners are bringing AI functionality into Slack apps, such as PagerDuty Copilot for incident resolution and Perplexity for AI-powered insights subscription.

==> www.halifaxexaminer.ca; 15.02.2024

Salesforce releases new generative AI tools at NRF;

Salesforce has unveiled generative AI tools aimed at assisting retailers in enhancing productivity and conversions, particularly for those hesitant about implementing the new technology. Leveraging the recently introduced Einstein 1 platform, the tools use large language models with retail data to create generative apps and automation. The offerings include Page Designer for building web pages, Return Insights Tool for minimizing returns based on generative AI analysis, and Inventory Insights tool for real-time inventory information, with additional insights like customer demographics and product bundles available in summer 2024.

==> www.digitalcommerce360.com; 15.01.2024

Salesforce announces updated unstructured data capabilities for its AI and CRM platform ;

Salesforce has introduced significant updates to its Data Cloud, allowing companies to incorporate unstructured data such as PDFs, emails, audio, and social media content into artificial intelligence-driven experiences. These enhancements aim to improve Einstein Copilot, Salesforce's generative AI assistant, by giving it access to both structured and unstructured data, enhancing customer experiences and AI responses. The inclusion of unstructured data in Data Cloud is made possible by vector database support, which enables automatic conversion of various data types for analysis and insights across the Salesforce platform.

==> siliconangle.com; 14.12.2023

Salesforce moves to reinvent customer service experiences with generative AI ;

Salesforce has launched a new application called Service Intelligence within its Service Cloud, powered by its hyperscale data engine, Data Cloud. This AI-driven offering streamlines customer service for agents and managers, providing a customizable dashboard for an at-a-glance view of essential metrics, enabling more informed decisions and enhancing customer satisfaction. The Einstein Conversation Mining capability analyzes customer conversations to identify trends and pressing customer issues, while upcoming features include Einstein Copilot for conversational AI assistance and Customer Effort Score for a holistic view of service experience difficulty.

==> siliconangle.com; 16.11.2023

Salesforce announces automotive cloud innovations for connected cars;

Salesforce has introduced Automotive Cloud innovations to accelerate the development of connected cars through data and AI. This platform enables automotive companies to deliver personalized in-car experiences, streamline fleet management, and simplify auto lending and leasing. Salesforce's innovations include connected vehicle visualization, providing real-time visualization of a vehicle's connected features, and actionable telematics to monitor telematics data, all powered by Salesforce Data Cloud to securely connect data from various sources for a unified, real-time data foundation.

==> ; 08.11.2023

Salesforce unveils Life Sciences Cloud for pharma organizations;

Salesforce has announced Life Sciences Cloud, a secure platform for pharmaceutical and medical technology organizations to help them speed up drug and device development, enlist and retain patients across the clinical trial journey and leverage AI to deliver personalized experiences. Salesforce partners, Accenture and Deloitte Digital will bring their implementation support and global industry expertise to help Salesforce accelerate Life Sciences Cloud. Amit Khanna, SVP and GM, health and life sciences, Salesforce, said: “The life sciences industry requires integrated, compliant and trusted solutions – powered by data, AI and CRM – to deliver stronger stakeholder engagement from R&D through commercialization.

==> erp.today; 25.10.2023

Salesforce announces new AI and automation capabilities for Slack;

Salesforce will begin executing on earlier promises to add AI-powered capabilities to the collaboration platform Slack which it acquired just over two years ago. The headline announcement, Slack AI, will be in pilot this winter. Salesforce also announced Slack Lists and Slack Workflow Builder. Slack AI will offer generative AI capabilities directly within the Slack workflow. Based on user prompts, Slack AI will generate not only relevant messages and channels but also create a summary of the information they contain. The capability will also generate recaps of channel highlights and create summaries of threads.

==> martech.org; 07.09.2023

Salesforce Sees Its AI Prospects Grow With Einstein Studio And BYOM;

In the ping pong match of generative AI announcements, it’s once again Salesforce’s turn to make a stir. This past week, the company announced its newest venture, Einstein Studio, which allows users to “BYOM”—bring your own model—to the generative AI sphere. With Einstein Studio, customers can use Salesforce’s custom AI models or their own custom AI models to gain greater insights form their internal, proprietary company data. 

==> www.forbes.com; 10.08.2023

Salesforce Announces Pricing for Generative AI Services;

Salesforce has unveiled the pricing for its new generative AI services, including Service GPT, Sales GPT, and Einstein GPT Trust Layer. These AI solutions aim to enhance productivity and provide personalized customer interactions. Service GPT, available immediately, offers features for generating automated responses to customer queries and summarizing customer cases and interactions. This AI service is included in Service Cloud Einstein and is priced at $50 per user/month. Along with the purchase, companies also receive a set number of Einstein GPT credits. The price mentioned refers to the U.S. market.

==> fagenwasanni.com; 26.07.2023

Salesforce updates its Commerce Cloud with digital commerce capabilities;

Salesforce is adding new features to its Commerce Cloud that will help organizations embed digital commerce capabilities into sales, service, or marketing processes to drive more revenue, the company said on Tuesday. The Commerce Cloud is a product suite aimed at helping organizations create unified buying experiences for their customers across channels, including mobile, social, and web. The suite consists of multiple products such as B2C Commerce, B2B Commerce, Order Management, Commerce Marketplace, and Payments.

==> www.cio.com; 25.07.2023

Salesforce announces SlackGPT;

Salesforce has announced it will launch a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, SlackGPT, for users of its messaging app, Slack. Slack GPT will add conversational AI functionality to Slack’s messaging app. The chatbot feature will access customer data insights to deliver AI-powered conversational summaries and writing assistance, as well as workflow assistance which will provide prompts at each step. The company claims that Slack GPT will significantly improve enterprise employee productivity.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 04.05.2023

Salesforce announces Einstein GPT for field service ;

The Einstein GPT AI can summarize reports and guide customers to service their own equipment on the Field Service mobile app. Salesforce’s Einstein GPT and Data Cloud are now available in beta in the Field Service app, giving field service workers access to artificial intelligence features such as real-time data, automation and summarization.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 25.04.2023

Salesforce breaks data barriers for healthcare with new Customer 360 innovations;

Salesforce has launched new data cloud, AI and automation capabilities to expand its Customer 360 for Health enterprise platform. With the latest innovations, Salesforce is looking to bridge this gap in care and enable healthcare providers to deliver more personalized treatment experiences in real time — while also reducing operational costs.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.04.2023

Salesforce rolls out NFT tools to help businesses embrace Web3 ;

Salesforce Inc. today announced it’s rolling out its digital collectibles platform for Web3 branded nonfungible tokens in a limited release so that brands can more readily embrace the decentralized technology and build loyalty programs.

==> siliconangle.com; 15.03.2023

Salesforce to Launch ChatGPT Alternative Across Platform ;

Another tech firm is jumping on the AI bandwagon, with Salesforce announcing that it would incorporate its own iteration of ChatGPT into its customer relationship management (CRM) software. As the most popular CRM in the world, it's safe to assume that this kind of tech would benefit Salesforce users, which is why the company has announced plans to launch its own iteration of the tool.

==> tech.co; 07.03.2023

Salesforce Expands Hyperforce Across European Union Operating Zone;

The expansion of Hyperforce across the European Union Operating Zone enables customers to leverage Salesforce’s cloud-based solutions while complying with local data privacy and security regulations. The new platform will provide customers with enhanced control over their data, ensuring it is always kept secure and protected. The move is part of Salesforce’s ongoing efforts to provide customers with innovative solutions that drive growth, improve productivity and enhance customer experience.

==> readitquik.com; 07.03.2023

Salesforce announces its own ChatGPT-style AI product that can close deals;

Marc Benioff doesn't have to be an Einstein to know that AI has been a hot topic of late and a major boon to companies' share prices. The Salesforce CEO tweeted Wednesday that the company will soon offer its own AI tool, EinsteinGPT, on its customer resource management platform that can generate leads and close deals. The move is an obvious response to other Big Tech heavyweights that have fully leaned in to generative AI.

==> www.bizjournals.com; 08.02.2023

Salesforce introduces new innovations for Patient 360 for Health;

Salesforce has announced its new Patient 360 for Health innovations, which will help deliver cost savings and improve patient care.To do this the new innovations use automation, real-time data and personalised intelligence, and position the patient at the centre of everything. Healthcare and life science organisations will be supported to deliver comprehensive patient success and equitable care with improved efficiency.

==> www.digitalhealth.net; 28.11.2022

Salesforce Joins Hands with Tableau to Provide Cloud-based Analytics Solutions;

Salesforce announced the launch of Analytics Bundle, a self-service platform which will help companies consolidate their analytic tools. The new platform, built with Tableau, an analytics platform, is aimed at increasing customer efficiency by empowering them with tools to attain real-time insights and make decisions swiftly.

==> analyticsindiamag.com; 16.11.2022

Salesforce launches Patient 360 for Health;

Salesforce this past week announced the launch of a new customer relationship management product that works with existing electronic health records. While Patient 360 for Health is new, Advanced Recovery Systems, bluebird bio and John Muir Health have already used the new healthcare capabilities built for the 360 platform on Salesforce's health cloud.

==> www.healthcareitnews.com; 14.11.2022

Salesforce seeks jaunty lift with Automotive Cloud launch ;

Salesforce has automakers, dealers, and automotive finance groups and their customers in its sights with the unveiling of the new product Automotive Cloud. Automotive Cloud is powered by Driver 360 and uses industry-specific automation, intelligence and real-time analytics across the customer and vehicle life cycle.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 13.10.2022

Salesforce lets Genie out of the bottle;

Salesforce has launched data lake and streaming software to help clients bring together customer data in real time.According to the SaaS vendor, Genie is a hyperscale real-time data platform that powers the entire Salesforce Customer 360 platform. It is based on Hyperforce, the public cloud service co-CEO Bret Taylor once said was the most significant technological shift since the company's inception. It currently runs on AWS.

==> www.theregister.com; 21.09.2022

Salesforce will launch carbon credit marketplace ;

The Net Zero Marketplace will officially launch in October at the VERGE 22 conference in San Jose, representing 90 projects from project developers Climate Impact Partners, Cloverly, Lune, Pachama, Respira International and South Pole. Calyx Global and Sylvera will provide the third-party ratings using independent verification methodologies. The platform is built on Salesforce's Commerce Cloud, which integrates directly with the Salesforce Net Zero Cloud sustainability management software application. But even businesses that are not customers of Salesforce can purchase credits through the platform, the company said. 

==> www.greenbiz.com; 20.09.2022

Salesforce launches simplified CRM to help customers ‘do more with less';

Salesforce has unveiled a trimmed down version of its popular CRM service, in an effort to help businesses increase efficiency and cut costs amid economic uncertainty. The defining feature of the new Salesforce Easy platform is the ability to sample and purchase different Salesforce components on a flexible basis, which the company says will allow customers to tune their deployment in line with their specific needs.

==> www.techradar.com; 24.08.2022

Salesforce expands cloud portfolio with new Easy CRM offering ;

One way Salesforce’s new Easy CRM offering is aimed at simplifying the task of adopting its CRM platform is by streamlining customer onboarding. According to the company, Easy CRM provides self-service buying options designed to make the initial signup process faster. After customers sign up for Salesforce’s CRM platform, they can configure their deployments through what the company describes as a three-click setup workflow. 

==> siliconangle.com; 22.08.2022

After two years in development, Salesforce launches its web-based IDE in beta;

Regular TechCrunch readers might recall that, roughly two years ago (in June 2020), Salesforce made waves with the announcement of Code Builder, a web-based integrated development environment (IDE) modeled after GitHub Codespaces. Mum had been the word since then, but today, Salesforce unceremoniously dropped the beta for Code Builder, which the company describes in a blog post as having evolved into “a development environment optimized for Salesforce.”

==> techcrunch.com; 14.07.2022

Salesforce expands offerings for financial service providers;

The new offering, “Salesforce for Financial Services,” provides more targeted and trusted automation and artificial intelligence (AI) provided by CRM platform Client 360 to help teams access insights, deliver excellent customer service, and drive operational efficiencies – whether they deal directly with customers, underwrite loans, or manage administrative duties.

==> www.insurancebusinessmag.com; 28.06.2022

Salesforce expands Flow Automation Suite;

Salesforce Flow (Credit image/Pixabay/Gerd Altmann)Salesforce has made new innovations in Salesforce Flow its suite of automation technologies. The company says the innovations will help customers quickly automate any complex business process on the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform. Built on it’s low-code platform, Flow delivers business value fast by empowering people, simplifying processes, and integrating systems.

==> www.enterprisetimes.co.uk; 03.05.2022

Salesforce extends Flow automations across Mulesoft, Slack and Tableau;

Salesforce is expanding its process automation tool Flow to enable a wider range of workflows and process automations to be built and triggered from across its large family of enterprise applications. Now, since acquiring the integration specialist Mulesoft, chat application Slack and the data visualization tool Tableau, the company is extending Flow to work across all of these applications. Salesforce is also looking to add robotic process automation capabilities later this year, which should provide more intelligent automations, such as suggesting a data source or the next best action to take.

==> www.cio.com; 28.04.2022

Salesforce unveils new marketing cloud and CDP features;

Salesforce has unveiled an updated and renamed customer data platform (CDP) and other new features in its marketing cloud suite. During the Salesforce World Tour in Sydney, the cloud-based giant announced it has rebranded its CDP from Salesforce CDP to Customer Data Platform to help marketers “create a single source of truth”. The company has highlighted new CDP innovations including, streaming insights and data actions where marketers can capture near real-time data signals such as a new customer, a recent product transaction, or payment issue, to trigger workflow events.

==> www.itnews.com.au; 07.04.2022

Salesforce expands Commerce Cloud in a bid to help retailers grappling with complexity;

Salesforce is positioning its Commerce Cloud as a ‘composable platform’ that allows retailers to adapt their systems to meet customers where they are. Salesforce is expanding its Commerce Cloud with a number of new partnerships and features that essentially surmount to the idea of a ‘headless commerce platform'. The aim is to be as composable as possible, whilst offering flexibility and choice for buyers, so that they can adapt to their individual market and customer needs. 

==> diginomica.com; 21.01.2022

Salesforce Announces Tools for Social Commerce;

Salesforce debuted several new innovations and partnerships it will use to help companies support social commerce capabilities and connect data across platforms. Salesforce will also import social commerce tools for China through Alibaba Cloud, giving merchants a better handle on order management, product information and shipping providers. 

==> www.pymnts.com; 13.01.2022

Salesforce announces new AI-powered workflows in Service Cloud;

Salesforce has announced new AI-powered workflows and contact centre innovations in Service Cloud, aimed at powering better experiences for service agents and their customers. The new workflows enable customer service teams to predict, route and solve customer needs — in some instances before the customer is even aware a problem exists. As well as this, new digital contact centre innovations for video, chat, voice and workforce engagement offer enhanced experiences for customers and service teams. 

==> itbrief.com.au; 10.09.2021

Salesforce beefs up Service Cloud with new automation features;

Salesforce today announced new AI-powered automation and digital channel technologies for Service Cloud to power features for service agents and customers. The first set of tools aims to predict, route, and solve customer needs, while the second set — voice, video, and text capabilities for digital contact centers — let customers reach out in the most convenient channel for them.

==> venturebeat.com; 09.09.2021

Salesforce unveils Sales Cloud features for digital channels;

Salesforce announced new Sales Cloud features designed to provide customers with AI-powered insights and self-service options. The capabilities come on the heels of tighter Slack integration with Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform, as well as an expanded partnership between Salesforce and Amazon to launch integrations and no-code applications.

==> venturebeat.com; 01.09.2021

Salesforce updates Health Cloud, highlights surround electronic health record strategy;

The updates -- HIPAA compliance for Salesforce Maps, B2C Commerce and Salesforce Order Management, medication management, appointment management and remote patient exception monitoring -- appear incremental on the surface. But these additions do illustrate Salesforce's strategy for Health Cloud and industries overall, including financial services and media. Reference customers of the new additions to Health Cloud include Humana, Penn State Health and Bon Secours Mercy Health.

==> www.zdnet.com; 09.08.2021

Salesforce launches cross channel planning platform for advertising inventory;

Salesforce has launched its Advertising Sales Management for Media Cloud, a new industry-specific application for managing cross-channel advertising sales. With Advertising Sales Management, cross-channel planning and execution, automated client reporting and campaign optimisation converge in a single platform. The company says it will help drive revenue for publishers.

==> www.enterprisetimes.co.uk; 19.07.2021

Salesforce announces new releases with low code tools for app development;

The company empowers interactive app development, automation, elastic computing, DevOps, AI-driven data protection and identity management to help anyone build apps while enabling IT governance, scale and trust. The upgraded platform includes low-code tools for interactive app development and automation, as well as new elastic computing, AI-driven data protection, identity management and DevOps capabilities to help teams drive business outcomes fast. 

==> www.itp.net; 10.07.2021

Salesforce's Tableau launches new data analytics suite with AI enhancements;

Tableau has beefed up its data analytics software by blending in artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, the Salesforce unit announced the release of Tableau 2021.2 with a variety of new capabilities designed to help people make smarter and faster decisions based on available data. In a blog post published last week, Tableau described the new features and what they offer to customers.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 30.06.2021

Salesforce announces more tools for low-code development;

Salesforce laid out the roadmap for a series of tools it's adding to its platform over the next year for low-code development. As digital capabilities become integral for businesses, low-code tools can help organizations step up application development without spending significantly more on IT. The new Salesforce tools help users build apps, add critical elements like identity, track and manage changes more easily and automate data compliance, among other things. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.06.2021

Salesforce expands Work.com to move more formally into HR services;

More than a year after launching Work.com for post-pandemic planning, Salesforce is using the platform to formally move into the HR and "employee experience" market. The latest iteration of the platform puts Salesforce more directly in competition with other SaaS vendors with HCM products, like Workday and Oracle -- all cloud companies aiming to help organizations move to new models of hybrid work.

==> www.zdnet.com; 17.06.2021

Salesforce adds investment, corporate banking tools to Financial Services Cloud;

Salesforce has added corporate and investment banking tools to its Financial Services Cloud as well as integrations with Tableau so bankers can manage client relationships, analyze deals and share sensitive information.The additions to Financial Services Cloud highlight how Salesforce is targeting industries as well as combining Tableau's analytics and visualization tools into deals. In Salesforce's first quarter, Tableau was included in 8 of the company's top 10 deals.

==> www.zdnet.com; 09.06.2021

Salesforce boosts customer data platform strategy as rivals circle;

Salesforce today announced AI enhancements enabled by the Einstein platform integration with its customer data platform (CDP), just as rivals large and small are making similar investments. Salesforce is also tightening integration between the ecommerce cloud platform and the CDP, as well as making it possible to segment audiences in real time based on factors like membership status, loyalty tier, and points balance.

==> venturebeat.com; 02.06.2021

Salesforce launches employee upskilling toolkit for businesses;

Salesforce today announced the launch of Salesforce Learning Paths, which surfaces personalized learning content directly in Salesforce, enabling employees to learn in the flow of work. Salesforce Learning Paths will become generally available and free to all Salesforce customers this summer, when MyTrailhead customers gain the ability to integrate custom content into Salesforce.

==> venturebeat.com; 28.04.2021

Salesforce lays out its Cloud 3.0 strategy;

Since last fall, Salesforce has been busy planning out how to enhance its digital roadmap. Most recently, in late March, Salesforce launched the next generation of Sales Cloud 360, aimed at helping sales organizations of all sizes boost revenue and increase productivity in a digital-first selling world. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 14.04.2021

Salesforce updates Sales Cloud for more digital, data-driven sales;

Salesforce on Wednesday announced a series of updates to the Sales Cloud, designed to help sales forces that increasingly rely on data and digital interactions to close deals. Some of the new capabilities include Pipeline Inspection for tracking week-by-week Pipeline changes, as well as the full integration of Trailhead (Salesforce's online learning platform) to help onboard new sales reps. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 24.03.2021

Salesforce rolls out Rebate Management tool for B2B sales;

Salesforce on Tuesday is rolling out Rebate Management, a new tool for companies that use distributor networks to sell their products. Rebate Management promises to give all employees at a company visibility into rebate programs, integrating out-of-the-box into any Salesforce product. It also gives channel partners insight into how they're benefitting from rebate programs. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 02.03.2021

Salesforce Introduces Loyalty Management to Help Drive More Meaningful Customer Loyalty Experiences ;

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, today announced Loyalty Management, a new product for companies across industries, including retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, travel and hospitality, to increase customer trust and engagement. Built on the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform, Loyalty Management allows companies to build intelligent loyalty programs for both B2B and B2C customers with a flexible, configurable and quickly deployable solution that fits their specific needs. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 12.01.2021

Salesforce announces new Service Cloud workforce planning tool;

With a pandemic raging across many parts of the world, many companies have customer service agents spread out as well, creating a workforce management nightmare. It wasn’t easy to manage and route requests when CSAs were in one place, it’s even harder with many working from home. To help answer that problem Salesforce is developing a new product called Service Cloud Workforce Engagement. Bill Patterson, EVP and general manager for CRM Applications at Salesforce, points out that with these workforces spread out, it’s a huge challenge for management to distribute work and keep up with customer volume, especially as customers have moved online during COVID.

==> techcrunch.com; 02.12.2020

Salesforce announces Digital 360;

Salesforce has announced Digital 360, bringing together key components and new innovations in the Salesforce Customer 360 platform to help digital leaders transform their customer engagement and accelerate growth in the all-digital, work-from-anywhere world. Digital 360 combines Salesforce’s industry-leading Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Experience Cloud to give customers a scalable, data-driven, single source of truth for personalising customer experiences in today’s all-digital world—from marketing emails and timely ads to online shopping and curbside pickup. 

==> www.itp.net; 26.09.2020

Salesforce Announces GA Service Cloud Voice;

The customer experience solution Service Cloud Voice with Amazon Connect, is now generally available. The service, which was originally announced as part of Dreamforce 2019, brings together digital channels, voice, and CRM data for a complete unified console. With the Service Cloud Voice experience, whenever a phone call routes to an agent, it appears within that agent’s workspace. Salesforce and AWS are working together to offer Amazon Connect for pre-integrated telephony, so that companies can quickly and effectively jump into their digital transformation strategies.

==> www.uctoday.com; 11.08.2020

Salesforce beendet Data Recovery;

Zum 31. Juli 2020 stellt Salesforce sein kostenpflichtiges Zusatz-Feature Salesforce Data Recovery ein. Der Dienst, der früher unter dem Namen "Salesforce Data Restoration" angeboten wurde, war als letzte Rettung gedacht, um - aus welchen Gründen auch immer - verlorengegangene oder versehentlich gelöschte Salesforce-Daten wiederherzustellen. Er bot damit eine Möglichkeit, die in der Verantwortung der Kunden liegende Sicherung der Daten vorzunehmen. Um Daten zu sichern, müssen Salesforce-Kunden auf Angebote Dritter zurückgreifen.

==> www.channelpartner.de; 24.07.2020

Salesforce augments its Marketing Cloud suite with new automation tools;

​Salesforce has announced its plans to roll out three new Marketing Cloud product updates which aim to facilitate working from home for enterprise marketing teams. The updates include three AI-focused innovations to its Interaction Studio, four new features in the enterprise edition of Pardot, as well as a new Datorama integration with Tableau.

==> www.cloudpro.co.uk; 17.07.2020

Salesforce announces a new mobile collaboration tool for sales called Anywhere;

Salesforce introduced a new tool today at the Trailheadx Conference called Salesforce Anywhere that’s designed to let teams collaborate and share data wherever they happen to be. Salesforce VP of product, Michael Machado says that the company began thinking about the themes of working from anywhere pre-COVID. As the pandemic took hold and the company saw how important collaboration was becoming in a digital context, the idea of an app like this took on a new sense of urgency.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.06.2020

Salesforce, MuleSoft, and Tableau Unleash COVID-19 Data and Dev Resources;

Salesforce, along with its subsidiaries MuleSoft and Tableau, recently launched a collection of tools designed to aid organizations in the development of safe back-to-work strategies and emergency response projects in an effort to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These new offerings include a COVID-19 Data Platform and a Crisis Response Developer Portal.

==> www.programmableweb.com; 12.06.2020

Salesforce Commerce Cloud releases four quick-start pandemic business packs;

Salesforce Commerce Cloud CEO Mike Micucci says that they were hearing from customers they needed help. Salesforce decided to build four packages of services very quickly for customers specifically designed to help conduct business during COVID-19. The company even has SI partners who will run everything for the first three months, so these businesses don’t have to do much of anything except turn the key (so to speak).

==> techcrunch.com; 21.05.2020

Salesforce Taps AI to Streamline Communication During COVID-19;

To help the public and private sector establish a more effective supply-chain management system in response to COVID-19, today Salesforce Labs--a program that lets Salesforce employees share solutions they’ve created--is launching the Supplyforce Bot on Salesforce AppExchange, the world’s leading enterprise cloud marketplace. The solution is designed to help transportation and logistics companies provide their transportation workers with assistance in real-time and more effectively communicate their status. 

==> www.sdcexec.com; 11.05.2020

Salesforce rolls out new low-code features for Lightning App Builder;

Salesforce on Thursday rolled out two new low-code features for Lightning App Builder, the point-and-click tool customers can use to create custom pages for the Salesforce app. The new features, Dynamic Forms and Dynamic Actions, are designed to help users build forms and pages that are event-driven and change in real time. Salesforce says they come highly requested.  

==> www.zdnet.com; 07.05.2020

Salesforce Announces Work.com to Help Businesses and Communities Safely Reopen ;

 Salesforce announced Work.com – new technology solutions and resources to help business and community leaders around the world reopen safely, re-skill employees and respond efficiently on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Work.com includes new solutions to accelerate private and public sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including employee wellness assessment; shift management; contact tracing; emergency response management; and grants and volunteer management.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 03.05.2020

Salesforce extends free access to its tools for SMEs;

Salesforce has launched its “Salesforce Cares for Small Business” initiative, which allows SMEs to have a 90-day free access to its digital tools. SMEs will be able to access the Salesforce Essentials CRM tool and analytics platform Tableau, which Salesforce acquired last year. The software company is also offering free support, coaching, and guidance to help businesses successfully deploy and use its tools.

==> www.marketing-interactive.com; 16.04.2020

Salesforce Integrates Lition’s Blockchain into Its CRM Platform;

Salesforce continues to expand its offerings and to add more features, such as Lition’s blockchain, to its CRM platform. In an official announcement from Lition, the blockchain company says that the development will expand access to the Lition blockchain, leveraging on Salesforce’s status as the most popular CRM platform in the world.

==> www.coinspeaker.com; 10.04.2020

As Salesforce builds up industry-specific focus, Health Cloud gets new features;

Salesforce on Monday announced a series of new capabilities and features for Health Cloud, its patient and customer relationship platform for the healthcare and life sciences industry. The expanded features come as Salesforce continues to build up its industry-specific offerings. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 09.03.2020

Salesforce Announces New Tools For Developers On Commerce Cloud;

Salesforce is planning to boost developer experience on commerce cloud and create a one-stop community for all developers to share their knowledge and resources.  The goal behind the new tools is to make it easier for programmers to build advanced applications in a headless system. To make this possible, Salesforce introduced new APIs that allow developers to use features built into the commerce cloud platform.

==> www.forbes.com; 25.02.2020

Salesforce announces new tools to boost developer experience on Commerce Cloud;

What that means is that developers can separate the content from the design and management of the site, allowing companies to change either component independently. To help with this goal, Salesforce announced some new and enhanced APIs that enable developers to take advantage of features built into the Commerce Cloud platform without having to build them from scratch. 

==> techcrunch.com; 13.01.2020

Salesforce wants to bring voice to the workplace;

At its annual Dreamforce mega-conference in San Francisco, Salesforce today introduced the next steps in its Einstein Voice project, which it first announced last year. Einstein Voice is the company’s AI voice assistant. You can think of it as Salesforce’s Alexa or Google Assistant, but with a more focused mission.

==> techcrunch.com; 19.11.2019

Salesforce just announced a bunch of new tools to help businesses know everything about their customers across sales, service, and marketing;

Salesforce is doubling down on its goal of helping businesses get a "360 degree view" of their customers with new announcements at its annual Dreamforce mega-conference in San Francisco. The key announcement is a new tool called Customer 360 Data Manager. The tool will make it easy for users to create a single ID to identify their customers across all of their devices, and across the sales, service, and marketing departments. 

==> www.businessinsider.de; 19.11.2019

Salesforce launches Salesforce CMS to meld content, data across screens, enterprises;

Salesforce launched a content management system to meld data, content and personalization in a central location and then deliver it to multiple screens. According to Salesforce, Salesforce CMS is a hybrid CMS that allows content creators to draft content and then syndicate to external systems as well as across Salesforce to hit commerce sites, mobile apps, desktops and other screens.

==> www.zdnet.com; 07.11.2019

Deals

McLaren Racing and Salesforce sign a multi-year partnership;

Today, McLaren Racing announced that it will partner with Salesforce, the global customer relationship management (CRM) leader, as an Official Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team. The partnership will deliver unique connected experiences on and off the track, helping to strengthen fan engagement and attract new audiences.

==> www.thepaddockmagazine.com; 21.03.2023

Salesforce targets UK public sector with MoU;

The Crown Commercial Service has announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Salesforce. The intent is to negotiate a discount for the delivery of solutions across the government. The announcement comes a year after it signed a similar MoU with Workday for the provision of its financial and HCM solutions. Both MoUs were signed to help accelerate the digitisation of government services and migrate to cloud-based solutions.

==> www.enterprisetimes.co.uk; 02.08.2022

Salesforce to revolutionise Formula 1’s fan engagement and accelerate its sustainability efforts with 5-year partnership;

Formula 1 announced that Salesforce will join as a Global Partner to power and grow fan engagement for the most prestigious motor racing competition. In addition, Formula 1 will work with Salesforce to gain actionable insights from Formula 1’s carbon footprint, helping to accelerate our mission to reach net zero emissions by 2030. Both efforts will further strengthen F1 fans’ connection to the sport and sustainability efforts, creating long lasting and loyal relationships worldwide.

==> corp.formula1.com; 05.04.2022

Bose Turns Up the Volume on Digital Customer Experiences with Salesforce;

Salesforce announced that Bose, a leader in premium audio products, will deploy Salesforce Customer 360 to expand its robust direct-to-consumer business, providing personalized and tailored experiences that delight customers and build loyalty. Specifically, Bose will deploy Marketing Cloud to streamline interactions across channels and deliver a personalized experience for customers; Service Cloud to empower agents to deliver world-class customer service and elevate the brand experience through Service Cloud Voice; Commerce Cloud to accelerate revenue growth and drive digital sales; MuleSoft to connect Bose's back-end systems; and Einstein to drive hyper-personalization across channels.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 05.04.2022

Seven signs with Salesforce for Media Cloud, updates Code 7;

Seven West Media has signed-up with Salesforce to implement the Salesforce CRM and Salesforce Media Cloud for ad trading across the Seven Network and other platforms. Chief revenue officer, Kurt Burnette, said Seven West Media had done an extensive Request For Proposal, and had chosen Salesforce, on the basis it had “delivered in other parts of the world”. As part of the of the transition Seven will be evolving its audience automation solution, Code 7, with the launch of Code 7+, a digital and broadcast converged media trading platform, leveraging the CRM technology from Salesforce.

==> mumbrella.com.au; 12.10.2021

Accenture and Salesforce Team Up with Mastercard to Deepen its Sustainability Efforts ;

Accenture and Salesforce are enhancing Mastercard’s ability to measure and analyze carbon emissions across its value chain. By using Salesforce Sustainability Cloud, Mastercard is gaining comprehensive insights around the emissions of its suppliers, helping it to work more effectively with the organizations in its partner network to take meaningful climate action. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 17.09.2021

Aramex to digitally transform customer experiences with Salesforce;

Aramex on Wednesday announced that it will go live with Salesforce CRM, a customized digital solution from Salesforce. The latest digital upgrade, Aramex’s largest in 2021, is set to fully transform and further enhance customer service levels by enriching customers experiences.

==> www.khaleejtimes.com; 04.08.2021

Salesforce wins Disney Studios contract to overhaul digital workflows;

Salesforce has secured a high profile partnership with Disney Content Studios which will use the platform to support marketers and filmmakers for both streaming and theatrical content. The cost of the deal has not been disclosed, or the length of the partnership, but Disney's StudioLAB will use technology from the Salesforce Customer 360 suite, which includes apps for marketing and commerce. The deal will initially focus on streamlining production and marketing by developing digital workflows, performance analysis to inform 'executive decision-making', and the deployment of software that allows studio personnel to access workflows from any device.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 07.05.2021

Salesforce Aids Sonos In Digital Transformation;

Salesforce (CRM) revealed that Sonos, a sound experience company, is using Salesforce software to transform its digital shopping capabilities and deliver more personalized customer experiences. CRM shares increased 1.1% to close at $230.56 on April 21.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 22.04.2021

Coca-Cola Bottlers in North America Partner with Salesforce to Power Digital Transformation;

Salesforce announced that Coca-Cola bottlers in North America have partnered with Salesforce to digitally transform its contact center and field service operations. The largest bottlers of the Coca-Cola system in the US —through their IT Shared Services Provider CONA Services LLC (Coke One North America) —will deploy Salesforce Consumer Goods Cloud to help streamline operations at contact centers across their territories and provide a 360-degree view of the customer.

==> martechseries.com; 11.02.2021

Ferguson Selects Salesforce to Power its Digital Transformation ;

Salesforce today announced that Ferguson has selected Salesforce to power its digital transformation. Ferguson will leverage the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform to gain a single source of truth and complete view of its commercial and residential customers wherever they are engaging with the company—whether online, in the showroom or plumbing counter, or on the phone—to better track and manage their projects from anywhere.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 08.02.2021

Humana taps Salesforce Health Cloud to launch coordinated care platform;

Today Humana announced a multiyear partnership to launch its new care coordination platform, the Enterprise Clinical Operating Model, using the Salesforce Health Cloud. The Humana platform will facilitate integrated care coordination between its members, care teams and provider communities wherever people receive care. Salesforce's software integrates into electronic health record systems to connect members to their providers and health plans by providing insight into patient clinical histories, treatment plans and patient preferences. 

==> www.healthcarefinancenews.com; 02.09.2020

CIBC collaborates with Salesforce for its digital transformation;

Under the agreement, CIBC selected Salesforce as its enterprise platform for customer relationship management (CRM). Therefore, CIBC will deploy Salesforce Customer 360 to offer financial advice, service, and solutions to its clients at all touchpoints. The bank will also leverage Salesforce’s Sales Cloud and Service Cloud for a full view of client interactions, and Einstein Analytics for customised data insights.

==> thepaypers.com; 06.08.2020

Openet strikes up a partnership with Salesforce to manage customer care queries;

Openet announced on Monday that it has forged a partnership with Salesforce to reduce customer care costs while improving customers' experience.  Dublin, Ireland-based Openet has launched its Openet Real-Time Care Insight on Salesforce's AppExchange to help service providers lower the cast of managing customer queries. By partnering with Salesforce, Openet said it could resolve billing queries more efficiently while also driving down operational costs.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 20.07.2020

Standard Bank taps Salesforce to enhance digital banking experience;

South Africa’s Standard Bank has extended its partnership with global customer engagement firm Salesforce to deliver enhanced digital experiences to its clients. Salesforce will enable the bank to partner with vendors and service providers to create and offer customised solutions to its clients.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 30.06.2020

Good News

Salesforce: 200 major customers join Agentforce ;

Salesforce's new AI platform, Agentforce, has attracted over 200 major customers since its launch in late October, enabling businesses to create AI agents without programming skills for tasks like customer interactions or medical assistance. The platform, based on "large action models," contributed to Salesforce raising its annual revenue forecast to $38 billion. Competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI are also developing similar AI agent systems, highlighting the growing focus on this technology across industries.

==> www.heise.de; 05.12.2024

Salesforce shares surge on news of CEO Benioff’s billion-agent AI strategy;

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff introduced the company's new AI strategy, focusing on building AI "agents" that handle tasks like customer service and scheduling without human supervision. Benioff emphasized that businesses don't need to create their own AI systems, as Salesforce offers a complete package, aiming to deploy a billion AI agents within a year. He acknowledged that while this AI technology could reduce the need for additional workers, he reassured that Salesforce's security remains strong, addressing concerns after a recent Slack hack involving Disney.

==> fortune.com; 20.09.2024

Tech Giants Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce Launch 20 Million Ton Nature-Based Carbon Removal Buyers Coalition;

Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce announced today the launch of the Symbiosis Coalition, a new advance market commitment (AMC) collaboration aimed at supporting the development and growth of the nature-based carbon removal market, with a collective commitment to contract up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits. According to the companies, the coalition aims to send a strong demand signal, enabling the development of high-impact, and science-based restoration projects that will advance progress on global climate goals.

==> www.esgtoday.com; 22.05.2024

Salesforce unveils Nature Positive Strategy;

The new strategy outlines the specific actions the company will take to restore and protect nature while delivering its existing commitment to becoming net-zero under its Climate Action Plan. The Strategy commits Salesforce to measuring, managing and developing an action plan to reduce impacts on nature across its value chain and operations by 2025. The company has confirmed it is already taking part in the TNFD’s pilot phase ahead of its launch later this year.

 

==> www.edie.net; 06.04.2023

Salesforce invests over £1.1 million to close the digital skills gap in the UK;

Educations, Learning Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Salesforce has announced that it will donate more than £1.1 million in an education program to help close the digital skills gap in the UK. Based on a study of 2,000 adults, respondents ranked “digital skills” as the most important skill for the current and future (2030) workplace. However, in a separate survey of 1,000, digital skills are only ranked as the 7th most important skill in the 2030 workplace. Moreover, of higher importance were confidence, creativity and patience. The absence of digital skills is perhaps less concerning with such a focus on soft skills.

==> www.enterprisetimes.co.uk; 30.11.2022

Salesforce Has Been Positioned by Gartner in the Leaders Quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for B2B Marketing Automation Platforms for the Fifth Consecutive Year;

Salesforce announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the "Leaders" quadrant of the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for B2B Marketing Automation Platforms report. The company was evaluated for Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, and placed furthest on the "Completeness of Vision" axis. Gartner defines B2B marketing automation platforms as "software that supports the practice of demand generation. This includes building awareness, generating and nurturing high-quality leads, orchestrating multichannel engagement to guide customer journey progression, and using analytics to measure and optimize performance."

==> www.prnewswire.com; 11.10.2022

Salesforce Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Sales Force Automation Platforms for 16th Consecutive Year;

- Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), the global leader in CRM, has been recognized by Gartner as a Leader in the 2022 Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation Platforms. It is the 16th consecutive year that Salesforce has received this recognition. Gartner defines CRM Sales Force Automation (SFA) as "the automation and capture of sales activities, interactions with prospects and clients, processes, and administrative responsibilities for organizations' sales professionals."

==> www.prnewswire.com; 05.10.2022

Microsoft and VMWare recognized as a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management Tools ;

==> news.vmware.com; 16.08.2022

Salesforce stock jumps as it raises profit forecast, CFO says company will be more ‘measured’ in hiring;

Salesforce earnings beat expectations on the top and bottom lines. Management raised its earnings forecast for the full fiscal year but reduced its guidance for revenue. The Dow Jones Industrial Average component changed its legal name to Salesforce Inc. from Salesforce.com Inc. in the quarter.

==> www.cnbc.com; 31.05.2022

Salesforce Ranked #1 CRM Provider for Ninth Consecutive Year;

The ranking comes after a year in which the CRM market accelerated. During that time, Salesforce grew its overall market share position and increased its revenue growth. Additionally, the data shows that Salesforce is the market share leader in IDC's segments for sales applications, customer service applications, marketing applications, model-driven application platforms, and enterprise community applications*.

==> ; 03.05.2022

Salesforce Announces Upbeat Earnings and Revenue for Fiscal Q4 2022;

Salesforce Inc (NYSE: CRM) has reported an increase in its fiscal Q4 revenue, exceeding analysts’ expectations. The American cloud-based software company’s revenue rose 26% to $7.33 billion in Q4, beating the estimate of $7.24 billion. Following the announcement of its fiscal Q4 earnings results, Salesforce added 4% in extended trading. At press time, CRM is trading at $216.75, higher than its previous close of $208.89.

==> www.coinspeaker.com; 02.03.2022

Salesforce Announces $300 Million In Nature Investments As Climate Action Ramps Up;

Marc and Lynne Benioff and Salesforce have announced $300 million in climate investment for ecosystem restoration and reforestation. The funds include the establishment of the $100 million Benioff TIME Tree Fund, $100 million in investments from TIME Ventures, the Benioffs’ investment fund, and $100 million from Salesforce to provide grants, donate technology through its Power of Us program and support 2.5 million hours of volunteer time to non-profits focused on climate action.

==> www.forbes.com; 28.10.2021

Salesforce leads in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce;

Salesforce has been named a Leader by Gartner Inc. in its 2021 Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce, with Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud ranking first in the B2C Commerce category. It is the sixth consecutive year that Salesforce has earned the recognition. Salesforce was recognized for its technological reusability helping businesses easily connect and reuse Salesforce products, functionality, and data; global reach and localization capabilities supporting over 100 languages and currencies; and commerce accelerators including Quick Start Commerce Solutions aimed at helping businesses to start selling online fast.

==> www.martechcube.com; 09.09.2021

Salesforce Announces Global Advisory Board to Expand International Growth;

 Salesforce announced a Global Advisory Board to provide strategic guidance and support the company's growth into new markets, deepening Salesforce's role as a trusted digital advisor to CEOs and leaders around the world. Now, the Global Advisory Board spans The Americas and EMEA to bring together some of the most accomplished business leaders from across industries to offer proven leadership, expertise, and a unique understanding of the transformational potential of Salesforce. They will provide strategic guidance and help increase business value to our customers globally.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 24.06.2021

Salesforce named as official partner of Los Angeles 2028 Olympics;

Salesforce has signed a seven-year deal with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and Paralympics, providing a digital service for fans and athletes.

==> www.insidethegames.biz; 16.06.2021

Salesforce Issues Guidance for 21% Revenue Growth in 2021;

Via a steady pace of acquisitions and its own organic growth, salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) has managed yet another year of 20% or more in revenue growth. The customer relationship management (CRM) and general digital transformation platform posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2021 revenue of $5.82 billion, up 20% from the year-ago period and easily besting its previous call for 17% growth.For full fiscal year 2021, Salesforce's revenue was $21.3 billion, up 24%. Free cash flow was $2.81 billion, including cash spent on acquisitions. 

==> www.fool.com; 25.02.2021

Salesforce beats growth expectations as investors digest the Slack acquisition;

Salesforce reported its third-quarter earnings for its fiscal 2021, a period that ended October 31, 2020. The CRM giant reported top-line revenue of $5.42 billion, up 20% from the year-ago period. Salesforce also had net income of $1.08 billion and earnings per share of $1.15. Analysts had expected the company to earn $0.75 per share off revenues of $5.25 billion, according to Yahoo Finance. Salesforce told investors today that it anticipates Q4 fiscal 2021 revenues of $5.665 billion to $5.675 billion, which works out to growth of around 17% from the year-ago period. The company also anticipates that it will grow around 17% in Q1 of its fiscal 2022.

==> techcrunch.com; 01.12.2020

Salesforce Positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant;

Salesforce [NYSE:CRM], the global leader in CRM, today announced it has been named a Leader by Gartner Inc. in its 2020 Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce for the fifth consecutive year. “The shift to digital is more important than ever, and companies need a commerce platform that allows them to transform fast and scale in any region or channel,” said Adam Blitzer, EVP & GM, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Community Cloud, Salesforce. 

==> www.martechcube.com; 31.08.2020

Salesforce Positioned by Gartner as a Leader in the Magic Quadrants for CRM Customer Engagement Center, Field Service Management, and Sales Force Automation ;

Salesforce's long-standing reputation for supporting service employees in the call center is extending to employees working in the field. For the first time, Salesforce was named as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management. Salesforce believes it continues to build momentum in this category by focusing on the entire service lifecycle — all the way from the call center to the last mile in the field. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 03.08.2020

Salesforce Commerce Cloud Named a Leader in B2C and B2B Commerce Suites Evaluations by Independent Research Firm;

Salesforce today announced that Forrester Research has positioned Salesforce Commerce Cloud as a leader in The Forrester Wave™: B2C Commerce Suites Q2 2020 report, and for the first time, also in The Forrester Wave™: B2B Commerce Suites Q2 2020 report. Salesforce B2C Commerce received the highest possible scores in the criteria of AI and machine learning, product vision and roadmap, supporting services, delivery and extensibility ecosystem, customers and customer acquisition, and product revenue.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 17.06.2020

Salesforce Offers $10,000 Grants to SMBs;

The company is offering Salesforce Care Small Business Grants to give SMBs money that can be used to pay salaries, replenish supplies, or adapt their business models to address the challenges the pandemic has created. The grants are being made available to U.S. companies this month. Salesforce later will release more information about similar financial support to international small businesses.

==> channelnomics.com; 13.04.2020

Revenue train kept rolling all year long for Salesforce;

Salesforce turned 20 this year, and the most successful pure enterprise SaaS company ever showed no signs of slowing down. Consider that the company finished the year on an $18 billion run rate, rushing toward its 2022 revenue goal of $20 billion. 

==> techcrunch.com; 28.12.2019

Salesforce posts a 32% hike in marketing and commerce software sales;

Salesforce.com Inc.’s Marketing and Commerce Cloud software suite, which include its B2B and retail ecommerce software platforms, produced a 31.7% increase in revenue to $644 million for the fiscal 2020 third quarter ended Oct. 31, the company says.

==> www.digitalcommerce360.com; 09.12.2019

Salesforce Named a Leader in Enterprise Marketing Software Suites by Independent Research Firm;

Forrester Research has positioned Salesforce as a leader in its report, The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Marketing Software Suites, Q3 2019. Salesforce Marketing Cloud received the highest possible scores in the criteria of artificial intelligence, customer experience capabilities, consumer privacy, product vision, partner ecosystem and services and support.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 07.11.2019

Bad News

Salesforce plans layoffs at Own amid acquisition strategy shift;

Salesforce plans to lay off some employees at Own, the data management startup it recently acquired for $2 billion, as part of its integration strategy. While some roles will end by January 2024, others will be transitional to aid the merger. This reflects Salesforce’s more cautious approach to acquisitions, despite its recent announcement to hire over 1,000 people for its generative AI initiatives.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 20.11.2024

Salesforce service disruption causes outage at five data centers;

Salesforce is facing a global outage affecting multiple data centers and leaving customers unable to access its services since 05:55 UTC. Efforts to address the issue include managing traffic and restoring affected databases to stable backups, but no timeline for resolution has been provided. The outage also impacts Data Cloud functionality and follows a similar incident in October 2024.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 15.11.2024

Salesforce Loses Top Artificial Intelligence Executive, Says Analyst ;

Salesforce AI CEO Clara Shih has reportedly left the company, with Adam Evans stepping into a broader role as EVP and GM of AI during a strategic shift toward "AI agents." This comes as Salesforce focuses on autonomous, task-executing AI agents like its new Agentforce platform, which launched in October 2024. Despite the AI push, Salesforce has yet to disclose specific AI revenue, and its stock, up 26% in 2024, recently dipped following the news.

==> www.investors.com; 14.11.2024

Salesforce Suffers Major Outage, Faces Service Disruption Worldwide;

Salesforce experienced a major outage, disrupting services for users across multiple regions, with many unable to log in or facing slow performance. The company acknowledged the issue as a "degradation of service" and implemented a staggered fix, though some users continued to report problems throughout the day. The outage, affecting Salesforce instances hosted on AWS, reignited concerns about cloud platform reliability and the importance of clear, timely communication during service disruptions, as users expressed frustration over the lack of detailed updates.

==> www.dqindia.com; 03.10.2024

Salesforce hit by global outage;

Salesforce experienced a global outage affecting many, but not all, of its customers, and the company has yet to disclose the cause. Salesforce is rolling out an emergency fix to restore service, though some users may experience brief disruptions during the process. The company relies on a combination of Amazon Web Services and self-managed data centers for its cloud infrastructure.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 01.10.2024

Salesforce reports multiple 'ongoing' incidents amid global Microsoft outage;

Salesforce faced multiple disruptions linked to a global Microsoft outage, reporting incidents such as "Performance Degradation" and a "Service disruption-Salesforce Multi-Cloud issue." This multi-cloud issue was triggered by a patch from CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity vendor, which was later fixed. The disruption was widely reported on Downdetector, especially during the early hours of Friday as West Coast work hours began, showing a significant spike in user reports.

==> www.sfgate.com; 19.07.2024

Salesforce continues layoffs with another 300 employees cut;

Salesforce has cut about 300 jobs as part of an effort to streamline operations and manage costs, a move reflective of broader cost-cutting trends in the tech industry. These layoffs are a small percentage of its total workforce, which exceeds 72,000 employees. This follows earlier reductions this year, including a significant cut of nearly 10% of its workforce at the start of 2023, aligning with similar actions by other tech firms like Intuit and Microsoft. Despite these reductions, Salesforce plans to continue hiring strategically in areas that will drive revenue growth.

==> www.verdict.co.uk; 16.07.2024

Salesforce laying off 700 workers in latest tech industry downsizing - WSJ;

Salesforce opens new tab is laying off about 700 employees, or roughly 1% of its global workforce, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, in the latest round of job cuts to hit the tech industry. However, the report added that Salesforce still has 1,000 jobs open across the company, implying that the move could be more of a routine adjusting of the company's workforce, the report said, citing a source.

==> www.reuters.com; 26.01.2024

Salesforce’s Diversity Program Accused of Bias Against White Men;

Software company Salesforce Inc. is facing allegations that it is engaging in unlawful race- and sex-based discrimination through its programs promoting diversity and equality. The America First Legal Foundation, a group led by former senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller, asked the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday to launch an investigation into Salesforce’s “unlawful employment practices.” 

==> news.bloomberglaw.com; 04.10.2023

Major Salesforce outage caused by permission change;

Salesforce experienced a major outage today after an internal permission change that meant it couldn't connect to its cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS itself had no service issues. Salesforce Core Services, Commerce Cloud, MuleSoft, Tableau, Data Cloud, Hyperforce, Marketing Cloud Intelligence, Omni Channel, and more were impacted.

==> www.datacenterdynamics.com; 20.09.2023

A former executive says he was fired by Salesforce after raising concerns about software said to process and organize customer data in milliseconds: 'It was all a lie.';

Karl Wirth, who was Salesforce's vice president of product management when he joined the company in 2020 before being promoted to senior vice president in January 2022, said in a lawsuit filed on July 28 that the company falsely advertised the capability of its Customer Data Platform (CDP). CDP is marketing-industry speak for software that can process and organize user data to create a unique customer profile which companies can then use to advertise a product or create a personalized customer experience. Salesforce promoted that its CDP can process large amounts of customer data in "real-time," meaning in "milliseconds," the lawsuit says.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 12.08.2023

Salesforce Cuts More Jobs After 10% Reduction Earlier This Year;

Salesforce Inc. has eliminated more workers beyond a previously announced 10% reduction in a renewed focus on profitability. Sales and customer success employees were let go in Ireland Wednesday, “as part of an ongoing effort to ensure we always have the right resources in place,” a spokesperson said. The cuts are separate from the companywide reduction announced in January, the spokesperson said. About 50 roles were impacted. Salesforce’s plans for reducing headcount by about 8,000 people by the end of fiscal 2024 are the company’s largest ever. The spokesperson declined to comment on whether any other countries or divisions will see additional headcount reductions.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 02.08.2023

Slack Experiences a Brief but Widespread Outage;

Slack, the widely used messaging platform, experienced an outage of just over an hour early Thursday, disrupting life in offices around the world. During the downtime, the company said, “Users may be experiencing trouble with sending messages, using workflows and various other actions in Slack. We’re investigating and will let you know as soon as we know more.”

==> www.nytimes.com; 27.07.2023

Salesforce sheds hundreds of sales and marketing employees, part of a plan to cut 10% of its workforce;

Salesforce conducted another round of job cuts, mostly affecting sales and marketing, part of a plan to reduce its workforce by 10%, Insider has learned.
The layoffs affected hundreds of employees in locations including New York and Atlanta, according to one person's estimate. Another person familiar with the situation said the cuts impacted employees at the company's San Francisco headquarters, too. Another person noted that several people from the Slack business unit were also let go. These people did not want to be identified discussing private matters. 

==> www.businessinsider.com; 10.03.2023

Salesforce under investor pressure to dump more staff;

In January, Salesforce announced a drastic restructuring plan to cut 10 percent of its workforce at a cost of around $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion. The company's ranks swelled in the early years of the pandemic, rising from 35,000 in 2019 to more than 70,000 last year. However, pressure from a group of investors looking to squeeze greater returns from the SaaS poster child seemingly shows those already announced job losses could just be the beginning. According to documents seen by Business Insider, Salesforce has put increasing its margins to more than 30 percent above nearly anything else.

==> www.theregister.com; 27.02.2023

Salesforce targets 200 Irish layoffs, staff told;

Salesforce aims to let just over 200 people go as part of its global layoffs, the Irish Independent has learned. The tech giant, which employs 2,100 people at its Dublin office, informed workers of the decision today. “These are part of the reductions we announced in January,” a spokesperson for the company told the Irish Independent.

==> www.independent.ie; 02.02.2023

Salesforce gearing up for fresh round of layoffs: report;

After laying off hundreds of employees in November, enterprise software company Salesforce is reportedly gearing up for another round of layoffs. According to a Business Insider report, an employee said "people are afraid it (layoffs) could come at any point". A person familiar with the matter said that the firm has pushed for cost-cutting measures since first approaching the company this summer, as per the report.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 14.12.2022

Co-Chef verlässt Salesforce – Gründer Benioff steht wieder allein an der Konzernspitze;

Bei Salesforce steht wieder einmal ein Umbruch an: Co-Chef Bret Taylor, der erst seit gut einem Jahr neben Gründer Marc Benioff an der Spitze des US-Cloud-Dienstleisters steht, tritt zu Ende Januar überraschend zurück. Er sei dankbar für „sechs fantastische Jahre“ im Unternehmen, wolle nun aber „zu seinen unternehmerischen Wurzeln zurückkehren“, erklärte der 42-Jährige in einer Mitteilung. Für Salesforce ist der Abgang ein großer Verlust. „Wir sind immer noch unter Schock und extrem traurig über den Verlust von Bret“, sagte Benioff in einer Analystenkonferenz. Taylor galt als Produktvisionär und potenzieller Nachfolger des 58-jährigen Gründers. 

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 30.11.2022

Salesforce Chief Strategy Officer To Leave In 2023;

Cloud CRM application vendor Salesforce will lose President and Chief Strategy Officer Gavin Patterson next year, according to a regulatory filing. A Salesforce spokesperson said to CRN in an email that “We are grateful for Gavin‘s many contributions and wish him the very best.” Patterson has worked at Salesforce for more than three years. In August his role changed to chief strategy officer from his earlier title of chief revenue officer.

==> www.crn.com; 14.11.2022

Salesforce announces hundreds of job cuts;

Cloud-based CRM software provider Salesforce has become the latest technology company to announce mass layoffs, cutting at least hundreds of jobs from its 73,000-person workforce. “Our sales performance process drives accountability. Unfortunately, that can lead to some leaving the business, and we support them through their transition,” Salesforce said in a statement confirming the layoffs.

==> www.cio.com; 09.11.2022

Salesforce Follows Other Tech Giants with Layoffs, Hiring Freeze;

According to Protocol, at least 90 employees were impacted by this round of layoffs, which represents a tiny fraction of the cloud giant’s 78,000 employees globally. “While limited hiring continues, most departments have reached their hiring goals for the fiscal year,” a company spokesperson told the publication. “As a result, we have ended contracts with some temporary recruiting contractors.” The current layoffs won’t impact nearly as many employees as the last significant round in August 2020, when the company laid off 1,000 employees as part of a “repositioning” of the workforce. Salesforce’s hiring freeze will extend through January 2023.

==> insights.dice.com; 21.10.2022

Salesforce Cuts 90 Recruiters Amid Hiring Slowdown;

Salesforce has “ended contracts with some temporary recruiting contractors” since many of the company’s departments will not be hiring for the rest of its fiscal year, a spokesperson confirmed to CRN. “While limited hiring continues, most departments have reached their hiring goals for the fiscal year. As a result, we have ended contracts with some temporary recruiting contractors,” a Salesforce spokesperson said in an email to CRN.

==> www.crn.com; 14.10.2022

Salesforce trims full-year expectations for earnings and revenue;

Salesforce reported earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ estimates but gave a disappointing forecast for fiscal 2023. The stock slid 7% in extended trading on Wednesday. The enterprise software maker is raising prices on Slack after acquiring the team communications app last year. Salesforce said its board approved $10 billion to use on the company’s first buyback program.

==> www.cnbc.com; 24.08.2022

Salesforce slows hiring, according to internal memo;

Salesforce will slow hiring and cut back other expenses, according to a Wednesday report from Insider. The company will join Meta, Netflix, Coinbase, Uber and others that have slowed or frozen hiring in recent weeks. Per an internal memo, cutbacks will include corporate travel and some upcoming off-sites, Insider reported.

==> www.protocol.com; 18.05.2022

Petra Jenner verlässt Salesforce;

Petra Jenner (Bild), seit Februar 2021 General Manager und Senior Vice President von Salesforce für die Schweiz und Osteuropa, verlässt das Unternehmen per Ende Juni 2022 nach insgesamt fast sechs Jahren. Sie wolle eine neue berufliche Herausforderung annehmen, teilt Salesforce mit. Interimistisch übernimmt Rami Habib, Area Vice President und Head of Cloud Sales, das Amt. Salesforce ist auf der Suche nach einem Nachfolger für Jenner, das Verfahren zur Bestimmung des nächsten Country Leader sei angelaufen und das Ergebnis werde baldmöglichst bekannt gegeben.

==> www.itreseller.ch; 23.04.2022

Salesforce Retirement Lawsuit to Continue;

The retirement plan lawsuit against Salesforce has been revived by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Plaintiffs’ alleged that Salesforce retirement plan fiduciaries breached their duty to participants by allowing excessive fees in the retirement plan despite the availability of lower-cost share classes of the same funds, offering actively managed funds instead of cheaper index funds and providing participants with mutual funds instead of available collective investment trusts.   

==> www.planadviser.com; 12.04.2022

Salesforce to provide RNC records to Jan. 6 panel unless court steps in ;

Salesforce, a vendor that holds sensitive financial data and records of the Republican National Committee, has informed party leaders that it will begin producing documents to the Jan. 6 select committee imminently unless a court intervenes. The RNC revealed the development in a court filing Tuesday evening urging U.S. District Court Judge Tim Kelly to immediately step in to prevent documents from reaching the select panel. In an emergency motion seeking an injunction to block the production of documents, the RNC indicated Salesforce would only agree to delay providing the records while such an emergency motion was pending. 

==> www.politico.com; 15.03.2022

Massive Slack outage reveals the need for alternative office communications;

Slack, the workplace chat tool that’s become the default way for workers at many companies to stay in touch with each other, reported an outage Tuesday morning. “Some customers are unable to load Slack,” the Salesforce-owned company reported. “We’re still actively investigating this issue, but we don’t have any new information to share at this time. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have an update.”

==> www.fastcompany.com; 22.02.2022

Peloton, Slack and Microsoft’s GitHub Recover From Outages;

Peloton Interactive Inc., Salesforce.com Inc.’s Slack and Microsoft Corp.’s GitHub generally recovered Tuesday from earlier service outages, according to the websites and Downdetector, which monitors internet issues.  Slack users saw the message “something’s gone awry, and we’re having trouble loading your workspace” in their workplace chat app. The disruption, which began about 9 a.m. New York time, was reported by as many as 11,000 users, according to Downdetector. The issue subsided within a few hours. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 22.02.2022

SAP-Rivale Salesforce mit verhaltenem Geschäftsausblick;

Die Geschäfte für den Cloud-Anbieter Salesforce laufen gut - auch die Übernahme des Kommunikationsdienstes Slack hat sich ausgezahlt. Die Anleger sind mit den Prognosen jedoch nicht zufrieden.

==> www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de; 01.12.2021

Japan's coronavirus vaccine booking system crashes after Salesforce outage;

Technical problems derailed Japan's coronavirus vaccination booking system on Wednesday, compounding frustration over the government's handling of new outbreaks of infections and an inoculation drive that critics say has been woefully slow. The online system to book a vaccine crashed in many places including parts of Tokyo and the city of Minoh in Osaka Prefecture because of a global problem with U.S. cloud computing vendor Salesforce.com Inc, public broadcaster NHK reported. Salesforce chief technology officer Parker Harris said on Twitter that the company was experiencing a "major disruption", later updating to say services had been mostly restored.

==> japantoday.com; 12.05.2021

Slack service goes down for more than three hours;

Salesforce announced on Dec. 1 it is buying Slack for over $27 billion. The Slack messaging platform was down on Monday but service started to return about three hours later. The video and chat platform helps remote workers stay in touch and has been particularly important during the Covid pandemic. Outages can hit a company’s earnings reports.

==> www.cnbc.com; 04.01.2021

GDPR lawsuit against Oracle and Salesforce moves forward;

The data processing policies and practices of two of the world’s largest software companies, Salesforce and Oracle, will come under scrutiny in the High Court of England and Wales in the biggest digital privacy class action lawsuit ever filed. The suit, filed by privacy campaigner and data protection specialist Rebecca Rumbul, is seeking damages that have been estimated in excess of £10bn, which could conceivably lead to awards of £500 for every internet user in the UK. A parallel suit in the Netherlands backed by a Dutch group called The Privacy Collective Foundation could take the total damages to more than €15bn.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 03.11.2020

Salesforce to lay off 165 SF employees despite record revenue;

The cloud computing company is laying off four workers in general administration, 42 in sales and customer service and 119 in technology and product divisions, according to a state filing. The cuts span the company’s three downtown towers: Salesforce Tower, 350 Mission St. and 50 Fremont St.

==> www.sfchronicle.com; 26.08.2020

Salesforce Instance Failure Causing Widespread Service Disruption;

Many Salesforce customers lost access to the company’s service Tuesday when one of the cloud software giant’s nearly 200 virtual servers in North America went down due to an apparent power outage. The service disruption that started at 11:54 am Pacific Time seems to only have affected users hosted on Salesforce’s NA89 instance, according to Salesforce’s status page and notifications sent to customers.“Upon investigation, the Technology team believes this may be caused by a power outage hosting the network switches responsible for routing NA89 traffic,” Salesforce said.

==> www.crn.com; 11.08.2020

Salesforce chief scientist Richard Socher leaves to start his own company;

Richard Socher today announced that he’s leaving his position as chief scientist at Salesforce to create his own startup. During four years as chief scientist, Socher oversaw research and development initiatives as well as the rise of Einstein cloud AI services for use cases like computer vision, natural language models, translation, and personalized CRM search results.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.07.2020

Coronavirus Update: Salesforce Cancels Its Annual Dreamforce Conference For 2020;

San Francisco’s tourist and convention industry has been dealt another major blow due to the coronavirus outbreak as Saleforce has cancelled plans to hold its massive Dreamforce conference this year.

==> sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com; 30.04.2020

Salesforce UK boss steps down;

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia has resigned from her role as Salesforce UK CEO, after just six months in the job. Her shoes will be filled by the current EVP and GM for Salesforce UK and Ireland, Paul Smith.

==> www.itproportal.com; 16.03.2020

Salesforce and Hanna Andersson Face Second Suit Over Data Breach;

The new class action complaint filed by Krista Gill and Doug Sumerfield has accused Salesforce and Hana Andersson of “failure to exercise reasonable care in securing and safeguarding their customers’ sensitive personal information (SPI), including customer names, payment card numbers, payment card expiration dates, and payment card security codes.” The first suit accused the defendants of negligence and violation of California’s unfair competition law.

==> lawstreetmedia.com; 03.03.2020

Hanna Andersson Customers Sue Salesforce for Data Breach;

Cloud services provider Salesforce.com has been roped into a class action lawsuit filed in the wake of a data breach at children’s clothing boutique Hanna Andersson, which affected an estimated 10,000 California customers. Customers whose information was sold on the dark web after malware infected retailer Hanna Andersson's Salesforce e-commerce platform will face “a lifetime risk of identity theft," according to a complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. 

==> www.law.com; 04.02.2020

Software Upstarts Hit Salesforce, Oracle on Tech and Sales Practices;

Ten software upstarts kicked off a public campaign Thursday that knocks customer relationship management, or CRM, titans, including Salesforce, Oracle Corp. and SAP SE, by saying the large companies keep clients trapped in subpar software suites, potentially shutting out smaller rivals with newer technology.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 16.01.2020

Salesforce earnings top estimates, but forecast disappoints;

Salesforce.com Inc. earnings topped Wall Street estimates in a Tuesday report, but the cloud-software company’s outlook came in shy of consensus views. The company expects fiscal first-quarter revenue of $4.8 billion to $4.84 billion and revenue of $20.8 billion to $20.9 billion for fiscal 2021. Analysts estimate $4.85 billion for the fiscal first quarter, and $20.95 billion for fiscal 2021.

==> www.marketwatch.com; 04.12.2019

Strategy

SAP restructures board to emphasize AI-first, suite-first strategy;

SAP is expanding its Executive Board with a new Strategy & Operations division, appointing Sebastian Steinhäuser to lead it. The company also introduced a new CTO, two Chief Revenue Officers, and an extended Executive Board to support its "AI-first, Suite-first" strategy. These leadership changes aim to improve digital transformation, customer success, and cloud adoption while aligning global initiatives.

==> www.cio.com; 29.01.2025

Grow with SAP expands cloud ERP access for SMBs on AWS;

SAP has launched "Grow with SAP on AWS," enabling businesses to run S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition on AWS infrastructure, marking the first instance where customers can choose a hyperscaler environment for this ERP solution. While aimed at SMBs, it also targets larger enterprises by offering access to SAP's AI tools and integration with AWS services, emphasizing scalability and ease of deployment. Analysts see this as a step toward standardizing cloud ERP solutions but question its competitive differentiation compared to alternatives like Oracle NetSuite or Microsoft Dynamics 365.

==> www.techtarget.com; 06.12.2024

SAP Launches UK Sovereign Cloud Amid Data Regulation Push;

SAP has launched a dedicated sovereign cloud service in the UK, backed by a €250 million investment, to meet data residency and security requirements for public sector and defence organisations. The service ensures sensitive data remains within UK borders, addressing regulatory demands for data localisation and cybersecurity compliance. This initiative is part of SAP's broader investment strategy, focusing on providing secure, locally managed cloud solutions for critical industries.

==> technologymagazine.com; 12.11.2024

Schwarz Digits und SAP bringen RISE with SAP auf STACKIT;

SAP has partnered with Schwarz Digits to allow "RISE with SAP" customers to move their ERP systems to the STACKIT cloud, offering a data-sovereign solution particularly suited for businesses with strict data protection requirements. Schwarz Digits will host SAP's cloud services on its STACKIT infrastructure, providing a secure option for managing SAP S/4HANA environments. This partnership is aimed at supporting companies in maintaining control over their data, especially in critical business processes like finance and logistics, while complying with European data protection standards.

==> www.it-zoom.de; 17.10.2024

TD Cowen Partner Survey;

Our commercial partner survey (13 respondents, ~50% from EMEA) showed weaker performance in 3Q w/ 40% of partners meeting/beating targets, below 60% last qtr and TTM avg of 56%. Moreover, 46% indicated that forward qtr Y/Y pipeline growth was at/above prior qtr levels, below 75% last qtr and TTM avg of ~64%, and the CY24 avg growth expectation dropped from +8% to +3%. Positively, net feedback on RISE migration activity slightly improved Q/Q and our GSI field checks suggest sustained momentum in ERP Cloud at >30% & continued momentum in migration activity.


In terms of forward qtr pipeline outlook, 23% indicated it was higher than the previous qtr (vs. 44% last qtr), 23% indicated it was in-line (vs. 31% last qtr), 15% indicated it was lower (vs. 25% last qtr), and 38% indicated limited visibility (vs. 0% last qtr). In total, 46% of respondents indicated that 3Q Y/Y pipeline growth was at/above previous qtr levels, below 75% last qtr and the TTM average of ~64% (75%/70%/54%/58% over previous 4 qtrs).

==> www.cowen.com; 17.10.2024

SAP invests S$12 million in its Digital Innovation Accelerator to boost adoption of Business AI in Singapore;

SAP is expanding its Digital Innovation Accelerator in Singapore with a S$12 million investment, focusing on AI applications in industries like manufacturing, financial services, and logistics. The initiative, supported by Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), aims to co-develop AI solutions with industry leaders, emphasizing sustainability and sector-specific needs. SAP has also committed to bolstering the local talent pipeline through AI courses and upskilling programs, continuing its partnership with Singapore to drive digital transformation and sustainability goals.

==> news.sap.com; 03.10.2024

SAP Completes WalkMe Acquisition to Enhance User Experience;

SAP has acquired digital adoption platform WalkMe for $1.5 billion to enhance user experience and drive software adoption across its enterprise applications. The integration of WalkMe's AI-driven technology will help streamline workflows, boost software utilization, and accelerate digital transformation for SAP’s customers. This acquisition aligns with SAP’s strategy to address user adoption challenges and will be integrated into SAP's existing solutions, including SAP Enable Now and Joule, to improve productivity and business transformation management.

==> technologymagazine.com; 12.09.2024

SAP partners up to make AI more practical;

SAP is partnering with the appliedAI initiative to help companies better integrate AI into their business processes, addressing challenges like poor data quality and unclear business benefits that often lead to the abandonment of AI projects. Despite SAP's efforts to embed AI across its offerings, many customers remain skeptical, especially due to AI being tied to cloud services, leading to calls for more accessible and transparent AI solutions, including on-premises options.

==> www.cio.com; 15.08.2024

SAP is restructuring its Executive Board;

SAP announced that Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer Julia White and Chief Revenue Officer Scott Russell will leave the Executive Board on August 31, 2024, despite their contracts running until 2027. SAP's reasons for this leadership change remain unclear, though it suggests a shift in focus as it continues its cloud and AI transformation. CEO Christian Klein will temporarily oversee the sales organization, and the marketing role will not be replaced, streamlining the Executive Board from eight to seven members.

==> www.cio.com; 30.07.2024

€100 Million Investment Powers SAP Labs Munich Campus;

SAP has officially opened the SAP Labs Munich Campus in Garching near Munich, a project that represents a 100 million euro investment and nearly three years of construction. This campus, designed as a strategic center for development focusing on SAP applications and the SAP Business Technology Platform, embodies a deep collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM). With facilities including a public café and the SAP Experience Center, the campus is set to be a hub for innovation in fields like artificial intelligence, supporting around 700 SAP employees and 120 TUM staff in a vibrant ecosystem of interdisciplinary collaboration.

==> insidesap.com; 29.06.2024

SAP customers warned on hidden risks in the unofficial route to the cloud;

Gartner has highlighted that SAP customers need to carefully evaluate their choices when selecting infrastructure support for ERP software, particularly when considering community cloud or cloud-like environments. While these options may seem cost-effective initially, they often lack SAP support and can lead to higher total costs of ownership (TCO) and increased risks in the long term. Gartner emphasizes that SAP certifies certain public cloud providers to run its workloads securely and efficiently, suggesting that customers should prefer these certified providers over community cloud options to avoid potential issues and ensure operational excellence.

==> www.theregister.com; 25.06.2024

SAP Acquires WalkMe To Bolster Its Business AI and CX Offerings;

SAP has announced its acquisition of digital adoption platform leader WalkMe for $1.5 billion in an all-cash deal, enhancing SAP’s Business Transformation Management portfolio. This acquisition aims to improve user adoption and efficiency across various applications, supporting SAP's Signavio and LeanIX solutions. WalkMe will continue to support non-SAP applications and is set to launch WalkMeX, a new tool leveraging AI for workflow optimization, further integrating with SAP’s AI assistant, Joule.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 05.06.2024

Cloud & AI continue to accelerate;

SAP's Q1 financial results showcased significant technological advancements, particularly in its cloud and AI sectors. The company reported a strong acceleration in its Current Cloud Backlog (CCB), driven by robust demand for its AI solutions and successful integration of non-ERP Cloud solutions into its S/4HANA Cloud ERP system. SAP's AI offerings, especially those that enhance productivity and efficiency, are seeing increased uptake, leading to higher cloud adoption rates. The company continues to expand its AI application suite, expecting to fully integrate key AI features across all its applications by year-end. Despite some challenges in transactional cloud business, the overall momentum in SAP's cloud ERP suite remains strong, highlighting ongoing technological improvements and market adaptation.

==> www.dbresearch.com; 23.04.2024

How SAP is infusing AI into its business applications;

SAP's chief AI officer, Philipp Herzig, has detailed the company’s strategy to integrate AI into its business applications to enhance accessibility for customers. This "business AI" approach embeds AI into core areas such as supply chain, finance, HR, and more, leveraging data and processes across SAP applications. Notably, SAP has introduced AI capabilities in its SuccessFactors HR suite and Sales and Service Cloud, and developed the Joule co-pilot for contextualized user assistance and developer productivity. SAP's AI use cases, prioritized by customer value, are primarily delivered as cloud services to ensure broad adoption and scalability. This strategy aims to make AI more accessible to organizations without extensive AI expertise and allows for customization via the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).

==> www.computerweekly.com; 26.03.2024

LEAP 2024: SAP ramps up investment in Saudi Arabia;

SAP is expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia with significant investments, including the launch of a pioneering regional SAP Innovation Hub and an SAP Experience Center in Khobar. These initiatives, along with the extension of the elite SAP Academy of Engineering training program in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology until at least 2025, aim to support the Kingdom's digital transformation. The focus is on fostering co-innovation, enhancing digital skills among Saudi nationals, and supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by driving digital transformation across various sectors..

==> www.zawya.com; 06.03.2024

SAP Seeks to Strengthen its AI and Expand Customer Solutions;

AP has launched a new unit with a Chief AI Officer, Dr. Philipp Herzig, to implement AI across its entire portfolio, focusing on an end-to-end growth area for the technology. The company aims to infuse AI into its Business AI offering, from product development and research to customer implementation, as part of its strategic focus on high-growth areas such as AI. With SAP's shares rising 7% after forecasting significant cloud revenue growth and total revenue in 2024, the company is doubling down on AI as a transformative force in its business. 

==> technologymagazine.com; 15.02.2024

SAP 2024 outlook: 5 predictions for customers;
  1. SAP RISE will be an inevitable part of customers’ journey to the cloud
  2. SAP will leverage client success stories to influence and drive RISE adoption
  3. SAP commercial models will evolve as RISE and GROW business practices develop
  4. Consultants will lean into generative AI to deliver transformation initiatives
  5. Re-evaluation of the SAP ecosystem will parallel evaluations of SAP RISE
==> www.cio.com; 12.02.2024

SAP Fosters Cloud First Strategy for Modern Enterprises;

SAP is driving a cloud-first strategy, exemplified by its RISE with SAP program, which simplifies ERP system migration and promotes cloud innovation adoption. The program addresses complex challenges like cost reduction, data silos, and process simplification, while offering financial incentives and a structured methodology for implementation. SAP's cloud revenue growth underscores the success of this strategy, with the company's commitment to facilitating customer transition receiving positive feedback from industry representatives like DSAG.

==> insidesap.com; 31.01.2024

SAP doubles down on cloud-first innovation with executive reshuffle;

SAP is reshuffling its executive board to prioritize serving its cloud customers, with Thomas Saueressig taking on a new role focused on maximizing customer potential in the cloud. However, this shift to prioritize cloud innovation has upset some loyal customers who are unable to access SAP's latest innovations because they run older ERP software on-premises or in hosted environments. SAP's cloud revenue has been growing, accounting for 45% of its Q3 2023 revenue, up from 40% the previous year.

==> www.cio.com; 10.01.2024

SAP results highlight AI-driven business software;

SAP has posted an increase of 16% in its cloud revenue to €3.7bn for the third quarter of 2023. The company also reported a cloud backlog of €12.3bn, up 19%. It reported a decline in software licence revenue of 17% to €335m, while cloud revenue increased by 4% to €6.68bn. The company used the quarterly earnings statement to highlight its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. For instance, during the quarter, SAP announced the next step in its commitment to deliver business AI, with strategic investments in Aleph Alpha, Anthropic and Cohere.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 19.10.2023

SAP to Acquire LeanIX to Further Build a Foundation for AI-Enabled Process Optimization;

SAP and LeanIX GmbH anndounced that SAP has entered into an agreement to acquire LeanIX, a leader in enterprise architecture management (EAM) software, helping SAP expand its business transformation portfolio and giving customers access to the full suite of tools required for continuous business transformation and facilitating AI-enabled process optimization.

==> www.dbta.com; 27.09.2023

SAP's India arm eyes more patents, jobs amid AI push;

SAP SE's Indian arm hopes to double its share of the German software giant's patents and add 3,000 jobs per year as it bets bigger on artificial intelligence, a top executive told Reuters on Thursday. The company, which looks to double its AI talent base by 2024, expects "3,000 new joinees to enter the organisation every year", Gangadharan said, in a bid to quell fears that the rise of the emerging technology could hurt job growth.

==> www.reuters.com; 15.09.2023

SAP nabs German startup LeanIX to help companies modernize faster;

 SAP announced today that it is acquiring German startup LeanIX, a software service that helps companies map out their architecture. The purchase is expected to complement the 2021 Signavio acquisition, a German business process automation company that SAP bought for a reported price of $1.2 billion. While the companies did not share the purchase price, TechCrunch is hearing that today’s acquisition price is in the same neighborhood, but a bit higher.

==> techcrunch.com; 07.09.2023

SAP goes after SA’s SMB market with launch of GROW platform;

SAP Africa has launched GROW with SAP, an ERP cloud offering targeted at South Africa’s small-to-medium business (SMB) market segment. Following the official launch in Johannesburg yesterday, Evert-Jan Tromp,  SAP's VP of mid-marketsolution sales for the EMEA South region, said 80% of SAP Africa’s current customer base is in the SME space, but there is still a perception that SAP is only for large and complex companies.

==> www.itweb.co.za; 23.08.2023

SAP raises on-prem support costs again to drive cloud adoption;

For the second year in a row, SAP is raising on-premises support costs. This time, however, it’s cutting innovation too. First came the carrot of lower costs in the cloud with the bundled Rise with SAP offering. Now here comes the stick. SAP said Thursday it will raise the cost of support for users of its on-premises software for the second year in a row, just days after announcing plans to withhold future innovations in its products from on-prem customers. Future innovations that on-prem customers will miss out on include new ERP capabilities, sustainability and carbon accounting solutions, and all the company’s new AI innovations, Klein said.

==> www.cio.com; 27.07.2023

SAP Makes Strategic Investments in Several AI Companies to Further its Vision of Business AI;

SAP announced it is making strategic direct investments in three leading generative AI companies, furthering its commitment to deliver Business AI that’s relevant, reliable, and responsible. The investments in Aleph Alpha GmbH, Anthropic PBC, and Cohere reinforce SAP’s open ecosystem approach to AI, leveraging the best technology to embed AI across the SAP portfolio, according to the company.

==> www.dbta.com; 26.07.2023

SAP Updates Mid-Term Financial Ambition 2025 and Announces Share Repurchase Program of up to EUR5 Billion;

SAP's Ambition 2025 update demonstrates SAP's strong cloud momentum, with a cloud revenue ambition of more than EUR21.5 billion excluding Qualtrics. The updated ambition reflects the expected divestiture of Qualtrics (NASDAQ: XM) as well as an update on the expected 2025 performance of SAP's continuing operations. This update on SAP's continuing operations is mainly driven by the anticipation of continued rapid cloud revenue growth, a great degree of resilience from the increasing share of recurring revenues, the value of the support and services business, as well as a more favorable currency environment as compared to the original ambition, published in October 2020.

==> www.marketscreener.com; 18.05.2023

SAP and Microsoft Collaborate on Joint Generative AI Offerings to Help Customers Address the Talent Gap;

The companies will collaborate on integrating SAP SuccessFactors solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot in Viva Learning, as well as Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to access powerful language models that analyze and generate natural language. The integrations will enable new experiences designed to improve how organizations attract, retain and skill their people.

==> news.sap.com; 15.05.2023

SAP names ex-Deloitte CEO as chairman designate to succeed co-founder ;

SAP  has named former Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen as designated supervisory board chairman to succeed co-founder Hasso Plattner, whose term will expire in May 2024 after two decades. SAP's board nominated 61 year-old Renjen, CEO of Deloitte from 2015 until the end of 2022, to stand for election as a new member of SAP's supervisory board at its annual general meeting on May 11, adding this would trigger the handover process.

==> www.investing.com; 23.02.2023

SAP Plans to Sell Qualtrics Stake, Cut 3,000 Jobs;

SAP SE is planning to cut about 3,000 jobs this year while exploring a sale of its remaining stake in Qualtrics International Inc. as the company looks for ways to boost profit. The German software company expects adjusted operating profit for 2023 to rise to a range of €8.8 billion ($9.6 billion) to €9.1 billion at constant currencies, according to a statement on Thursday. That beat the average €8.65 billion forecast by analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 26.12.2022

SAP CEO - ‘Our cloud transformation has reached a tipping point’ ;

SAP shares were on the rise this week as the company delivered a strong set of third quarter earnings. Commenting on the results, Klein said: We've delivered another strong quarter in Q3. We are seeing accelerating momentum across all our key cloud indicators with cloud revenue now representing our largest revenue stream for two sequential quarters. And looking forward, Klein added: Overall, our strong cloud momentum has offset the top line impact from exiting Russia. SAP's cloud transformation has reached a tipping point, and we had an important inflection point for the company after beginning our transformation two years ago. 

==> diginomica.com; 26.10.2022

Egypt Post signs agreement with SAP to establish an integrated system for Cloud Solutions;

he Egyptian National Postal Organization (ENPO) and SAP have signed an agreement to establish a RISE with SAP Private Cloud, in addition to modernizing software applications and introducing best global practices of postal services.

==> www.zawya.com; 20.09.2022

SAP hires Airbus executive as new finance chief;

 Airbus (AIR.PA) finance chief Dominik Asam will leave the company to take on the same role for German software group SAP (SAPG.DE) from March 2023, the companies said on Wednesday. "I hope to stay in close touch with Airbus after transitioning to my new role at SAP to further deepen what is already a strong relationship between the two companies," Asam was quoted as saying in an Airbus statement. German business software maker SAP had said in March that its finance chief Luka Mucic, who has been with the company for more than 25 years, would leave at the end of March 2023.

==> www.reuters.com; 31.08.2022

SAP und Maschinenbauer bauen Cloud-Plattform für die Industrie;

Ein Konsortium aus SAP und deutschen Maschinenbauern entwickelt nach Handelsblatt-Informationen eine Cloud-Plattform für die Fertigungsbranche. Diese soll laut Angaben aus Teilnehmerkreisen den Datenaustausch erleichtern. Vorbild ist die Allianz Catena-X, in der sich Unternehmen der Automobilbranche zusammengeschlossen haben. Das lässt sich am Namen ablesen: Manufacturing-X. Viele Details sind indes noch offen. So verhandelt das Konsortium nach Informationen aus Teilnehmerkreisen mit der Bundesregierung über staatliche Förderung. Catena-X erhält 105 Millionen Euro vom Staat, das entspricht 45 Prozent des Budgets. Zudem gibt es Gespräche mit möglichen weiteren Teilnehmern. So könnte nach Einschätzungen aus Branchenkreisen Siemens dazustoßen. 

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 23.08.2022

Mehrere Hundert Millionen Euro: SAP stößt Lernplattform Litmos ab;

Konzernchef Christian Klein räumt auf. Die Lernplattform Litmos geht an den Finanzinvestor Francisco Partners – sie ist nicht Kerngeschäft. Weitere Deals sind denkbar. Der Abschluss werde für das vierte Quartal erwartet. Der Kaufpreis beträgt nach Handelsblatt-Informationen aus Konzernkreisen einige Hundert Millionen Euro. Konzernchef Klein lässt das Portfolio analysieren. Und trotz der Verkäufe sind auch Zukäufe denkbar. So zahlte der Konzern im vergangenen Jahr rund 950 Millionen Euro für Signavio, dessen Plattform Geschäftsprozesse analysiert und nun zentraler Teil der Produktpalette werden soll.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 18.08.2022

SAP Acquires Askdata;

With the acquisition of Askdata, SAP strengthens its ability to help organizations take better-informed decisions by leveraging AI-driven natural language searches. Users are empowered to search, interact and collaborate on live data to maximize business insights. Askdata’s IP will become part of SAP Business Technology Platform and contribute to a next-generation lightweight analytics experience for SAP Analytics Cloud solution customers and to line-of-business applications.

==> www.finsmes.com; 22.07.2022

SAP Revenue Surges, but Guidance Cut Amid Shift to Cloud;

SAP posted better-than-expected revenue growth for the second quarter, but profit fell short of estimates as the German enterprise software company’s transition to a cloud-based business model accelerated faster than expected, while a decision to exit Russia impacted earnings. Partially offsetting the strong cloud performance, software license revenue fell an alarming 34%, or 38% in constant currency, to €426 million. SAP cuts its guidance for adjusted operating profit at constant currencies to a range of €7.6 billion to €7.9 billion for the full year, down from a previous forecast range of €7.8 billion to €8.25 billion. 

==> www.barrons.com; 21.07.2022

SAP & PwC urge C-suiters to get serious about supply risk;

SAP’s Richard Jowers and Andrea Ricciarelli join Tom Woodham of PwC at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE to discuss risk mitigation.Richard Jowers, a Director at SAP, Andrea Ricciarelli, SAP Domain Advisor of Supply Chain Logistics and Sustainability, and PwC Partner Tom Woodham took to the main stage to discuss risk mitigation in the supply chain.
Tom Woodham said: “Technology can certainly help with the identification of issues before they exist but people, processes and data are also key to identifying priorities and determining where technology is best integrated."

==> supplychaindigital.com; 11.07.2022

SAP unlikely to see most customers move from ECC before support ends;

SAP is off course in its plan to get customers off its ECC ERP platform and onto its preferred S/4HANA system before the support deadline of 2027, according to Gartner. The global IT research firm estimates that 70 percent of SAP customers rely on ECC and have yet to upgrade to S/4HANA, even though it was launched seven years ago. In a research note published this week, Gartner said the enterprise application giant was behind its own timeline in getting customers to migrate to the latest version of its core ERP crown jewels.

==> www.theregister.com; 08.07.2022

SAP: Suche für den Vorsitz im Aufsichtsrat geht weiter;

Der langjährige Aufsichtsratsvorsitzende des Softwarekonzerns SAP, Hasso Plattner, ist am Mittwoch erneut in den Aufsichtsrat des Unternehmens gewählt worden. Plattner wurde für zwei Jahre gewählt, es soll seine letzte Amtszeit sein. Leider habe sich eine Nachfolgemöglichkeit, die der Aufsichtsrat konkret ins Auge gefasst haben soll, aus gesundheitlichen Gründen zerschlagen. "Daher arbeiten wir jetzt an einer neuen Lösung", sagte Plattner. Er hoffe, dass man ein Mitglied des Aufsichtsrats für diese Aufgabe gewinnen könne und nicht jemanden von Außen holen müsse.

==> www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de; 18.05.2022

Germany's SAP hires adviser for $1 bln Litmos software sale -sources;

SAP (SAPG.DE) is working with investment bank Moelis & Co (MC.N) to sell its corporate learning software business Litmos as it seeks to streamline its operations and focus on cloud-based revenue, three sources told Reuters. The sale of California-based Litmos, which is profitable, could fetch a valuation of more than $1 billion, said the sources, who requested anonymity because the matter is private.

==> www.reuters.com; 03.05.2022

Ukraine-Krieg belastet SAP – trotzdem hat der Softwarehersteller gute Wachstumsaussichten;

Der Umsatz stieg um elf Prozent auf 7,08 Milliarden Euro und damit stärker, als die Analysten erwartet hatten. Dazu trug maßgeblich das starke Cloud-Geschäft bei, das um 31 Prozent auf 2,82 Milliarden Euro zulegte. Der Krieg in der Ukraine und höhere Investitionen belasteten das Betriebsergebnis jedoch: Die bereinigte Kennzahl, die für die interne Steuerung maßgeblich ist, sank um vier Prozent auf 1,68 Milliarden Euro und lag damit unter den Erwartungen. Der Rückzug aus Russland wird den Softwarehersteller in diesem Jahr voraussichtlich rund 300 Millionen Euro Umsatz kosten. Hinzu kommen Kosten beispielsweise für die Schließung des Rechenzentrums.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 22.04.2022

SAP Announces Q1 2022 Results With Continued Cloud Momentum;

Cloud revenue growth further accelerates, up 31% and up 25% at constant currencies. Current cloud backlog approaches €10bn, up 28% and up 23% at constant currencies. SAP S/4HANA cloud revenue significantly increases, up 78% and up 71% at constant currencies. SAP S/4HANA current cloud backlog expands even faster, up 86% and up 79% at constant currencies. SAP reaffirms 2022 outlook for revenue, non-IFRS operating profit and free cash flow.
 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 22.04.2022

German Technology Giant SAP, Previously Criticized By Zelensky, Announces Russian Exit;

German software company SAP will suspend all business in Russia, the company said in a press release Tuesday, coming on the heels of significant backlash against the company for its Russian business ties from as high up as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

==> www.forbes.com; 19.04.2022

SAP in der Midlife-Crisis: Wie Deutschlands wichtigster Tech-Konzern um seine Zukunft kämpft;

Ausgerechnet zum 50. Geburtstag werden bei SAP die Probleme immer präsenter: Der Umstieg auf cloudbasierte Produkte verläuft schleppend, neue Wettbewerber greifen an. Konzernchef Christian Klein treibt den Umbau auf allen Ebenen voran. Der Druck auf die Mitarbeiter wächst. Im Interview erklärt SAP-Mitgründer Hasso Plattner, warum der Konzern an der Börse so unterbewertet ist und wieso er sich so schwer damit tut, für sich selbst einen Nachfolger zu finden.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 14.04.2022

SAP winds down Russia activities further, ending cloud services;

SAP said it would shut down its cloud operations in Russia, withdrawing further from the country after stopping sales in Russia earlier this month. It added that the move would not prevent all customers in Russia from using its products as some organisations run installed software that they may be able to maintain on their own. IDC analyst Philip Carter has said that Russian companies have been largely reluctant to rely completely on cloud services for their information technology, potentially limiting the blow from SAP's move.

==> www.reuters.com; 24.03.2022

SAP, EDB launch new S$250m engineering lab in Singapore;

 SAP launched SAP Labs Singapore, a S$250 million engineering lab that aims to develop solutions in areas such as digital supply chains, sustainability, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).The lab's launch was supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the company said. SAP aims to hire 200 digital professionals for the new facility this year, intending to bring its headcount in Singapore to more than 500 such employees by 2025.

==> www.businesstimes.com.sg; 23.03.2022

Software company SAP acquires a majority stake to Taulia;

Leading procurement and supply chain solutions company SAP announces its acquisition of a majority stake in working capital solutions provider Taulia. In a joint announcement made by SAP and Tulia, the leading procurement and supply chain solutions company has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Taulia. 

==> supplychaindigital.com; 10.03.2022

Deutsche Unternehmen beziehen SAP häufiger aus der AWS-Cloud;

Der Markt für SAP in der AWS-Cloud wächst in Deutschland spürbar und bietet ein großes Geschäftspotenzial für die großen Cloud-Anbieter und ihre Partner. Dies meldet der neue „ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report Germany 2021“ der Information Services Group (ISG). Zwar hätten viele Anwenderunternehmen weiterhin Vorbehalte gegenüber AWS-SAP, vor allem da SAP-Lösungen oft geschäftskritische Abläufe im Unternehmen steuern. Doch sei immer häufiger ein Strategiewechsel Richtung Cloud zu verzeichnen.

==> www.it-daily.net; 08.03.2022

SAP and Oracle suspend business in Russia;

In the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, SAP and Oracle have both announced that they are suspending all business operations in Russia. SAP also responded publicly, publishing a blog post by CEO Christian Klein, titled "Standing in Solidarity" on Wednesday. “Like the rest of the world, we are watching the war in Ukraine with horror and condemn the invasion in the strongest possible terms,” Klein wrote.

==> www.computerworld.com; 03.03.2022

Migration von SAP-Workloads in die Cloud;

Im Rahmen der erweiterten Kooperation mit dem langjährigen Partner SAP will IBM sowohl Technologie als auch Beratungsservices anbieten, um für Kunden sowohl in regulierten als auch in nicht regulierten Branchen den Umstieg auf ein hybrides Cloud-Modell zu vereinfachen und die Verlagerung von SAP-Workloads in die IBM Cloud zu ermöglichen – und entsprechende Sicherheitsfunktionen bereitstellen.

==> www.it-zoom.de; 10.02.2022

Saudi IT industry to work with German software firm SAP on cloud technology ;

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology made a new agreement with the German software company SAP today. “Our partnership with SAP will accelerate our ambitious goals to accelerate the Kingdom’s role as a global technology hub and will enable a more robust digital experiences across various sectors,” said Deputy Minister Nawaf Alhoshan, according to the agency.
 

==> www.al-monitor.com; 09.02.2022

SAP Acquires FinTech, Supply Chain Financing Company Taulia;

SAP is acquiring Taulia, a FinTech company that helps CFOs and suppliers to receive early payments on goods and services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the purchase price was less than $1 billion, SAP CEO Christian Klein told Reuters. Taulia offers early payment through supply chain finance, dynamic discounting and accounts receivable finance. More than 80 percent of Taulia’s customer base runs an SAP ERP system, and the platform is particularly popular with corporate CFOs (chief financial officers) and their lieutenants. Taulia’s capabilities have become increasingly important as businesses worldwide strive to smooth out supply chain issues and address cash flow issues triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

==> www.channele2e.com; 27.01.2022

SAP im Fokus: Deutschlands Vorzeige-Konzern am Scheideweg;

Europas größter Softwarehersteller SAP hat im vergangenen Jahr verlorenen Boden gutgemacht. Vorstandschef Christian Klein gab mit dem neuen Cloud-Produktbündel namens "Rise" die Marschroute vor, der Umstieg der Kunden und damit auch von SAP selbst in die Cloud sollte beschleunigt werden. Was SAP auf Trab hält, was Analysten sagen, was der Markt erwartet und wie sich die Aktie entwickelt hat.

==> www.produktion.de; 07.01.2022

SAP Hires Salesforce Exec as Chief Product Officer for Customer Experience ;

SAP hired Ritu Bhargava as chief product officer for SAP Customer Experience, effective Nov. 15, according to SAP last month. SAP said its CX vision is to help companies enable a cohesive customer experience across the entire customer life cycle. Most recently, Bhargava headed sales cloud engineering as an SVP at Salesforce, where she held various technology leadership positions over the past 10 years.

==> www.datamation.com; 08.11.2021

SAP's results get boost from cloud business, venture capital firm;

SAP said demand for its cloud business database was growing as the German business software group confirmed its preliminary third-quarter results and full-year guidance boosted by big returns from its ties to a venture capital firm.Last week, the company had forecast cloud revenue to grow by 16%-19% in the year as a whole, helping its overall cloud and software revenue to increase by 2%-4%. Cloud backlog for flagship database S/4HANA was up 58% at constant currencies and current cloud backlog - a measure of incoming business - grew 22% in the third quarter.
 

==> www.reuters.com; 21.10.2021

SAP lifts full-year outlook as more customers shift to cloud;

 SAP (SAPG.DE) raised its full-year outlook for a third time on the back of a strong showing in the third quarter as more customers shift their IT operations to the cloud. SAP now expects cloud revenue to grow by 16%-19% in the year as a whole, helping its overall cloud and software revenue to gain by 2%-4%. Operating profit is expected to be flat to down 2% for the year, an improvement from its earlier forecast of unchanged to down 4%.

==> www.reuters.com; 13.10.2021

SAP acquires Class A office building in Sofia;

SAP said on Thursday that it completed the acquisition of Park Lane Office Center - a 34,800 sq m Class A office building in Bulgarian capital Sofia. The Sofia-based research and development (R&D) centre is key to SAP's strategy. The centre in Sofia ranks eighth in terms of size in the global R&D network of the company and in 2020 its team expanded by more than 15%, Radoslav Nikolov, managing director of SAP Labs Bulgaria, the local R&D unit in the German software giant, said in the statement.

==> seenews.com; 07.10.2021

SAP acquires AI-powered human resources platform SwoopTalent;

SAP today announced it has acquired the intellectual property of SwoopTalent, a platform that automatically connects companies’ talent systems and data for analytics, migrations, and machine learning. As a part of the deal, SAP says it will embed SwoopTalent’s technology throughout its own SuccessFactors Human Experience Management Suite, providing SAP customers with a view of human resources initiatives, including projects, fellowships, internal jobs, mentorships, and courses.

==> venturebeat.com; 16.08.2021

Germany’s biggest business SAP expands in UK ;

Germany’s most valuable company, the software giant SAP, will invest £250m in the UK and open new offices in London and Manchester this year. SAP, which builds enterprise software tools for professional services firms and the public sector, said its new London office would be in “The Scalpel” – the 38-story skyscraper at 52 Lime Street in the City.

==> www.telegraph.co.uk; 19.07.2021

SAP CEO Christian Klein: Together We Are Reinventing How Businesses Run;

SAP CEO Christian Klein kicked off SAPPHIRE NOW, showcasing how SAP is helping organizations worldwide become intelligent enterprises by connecting with a community of networks and running sustainable business. Klein announced the next phase of SAP’s strategy to create world’s largest and most comprehensive business network, along with upcoming sustainability reporting standards and tools.Announcing that the SAP Business Network will bring together Ariba Network, SAP Logistics Business Network and SAP Asset Intelligence Network, Klein predicted that industries will be revolutionized as  businesses turn into communities across entire supply chains, able to respond to any disruptions in real time. 

==> www.forbes.com; 10.06.2021

SAP Extends ‘Rise’ Digital Transformation Offerings To Vertical Industries;

SAP on Wednesday also launched the SAP Business Network, combining the vendor’s logistics, purchasing and asset intelligence software and services, and unveiled new planning and analytics capabilities for the vendor’s Business Technology Platform. “Continuous innovation is what we are striving for here at SAP,” said CEO Christian Klein in a keynote speech kicking off Sapphire Now. Customers, he said, have told SAP that its needs to “double down” on accelerating digital transformation across the 25 industries served by the vendor.

==> www.crn.com; 02.06.2021

SAP steps back from S/4HANA-on-Azure preference;

Microsoft Azure’s preferred status for hosting S/4HANA appears to be coming to an end. SAP, which has been recommending pairing its ERP suite with Azure as part of a deal it struck with Microsoft, will now encourage customers to host S/4HANA wherever they want. According to SAP, the companies’ Embrace partnership will now refocus on customer choice. At the same time, SAP is pushing a new way to pay for its software: a subscription-based, hosted offering that it calls “Rise with SAP,” which will be in the spotlight at its Sapphire Now 2021 customer event in June.

==> www.cio.com; 28.05.2021

SAP Labs India will onboard around 1,600 people in 2021: MD;

AP Labs in India is the second largest research and development (R&D) hub outside of its headquarters for German software major SAP SE. As India continues to be one of the fastest growing markets for the company, earlier this year, SAP announced a ₹500 crore investment to speed up India's digital agenda and support its customers' transformation in the cloud.

==> www.livemint.com; 18.05.2021

SAP to launch Critical Data Cloud in Australia and NZ;

SAP has this week announced plans to launch SAP Critical Data Cloud, a fully managed service designed for powering the critical operations of government and regulated industries across Australia and NZ. The cloud service aims to help protect the core business applications of governments and highly regulated industries including financial services, healthcare and utilities.

==> www.australiandefence.com.au; 30.04.2021

SAP Retreats From Finance, Spins Off IP And Staff To A Partner;

SAP is pulling back from financial services and transferring its finance industry IP and several hundred employees to a new company in which it will hold a 20% interest in return for the intellectual property. It has announced a partnership with Dediq GmbH to create a new company focused on financial services which seems to be going, at least temporarily, under the name Financial Services Industry (FSI) Unit. For legal reasons SAP is not allowed to mention either the names of the management team nor the name of the joint venture yet, but it will be SAP branded, said an executive. 

==> www.forbes.com; 13.04.2021

How SAP Is Navigating Its New Cloud First Strategy ;

The German software giant was never known for nimbleness. That's rapidly changing, SAP's North American President DJ Paoni tells Forbes.

==> www.forbes.com; 26.03.2021

SAP's cloud tool aspires to put China on 'entirely new level';

The local subsidiary of SAP SE, a German company specializing in enterprise application software and related services like cloud computing, has introduced a new private-edition cloud solution called SAP S/4HANA in China. The move signifies SAP's ramping up of efforts to meet China's growing demand for cutting-edge digital transformation technologies.

==> epaper.chinadaily.com.cn; 02.03.2021

How SAP is riding the rising tide of cloud;

Less than a month into the job, Paul Marriott, SAP’s newly minted president for Asia-Pacific and Japan, is already charting the company’s strategy in a region where cloud adoption has accelerated in the past year. Building on his previous role as chief operating officer of the region, where he was instrumental in building SAP’s future workforce and accelerating cloud growth, Marriott has set his eyes on key markets – including India and Southeast Asia – through various cloud deployment models.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 02.03.2021

SAP channel consolidation continues as Sapphire buys InCloud;

Those operating in the SAP channel are getting used to waking up to news of more consolidation among their ranks.Last month, Accenture moved for Edenhouse and that has now been followed by Sapphire Systems extending its SAP capabilities with the acquisition of InCloud Solutions. The plan is to use InCloud’s expertise to bolster Sapphire’s SAP Business ByDesign capabilities and give it more muscle in an increasingly competitive channel.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 02.03.2021

SAP buys 'no-code' specialist AppGyver in cloud push;

Business software group SAP said on Thursday it had acquired AppGyver, a specialist in “no-code” development platforms that make it possible for users to build web applications without having to know how to code. The deal builds on SAP’s latest product, called RISE, that packages support for clients in shifting their enterprise applications to a cloud environment.

==> www.reuters.com; 11.02.2021

‘Rise with SAP’: SAP bets on migrating your ERP to its cloud;

SAP is promising to lower the cost of licensing, maintaining and hosting its core ERP applications by taking on all those tasks for a single subscription fee — a sort of digital transformation as a service, as CEO Christian Klein described it. Enterprises taking up the offer, called “Rise with SAP,” will no longer pay separate licensing and maintenance fees, and their applications will be hosted by SAP in its own cloud rather than on premises or elsewhere.

==> www.cio.com; 01.02.2021

SAP earnings strong in Q4, but cloud growth questionable;

After a weak third quarter, SAP's earnings rebounded with a solid performance in Q4, capping off a difficult year of flat growth. Q4 cloud revenue was up 8% to €2 billion, while the traditional revenue engine of software license and maintenance was down 8% to €4.5 billion. For 2020 overall, total revenue dropped by 1% to €27 billion, with software licenses and maintenance down 6% to €15 billion and cloud revenue up 17% to €8 billion.

    

==> searchsap.techtarget.com; 01.02.2021

SAP pitches cloud transformation to pandemic-hit customers;

SAP says it is ready to lead customers into a cloud-based future, but the business software group may need all its powers of persuasion to convince its 400,000-strong client base to launch a major overhaul of systems in a pandemic.The leading provider of vital enterprise applications from financial management to logistics this week launched its “Rise with SAP” pitch - the result of a strategic pivot announced by CEO Christian Klein last autumn that stunned markets and caused its biggest share price slump in a generation.

==> www.reuters.com; 28.01.2021

SAP beruft Julia White und Scott Russell in den Vorstand;

Der Aufsichtsrat von SAP hat Julia White und Scott Russell in den Vorstand berufen. White übernimmt die neu geschaffene Vorstandsfunktion als Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer, Russell leitet künftig die Customer-Success-Organisation. Er folgt auf Adaire Fox-Martin, die den Aufsichtsrat darüber informiert hat, dass sie das Unternehmen auf eigenen Wunsch zum Monatsende verlässt. Russell bringt über 20 Jahre Erfahrung in den Bereichen Vertrieb, Management, Beratung und Technologie mit, so SAP. Der 47-jährige Australier wurde mit Wirkung zum 1. Februar für eine dreijährige Amtszeit in den Vorstand berufen. Russell soll, so SAP, die Vertriebs- und Servicestrategie des Unternehmens weiterentwickeln.

==> www.itreseller.ch; 18.01.2021

Microsoft's Azure marketing chief Julia White joins SAP;

Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Product Marketing for Azure, Developer Tools and Servers Julia White is joining the SAP Executive Board and leaving Microsoft. SAP announced White's hire on January 15. White has been with Microsoft for nearly 20 years. She started at the company as Product Manager in the Windows Server division. She later joined the Office Division and became well-known for her demos during key Microsoft events. She has been spearheading marketing for Azure for the past five years. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 15.01.2021

SAP charts new course to accelerate cloud shift, co-innovation, one data model;

SAP is going to more aggressively move customers to the cloud, focus on co-innovation and move to one data model across its platforms as the COVID-19 pandemic proves to be more difficult for the company. That backdrop led to a strategy overhaul and a reset by CEO Christian Klein. Klein noted that SAP's customer base was struggling with COVID-19 and how it was hurting demand. The supply chain, which is largely run by SAP software, has been retooling on the fly amid multiple disruptions. It doesn't help that Concur, which is a travel and expense application, is seeing less volume since business travel has largely stopped. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 26.10.2020

SAP pledges to spend more on social, diverse businesses;

SAP SAPG.DE will try to allocate 5% of its procurement spending to social enterprises and diverse businesses by 2025 to encourage greater social and environmental responsibility. SAP’s procurement initiative follows its launch in June of a product to help firms track greenhouse gas emissions in supply chains, backing a view that being transparent about their carbon footprint will be good for business. The new initiative relates to so-called addressable spend, the share of a company’s procurement budget that can be allocated to social or diverse enterprises, which in SAP’s case equated to up to $60 million a year.

==> www.reuters.com; 06.10.2020

SAP eröffnet Experience-Center;

Softwarespezialist SAP hat sein neues Experience Center am Stammsitz in Walldorf eingerichtet. Die Erlebniswelt setzt auf flexible digitale Installationen, an denen sich Kunden und Partner über die neuen Lösungen von SAP informieren und diese erleben und testen können. 

==> invidis.de; 24.09.2020

E-3 Interview With SAP CTO Jürgen Müller;

Jürgen Müller is a member of the Executive Board of SAP, leading the Technology and Innovation board area. As Chief Technology Officer (CTO), he is in charge of SAP’s overall platform and technology development, the Business Technology Platform (BTP). The BTP is a portfolio of integrated solutions that accelerate the transformation of data into business value.

==> e3zine.com; 11.09.2020

SAP Growth Focus Will Not Be at Expense of Margin Goals: CFO;

SAP will under new Chief Executive Christian Klein pursue growth but in so doing has no intention of sacrificing its goal of expanding margins in the medium term, a senior executive said. SAP's five-year strategy to 2023 foresees expanding margins by five percentage points, as the group shifts to hosting its services at remote data centres on a subscription basis - a more predictable model than its legacy software licences.

==> www.nytimes.com; 08.09.2020

SAP hires Sabine Bendiek from Microsoft for COO role;

Sabine Bendiek will also be the labor director to the SAP board of directors for early 2021 and chief operating officer of SAP in mid-2021. SAP appointed Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein for the role of co-CEOs as the replacement of Bill McDermott in January 2020. But Jennifer Morgan announced her resignation in April 2020 due to differences with the management. Sabine Bendiek was responsible for a cloud growth of 50 percent in 2020 at Microsoft Germany. She also led the company’s move to the cloud, which contributed significantly to Microsoft’s strong position in Germany and the company’s overall transformation.

==> infotechlead.com; 03.09.2020

Neuer Geschäftsführer für SAP Deutschland;

Alexander Kläger (49) übernimmt zum 1. August als Geschäftsführer der SAP Deutschland SE die Verantwortung für die Vertriebsorganisation im Land. Er folgt auf Dr. Daniel Holz (50), der SAP auf eigenen Wunsch Richtung Google verlässt.

==> www.it-zoom.de; 29.08.2020

„Kompromisse ja – allerdings nicht um jeden Preis“;

 André Bechtold ist Teil des Vordenker-Jahrgangs 2020. Der SAP-Manager berichtet, was er vom Handball gelernt hat und wann er keine Kompromisse mehr eingeht. Im Interview spricht der Manager über Willenskraft, die im Leistungssport wie im Beruf von Bedeutung ist, über Charaktereigenschaften, die eine Führungskraft braucht, und darüber, ab wann er in Konfliktsituationen nicht mehr bereit ist, Kompromisse einzugehen.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 19.08.2020

SAP Sees ‘Broad-Based’ Midmarket Opportunity For SAP HPE GreenLake Cloud Service;

SAP Senior VIce President Clay Caldwell expects the new customer edition of SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud on Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s GreenLake cloud service to appeal to the “majority” of the SAP installed base. ”There is still a large segment of our customer population that would prefer to be in their own data center,” he said. 

==> www.crn.com; 13.08.2020

SAP Acquires Minority Equity Stake In ISV Partner Vistex;

The two companies touted SAP’s equity investment in Vistex as a milestone in a relationship that goes back 16 years. They also said it demonstrated SAP’s commitment to its partner community. “This sends a message to the [partner] community that we are joined at the hip,” said Sanjay Shah, Vistex founder and CEO, in an interview with CRN. “It further solidifies our partnership.”

==> www.crn.com; 05.08.2020

SAP Plans To Spin Out Qualtrics, Its $8 Billion Acquisition From 2018, For An IPO;

Twenty months after SAP swooped in and announced its plan to acquire Qualtrics for $8 billion as it was on the cusp of an IPO, the experience management software company may be going public after all. The transaction is not expected to have an impact on SAP’s 2020 or “longer-term” financial targets given its plan to maintain majority control, SAP wrote in its filing. More recently, Qualtrics has been seen by some analysts as one of the bright spots of SAP’s business, which has faced headwinds as companies grapple with the consequences of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

==> www.forbes.com; 26.07.2020

SAP ernennt Anuj Kapur zum Leiter von Corporate Development & Strategy;

 SAP hat Anuj Kapur zum President für Corporate Development & Strategy ernannt. Er soll dem Unternehmen helfen, Trends frühzeitig zu erkennen und Kunden noch grösseren Mehrwert zu liefern, heisst es in der Mitteilung. Kapur ist darüber hinaus für die bereichsübergreifende Umsetzung der Wacchstumssstrategie von SAP verantwortlich. Er berichtet an CEO Christian Klein und arbeitet von seinem Dienstsitz im Silicon Valley aus. 

==> www.itreseller.ch; 09.07.2020

SAP's preliminary Q2 sees 18% cloud growth;

SAP's (NYSE:SAP) preliminary Q2 results show cloud revenue of €2.04B, up 18% Y/Y in constant currency but below the €2.07B consensus estimate. Cloud software revenue was up 3% Y/Y to €5.71B. The company expects €6.74B in revenue (+1%) and an operating profit of €1.96B. SAP maintains its FY guidance, seeing €27.8-28.5B in overall revenue, €8.3-8.7B in cloud revenue (€8.2B consensus), and €23.4-24B in cloud and software revenue (€23.83B consensus.)

==> seekingalpha.com; 08.07.2020

Facebook’s boycott problems worsen as SAP, Microsoft and HP suspend ad spend, but it’s SMB activism that’s needed to get the message home;

Leading enterprise tech firms are the latest to turn their backs on Facebook. Microsoft and HP have added their voices to the #StopHateForProfit advertising boycott, joining SAP, which flagged up its support last week. The boycott campaign was launched by a coalition of US civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP and Color of Change, in the wake of the killing at police hands of George Floyd last month. 

==> diginomica.com; 01.07.2020

SAP: Frank Wilde on digital innovation strategies;

Frank Wilde, Vice President Global Center of Excellence at SAP discusses his passion for building digital innovation strategies. “I love solving problems and strategsing around technology and innovation,” he says. “When you factor in change management and drive a change that is sustainable, that’s when it gets really rewarding and engaging for me.”

==> www.businesschief.com; 01.07.2020

SAP launches Global Bharat program to equip MSMEs with digital technologies;

The program further compliments government of India’s vision to empower the MSME sector by providing them access to global marketplace.  According to SAP, 80% of the company’s customer base comprises of SMEs that have adopted digital technologies and witnessed exponential growth

==> www.livemint.com; 29.06.2020

Sapphire Now 2020 unveiled a new, more forward-looking SAP;

Unlike previous gatherings, Sapphire Now 2020 began with no major product announcements, though a handful of SAP Cloud Platform and data warehouse upgrades were announced three days later. Klein instead opted for a grand vision. As a notably young CEO who recently turned 40, with two young children he poignantly mentioned in his talk, Klein described his own vision for the intelligent enterprise, offering it up as a solution not just to short-term crises like the pandemic, but ongoing, seemingly intractable ones such as climate change, which polls show are an urgent priority of the Millennials and other young people who will live through more of the consequences.

==> searcherp.techtarget.com; 23.06.2020

SAP unveils deep changes to partner structures at global summit;

 SAP announced a series of changes to its partner programmes overnight, saying they would put partners at the centre of the company's drive to improve customer success. A new broad area called "customer success" within SAP would move away from just sales targets but focus on taking care of the customer, SAP chief partner officer Karl Fahrbach told Reseller News from SAP's global partner summit. "The role of the partners is evolving from an SAP perspective," Fahrbach said. "We don't see them any more as just a go-to-market element that helps us sell through indirect channels or as system integrators to help us implement the solutions we sell. 

==> www.reseller.co.nz; 04.06.2020

SAP Aims For Higher Quality Customer Implementations Through Partners;

SAP is stepping up on several fronts the resources and assistance the company provides partners, including a new framework to help service and implementation partners deliver higher-quality SAP system installations, free access to cloud platforms for solution testing and demonstrations, and a new “Endorsed Apps” designation for applications built by top-tier development partners.

==> www.crn.com; 03.06.2020

SAP extends indirect licensing related programme to end of 2021;

SAP has extended its Digital Access Adoption Program (DAAP) until 31 December 2021, announced in a blogpost by Robin Manherz, executive vice-president and chief performance officer at SAP. The programme was the supplier’s response to customers’ dissatisfaction about “indirect licensing”, made infamous by SAP’s High Court victory over Diageo in 2017. 

==> www.computerweekly.com; 07.05.2020

Sinch acquires SAP’s Digital Interconnect messaging business for $250M;

Sinch said it is paying €225 million (around $250 million) on a cash and debt-free basis for the business, which has 1,500 enterprise customers that use it for various messaging services, such as the now-popular option of running “omnichannel” conversations with customers over SMS, push, email, WhatsApp, WeChat and Viber; and messaging technology for carriers.

==> techcrunch.com; 05.05.2020

SAP in Talks to Sell Digital Interconnect Unit to Sinch;

SAP SE is in advanced talks to sell its digital interconnect business to Swedish mobile messaging firm Sinch AB, according to people familiar with the matter. An agreement could be reached soon, said the people, who asked not to be identified because deliberations are private. No final decision has been made and the deal could be delayed or fall apart, the people said. Financial terms couldn’t be learned.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 28.04.2020

Jennifer Morgan is stepping down as co-CEO of SAP after just 6 months, with Christian Klein staying on as solo CEO;

SAP said the company decided that a dual CEO structure was not ideal for the current market which "requires companies to take swift, determined action which is best supported by a very clear leadership structure." Morgan will leave the company on April, 30, SAP said. She took over in October after the departure of longtime CEO Bill McDermott who stepped down and subsequently was named CEO of ServiceNow.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 20.04.2020

SAP Is Said to Explore Sale of Mobile Network Software Unit;

 SAP SE, Europe’s biggest tech company by market value, is exploring the sale of a unit that helps telecommunications operators route calls and text messages, people with knowledge of the matter said. The business generates up to $50 million in annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and about $250 million in revenue, the people said. It could fetch several hundred million dollars in a sale, they added.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 14.04.2020

SAP-CFO rechnet weiter mit rasantem Cloud-Wachstum - Ziele 2020 nicht gefährdet;

Der Software-Konzern SAP will das kräftige Wachstum im Cloud-Geschäft in den nächsten Jahren fortsetzen und die Profitabilität dabei stärker als bislang kommuniziert steigern. Das mittelfristige Margenziel von 75 Prozent für die Cloud-Sparte müsse dabei nicht das Ende sein. In den Bereichen Software as a Service (SaaS) und Platform as a Service (PaaS) seien deutlich höhere Margen realisierbar.

==> www.finanznachrichten.de; 06.03.2020

SAP reorganizes business units to align sales, product strategy;

Specifically, the company is establishing six primary product areas: SAP Customer Experience, S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Intelligent Spend (which includes SAP Ariba, Fieldglass, and Concur), HANA and Analytics, and Qualtrics. The SAP Cloud Platform will serve as the underlying technology platform for all these areas, the company said.

==> www.zdnet.com; 20.02.2020

SAP invests in authorization software startup PlainID;

Founded in 2014 by Gal Helemski, Oren Ohayon Harel, and Dmitry Tuchinsky, the firm developed software products to help protect digital assets with a single authorization platform to secure cloud, mobile, and other applications, enabling companies to better manage access policies for employees and others. 

==> www.timesofisrael.com; 04.02.2020

SAP’s new leadership raises guidance following strong results;

The technology firm has raised its revenue and profit outlook. SAP forecasts that operating profit will reach €8.9bn to €9.3bn in 2020. Revenues are expected to gain 6-8 per cent to €29.2bn (£24.7bn) to €29.7bn (£25.16bn). “We are seeing a huge acceleration into the cloud”, said Klein on a conference call. In the fourth quarter, cloud bookings were up 19 per cent to €878m (£743.8m).

==> www.cityam.com; 28.01.2020

Integration the name of the game for SAP's new leadership duo;

In their first three months in charge, McDermott's successors, co-CEOs Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein have streamlined SAP's sales organisation and taken steps to ensure that the business applications it offers can run together seamlessly on top of its flagship S/4HANA database. Its latest iteration combines American Morgan's focus on cloud and customer relationships with Klein's background in process engineering as a protege of SAP founder and chairman Hasso Plattner.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 28.01.2020

SAP’s new CEOs on the threat from Oracle: ‘We are winning market share’;

SAP was the subject of criticism over a decision to end support for software running on third-party databases like Oracle. Oracle’s Larry Ellison said on of SAP’s biggest customers would go live on Oracle’s enterprise resource planning platform in 2020. SAP co-CEO Christian Klein disputed that claim, stating he “couldn’t find any customer who moved away from SAP ERP.”

==> www.cnbc.com; 24.01.2020

DSAG investment report 2020 - The switch to S/4HANA is complete;

The total budget for IT investments will rise in 2020 at nearly half of DSAG member companies in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The same goes for investments in SAP technology. These were the findings of the 2020* Investment Report of the German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG). For the first time in four years, investments in S/4HANA now exceed investments in Business Suite, marking a clear transition. 

==> www.dsag.de; 23.01.2020

Q&A With SAP Exec: How To Build Sustainable Subscription Models In 2020;

Richard Howells, VP of Solution Management for Digital Supply Chain at SAP, answers questions about the benefits and challenges of subscription-based retailing models.

==> retailtouchpoints.com; 07.01.2020

Software firm SAP names new S-E Asia president, managing director;

Ms Barger will report to Scott Russell, president of SAP Asia Pacific Japan. In her new role, she will be responsible for driving SAP Southeast Asia's strategy, customer operations and accelerating customer transformation into intelligent enterprises, the company said.  

==> www.businesstimes.com.sg; 06.01.2020

Q&A with SAP's Global Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Tillman;

Delivering a more purposeful brand narrative and consolidating all the communication behind that was one Alicia’s biggest challenges at SAP, so far. Technology is the backbone that enables brands to run at scale. But there needs to be a solid process around it, that really works to define your objectives and how you are going to measure success. The biggest trend is going to be around customer experience and how marketers can lead the development of an exceptional experience, that they are offering to their customers.

==> www.clickz.com; 06.01.2020

SAP’s Hana Resolution For 2020;

SAP has to consolidate the chaos of different Hana versions, numerous service packages and revisions - a nice task for 2020, maybe, if SAP is up for it. During an E-3 exclusive interview with SAP co-CEO Christian Klein, he said, “We are optimistic that soon, all customers will operate on Hana 2.0.” However, SAP is currently struggling with numerous different service packages of Hana 1 and 2.

==> e3zine.com; 19.12.2019

Visions of the Future: Experts at SAP Give Their 2020 Predictions;

The next decade is just around the corner and enterprises in and around the big data space are preparing to pounce upon the next set of trends the new year will bring. The cloud is primed to continue making waves, along with other digital disruptions to improve user experiences. Several industry experts from SAP have offered up what they see as the top trends for 2020. 

==> www.dbta.com; 18.12.2019

SAP-Vorstand Christian Klein: „Wir haben intern den Druck erhöht“;

SAP will die milliardenschwere Einkaufstour beenden und stattdessen die vielen zugekauften Unternehmen integrieren. Dazu habe er den Druck auf die internen Abläufe erhöht und zudem die Anreizsysteme für Mitarbeiter angepasst, sagte der neue Co-Vorstandssprecher Christian Klein der "Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung" (Mittwochsausgabe).

==> www.faz.net; 03.12.2019

SAP terminates advisory contract with former CEO McDermott;

SAP and its former Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott have ended their cooperation with immediate effect, business daily Handelsblatt reported on Monday. 

==> www.reuters.com; 18.11.2019

Partnerships

SAP and Deloitte – the latest contributors to UK government’s Shared Services Strategy;

SAP SE is collaborating with the UK government through the Unity Cluster program to develop a shared SAP operating model that will enhance efficiency for HMRC, DfT, and MHCLG by implementing cloud capabilities. The partnership aims to implement key SAP solutions such as SAP Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Business Technology Platform, and SAP Concur, facilitating better management of HR, finance and procurement services. The initiative highlights the UK government's commitment to digital transformation, emphasizing improved departmental processes, data compliance and overall user experience through collaborations with major tech players like SAP and Deloitte.

==> erp.today; 18.11.2024

UiPath and SAP to accelerate enterprise automation for SAP users;

UiPath and SAP have partnered to integrate UiPath's automation platform with SAP Build Process Automation, enabling end-to-end automation across both SAP and non-SAP systems. This collaboration aims to accelerate business transformation by streamlining processes, facilitating cloud migrations, and enhancing innovation with AI-driven automation solutions. The integration is designed to offer SAP customers a more comprehensive automation experience, improving compliance and enabling rapid deployment of automation across enterprises.

==> erp.today; 15.10.2024

SAP Continues to Expand Its Partnership with Mistral AI to Broaden Customer Choice;

SAP has expanded its partnership with Mistral AI by hosting Mistral's models, including Mistral Large 2, on SAP's infrastructure, providing a secure environment for customers to use AI in regulated industries. This integration allows organizations to build custom AI solutions that extend SAP applications while ensuring data security and compliance with regional regulations. By offering Mistral's models through its AI hub, SAP enhances its AI capabilities, giving customers the ability to develop generative AI solutions on SAP's Business Technology Platform with greater control over their data.

==> news.sap.com; 09.10.2024

Kyndryl Expands Cloud-Focused Partnership with SAP;

Kyndryl announced a strategic alliance with SAP to use the RISE with SAP solution, enhancing their cloud transformation services. This partnership leverages Kyndryl's existing use of SAP systems to support customers' digital transformations with new migration, data insights, and application development tools.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 23.07.2024

AWS & SAP Partnering to Transform Cloud ERP with Gen AI;

Generative AI (Gen AI) is set to revolutionize enterprise technology, with AWS and SAP partnering to enhance business processes, operational efficiencies, and innovation. The collaboration centers on SAP’s RISE with SAP solution, enabling companies to modernize their ERP systems on AWS's cloud infrastructure. Key aspects include integrating Amazon Bedrock Gen AI models into SAP’s AI Core, utilizing AWS’s advanced hardware, and supporting Amazon's Project Kuiper to improve global broadband access.

==> technologymagazine.com; 30.05.2024

IBM and SAP Team Up to Launch Fresh GenAI and Cloud Capabilities;

IBM and SAP are expanding their long-standing partnership to focus on generative AI (GenAI) and industry-specific cloud solutions, under their new "Value Generation partnership" initiative. This collaboration aims to enhance client productivity and innovation through AI-infused business workflows and managed cloud offerings like SAP's Rise program. The initiative will leverage IBM's GenAI infrastructure and SAP's technology to transform business processes and drive innovation across various industries, aiming to deliver significant business value and competitive advantages.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 10.05.2024

SAP, Nvidia partner to boost business AI development;

SAP and Nvidia are collaborating to integrate generative AI capabilities into SAP's cloud products, aiming to enhance business-specific AI applications like the SAP Joule AI assistant. Announced at Nvidia GTC 2024, these integrations will leverage Nvidia's AI technologies across SAP's cloud applications portfolio, including SAP Datasphere, Business Technology Platform (BTP), and Rise with SAP, and are expected to be available by the end of the year. This partnership reflects SAP's strategic move towards utilizing external advanced technologies for rapid AI evolution, focusing on flexible architecture for easy integration and deployment of AI components to remain competitive in the rapidly growing AI landscape.

==> www.techtarget.com; 19.03.2024

SAP and Google Cloud Deliver Next-Gen Supply Chain Solutions;

SAP and Google Cloud collaborate to offer cutting-edge supply chain solutions, combining SAP's renowned ERP suite, S/4HANA, with Google Cloud's comprehensive cloud computing services. This partnership streamlines operations, enhances efficiency, and fosters innovation in the increasingly digitalized world of global supply chains. The integration facilitates everything from enterprise resource planning to spend management and innovative tech collaboration, empowering businesses to develop smarter, more efficient, and automated supply chains for the future.

==> insidesap.com; 10.02.2024

Partner Checks Point to softer growth in '24;

SAP reports 4Q on 1/24. Our partner survey showed a slight down-tick in performance Q/Q as 54% of partners met/beat targets vs. 62% in 3Q, and initial '24 growth outlook of 2% was below '23 levels of 6%. With mixed survey data points, recent share appreciation, and several structural reporting changes coming in '24, we see a mixed risk/reward in the nearer-term. Reiterate Market Perform.

  • Our partner survey (24 respondents, ~60% from EMEA) showed weaker performance in 4Q than 3Q w/ 54% of partners meeting/beating targets, below 62% last qtr and slightly below TTM avg of ~55%. Commentary on pipelines was also weaker w/ 54% indicating forward qtr pipeline Y/Y growth at/above the previous qtr, below 58% last qtr and TTM avg of ~62%. In turn, the CY24 avg growth expectation came in at +2%, down from last qtr's CY23 avg outlook of +6% (and vs. +7% this time last year).
  • Other notable data points include 1) S/4 HANA ERP SaaS Modules ranked #1 in demand across SAP's products, suggesting  continued traction in upgrade activity, while HCM and Procurement hit TTM lows in terms of % of respondents flagging these offerings in high demand; 2) partners remain mixed on the impact of SAP's accelerated cloud push; 3) our analysis shows Y/Y growth in sales headcount at -6% exiting 4Q vs. -16% exiting 3Q, though headcount was still down Q/Q; and 4) our FX analysis suggests an incremental ~100bps headwind to 4Q Cloud & Software revs and an incremental ~150bps headwind to 1Q.
     
==> tdcowen.com; 19.01.2024

SAP and PayPal join forces to enhance digital payments on Braintree platform;

SAP has partnered with PayPal to enhance digital payment processes for businesses. By integrating SAP's Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) with PayPal's digital payments expertise, the collaboration aims to simplify and streamline online transactions. PayPal will offer a plug-in for SAP customers through the PayPal Braintree Digital Payments connector, allowing them to use digital wallets, automated clearing houses (ACH), and credit cards for sending and receiving payments across organizations, providing a consistent, customer-centric payment experience.

==> fintech.global; 15.01.2024

McKinsey expands alliance with SAP to accelerate generative AI-enabled transformation;

McKinsey and SAP have announced a new collaboration called the Generative Enterprise, aiming to leverage generative AI to help businesses become more sustainable, resilient, and adaptive. Generative AI has the potential to unlock significant economic benefits and automate up to 70% of business activities. McKinsey and SAP will work together to enhance SAP S/4HANA's functionality and explore opportunities for generative AI-enabled transformation in businesses with cloud-enabled application portfolios.

==> www.mckinsey.com; 15.01.2024

IBM Collaborates with SAP To Develop New AI Solutions for the Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail Industries;

IBM is partnering with SAP to develop AI solutions aimed at improving supply chain, finance, and sales operations for consumer packaged goods and retail companies. These solutions will leverage IBM's watsonx AI platform and SAP's technology to address challenges in the direct store delivery process and product portfolio management. The collaboration aims to enhance transportation planning, optimize store-level assortments, and automate order settlement to help CPG companies, wholesalers, and retailers manage assortments, distribution, and revenue more efficiently.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 11.01.2024

Microsoft and SAP unveil new AI solutions for retail ahead of NRF 2024;

Microsoft and SAP are introducing AI-powered capabilities for retailers to help them adapt to changing consumer behaviors and market volatility. SAP is enhancing its supply-chain management and order orchestration offerings with AI to automate replenishment processes and provide detailed fulfillment updates. Microsoft is integrating its Copilot AI into Dynamics 365 applications for customer insights and marketing optimization and offering retail-specific AI templates and data connectors to accelerate AI adoption for retailers looking to enhance efficiency and profitability in the face of digital transformation challenges.

==> venturebeat.com; 11.01.2024

Accenture Expands Partnership with SAP to Help Clients Establish Responsible and Resilient Supply Chains;

Accenture has expanded its partnership with SAP to develop a comprehensive supply chain nerve center that aims to reduce risk, enhance visibility, and support sustainability goals for organizations. The supply chain nerve center, leveraging cloud, data, artificial intelligence, and analytics, provides n-tier transparency to identify risks beyond tier one and tier two suppliers. The collaboration also includes the co-development of new capabilities for the SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution to improve organizations' responsiveness to changes in supply, demand, and inventory.

==> newsroom.accenture.com; 28.11.2023

Partner Survey Shows Solid 3Q But Weaker 4Q Outlook;
  • We conducted our proprietary quarterly partner survey, composed of 27 partners and consisting of an audience split ~50% EMEA, ~23% Americas, and ~27% APAC (partners can sell into more than one region). For 3Q, 62% of partners met/beat estimates, above 48% in 2Q and 52% in 1Q. This includes 31% of partners that beat (vs. 22% last quarter) and 31%who met (vs. 26% last qtr). 
  • In terms of cloud products seeing the greatest amount of demand, S/4 HANA tied for rank #1 (vs. #1 last qtr) with 36% of partners indicating it is gaining traction (vs. 40% last qtr). Tied for rank #1 (vs. #2 last qtr), RISE with SAP had 36% of partners citing it as seeing strong demand (vs. 30% last qtr). Business by Design ranked #3 with 32% of partners (vs. 20% last qtr). Analytics Cloud ranked #4 with 24% of partners indicating strengthening activity levels (vs 25% last qtr).
  • Partners remained mixed on the impact of SAP's RISE initiative and accelerated cloud roadmahtp. 19% of partners said RISE caused more budget to shift away from license purchases toward migration efforts (vs. 9% last qtr). 26% said no direct impact on business activity (vs. 27% last qtr), 4% said accelerating spending on SAP solutions (vs. 14% last qtr), 15% said RISE is causing customers to consider alternative vendors (vs. 14% last qtr), and 19% said it is causing SAP related projects to be delayed (vs. 14% last qtr). 30% said don't know (vs. 41% last qtr).
==> www.cowen.com; 16.10.2023

EY collaborates with SAP to innovate and enhance transformations that drive value-led sustainability and climate action;

The EY organization today announced an expanded alliance with SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) to help organizations accelerate value-led sustainability action. Teams of EY professionals are advising SAP and customers on the core design and blueprint of the next generation of software solutions to create more impactful climate, nature and social impact strategies. Together with SAP’s leading software technology, this collaboration supports organizations by extending sustainability functionality into offerings tailored to specific needs, enhancing operational performance. 

==> www.ey.com; 12.10.2023

BT partners with SAP to transform carbon emissions visibility;

SAP SE and BT  announce a new partnership to show how carbon accounting could be standardised for business customers by piloting the recently launched SAP Sustainability Data Exchange (SDX). SAP SDX enables BT to collect, trace and share carbon data across its own supplier base, providing unparalleled visibility into the carbon footprint of its business products and services. BT can then share this information directly with customers when they purchase products through SAP Business Network.

==> newsroom.bt.com; 08.09.2023

SAP, Google Cloud building open data and AI for enterprises;

SAP and Google Cloud have announced an extensive expansion of their partnership, introducing a comprehensive open data offering designed to simplify data landscapes and unleash the power of business data. The offering, announced at Google Cloud Next 2023, enables customers to build an end-to-end data cloud that brings data from across the enterprise landscape using the SAP Datasphere solution together with Google's data cloud, enabling businesses to view their entire data estates in real-time and maximise value from their Google Cloud and SAP software investments.

==> technologymagazine.com; 31.08.2023

Kyndryl and SAP boost partnership to ease digital transformation;

Kyndryl has expanded strategic partnership with SAP focused on developing new solutions to help customers solve their most complex digital business transformation challenges. Under their expanded collaboration, the companies have leveraged SAP Business Transformation Center and vast ERP systems know-how, along with Kyndryl’s deep expertise in data, application migration, and modernization services to chart an efficient and cost-effective path to the cloud for customers.

==> www.helpnetsecurity.com; 18.05.2023

Google Cloud and SAP in enterprise open data push;

Google Cloud and SAP want to make it easier for enterprises to view their entire business data estates in real-time through the roll-out of a jointly created open data offering. The pair are now turning their attention to enabling their joint enterprise customers to build an end-to-end data cloud, using SAP Datasphere to pull in data from across the business and marry it up with Google’s fully managed, serverless data warehouse to BigQuery so they can derive more value from it. It also means enterprises will be better prepared to put their data to use in artificial intelligence (AI)-related contexts, the companies added.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 11.05.2023

IBM and SAP join forces on milestone AI collaboration;

IBM has unveiled that IBM Watson will be embedded into SAP solutions to provide new AI-driven insights and automation to help accelerate innovation and create more efficient and effective user experiences across the SAP solution portfolio. SAP will leverage IBM Watson to power its digital assistant in SAP Start, which provides a unified entry point for cloud solutions from SAP. With SAP Start, users can search for, launch and engage with apps provided in cloud solutions from SAP and S/4HANA Cloud. New AI capabilities in SAP Start will boost user productivity with natural language capabilities and predictive insights using IBM Watson AI solutions.

==> erp.today; 05.05.2023

SAP Partners Drive a Wave of Industry Cloud Innovation in Discrete Manufacturing;

When SAP‘s industry cloud journey began back in 2020, our vision was simple. We wanted to deliver more value to our customers and to our partners.  Now, close to three years later, this fundamental shift in approach, underpinned by new, attractive commercial models, is yielding better business outcomes and a solid value proposition for customers and partners alike. According to a 2022 study from Forrester, an organization that implements industry cloud solutions projects to realize a US$2.6 million net present value and an ROI of 283% over three years. The benefits come mostly in the form of revenue enhancement and assurance, increased employee productivity, and ongoing lower operating costs.

==> news.sap.com; 11.04.2023

SAP announces new Regional Strategic Services Partner initiative;

SAP Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) yesterday announced a Regional Strategic Services Partner (RSSP) initiative to amplify the capabilities and reach of established partners in the APJ region that are on a rapid growth trajectory. Through this initiative, SAP will provide strategic support to eligible partners, which may include coordinated industry-aligned solutions, joint go-to-market strategy, and access to SAP regional and market unit industry expertise. 

==> mb.com.ph; 01.02.2023

EY & SAP partner to drive smart chemical digitization;

EY has launched its Intelligent Chemicals Solution (ICS), to support chemical companies with innovative technologies across the chain and help prepare their businesses for the future through digital transformation. Based on the latest version of SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the new solution covers key chemical processes including: production planning and detailed scheduling, sales and service, finance, procurement, enterprise asset management, multi-resource scheduling, and environment, health and safety management.

==> erp.today; 30.01.2023

Deloitte And SAP Expand Sustainable Operations;

Deloitte announced a new asset roadmap and suite of cross-business integrated sustainability solution offerings. Deloitte’s five new sustainability solution offerings leverage SAP technologies and Deloitte’s subject-matter experience to deliver broad, issue-based solutions that help clients remain agile in a constantly changing business environment and stay ahead of the competition.

==> e3zine.com; 06.01.2023

PwC and SAP launch joint ESG and net zero service;

PwC and SAP have announced a collaborative ESG-based business offer. Described as a "co-innovation strategy to make sustainability an integral part of standard business operations", the service will cover carbon measurement, reporting and steering, and deliver supply chain decarbonisation, climate risk management, and competitive analysis.Bob Moritz, PwC’s global chairman, said that the service will build on the strength of the existing partnership between the two organisations, which has delivered solutions to clients in more than 80 countries.

==> environment-analyst.com; 14.12.2022

SAP launches partner training initiative;

A lack of skills is a problem that plagues the IT industry and the partner world is no exception, but SAP has decided it is going to take positive action to ease the situation. The vendor has launched a Partner Talent Initiative to identify and train talent that is emerging in the vendor’s partner ecosystem.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 15.06.2022

Partners become central to SAP industry cloud business;

At SAP Sapphire 2022, the software company highlighted partnerships with consulting firms that emphasized their vertical market acumen; more IT channel news. SAP's unfolding industry cloud strategy relies on relationships with a number of partners, continuing a historical pattern of collaboration in vertical markets. SAP's cloud partnering focus tracks with the company's past vertical market moves, said Liz Herbert, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass. "SAP has a long history of co-innovating with partners on industry solutions," she noted.

==> www.techtarget.com; 16.05.2022

Google Cloud and SAP launch a native integration between Workspace and S/4HANA Cloud;

Google and SAP have partnered around a number of different projects over the years and Google Cloud, just like its competitors, is a strategic cloud partner for RISE with SAP, the German enterprise software company’s program to help its customers move to the cloud. Today, the two companies announced a rather substantial expansion of their partnership that introduces a deep integration between SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP’s flagship enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and Google Workspace. This new native integration will allow SAP users to access data from S/4HANA and work with it collaboratively in Google Docs and Sheets, all while seamlessly importing and exporting this data between the two systems.

==> techcrunch.com; 04.05.2022

Accenture and SAP Launch Joint Offering to Help Large Enterprises Drive New Value from Cloud Services and Business Innovation ;

 The new joint offering combines the RISE with SAP solution and SOAR with Accenture services offering and has been augmented with new features that encompass Accenture’s comprehensive suite of transformation services, including customized cloud services and proprietary intelligent tools, delivered through a cohesive as-a-service model. Accenture is the largest SAP partner to offer services entirely designed to help large enterprises across industries easily plan, implement and manage deployments of RISE with SAP in the cloud. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 03.05.2022

Kyndryl Announces Expanded Strategic Partnership with SAP to Help Customers Overcome Digital Transformation Challenges;

Kyndryl announced an expanded strategic partnership with SAP focused on developing new solutions to help customers solve their most complex digital business transformation challenges. The expanded partnership will leverage SAP's Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) and Kyndryl's deep expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), data and cyber resiliency services to accelerate and enable a cost-effective path to the cloud for customers.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 21.04.2022

BCG and SAP launch joint sustainability transformation offering;

According to BCG and SAP, the partnership offers four key differentiators. It supplies a comprehensive, holistic offering, from sustainability strategy to technology solutions. It provides enterprise-grade abilities cascading from strategy to information systems and embedded across the organisation. The partnership also supplies the ability to quickly scale up digital solutions, with access to the full power of the SAP ecosystem. And it gives an integrated package where BCG insights build on SAP data, technologies, and processes.

==> www.consultancy.uk; 24.03.2022

SAP and Arvato Systems Partnering on Sovereign Cloud in Germany;

SAP is partnering with the IT services firm Arvato Systems to develop a sovereign cloud for the public sector in Germany. SAP and Arvato Systems intend to form and invest in a new German company for the venture to “drive digital transformation in Germany,” according to SAP this month. The cloud infrastructure will be designed to meet the “unique national requirements set out in the German cloud strategy.” There will be no network dependencies on systems outside Germany, and the independent operation of all services will be ensured. All data will be processed and stored in Germany, and all services will be delivered from within Germany.

==> www.datamation.com; 14.02.2022

SAP and Scheer Sign Strategic Partnership;

SAP announced a strategic partnership with consulting and software company Scheer to accelerate process transformation in the D/A/CH and Central European region, leveraging the advanced business process intelligence (BPI) solutions from SAP and Scheer’s expertise and solutions around digital transformation. The partnership will be supported by a team of 300 experts inside Scheer with deep domain expertise in process modelling, process mining, process automation and enterprise architecture. In addition to leveraging its strong presence in Central Europe, specifically Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Scheer will also extend the combined offer into its Northern European and U.S. client engagements. 

==> e3zine.com; 21.12.2021

Infosys partners with SAP to launch new solution for professional services industry;

Infosys has joined forces with SAP to launch the Leads and Proposals Solution, a modular, industry-specific solution aimed at delivering business innovation to the professional services industry. "Today, professional services firms are constantly faced with challenges in managing and converting leads which in turn, impact their revenue and growth. We are excited to collaborate with SAP to bring this unique solution that will help our customers seamlessly optimize, extend, and transform their core business processes," said Dinesh Rao, Executive Vice President and Global Head, Enterprise Application Services, Infosys.

==> www.devdiscourse.com; 28.09.2021

SAP Industry Cloud: MHP und SAP kooperieren künftig bei Mobility-Lösungen;

Die Management-Beratung MHP und SAP bauen ihre Partnerschaft aus. Hierbei wollen sie eine neue Cloud-Plattform für Mobility-Lösungen auf Basis der SAP Industry Cloud entwickeln. Zunächst werden Applikationen für das Fleet Management, Load Management und Battery Lifecycle Management bereitgestellt.

==> www.digitalbusiness-cloud.de; 14.09.2021

Google Cloud and SAP SE announce an expanded strategic partnership;

Under the partnership, Google Cloud and SAP aim to help customers execute business transformations, migrate critical business systems to the cloud, and augment existing business systems with Google Cloud capabilities in AI and machine learning. Google Cloud will be a strategic cloud partner for the RISE with SAP offering. According to Google, the partnership will help accelerate customers cloud migrations and business process migrations. It says customers can benefit from the planned global availability of multiple SAP services and products, all on Google Cloud's scalable infrastructure and high-speed network. Including the SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Data Warehouse Cloud solutions within the SAP business technology platform (BTP).

==> channellife.com.au; 02.08.2021

SAP partners with Columbia University on cybersecurity diversity initiative;

Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs will be collaborating with SAP to help identify and develop more diverse talent in the cybersecurity sector in the coming years.  The software giant is hoping to help promote diversity in cybersecurity through increased funding and a variety of internships, job opportunities, curriculum assistance and events at Columbia University. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 02.07.2021

TeamViewer and SAP Partner to Drive Innovation and Digital Transformation in Industrial Environments ;

TeamViewer announced a new partnership with SAP. The companies are joining forces to drive the digital transformation of workplaces and processes in industrial environments. The partnership will help to better address the fast growing need of customers for enhanced, outcome-based services. It includes a technical integration of TeamViewer Frontline, an Augmented Reality (AR) based workflow and remote support suite for deskless workers, into SAP's solutions for asset and service management as well as a joint go-to-market strategy with TeamViewer joining SAP's partner program.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 14.06.2021

SAP Looks To Deepen Partner-Customer Engagements With New Go-To-Market Plan;

SAP is making significant changes to how the software giant works with its solution provider partners, taking steps to simplify SAP-partner engagements and rewarding partners who establish deeper relationships with customers. The moves, announced at this week’s SAP Global Partner Summit, include a new go-to-market and revenue-share plan for partners, a new dashboard for tracking partner interactions with SAP and customers, and new solution test and demonstration capabilities.

==> www.crn.com; 28.05.2021

SAP partners get new revenue-sharing model for cloud ;

The new revenue-sharing model marks a shift from SAP's prior focus on partners that resell on-premises software and provide implementation services. When a partner closes cloud deals, the SAP PartnerEdge Cloud Choice flex model offers an upfront payment based on a percentage of the total contract value (TCV). Additionally, the partner will receive a percentage of the annual revenue it drives with the customer and get a slice of the TCV if the customer renews its contract. The flex model, detailed on Wednesday at the SAP Global Partner Summit Online, will launch at the beginning of third quarter.

==> searchitchannel.techtarget.com; 26.05.2021

Creating the Digital Thread to Connect OEMs and End Users;

Siemens and SAP expand their partnership to connect plant floor operations, remote condition monitoring conducted by OEMs, and product development via digital twins to facilitate collaboration across an asset’s entire lifecycle.

==> www.automationworld.com; 26.05.2021

Accenture and SAP Extend Partnership to Help Companies Accelerate Sustainability Transformation, Drive New Sources of Value, and Lead in the Circular Economy ;

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) are expanding their decades-long partnership to help companies embed sustainability across the full spectrum of their business operations — from strategy to execution — to unlock new value throughout their enterprises and in their value and supply chains. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.04.2021

Siemens and SAP expand partnership addressing asset lifecycle service and management;

The companies plan to deliver new cloud-based services that can help industrial equipment manufacturers to increase critical asset operational efficiency, avoid unplanned downtime and shorten design cycles in asset engineering projects, according to the partners. Building on the strategic partnership between Siemens and SAP announced in July 2020, these new solutions can enable industrial equipment manufacturers to provide new services and business models for installed equipment and help owners and operators use operational insights to increase asset utilization while maximizing safety and reducing risks, the partners added. 

==> www.mmh.com; 14.04.2021

SAP and IBM Accelerate Digital Transformation for the Enterprise;

SAP and IBM’s latest collaboration reinforces their 48-year-old alliance with new co-developed solutions to empower clients with the latest cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and analytics. The following integrated solutions will enable end-to-end business transformation processes to help companies advance the modernisation of their systems and workflows:

==> insidesap.com.au; 13.04.2021

Qlik expands partnership with AWS to accelerate cloud analytics with SAP data;

The partnership means customers can now seamlessly and easily leverage Qlik Data Integration to deliver real-time, analytics-ready data from their SAP systems into AWS, accelerating and enabling cloud data warehousing, data lakes and machine learning initiatives. 

==> itbrief.co.nz; 09.04.2021

Plataine, SAP partner to integrate software for holistic digital manufacturing solution;

Plataine (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) announced on March 22 that it has signed an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement with software and technology solutions company SAP (Walldorf, Germany). Through this agreement, Plataine says its software integrates with SAP Manufacturing Execution, and will enable customers to benefit from a holistic smart factory solution that extends across production operations. Plataine’s cloud-based IIoT and AI-based Software for Digital Manufacturing is now available on SAP Store, which recently merged with SAP App Center as the single digital marketplace for SAP and partner offerings.

==> www.compositesworld.com; 25.03.2021

Software AG extends SAP alliance to analyze digital supply chains;

Software AG has extended its alliance with SAP into the realm of digital supply chains by enabling its TrendMiner analytics software to be deployed on S/4HANA Cloud from SAP. TrendMiner analyzes sensor data that has been collected from a factory floor and stored in a time-series database. Instead of requiring organizations to hire data science teams to analyze that data, TrendMiner provides business end users with an application they can use themselves to improve overall product quality, Software AG CEO Sanjay Brahmawar said.

==> venturebeat.com; 03.03.2021

Microsoft to integrate Teams with SAP as partnership expands;

Microsoft has unveiled plans to integrate Teams with a range of SAP business applications, enabling workers to share information more easily without leaving the collaboration platform. The two companies announced that the German enterprise software vendor’s S/4HANA enterprise resource planning (ERP) application, used by many of the world’s largest organizations, will connect into Microsoft’s collaboration platform. This will allow SAP users to share information such as supplier details with colleagues within Teams without switching screens, for instance.

==> www.computerworld.com; 25.01.2021

NTT and SAP Deepen Strategic Global Relationship;

The strategic alliance creates a new era of digitally connected global value chains and intends to deliver solutions that will support a remote and connected world. These solutions will embrace SAP's vision of an intelligent enterprise. They will incorporate the best of SAP's intelligent technologies — the Internet of Things, edge computing and machine learning, to name a few — with NTT's industry-leading suite of information and communications technology (ICT) and hybrid cloud capabilities worldwide. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 07.12.2020

Dynatrace and SAP expand partnership to help retailers drive better business outcomes;

Dynatrace announced its expanded partnership with SAP will help prepare the world’s leading retailers for a successful Cyber Monday and beyond. This multi-year agreement positions Dynatrace as a strategic observability partner for SAP Commerce Cloud. This means Dynatrace’s digital experience monitoring capabilities, including real user monitoring and synthetic monitoring, and precise answers from its AI-engine, Davis, are now available for SAP Commerce Cloud, digital experience monitoring, which customers can subscribe to via the online SAP Store. 

==> www.helpnetsecurity.com; 01.12.2020

Strategic partnership: Bosch and SAP aim to simplify corporate processes with a new standard;

The partners’ objective is to further develop a digital industrial standard that governs, for example, the exchange and usage of company data along the value chain. This would harmonize and further automate processes, both within and between companies – thus achieving substantial efficiency gains. Given the strength of both companies’ networks across different sectors, the whole economy stands to gain from their collaboration. 

==> www.automotiveworld.com; 09.09.2020

Siemens, SAP announce new partnership;

Siemens (OTCPK:SIEGY) and SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) announce a new partnership to leverage their expertise and bring together their complementary software solutions. SAP will offer Siemens' Teamcenter software for product lifecycle collaboration and product data management. Siemens will offer its Intelligent Asset Management solutions and SAP Project and Portfolio Management applications over the entire product and service lifecycle and enable new collaborative processes between manufacturers and operators.

==> seekingalpha.com; 14.07.2020

Telefonica, SAP Join Forces to Offer Cloud Solutions to Spanish Companies ;

 The agreement reached by both companies will allow Telefónica to distribute the SAP licenses as part of its offer of cloud solutions, as well as to offer for the first time services associated with the private cloud from its data center in Madrid, while the German multinational will expand its partner ecosystem and increase its penetration capacity in certain environments and market segments.

==> www.thefastmode.com; 08.07.2020

IBM, SAP announce new offerings towards digital transformation;

The next evolution of the IBM and SAP partnership aims to help drive faster business transformation time to value, accelerate industry innovation through industry-specific data value offerings, turbocharge customer and employee experiences and provide ultimate flexibility and choice to run their workloads in hybrid cloud environments.

==> malaya.com.ph; 08.07.2020

Honeywell and SAP’s Building Performance Solution To “Support Better Decision Making”;

Honeywell has announced that they have teamed up with SAP to create a joint cloud-based solution based on Honeywell Forge, the company’s Enterprise Performance Management offering. The SAP Cloud Platform will streamline and combine operational and business data to "support better decision making and drive greater efficiencies."

==> www.twinfm.com; 28.06.2020

IBM & SAP Team Up to Drive Digital Overhaul of Enterprises;

IBM and SAP SE SAP recently expanded their partnership with the unveiling of new intelligent industry-specific solutions to aid customers accelerate digital transformation. The goal of the move is to aid businesses in becoming data-driven intelligent enterprises. Notably, the terms of the deal are yet to be finalized.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 24.06.2020

SAP and Deutsche Börse partner to set new standards for cloud computing in fin industry;

The goal is to develop a framework for the secure use of cloud-based SAP services that satisfies the high regulatory requirements of the financial sector. At the same time, the company is switching over from the legacy SAP core system to the powerful ERP solution SAP S/4HANA and will use the SAP BW/4HANA data warehouse solution for reporting in future.

==> financefeeds.com; 13.05.2020

SAP drives digitalisation at SIDF to boost $49bn Saudi industrial market;

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF), the Kingdom’s primary financial enabler for the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, has announced a digital transformation partnership with global technology company SAP, which has financially empowered Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector for the past 46 years driving the kingdom’s SR184 billion ($49 billion) industrial market.

==> www.tradearabia.com; 05.05.2020

Deutsche Telekom, SAP to develop Corona app ;

The German government said that Deutsche Telekom and SAP will develop a "Corona App" based on a decentralized software architecture. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Helmholtz-Zentrum CISPA have the task to advise on the development of the application. The core task of the Corona app is to inform people who have had contact with a person infected with Covid-19 as quickly as possible. This will enable the timely isolation of those with infections. 

==> www.telecompaper.com; 29.04.2020

GBM and SAP sign strategic partnership;

This strategic partnership will see Gulf Business Machines (GBM) and SAP leverage their experience, solutions and market knowledge to help customers create and execute a road map that will digitally transform their organisations and accelerate their path towards new customer engagement models and increased efficiencies in their daily operations. The partnership will simplify and accelerate software and cloud deployments by supporting them with strong infrastructure that meets massive scalability, availability, and performance while decreasing data management costs.

==> www.tradearabia.com; 15.04.2020

BearingPoint is now SAP Gold Partner;

BearingPoint announced today that it had achieved Gold Partner status in the SAP PartnerEdge Program, a clear sign of the success of BearingPoint's SAP practice and its competency working with SAP. BearingPoint advanced to Gold status on the strength of customer references, innovative SAP solutions, and after achieving various service authorizations in the areas of e.g. SAP Analytics, S/4HANA Cloud as well as SAP Ariba Solutions.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 24.03.2020

SAP and Accenture Launch Upstream Oil and Gas Solution to Help Streamline Processes and Costs;

SAP SE and Accenture launched a co-developed solution for upstream oil and gas companies based on SAP S/4HANA® Cloud. Using intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the SAP S/4HANA Cloud solution for upstream oil and gas helps customers to further increase visibility into operations and cash flow. Additionally, the solution includes contributions from leading global oil and gas companies such as ConocoPhillips and Shell.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 20.03.2020

Crescent Petroleum partners with SAP for digital transformation;

Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East’s first and largest privately held oil and gas company, has chosen SAP as a strategic partner to power its drive to improve efficiency across all processes, and progress a digital transformation strategy in coming years. In partnership with SAP Digital Business Services, Crescent implemented the S/4HANA real-time business suite and the SuccessFactors talent management suite to help streamline operational units across its operations to yield considerable efficiencies.

==> www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com; 20.03.2020

SAP and Goldman Sachs Innovate to Offer Global Payments on Ariba Network ;

SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and Goldman Sachs today announced that they have joined forces to make it easier for companies to do business with the millions of suppliers worldwide on Ariba® Network, where more than US$3.2 trillion in commerce is transacted annually.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 16.03.2020

Wipro to co-develop solutions with SAP for retail and fashion industry;

Wipro Limited announced that it has entered into an agreement with SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) to jointly go to market and co-develop solutions for the retail and fashion industry. The intent of this engagement is to co-develop new solutions, which will help retail and fashion companies effectively manage business processes and customer experience. 

==> www.equitybulls.com; 13.03.2020

SAP plans ‘most significant’ program overhaul in 14 years;

SAP is to embark on a mammoth, multi-year transformation of its 14-year-old partner program that will see it move away from its traditional tiering model. The German software giant will start rolling out its so-called ‘Next Gen Partnering Model’ over 2020, putting competency recognition and ‘customer success’ at the forefront. SAP’s 21,000-strong global partner network can expect to see a number of implemented by the end of this calendar year.

==> www.reseller.co.nz; 10.03.2020

SAP Channel Chief Karl Fahrbach: 2020 A Year Of Channel Execution, Expansion;

After one year as SAP chief partner officer, Karl Fahrbach’s goals this year include expanding partner ecosystem capacity, growing the number of channel consultants with SAP expertise, and increasing resources for partner-developed software and services. 

==> www.crn.com; 09.03.2020

Wirecard Becomes Official Development Partner of SAP to Drive Innovative Customer Experiences;

irecard will combine its technologies with individual product divisions of SAP to deliver joint solutions that complete the customer journey and offer new kinds of digital customer experiences. Possible application scenarios include the area of “New Mobility” as well as in retail and sporting events.

==> martechseries.com; 10.02.2020

Regional channel partners shine for SAP;

SAP has honoured top-performing partners in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) following 12 months of growth through the channel. Notable winners included Accenture who took home SAP S/4HANA and ISV honours, with fellow consultancy firms Deloitte and EY recognised in SAP S/4HANA Cloud and Intelligent Platforms categories respectively.

==> sg.channelasia.tech; 09.02.2020

SAP Joins the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 Network;

The CE100 is a collaborative network of businesses, innovators, cities and governments, universities and thought leaders who work together to accelerate adoption of circular economy practices and processes that maximize the use of resources.

==> www.aithority.com; 16.01.2020

EY and SAP launch digital GST compliance solutions;

EY’s Goods & Services Tax (GST) compliance solutions DigiGST can now be accessed on the SAP cloud platform, following a new collaborative agreement between the two firms. The new solution increases efficiency of compliance in light of increasingly stringent GST regulations.

==> www.consultancy.in; 14.01.2020

project44 and SAP team up for transportation processes-oriented partnership;

project44 and SAP said they have teamed up for a partnership geared to help shippers better manage delivery processes through what they called a joint solution for key transportation processes. These processes, they said, include things like receiving and tracking to connect, automate, and provide visibility data from project44 within the SAP Logistics Business Network.

==> www.logisticsmgmt.com; 10.12.2019

SAP and Accenture Co-Develop New Cloud-Based Solution to Help Utilities Companies;

SAP SE and Accenture announced they are co-innovating and co-developing the new SAP® Cloud for Utilities solution to help companies more effectively manage business processes and customer experiences. The initiative aims to elevate energy transition and customer experiences, helping companies quickly adapt and thrive in changing times. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 11.11.2019

Porsche and SAP Signs New Partnership;

Porsche and SAP, signed a new partnership for the former to receive support in its logistics, production, and ordering processes’ digital transformation. And this isn’t the first time a major car-maker has paired up with SAP.

==> insidesap.com.au; 07.11.2019

SAP and Microsoft Strengthens Partnership;

SAP and Microsoft announced the extension of its partnership last week. As said, the goal of the alliance was to ensure tighter integrations between S/4 ERP applications that are running on the SAP HANA database deployed on the Microsoft Azure cloud.

==> insidesap.com.au; 05.11.2019

Offerings

SAP Announces a New Loyalty Management Solution & AI Shopping Assistant;

SAP plans to launch a new loyalty management solution tailored for retailers and consumer goods companies by late 2025, offering features like loyalty wallets, personalized offers, and centralized program management. This solution aims to address gaps in customer retention, integrate with SAP's broader CX ecosystem, and provide real-time analytics and financial tracking. Additionally, SAP announced an AI shopping assistant for early 2025 and the general availability of its retail-focused SAP S/4HANA Cloud to streamline operations for the sector.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 09.01.2025

SAP ups AI factor in its SuccessFactors HCM suite;

SAP's latest update to its SuccessFactors HCM suite introduces AI-driven capabilities and expands third-party integrations to address the shift toward skills-based talent management, an area where competitor Workday has led. Enhancements include a Talent Intelligence Hub for centralized skills management, integrations with skills providers, and the AI copilot Joule for onboarding and payroll assistance. Analysts view these updates as SAP's response to rising demand for skills-based workforce planning, with potential benefits in workforce optimization, though some consider certain features more incremental than transformative.

==> www.cio.com; 28.10.2024

SAP widens Business AI strategy with Meta open source models;

At the SAP Sapphire event in Orlando, SAP showcased its work with Meta on open-source AI models. SAP is integrating Meta's Llama 2 and Llama 3 models into its generative AI hub on SAP AI Core, enhancing AI-driven business solutions with relevant and reliable capabilities. This integration aims to streamline workflows in SAP Analytics Cloud and improve image customization in SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite, leveraging AI for personalized and efficient business operations.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.06.2024

SAP announces a new composable payment solution;

SAP has unveiled a composable payment solution in its SAP Commerce Cloud, designed to help retailers adapt to the increasing demand for diverse payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later. This open payment framework integrates with multiple third-party payment providers, offering flexibility and easing adoption without complex integrations. Tailored for retailers to expand and customize their payment options, the solution aims at improving the checkout experience and supporting business growth, with its full launch expected in the second half of 2024.

==> thepaypers.com; 14.03.2024

SAP Expands Data Analytics Offerings With New Datasphere, Analytics Cloud Capabilities;

SAP is enhancing its SAP Datasphere and SAP Analytics Cloud with new capabilities, including generative AI, data governance, and knowledge graph functionalities, aiming to offer deeper insights and improve data analytics. These updates include the integration of the Joule copilot generative AI assistant for easier report and dashboard creation, and a new "compass" feature for conducting complex Monte Carlo simulations. Additionally, SAP's partnership with Collibra will strengthen data governance across SAP systems. These advancements underscore SAP's commitment to providing comprehensive data insights and management tools across diverse and complex data environments.

==> www.crn.com; 11.03.2024

SAP Announces New GenAI Tools;

SAP has introduced new GenAI-led tools and enhancements focused on utilizing vast data more effectively, centered around a business data fabric concept for centralized management and governance across multiple systems. These updates include a new AI copilot and AI governance features in SAP Datasphere and the SAP Analytics Cloud, alongside an extended partnership with data governance expert Collibra. The innovations aim to facilitate intelligent business transformation, improve data governance, and offer advanced analytics for enterprise-level operational planning, with the copilot Joule being expanded across SAP's range of SaaS applications and a new knowledge graph feature in SAP Datasphere for enhanced insights into data relationships.

==> cxotoday.com; 08.03.2024

SAP lays out generative AI strategy ;

German software giant SAP has outlined its strategy for leveraging generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to assist businesses and software developers in harnessing the capabilities of the emerging technology. During the SAP TechEd conference in Bangalore this week, SAP announced that it had integrated GenAI capabilities into a new low-code tool, SAP Build Code, to help developers and business users build applications and automate processes. SAP Build Code will use SAP’s new GenAI co-pilot called Joule to enhance developer productivity by incorporating code-generation capabilities for data models, application logic and test script creation.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 02.11.2023

SAP banks on GenAI for spend management and supplier sourcing;

SAP SE is taking a significant step into generative AI to help companies get more value from managing spending and supply chains. SAP announced at its Connect Live event in Vienna, Austria, this week that it will soon make available procurement software applications embedded with GenAI to help procurement professionals.

==> www.digitalcommerce360.com; 11.10.2023

SAP prepares to add Joule generative AI copilot across its apps;

By year-end, users of a couple of SAP applications should have the option to ask generative AI copilot, Joule, to help with their work — and the company plans to roll the feature out across all its applications one by one in the years to come. Access to the Joule interface will be included in existing SAP software license agreements, but the generative AI use cases that Joule calls on will be priced based on their business value, SAP chief marketing and solutions officer Julia White said.

==> www.cio.com; 26.09.2023

SAP and Visa team up to digitalize B2B payments in APAC enterprises;

SAP SE and Visa have announced they will be collaborating to digitalize business-to-business (B2B) payments, starting with Asia-Pacific enterprises. This collaboration aims to streamline and simplify B2B payments for businesses of all sizes. Visa will embed payments into the SAP ecosystem through the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), digitalizing and speeding up B2B payments across supply chains.

==> erp.today; 28.06.2023

SAP upgrades supply chain solutions to ensure “good corporate citizens”;

SAP has unveiled new advancements to its supply chain solutions that generate data-driven insights to enable risk-resilient and sustainable supply chain operations. Enhancements are being made to the following: AI embedded into the SAP Digital Manufacturing solution, 3D product and operations viewer capabilities in manufacturing, service and maintenance processes and adherence to sustainable packaging guidelines in the SAP Responsible Design and Production solution.

==> erp.today; 12.04.2023

SAP to add more governance capability for low-code tool Build;

SAP will soon add new governance feature for applications developed on its low-code and no-code platform Build, a move that analysts say comes late in the game for SAP, as there are already well-established governance tools on the market. The governance feature inside Build will be intended for IT teams to have control over applications developed on its low-code platform as they will be accessed by a lot of other users in the enterprise, said Bharat Sandhu, senior vice president of AI and application development platform at SAP.

==> www.infoworld.com; 22.03.2023

Neue Plattform: SAP will am Datenboom mitverdienen;

Viele Firmen investieren kräftig in die Sammlung und Auswertung von Informationen und stellen Chief Digital Officer ein. In diesem umkämpften Markt will sich SAP mit einer neuen Generation des Datenmanagements profilieren. Der Softwarehersteller hat am Mittwoch unter dem Namen Datasphere ein System angekündigt, das Geschäftskunden die Verarbeitung und Analyse geschäftskritischer Informationen erleichtern soll. Anders gesagt: Der Konzern will den Goldgräbern mehr Schaufeln verkaufen.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 08.03.2023

SAP Expands Low Code Tooling with Build Suite, Partners with Coursera;

SAP kicked off its annual TechEd event with the introduction of SAP Build, an integrated low-code development suite. The new SAP Build, unveiled on Tuesday, promises to enable partners and power users to create and enhance business applications. SAP Build combines three of the company’s development tools for BTP with enhanced low-code capabilities. The suite combines SAP’s AppGyver development environment, now the SAP Build Apps development environment, SAP Process Automation solution and SAP Work Zone.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 15.11.2022

SAP, NTT DATA launch solution to track fragile cargo shipments ;

NTT DATA and SAP Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) have launched Connected Product, a co-innovation solution to improve supply chain insurance management. The solution helps the stakeholders monitor the location and environmental conditions of the goods in transit. Currently, the solution is working on a pilot with a Spanish logistics group and a German insurance company to track the condition of hundreds of containers moved by 20 shippers between Europe and Asia.

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 12.07.2022

SAP launches metaverse initiative to accelerate cloud adoption in India;

 German tech major SAP AG on Monday launched its initiative on metaverse, aimed at accelerating cloud adoption among Indian enterprises. Targeted at digital-first clients, SAP said its ‘cloud on wheels’ platform will enable customers across phases of their digital transformation to experience the full range of ‘Rise with SAP’ offerings and enable them to “reimagine" processes for improved business outcomes.

==> www.livemint.com; 27.06.2022

SAP to expand into metaverse for boosting cloud adoption among Indian enterprises;

Software corporation SAP has announced its initiative on metaverse, with the aim to accelerate cloud adoption among Indian enterprises. By expanding into metaverse, SAP aims to introduce measures to support digital business-to-business (B2B) services such as the state-of-art technologies including rise with SAP, SAP’s digital core, procurement, customer and people experience solutions.

==> www.financialexpress.com; 27.06.2022

SAP partners with Apple on digital supply chain apps;

 SAP is partnering with Apple to expand partnerships across digital supply chain. Through its ongoing partnership with Apple to transform the way people work on iPhones and iPads, SAP has revealed a new suite of apps that streamline the digital supply chain and empower workers with intuitive tools. Chief Communications Officer Oliver Roll says: “Our new cloud and product innovations are designed to propel our customers to further success in an increasingly volatile world. 

==> supplychaindigital.com; 12.05.2022

SAP unveils sustainability platform for companies using plastic;

SAP said the platform assists enterprises in navigating the maze of sustainable business regulations in different states or countries while also creating new avenues for businesses to gain a better understanding of the product packaging and plastics within their supply chain. An SAP spokesperson told ZDNet that the target audience for the platform is companies in the consumer packaged goods space, most notable those that use plastic packaging. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 08.11.2021

SAP Releases New Solution to Accelerate the Circular Economy;

SAP SE  announces the availability of SAP® Responsible Design and Production, a solution for designing products sustainably and transitioning to a circular economy. This is the latest offering in a growing portfolio of sustainability-specific software applications that help businesses increase their measurement and data management capabilities.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 08.11.2021

SAP : Launches SAP Product Footprint Management;

 SAP Product Footprint Management enables companies to lower their carbon emissions, make their products more sustainable, and disclose their products' environmental footprints to regulators. The product launch underpins SAP's sustainability strategy to deliver products and services that address the sustainability challenges and opportunities of its customers. 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 20.09.2021

SAP finally joins the process mining fray;

With Process Insights, SAP aims to help customers streamline their operations by reporting on the speed and efficiency of existing business processes before benchmarking them against 300 key performance indicators (KPIs) generated from aggregated SAP customer data. The tool, which will use SAP's Intelligent Robotic Process Automation to recommend improvements, leans heavily on data SAP has amassed about what makes any given process efficient for its customers, SAP CEO Christian Klein said during a media and analyst Q&A.

==> www.cio.com; 07.06.2021

SAP expands portfolio with a slew of business transformation tools;

During its online Sapphire Now conference, SAP revealed it has extended the reach of its analytics cloud platform and rolled out additional managed digital transformation services. SAP has added an SAP Process Insights that tracks process workflows using data collected from its enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite. Going forward SAP will also integrate its robotic process automation (RPA) platform with SAP Process Insights, in addition to allowing users to capture and automate processes involving both end users and machines. The company is also adding machine learning algorithms to its Concur travel expense management offering to better enable organizations to identify anomalies and other issues via a Verify module. 

==> venturebeat.com; 02.06.2021

SAP consolidates marketplaces with SAP Store;

SAP said it is merging its marketplaces for apps and partners with the launch its SAP Store. Previously, SAP had SAP Store for SAP solutions and SAP App Center. By combining the two efforts, SAP is looking to simplify its shopping experience and ecosystem into SAP Store. SAP said SAP Store has a unified home page, intelligent search and 1,700 partner aps. Partner offerings are certified by SAP and SAP is featuring Endorsed Apps with visual cues. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 01.02.2021

SAP to Accelerate Its Multi-Cloud Strategy in India;

SAP SE announced it would invest INR 500 crore (€55 million) in India to localize and offer customers a multi-cloud choice. Underscoring its commitment to India, SAP will make available its multiple cloud solutions in India data centers.   

==> www.arcweb.com; 08.01.2021

SAP unveils its Customer Data Platform, promising personalized engagements from enterprise data;

Enterprise software giant SAP is launching a customer data platform (CDP) that aims to help organizations meld customer data across touchpoints -- from commerce and marketing to sales and service -- to improve experiences. Though relatively new, the customer data platform (CDP) market is a crowded, competitive space. Adobe, Oracle and several smaller software vendors are all offering CDPs for brands that are anxious to consolidate their customer data into one place where it can be easily leveraged. The need for CDPs has grown out of the increasing number of touchpoints giving brands new information about their customers. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 14.10.2020

SAP rolls out new release of its SAP Logistics Business Network offering;

Company officials said that this offering is a cloud-based network platform, which is designed to seamlessly connect SAP customers’ back-end systems to their freight collaboration, tracking, order fulfillment, and material traceablity networks. And they added that this new release offers up the next step in the company’s strategy to enable end-to-end visibility, increased efficiency, and seamless collaboration through a unified business network. 

==> www.logisticsmgmt.com; 02.10.2020

SAP to Acquire Omnichannel Customer Engagement Leader Emarsys;

SAP SE announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Emarsys, a leading omnichannel customer engagement platform provider. Emarsys enables businesses to engage more effectively and more personally with their customers. Enhancing the SAP Customer Experience portfolio with Emarsys will create a new paradigm for how commerce is managed digitally as it will deliver hyperpersonalized, omnichannel engagements in real time, helping organizations ensure every engagement is relevant and impactful. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 01.10.2020

SAP Unveils SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, Customer Edition;

SAP unveils SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, customer edition. This brand-new deployment model allows customers to leverage the company’s private cloud SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud and license subscription while maintaining their SAP software landscape and data on-premise—within their own data center environment. According to SAP, the new solution is being launched in partnership with key global hardware infrastructure as a service (IaaS) providers, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). 

==> insidesap.com.au; 11.08.2020

SAP announces availability of S/4 HANA Cloud, Commerce Cloud computing solutions;

SAP has announced the availability of S/4 HANA Cloud and Commerce Cloud computing solutions on the India data centre. With this launch, Indian enterprises can now meet all customer demands, and ensure compliance with current and upcoming Personal Data Protection Bill, SAP said in a statement. Also, the availability of S/4HANA Cloud and SAP Commerce Cloud in India will offer enterprises a quick and easy way to consume the latest solutions in the cloud.

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 26.05.2020

Lloyd’s Register And SAP Partner To Help Safeguard Our Essential Workers;

The Lloyd’s Register cloud-based AllAssets Asset Performance Management (APM) platform integrates with SAP’s S/4HANA software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, and can combine Dynamic Edge with real-time Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to create digital twin replicas. They can predict potential problems and failures, and recommend corrective action to prevent an occurrence before it happens.

==> www.forbes.com; 17.04.2020

SAP promises to support flagship platform until 2040;

P said on Tuesday it would provide support until 2040 for its flagship S/4HANA platform, a move that users in its home market and the United States said would give them more confidence to upgrade. SAP said it would also provide maintenance for its legacy Business Suite 7 software until 2027, two years longer than previously indicated, followed by optional extended maintenance until the end of 2030. 

==> www.reuters.com; 04.02.2020

Deals

Mercedes-Benz And SAP Strengthen Partnership With Cloud-Based Digital Transformation;

Mercedes-Benz is integrating SAP’s cloud-based "RISE with SAP" program on AWS to modernize its IT infrastructure and improve operational efficiency. This transition standardizes processes across finance, logistics, and after-sales services while incorporating AI-driven automation for faster decision-making. The partnership aims to enhance digital transformation, reduce complexity, and position Mercedes for long-term competitiveness in the automotive industry.

==> www.benzinsider.com; 30.01.2025

SAP and Amazon Web Services help BBC simplify its IT systems in cost effective move to the cloud;

The BBC is continuing its partnership with SAP to streamline its IT systems, including finance, HR, and procurement, by adopting RISE with SAP on AWS. This move consolidates the BBC's IT infrastructure, replacing separate contracts for data centers and software licenses, making operations simpler and more cost-effective. The cloud-based transformation aims to enhance performance, resilience, and efficiency, allowing the BBC to focus more on delivering quality services to its audience.

==> news.sap.com; 27.11.2024

SAP to Provide Next-Generation Industrial Planning for Airbus;

Airbus has selected SAP to enhance its industrial planning for the next generation of commercial aircraft. Utilizing the SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution, Airbus aims to transform its planning processes, promoting integration and collaboration across sales, delivery, and industrial planning teams. The cloud solution is expected to provide Airbus with greater transparency, agility, and actionable insights, ultimately supporting the company's journey toward more efficient production planning and resource utilization.

==> news.sap.com; 08.11.2023

Fresenius Migrates SAP Software Systems to the Cloud;

Fresenius has made a significant shift, transitioning its primary SAP software systems to a cloud-based infrastructure. This transition was accomplished using RISE with SAP – a robust service developed by German enterprise software giant SAP. This comprehensive service is designed to provide businesses with the tools they need to evolve into intelligent enterprises, allowing them to leverage technology to drive growth and efficiency.

==> insidesap.com; 29.06.2023

Diageo partners with SAP and IBM on five-year global digital transformation programme;

Diageo announces a five-year business transformation program in partnership with SAP (NYSE: SAP) and IBM (NYSE: IBM). This new initiative, which marks the company’s most significant ever investment in technology and services, will redesign and improve Diageo’s processes across the 180 countries where it operates.The programme involves a move to RISE with SAP S/4 HANA Cloud, with the support of IBM Consulting. Diageo’s implementation of the new cloud-based model will ensure its IT infrastructure is simplified and supported in a unified way. 

==> www.diageo.com; 24.05.2023

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Further Drives Its Digitalization;

SAP SE announced a strategic partnership with Merck KGaA to jointly drive sustainable business practice innovation. The partnership will further accelerate the migration of the systems of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to the cloud with RISE with SAP, a core element of which is SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The first step of the collaboration is cloud transformation of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The leading science and technology company will use RISE with SAP for this purpose. At the core of RISE with SAP is SAP S/4HANA Cloud, which will help digitalize the company’s business processes and make them more efficient, agile and adaptable. The cloud infrastructure management is provided by the hyperscaler AWS.

==> news.sap.com; 08.02.2023

BMW Group’s cloud strategy RISEs to new levels with SAP partnership;

The BMW Group will intensify its far-reaching strategic partnership with SAP SE. The aim is to significantly accelerate the digital transformation of the company. This was sealed by both companies on 25 January 2023. The premium manufacturer is building on its cloud strategy to digitalize faster, more comprehensively and more efficiently in the future. The entire SAP landscape will be migrated to RISE with SAP¹ for this purpose. By merging the cloud strategy with the future developments of the SAP landscape on S/4HANA², joint innovations for important business areas such as finance, parts supply, warehousing, supply chain or production will be driven forward.

==> www.automotiveworld.com; 26.01.2023

Avery Dennison and SAP combine their analytic product clouds to combat short expiry dates on retail shelves;

Avery Dennison has partnered with SAP to tackle issues with waste in the retail industry by integrating their respective analytic product clouds, supposedly allowing supermarkets to track and optimise the expiry dates of their products.

==> packagingeurope.com; 05.10.2022

LeanIX Expands Partnership with SAP to Further Support Digital Transformation;

LeanIX is expanding its partnership with SAP to accelerate digital transformation journeys, announcing its Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) solution is now an SAP Endorsed App, available on the SAP Store. The solution helps companies map their critical business processes to their enterprise architecture, SaaS, and microservices landscapes, providing greater process transparency and control.

==> www.dbta.com; 22.06.2022

Domty partners with SAP for digital transformation;

Arabian Food Industries Company (Domty) has teamed up with global tech firm SAP to initiate a digital transformation journey. Domty will use cloud integration and software solutions to develop interactions with its 55,000 Egyptian retailer partners, according to a press release on Wednesday. The listed company has adopted RISE with SAP and SAP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to become an intelligent enterprise while lowering cyber-risks.

==> www.zawya.com; 09.06.2022

Saudi’s Alpha Pharma and SAP sign deal for digital transformation partnership;

Alpha Pharma has inked a partnership with SAP to enable its digital transformation as part of a wider business strategy. The new partnership aims to streamline the manufacturer’s operations in finance, supply chain, logistics, production, and HR, a statement said. The manufacturer also plans to deploy solutions including SAP S/4HANA, SuccessFactor, private cloud and the core offering of Rise with SAP to centralise and streamline a number of key business functions.

==> gulfbusiness.com; 28.03.2022

Mahindra & Mahindra Partners With SAP For Digital Transformation ;

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Thursday said it has partnered with SAP to spearhead its digital transformation journey. SAP will enable the Mumbai-based automaker to successfully modernise its technology landscape and enhance overall operations. SAP on cloud adopts business transformation as a service approach that aligns with the company's ambitious digital road map of reimagining customer journeys by transforming the core and using data/AI for driving customer and employee experience, he added.

==> www.outlookindia.com; 20.01.2022

SAP Launches Low-Code/No-Code Tools, Expands BTP Free Tier Offerings;

SAP is offering a new low-code/no-code development toolset within the SAP Business Technology Platform that the software giant says makes it easier for both professional and “citizen” developers to build applications on BTP and extensions for SAP applications. The focus on developers is a core element of SAP’s strategy to help partners and customers adapt and extend SAP applications.

==> www.crn.com; 16.11.2021

Gulf Craft embarks on digital transformation with SAP;

Gulf Craft, a leading boat and yacht manufacturer, has announced a strategic digital transformation partnership with global technology company, SAP, which will revolutionise the experience of its customers all over the world. The partnership will support the on-going expansion of Gulf Craft across the world. The digital transformation will include the implementation of new systems and processes that will drive the brand’s innovative approach to boat and yacht manufacturing - from prototyping, to production and delivery of the vessel to the owner.

==> www.khaleejtimes.com; 10.10.2021

Inchcape Accelerates Digital Transformation With Google Cloud and SAP;

Google Cloud today announced a new partnership with SAP and Inchcape plc, a leading multi-brand automotive distributor, that will involve Inchcape bringing its business-critical sales, marketing and operations systems, and data to the cloud. The migration of its SAP systems will help transform the purchase and ownership of cars for millions of consumers worldwide, while automating and creating new efficiencies within Inchcape’s operations.

==> www.automotiveworld.com; 24.08.2021

NBA Expands Cloud Computing Capabilities With SAP;

As part of the deal, the NBA will migrate its cloud-based SAP software, including SAP’s HANA Cloud database, to fellow cloud computing service Microsoft Azure. Azure powers the NBA’s CourtOptix player-tracking stats platform that became available to fans in April. The NBA’s deal signed in 2020 with Microsoft also includes plans to launch a new direct-to-consumer streaming service for watching games.

==> www.sporttechie.com; 02.08.2021

Audi : launches initiative for digital factory transformation in Heilbronn;

Audi will be collaborating closely in the future with the Technical University of Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in the area of digitalization at the Bildungscampus of Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Heilbronn. Championed by Audi, the "Automotive Initiative 2025" aims to establish a world-leading competence network for digital factory transformation and innovation. The Audi site in Neckarsulm will assume a central role as a pilot factory and real-world laboratory for digital transformation. Relevant IT solutions and ideas will be provided by technology partners Amazon Web Services (AWS), SAP, Capgemini and the XL2 joint venture, in which Audi is a founding partner. 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 30.04.2021

Telekom und SAP stellen Infrastruktur für digitalen Impfpass ;

Spätestens ab Sommer sollen die neuen digitalen Impfnachweise allen bereits gegen Corona geimpften EU-Bürgerinnen und Bürgern wieder mehr Reisefreiheit ermöglichen – egal ob bei Urlaubs- oder Geschäftsreisen. Den Beschluss, die sogenannten „Digital Green Certificates“ einzuführen, hatten alle EU-Staaten im Februar im Rahmen der „Free Movement"-Initiative getroffen. Den Auftrag für die Entwicklung dieses Gateway-Servers, hat die EU-Kommission nun an die Deutsche Telekom und an SAP vergeben. SAP und die Telekom-Tochter T-Systems erarbeiten derzeit die technischen Spezifikationen des für die Verifikation erforderlichen Gateways. „Es soll im Juni fertig sein“, so der EU-Sprecher zum Zeitplan.
 

==> www.wiwo.de; 15.04.2021

Google will stop using Oracle’s finance software and adopt SAP instead;

Google plans to migrate its internal financial software from Oracle to SAP in the next few weeks. There’s no indication that it’s moving other systems off Oracle. The two companies increasingly compete in the cloud computing market, and Oracle’s refusal to certify its database for use in Google’s cloud hampered adoption among large companies, according to one person directly familiar with Google’s cloud business.The move does not appear to be tied to the longstanding lawsuit between the two companies over Google’s incorporation into Android of some Java software code owned by Oracle. The Supreme Court ruled earlier on Monday in Google’s favor.

==> www.cnbc.com; 05.04.2021

Almarai working with McKinsey and SAP on digital transformation;

Saudi Arabian dairy company Almarai has embarked on the next phase of its digital transformation strategy, working together with consultants and technologists from McKinsey & Company and SAP on driving its realisation. Digital is a central part of Almarai’s plans, with the firm eyeing a suite of intelligent technologies to optimise its operations, supply chains and customer processes. Experts from McKinsey & Company are advising the firm’s executive team on digital strategy and the roadmap. One major pillar of its digital agenda is a large-scale ERP upgrade aimed at “optimising our resources, reduce waste and drive a leaner operation,” said Nofal. Almarai is deploying the SAP S/4HANA system across all lines of business, which will run on a HANA Enterprise Cloud platform that is managed by SAP. 

==> www.consultancy-me.com; 23.11.2020

SAP, Deutsche Telekom to build corona app gateway for European Commission;

The European Commission said on Friday it had signed a contract for SAP and Deutsche Telekom to build a software platform that would enable national coronavirus contact tracing apps to ‘talk’ to each other. The European Commission signed the contract with SAP and Deutsche Telekom’s IT services unit T-Systems to build the platform for cross-border exchange of exposure notifications, the three said in a joint statement. Details on further steps will follow soon. 

==> www.reuters.com; 31.07.2020

SAP and E.ON to Build New Process and Technology Platformild New Process and Technology Platform;

The platform will make processes for billing and exchanging information with energy market participants fit for the future.E.ON aims to use cloud solutions from SAP (SAP S/4HANA) to make core processes around billing and information exchange more efficient and consistent across its corporate group. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 28.07.2020

SAP to digitally transform Mobily’s customer experience;

 Mobily, one of the Middle East’s largest communications companies, has announced a digital transformation partnership with global technology company SAP to energize its sales force automation. In line with its digital transformation strategy, Mobily seeks to enhance business competitiveness by enhancing customer experiences, optimizing costs and sales, and bringing innovations faster to market.

==> www.arabnews.com; 25.03.2020

SAP Canada selected to run Phoenix replacement pilot project;

The federal government has chosen the information technology firm SAP Canada to lead a pilot project testing systems in the running to replace its troubled Phoenix pay system. The other shortlisted companies were Ceridian and Workday and all three remain in the running as potential vendors for the new pay system.

==> ottawacitizen.com; 06.03.2020

SAP Targets IT Contracts in Ethiopia to Drive Africa Revenue;

The German software giant agreed to work with Ethiopia’s state-owned electricity utility on a new billing system that will make it easier to monitor power use and payments, SAP Africa head Cathy Smith said in an interview. More opportunities may arise in areas such as voice-over-internet phone calls, she said.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 04.03.2020

BT selects SAP for digital transformation programme;

SAP will be involved with a number of initiatives at BT Group, including finance, procurement and workforce management. BT Group is also migrating to a range of SAP cloud applications to deliver wide-ranging efficiencies across the business. 

==> www.totaltele.com; 03.12.2019

Egypt- SAP, Microsoft to carry out digital transformation of 60 public enterprises;

The Ministry of Public Enterprise Sector announced the completion of the Middle East and North Africa's largest information technology tender for the digital transformation of the ministry's subsidiaries. SAP and Microsoft won the tender to manage the resources of 60 subsidiaries and holding companies, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) in six main areas.

==> menafn.com; 27.11.2019

SAP and Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team Power Up Their Business Performance Partnership;

SAP SE announced that the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team is using the SAP HANA platform and the SAP Sports One solution to prepare for season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

==> martechseries.com; 18.11.2019

Coca-Cola uses blockchain for its $21 billion-per-year network;

Coke One North America, the tech company that manages IT operations for Coca-Cola’s bottlers has started using a blockchain solution that’s been developed by German software company SAP to manage the platform that oversees multiple franchises that manufacture, bottle and ship around 160,000 orders of Coca-Cola products a day.

==> supplychainanalysis.igd.com; 08.11.2019

Good News

SAP Signavio Is a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for Process Mining Platforms;

SAP Signavio has been recognized as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Process Mining for the second consecutive year, highlighting its strength in Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. This positioning reflects SAP Signavio's significant role in driving SAP’s growth and strategic direction. The company's offerings are aimed at addressing a broad range of customer needs, including operational excellence and process automation, with a vision for leveraging process AI to unlock new opportunities for customers and partners.

==> news.sap.com; 03.05.2024

SAP Is a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Configure, Price, and Quote Application Suites;

SAP has been recognized as a Leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price, and Quote Application Suites for the sixth consecutive year. SAP CPQ enables organizations to generate quick and accurate quotes, accommodating complex configuration and pricing requirements, ultimately enhancing the sales experience and accelerating sales cycles. The recognition by Gartner is based on SAP's "ability to execute" and "completeness of vision," highlighting the company's commitment to providing a CPQ solution that meets diverse customer needs and contributes to the automation of the quote-to-cash process.

==> news.sap.com; 10.01.2024

SAP Recognized as a Leader in 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools;

SAP has been recognized as a Leader in Gartner's 2023 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools for the 16th consecutive time. SAP's data integration tools, including SAP Datasphere, SAP Data Intelligence Cloud, SAP Data Services, and SAP Integration Suite, are part of SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP). These tools enable organizations to discover, connect, integrate, govern, and orchestrate their data assets, providing trusted, relevant, and timely information for digital transformation. SAP takes a business data fabric approach, offering an integrated, semantically rich data layer that eliminates the need for data duplication and provides users with a complete view of their data, regardless of where it is stored or how it was designed.

==> news.sap.com; 15.12.2023

SAP Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems;

For the 10th consecutive year, SAP has been named as a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems. SAP is positioned in the Leaders quadrant based on ability to execute and completeness of vision.

==> news.sap.com; 31.05.2023

SAP Signavio Is a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Process Mining Tools;

In the first Gartner Magic Quadrant for Process Mining, the SAP Signavio portfolio has been recognized as a Leader in the market based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. SAP Signavio Process Transformation Suite was evaluated. According to the Gartner Magic Quadrant, “Leaders have a deep understanding of the realities of the market, a track record of success, and an ability to influence the market’s direction, along with an ability to attract and keep a growing customer base.

==> news.sap.com; 27.03.2023

SAP Again a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Database Management Systems;

The Magic Quadrant provides an overview of the major technology players in the CDBMS market and positions them according to their completeness of vision and ability to execute. The CDBMS market includes vendors that supply fully provider-managed public or private cloud software systems that manage data in cloud storage. Gartner recognizes technology providers that perform highly in both the completeness of their vision and their ability to execute as a Leader.

==> news.sap.com; 20.12.2022

SAP Is a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Enterprise Subscription and Usage Management Applications ;

According to the IDC MarketScape report, companies should consider SAP when they “need a highly scalable subscription and usage management application built into [their] ERP platform for the benefits of analytics, integration, procurement, and vendor relationship.” The report cites that customers are happy with the SAP platform and services to monetize their businesses and confident of SAP as “their subscription and usage management vendor of choice for the future.”

==> news.sap.com; 13.12.2022

SAP Is a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites ;

SAP CPQ enables organizations — however complex, across channels, and whichever customer relationship management  (CRM) they run — to produce quick and accurate quotes, accommodating the most advanced configuration and pricing requirements, resulting in a better sales experience and faster sales cycles. According to the Gartner Magic Quadrant, providers that qualify as Leaders “have the ability to execute their vision through products, services and demonstrably solid business results in the form of revenue and earnings. Leaders have significant successful customer deployments in a wide variety of industries and with multiple proofs of deployments for more than 500 users. They achieve consistently above-average customer experience satisfaction scores. They are often the vendors against which other providers measure themselves.”

==> news.sap.com; 23.11.2022

SAP Recognized as Leader in IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Holistic Supply Chain Planning 2022 ;

IDC Manufacturing Insights has recognized SAP as a Leader in strategy and capabilities in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Holistic Supply Chain Planning 2022 Vendor Assessment.*
According to Simon Ellis, program vice president, IDC Manufacturing Insights, “SAP has extensive experience in almost all industries, with notable engagements in consumer products, retail, high tech, automotive/heavy equipment, pharma/life sciences, and wholesale distribution. Supply chains looking for a comprehensive supply chain planning offering that provides a seamless, user-friendly planning platform with embedded analytics that is tightly integrated to manufacturing, operational planning, and supply chain execution should consider SAP.”

==> news.sap.com; 08.11.2022

SAP Is a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises ;

SAP S/4HANA Cloud has been named as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Product-Centric Enterprises after it’s evaluation of S/4HANA. Gartner recognised SAP S/4HANA Cloud for its completeness of vision and ability to execute cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises. In July 2022 SAP also achieved leader status in the Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Service-Centric Enterprises.

==> news.sap.com; 29.09.2022

SAP Named a Leader Among Digital Operations Platforms for Manufacturing and Distribution and Digital Operations Platforms for Services ;

SAP was named a Leader in “The Forrester Wave™: Digital Operations Platforms for Manufacturing and Distribution, Q3, 2022” and “The Forrester Wave™: Digital Operations Platforms for Services, Q3 2022” reports. The reports note: “As technology executives modernize their old technology to meet modern business needs of agility and innovation, they are replacing their old enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems with modern choices — which are versionless, cloud-based, and built with AI at the core.”

==> news.sap.com; 27.09.2022

SAP and Microsoft Recognized as a Leader in 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools ;

==> www.gartner.com; 23.08.2022

SAP reports 28% jump in Q4 cloud computing revenue, targets 26% growth for 2022;

SAP (SAPG.DE) on Thursday said fourth-quarter revenue from its cloud computing business jumped 28% as more customers shift their IT operations to its cloud business database. Cloud revenue climbed to 2.61 billion euros ($2.99 billion) in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported in a preliminary earnings statement. "More and more companies are choosing SAP to help them ... build resilient supply chains and become sustainable enterprises as they move to the cloud," Chief Executive Officer Christian Klein said in a statement.

==> www.reuters.com; 14.01.2022

SAP Positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Integration Platform-as-a-Service;

SAP SE today announced that independent analyst firm Gartner Inc. has named SAP a Leader in its Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Integration Platform-as-a-Service report* for the second year in a row.  Gartner evaluated 17 vendors and named SAP a Leader based on its “ability to execute” and “completeness of vision” after evaluating SAP Integration Suite, which is part of SAP Business Technology Platform.

==> martechseries.com; 08.10.2021

SAP : Named a Leader in 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce;

sAP SE announced it has been named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce* for the seventh time. In its latest 2021 report, Gartner assessed solutions from 17 vendors including commerce solutions from SAP.  Digital commerce solutions from SAP, which include SAP Commerce Cloud and SAP Upscale Commerce, help brands convert more customers by turning engagements into personal, shoppable moments. Additional companies that recently chose digital commerce solutions from SAP in the first half of 2021 include the following: 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 09.09.2021

Neue Strategie von SAP wirkt: „Wir sind zuversichtlicher denn je“ – Konzern hebt Prognose an;

Düsseldorf Mit einer teuren Neuausrichtung hat SAP-Chef Christian Klein im Herbst 2020 die Aktionäre schockiert. Schneller als geplant sollte der Konzern seine wichtigsten Produkte über die Cloud anbieten. Die Umstellung macht sich bereits bezahlt. Nach dem robusten zweiten Quartal hebt der Softwarehersteller die Ziele für das laufende Jahr zum zweiten Mal an. Die Prognose fällt nun etwas optimistischer aus: Das währungsbereinigte Betriebsergebnis soll im gesamten Jahr nun zwischen 7,95 und 8,25 Milliarden Euro liegen, etwas mehr als bislang mit 7,8 bis 8,2 Milliarden Euro, allerdings immer noch weniger als 2020. Für die Cloud- und Softwareerlöse hebt der Konzern die Spanne um 200 Millionen Euro auf 23,6 bis 24 Milliarden Euro an.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 21.07.2021

SAP lifts outlook as cloud push gains traction in the second quarter;

SAP raised its outlook for the second time this year as a strategic push to help customers shift their IT operations to the cloud gained traction in the second quarter. SAP now expects cloud revenue to grow by 15%-18% in the year, helping its overall cloud and software revenue to gain by 2%-3%. Operating profit is now expected to be unchanged to down 4% for the year.

==> www.cnbc.com; 21.07.2021

SAP for Cloud Strategy Expands with a Strong Focus on Migration;

Gartner recognised SAP as a Leader in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Cloud Database Management Systems (DBMS). The cloud DBMS market, according to the global research and advisory firm, consists of products that offer fully managed public or private cloud software systems for managing data in cloud storage. As data management moves to the cloud, the landscape of providers and their products get increasingly complex, Gartner observed. As for SAP, the company makes significant investments to enhance its data management portfolio in order to support hybrid cloud.

==> insidesap.com.au; 14.07.2021

SAP raises fiscal 2021 outlook;

SAP is raising its revenue outlook for the full fiscal year 2021, reflecting its solid cloud business and the assumption that the Covid-19 crisis will subside. The company also reported early interest in its new RISE with SAP business transformation program. The company is also forecasting non-IFRS cloud and software revenue between €23.4 billion and €23.8 billion, up 1 percent to 2 percent at constant currencies. The previous range was €23.3 billion to €23.8 billion at constant currencies.

==> www.zdnet.com; 13.04.2021

SAP raises fiscal 2021 outlook;

SAP is raising its revenue outlook for the full fiscal year 2021, reflecting its solid cloud business and the assumption that the Covid-19 crisis will subside. The company also reported early interest in its new RISE with SAP business transformation program. Revenue from software licenses is expected to decline for the full year as more customers shift to the new "RISE with SAP" subscription offering for mission-critical core processes. The RISE with SAP program offers business transformation as a service. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 13.04.2021

SAP : Ariba Solutions Positioned as Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contract Life Cycle Management;

SAP SE  today announced that Gartner, Inc., the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, has positioned SAP Ariba solutions in the 'Visionaries' quadrant of the 'Magic Quadrant for Contract Life Cycle Management' report. 

==> www.marketscreener.com; 27.03.2020

SAP opens up certain online courses to locked-down tech learners;

Some 35 courses are now available at no charge to help students prepare for SAP Global Certifications, while the first attempt at the certification exam is also gratis. The freebies are available for students studying at one of the 3,800+ member universities in the SAP University Alliances programme, and lead to qualifications in the scope and business processes specific to SAP S/4HANA, the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Finance solution, the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution and modelling in SAP HANA.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 24.03.2020

Microsoft Leads $101B SaaS Market Followed By Salesforce, Adobe;

The same five enterprise software giants continue to lead in SaaS, but they only hold half the market between them. Collaboration and HR solutions are the fastest-growing segments. While Infrastructure-as-a-Service is dominated by a few hyperscale giants, the cloud-based application market remains diverse and wide-open—Microsoft ended the fourth quarter as the leading player with 17 percent share. Salesforce, which Microsoft overtook as the SaaS leader in 2016, followed with a 12 percent share. Adobe took third place with 10 percent, and SAP and Oracle both brought up the rear of the top five with 6 percent share. 

==> www.crn.com; 09.03.2020

SAP Gives Enterprise IT Customers an Extension;

ERP giant SAP wants all its customers to migrate to its new platform S/4HANA, but it's a time consuming and expensive process. So the company is extending maintenance on its earlier platform.

==> www.informationweek.com; 10.02.2020

SAP having German renaissance ;

SAP has been doing well in the Fatherland because German enterprises are looking for service providers to help them use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for data analytics and Internet of Things applications. Running SAP/HANA on AWS is apparently more attractive than running workloads on traditional architecture for enterprise customers with high resource requirements.

==> fudzilla.com; 22.01.2020

Independent Research Firm Declares SAP Ariba a Leader in Source-To-Contract ;

SAP Ariba has been ranked a leader in Source-To-Contract by independent research firm Forrester Research, Inc. in the newly released report titled, “The Forrester Wave™: Source-To-Contract Suites, Q4 2019”. The report notes that “Ariba is the pioneer of the source-to-contract market, having been the first vendor to build this suite of products. It has the largest client base and the most revenues of any S2C vendor, with the widest geographic scope and broadest industry coverage.

==> www.businesswire.com; 18.12.2019

Bad News

SAP must face Teradata trade secrets and antitrust lawsuit, US court rules;

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a lawsuit by Teradata against SAP, accusing SAP of antitrust violations and stealing trade secrets. Teradata claims SAP used a 2008 joint venture to access its intellectual property and later tied software sales to its competing database product. The court ruled there are material disputes for a jury to decide, reversing a 2021 lower court ruling in favor of SAP.

==> www.reuters.com; 19.12.2024

Jeder siebte Job in Deutschland entfällt;

SAP streicht im Rahmen der globalen "Next Level Transformation" rund 3.500 Stellen in Deutschland, was einem Rückgang der Belegschaft um etwa 14 % entspricht. Während einige Mitarbeitende großzügige Vorruhestands- oder Abfindungsangebote angenommen haben, wächst die Sorge über steigende Arbeitsbelastung und die Verlagerung von Stellen an günstigere Standorte wie Indien, wo SAP stark expandiert. Die Stimmung unter den Beschäftigten hat sich verschlechtert, mit zunehmender Unzufriedenheit über die Restrukturierung, Führungsentscheidungen und organisatorische Veränderungen.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 09.12.2024

SAP CTO to step down after ‘inappropriate behavior’;

SAP CTO Juergen Mueller is stepping down from the executive board due to inappropriate behavior at a company event, which he admitted did not align with SAP's values. His departure, by mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board, follows the recent renewal of his contract, which had been extended until 2027. SAP CEO Christian Klein will take over most of Mueller’s responsibilities temporarily, as the company undergoes further leadership changes.

==> www.cio.com; 03.09.2024

SAP announces restructuring to impact 10,000 employees in 2025;

SAP's restructuring program will affect 9,000-10,000 positions by early 2025, with costs rising to an estimated €3bn due to strong employee response to voluntary leave. Despite restructuring expenses, SAP reported strong Q2 2024 financial results, particularly in its cloud business, with cloud revenue up 25% and total revenue up 10%. The company is also progressing on its €5bn share repurchase program and aims to position itself at the forefront of AI in business software.

==> www.channelweb.co.uk; 23.07.2024

SAP customers may struggle to escape ECC before support shutters if they don't start now;

Global ERP giant SAP has set a 2027 deadline for customers to transition off its ECC ERP system before mainstream support ends, with extended support available until 2030. However, German-speaking user representatives fear many companies won't meet the 2030 deadline due to the complexity and time required for migration. While SAP has encouraged customers to upgrade to S/4HANA and announced strong progress, a significant percentage of users still rely on the ECC platform, facing challenges such as customized code and a shortage of consultants. Some users are also concerned about SAP's focus on cloud-based innovations, feeling it limits on-premises capabilities.

==> www.theregister.com; 12.06.2024

SAP transformation program a 'euphemism' for job cuts, claims European Works Council;

The European Works Council has criticized SAP's "Next Level Transformation" program, alleging it is primarily a strategy for job reductions rather than genuine business transformation. Despite SAP's claims of prioritizing strategic growth areas and providing voluntary leave and reskilling options, the council contends that the management failed to justify the program's business logic or address inefficiencies clearly. German media reports suggest the restructuring will result in the loss of 2,600 jobs in SAP's German operations, with a total of 8,000 positions affected globally.

==> www.theregister.com; 10.04.2024

Aufsichtsrat-Kehrtwende sorgt für neue Unruhe bei SAP;

Nach dem überraschenden Aus des designierten Chefkontrolleurs Punit Renjen diskutiert der Konzern zwei Fragen: Wie kam es zu dem Zerwürfnis? Und wie geht es weiter? Einige Führungskräfte zeigen sich aber auch erleichtert. Grund für das überraschende Aus Renjens seien „die unterschiedlichen Vorstellungen über die Rolle als künftiger Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender“, teilte SAP mit. Dabei sei es oft um sein Rollenverständnis gegangen, heißt es in Konzernkreisen: Der Manager habe sich an vielen Stellen ins operative Geschäft eingemischt – deutlich über das hinaus, was nach den Prinzipien der guten Unternehmensführung (Corporate Governance) in Deutschland zulässig sei.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 13.02.2024

SAP To Pay More Than $220 Million To Settle Bribery Charges;

SAP is set to pay over $220 million to settle bribery charges stemming from investigations by the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges relate to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) involving bribery schemes in several countries, including South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan. SAP is accused of using third-party intermediaries and consultants to pay bribes to government officials to obtain business in these countries and inaccurately recording the bribes as legitimate business expenses in its books and records.

==> www.crn.com; 10.01.2024

SAP’s new generative AI pricing: Neither transparent nor explainable yet;

 The ERP vendor is adding a new pricing tier to its Rise with SAP offering with an opaque mix of bundled and usage-based pricing for generative AI functionality. Chip Hanna, advisory practice leader for SAP at IT negotiation advisor UpperEdge, sees this complexity as a recurring feature of SAP’s pricing strategy. “With the addition of charging a premium for AI, this adds another layer of complexity to determine what the specific benefits are to using SAP’s AI solution,” he said.

==> www.cio.com; 12.10.2023

SAP Triggers Concern Among On-Premise Customers;

SAP has triggered concern among customers that they may have wasted millions on their on-premise investments. It follows SAP’s recent investment call, where execs said the company will only offer access to innovation in the cloud via SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition or SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition, for users with Grow-with-SAP or Rise-with-SAP contracts. Critics say that despite making significant investments in SAP ECC6 or S/4HANA on-premises, customers may have to adopt the public cloud version to continue receiving innovations.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 17.08.2023

SAP CEO push for cloud-only 'innovation' shatters users' trust in German-speaking heartlands;

User groups representing some of Europe's largest industrial businesses have reacted strongly to SAP's decision to double down on its cloud-only innovation strategy, arguing it breaks trust with anyone that invested in the latest on-prem software and asks them to pay double for innovation. On July 20, SAP boss Christian Klein told investment analysts that future innovation would only be available in the cloud on its terms, such as the RISE with SAP lift-shift-and-transform program. Crucially, customers who made massive investments in migrating to the latest S/4HANA ERP platform on-prem would not see innovation in upgrades.

==> www.theregister.com; 03.08.2023

SAP lowers fiscal-year cloud revenue forecast after slowing demand in second quarter;

SAP (SAPG.DE) on Thursday trimmed its full-year outlook for key cloud sales due to lower-than-anticipated transactional revenues in the second quarter. "We've seen fewer public sector customers in Q2, also due to the geopolitical situation, but demand remains strong for H2," Chief Executive Christian Klein said in a press call. The company reported second-quarter revenue growth of 5%, in line with market expectations.

==> www.reuters.com; 20.07.2023

Users slam SAP's public cloud and S/4HANA migration strategy;

SAP is angering users in its German-speaking heartland as its push to migrate vital ERP systems to the cloud is hampered by confusion over the tools used to develop and manage systems in the new environment. European manufacturing has long been a stronghold for SAP as industrial giants like Airbus, EADS, Siemens and Volkswagen Group all rely on the ERP specialist. Since the company began its overt push to accelerate users' cloud adoption in response to a 23 percent fall in its valuation in October 2020, vital questions remain unanswered, users argue.

==> www.theregister.com; 05.04.2023

SAP's cloud chief quits;

Brian Duffy, president of cloud at SAP, has announced he will be handing back the reins after a little over two years in the role. Duffy is an SAP veteran, having risen through the ranks since starting back in 2005 and progressing to the top job after three and a half years in the president EMEA North role. The news follows an uneasy start to the year for SAP, as last month the company joined the long list of technology firms making cuts to their workforces. In addition, the firm announced plans in January to sell its stake in Qualtrics, the customer experience software developer, after the original $8bn acquisition back in 2019.

==> erp.today; 20.02.2023

Exclusive: SAP delays Russia exit as deal talks fail and workers at risk;

SAP will miss its deadline to exit Russia before the end of the year as the German software group has failed to find a buyer for the unit, five sources told Reuters, underscoring the difficulties some companies are facing to leave the country. While it has shut its data centers and cloud business in the country, SAP still has annual contracts for its maintenance business in Russia that it must service or face legal risks, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the situation. Under Russian legislation, employees who run SAP's local unit - SAP CIS - could be personally liable for any contract violations, according to four of the sources.

==> www.reuters.com; 24.10.2022

Opinion-Blog: SAP’s Future Is Uncertain;

SAP CEO Christian Klein is trying. He got rid of many SAP construction sites and reorganized the executive board. Real, tangible success and a clear strategy are still missing, however.

==> e3zine.com; 07.06.2022

Ukraine accuses SAP and Cloudflare of enabling Russia’s war effort ;

Technology giants SAP and Cloudflare are continuing to enable Moscow and should pull out of Russia, Ukraine Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said Monday. "SAP are ... still continuing to work in Russia and to pay taxes to help finance the Russian army," he told POLITICO at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "A lot of banks and banking activities are based on SAP."

==> www.politico.eu; 01.06.2022

SAP lässt Finanzvorstand im Streit ziehen;

Er ist das dienstälteste Mitglied im SAP-Vorstand und galt bislang als Garant für Stabilität. Doch nun geht Finanzchef Luka Mucic – offenbar im Streit. Was ist da los? Am Freitag hatten beide Seiten einen überraschenden Schlussstrich gezogen; am Montag wurde er bekannt. Der Frühaufsteher und intellektuelle Finanzfachmann wird seinen Vertrag nicht erfüllen und SAP spätestens im März 2023 verlassen. Einvernehmlich sei sie, die Trennung, mehr wurde nicht publik. Die Suche nach einem Nachfolger laufe.

==> www.faz.net; 23.03.2022

Zelensky Presses Companies—Microsoft, SAP And Oracle—To Punish Russia More;

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Microsoft, Oracle and SAP—who have all announced significant steps to roll back business operations in Russia—to take further action against Russia Sunday, but Oracle said it’s already done everything possible in Russia despite Zelensky’s plea.

==> www.forbes.com; 13.03.2022

Umfrage bei SAP: Viele Mitarbeitende sind unzufrieden mit ihrem Gehalt;

Bei SAP rumort es. Die deutschen Mitarbeiter sind unzufrieden mit ihrem Gehalt. Der Missmut fällt je nach Einkommensgruppe anders aus und ist besonders im mittleren Bereich ausgeprägt. In den Einkommensgruppen zwei und drei (von insgesamt fünf) halten knapp zwei Drittel der Belegschaft ihr Einkommen in Bezug zur Leistung für „gar nicht“ oder „in geringem Maß“ angemessen. Die Umfrage hat aus mehreren Gründen Gewicht. Sie spiegelt die Unzufriedenheit mit der Gehaltserhöhung von 1,2 Prozent im vergangenen Jahr wider. Auch die vor wenigen Wochen von SAP verkündete Erhöhung von 2,7 Prozent für das laufende Jahr stieß auf Unmut angesichts steigender Inflation und guter Geschäftszahlen des Konzerns.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 21.02.2022

Ex-Cisco-Manager verlässt SAP nach 14 Monaten ;

Strategiechef Anuj Kapur hat SAP nach nur 14 Monaten schon wieder verlassen. Einen entsprechenden Bericht des „Manager Magazins“ bestätigte SAP auf Anfrage. Der langjährige Cisco-Manager war im Juli 2020 nach einer Reihe überraschender Wechsel in der Führungsriege des Walldorfer Softwarekonzerns als Verstärkung präsentiert worden. Der 45-jährige vormalige Chief Strategy Officer von Cisco sollte helfen, „Trends frühzeitig zu erkennen und Kunden noch größeren Mehrwert zu liefern“. Kaum mehr als ein Jahr später ist der in Indien, Kenia und Kanada aufgewachsene Kapur schon wieder weg.

==> www.boersen-zeitung.de; 20.09.2021

Erste Rufe nach Neuwahlen des SAP-Betriebsrats (Update);

Nach den jüngsten Querelen bei der Walldorfer SAP fordern erste Betriebsräte eine sofortige Neuwahl der Arbeitnehmervertretung. Regulär findet die nächste Wahl erst 2022 statt. "Wir versuchen andere Betriebsratsmitglieder von dieser Initiative zu überzeugen", sagte Betriebsratsmitglied Ralf Kronig, der neben Eberhard Schick und Johannes Reich zu den Gründern des Gremiums vor etwa 15 Jahren gehörte. 

==> www.rnz.de; 02.07.2021

SAP-Betriebsrats-Fall beim Staatsanwalt;

Der Rechtsstreit um die möglicherweise manipulierte Aufsichtsratswahl 2012 bei der Walldorfer SAP ist inzwischen bei der Staatsanwaltschaft Heidelberg gelandet: "Die Zivilakte des Landgerichts lag zwischenzeitlich hier vor und wurde geprüft", erklärte ein Behördensprecher am Donnerstag auf RNZ-Anfrage. Weitergehende Auskünfte könne er derzeit "aus Rechtsgründen" nicht erteilen.

==> www.rnz.de; 10.06.2021

So verkaufte Dietmar Hopps Sohn sein Verlust-Unternehmen an die SAP;

SAP-Mitgründer und Milliardär Dietmar Hopp setzte sich für seinen Sohn ein und überzeugte den SAP-Vorstand über den Kauf eines Verlust-Unternehmens, berichtet der „Spiegel“. Hopps Sohn war an Crossgate beteiligt, eine Firma aus München, die in die Liquiditätsnot geriet. Trotz große Bedenken ging die Übernahme bei der SAP durch, vor allem um die guten Beziehungen zu Dietmar Hopp zu bewahren. SAP-Mitgründer Hasso Plattner forderte kurz darauf Konsequenzen für den schlechten Deal.
 

==> www.businessinsider.de; 21.05.2021

Die Selbstdemontage des SAP-Denkmals;

Man kennt es tausendfach aus kleinen und mittleren deutschen Unternehmen: Der alte Eigentümer und langjährige Chef kann einfach nicht loslassen und reißt in seinen letzten Jahren alles nieder, was er über sehr lange Zeit selbst aufgebaut hat. Vor seinen kritischen Augen kann niemand als Nachfolger bestehen, weil der alte Chef nur seinen eigenen Klon akzeptieren kann. Die traurige Geschichte könnte sich in den nächsten Jahren beim größten Software-Konzern Europas wiederholen. Hasso Plattner, der legendäre Mitgründer und jetzige Aufsichtsratsvorsitzende von SAP, will einfach nicht aufhören. 

==> www.capital.de; 17.05.2021

Software company SAP to pay $8 mln to resolve case involving exports to Iran;

AP SE (SAPG.DE) will pay $8 million in penalties as part of a settlement with the United States to resolve allegations that it violated federal law by exporting some of its software products to Iran, the Justice Department said on Thursday. As part of the pact with the U.S. Justice, Treasury and Commerce departments, federal prosecutors also agreed not to pursue criminal charges against the company. The case against SAP marks the first time a company has taken advantage of a Justice Department policy that gives companies a path to avoid prosecution for unlawfully exporting goods to sanctioned countries, businesses or individuals by self-reporting them to the U.S. government.

==> www.reuters.com; 29.04.2021

Unpatched SAP applications are target-rich ground for hackers;

Report from SAP and cyber threat research company Onapsis warns that hackers are attacking mission-critical SAP business applications that contain unpatched vulnerabilities. The report detailed more than 300 successful exploitations of critical vulnerabilities previously patched by SAP through 1,500 attack attempts between June 2020 and March 2021. It also highlighted that the time window for defenders to act was significantly smaller than previously thought, “with examples of SAP vulnerabilities being weaponised in less than 72 hours” after the release of patches and “new unprotected SAP applications provisioned in cloud (IaaS) environments being discovered and compromised in less than three hours”.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 07.04.2021

German tech firm SAP drops as much as 17% after cutting 2020 outlook due to slow recovery from coronavirus pandemic;

Germany's biggest software maker cut its business outlook for 2020 to to €27.2 to 27.8 billion ($32.1-32.8 billion) from a previous estimate in April of €27.8 to 28.5 billion ($32.8-33.7 billion). SAP said it would now target an expansion in its cloud computing division to more than €22 billion ($25.98 billion) by 2025, from €1.984 billion ($2.34 billion) in the third quarter of this year. 

==> markets.businessinsider.com; 26.10.2020

Vom Start-up zum globalen E-Commerce-Dienstleister: Shopify greift Marktführer SAP an;

Tesla und VW nutzen Shopifys Onlinehandels-Software bereits. Nun fordert Kanadas wertvollstes Unternehmen in Deutschland, der Heimat von Gründer Tobias Lütke, Marktführer SAP heraus. Shopify Plus, das 2000 Dollar aufwärts pro Monat kostet, ermöglicht unter anderem, unbegrenzt Produkte einzustellen, mehrere Onlineshops zu verwalten oder international zu verkaufen. In der „Magic Quadrant“-Analyse des Marktforschers Gartner führt SAP den Markt für digitale E-Commerce-Lösungen mit einigen anderen Großkonzernen wie Salesforce, Adobe und Oracle an. Shopify zählt zu den vielversprechendsten Herausforderern.

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 23.10.2020

UK regulator launches probe into SAP-Sinch deal ;

The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it is opening an investigation into the planned sale of SAP SE's cloud-communications unit SAP Digital Interconnect to Sweden's Sinch AB. The regulator said that it wants to verify whether the deal could lead to "a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the United Kingdom for goods or services."

==> www.marketwatch.com; 03.09.2020

SAP: Verlieren Gewerkschaften ihre festen Sitze im Aufsichtsrat?;

Der Streit um das Mitbestimmungsrecht bei der Besetzung des Aufsichtsrats des größten Softwareherstellers Europas SAP geht in die nächste Runde. Nachdem die Richter des Bundesarbeitsgerichts in Erfurt am Dienstag keine grundsätzliche Entscheidung in der Sache gefällt haben, soll sich nun der Europäische Gerichtshof mit dem Fall beschäftigen. Luxemburg solle folgende Fragestellung klären, so ein Gerichtssprecher: Muss ein exklusives Vorschlagsrecht für Aufsichtsratssitze, das Gewerkschaften zusteht, auch gewahrt bleiben, wenn sich eine deutsche Firma die Unternehmensform einer Europäischen Gesellschaft (SE) gibt? 

==> www.rheinpfalz.de; 18.08.2020

Ex-Schweiz-Chef von SAP wird DACH-Chef von Salesforce ;

Stefan Höchbauer wird neuer Executive Vice President und CEO DACH von Salesforce, einem Anbieter von CRM-Lösungen. Seit über zwei Jahren ist Höchbauer Global President Digital Core von SAP. Dort hat er 2011 als Schweiz-Chef angefangen. Begonnen hat er seine Arbeit bei SAP als Managing Director Switzerland. Nun tritt er am 1. Oktober 2020 seine neue Position an, wie Salesforce mitteilt.

==> www.netzwoche.ch; 11.08.2020

South Africa tries to recover over $23 million from SAP for 'unlawful' contracts;

South African investigators are seeking to recover more than 400 million rand ($23 million) from German software firm SAP (SAPG.DE) for two government contracts they allege were entered into unlawfully, court documents seen by Reuters show. Investigators say those contracts should be declared invalid because government regulations were contravened, according to the court papers, reported here for the first time. 

==> www.reuters.com; 07.08.2020

Große SAP-Probleme beim Margarine-Hersteller Upfield Gar nichts in Butter;

Händler in Deutschland berichten nach Informationen der Lebensmittelzeitung von unvollständigen oder verspäteten Lieferungen und fehlerhaften Rechnungen nach der SAP-Umstellung. Das solle sogar zur Forderung von Strafzahlungen durch einige Händler geführt haben.

==> www.it-zoom.de; 01.08.2020

SAP-Deutschland-Chef wechselt zu Google;

Der Deutschland-Chef des Softwaregiganten SAP, Daniel Holz (50), hat überraschend seinen Job gekündigt. Seinen Schreibtisch hat er bereits geräumt. Nach zwölf Jahren in verschiedenen Landesorganisationen für den Walldorfer Konzern will der Veteran etwas Neues beginnen. Für den US-Konzern Google ist die Holz-Verpflichtung hingegen ein Coup. Mit dem Einkauf von Holz als führendem Vertriebsmann für die Google Cloud soll eine Europa-Offensive beginnen. 

==> www.manager-magazin.de; 27.07.2020

SAP SAPPHIRE NOW 2020 keynote suffers technical glitches, CEO outlines company's plan to help build "intelligent enterprises";

SAP CEO Christian Klein kicked off SAP SAPPHIRE NOW 2020 with a what appeared to be a prerecorded keynote that focused on the company's plans to help businesses develop into "intelligent enterprises." Unfortunately, technical issues with the event website prevented the company from delivering his message completely as planned. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 16.06.2020

SAP Admits to Customer Satisfaction Issues, Touts New Quality Framework;

A new SAP Quality Framework seeks to help ensure more consistent and successful partner and customer experiences. Christian Klein, now SAP’s sole CEO following co-CEO Jennifer Morgan’s recent departure, says customer success is a key priority. Klein vowed SAP will deliver higher quality solutions by the end of the year. Speaking at this week’s SAP Global Partner Summit, Klein acknowledged integration issues that have affected quality.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 03.06.2020

SAP Cloud CFO Departs for Zuora in Latest Executive Exit;

SAP SE’s cloud division Chief Financial Officer Todd McElhatton will leave the German software giant to run finances at cloud-applications company Zuora Inc., the latest departure in a wave of executive exits. McElhatton will become CFO of San Mateo, California-based Zuora on June 22, a week after exiting SAP, he said in an interview. He’s one of several high-profile leaders who have departed Walldorf, Germany-based SAP within the past year. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 27.05.2020

SAP-Chefaufseher rechnet mit Ex-CEO Bill McDermott ab;

Hasso Plattner kündigt einen klaren Kurswechsel des Konzerns an. Er geht mit den US-Managern ins Gericht – und will noch mal als Aufsichtsratschef antreten.. Viele Jahre arbeiteten Bill McDermott und Hasso Plattner eng zusammen. Der Vorstandschef baute bei SAP mit mehreren Milliardenübernahmen das Cloud-Geschäft auf, der Großaktionär und Aufsichtsratschef gab ihm Rückendeckung. „Ich bin überzeugt: Ohne Bill stünde die SAP heute nicht dort, wo sie ist“, schrieb Plattner den Mitarbeitern im Oktober, als der Amerikaner seinen Abschied angekündigt hatte. 

==> www.handelsblatt.com; 19.05.2020

SAP Finds Cybersecurity Shortfalls With SuccessFactors, Concur;

SAP  said several of its cloud-computing products do not meet the company’s cybersecurity standards. The vulnerabilities affect 9% of SAP’s 440,000 customers, the Walldorf, Germany-based company said Monday in a statement. It plans to fix the problems in the second quarter to meet contractually agreed or statutory security standards. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 05.05.2020

SAP slashes revenue, profit forecasts as virus outbreak bites into biz prospects;

ERP giant SAP has cut its annual revenue estimates by as much as €1.9bn in the face of COVID-19 disruption which saw a "significant amount of new business" postponed in the first quarter. Pre-announcing its first-quarter results, the global software company said total revenue grew 7 per cent year-over-year to €6.52bn. But the end of the quarter had seen a big drop-off in orders.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 09.04.2020

SAP Cancels Sapphire Now And Partner Summit, Plans Digital Events;

SAP has cancelled its annual Sapphire Now customer and partner conference due to the coronavirus pandemic and, like many other IT vendors who have canceled events this spring, will provide online programming in its place. Sapphire Now 2020, which was scheduled for May 11-14 in Orlando, also included the one-day SAP Partner Global Summit and the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group (ASUG) events. Last year the events, collectively, drew some 30,000 attendees from more than 100 countries.

==> www.crn.com; 26.03.2020

SAP scratches all events in March; SAPPHIRE NOW still on;

Business software company SAP said on Monday it was cancelling or postponing all major client events this month due to the coronavirus epidemic, but still planned to go ahead with its U.S. user conference SAPPHIRE NOW in mid-May. "The health and wellbeing of our staff, customers and partners have the highest priority for SAP," the German firm said in a statement.

==> www.channelnewsasia.com; 09.03.2020

H1N1: SAP shuts down all India offices; asks employees to work from home;

SAP has shutdown its India offices after two of its employees tested positive for H1N1 (swine flu). The company has asked the employees to work from home starting 20 February until further notice. SAP India has about 11,000 employees with SAP Labs employing about 7,500, according to reports. This move comes just days after the Indian IT major asked its employees to work from home on account of Coronavirus.

==> www.firstpost.com; 21.02.2020

Slower cloud bookings growth spooks SAP investors ;

Growth in new cloud bookings for SAP SE fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2019, triggering a selloff in the enterprise software maker’s shares despite better-than-expected overall results and a higher full-year forecast for 2020. The company also blamed the unexpected decline in part on its recent decision to abandon the infrastructure-as-a-service business in favor of a reliance on partnerships with hyperscale providers.

==> siliconangle.com; 28.01.2020

SAP And Digitalization: Friends Or Foes?;

SAP is facing increasing criticism for its own slow digital transformation efforts and its lack of support for customers’ digitalization projects.

==> e3zine.com; 20.01.2020

Software Upstarts Hit Salesforce, Oracle on Tech and Sales Practices;

Ten software upstarts kicked off a public campaign Thursday that knocks customer relationship management, or CRM, titans, including Salesforce, Oracle Corp. and SAP SE, by saying the large companies keep clients trapped in subpar software suites, potentially shutting out smaller rivals with newer technology.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 16.01.2020

SAP Concur Shutters Travel Search Site Hipmunk;

Less than three years after acquiring travel search startup Hipmunk, SAP Concur has announced that it will shutter both the consumer- and corporate-facing operations of the platform. Reports in PhocusWire on Tuesday (Jan. 14) said that SAP Concur notified Hipmunk employees that morning.

==> www.pymnts.com; 15.01.2020

SAP Data Hub: Great Concept, But SAP Missed By A Mile;

The ERP company often falls short of goals and expectations in such a spectacular way that it is almost amusing to watch. Before the SAP Data Hub, SAP had an unwritten data rule: no duplicates! Sounds reasonable in theory, but in the real IT world, it soon loses its merit.

==> e3zine.com; 09.12.2019

Customers in 'standoff' with SAP over 2025 end of support for Business Suite: Who'll blink first?;

German enterprise software giant SAP is in a "standoff" with customers over the 2025 deadline for withdrawing support for its SAP Business Suite range. SAP is hoping to shift users onto its cloud-based S/4HANA enterprise software, which includes ERP, financial management and HR, in-memory databases and real-time analytics. It says staying with old products will be more expensive in the long term.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 04.12.2019

Failed SAP implementation costs LeasePlan €100 million;

LeasePlan has been stung by a massive bill for a failed SAP implementation. LeasePlan has since dropped SAP to pursue an alternative IT infrastructure, citing the “monolithic nature” of the ERP system as being incompatible with its more agile needs – but not before sinking almost €100 million into its SAP efforts.

==> www.consultancy.uk; 04.11.2019

Strategy

ServiceNow vaunts agentic AI and announces 22% annual revenue growth;

ServiceNow reported $10.98 billion in annual revenue, growing 22% year-over-year, with AI-driven automation playing a key role in its strategy. The company introduced AI Agent Orchestrator, AI Agent Studio, and pre-built AI agents to enhance workflows across IT, HR, and customer service. Meanwhile, SAP posted €34.2 billion in annual revenue (10% growth), emphasizing its AI initiatives, including Joule AI and cloud migration programs like Rise with SAP and Grow with SAP.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 30.01.2025

ServiceNow Officially Enters the CRM Market;

ServiceNow has officially entered the CRM market, leveraging its Customer Service Management (CSM) platform with AI-driven automation and deep enterprise data integration. Unlike traditional CRM providers, it focuses on complex service workflows, integrating ERP and back-end data to deliver a more data-rich customer experience. While its high complexity and cost pose challenges, ServiceNow is expanding partnerships and hiring 3,000 employees to support its CRM push, aiming to compete with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Oracle.

==> www.cxtoday.com; 27.01.2025

ServiceNow to Acquire Cuein to Enhance AI Agents ;

ServiceNow is acquiring Cuein to enhance its AI agents' ability to analyze and process customer interaction data for actionable insights. The acquisition will strengthen ServiceNow’s Workflow Data Fabric, improving AI-driven automation and decision-making across enterprises. The deal is expected to close in Q1, further advancing ServiceNow’s AI capabilities in customer service and business operations.

==> www.pymnts.com; 17.01.2025

ServiceNow to acquire Mission Secure to enhance OT asset visibility;

ServiceNow has acquired Mission Secure, a company specializing in operational technology (OT) asset discovery, to enhance visibility and management of OT environments for industrial customers. This acquisition enables ServiceNow to integrate OT asset tracking into its platform, helping industries like manufacturing and energy optimize operations, reduce downtime, and improve decision-making. The move strengthens ServiceNow's position in the OT sector and expands its digital factory solutions portfolio.

==> industrialcyber.co; 07.11.2024

Google Cloud chief moves to ServiceNow as COO;

Amit Zavery, previously a leader at Oracle and Google, has joined ServiceNow as president, chief product officer, and chief operating officer, following a leadership shakeup tied to a recent hiring investigation involving government scrutiny. Zavery’s appointment comes after CJ Desai's resignation amid internal conflict-of-interest findings and Raj Iyer’s departure from ServiceNow’s public sector role. With a background in cloud and developer-centric products, Zavery is expected to bolster ServiceNow’s competitive stance against Atlassian and Salesforce, especially in Agile development and AI-driven tools.

==> www.cio.com; 24.10.2024

Siemens and ServiceNow strengthen shopfloor security and drive generative AI-powered automation for shopfloor operations;

Siemens and ServiceNow announced a collaboration focused on enhancing industrial cybersecurity and integrating generative AI into factory operations. Siemens’ Sinec Security Guard will manage industrial vulnerabilities, while its Industrial Copilot, powered by generative AI, aims to improve human-machine collaboration. ServiceNow’s platform will support this integration by automating workflows across the factory floor, enhancing operational transparency, security, and efficiency.

==> press.siemens.com; 23.10.2024

ServiceNow, Coreweave and others to invest $8.2 billion in UK data centers to fuel AI growth ;

ServiceNow announced a $1.5 billion investment in the U.K. over the next five years, focusing on expanding its local presence and supporting AI infrastructure, including data centers with Nvidia GPUs to process large language models (LLMs) within the U.K. This move aligns with Europe's push for AI sovereignty, ensuring data and technologies are localized. Additionally, ServiceNow plans to launch upskilling programs to reach 240,000 people in the U.K., further supporting the country's technology and AI workforce development.

==> www.nbcchicago.com; 14.10.2024

ServiceNow Bets Bigger on Costa Rica; Plans to Expand Staff by More Than Double;

ServiceNow is expanding its operations in Costa Rica by hiring 200 additional workers in key areas like IT, sales, and finance. The company, which established a delivery center in Costa Rica in March 2023, currently employs around 150 people supporting its operations across Latin America. This expansion is part of ServiceNow's broader strategy to strengthen its regional presence and attract more customers.

==> nearshoreamericas.com; 15.08.2024

ServiceNow Bets Bigger on Costa Rica; Plans to Expand Staff by More Than Double;

ServiceNow is expanding its operations in Costa Rica by hiring 200 additional workers in key areas like IT, sales, and finance. The company, which established a delivery center in Costa Rica in March 2023, currently employs around 150 people supporting its operations across Latin America. This expansion is part of ServiceNow's broader strategy to strengthen its regional presence and attract more customers.

==> nearshoreamericas.com; 15.08.2024

ServiceNow expands footprint in APAC, doubles down on AI;

ServiceNow is rapidly expanding in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on AI-driven workflow automation and business transformation across various sectors. The company is investing heavily in markets like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, building local teams and enhancing its platform with low-code tools and security features to meet regulatory requirements. Additionally, ServiceNow is leveraging generative AI to improve customer service and operational efficiency, while continuing to grow its offerings beyond IT service management into areas like governance, risk, and compliance.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.08.2024

Salesforce to acquire PoS startup PredictSpring to augment Commerce Cloud;

Salesforce has agreed to acquire PredictSpring, a cloud-based point-of-sale (PoS) software vendor, to enhance its Customer 360 capabilities and strengthen its position in the retail industry. PredictSpring's PoS systems allow store associates to engage with customers and complete transactions via mobile devices, and the startup is already integrated with Salesforce's Commerce Cloud and Service Cloud. This acquisition aims to provide more personalized and seamless customer experiences in retail environments.

==> www.cio.com; 02.08.2024

ServiceNow acquires Raytion to enhance its GenAI-powered search and management capabilities ;

ServiceNow has acquired Raytion to enhance its GenAI-powered search and knowledge management on the Now Platform, aiming to unify fragmented data across enterprise sources for more efficient and personalized search experiences. This move follows ServiceNow's previous acquisitions in its drive for global AI transformation and improving employee experiences. The integration with Raytion's technology will allow users to access comprehensive, relevant data from a single point, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.

==> www.edgemiddleeast.com; 25.07.2024

AI is the Elixir;

Strong 2Q results underscore why ServiceNow is among DBs most favored in large cap software as "elite execution" continues to triumph over what remains a challenging demand environment.

GenAI Adoption and Unique Value Proposition

  • GenAI Commentary: Partners expressed caution about GenAI adoption, but management is optimistic about its benefits and financial impact.
  • Complementary Solution: ServiceNow is highlighted as an 'and' solution that enhances other platforms, reinforcing its value proposition.

Leadership Changes and Impact

  • COO Departure: COO CJ Desai's departure raises medium-to-long-term risks. Known for his integrity and strength, his absence could impact ServiceNow.
  • Leadership Confidence: Confidence remains in CEO Bill McDermott and the team's ability to navigate the change, supported by a strong talent pool.

Market Position and Growth Prospects

  • Execution Excellence: ServiceNow continues to perform at a high level, driven by its products, go-to-market strategy, and strong middle office modernization opportunities.
  • Long-Term Growth: Expected ~20% compounded growth over several years
==> www.dbresearch.com; 24.07.2024

ServiceNow’s Bold Gambit To Become The Platform Of Platforms;

ServiceNow aims to become the "platform of platforms" by integrating AI and simplifying cross-platform workflows. Three emerging AI trends support this strategy: optimized AI models, enterprise-specific integrations, and curated in-platform experiences. ServiceNow's updated Now Platform, embedded AI functionality, and Integration Hub are key technologies enabling this transformation, aiming to break down silos across IT, customer service, HR, and beyond, despite the competitive landscape.

==> www.forbes.com; 20.05.2024

ServiceNow acquires 4Industry, EY Smart to boost smart industry;

ServiceNow is set to enhance its operational technology (OT) management capabilities through the acquisitions of 4Industry, a Netherlands-based partner with a manufacturing technology application on the Now Platform, and Smart Daily Management, a connected digital worker application from EY. These strategic moves aim to digitize and unify industries like manufacturing, energy, and transport, making them more connected, innovative, and agile. The acquisitions will support ServiceNow's development of a new Connected Worker solution expected in 2025, as the company continues to invest in European technology and talent to improve its offerings for global customers and foster operational excellence and great worker experiences.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 20.03.2024

ServiceNow expands to Saudi Arabia, plans to invest $500M;

ServiceNow announced a significant expansion in Saudi Arabia at LEAP 2024, including a $500 million investment aimed at supporting regional business and government transformation, digital skill development, and job creation. This expansion features the launch of two dedicated in-country data centres to bolster the next generation cloud platform, collaborations with The Garage and Saudi Digital Academy, and plans for a new regional headquarters in Riyadh. These initiatives are designed to align with Saudi Arabia's strategic objectives, contributing to the country's Vision 2030 by enhancing digital transformation, economic growth, and technological innovation within the region.

==> www.edgemiddleeast.com; 04.03.2024

ServiceNow Acquires Network Management & Automation Technology from Atrinet ;

ServiceNow has announced its acquisition of Atrinet's NetACE technology to enhance network management and automation for the telecommunications sector. This integration will offer comprehensive network lifecycle management on a unified AI-first digital workflow platform, addressing the inefficiencies in network management due to manual processes and lack of effective tools. The acquisition aims to boost productivity and accelerate business transformation for telcos by providing a single platform for network processes such as discovery, activation, and management.

==> www.thefastmode.com; 26.02.2024

ServiceNow Makes Strategic Investment in Leading Consulting & Implementation Partner Plat4mation;

ServiceNow and Keensight Capital announced a strategic investment in Plat4mation, a global IT consultancy and ServiceNow implementation partner, aiming to accelerate customer time-to-value and drive partner growth by expanding go-to-market capabilities and enhancing proficiency in ServiceNow generative AI technology. Plat4mation plans to leverage its experience and expand ServiceNow adoption in Germany's Mittelstand sector, a key economic contributor eager for digital transformation. The investment will also support RiseUp with ServiceNow initiative, aiming to train one million people on the Now Platform.

==> siliconcanals.com; 06.02.2024

ServiceNow To Acquire UltimateSuite In Task-Mining Play;

ServiceNow has acquired UltimateSuite, a task-mining data developer, to enhance its automation and AI capabilities. The acquisition aims to eliminate bottlenecks in customer processes by providing insights into external steps taken by employees, allowing for better optimization and automation through ServiceNow's RPA technology and bots, ultimately contributing to the company's focus on hyper automation or intelligent automation.

==> www.crn.com; 18.12.2023

ServiceNow doubles down on customer experience with Catalyst investment;

New York-based Catalyst, a startup providing enterprises with an intelligence layer for customer retention and growth, today received a strategic investment from ServiceNow Ventures, the venture capital arm of enterprise automation major ServiceNow. The company plans to use the funding to build out its product and reach more enterprises, while ServiceNow plans to bring Catalyst’s data and intelligence capabilities into its Now Platform to help enterprises deliver improved customer experiences.

==> venturebeat.com; 04.10.2023

ServiceNow Acquires Partner’s Occupational Health And Safety Practice;

ServiceNow unveiled its acquisition of the Toolbox OH&S assets from one of its ServiceNow Elite Partners, Enable Professional Services. ToolBox OH&S is a practice of Enable Professional Services focused on consolidating occupational health and safety management on the ServiceNow platform. Enable Professional Services is an Australia-based ServiceNow Elite Partner, which in July 2022 was acquired by Fujitsu. Prior to the acquisition, it was a pure-play ServiceNow advisory, consulting, and delivery partner.

==> www.crn.com; 26.09.2023

ServiceNow commits $1 billion to fuel innovation through ServiceNow Ventures;

ServiceNow accelerates its commitment to fuel innovation and enterprise growth by earmarking $1 billion for ServiceNow Ventures. This strategic move aims to empower visionary startups, enhance the ServiceNow Platform, and revolutionize work methodologies. The company’s increased multi-year investment and strategy expansion is reflective of its ongoing commitment to grow and scale the next generation of enterprise technology companies and combined with the power of the ServiceNow Platform, can see over the horizon to solve future customer problems.

==> www.tahawultech.com; 28.08.2023

Servicenow ernennt Markus Ehrle zum neuen EMEA-Chef;

Markus Ehrle übernimmt die Leitung der EMEA-Region von Servicenow und wird somit auch für das Schweizer Geschäft des Anbieters verantwortlich sein. Ehrle bringt über 20 Jahre Erfahrung im IT-Markt mit.

==> www.itreseller.ch; 04.08.2023

ServiceNow looks to transform retail IoT and beyond with G2K acquisition;

Digital workflow company ServiceNow has signed an agreement to acquire artificial intelligence (AI) powered platform G2K to transform retail and other industries in order to better connect data streams back into central IT operations to bridge the physical and digital worlds together. G2K’s technology is designed to allow organisations to connect real-time data across storefronts and other physical spaces for a “complete view” of operational data. It gives retailers the ability to connect real-time data across storefronts and other physical spaces and uses AI to translate that data into insights that allow organisations to take action.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 15.05.2023

ServiceNow announces new leadership appointments in EMEA ;

ServiceNow announced expanded leadership roles and promotions in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This comes as part of the company’s continued commitment to investment, innovation, and ambitious growth in the region. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.04.2023

Germany Cautiously Expanding ServiceNow Adoption ;

German enterprises have been slow to embrace ServiceNow, yet stricter government regulations and the growing complexity of the overall IT landscape may provide the workflow automation platform with new momentum in the German market, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 24.04.2023

ServiceNow plans to expand India operations, to double workforce ;

ServiceNow plans to double its workforce in the next two to three years. The India development center will also be building newer product offerings that have global applicability, according to Sumeet Mathur, Vice-President & Head of ServiceNow India Development Center, ServiceNow.  The company has 20,000 employees globally and 7,500 customers. Although it does not give an India-specific employee count, Mathur says, India houses a significant chunk of the workforce.

==> www.thehindubusinessline.com; 18.04.2023

ServiceNow Pledges ‘Absolutely No’ Job Cuts in 2023 While Stock Falls on Results;

ServiceNow Inc. declined in extended trading even as subscription sales slightly exceeded analysts’ average estimate. The software maker also pledged it wouldn’t cut jobs in 2023 despite workforce reductions at many technology companies. ServiceNow will have “absolutely no layoffs in 2023,” Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott said in an interview. Last July, McDermott was one of the first software executives to say that customers were reluctant to commit to purchases. Since then, however, the company has continued to hire and now has better sales coverage across industries, he said.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 25.01.2023

ServiceNow launch program designed to help people ‘Rise Up’;

ServiceNow has announced RiseUp with ServiceNow, a global program designed to skill one million people on the company’s platform by 2024. The program will fuel a new economy of in-demand, job-ready talent with an emphasis on faster, more equitable career paths in the high-growth ServiceNow ecosystem.  

==> www.tahawultech.com; 27.10.2022

ServiceNow Acquires Era Software to Unify Observability;

ServiceNow today announced it has agreed to acquire Era Software as part of an effort to add support for log data to the Lightstep observability platform the company acquired last year. Ben Sigelman, general manager for the Lightstep business unit at ServiceNow, said rather than reinventing the same log management capability that Era Software already has, it makes more sense to integrate that capability with the Lightstep platform that collects metrics and traces.

==> devops.com; 05.10.2022

Digital workflow company ServiceNow to expand India operations: CEO Bill McDermott ;

ServiceNow could double its India headcount in the next few years as it gears up to double its size globally, chief executive Bill McDermott told ET in an exclusive interview. McDermott, who was in India earlier this week as part of a larger global tour to meet clients, said it was likely that the India development centre would soon be bigger than its main facility at the US headquarters.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 29.09.2022

ServiceNow evolves from ITSM, aims to simplify business processes;

ServiceNow cut its teeth in IT service management (ITSM) and IT operations management (ITOM). The platform helps streamline the process of reporting and resolving IT problems. A significant update to the core platform, called the Now Platform Tokyo release, takes a major step toward the broader realm of enterprise service management (ESM) to respond to issues at a business level rather than just an IT level. 

==> venturebeat.com; 21.09.2022

Two Minutes With ServiceNow VP; Great Expectations Co-Founder;

The latest sessions of the Two-Minute Toolkit podcast offer perspectives on a way to compensate for shortages in professional developers and the impact broken apps can have on data quality. Marcus Torres, vice president and general manager of App Engine with ServiceNow, speaks about alleviating some of the pressure caused by the limited availability of engineers by turning to low-code resources.    

==> www.informationweek.com; 08.08.2022

ServiceNow CEO McDermott: Digital Transformation Drives 2Q22 Growth;

‘The secular digital transformation tailwinds are blowing stronger than the macro crosswinds. ServiceNow generates an unmatched combination of organic growth and profitability at scale. We believe there‘s a generation of value creation opportunity here on every level of our company. Therefore, we are hiring, expanding, and investing for the future. Growth companies don’t get stronger than this one,” says ServiceNow President and CEO Bill McDermott.

==> www.crn.com; 27.07.2022

ServiceNow to Acquire Hitch Works to Help Customers Address Talent Gaps ;

ServiceNow announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Hitch Works, a skills mapping and intelligence company. Hitch will add a new layer of AI-powered skills insights to the industry-leading Now Platform to help customers address talent gaps by tying employee learning and development to workforce planning. Companies will be able to more effectively match people to projects – all from a single platform. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 03.06.2022

ServiceNow promises to double revenue by 2024 to $11 billion;

The software industry is in the midst of a tumultuous time. But at ServiceNow, CEO Bill McDermott is nothing but optimistic about the vendor’s outlook. On Tuesday, at a company conference in Las Vegas, McDermott outlined new financial targets. ServiceNow now expects to hit $11 billion in revenue by FY 2024, higher than the $10 billion that McDermott previously forecasted. It also expects to hit $16 billion by FY 2026, up from the prior estimate of $15 billion. 

==> www.protocol.com; 24.05.2022

ServiceNow exceeds Q1 2022 guidance as the platform continues to gain traction across the enterprise;

ServiceNow beat the high end of its guidance in Q1 2022 across all metrics and signed 52 deals worth over $1 million in the same period, as the platform continues to gain traction across the enterprise. CEO Bill McDermott also told analysts that he is confident about the firm’s ability to hit its target of $10 billion by 2024 and $15 billion by 2026. 

==> diginomica.com; 28.04.2022

Loris announces $12m Series A to transform AI for customer service;

Bow Capital and ServiceNow Ventures invest in Loris to bring no-code AI solutions that assist human agents and conversational insights tools to the mass market. Loris plans to invest the funds in expanding their AI capabilities to generate voice-of-customer insights and further enable non-technical leaders that oversee customer service and support teams to efficiently and effectively scale the 'human touch' of their department.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 26.04.2022

ServiceNow hires Paige Young as chief communications officer;

 ServiceNow has hired Paige Young as chief communications officer. Young joined ServiceNow this month and reports to Nick Tzitzon, chief strategy and corporate affairs officer. Lindsay Capurro, ServiceNow’s senior PR manager, told PRWeek that Young is now taking over Smith and Russell’s combined responsibilities. “She is responsible for PR, analyst relations, regional and global comms, employee comms and executive comms,” said Capurro.

==> www.prweek.com; 20.04.2022

ServiceNow: $15 Billion Future Too Clear To Ignore;

ServiceNow shows an outstanding growth in its top line, driven by its growing customers and partnerships. The company enjoys organic growth towards its $15 billion long-term revenue goal. It shows a positive trend on its bottom line, despite its slowing margin. NOW is trading below the lower range of Wall Street’s target price and fairly trades at a trailing P/S of 18.48x.

==> seekingalpha.com; 24.02.2022

ServiceNow Invests In Data Privacy Unicorn BigID;

ServiceNow has invested in BigID, a data intelligence platform that helps customers to improve privacy, security, and governance. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. ServiceNow and BigID have partnered since before the investment. Take a closer look, and both businesses strive to work closely with big IT consulting companies. In BigID’s case, the partner lineup includes Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), Infosys, KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Slalom and Wipro. The company also has relationships with MSSPs and security solutions providers — such as Optiv.

==> www.channele2e.com; 04.02.2022

ServiceNow Announces Executive Leadership Promotions ;

ServiceNow announced leadership promotions taking effect in its global executive team. On Feb. 1, 2022, ServiceNow will welcome former Salesforce and Coca-Cola executive Ulrik Nehammer as our new president of EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). As the digital transformation opportunity continues to grow, these leaders’ tenure and experience will continue to position ServiceNow at the forefront for employees, customers, and partners. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.01.2022

ServiceNow acquires DotWalk, aims to automate, speed up upgrades;

ServiceNow said it has acquired DotWalk, a company that automates testing and application upgrades for the Now Platform. DotWalk uses AI regression testing for business processes and creating automated tests. With DotWalk's tools, customers can validate application changes without developers writing tests. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.11.2021

ServiceNow acquires Gekkobrain ;

With Gekkobrain, ServiceNow will extend the power of ServiceNow Creator Workflows, including App Engine, to help organisations identify and understand custom code in their ERP deployments and the business processes they support. Layering on the low-code capabilities of App Engine will help organisations rapidly and cost-effectively modernise their ERP systems by seamlessly identifying, automating, and customising workflows to reduce the risk and cost traditionally associated with ERP software migrations.

==> www.pcr-online.biz; 28.10.2021

ServiceNow Q3 shines as it rides digital transformation, workflow automation trends;

CEO Bill McDermott said ServiceNow is benefiting from digital transformation spending and the realization by enterprises that "their technology architecture is their business architecture." ServiceNow reported better-than-expected third quarter results as it continues to gain wallet share from customers and boost overall contract values. The company reported third quarter revenue of $1.512 billion, up 31% from a year ago, with earnings of 31 cents a share. Non-GAAP earnings for the third quarter were $1.55 a share. ServiceNow said it now has 1,266 customers with more than $1 million in annual contract value, up 25% from a year ago. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 27.10.2021

ServiceNow Invests In CareAR: Will MSPs Embrace Augmented Reality for Remote IT Support?;

ServiceNow has invested $10 million in CareAR, a Service Experience Management (SXM) software company formed by Xerox. CareAR has a $700 million post-money valuation, Xerox said. The CareAR platform, which Xerox acquired in January 2021, integrates with ServiceNow Field Service Management and “allows service technicians to tap into the knowledge of more experienced technicians through live, AR assisted instruction,” Xerox asserts.

==> www.channele2e.com; 02.09.2021

ServiceNow Names Enterprise Software Veteran Jon Sigler to Lead Platform Product Organization ;

ServiceNow announced that enterprise software veteran Jon Sigler will lead its Now Platform product organization. Sigler, who has held senior positions at Apple and Microsoft, most recently served as executive vice president at Salesforce. At Salesforce, Sigler helped plan and develop Salesforce’s mobile strategy and lead one of the company’s largest projects, Lightning, as well as leading the effort in defining Work.com. Sigler also played a key role in the company’s AI, automation, UI platform, and Trusted Services efforts, as well as leading the effort in defining Work.com. 

==> www.gurufocus.com; 31.08.2021

ServiceNow acquires Mapwize, aims to add indoor mapping to Now Platform;

With the Mapwize purchase, ServiceNow will provide indoor mapping for employees as they reserve office space in hybrid work arrangements. Mapwize will also be used to help enterprises manage and update floor maps as layouts change. Mapwize will also bring mapping talent to ServiceNow. The company's software will be integrated into ServiceNow's Workplace Space Mapping, Workplace Reservation Management, Workplace Space Management, Workplace Visitor Management, Case and Knowledge Management and Safe Workplace Suite. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 11.08.2021

ServiceNow acquires database performance company Swarm64;

The Berlin-based Swarm64 will give ServiceNow a database model that combines analytics and transactional database functionality. ServiceNow said that it will be able to futureproof its Now Platform with the help of Swarm64 because customers will be able to query data sources faster. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 05.08.2021

ServiceNow is on a collision course with Salesforce.com. Here’s why ;

ServiceNow Inc. is a company that investors love to love. But there’s caution in the investor community right now as confusion about transitory inflation and higher interest rates looms. In this Analysis siliconangle digs into ServiceNow, one of the companies they began following almost 10 years ago, and provide some thoughts on ServiceNow’s planned march to $15 billion by 2026.

==> siliconangle.com; 22.07.2021

ServiceNow to facilitate European data being hosted exclusively in EU;

ServiceNow is to allow customers to request their European data is hosted and handled exclusively in the EU. The new service is designed to help customers meet compliance obligations, and builds on the existing legal, organisational and technical safeguards already in place. It is understood ServiceNow’s Irish office will play a key role in overseeing the service. 

==> www.irishtimes.com; 08.07.2021

ServiceNow launches digital flagship experience Knowledge 2021;

ServiceNow, a leading digital workflow company, has kicked off Knowledge 2021, the company’s flagship digital experience for its customers, partners and the developer community. With more than 40,000 people registered worldwide, Knowledge 21 takes place from  May 11-20. Two weeks of live, interactive and on-demand programming features more than 260 sessions across 12 content channels.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 12.05.2021

ServiceNow acquires Lightstep, aims to leverage observability across enterprises;

ServiceNow is buying application monitoring and observability company Lightstep in a move to combine workflow automation for IT and AIOps with software development. Lightstep plays in a crowded observability and application monitoring market that includes Dynatrace, BMC, Datadog, Sumo Logic, Splunk's SignalFx, New Relic and a host of others. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 10.05.2021

Subscription revenues at ServiceNow rise 30%;

Global subscription revenues at technology company ServiceNow rose 30 per cent in the first quarter of the year,while its European business grew 80 per cent. The $1.3 billion in subscription revenues exceeded the top end of the company’s expectations for the quarter. The company said its operating margin was more than 27 per cent, delivering strong profitability in the quarter. The company increased free cash flow margin 7 points year on year to 46 per cent.

==> www.irishtimes.com; 29.04.2021

ServiceNow's Q1 strong as company's workflow automation tools gain traction;

ServiceNow reported better-than-expected first quarter earnings as it now has 1,146 customers with more than $1 million in annual contract volume. The company reported first quarter revenue of $1.36 billion, up 30% from a year ago. ServiceNow reported first quarter net income of $82 million, or 41 cents a share. Non-GAAP earnings were $1.52 a share. ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott said the company has doubled features and functionality over the past 18 months.  

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.04.2021

ServiceNow hires Microsoft veteran Eric Swift to lead ANZ business;

Digital workflow platform vendor ServiceNow has appointed Microsoft veteran Eric Swift as its new vice president and managing director for Australia and New Zealand. The appointment was posted on LinkedIn by ServiceNow APJ president Mitch Young, along with another executive appointment for the company’s India office.

==> www.crn.com.au; 22.04.2021

ServiceNow to add 300 jobs at its Dublin office;

ServiceNow is to add 300 jobs at its Dublin office as part of its plans to expand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company said the jobs would be created over the next three years, with areas such as cloud, research and development, product and digital sales the primary target. There will also be select hiring across marketing, finance, legal, procurement and other corporate functions. 

==> www.irishtimes.com; 07.04.2021

ServiceNow acquires Hyderabad-based RPA company Intellibot;

ServiceNow said the acquisition extends its core workflow capabilities with technology that helps customers automate repetitive tasks for end-to-end automation. ServiceNow plans to build Intellibot's capabilities natively into the Now Platform to make it easier for customers to integrate with both modern and legacy systems.

==> www.zdnet.com; 23.03.2021

ServiceNow delivers strong Q4 as it expands wallet share;

ServiceNow's revenue in the fourth quarter jumped 31% and earnings were better than expected amid strong demand. The company reported fourth quarter revenue of $1.25 billion with non-GAAP earnings of $1.17 a share (8 cents a share GAAP). CEO Bill McDermott said ServiceNow closed 89 transactions worth more than $1 million in net new annual contract value. Overall, ServiceNow has 1,093 customers with annual contract values topping $1 million. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 27.01.2021

Bill McDermott Exclusive Interview: ServiceNow Will Lap Legacy ‘Cement Makers’;

After an extraordinary first year as CEO of ServiceNow, Bill McDermott says his company is uniquely positioned in 2021 to help business customers reimagine their business models and move faster than they ever have before. ServiceNow is currently #9 on my weekly Cloud Wars Top 10 rankings, and McDermott and Cloud Wars spoke by Zoom in November 2020 . You can listen to the audio version of the interview here.

 

==> cloudwars.co; 12.01.2021

ServiceNow acquires artificial intelligence startup Element AI;

Element AI is an AI software provider founded by machine learning pioneers including Yoshua Bengio and funded by the likes of Microsoft, Nvidia, Intel and Tencent. By acquiring Element AI, ServiceNow said it will create of a new global AI Innovation Hub in Canada and gain key AI talent that will help the company build out its technology and expertise. Most of the focus is on expanding ServiceNow's Now Platform, which aims to help enterprises integrate legacy systems and refine enterprise workflows and processes. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 30.11.2020

VMware Expands into IT Automation with Acquisition of SaltStack;

VMware, which announced the deal during its virtual VMworld conference Tuesday, plans to offer SaltStack as part of its vRealize software suite for hybrid cloud management. But it will continue offering SaltStack as a stand-alone product, Ajay Singh, a VMware senior VP and general manager of its Cloud Management Business Unit, told DCK in an interview. Expected to close in October, the acquisition will expand VMware’s capabilities beyond its traditional realm of IT infrastructure management and into the application layer. 

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 29.09.2020

SAP veteran Vanessa Smith hired as ServiceNow SVP;

Smith to lead part of Newly created role builds on ServiceNow’s evolution of its go to market functions as the company scales growth to $10 billion in revenue and beyond. A 16 year veteran of SAP, Smith most recently led the SAP SuccessFactors Line of Business in North America. With an emphasis on driving customer success, she was responsible for SuccessFactors North America’s sales and go to market strategy, overseeing core operations including pipeline development, demand management, and revenue growth.

==> www.itp.net; 14.09.2020

The Big Interview: Bill McDermott, CEO, ServiceNow, on Life After SAP;

Bill McDermott has lived a colourful life. Long before he was a high-profile CEO (SAP, and now ServiceNow) he worked three hourly wage jobs to buy a small deli aged just 16, using its success to put himself through college. It’s a classic rags to riches tale, and although we won’t rehash his entire career (a memoir: “Winner’s Dream: From Corner Store to Corner Office” does that nicely) the ambition shows no sign of easing.

==> www.cbronline.com; 10.08.2020

ServiceNow Names CXOs for Revenue, Partner and Customer Outcomes;

ServiceNow today announced Kevin Haverty as chief revenue officer (CRO) to lead all global sales activities, and Lara Caimi as chief customer and partner officer, leading all customer success activities and partner ecosystem development. Both will report to ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. ServiceNow says the changes are designed to enable a broader, partner-focused go-to-market strategy to scale revenue to $10 billion and beyond.

==> www.channele2e.com; 30.07.2020

ServiceNow Will Triple Workforce in 5 Years, Says CEO Bill McDermott;

Having driven ServiceNow to its first billion-dollar quarter and a $77-billion market cap, CEO Bill McDermott has said the digital-workflow high-flyer will need to triple its employee base by 2025 to keep up with its torrid growth. “We’re in a world where people matter most, and you’ve gotta take care of your own people and make sure your employees feel each and every day that they’re your most-important priority,” McDermott said.

==> cloudwars.co; 15.07.2020

ServiceNow Boosts Data Centre Capacity in Europe ;

ServiceNow is increasing investment in its data centre infrastructure by developing new facilities in two new locations: Newport, United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland. This investment will continue to support customers’ digital transformation journeys and help customers navigate the post-Brexit landscape. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 25.06.2020

ServiceNow to acquire Belgian configuration management startup Sweagle;

ServiceNow, which includes in its product catalog an IT Help Desk component, recognizes that help desks have been bombarded during the pandemic. To help stop configuration problems before they start, the company today acquired Sweagle, a configuration management startup based in Belgium. ServiceNow gets a couple of boosts in the deal. First of all, it gets the startup’s configuration management products, which it can incorporate into its own catalog, but it also gains the machine learning and DevOps knowledge of the company’s employees. 

==> techcrunch.com; 22.06.2020

ServiceNow Stock Outperforms Top Cloud Rivals On Encouraging Outlook;

The Covid-19 crisis has so far had a limited negative impact on ServiceNow (NOW). The cloud-based enterprise software vendor in late April reported Q1 subscription revenue growth of 34% and forecasted Q2 growth of 27% to 28%. While ServiceNow faces some near-term headwinds, it looks well-positioned to weather the storm, as the company has become a workflow standard for digital transformations. 

==> www.forbes.com; 31.05.2020

ServiceNow confident during COVID-19 crisis as it nears 1,000 customers with over $1m contract value ;

ServiceNow delivered a strong first quarter with subscription revenues of $995 million, which represents 34% growth year over year. McDermott pointed to the fact that only 20% of ServiceNow's customers are likely to be highly impacted by the novel Coronavirus and that 80% of its customer base are large enterprises. The results also highlight that ServiceNow saw 37 transactions during Q1 2020 worth over £1 million in net new annual contract value, representing 48% year over year growth. 

==> diginomica.com; 30.04.2020

ServiceNow To Create More Than 1,000 New Jobs By 2020-end ;

ServiceNow (NOW) said it is committed to no layoffs for 2020. The company is continuing to hire worldwide. ServiceNow expects to create and fill more than 1,000 new jobs in the U.S., and more worldwide, by the end of 2020. Also, ServiceNow expects to continue to protect the jobs and salaries of several hundred support staff and contractors who are not working while the offices remain closed. 

==> www.nasdaq.com; 15.04.2020

ServiceNow strategy chief: We're 'really well positioned to emerge from this as a stronger company';

In the two years since she joined ServiceNow, Inc. after a long career in consulting, Lara Caimi has defined the software giant's strategy, built its first-ever strategy team and navigated a CEO transition — and that was before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. hard last month. Caimi sat down with the Business Journal to talk about how the coronavirus has affected business and how the company's new CEO, former SAP head Bill McDermott, differs from his predecessor, Nike Inc. CEO John Donahoe. 

==> www.bizjournals.com; 06.04.2020

ServiceNow: Not just for managing IT services anymore;

ServiceNow is making a play to push beyond ITSM, thanks to new AI tools in the Orlando release of its Now platform and other recent AI-related moves. Together the moves shed light on what ServiceNow Chief Innovation Officer Dave Wright says is the company’s aim to become the “platform of platforms” that enterprises use to orchestrate tasks across the half-dozen other major platforms they use for ERP, CRM, HCM and so on.

==> www.cio.com; 11.03.2020

ServiceNow doubling India business;

In India as part of a global tour to meet the over 10,000 employees in his first 100 days, Bill McDermott, CEO, ServiceNow said that the India business was doubling year on year. "We’re growing at 113% year on year in India and if we keep doubling India every year, it will not only be a great place to build software but also an incredible market for us. A lot of the innovation will happen in India,” McDermott told ET.
 

==> tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com; 14.02.2020

ServiceNow under McDermott plans to go vertical starting with banks and telcos;

Bill McDermott expands ServiceNow's partnerships with integrators and aims to launch industry specific tools. ServiceNow is focusing on developing workflow and digital transformation services for the banking and telecommunications industries. From those two industries, ServiceNow will expand with the help of integrators. ServiceNow said it will expand partnerships with Deloitte and Accenture. Deloitte will be the launch partner for banking-specific implementations of ServiceNow and Accenture will help with telecom. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.01.2020

ServiceNow acquires conversational AI startup Passage AI;

With Passage AI, ServiceNow gets a bushel of AI talent, which in itself has value, but it also gets AI technology, which should fit in nicely with ServiceNow’s mission. For starters, the company’s chatbot solutions gives ServiceNow an automated way to respond to customer/user inquiries. Even more interesting for ServiceNow, Passage includes an IT automation component that uses ” a conversational interface to submit tickets, handle queries and take direct action through APIs,” according to the company website.

==> techcrunch.com; 28.01.2020

ServiceNow Acquires Loom Systems To Add AIOps To Its Portfolio ;

Loom Systems was founded in 2015 with registered headquarters in San Francisco. Its core product is branded as Sophie which is an AIOps-powered log analytics solution capable of preventing IT incidents before customers are impacted. It provides resolutions in plain English making it easy to comprehend the cause of an incident. 

==> www.forbes.com; 26.01.2020

ServiceNow (NOW) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release;

Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when ServiceNow (NOW) reports results for the quarter ended December 2019. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 22.01.2020

Successfully Serving Enterprise IT Has Made ServiceNow A Huge Winner;

Serving enterprise IT is not necessarily the most glamorous or highly visible segment of the enterprise software market, but for ServiceNow and its investors, it has been an extremely profitable one. The business serves almost 900 of the Fortune 2000 enterprises and has a market capitalization of nearly $60B and is on track to do almost $3.5B in revenue in 2019.  ServiceNow has a critical role in the bowels of IT management.

==> seekingalpha.com; 20.01.2020

ServiceNow Launches Global Challenge to Find Solutions for the Digital Workforce;

ServiceNow's Digital Workforce Challenge seeks ideas to ensure that underserved populations have access to opportunity and can fully participate in the technology-enabled and digitally literate workforce of the future. Through MIT Solve's open innovation platform, applicants will respond to the global need for accessible digital skills and upskilling, reskilling, and retraining workforce opportunities.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 06.01.2020

Bill McDermott takes reins as ServiceNow CEO sooner than expected with new CFO;

ServiceNow  announced, McDermott has taken over his duties earlier than expected. The company also announced it has filled its vacant CFO job, hiring Gina Mastantuono, who previously served in similar roles at Ingram Micro and Revlon, and has more than 20 years experience in finance.

==> techcrunch.com; 18.11.2019

ServiceNow Acquiring Business Continuity Platform, MSP;

ServiceNow is acquiring Fairchild Resiliency Systems, a business continuity platform provider and MSP (managed IT services provider) in Boston, Massachusetts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

==> www.channele2e.com; 10.11.2019

ServiceNow recruits SAP talent to drive Asian channel charge;

ServiceNow has appointed Marion Ryan as vice president of alliances and channel across Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) as the software giant deepens its commitment to partners. 

==> sg.channelasia.tech; 04.11.2019

Partnerships

ServiceNow expands partnership with Google Cloud;

ServiceNow and Google Cloud are expanding their partnership, making ServiceNow’s platform and AI-driven workflow solutions available on Google Cloud Marketplace and Google Distributed Cloud. The integration will enhance CRM, ITSM, and security incident response by leveraging Google’s AI infrastructure and BigQuery analytics for real-time automation. ServiceNow continues strong growth, reporting 23.5% revenue increase over the past year, while also acquiring Cuein to further improve its AI capabilities.

==> www.investing.com; 29.01.2025

ServiceNow and AWS Collaborate to Speed GenAI Product Delivery;

ServiceNow and AWS have expanded their collaboration with a new connector linking Amazon Bedrock models to ServiceNow’s Now Platform, enabling faster deployment of generative AI (GenAI) workflows. The connector allows organizations to integrate third-party AI models, improving workflow customization and accelerating GenAI product development. Additional integrations, like ServiceNow's tools for security incident response and procurement operations, aim to enhance operational efficiency and optimize technology investments.

==> cloudwars.com; 13.12.2024

ServiceNow and Microsoft Partner for AI Integration to Transform Front-Office Processes;

ServiceNow and Microsoft have expanded their partnership to enhance front-office processes through AI-powered integrations, notably combining ServiceNow's Now Assist with Microsoft Copilot. This collaboration enables seamless workflows, with Copilot accessing ServiceNow's knowledge base and integrating automated agents to handle customer issues and back-end workflows. The partnership aims to leverage both platforms' strengths to streamline operations, improve productivity, and support broader adoption of AI-driven task automation.

==> cloudwars.com; 02.12.2024

DXC Technology and ServiceNow Extend Strategic Partnership to Fast-track Generative AI Value for Businesses;

DXC Technology has extended its partnership with ServiceNow to launch a Generative AI (GenAI) Center of Excellence, combining DXC's implementation expertise with ServiceNow's GenAI tools, such as Now Assist, to accelerate AI adoption for businesses. The collaboration aims to optimize IT operations and enhance customer experiences, with DXC already saving 10,000 hours monthly by integrating Now Assist into its service platform. This initiative builds on their 15-year partnership, leveraging DXC’s extensive certifications and industry expertise to drive AI-driven transformation for clients worldwide.

==> dxc.com; 21.11.2024

Siemens-ServiceNow tie-up will boost security and drive AI-powered automation;

Siemens and ServiceNow are collaborating to boost industrial cybersecurity and introduce generative AI into factory operations, combining Siemens’ Industrial Copilot and Sinec Security Guard with ServiceNow’s workflow automation. This integration will improve OT vulnerability management, provide real-time insights, and support detailed AI-guided instructions on the shop floor. Together, the companies aim to enhance productivity, reduce downtime, and enable faster, more informed decision-making in industrial settings.

==> drivesncontrols.com; 25.10.2024

Infosys and ServiceNow want to ramp up enterprise transformation with AI;

Infosys is expanding its AI-focused collaboration with ServiceNow to offer new managed services that accelerate digital transformation for enterprises. The partnership will leverage ServiceNow’s AI capabilities and Infosys’ ESM Café to enhance efficiency and productivity, aiming to speed up ServiceNow implementation by 30-40%. This collaboration targets quicker time-to-value and improved service delivery for clients like First Abu Dhabi Bank.

==> www.itpro.com; 05.08.2024

IBM and ServiceNow Expand AI-Driven Talent Development;

IBM and ServiceNow have launched a new service to enhance talent development by combining IBM’s HR expertise and skills data with ServiceNow’s Talent Development solution. This collaboration aims to address the growing demand for tech workers by creating skill-centric workforces and integrating generative AI tools like IBM’s watsonx. The partnership also includes a commitment to improving workforce capabilities and optimizing talent strategies within a unified platform.

==> www.siliconindia.com; 19.07.2024

BT Group expands strategic partnership with ServiceNow to improve customer and employee experiences;

BT Group has expanded its partnership with ServiceNow, aiming to enhance service management across its various units to improve efficiency and customer experiences. This multi-year agreement includes the integration of ServiceNow Service Bridge, which will allow for automated interactions between BT and its customers. Additionally, BT will pilot ServiceNow's Now Assist for Telecom Service Management to incorporate generative AI into both internal and customer-facing operations, streamlining tasks and potentially transforming service delivery.

==> www.financialexpress.com; 20.06.2024

Partner Suggests Back-End Loaded but Solid Q1;

We are presenting our recent conversation with a partner of ServiceNow to provide a frontline view of the trends that we expect to drive fundamentals for ServiceNow over the next 12-18 months. 

Key Takeaways: 

  1. Strong Growth Prospects: The partner is optimistic about ServiceNow's growth trajectory, expecting it to be the fastest SaaS company to reach $10 billion in revenue. This optimism is supported by strong momentum in acquiring new customers and the potential of GenAI innovations. The ecosystem is expanding, particularly in the enterprise and commercial segments, with substantial growth opportunities highlighted in digital and lower market segments.
  2. Optimistic Q1 and FY24 Outlook: Despite a slow start in January, the partner witnessed a surge in activity in February and March, leading to strong quarterly performance. The outlook for the rest of the year remains positive, with early indications suggesting a robust pipeline that could result in a steady increase in deals throughout the second half of the year.
  3. Land and Expand Strategy: This approach is a significant growth lever for ServiceNow, with the partner reporting high retention rates and the ability to easily expand customer relationships over time. IT Operations Management (ITOM) is often used as the entry point, providing a strong foundation for expanding into other ServiceNow offerings like Customer Service Management and Field Service Management.
  4. Growing Adoption of GenAI: The partner notes increasing penetration of ServiceNow’s GenAI capabilities, particularly under the Pro Plus SKU. GenAI's effectiveness is enhanced by the quality of data ingested, which can significantly boost organizational performance, especially in larger organizations with ample data resources.
==> www.jpmorgan.com; 24.05.2024

Fujitsu, ServiceNow enter expanded partnership;

Fujitsu has broadened its collaboration with ServiceNow, launching cross-industry solutions and establishing a new Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Centre in Kawasaki City, Japan. The partnership focuses on developing automation tools for the manufacturing sector, specifically targeting Engineering Chain Management (ECM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). The Innovation Centre will work on creating new customer solutions, engage in joint marketing activities, and focus on mutual human resource development, leveraging both companies' expertise in areas such as generative AI.

==> www.technologydecisions.com.au; 13.05.2024

ServiceNow & Microsoft Partnership Driving Enterprise Gen AI;

ServiceNow and Microsoft have expanded their partnership, integrating their generative AI capabilities to enhance the enterprise experience. Announced at ServiceNow's Knowledge 2024 event, this collaboration will allow their AI assistants, Now Assist and Copilot, to interact seamlessly, enabling more intuitive and efficient task management across enterprise systems. This alliance is set to transform workplace productivity by allowing AI-driven interactions that reduce context switching and streamline work tasks.

==> technologymagazine.com; 09.05.2024

ServiceNow Collaborates with NVIDIA to Launch AI Service Agents;

ServiceNow, in partnership with NVIDIA, has launched AI avatars powered by NVIDIA's Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) technologies at the Knowledge 24 event. This integration, part of an expanded collaboration, features real-time, interactive avatars aimed at enhancing customer and employee experiences across various industries like retail and travel. The avatars, leveraging technologies for speech recognition, animation, and lifelike rendering, signify a significant step in improving interactions within digital environments, promising more personalized and efficient service solutions.

==> www.analyticsinsight.net; 09.05.2024

HCLTech and ServiceNow Partner to Deliver GenAI-led Solutions;

HCLTech and ServiceNow have formed a global partnership to offer GenAI-led solutions, aiming to expedite the adoption of ServiceNow's generative AI capabilities across various business sectors. The collaboration will provide consulting, design, implementation, and managed services, leveraging HCLTech's expertise and ServiceNow's suite of products to deliver industry-specific solutions that support digital transformation. Additionally, the partnership will see the launch of a dedicated ServiceNow business unit and ‘Fluid NOW’ centers of excellence in London, New York, and Noida, designed to help enterprises explore and implement the latest GenAI solutions for digital transformation acceleration.

==> siliconcanals.com; 07.03.2024

ServiceNow and NVIDIA Launch Telco‑specific Generative AI Solutions ;

ServiceNow and NVIDIA are collaborating to introduce telco-specific GenAI solutions, starting with Now Assist for Telecommunications Service Management, leveraging NVIDIA AI to enhance agent productivity and customer experiences. These solutions aim to address telcos' priorities for AI/ML investments and will offer features such as chat summarization and incident management to improve service assurance and customer care. The partnership intends to develop further tailored GenAI use cases to drive business transformation for telcos globally.

==> www.indianweb2.com; 01.03.2024

Genpact and ServiceNow expand partnership to offer source-to-pay applications across finance and supply chain operations;

Genpact and ServiceNow have expanded their partnership to deliver Source-to-Pay applications, using ServiceNow's AI capabilities to enhance team productivity, user experience, and cost efficiency. Dropbox is among the leading organizations benefiting from this solution, seeing a 50% reduction in the procurement cycle while improving efficiency and user experience. The Source-to-Pay offering streamlines procurement, sourcing, and case management operations, enabling seamless processes across work teams and allowing procurement to focus on strategic priorities.

==> indiatechnologynews.in; 09.02.2024

Genpact expands partnership with ServiceNow;

Genpact has expanded its partnership with ServiceNow to deliver Source-to-Pay applications, leveraging ServiceNow's AI capabilities to accelerate productivity and streamline user experience across finance and supply chain operations, as demonstrated by Dropbox's successful implementation. This collaboration integrates Genpact's expertise with ServiceNow's platform, offering centralised procurement experiences, improved collaboration with suppliers, and efficient accounts payable operations, resulting in significant reductions in procurement cycles and improved sustainability for companies like Dropbox.

==> thepaypers.com; 07.02.2024

ServiceNow, IBM set partner programs for AI transformation;

ServiceNow and IBM have announced updates to their partner programs, emphasizing the role of service providers in driving transformational deals and leveraging AI technologies. ServiceNow introduced partner specializations focusing on business issues, while IBM increased investment in service partners, offering resources for co-creating service offerings and supporting demand generation, particularly in areas like sustainability, cybersecurity, hybrid cloud, and AI. Both companies are expanding their partnerships to include AI-based transformation initiatives, recognizing the importance of generative AI in driving digital transformation.

==> www.techtarget.com; 29.01.2024

Cognizant and ServiceNow Collaborate to Boost Cognizant WorkNEXT with Generative AI;

Cognizant WorkNEXT™ is partnering with ServiceNow to enhance workplace transformation with generative AI capabilities, aiming to improve employee experiences, productivity, and operational efficiency. By integrating ServiceNow's Now Assist and employee endpoint experience technology, the platform offers contextual knowledge, automated support, and conversational interfaces across various devices, facilitating faster issue resolution and personalized interactions. The enhanced platform, designed for swift deployment and ease of adoption, represents the culmination of Cognizant's expertise in modern workplace services and AI, furthering their strategic partnership with ServiceNow.

==> aithority.com; 29.01.2024

Partner Interview Shows Disproportionate Resilience; While Macro Remains a “Grind“;

We are presenting our recent conversation with a partner of ServiceNow (detailed feedback on pages 4 and beyond) to provide a frontline view of the trends that we expect to drive fundamentals for ServiceNow over the next 12-18 months. NOW shares have risen rapidly, along with the broader tech tape in the past several months, surpassing our PT and as such, while we are optimistic on ServiceNow, we continue to express that this rally reached later stages recently and is susceptible to near-term profit taking, as part of normal positioning ebb & flow; this development is also visible in the valuation & sentiment section of our color-coded Macro Heatmap for Software Investors.

Key Takeaways: 

  1. Resilient Demand in a Tough Macro Environment: Despite challenges in the broader software market, demand for ServiceNow's (NOW) platform remains strong, with customer inquiries increasing year-over-year. ServiceNow has shown resilience, benefiting from its ability to enhance back-office applications and deliver quick ROI. There's an expectation of continued growth, around 20% or higher, in the next 1-1.5 years, despite the challenges of scaling up. However, caution is advised for 2024 spending due to the uncertain macroeconomic backdrop.
  2. Growth Opportunities and Competitive Edge: There's potential for growth in net-new deals, with the firm investing in increasing product awareness and training teams for new functionalities on the NOW platform. While competitors like Atlassian Jira and Zendesk are noted for being cost-effective, they lack the comprehensive functionality and cohesiveness of NOW. ServiceNow becomes a more appealing choice as organizations reach higher levels of IT maturity.
  3. ITSM as a Primary Growth Driver, Expanding to Full Platform: IT Service Management (ITSM) continues to be a key entry point for deals, with over 70% of customer interactions starting here. However, there's an increasing shift towards full-platform deals that encompass supply chain, HR, and customer relationship management tools. Customers are more inclined to add new workflows at the start of contracts, indicating a growing preference for comprehensive IT solutions.
  4. Increasing AI Engagement and Early Adoption of Plus SKUs: Engagement with AI-powered tools on the NOW platform is growing, and there's more interest in upgrading to Plus SKUs. Customers are becoming more willing to invest in AI, driven by strong feedback from ServiceNow's Vancouver release and partnerships with AI leaders like Nvidia. A significant adoption of these premium offerings is expected around 2025-2026, as customers evaluate the technology.
==> jpmorgan.com; 17.01.2024

ServiceNow and AWS team up for AI business applications;

ServiceNow and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a five-year strategic collaboration agreement. The collaboration includes the availability of the ServiceNow platform as a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering in the AWS Marketplace. The partnership aims to provide joint customers with new ways of purchasing and using ServiceNow solutions, leveraging AWS's cloud capabilities and ServiceNow's intelligent platform for end-to-end digital transformation.

==> erp.today; 30.11.2023

ServiceNow Announces a Strategic Collaboration Agreement With AWS;

ServiceNow has entered into a five-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Beginning in early 2024, the ServiceNow Platform and its suite of solutions will be available as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering in the AWS Marketplace. The collaboration will also involve the co-development of industry-specific, AI-powered business applications to host on AWS and list in the AWS Marketplace, with an initial focus on transforming manufacturing, supply chain, call centers, and cloud transformation use cases.

==> aithority.com; 30.11.2023

DXC Technology and ServiceNow Expand Strategic Partnership to Transform Service and Workflow Management for Customers;

DXC Technology and ServiceNow are expanding their strategic partnership to enhance service and workflow management for global customers. The collaboration involves integrating ServiceNow's advanced analytics and enhanced AI capabilities into DXC Platform X, aiming to drive innovation and deliver proactive insights for improved productivity and operational efficiencies.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 28.11.2023

Deloitte and ServiceNow Expand Alliance to Integrate Now Assist Generative AI Capabilities With Next-Generation Managed Services ;

Deloitte and ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) today announced an expansion to their alliance to integrate Now Assist generative AI capabilities with next-generation managed services. The alliance will provide end-to-end managed services and beyond, known in the industry as Operate services, through the combination of Deloitte’s domain and industry experience coupled with ServiceNow’s generative AI-enabled enterprise platform. Deloitte will also pioneer the use of ServiceNow’s platform to scale their client Operate services globally. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 25.10.2023

Citi Partner Feedback;

ServiceNow partners were optimistic, particularly in Federal and GRC upsell, with strong customer interest in the Vancouver release; however, GenAI adoption is in the early stages, requiring more customer education on staffing and ROI, accompanied by significant discounts on Pro Plus, while Federal contributions were robust, and an expanded VA ITSM deal is expected to influence other agencies, including DoD and Indian Health RFPs.

Partner Conversation Highlights with one of the largest Managed Service partners

  • Saw 15-20% growth, tied mostly to price increases (10%) and net new product additions
  • A little bit more appetite to add new products, most add on deals were in the pipeline for 2-3 years
  • NOW contracts state if a customer reduces volumes or doesn't renew all the same products the customer loses price protection which they use as leverage for net new product adoption
  • Has customers interested in trialing GenAI capabilities but still also assessing other vendors
    • The partner doesn't think GenAI will move the needle in FY24
==> www.citivelocity.com; 19.10.2023

Wipro and ServiceNow Join Forces to Improve Risk and Compliance Outcomes;

Wipro Limited announced that it has partnered with ServiceNow to create Wipro CyberTransform - Intelligent ServiceNow Risk and Security Solutions, a solution that enables organisations to integrate their risk, compliance, and security postures more quickly and effectively. The Wipro CyberTransform - Intelligent ServiceNow Risk and Security Solutions helps address this by providing a scalable framework to integrate ServiceNow Risk and Security into existing functions for faster resolution and efficiency, while generating measurable and actionable insights for cybersecurity and compliance teams. 

==> www.wipro.com; 18.09.2023

K2 Services and ServiceNow partner to advance digital transformation for the legal industry ;

K2 Services and ServiceNow today announced a partnership to help law firms accelerate business innovation while enhancing the employee experience to reduce silos and maximize productivity. The partnership will combine the power of the Now Platform® with the process execution capabilities of the K2 Services managed services IT offering and embark on deploying these legal-specific solutions across the industry. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 30.08.2023

Capita expands global relationship with ServiceNow;

Capita plc has expanded its relationship with ServiceNow to further embed the technology company’s services to help drive even better service outcomes for clients.

==> www.capita.com; 03.08.2023

KPMG and ServiceNow announce expanded commitment to reimagine finance, supply chain, and procurement operations ;

KPMG and ServiceNow announced an expanded commitment to reimagine finance, supply chain, and procurement operations. The expanded partnership is part of a decade-long relationship that spans IT, HR, risk, cybersecurity, and environmental, social and governance (ESG), includes investment from both organizations to create new offerings that bring together AI, low-code capabilities, and deep industry knowledge and expertise. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.07.2023

ServiceNow, NVIDIA, and Accenture Team to Accelerate Generative AI Adoption for Enterprises;

ServiceNow, NVIDIA and Accenture announced the launch of AI Lighthouse, a first-of-its-kind program designed to fast-track the development and adoption of enterprise generative AI capabilities. Expanding on existing strategic partnerships among ServiceNow, NVIDIA, and Accenture, AI Lighthouse will assist pioneering customers across industries in the design, development, and implementation of new generative AI use cases.

==> nvidianews.nvidia.com; 26.07.2023

Cognizant, ServiceNow partners to accelerate adoption of AI-driven automation;

The expanded alliance is expected to accelerate the path toward building a $1 billion combined business for Cognizant and ServiceNow. "Cognizant and ServiceNow are well-positioned to address these challenges through the combination of our deep industry expertise, enterprise AI solutions and ServiceNow's powerful platform, delivering innovative, cost-effective solutions that enhance the value of our client’s products and services to their end customers," Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. said in a statement.

==> www.dtnext.in; 29.06.2023

BT and ServiceNow Announce New CCaaS Package to Simplify Digital Transformation;

BT has announced a new venture in partnership with ServiceNow. The collaboration aims to revolutionise contact centre operations with the launch of a turnkey contact centre as a service (CCaaS) package. This solution integrates digital workflows, global communications, and a cloud-hosted contact centre platform. The announcement came soon after the news of BT's partnership with Five9 to enable faster cloud adoption by contact centres.
 

==> www.digitaljournal.com; 14.06.2023

Juniper Networks partners ServiceNow on automation for MSPs and enterprises;

Under the agreement, Juniper and ServiceNow will provide a “turnkey, AI-driven, closed-loop solution” that integrates into OSS/BSS or enterprise management systems for rapid network and services deployments. “By leveraging the power of two industry leaders, Juniper and ServiceNow, we are able to maximise the value of our offerings and drive meaningful value for our service provider and enterprise customers and their customers,” said Sudheer Matta, group VP of Products at Juniper Networks. 

==> www.channelasia.tech; 01.06.2023

Juniper Networks, ServiceNow partner to offer automation power for enterprises, managed service providers;

Juniper Networks and ServiceNow, have announced a partnership to deliver end-to-end automation for managed service providers and enterprises. With this newly formed collaboration leveraging Juniper Mist Cloud and ServiceNow telecom service management and order management for Telecom, joint customers can eliminate multi-layer, multivendor solutions, thereby boosting network deployment and operational efficiencies while reducing costs.

==> www.vanillaplus.com; 26.05.2023

BT partners with ServiceNow to simplify contact centre transformation;

BT today announced a new era in its partnership with ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company that makes the world work better for everyone, with plans to launch a turnkey, contact-centre-as-a-service (CCaaS) package integrating digital workflows, global communications and a cloud-hosted contact centre platform.

==> newsroom.bt.com; 17.05.2023

Infosys, ServiceNow launch live operations platform to boost customer experience for telecom providers;

Infosys leveraged ServiceNow technology to build Infosys Live Operations, which integrates with legacy and digital environments to simplify business operations by application rationalisation and technology stack optimization. As part of Infosys Cobalt, a set of services, solutions, and platforms for enterprises to accelerate their cloud journey, Infosys Live Operations will help telecom service providers reduce time-to-market and make feature-rich products. The platform aims to deliver up to 95% improvement in operational efficiency, a 10-20% increase in quality of service and experience, and a 40% reduction in operational costs.

==> www.vanillaplus.com; 27.04.2023

Partner checks suggest more optimistic picture for 1Q23;

Despite ongoing macro headwinds, we are relatively upbeat on the set-up for NOW into FQ1 results. Our partner checks pointed to mostly resilient business trends, with some instances of favorable pull-in dynamics and fewer deal slippage issues that were seen last year. Partners also highlighted some new product strength within the broader IT suite and a combined ITSM/CSM offering, potentially providing upsell/uplift tailwinds. We expect a slight beat to the key cc CRPO metric in Q1 with guidance at least in-line for Q2 and a slight raise to the 2023 outlook. Our FY23 estimates move slightly higher, though our FY24 estimates remain slightly below prior targets (albeit ahead of consensus) ahead of the analyst day. We reiterate our Buy rating as we see NOW well positioned to continue to drive 20%+ top-line growth with healthy margin expansion driven by continued product line expansions across broader IT and line-of-business workflows.

==> icg.citi.com; 19.04.2023

ServiceNow partners with global telco to launch 5G and fibre networks solution;

AT&T Inc. and ServiceNow today announced a global telecom product to help communications service providers (CSPs) manage 5G and fibre network inventory. AT&T provided strategic design and technical guidance for the development of ServiceNow Telecom Network Inventory, which is built on the ServiceNow Platform and available for telcos globally today.

==> www.tahawultech.com; 07.03.2023

Positive partner checks signal some signs of relief in Q4;

Inputs from ServiceNow partners, including consultants and resellers, indicated a durable demand environment for ITSM. Commentary on Pro/Enterprise upsells were somewhat mixed, given budgets constraints. We’ve heard significant interest in ITOM/ITAM as a natural add on from ITSM while CSM/HRSD were less active though there is strong partner confidence that the pipeline for 2023 is interested in these customer and employee workflows. Partners highlighted NOW’s prioritization of net new business going into 2023 as well as a strengthened partner network under a new partner leader.

Partner Conversation Highlights

One of the largest Managed Service partners

  • In 4Q had 8 deals for $1-1.5M/year, 7 renewals/1 brand new deal, renewals grew 15%
  • "Renewals grew 15% on price increase…some moved to ITSM Pro but they had to discount to get deal so growth wasnt as strong"
  • Overall trends were better in Q4 vs. Q2-Q3 with less deal slippage
  • Interest in CSM/HRSD, all 8 deals this Q had convo for add-ons they would consider in 2023 (1.5-2yrs before next renewal)
  • Still no sign of people canceling servicenow altogether
  • Retail and tech focused industries are interested in HR workflows

ServiceNow Ecosystem Premier Partner (focused on Commercial accts)

  • Company is in growth phase, Q4 doubled Q3, Q3 tripled Q2 and Q1
  • Pipeline entering 2023 is 10% smaller than Q3 and Q4 because of a lot of last minute deals closed
  • Seeing a lot of movement from legacy systems, 75% of their customers are net new to NOW
  • Commercial outperformed and Government held steady state
  • ITSM customers expanding to ITOM/ITAM
  • More focus on new logos in 2023
  • A large utility signed 3k seats in 4Q

IT Services / Consulting Partner

  • Expecting accelerated growth in 2023 of 50%
  • Fortune 500 install base, 65 customers worldwide, primarily services
  • Revised 2022 targets down in July and tracking to plan since
  • Started to see caution from retailers in Q2/Q3 that has continued to push into 2023
  • Expansion deals were a budget issue this year
  • Pipeline has never been larger, anything that was pushed into 2023 is still in talks
  • CIO appear to have the money budgeted for increases next year
  • Cloud migrations driving the ITSM business, a large pharma rolled out on AWS and it took them 4 minutes to provision
  • Haven't seen CSM come up in the last 6 months
  • "Uptick in ITAM interest… the pipeline has a lot of this…a year ago that wasn't the case"

IT Services Partner

  • +$100m NOW practice, accelerated growth of 69% in FY22 vs 60% in FY21, expected to decelerate to 45% in FY23
  • "I don’t think their Q4 was different than years past. We didn’t see any discounting or unusual behavior"
  • Met with CRO in december and conversation was on 2023, focus on net new and partner ecosystem vs. Q4 specifics.
  • 60% of deals expansion, havent seen many upgrade to Pro/Enterprise but adding some other modules (ITAM/GRC/HRSD)
  • 80% of customers on basic version…"people have workflow optimization tools so they aren't moving to Enteprise pricing"
  • Seeing some impacts across Europe in 2H but uptick in Middle East/Australia helping smooth

 

==> www.citivelocity.com; 19.01.2023

ServiceNow Taps New Channel Chief Erica Volini, Rolls Out New Partner Program;

ServiceNow Tuesday used the company’s annual internal partner kickoff event in Las Vegas to introduce its new channel champion, Erica Volini. ‘This program is a re-commitment to our partners. We are saying we understand the value you provide, and will support you in the different ways you work with us in the field and with customers,’ says Erica Volini, ServiceNow’s senior vice president for alliances and the channel ecosystem. The new program has three major changes, Volini said. The first is to replace the traditional partner segments with four new partner motions that allow solution providers to work with ServiceNow in more than one way. The second change aims to make partners more clear about what they need to advance in the program, Volini said.The third change is to provide partners with four new financial investments, including ServiceNow’s first-ever partner development fund, expanding deal registration to the public sector, making sure deal rebates are available for all partners including a new back-end “kicker” for net-new customer logos, and additional marketing investments for offers branded as “Built With ServiceNow” or “Built On ServiceNow,” Volini said.

==> www.crn.com; 17.01.2023

ISG to Publish Report on ServiceNow Partner Ecosystem ;

ISG Provider Lens report will evaluate providers of consulting, implementation and ongoing support services for enterprise deployments of the ServiceNow platform. The study results will be published in a comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ report, called ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners 2023, scheduled to be released in April. The report will cover companies offering services for planning, implementing and operating solutions based on the ServiceNow platform. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 16.11.2022

Elite Partner Sees HR as a Growth Vector, Albeit Some Verticals “Tightening Their Belts”;

We are presenting our conversation with a ServiceNow elite partner to provide a frontline view of the trends that we expect to drive fundamentals for ServiceNow over the next 12–18 months. This conversation is more representative of a look back to late summer trends with a midterm forward viewpoint and should not be misconstrued as any indication of how ServiceNow performed in the month of September. 

Key Takeaways: 

  1. Partner Sees Overall Health in Practice; Notes Pockets of Potential Demand Softness. The partner described a strong demand environment, noting "we haven't seen any slowdown in our in our business, if anything, we've seen an acceleration." However, the partner noted that some verticals are more willing to spend than others and that “infrastructure services, like energy, healthcare, etc - they're wanting to spend more" while on the "retail side of things, like food manufacturers, I think they are tightening their belts a little bit.”. Despite the health of his practice, the partner believes ServiceNow will have to be flexible on customer payment terms as a result of the macro environment.
  2. Strong Demand for Human Resource Delivery. The partner opines that ServiceNow's "business facing apps" such as HR and customer service management are where the "big growth is going to be” as employers are looking for solutions for their remote workforce and ways “to provide more services to employees.” In his practice, the partner has "seen a huge spike in Human Resources Service Delivery [HRSD]” and estimates that “20 to 30% of our backlog is HRSD." The partner also notes that when he speaks to prospects, he is frequently asked "what can ServiceNow do for the business side of things, especially employee experience?" 
  3. Partner Sees Synergies Between IT Service Management and Human Resource Service Delivery. The partner opines that IT is typically seen as a "cost center," and allocating more budget to IT can be cha llenging. In the partner’s experience, customers start with ITSM, and the “usual play” involves the customer's internal champion pitching ServiceNow's HR solution as "HR does not tend to be seen as a cost center… so they get more budget. Obviously when they get more budget from the HR side, some of it also has to go to support [ITSM]." While the partner has seen ServiceNow go directly into a business with HRSD a "few times," he describes that scenario as "rare."
==> www.jpmorganmarkets.com; 25.10.2022

Cloudify Integrates with ServiceNow to Provide Automation of Cloud Environment Development;

Cloudify today announced the integration of the Cloudify infrastructure automation platform with ServiceNow® IT Operations Management (ITOM), part of the platform for digital workflows, the Now Platform®. The Cloudify platform has received certification with ServiceNow and is available in the ServiceNow Store.

==> www.benzinga.com; 21.07.2022

Partner inputs mixed with deal slippage but remain confident on year end expectations. ;

We collected mixed inputs from ServiceNow partners, including consultants, managed service providers. More Europe exposed partners interestingly indicated negative impacts were not as bad as feared at onset. Most still tracking in-line or ahead of their year-end targets. A resounding theme in all conversations was the presence of deal slippage in the Q with customers deciding to pause expansion due to cost concerns and also prioritization on more critical functions. Partners indicate that customer adoption of newer add-ons was harder to come by this Q including the new support Impact program has been slow to roll in. While we don’t think customers have a ton of viable alternatives to NOW core use cases, our partners conversations show that customers’ adoption curve of the premium products could take a breather and potentially require more concessions to get customers onboard.

Partner Conversation Highlights

ServiceNow Ecosystem Partner / Consultant

  • "Did not see a lot of net new/expansions; More like for like renewals in June... Some deals slipped to December/year end"
  • "A lot of conversation around pushing out expansion in asset management/ IRM/ SecOps"
  • "No HR net new momentum this Q which used to be core net new"
  • "Impact program is not having as much success. Only saw 1 out of 10 deals adopted with credit concession for YR1"
  • Customers potentially could come back in 6 months / FYE Dec to decide on these expansions

Managed Service Partner with $50-100M SerivceNow practice (ServiceNow Elite Partner)

  • "Expecting to close the year with growth in mid-20s, which is currently ~5% ahead of plan and should be 10% by year end"
  • Some deals slippage in the Q but mostly due to customers getting spread too thin and prioritizing more critical projects over expansion. Feel customer might come back in the year end. 
  • "Seen some traction on SPM, CSM and project management addons."
  • ServiceNow being aggressive in pricing to get customers onboard on the newer addons.
  • Hiring trends for their NOW practice remains very strong albeit the tough conditions

One of the largest Managed Service partners 

  • "Deal flows beem consistent to date but expects to slow down with a little somber mood"
  • "NOW remains more appealing platform play vs some of the incumbents in the space"
  • Diversifying with more focus in CSM with fairly significant engagement in UK/ Nordic
  • Addons potentially add a premium of ~ 10-20% on their core deals
  • (Note: This managed services partner is overexposed to Europe/ India with focus in Telecom and Manufacturing)

IT Consultant focus on improving value of NOW offerings

  • Macro impact remains minimal given the focus of their customers in UK, pipeline visibility rather consistent
  • Russia/ Ukraine impact was better than feared with growth and deal flows largely in-line with expectations
  • Seen slower expansion in sectors that are more focus on keeping the lights on (ie: Oil & Gas) 
  • (Note: This consultant more focus on increasing value add among current NOW customers/ at -risk churn customers.
==> www.citi.com; 20.07.2022

ServiceNow: Partners are critical to get us further faster;

Workflow automation platform ServiceNow is sharpening its focus on channel partners as they continue to play a critical role in its growth strategy. ServiceNow chief partner officer Lara Caimi, who has been in her role for almost two years, said creating her role focused on partners, was making an explicit statement to the market on how important partners are to its growth strategy going forward. 

==> www.reseller.co.nz; 24.06.2022

ServiceNow und T-Systems machen Lieferketten transparenter;

Ein neues Gesetz verpflichtet Unternehmen, über die Situation in ihren Lieferketten zu berichten. Eine Lösung von T-Systems und ServiceNow macht das möglich. Die Lösung schafft mithilfe des Contract Lifecycle Management von Aavenir eine zentrale Vertragsdatenbank und beinhaltet unter anderem Komponenten für die Lieferantenvorauswahl, Vertragsmanagement und das vertragspflichtenbasierte Risikomanagement. Die hier lagernden Verträge werden mithilfe von KI-Algorithmen in Hinblick auf die gegenseitigen Verpflichtungen ausgewertet. Damit macht das System eine durchgehende Verwaltung der vertraglich vereinbarten Verpflichtungen mit jedem Lieferanten möglich. 

==> www.computerwoche.de; 18.02.2022

NTT teams with ServiceNow to help enterprises realise benefits of private 5G;

NTT says that working with ServiceNow will enable organisations to streamline the deployment and integration of private 5G, adding that chief information officers and chief digital officers can solve business issues with cloud-based economics, faster time to market and an enhanced service management experience. Building upon NTT’s recently launched P5G Platform and end-to-end stack of services, NTT and ServiceNow are partnering to simplify the digitisation process. As a result, they say, clients can shorten their time to market with cloud-based economics and an enhanced service management experience.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 09.02.2022

DXC Technology Expands Global Partnership with ServiceNow to Accelerate Enterprise Service Management and Operational Transformation, Underpinned by DXC Platform X™ ;

 DXC has named ServiceNow the preferred workflow partner for DXC Platform X, a data-driven, intelligent automation platform that helps detect, prevent and address issues before they happen with resilient, self-healing IT estates. NelsonHall has named DXC Platform X as a “Leader in Cognitive & Self-Healing IT Infrastructure Management,” reflecting DXC’s ability to deliver immediate benefits through automation while meeting customer requirements for their future operating models. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 19.01.2022

ServiceNow and Qualtrics innovate to help companies scale service experiences ServiceNow and Qualtrics innovate to help companies scale service experiences;

Combining ServiceNow’s digital workflows with Qualtrics’ experience management technology, organizations can harness and act on customer and employee experience data on the Now Platform, in real time, to quickly resolve issues and improve engagement, loyalty and retention. Qualtrics and ServiceNow will continue to jointly innovate to deliver more meaningful, tailored experiences in 2022. Additional integrated capabilities will help teams visualize sentiment and profile data directly on the Now Platform, giving agents and frontline teams a more holistic view of the customer and employee to improve service experiences.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 20.12.2021

ServiceNow, Thirdera join ngena for SD-WAN as a service;

ngena, whose SD-WAN software provides international network services for business customers, has announced that it is partnering with ServiceNow and Thirdera to provide more advanced data connectivity services for global enterprises. "ServiceNow and Thirdera, will for the first time ever, provide customers with an automated end-to-end service across the full network lifecycle," ngena CEO Bart de Graaff said. "We have taken ServiceNow's vertical implementation and are putting it on steroids for our customers."

==> www.zdnet.com; 26.11.2021

KPMG named ServiceNow launch partner for new offering;

KPMG has been named as ServiceNow’s first global reseller partner for its new environmental, social and governance (ESG) portfolio. According to ServiceNow, KPMG will work with customers to “provide visibility and transparency across ESG programs and initiatives” and help “strategise, manage, govern, and report on these efforts on a single platform”. 

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 13.10.2021

ServiceNow announces partnership with Germany's Celonis;

ServiceNow is entering into a strategic partnership with German software company Celonis to help customers identify workflow processes that can be automated, the two companies said on Wednesday. The partnership includes ServiceNow making an unspecified investment in Celonis and will combine ServiceNow's workflow platform with the execution management system of Celonis that crunches data to tackle problems and automate decision making.

==> www.reuters.com; 06.10.2021

Infosys announces collaboration with ServiceNow ;

Infosys will leverage its industry cloud blueprints, part of Infosys Cobalt, and deploy ServiceNow Operations Technology Management, to support manufacturing industries as they digitise their factories, floors, and plant operations.

==> economictimes.indiatimes.com; 21.09.2021

Samsung SDS signs partnership with US software firm ServiceNow ;

Under the deal with ServiceNow, Samsung SDS will utilize its IT service management solutions to help enterprise customers' digital transformation efforts. The two also agreed to join forces to develop technologies in the field of artificial intelligence and natural language understanding to seek growth opportunities. 

==> www.koreaherald.com; 29.06.2021

ServiceNow Enters Manufacturing Sector, Enabling Siemens Energy to Help Energy Companies Track Cyber Threats;

ServiceNow recently debuted its first product designed for the manufacturing sector. The company is partnering with Siemens Energy to provide a software service that allows energy companies to monitor, identify and respond to cyber threats intended to attack critical infrastructure. This partnership and new offering couldn’t have come at a better time, said Leo Simonovich, head of Industrial Cybersecurity at Siemens Energy. “The energy landscape is the most attacked sector of critical infrastructure, and for good reason: it’s the backbone of our economy,” Simonovich said. “Legacy assets, like control systems and PLCs, are being brought online and connected to other assets to realize the benefits of digitalization. Every new asset that gets connected introduces new vulnerabilities in the infrastructure.” 

==> www.automation.com; 24.06.2021

ServiceNow Expands Microsoft Partnership to Protect Data;

ServiceNow is extending its partnership with Microsoft to help protect organization’s data. The company is expanding its partnership with Microsoft to include Microsoft Azure Sentinel, Microsoft Threat & Vulnerability Management, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft SharePoint. The integration will allow data from Microsoft’s service to be pulled into ServiceNow for analysis.

==> www.webpronews.com; 24.05.2021

ServiceNow’s Digital Workflows Integrates With Qualtrics’ Experience Management Technology;

ServiceNow and Qualtrics have announced a strategic partnership to help companies deliver next-generation employee experiences and customer service, leveraging the combined power of ServiceNow’s digital workflows with Qualtrics’ experience management technology on a single platform.

==> aithority.com; 07.04.2021

Lakeside Software Integrates with ServiceNow to Drive Proactive IT Service Management;

Lakeside Software today announced the availability of SysTrack Root Cause Analysis, an app for ServiceNow that delivers endpoint intelligence to enable proactive service desk operations and improve workforce efficiency. The integration provides context for root cause analysis within the ServiceNow IT Service Management platform, including device details, end-user experience scoring, top problems, and critical sensors. Lakeside's sensors detect adverse conditions and anomalies, which are surfaced along with suggested resolution pathways to help agents address problems proactively and minimize productivity impacts.

==> www.newswire.ca; 09.02.2021

SurveyMonkey aligns with ServiceNow on digital business transformation;

As a consequence of the alliance, business leaders will be able to better understand how employees and end customers perceive any change a business makes — without having to launch a separate application. The alliance comes at a time when SAP is moving toward spinning out rival Qualtrics as an independent public company with a valuation of $14.4 billion. Medallia and Zoho are among other rivals that provide standalone tools for tracking customer and employee experiences using surveys.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.01.2021

ServiceNow and Microsoft extend partnership for highly regulated industries in France;

ServiceNow has announced the Now Platform and SaaS solutions will be available on Microsoft Azure Regions in France for highly regulated industries, starting in January 2021. Government and highly regulated customers will be able to leverage ServiceNow on Azure to accelerate their Digital Transformation, while assisting French customer data residency needs. “Our partnership with ServiceNow creates a great opportunity for French organisations in highly regulated markets to embrace Digital Transformation,” said Agnès Van de Walle, One Commercial Partner Director at Microsoft, France.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 24.11.2020

ServiceNow and Workplace from Facebook Expand Integrations to Improve the Employee Experience;

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) and Workplace from Facebook today announced new integrations designed to create great experiences for the growing distributed workforce. Together, ServiceNow and Workplace from Facebook will help make work, work better for people by enabling organizations to streamline communication between executives, departmental leaders, and employees to create more meaningful, employee-first experiences. ServiceNow and Workplace already work with some of the biggest and most respected companies around the world. Together, the companies serve customers across all industries, including Sun Life Financial, Telanor and Petco.

==> devops.com; 18.11.2020

Accenture and ServiceNow partner to launch business group ;

 Accenture and ServiceNow have announced the launch of a business group dedicated to aiding the acceleration of digital transformation initiatives. Supported by approximately 8,500 Accenture people skilled in ServiceNow, the new group looks to combine expertise in transformational workflow and platform development, marketing, sales, and business development from both organisations.

==> www.information-age.com; 22.10.2020

IBM expands partnership with ServiceNow to help businesses take advantage of AI;

IBM has announced the expansion of its partnership agreement with ServiceNow in a bid to help companies reduce operational risk and lower costs by applying AI to automate IT operations. Available later this year, a new joint solution will combine IBMs AI-powered hybrid cloud software and professional services to ServiceNows intelligent workflow capabilities and market-leading IT service and operations management products.

==> itbrief.co.nz; 18.10.2020

ServiceNow extends Microsoft partnership with new Teams functionality;

ServiceNow has extended its partnership with Microsoft to enhance the integration with Teams and improve employee experiences. At Microsoft Ignite 2020, ServiceNow introduced new workflows embedded in Microsoft Teams to improve employee productivity with self-service and improved case resolution. Powered by ServiceNow’s digital workflow platform, the Now Platform, the new capabilities are also said to improve agent productivity by enabling them to more effectively collaborate and complete key tasks in Microsoft Teams.

==> itbrief.com.au; 25.09.2020

ENGIE IT is partnering with DXC Technology to launch a certified, global ServiceNow Center of Excellence.;

The Center of Excellence will comprise a team of nearly 50 practitioners from ENGIE IT, DXC and ServiceNow to guide ENGIE business units as they modernise their processes, delivering practical innovation to accelerate their digital transformation. ENGIE IT provides innovative and high-performance ServiceNow solutions that deliver an enhanced digital employee experience for over 170,000 employees across more than 50 countries.

==> www.smart-energy.com; 25.07.2020

ServiceNow and Deloitte Extend Strategic Alliance Agreement to Transform Employee Experiences for the Next Normal ;

Together, ServiceNow and Deloitte will conduct joint go-to-market activities to support ServiceNow’s HRSD solution through global sales, enablement, and training activities. Leveraging its demonstrated track-record of success with ServiceNow and other Human Resource technology solutions, Deloitte will collaborate with ServiceNow to expand product features and functions which create business value at scale for joint customers. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 08.07.2020

Zoom and ServiceNow Partner to Make the Best Work-Anywhere Experiences Even Better ;

With the ongoing pandemic and shelter in place orders Zoom’s usage rocketed to 300 million daily meeting participants in April 2020. Zoom deployed ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management (CSM) to scale its customer service operations and enable critical communications capabilities for its global community. ServiceNow CSM also provides proactive case management and personalized self-service options to help manage the influx of customer requests. In addition, Zoom will deploy the Now Platform, including new AIOps capabilities, to enable its new Hardware as a Service (HaaS) business model. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 07.07.2020

ServiceNow revamps partner programmes to prepare businesses for the future of work;

ServiceNow has announced expanded partner programmes and industry-aligned solutions. According to ServiceNow, these programmes will empower its Global Partner Ecosystem to grow and accelerate customers’ digital transformation as they help companies adjust to the way we will work in the future. Inaugural partners offering ServiceNow Industry Partner Solutions include Accenture, Atos, Deloitte, DXC Technology, Ernst & Young LLP (EY), and KPMG.

==> www.tahawultech.com; 01.06.2020

ServiceNow, Adobe pair their customer service software to improve apps;

Under the new partnership, when a customer contacts a brand using the ServiceNow and Adobe systems, the customer service agent will be able to see a profile of the customer, including what they’ve purchased or tried to find help with on a website in the past, pulled together by Adobe. The goal is to better prepare the agent to handle the customer’s request. 

==> www.reuters.com; 05.05.2020

Advance Solutions Transitions to ServiceNow's Elite Partner Program Segment ;

Advance Solutions (ASC) today announced its transition to the ServiceNow Elite Partner Program segment. Founded in 2008, Advance Solutions has built tremendous experience across all aspects of ServiceNow. ASC continues to grow, with over 100 certified ServiceNow consultants averaging on 8 years of experience each. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 21.01.2020

Top 10 ServiceNow Service Provider Partners 2019;

ServiceNow in 2019 embarked on a long-term journey to build $1 billion revenue partnerships with multiple IT consulting firms, global systems integrators and other strategic alliance partners.  Top 10 ServiceNow service provider partners for 2019 include Accenture, KPMG, DXC and these other technology consulting firms, HSF Research says.

==> www.channele2e.com; 11.12.2019

ServiceNow API Integration is Now Available on Connect iPaaS ;

RoboMQ to announce the availability of ServiceNow as an API connector on its Connect iPaaS platform. This partnership provides ServiceNow customers easy access to build and deploy integration workflows that streamline and automate business processes with other SaaS, cloud, and enterprise applications using the available API connectors within Connect iPaaS.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 07.11.2019

Offerings

ServiceNow touts Now platform as AI engine for transformation;

At the ServiceNow World Forum in Melbourne, ServiceNow showcased its AI-driven Xanadu release, which aims to streamline complex workflows and enhance productivity with over 360 new AI features. The release introduces industry-specific AI capabilities, a new database for improved performance, and features like Microsoft Copilot integration and proactive assistance. Executives emphasized ServiceNow's focus on AI as a fundamental productivity tool, with interest growing in both the public and private sectors, including a new contract with the Victorian government.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 23.10.2024

ServiceNow announces the launch of a UAE Cloud;

ServiceNow announced plans to launch a UAE Cloud hosted on Microsoft Azure by the first half of 2025, expanding its strategic alliance with Microsoft. This initiative follows the recent introduction of the Now Platform in Arabic, reflecting ServiceNow's commitment to the UAE and Middle Eastern market. The new cloud will support sectors like government, financial services, energy, and telecom, leveraging AI capabilities such as ServiceNow Now Assist and Microsoft Copilot to drive digital transformation and productivity.

==> www.edgemiddleeast.com; 12.06.2024

ServiceNow injects more generative AI capabilities into its workflow platform ;

ServiceNow Inc. has updated its platform with the Washington D.C. release, adding advanced generative AI capabilities to enhance its Now Assist experiences and support intelligent automation across its services. These updates aim to speed up issue resolution, improve customer service interactions, and streamline development processes with features like Now Assist for IT Operations Management and enhanced Virtual Agent design capabilities. Additionally, ServiceNow introduced Impact AI Accelerators to facilitate the adoption of generative AI features, and is partnering with Nvidia to leverage Nvidia NIM inference microservices for quicker deployment of new LLMs. 

==> siliconangle.com; 20.03.2024

ServiceNow expands Now Assist family of generative AI agents - SiliconANGLE;

ServiceNow Inc. is expanding its Now Assist generative AI agents with the introduction of Now Assist in Virtual Agent, flow generation, and Now Assist for Field Service Management. These offerings, available via the ServiceNow Store, aim to reduce the time spent on basic information tasks, providing immediate productivity benefits for users. The Now Assist family of AI agents, developed over several years, is powered by ServiceNow's domain-specific Now large language model, offering improved user experiences, transparency, governance, and data security.

==> siliconangle.com; 16.11.2023

ServiceNow Brings GenAI to Its Now Platform;

ServiceNow unveiled its new “Now Assist” family of solutions earlier this month as part of a major expansion of its powerful Now Platform, introducing new generative AI capabilities for IT Service Management, Customer Service Management, HR Service Delivery, and creators. Let’s look at what the firm introduced. The new Now Assist functionality from ServiceNow allows every enterprise persona, from employees to agents to developers, to harness the power of generative AI in various unique and powerful ways. ServiceNow is initially introducing these new capabilities into four targeted workflows.

==> www.forbes.com; 13.10.2023

SAP prepares to add Joule generative AI copilot across its apps;

By year-end, users of a couple of SAP applications should have the option to ask generative AI copilot, Joule, to help with their work — and the company plans to roll the feature out across all its applications one by one in the years to come. Access to the Joule interface will be included in existing SAP software license agreements, but the generative AI use cases that Joule calls on will be priced based on their business value, SAP chief marketing and solutions officer Julia White said.

==> www.cio.com; 26.09.2023

ServiceNow Expands Automation, AI Capabilities With New Vancouver Release;

ServiceNow Wednesday introduced its new Now Platform Vancouver release with a heavy emphasis on automation of workflows and a wide range of new AI capabilities built into the platform. The new automation and AI capabilities in the Vancouver release aim to help customers prepare to face intensifying internal and external pressures that are forcing difficult decisions related to technology disruptions caused by heightened security concerns, risks of changing regulatory environments and more, said Amy Lokey, senior vice president of product experience for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company.

==> www.crn.com; 20.09.2023

ServiceNow expands platform with additional generative AI capabilities to ease enterprise productivity ;

 ServiceNow has announced the expansion of its Now platform’s generative AI capabilities, introducing case summarization and text-to-code features. The company said these advancements aim to drive speed, productivity and value for customers across various industries. According to the company, the gen AI capabilities are purpose-designed to alleviate repetitive tasks and improve productivity.

==> venturebeat.com; 28.07.2023

ServiceNow introduces ServiceNow.org to drive digital transformation;

ServiceNow has launched ServiceNow.org, dedicated to digitally transforming non-profit organisations by leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and resource allocation for maximum impact. The launch of ServiceNow.org comes at an important moment for the non-profit sector. Amid an uncertain macro environment, 54% of non-profits are pursuing operational efficiencies to help protect their organizations and sustain their missions, according to advisory firm BDO. 

==> www.tahawultech.com; 07.07.2023

ServiceNow unveils Now Assist for Virtual Agent, a generative AI solution for self-service;

ServiceNow today announced its latest generative AI solution, Now Assist for Virtual Agent, with the aim of revolutionizing self-service by offering intelligent and relevant conversational experiences. The new capability expands on ServiceNow’s strategy of integrating generative AI capabilities into its Now Platform, which helps customers to streamline digital workflows and optimize productivity. This tool utilizes generative AI to deliver direct and contextually accurate responses to user inquiries. Integrated with the Now Platform, it will enable users to swiftly access relevant information and connect with digital workflows tailored to their needs.

==> venturebeat.com; 13.06.2023

ServiceNow Expands Digital Transformation Efforts at Knowledge 2023;

ServiceNow is updating its Now Platform with a series of capabilities that the company announced this week at its Knowledge 2023 conference in Las Vegas. At Knowledge 2023, the company announced new features that expand the workflow capabilities into new areas and revealed new cloud observability capabilities. Much like every other enterprise IT vendor in 2023, ServiceNow also revealed its plans to make extensive use of generative AI.

==> www.itprotoday.com; 18.05.2023

ServiceNow Launches Major Platform Expansion with the Utah Release ;

ServiceNow announced a major platform expansion with the Now Platform Utah release. Utah is built to help organizations future-proof their businesses and drive outcomes faster in the face of continued economic uncertainty. The latest version of the intelligent, end-to-end platform for digital transformation includes AI-powered process mining with robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities, additional search enhancements, expanded Workforce Optimization, and Health and Safety Incident Management, all designed to help increase automation, simplify experiences, and offer greater organizational agility. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 22.03.2023

New ServiceNow apps automate organizational productivity ;

The offerings -- Automated Service Suggestions, Service Request Playbook and Workplace Scenario Planning -- are specifically designed to use the new capabilities of the latest release of the Now Platform, code named Tokyo, including simplified order management and scheduling.

==> www.techtarget.com; 03.11.2022

ServiceNow announces new platform with ESG emphasis ;

ServiceNow is launching the new version of its Now Platform called Now Platform Tokyo. The Now Platform already has a reputation for automating tasks that increase operational efficiencies across industrial backgrounds. With this new release, the company has expanded its focus to employee and customer experience as well as sustainability goals.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 21.09.2022

ServiceNow Now Platform 'Tokyo' delivers AI, automation;

ServiceNow doubled down on its commitment to take the complexity out of digital transformation projects with a new version of its ServiceNow platform sporting new AI capabilities. The updated version of the cloud-based workflow automation offering, codenamed "Tokyo," contains several new AI and automation features, including tools for HR professionals.

==> www.techtarget.com; 21.09.2022

ServiceNow launches Australian digital skills bootcamp;

ServiceNow has announced a commitment to providing digital skills training to 1000 Australians by the end of 2022 in response to the nation’s deepening skills crisis. The digital skills bootcamp is open to recent graduates and other working-age Australians interested in joining the technology industry — even those without previous technology experience or educational qualifications.

==> www.technologydecisions.com.au; 09.08.2022

ServiceNow announces LightStep Notebooks;

ServiceNow, the SaaS cloud and computing software company, today announced LightStep Notebooks in order to deliver unified, comprehensive analysis across applications and infrastructure. This release allows developers to analyze data through visualizations while creating a structured view of the investigation steps as well as a path to resolution. LightStep Notebooks also enables SREs and developers to resolve incidents quickly and prevent recurrence.

==> sdtimes.com; 27.06.2022

ServiceNow announces LightStep Notebooks;

ServiceNow announced LightStep Notebooks in order to deliver unified, comprehensive analysis across applications and infrastructure. This release allows developers to analyze data through visualizations while creating a structured view of the investigation steps as well as a path to resolution. LightStep Notebooks also enables SREs and developers to resolve incidents quickly and prevent recurrence.

==> sdtimes.com; 27.06.2022

Qualtrics and ServiceNow Strengthen Employee and Customer Service Experiences;

Qualtrics Embedded Insights offers pre-built configurations that allow organisations to see their experience data–how people think and feel–and operational data–such as number of cases resolved and time to resolution–in one centralised view within their ServiceNow Workspace. Qualtrics Embedded Insights also helps IT and customer service teams identify opportunities to automate routine tasks through a few clicks, not code. Agents can then provide personalised service within ServiceNow for priority and complex issues. The app is the next step in Qualtrics and ServiceNow’s continued partnership, originally announced in April 2021.

==> www.pcr-online.biz; 24.06.2022

Salesforce announces NFT Cloud platform amid crypto concerns;

Salesforce is rolling out a closed pilot program for a new service called NFT Cloud, allowing users to mint and manage NFTs for brand engagement and marketing purposes, even as the wider crypto market continues to spiral.

==> www.computerworld.com; 09.06.2022

ServiceNow targets procurement workflow automation;

ServiceNow is using its Knowledge customer conference in Las Vegas to relaunch a feature of its latest software release that it feels did not get enough attention first time around: Procurement Service Management. This is fresh territory for the Now Platform, which has so far been used to automate workflows in IT (such as service management or operations management), HR, or order management. With the chaos surrounding supply chains these days, though, the procurement function is ready for some love.

==> www.cio.com; 25.05.2022

ServiceNow Launches Powerful, New Solutions to Advance Digital Business and Drive Innovation at Scale;

ServiceNow introduced three new solutions built on the Now Platform to help enterprises advance their digital transformation efforts. Service Operations Workspace, App Engine Management Center and Public Sector Digital Services work across organizations and within the public sector to digitize complex processes and accelerate productivity.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 11.05.2022

Servicenow lanciert neue Automatisierungs- und Digitalisierungstools ;

Die US-amerikanische Automatisierungs- und Workflowspezialistin Servicenow hat heute an seiner Veranstaltung Knowledge '22 neue Lösungen vorgestellt, die auf der "Now"-Plattform aufbauen und Unternehmen dabei helfen sollen, die digitale Transformation voranzutreiben. Service Operations Workspace bietet Service-Desk-Mitarbeitenden und Betriebsteams einen zentralen Ort, an dem sie ihre Aufgaben verwalten, zusammenarbeiten und gemeinsam den Überblick über ihre Aufgaben behalten können. Im Workspace können Teams gleichzeitig an denselben Aufgaben arbeiten. Dies soll dazu beitragen, Ausfallzeiten zu reduzieren, die Kundenzufriedenheit zu verbessern und die Produktivität über mehrere Gruppen hinweg zu steigern.

==> www.netzwoche.ch; 11.05.2022

ServiceNow jumps into RPA with imminent 'San Diego' release;

Workflow specialist ServiceNow has announced a heavy emphasis on robotic process automation (RPA) in the next release of its platform, to get aging applications working with each other in a more user-friendly fashion. One analyst said users already invested in workflow would welcome the release, but RPA specialists may have a technical edge. The RPA Hub features 1300+ pre-built components and an RPA Desktop Design Studio – allowing users to design, test and publish bots. Users can also build bots from within ServiceNow's low-code Flow Designer tool on the RPA Hub Spoke.

==> www.theregister.com; 24.03.2022

Latest ServiceNow Platform Release to Accelerate Productivity and Digital Transformation with Modern Design, Expanded Hyperautomation Tools;

ServiceNow announced itsNow Platform®  San Diego release. With an upgraded, more modern visual design and new Robotic Process Automation (RPA) capabilities that deliver on the promise of hyperautomation, the latest version of the Now Platform is designed to help organizations address the most pressing challenges facing every industry, in every region, and transform businesses for a new economy.

==> devops.com; 23.03.2022

ServiceNow preps mobile apps for real-time transformation tracking;

ServiceNow will soon release mobile apps that allow real-time tracking of metrics, so business leaders can see the progress of digital transformation initiatives. The apps will be companions to Impact – a product ServiceNow announced last month. It diverges from ServiceNow's usual offerings in measuring the results of its core workflow engine – rather than driving workflows. The companion apps will be applicable across its expertise in HR, ITSM, and other areas of business.

==> www.theregister.com; 22.02.2022

ServiceNow's new messaging service aims to help organizations connect with customers via WhatsApp;

The new ServiceNow Messaging Service lets businesses purchase SMS and WhatsApp directly from ServiceNow to integrate them into their workflows. The goal is to give organizations a way to connect with customers and employees no matter where they're located and more quickly address and resolve customers requests. ServiceNow Messaging Service is designed to help organizations better meet customer expectations by providing a more transparent process for two-way conversations. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 21.10.2021

ServiceNow introduces new integrated ESG solution;

ServiceNow has announced a new, integrated ESG solution powered by the Now Platform which helps companies activate ESG strategies, programs and initiatives; from enhancing diversity and inclusion and reducing carbon emissions to enabling business resilience. ServiceNow’s ESG solution combines the power of the Now Platform, new and existing products, and ServiceNow’s partner ecosystem to help organisations plan, manage, govern, and report on their ESG programs and initiatives to drive greater environmental, social and business impact.

==> sustainabilitymag.com; 13.10.2021

ServiceNow Aims to Improve Employee Experiences;

ServiceNow has updated its Now platform to include an Employee Center that is described as a digital command center that promises to make it simpler for employees to navigate processes and tasks from anywhere. The Rome update to the Now Platform also includes Employee Journey Management tools designed to guide employees through tasks such as onboarding and offboarding from an organization.

==> www.itbusinessedge.com; 17.09.2021

ServiceNow Transforms Hybrid Work With New Solutions to Help Offices Reopen Smoothly;

ServiceNow announced updates to its Workplace Service Delivery solution to support employees and facilities teams in an increasingly hybrid work environment that demands flexible, agile workplace service management applications. ServiceNow gives employees a consumer-grade mobile experience to reserve workspaces, conference rooms, and services and navigates workplaces. For businesses, ServiceNow’s Workplace Service Delivery solution provides the data and insights needed to better inform real estate costs and optimization.

==> aithority.com; 19.07.2021

ServiceNow Announces Multimillion Euro Investment in EU Services, Providing Customers Even Greater Trust, Choice, and Control Over Their Data;

ServiceNow announced new service delivery developments that will allow customers to request to have their EU‑hosted data always handled exclusively within the EU. This new offering builds on ServiceNow’s existing legal, technical and organisational safeguards and will provide simple solutions to help customers meet their compliance obligations. This is against the backdrop of some of the developments raised by the Schrems II judgment and European Data Protection Board (EDPB) Recommendations issued in June 2021.

==> aithority.com; 07.07.2021

Neue Ära der intelligenten Fertigung: ServiceNow präsentiert Lösungen für die Produktion;

 ServiceNow hat auf der Knowledge 2021, der wichtigsten digitalen Veranstaltung von ServiceNow für seine Kunden, Partner und die Developer Community, neue branchenspezifische Lösungen für die Manufacturing-Branche angekündigt. Die Fertigungslösungen von ServiceNow werden Menschen, Prozesse, Know-how und Technologien auf der Now Platform miteinander verbinden, um Abläufe effizienter und sicherer zu machen und gleichzeitig die Mitarbeiter-Experience zu verbessern. Führende Fertigungsunternehmen, darunter Siemens Energy, gehören zu den Erstanwendern der neuen Fertigungslösungen von ServiceNow.

==> www.moneycab.com; 16.06.2021

ServiceNow partners with ZScaler for remote access security ;

ServiceNow, a cloud-based service ticket workflow application partnered with ZScaler to provide customers the option to maintain security for remote workers via ZScaler’s zero trust access. The new integration also extends to automation. With integration in ServiceNow and ZScaler, the system can check whether a particular file or url is malicious and automate the process of blocking it. “Typically the processes to respond to these security incidents are manually done,” Raikar said, adding that with the enrichments through automation, security teams can be more effective.

==> www.scmagazine.com; 14.06.2021

ServiceNow launches unified agent platform, aims to meld diagnostics with incident automation;

ServiceNow is rolling out a unified platform to collect diagnostic information across enterprise applications, cloud and on-premises infrastructure to better automate incidents and prevent disruptions. The company is launching Agent Client Collector, or ACC, to deliver visibility and allow service and operations teams to automate incident resolution. ACC is also designed to proactively identify and prevent service disruptions. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 22.04.2021

ServiceNow unveils telecom order management tool;

The Now Platform Quebec release, available now, includes Order Management in Telecommunications, a tool based on TM Forum Open APIs that is aimed at streamlining ordering processes by automating workflow from order orchestration to fulfillment. The new system for order management was designed with help from managed services provider TPX Communications, which also is deploying it, and other ServiceNow service provider partners. Deutsche Telekom recently completed a proof-of-concept trial of the order management solution.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 11.03.2021

ServiceNow's Quebec release of Now Platform includes low-code, native AI tools;

ServiceNow's latest version of its Now Platform, code-named Quebec, is launching with a series of low-code app development tools and more native machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities. With the move, ServiceNow is making its play to position its Now Platform as more of a digital transformation engine. ServiceNow has been a key vendor when it comes to building workflows within companies and automating tasks. SaaS providers have been rolling out low-code tools as well as AI and machine learning to enable business decision makers to create apps. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 11.03.2021

ServiceNow brings integrated capabilities to Microsoft Teams;

ServiceNow on Thursday announced the general availability of workflows embedded directly within Microsoft Teams. The integrated capabilities -- now available to any customers using the Paris release or later -- allow HR and IT teams using ServiceNow to collaborate and to resolve issues directly in Teams. The integrations fit in with ServiceNow's ongoing evolution from a company that enables IT service management to one that enables enterprise workflows. Part of that, said Matt Schvimmer, SVP and GM of ServiceNow's ITSM business, is figuring out "how do we engage with employees within the context of their daily work."

==> www.zdnet.com; 19.02.2021

Salesforce launches Vaccine Cloud, targets government, healthcare;

Salesforce is launching Vaccine Cloud, a set of tools to enable government and healthcare organizations to manage and deploy COVID-19 vaccination programs.Salesforce said more than 35 international and government agencies and thousands of healthcare providers are using the company to manage vaccine delivery using its Customer 360 platform. Vaccine Cloud will replace Work.com for Vaccines, which was aimed at public sector customers. Vaccine Cloud is a configuration of core Salesforce apps (Health Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, Digital Engagement), Platform (Lightning Platform), Tableau & Mulesoft for governments and businesses.

==> www.zdnet.com; 27.01.2021

ServiceNow to roll out Now platform on Azure;

ServiceNow will be making its platform available on Microsoft’s Azure cloud in Singapore from 2021 in a bid to meet the needs of organisations in regulated industries that have strict data sovereignty and security requirements. In an interview with Computer Weekly, Chia Wee Luen, ServiceNow’s managing director and area vice-president for Asia, said organisations that sign up for the offering will have their data processed by ServiceNow and stored on the Azure cloud, with Microsoft serving as the sub-processor of the data.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 14.10.2020

ServiceNow updates its workflow automation platform;

ServiceNow announced the latest release of its workflow automation platform. With this, the company is emphasizing a number of new solutions for specific verticals, including for telcos and financial services organizations. This focus on verticals extends the company’s previous efforts to branch out beyond the core IT management capabilities that defined its business during its early years. The company is also adding new features for making companies more resilient in the face of crises, as well as new machine learning-based tools.

==> techcrunch.com; 16.09.2020

ServiceNow boosts data centre capacity in Europe;

ServiceNow is increasing investment in its data centre infrastructure by developing new facilities in two new locations: Newport, United Kingdom and Dublin, Ireland. This investment will continue to support customers’ Digital Transformation journeys and help customers navigate the post-Brexit landscape. These new data centre pairings will form part of ServiceNow’s Advanced High Availability Architecture and will continue to ensure the scalability of its cloud services.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 03.07.2020

ServiceNow Releases Four Apps to Help Companies Handle Essential Steps to Returning Employees Safely to the Workplace ;

ServiceNow has expanded its employee workflow portfolio with the ServiceNow Safe Workplace app suite. Powered by the Now Platform, the suite includes four new apps and a dashboard that help companies assess both their workforce and workplace readiness as they prepare for employees to return to the workplace. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 19.05.2020

How ServiceNow Integrates and Optimizes Healthcare IT Delivery;

The cloud-based service management platform is helping organizations overcome communication pain points and solve problems efficiently. To efficiently integrate people, machines and departments, the first step must involve consolidation or replacement of legacy service management tools. Automating process and streamlining key workflows with ServiceNow can effectively break down silos across your organization and enable you to maximize your technology’s potential.

==> healthtechmagazine.net; 02.04.2020

ServiceNow’s Now Intelligence Brings AI, Analytics and Automation to Digital Transformation;

ServiceNow has launched Now Intelligence, new AI and analytics capabilities to let employees streamline business decisions and even automate tasks. Now Intelligence is available as part of ServiceNow’s latest Now Platform release, Orlando. Now Intelligence aims to enhance IT and employee workflows, so every department in can work and collaborate smarter and faster, said ServiceNow’s chief product officer Chirantan “CJ” Desai. The new tools combine human and machine intelligence to deliver better decision-making, find answers, and automate tasks, he added.       

==> www.idevnews.com; 01.04.2020

ServiceNow pulls on its platforms, talks up machine learning, analytics in biggest release since ex-SAP boss took reins;

In its biggest product release since the arrival of SAP revenue-boosting Bill McDermott as new CEO, the cloudy business process company is positioning itself as the "platform of platforms". Which goes to show, if nothing else, that platformization also applies to platforms. The idea is that ServiceNow's tools make routine business activity much easier and slicker. To this the company is adding intelligence, analytics and AI, it said.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 13.03.2020

ServiceNow reveals VS Code alternative to its own web-based code editor;

Workflow automation outfit ServiceNow has launched a new extension for Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code), furthering its tie-up with Microsoft, whose Azure cloud is a preferred provider for ServiceNow's SaaS platform.

==> www.zdnet.com; 10.12.2019

ServiceNow Makes the DevOps Connection;

Richard Hawes, director of product marketing for ServiceNow, said ServiceNow DevOps will provide IT operations teams relying on an ITIL-based framework accessed as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) application visibility into DevOps processes and events occurring in on-premises environments or public clouds.

==> devops.com; 18.11.2019

Deals

Deloitte & Salesforce Partner to Speed Up ESG Reporting;

Deloitte has implemented "GreenLight powered by Salesforce" (GPBS), a sustainability management solution, to improve its own ESG reporting and meet its WorldClimate targets. The program leverages Salesforce’s Net Zero Cloud to streamline data management and reporting, addressing issues like data quality and the integration of information from multiple sources. Deloitte's use of this tool internally demonstrates its potential as a scalable solution for clients seeking to improve sustainability reporting across various industries.

==> sustainabilitymag.com; 20.09.2024

BT bets big on AI with ServiceNow to cut legacy baggage;

BT Group is set to reduce its reliance on third-party support staff in service desk roles following the successful integration of ServiceNow's GenAI technology, which has significantly improved efficiency by reducing case handling and resolution times. This move is part of a broader expansion of ServiceNow’s capabilities across all BT units, which has already resulted in considerable savings and is expected to exceed initial projections of $25 million by 2027. 

==> www.theregister.com; 03.07.2024

ServiceNow helps Bordeaux Métropole go eco-friendly;

ServiceNow has announced that Bordeaux Métropole is leading an innovative strategy for digital transformation to support citizens in the French city with housing, transport and carbon usage. This time, Bordeaux Métropole has chosen to work with ServiceNow partner, Aguaro, and its app My IT Footprint. The app enhances the ServiceNow platform that Bordeaux has implemented, by placing carbon footprint issues at the center of the day-to-day management of digital services.

==> erp.today; 12.10.2023

NHL announces multiyear partnership with ServiceNow;

ServiceNow announced a multiyear North American partnership. As an Official NHL Partner, ServiceNow will enhance game day operations, streamline employee productivity, and support new connected fan experiences.

==> www.nhl.com; 17.05.2023

NASCAR expands use of ServiceNow in mission to become the most technologically advanced sports entertainment company ;

ServiceNow announced that NASCAR will expand its use of ServiceNow in its mission to become the most technologically advanced sports entertainment company. Leveraging ServiceNow Employee Center to convert legacy manual processes for employee service requests from HR, IT, and other departments into simple, digital workflows, the expansion with ServiceNow will even further modernize NASCAR’s employee experience and streamline processes, freeing up employees’ time to serve fans. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 30.03.2023

ServiceNow signs MOU with CCS to drive innovation across national and local government;

ServiceNow has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Crown Commercial Service (CCS), providing access to all UK public sector departments to ServiceNow’s platform technology. The agreement will offer customers access to competitive rates, discounts and a wide variety of commercial benefits. ServiceNow are also investing in skills and Digital Transformation funding to help the Government in its initiative to level up jobs and skills. This investment recognises and helps reduce the cost pressure on the Government, while simultaneously improving the capability for innovation.

==> www.intelligentcio.com; 10.01.2023

ServiceNow Wins $250M HHS Digital Workflow BPA; Jonathan Alboum Quoted;

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) has secured a potential five-year, $250 million blanket purchase agreement from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide digital workflow platforms to help HHS manage applications, optimize inventory and reduce waste. “As the Department of Health and Human Services works to accelerate its digital transformation, providing a quality user experience and helping to optimize inventory has never been more vital,” said Jonathan Alboum, federal chief technology officer at ServiceNow.

==> www.govconwire.com; 07.10.2022

TIM adopts ServiceNow technology to optimize IT services ;

First operator in Brazil to migrate 100% of its data centers to the cloud, TIM announces another step in its digital transformation trajectory. It is an ITSM (IT Service Management) solution implemented in July of this year, which is part of a broad project, focused on more productivity and service efficiency. With ServiceNow as a new provider of IT management solutions, offering a cloud platform and automation system, the new solution is able to optimize the operator's internal technology demands.

==> www.bnamericas.com; 29.08.2022

BT embraces ServiceNow with a strategic focus on customer and employee experience ;

British communications giant BT is looking to standardize processes across its global organization, consolidate a variety of legacy service management applications onto the ServiceNow platform, and is pursuing a ZeroOps strategy in order to improve both employee and customer experience. BT has said that the project should deliver £25 million in savings by 2027. 

==> diginomica.com; 01.06.2022

Bayer standardizes on ServiceNow with a focus on employee experience ;

The firm is on a mission to transform its employee engagement, by standardizing on the ServiceNow Now platform, with the belief that this will lead to better outcomes for its customers. Bayer is now focused on its own internal processes and redesigning them for enabling automation, with the aim of boosting employee engagement. The company’s corporate functions sit at the center of this, as these are the key touchpoints for employees. It is redesigning the processes within these core corporate areas to drive a number of results.

==> diginomica.com; 17.05.2022

Comms giant BT sees $30m+ savings in 5 years with ServiceNow project;

UK telecoms and IT services company BT is forecasting £25 million ($30.8 million) in savings over five years by ditching some legacy applications and switching to ServiceNow workflow and automation technologies. The deal is said to apply to external IT and network services for BT clients as well as internal support at BT.

==> www.theregister.com; 11.05.2022

ServiceNow accelerates Amadeus’ move to the public cloud ;

ServiceNow has announced that Amadeus, a travel technology firm, will use the Now Platform to accelerate and secure the migration of its operations to the public cloud. As part of a major transformational effort, Amadeus will leverage the Now Platform to enable its development teams to rapidly innovate and deliver a new way of working in the travel sector.  Together with ServiceNow, and armed with the benefits of the cloud, Amadeus will scale and innovate across a business that helps connect over 1.6 billion people a year to local travel providers across over 190 countries, allowing them to better anticipating trends and customer behaviour.

==> www.itp.net; 12.01.2022

ServiceNow Awarded Five-year Contract With the Internal Revenue Service ;

ServiceNow  announced the company secured a five-year contract with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to provide the ServiceNow low code development platform. Under the contract, ServiceNow and its partners, Carahsoft Technology Corp. and Intact Technology, will accelerate the IRS’ long-term digital transformation efforts by consolidating 12 legacy systems into a single platform of record. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 21.12.2021

Telia Taps ServiceNow to Transform Service and Customer Operations and Deliver Great Experiences for Customers ;

ServiceNow announced that Telia Company, a multinational telecommunications company and mobile network operator, will standardize its service operations on the Now Platform. Telia is expanding its work with ServiceNow to create workflows that streamline service management processes and enable proactive customer service. With ServiceNow Telecommunications Service Management and Telecommunications Network Performance Management, Telia is able to drive efficiencies across its incident management and service management capabilities while improving communications between customers, care agents, and operations teams. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 19.08.2021

Fisker Selects ServiceNow Solutions to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Product Development ;

 ServiceNow’s digital workflows will help Fisker create frictionless experiences that make it easy for employees to get work done, enabling them to spend less time on non-critical tasks and more time on building a reimagined EV experience. Fisker will deploy ServiceNow’s ITSM Pro solution to deliver scalable services, increase productivity and create resilient IT service experiences for its employees. The company will also use ServiceNow’s SAM solution to optimize IT productivity, cost and resilience – enabling employees to work faster and smarter. Together, these solutions will help Fisker create a beautiful employee experience now – and great customer experiences in the future. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 25.05.2021

Recipe for success - scaling ServiceNow globally at Nestlé;

 Nestlé rolled out 20 applications on the ServiceNow platform across its global workforce of 270,000 people. It’s success has been guided by five pillars, which we outline below. Nestlé is an internationally recognized food and beverage conglomerate, based out of Switzerland, which owns household brands that include KitKat, Nescafé, Nespresso and Cheerios. In February of last year, Nestlé went live with 20 applications on the ServiceNow platform, in order to consolidate its systems onto one and digitize its processes. 

==> diginomica.com; 14.05.2021

NHS Scotland uses ServiceNow to power vaccination and contact-tracing;

ServiceNow is at the heart of NHS Scotland’s digital response to the coronavirus, supporting the mass vaccination programme. NHS Scotland has used ServiceNow’s Now Platform as the digital backbone to support the rapid roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines. To meet the demand for vaccinations in a timely and safe manner, NHS Scotland required an extensive system to drive the Scottish government’s ambition to vaccinate 5.5 million citizens in just three months. 

==> www.computerweekly.com; 27.01.2021

ServiceNow Becomes the Official Workflow Partner of the NBA and WNBA ;

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a multiyear partnership that makes ServiceNow their inaugural Official Workflow Partner. ServiceNow, the company that makes work, work better, will deliver the products and technologies needed to create and streamline workflows across the NBA and WNBA. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 12.10.2020

ServiceNow will provide cloud services to the Government of Canada through Shared Services Canada;

ServiceNow has signed a framework agreement with the Government of Canada, meaning federal departments will be able to use the company’s Now platform to accelerate cloud adoption, automate workflows and stand up services. These services will be available to Shared Services Canada (SSC) and Government of Canada institutions entitled to purchase via SSC, which is responsible for providing a light-touch cloud-brokering service by implementing contracts with cloud service providers.

==> www.itworldcanada.com; 12.08.2020

Chevron rolls out ServiceNow for global IT operations in just 7 months;

Energy giant Chevron has simplified its IT service delivery for thousands of users across 45 different countries by rolling out ServiceNow in just 7 months, replacing a highly customised and fragmented implementation of BMC Remedy.

==> diginomica.com; 26.05.2020

Good News

ServiceNow Reports Strong Sales Growth, New AI Agent Strategy;

ServiceNow reported a strong Q3 with 23% growth in subscription sales and 26% in booked sales, surpassing analyst expectations. While its new AI-powered tool, Now Assist, has driven contract premiums up by 30%, investors were disappointed with the overall AI impact on financials, causing a slight dip in share prices. ServiceNow also appointed Google Cloud’s Amit Zavery as president and chief product officer, signaling a focus on product and engineering.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 23.10.2024

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for AI Applications in IT Service Management ;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in IT Service Management (ITSM) due to its strong vision and execution in AI-driven ITSM solutions, including machine learning, virtual agents, and generative AI. The company's recent AI enhancements, such as Now Assist for ITSM, streamline workflows, improve self-service, and automate incident resolution, helping organizations boost productivity and reduce costs. These advancements, integrated into the Now Platform, position ServiceNow as a key player in transforming IT service operations through AI.

==> www.stocktitan.net; 15.10.2024

ServiceNow Named a Worldwide Leader in Two IDC MarketScapes for Value Stream Management and Strategic Portfolio Management;

The company's platform and strategy in Strategic Portfolio Management have laid a strong foundation for leveraging various management areas, including Project and Application Portfolio Management and Agile. This recognition underscores ServiceNow's focus on AI and generative AI as essential tools for organizations managing diverse portfolios and initiatives. The Now Platform is highlighted for enabling customers to connect their teams and align with business strategy, optimizing workflows for speed, compliance, and value delivery at scale, encompassing Value Stream Management, Strategic Planning, Scenario Planning, Agile Development, and Project Portfolio Management.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 19.03.2024

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Governance, Risk, and Compliance by Independent Research Firm;

ServiceNow has been recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave™ for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) for Q4 2023, highlighting its Integrated Risk Management platform. The report praised ServiceNow's innovative roadmap, strong risk monitoring tools, and extensive use of AI to enhance the user experience in GRC. ServiceNow GRC, built on the Now Platform, offers an integrated approach to risk and compliance management, allowing organizations to manage risk, strengthen compliance, and build resilience across their workflows.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 08.12.2023

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Digital Process Automation;

ServiceNow has been recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Digital Process Automation Software, Q4 2023. The recognition is attributed to ServiceNow's solutions and strategy in governance, end-to-end orchestration, robotic process automation (RPA), API integration, and generative AI within its App Engine and Automation Engine solutions. The report highlights ServiceNow's deep roots in service management, its extensive partner network, and thousands of certified developers as key factors contributing to its leadership position in the digital process automation space.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 28.11.2023

ServiceNow raises annual forecast, beats profit estimates on AI strength;

 ServiceNow raised its annual subscription revenue forecast on Wednesday, after beating third-quarter profit estimates helped by strong demand for the company's automation and artificial intelligence (AI) services. Enterprises have been dialing up spending on generative AI products and workflow automation, attempting to gain a foothold in the nascent AI market, benefiting companies like ServiceNow.

==> www.reuters.com; 25.10.2023

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms for Fourth Consecutive Year;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. This is the fourth consecutive year ServiceNow has been positioned as a Leader for its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision from the evaluation of the ServiceNow platform and low-code solution, App Engine. ServiceNow attributes this recognition to its strong focus on generative AI advancements, custom enterprise application development capabilities, and continued investment in industry-specific solutions.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 23.10.2023

ServiceNow Recognized as a Visionary in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability ;

ServiceNow has been named a Visionary in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability. “We are thrilled to be recognized by Gartner for our ability to execute and completeness of vision as we enter this next evolution of how teams will govern, monitor, observe, and innovate across complex heterogeneous technology estates,” said Ben Sigelman, general manager of ServiceNow Cloud Observability and co-founder of Lightstep and OpenTelemetry.

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.07.2023

ServiceNow Recognized as a Visionary in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability ;

ServiceNow has been named a Visionary in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability. “We are thrilled to be recognized by Gartner for our ability to execute and completeness of vision as we enter this next evolution of how teams will govern, monitor, observe, and innovate across complex heterogeneous technology estates,” said Ben Sigelman, general manager of ServiceNow Cloud Observability and co-founder of Lightstep and OpenTelemetry.

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.07.2023

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Low-Code Development Platforms for Professional Developers by Independent Research Firm ;

ServiceNow announced it has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Low-Code Development Platforms For Professional Developers, Q2 2023. ServiceNow attributes this recognition to its innovative governance-first platform approach to low-code solutions. According to this evaluation, “ServiceNow continues to build on its IT credibility with focused, useful low-code innovations to address the technical and governance challenges of scaled, decentralized development and widespread automation.

==> www.businesswire.com; 06.07.2023

“Purpose matters”: ServiceNow reveals its plan to avoid layoffs;

ServiceNow is actively choosing not to lay off any workers. CEO Bill McDermott has pledged there will be “absolutely no layoffs in 2023.” Firstly, the company said they didn’t partake in the COVID hiring frenzy seen among other software vendors. ServiceNow increased its headcount from 14,000+ employees to approximately 20,500+ employees in the two years between 2021 and 2023.

==> erp.today; 20.02.2023

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Value Stream Management Solutions by Independent Research Firm ;

ServiceNow has been positioned as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Value Stream Management Solutions, Q4 2022. ServiceNow was evaluated based on the value stream management (VSM) capabilities embedded throughout its IT Service Management (ITSM) and Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) solutions. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 08.12.2022

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Third-Party Risk Management Platforms ;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) Platforms, Q2 2022. According to the report, “Two years ago, most businesses managed third-party risk because they had to for regulatory compliance. It only took a global pandemic, ongoing disruption of global supply chains, an underestimated geopolitical event, and major cyberattacks on software vendors responsible for critical infrastructure, for firms to comprehend the significant role those third-party relationships play in their success and resilience.

==> www.businesswire.com; 19.05.2022

German Firms Embrace ServiceNow to Modernize Workflows ;

 The 2022 ISG Provider Lens™ ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners report for Germany finds business accelerating for ServiceNow and its German partner ecosystem as organizations seek more intelligent, agile and AI-powered workflows. Despite having well-established business processes, many German enterprises are engaging in digital transformation to deal with changes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and other trends. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 06.05.2022

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Agile Planning Tools for Second Consecutive Year ;

 Built on the Now Platform, ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management delivers business agility, enabling organizations to plan, align, deliver, and track business outcomes across different systems within the enterprise. With new out-of-the-box support for Scaled Agile frameworks like SAFe, ServiceNow Strategic Portfolio Management leverages a single platform with a one data model, one architecture design, to help ensure all stakeholders and investments are aligned to customer value, no matter what methodologies teams use to deliver work (Agile, traditional, and hybrid). 

==> www.businesswire.com; 28.04.2022

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Digital Process Automation ;

According to the report, “Low-code vendors have recognized the importance of process automation as critical functionality and ServiceNow is among the leaders in addressing it… ServiceNow shines in areas that are critical to low-code development platforms like all aspects of user experience development tools, integration and security, and also has strong AI capabilities.”

==> www.businesswire.com; 15.12.2021

EY announced the expansion of strategic alliance with ServiceNow to transform finance and tax services for the digital economy ;

 The EY organization today announced a significant expansion of the organization's strategic relationship with ServiceNow to help companies be more agile and productive in an era of rapid change. With the pace of investment increasing, EY US and ServiceNow are expanding their relationship to better meet the needs of customers. Both will invest in and develop new offerings aimed at streamlining complex enterprise operations, with a strong focus on addressing emerging challenges in finance and tax services. The expanded alliance is expected to increase the business value of the relationship and help accelerate the EY organization's goal of creating a US$1b business with ServiceNow by 2025. 

==> www.prnewswire.com; 13.12.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Enterprise Service Management ;

 According to the report, “Strategically, ServiceNow remains the most ambitious ESM vendor in the market, seeking to further the automation, employee services, and employee experience enhancements it brings to customers... ServiceNow’s breadth and depth of capability is unmatched in pushing forward core platform capabilities, increasing the number of AI/ML features, and extending into new capabilities like customer success management (CSM) and AIOps.” 

==> www.businesswire.com; 08.12.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for IT Risk Management for the Second Year in a Row ;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for IT Risk Management. This is the second consecutive year that ServiceNow has been positioned as a Leader and recognized for its Integrated Risk Management (IRM) solution. The ServiceNow solution integrates IT, security, risk, compliance, and the business, using cross-functional workflows and AI/ML to automate processes and continuously monitor risk and compliance across the enterprise. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 20.09.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools for Second Consecutive Year;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools. This is the second consecutive year that ServiceNow has been positioned as a leader and recognized for its Vendor Risk Management (VRM) solution. erviceNow Vendor Risk Management transforms the way organizations manage risks associated with these changes by instituting a standardized and transparent process to manage the lifecycle for risks assessments, due diligence, and risk response with third-parties, such as business partners and vendors.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 02.09.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Omdia’s AIOps Universe Report ;

ServiceNow today announced that leading analyst and consulting firm Omdia named the company a leader in its Omdia Universe: Selecting an AIOps Solution, 2021–22 report. ServiceNow is recognized for being a total capability top-scorer for its ITOM Predictive AIOps solution, as well as garnering a high-scoring 96 percent for its solution breadth. Omdia notes that ServiceNow’s acquisition of Israel-based Loom Systems makes the company “a more holistic AIOps solution provider” and a key reason why ServiceNow is able to cover “all the core capabilities/categories Omdia expects in a current AIOps solution.” 

==> www.businesswire.com; 08.07.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center;

-ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, has been named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center.1 This is the second consecutive year that ServiceNow has been recognized as a Leader for its Customer Service Management (CSM) solution. According to a 2021 Gartner Market Share report, ServiceNow’s market share in worldwide revenue grew 75.6% in the Customer Service and Support market in 2020.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 22.06.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Low Code Development Platforms for Professional Developers by Independent Research Firm ;

 According to this evaluation, “ServiceNow has grown to a low-code platform of the first rank. Known for its IT service management solutions, ServiceNow has invested heavily in its low-code tooling and 'workflow platform' messaging. It brings a strong route-to-market through its installed base and popularity among IT developers.” 

==> www.businesswire.com; 12.05.2021

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Agile Planning Tools ;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Agile Planning (EAP) Tools. This is the third consecutive year that ServiceNow was recognized for its IT Business Management (ITBM) product suite and first time positioned as a Leader. “Gartner’s recognition of ServiceNow as a Magic Quadrant Leader in the enterprise agile planning tools domain is a great achievement for us,” said Yoav Boaz, senior director, product management, ITBM at ServiceNow.

==> www.businesswire.com; 23.04.2021

ServiceNow: Workflow Software – Spezialist erhöht erneut Prognose ;

Das US-Softwareunternehmen ServiceNow meldete in der vergangenen Woche die Zahlen für das dritte Quartal des Geschäftsjahres 2020 und zeigte erneut ein rasantes Wachstum. Dabei legte der Umsatz im Bereich Subscriptions um 31 Prozent zum Vorjahr auf knapp 1,09 Mrd. US-Dollar zu. Insgesamt wurde die eigene Prognose des Workflow-Spezialisten übertroffen. „Covid definiert die Zukunft der Arbeit neu, beschleunigt die digitale Transformation und verstärkt die Notwendigkeit, Systeme, Silos und Prozesse in ganzheitliche Unternehmensabläufe zu vereinheitlichen“, sagt Bill McDermott, CEO von ServiceNow.

==> www.it-times.de; 02.11.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Tools for Seventh Consecutive Year ;

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management (ITSM) Tools. ServiceNow was recognized for its ITSM solution, marking the seventh consecutive year that ServiceNow’s ITSM solution has been named a Leader by Gartner. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 09.10.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms ;

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP). ServiceNow was evaluated for its App Engine low-code solution built on the Now Platform, and recognized for its ability to execute and completeness of vision, which, as stated by ServiceNow, validates the company’s leadership and investment in low-code application development. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 05.10.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools ;

ServiceNow  has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools. ServiceNow was recognized for its Vendor Risk Management (VRM) solution. This is ServiceNow’s second year recognized in the IT VRM Tools Magic Quadrant and was named a Visionary last year. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 27.08.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Risk Management ;

ServiceNow has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Risk Management. ServiceNow was evaluated for its Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform.  One of the strengths of the Now Platform is that it gives customers rapid access to new features. Since early 2020, ServiceNow has delivered new capabilities by expanding support for operational and vendor risk management as part of its quarterly release cadence through the ServiceNow App Store. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 14.08.2020

ServiceNow tops Q2 earnings targets;

ServiceNow said it has achieved $4 billion subscription revenues annual run rate. The company said subscription billings were $1.02 billion and grew 25% year-over-year. Subscription revenue was $1.01 billion, up 30% from a year ago. ServiceNow ended the quarter with 964 total customers with more than $1 million in annual contract value, an increase of 26% year-over-year.

==> www.zdnet.com; 29.07.2020

ServiceNow a Leader in Forrester Wave for Value Stream Management Solutions;

According to the report, ServiceNow “delivers a winning combination, leading with strong governance.” The report continues, “ServiceNow’s very strong governance and compliance capabilities enable users (even in highly regulated industries) to create a system of continuous deployment by automatically connecting ServiceNow’s digital policies with evidence captured from DevOps tools to create a system of automated governance.

==> www.businesswire.com; 26.07.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Software Asset Management Tools ;

ServiceNow  has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Software Asset Management Tools. ServiceNow was recognized for its Software Asset Management (SAM) solution. This recognition comes just two and a half years after ServiceNow first launched its SAM product. ServiceNow provides customers with a single platform of products on one architecture that natively integrates on one data model to easily share data through the organization, which improves software asset and technology decision making for the full IT asset life cycle.

==> www.businesswire.com; 20.07.2020

ServiceNow Announces Winner of First-Ever Digital Workforce Challenge ;

ServiceNow announced that ChargerHelp! has won ServiceNow’s Digital Workforce Challenge, the company’s first-ever global competition designed to crowdsource solutions across industries for the 21st century workforce. The Digital Workforce Challenge winner, ChargerHelp!, aims to drive Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption and sustainable success of EV network providers by helping to shrink the time it takes to service charging stations from weeks to hours. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.06.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center ;

ServiceNow  has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center. ServiceNow was evaluated for its Customer Service Management (CSM) workflow product. The company improved its position on the ability to execute and completeness of vision axes compared to the previous year. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 10.06.2020

ServiceNow is giving government agencies free access to apps designed to help them respond to the coronavirus faster and more efficiently;

Washington State developed an app on the ServiceNow platform to help it manage its response to the coronavirus crisis faster and more efficiently. ServiceNow is making that app and other new tools available for free to any government agency in any part of the world. The apps make it possible for organizations to coordinate emergency responses, and track employees who may have been exposed to the virus. 

==> www.businessinsider.de; 17.03.2020

ServiceNow Named a Leader in Governance, Risk and Compliance by Independent Research Firm;

The report states, "ServiceNow has masterfully executed against an aggressive product roadmap, transcending its ITSM roots and making its way onto many RFP shortlists. The vendor is laser focused on driving user adoption and engagement and has designed workflow to contextualize the user experience and delivered built-in features including a mobile app design studio and a natural language processing-enabled virtual agent to make using the platform as easy as possible.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 09.03.2020

ServiceNow Recognized as a Microsoft Security 20/20 Partner Award Winner;

The company was honored among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation, integration and customer implementation with Microsoft technology. ServiceNow and Microsoft have more than 20 integrations, including a centralized security response with ServiceNow Security Operations and Microsoft Azure Sentinel.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 26.02.2020

Successfully Serving Enterprise IT Has Made ServiceNow A Huge Winner;

Serving enterprise IT is not necessarily the most glamorous or highly visible segment of the enterprise software market, but for ServiceNow and its investors, it has been an extremely profitable one. The business serves almost 900 of the Fortune 2000 enterprises and has a market capitalization of nearly $60B and is on track to do almost $3.5B in revenue in 2019.  ServiceNow has a critical role in the bowels of IT management.

==> seekingalpha.com; 20.01.2020

How Does the ITSM Sector Benefit from ServiceNow?;

It will help businesses grow digitally while driving new efficiencies and innovation when they are invested. But many CEOs, who are not sure about the impact that ServiceNow will have on them, see it as technology investment. Here are some significant advantages in the IT Service Management System provided by ServiceNow.

==> www.cioapplications.com; 06.01.2020

ServiceNow Jumps as Stock Is Added to the S&P 500, Replacing Celgene;

ServiceNow the cloud computing company, was rising Tuesday after it was announced the stock would join the S&P 500 index on Thursday. ServiceNow posted strong third-quarter earnings at the end of October, the same week it named Bill McDermott, the former CEO of SAP, as chief executive.

==> www.thestreet.com; 19.11.2019

Bad News

ServiceNow restructures RiseUp workforce training programme, cuts staff;

ServiceNow is restructuring its RiseUp training program, which aims to train workers in managing its technology, amid low job placement rates and a broader corporate retreat from diversity-focused initiatives. The program has faced leadership turnover and budget scrutiny, with its original goal of training one million people by 2024 now softened to a broader target of skilling three million by 2027. While RiseUp is framed as part of equity-focused efforts, ServiceNow denies it was designed as a diversity initiative and is increasing efforts to improve graduate employability through job placement support and tracking.

==> www.businesstimes.com.sg; 12.12.2024

ServiceNow certificate error disrupts operations for hundreds of organizations;

ServiceNow faced significant customer frustration when an expired MID Server Root G2 SSL certificate caused service disruptions for over 600 organizations, impacting key services like Orchestration, Discovery, and AI-powered functions. While ServiceNow acknowledged the issue and is working on a fix, delays in communication and mishandling of the certificate replacement process worsened customer dissatisfaction. This incident follows other recent security challenges for the company, raising concerns about its reliability and prompting calls for better transparency and proactive measures to prevent future disruptions.

==> www.cio.com; 20.09.2024

Misconfigured ServiceNow Knowledge Bases Expose Confidential Information;

AppOmni researchers discovered over a thousand misconfigured ServiceNow Knowledge Bases, potentially exposing sensitive data through public widgets. These misconfigurations allow unauthorized access to confidential information, such as internal system details and active credentials. Around 60% of the exposures are from older Knowledge Base versions set to public by default, indicating widespread issues in access control configurations across multiple instances.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 17.09.2024

ServiceNow’s COO and Second Executive Depart Amid Internal Complaint;

ServiceNow announced the resignation of its President and COO, CJ Desai, and Raj Iyer, its head of public sector business development. The departures follow an internal investigation that revealed policy violations related to Iyer's hiring, leading to his departure and Desai’s mutual resignation. The company is cooperating with government entities regarding the investigation.

==> www.barrons.com; 24.07.2024

ServiceNow leak: thousands of companies at risk ;

 ServiceNow has a data vulnerability that could have compromised its users for years, a cybersecurity expert warns. The company has since tacitly acknowledged the warning, though it neither confirmed nor denied it. “A potential data exposure issue within ServiceNow's built-in capability has been identified,” said Daniel Miessler, in a post on X, aka Twitter. “This could allow unauthenticated users to extract data from records.”

==> cybernews.com; 18.10.2023

ServiceNow: Customers 'struggling to understand the value of ELAs', says Gartner;

ServiceNow customers struggle with its pricing policy, feeling they are being nudged into higher price brackets and failing to benefit from supposed discount packages, according to Gartner. A vendor rating document from the omnipresent research giant said ServiceNow – a company promising user-friendly workflow software knitting together enterprise applications – "continues to execute well, expanding its offerings and driving execution around digital business transformation."

==> www.theregister.com; 24.08.2022

InQuisient Announces Patent Suit Against ServiceNow;

InQuisient announced that it has filed a patent infringement suit against ServiceNow, Inc. for its unauthorized use of InQuisient's patented workflow technology. The inventions have assisted InQuisient's customers to create and improve their workflow and internal processes, manage sprawling database footprints, accelerate and scale processing, and get better data in the hands of decision-makers.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 06.07.2022

VMware Layoffs Confirmed; Global Channel VP Is Out;

Just weeks after Dell Technologies confirmed its own round of layoffs, VMware has confirmed to CRN that the company is letting go an undisclosed number of employees. VMware has confirmed to CRN that the company is laying off an undisclosed number of employees this month including Shawn Toldo, vice president of VMware’s Worldwide Partner Organization. VMware declined to provide the specific number of employees being laid off this month. The company also did not specify which business units or geographies would be impacted.

==> www.crn.com; 12.08.2020

RBC cuts ServiceNow on near-term disruption;

RBC downgrades ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) from Top Pick to Outperform and raises the target from $286 to $320. Analyst Alex Zukin says the firm sees "less return potential" for NOW in 2020, given the potential for near-term turbulence from the management transition and the recent share gains.

==> seekingalpha.com; 06.01.2020

Strategy

Why Salesforce’s CEO Challenges Microsoft's AI StrategyVMware-Broadcom Partners Weigh In On New Channel Chief’s Vision And Strategy;

Broadcom's new channel leader, Brian Moats, aims to prioritize partners who provide value-added solutions, focusing on VMware Cloud Foundation adoption, partner-led professional services, and long-term growth. Smaller partners and SMB customers may face challenges as Broadcom shifts focus to larger, competency-driven partnerships. Moats' extensive experience with CA Technologies and Broadcom is seen as a positive by partners invested in VMware's ecosystem.

==> www.crn.com; 13.01.2025

Broadcom makes U-turn on plan to serve top 2,000 VMware customers itself;

Broadcom has revised its VMware strategy, narrowing its direct focus from 2,000 to 500 strategic customers while delegating 1,500 users to channel partners, aiming to strengthen customer retention amid concerns over licensing costs. This shift, revealed at VMware's November Explore conference, comes as many customers explore alternatives, citing a need for flexibility and investment protection. While migrations away from VMware remain modest, the changes have sparked mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a smart pivot and others questioning whether it will restore strained customer relationships.

==> www.theregister.com; 05.12.2024

The sovereign cloud: VMware plays by the rules;

VMware has aligned its European sovereign cloud offerings with local regulations by partnering with European providers to ensure data sovereignty and compliance. Under Broadcom's ownership, VMware is shifting focus away from public cloud solutions to prioritize private and hybrid cloud offerings, emphasizing sovereignty in data, operations, and infrastructure. However, the lack of unified European cloud regulations and the high costs of alternative European cloud initiatives remain significant challenges for the region.

==> www.techzine.eu; 07.11.2024

VMware Explore Brings Broadcom’s Private Cloud Strategy Into Focus;

Since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware in November 2023, there has been significant industry concern about changes to pricing, licensing, and product offerings. At the VMware Explore 2024 event, Broadcom outlined its vision for VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9, a multi-tenant private cloud platform designed to bring a public cloud-like experience on-premises. While the vision offers potential benefits for enterprises by reducing complexity and costs, the success of VCF 9 will depend on customer adoption and actual deployments in the coming months.

==> www.forbes.com; 29.08.2024

VMware EUC division is now a standalone company, Omnissa;

The end-user computing (EUC) division of VMware, which was part of Broadcom following the virtualization giant's acquisition, has transitioned into a standalone company under global investment firm KKR's ownership, now named Omnissa. This announcement follows KKR's completion of the previously announced acquisition of Omnissa from Broadcom for approximately $4 billion. Omnissa will maintain its existing management team, led by CEO Shankar Iyer, overseeing 4,000 employees.

==> techobserver.in; 02.07.2024

VMware says Tanzu is key to strategy after Broadcom acquisition ;

Broadcom Inc.'s VMware subsidiary is actively promoting its Tanzu application development and modernization toolkit as a crucial part of its strategy following the acquisition. Tanzu, now one of VMware's four operating units, aims to simplify application management and bolster the adoption of the Spring framework for Java development. Purnima Padmanabhan, the general manager of the Tanzu division, highlighted the focus on making Tanzu more user-friendly, enhancing transaction processes, standardizing APIs for developers, and providing a unified control plane for a seamless view of applications and infrastructure. 

==> siliconangle.com; 03.04.2024

VMware by Broadcom promises more, cheaper, training, starting around May;

VMware by Broadcom is set to launch a new training experience that promises more training at significantly reduced costs, following the withdrawal of on-demand training for some customers. As of February 5, digital content, including On Demand courseware, became free for all VMware Cloud Foundation customers, those in Broadcom's strategic customer segment, and Broadcom Advantage program partners. This move is part of Broadcom's strategy to offer comprehensive training to key segments, particularly large users and partners, while the broader VMware community awaits a new training platform expected to debut at the start of Broadcom's Q3FY24 (around May).

==> www.theregister.com; 11.03.2024

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan: Focus On Upselling VMware’s 'Largest 2,000' Customers Proves 'Very Successful';

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan anticipates significant revenue growth from VMware Cloud Foundation, focusing on upselling and supporting the top 2,000 strategic customers with the goal of deploying the virtual private cloud solution in their on-prem data centers. This strategy, which involves encouraging customers to adopt the complete VMware Cloud Foundation software stack, has so far been very successful, according to Tan. With a partnership with Nvidia to enhance VMware Cloud Foundation with GPU capabilities for AI model deployment, Broadcom expects this initiative to drive strong demand. 

==> www.crn.com; 08.03.2024

Broadcom to offload VMware’s remote access computing business to KKR in $3.8B deal ;

Broadcom Inc. is divesting VMware Inc.'s End User Compute (EUC) business to KKR & Co. Inc. for $4 billion, a move aimed at streamlining operations following its $69 billion acquisition of VMware. The sale to KKR, which owns virtualization software company Alludo, suggests potential synergies, with the EUC business to operate independently under its current management. This sale is part of Broadcom's broader strategy to increase VMware's profitability, including significant restructuring and a shift towards subscription-based models for VMware's products, amidst efforts to pay down debt and optimize its investment in VMware.

==> siliconangle.com; 25.02.2024

Broadcom Explains VMware Strategy Amid Product 'Confusion';

Broadcom, following its acquisition of VMware, has undergone significant changes in software licensing and product consolidation, leading to confusion among customers and partners. The company aims to simplify its VMware offerings by consolidating products into two primary bundles, emphasizing value and innovation. Despite initial concerns, Broadcom assures customers and partners of continued support and plans for faster innovation, highlighted by a new partnership with Google Cloud for license portability and upcoming product releases.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 14.02.2024

Broadcom Moves To Level The Playing Field For VMware’s OEMs;

Broadcom is restructuring VMware's OEM partnerships with Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and others, simplifying pricing and eliminating complex agreements. This move aims to create a level playing field and increase predictability for OEMs, although some OEMs express concern about the sudden termination of agreements without new terms communicated. Despite potential disruptions, Broadcom seeks to maximize revenue for both itself and its OEM partners, emphasizing the importance of VMware solutions in driving hardware sales.

==> www.crn.com; 31.01.2024

Broadcom ditches VMware Cloud Service Providers;

Broadcom is reportedly cutting the majority of VMware's Cloud Services Providers (CSPs) as part of its reorganization of VMware's partner programs following the $61 billion purchase of VMware by Broadcom. Cloud Services Providers, smaller cloud operators selling VMware-based cloud services, received notices informing them of the termination of their program at the end of April, leaving both service providers and their customers uncertain about the future. Some industry observers speculate that Broadcom is focused on retaining the largest and most profitable customers, potentially neglecting smaller users and providers.

==> www.theregister.com; 10.01.2024

Broadcom restructures VMware into four divisions after closing $61B acquisition ;

Broadcom has restructured VMware into four divisions following its $61 billion acquisition, with each division overseeing specific subsets of the virtualization company's products. The reorganization includes a focus on VMware's Tanzu platform, led by Purnima Padmanabhan, and VMware Cloud Foundation, commercialized by Krish Prasad, as well as two other divisions for application networking and security and software-defined edge. The changes coincide with the departure of VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram, and Broadcom aims to double VMware's EBITDA to $8.5 billion within three years through strategic investments and potential cost-cutting measures.

==> siliconangle.com; 23.11.2023

Here’s how VMware hopes to spend $1B Broadcom R&D budget boost;

VMware intends to use the billion dollars a year Broadcom has promised to add to its R&D budget to simplify and extend its platform, to ease upgrades, and encourage users to adopt more of its stack. The Register learned of those plans today at VMware’s Explore conference in Las Vegas, where the virtualization outfit's president Sumit Dhawan told us the money from Broadcom – which is in the process of acquiring VMware for $60 billion-plus – will be spent on making his corporation's "infrastructure much more consumable.”

==> www.theregister.com; 24.08.2023

Broadcom to invest $2B annually into VMware post acquisition;

Broadcom plans to finalize its acquisition of VMware by October 31 and will pour $2 billion annually into research and development at VMware. October marks the end of Broadcom's fiscal year. "Once this transaction closes, we will focus on investing in VMware products and services," said Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. "In fact, Broadcom will immediately invest an additional $2 billion a year to better unlock customer value."  In addition to focusing on R&D, Broadcom's investment will support VMware's partner professional services and further the company's strategy to assist customers in efficiently running workloads in multi-cloud environments, he added. 

==> www.lightreading.com; 22.08.2023

Broadcom, VMware shares rise after EU Commission signs off on $61 billion merger ;

Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) has secured approval from the European Commission for its proposed $61 billion merger with cloud computing group VMware (NYSE:VMW), leaving the U.S. and Britain as some of the only countries yet to give regulatory approval to the transaction. But the EU Commission said Broadcom had offered remedies to assuage the concern that the acquisition would harm competition in the global market for the supply of Fibre Channel Host-Bus Adapters. In particular, Broadcom pledged to grant comprehensive access and interoperability commitments to Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ:MRVL), its closest rival, and any future competitor.

==> www.investing.com; 12.07.2023

VMware CFO Zane Rowe Taking New Role with Workday;

Zane Rowe is vacating his post as VMware CFO and executive vice president to become CFO of Workday. Karen Dykstra will replace Rowe as VMware CFO and executive vice president, in addition to her current role as a member of VMware’s board of directors. Rowe will began in new job at Workday on June 12. As VMware’s CFO, Rowe oversaw the company’s finance and accounting functions for seven years. He also served as interim CEO from February 2021 to May 2021 after Pat Gelsinger left to become CEO of Intel.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 25.05.2023

Broadcom, VMware May Push Merger Deadline Past Thanksgiving On $61B Deal;

Broadcom and VMware have agreed to push the “outside date” — the date the two companies could walk away from the $61 billion merger — to as far out as November in a bid to gather enough time to appease global regulators. The deal, announced in May 2022 shows no sign of closing anytime soon as the two companies have once again pushed back the deadline to complete their long-awaited merger. On Friday, they agreed that if the deal isn’t done by August 26 this year, either side can extend the close-by date to November 26, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange filing. 

==> www.crn.com; 19.05.2023

VMware strives to become the multi-cloud leader;

At this year's VMware Multi-Cloud Industry Analyst Summit 2023, CEO Raghu Raghuram and the VMware team shared the advancements in VMware strategy. Across the portfolio, we learned how the offerings are aligning to the company's go-to-market approach.

==> www.techtarget.com; 08.05.2023

VMware reports strong results amid growing regulatory pressure on Broadcom acquisition ;

Revenue for the fourth quarter rose 5% from a year ago, to $3.71 billion, slightly ahead of analysts’ average estimate of $3.66 billion. Earnings of $915 million, or $2.13 per share, beat consensus estimates of $1.96 by nearly 8%. VMware’s subscription, software-as-a-service and license revenue totaled $2.03 billion, up 7% from a year earlier. The three segments accounted for 32% of total revenue for the quarter, compared with 31% a quarter earlier and 24.6% a year ago. “These results reflect consistent customer appetite for our multicloud offerings and our ability to help companies with a cloud-smart approach,” Chief Executive Raghu Raghuram said in a statement. 

==> siliconangle.com; 02.03.2023

VMware, Broadcom extend deadline for acquisition to be signed, sealed, delivered;

VMware and Broadcom have given themselves more time to conclude the acquisition of the former by the latter. That puts the new "outside date" – the last day for the deal to be done – at May 26, 2023. This extension gives the two parties an extra 90 days to get this thing done. No reason was offered for the delay, but slow consideration of the transaction by regulators is a likely cause.

==> www.theregister.com; 20.02.2023

VMware to explore new cloud opportunities in 2023;

Data sovereignty has been somewhat of a sticky subject in the Middle East, but VMware’s ability to provide customers in the region with access to their sovereign cloud offering has given them a real edge. The venue for VMware Explore 2022 was the Fira Gran Via in the stunning city of Barcelona. To learn how the company has positioned itself as the go-to market player for enterprises looking for a multi-cloud experience, CNME Editor Mark Forker managed to secure exclusive interviews with senior VMware executives Ahmed Auda and Kit Colbert.

==> cionews.co.in; 28.12.2022

Broadcom CEO says hiking VMware prices is not his strategy;

Broadcom president and CEO Hock Tan has penned a blog post in which he declares that increasing the prices of VMware products is not his strategy. "The Broadcom business case for this transaction is premised on focusing on the business model, increasing R&D, and executing so that customers see the value of the full portfolio of innovative product offerings – not on increasing prices."

==> www.theregister.com; 27.10.2022

VMware Launches Next G‑AI Research and Innovation Center in Montreal;

VMware announced the opening of the VMware Next G-AI Research and Innovation Center. The Center will bring together VMware’s multi-cloud infrastructure, advanced networking, and Modern Application Development expertise with the latest in emerging Cloud Native development techniques, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to deliver a sustainable path to 5G+ and 6G technologies.  

==> news.vmware.com; 11.10.2022

VMware doubles down on cloud in ASEAN;

VMware signalled its intention to become a bigger supplier of hybrid and multi-cloud offerings at its user conference this year, with a slew of enhancements to its portfolio aimed at easing cloud management and application modernisation. The transition has been underway for some time, and in June 2022, VMware introduced vSphere+, the cloud-based version of the vSphere virtualisation platform, complete with cloud-based infrastructure management, integrated Kubernetes, access to hybrid cloud services and a flexible subscription model. 

==> www.computerweekly.com; 05.09.2022

NTT, VMware team to develop fully managed Edge+Private 5G offering as a service;

With factories increasing their reliance on robotics, vehicles become autonomous, and manufacturers moving to omnichannel models, there is a greater need for distributed compute processing power and data storage with near-instantaneous response times. So, noting that combining edge and private 5G will be a “game changer” for their customers, NTT and VMware, in collaboration with Intel, have launched edge-as-a-service.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 31.08.2022

What the Broadcom-VMware acquisition means for cloud users;

The company had an analyst day back in May, and a big theme was "enabling the Dev and Ops transformation." Then, the news of the Broadcom acquisition happened. There could be interesting impacts on several fledgling products critical to developing a cloud ecosystem. Many analysts are worried about VMware's investments going away. I find it hard to believe I would not get the proper investment in VMware Cloud, known as VMC. Currently, VMC is deployed as cloud services for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Alibaba.

==> www.techtarget.com; 07.06.2022

Broadcom's stated strategy ignores most VMware customers;

Broadcom's stated strategy is very simple: focus on 600 customers who will struggle to change suppliers, reap vastly lower sales and marketing costs by focusing on that small pool, and trim R&D by not thinking about the needs of other customers – who can be let go if necessary without much harm to the bottom line. Focusing on customers who aren't likely to leave means Broadcom slashes its sales and marketing costs. Broadcom president Tom Krause said CA and Symantec spent 29 percent of revenue on sales and marketing. Broadcom spends 7 percent.

==> www.theregister.com; 30.05.2022

VMware Welcomes New Leadership to Help Accelerate Company’s Multi‑Cloud Strategy;

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today announced the appointment of two executives to the company’s Go-To-Market Leadership team. Laura Heisman has joined the company as chief marketing officer, and Sylvain Cazard will lead the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region as general manager. As CMO, Heisman is responsible for leading all aspects of the Global Marketing organization, which includes Corporate and Brand, Partner, Developer, Segment and Field Marketing. She brings to the role more than 25 years experience in reaching enterprise, developer, consumer and corporate audiences through her prior leadership roles at GitHub, where she elevated awareness and built developer fans of the largest and most advanced development platform in the world, and Citrix.

==> news.vmware.com; 07.02.2022

VMware’s Plan To ‘Change The Game’ For Partners In 2022;

“We are creating a partner-led, profit-driven, cloud-smart ecosystem. What that means is it’s really about working with our partners across what we’re finding needs to be a very interconnected ecosystem. This notion of customer control or account control really doesn’t exist as much anymore,” says VMware Channel Chief Sandy Hogan in an interview with CRN. “For 2022, I almost call our internal theme ‘change the game’ because that’s how significant it’s going to be this year for us,” said Hogan, VMware’s senior vice president of the worldwide partner and commercial organization, in an interview with CRN. “We are creating a partner-led, profit-driven, cloud-smart ecosystem. What that means is it’s really about working with our partners across what we’re finding needs to be a very interconnected ecosystem. This notion of customer control or account control really doesn’t exist as much anymore.”

     

==> www.crn.com; 01.02.2022

Dell Technologies Announces Completion of VMware Spin-Off;

The spin-off creates two standalone companies positioned for growth in the data era.Dell Technologies and VMware will retain a strong and unique commercial agreement that preserves the most valuable parts of the companies’ relationship, such as the co-development of critical solutions and alignment on sales and marketing activities, while allowing strategic flexibility. VMware will continue to use Dell Financial Services to help its customers finance their digital transformations.

==> www.hpcwire.com; 02.11.2021

VMware refines cross-cloud strategy ;

VMware’s CTO Kit Colbert talks up the evolution of the company’s cross-cloud strategy and how it stands out from other suppliers eyeing the multicloud pie. The adoption of hybrid and multicloud has created opportunities for enterprise IT suppliers, telcos and even public cloud providers – some of which had once dismissed the idea of a private cloud. In an interview with Computer Weekly, VMware’s CTO Kit Colbert said compared to the time when Cross-Cloud Services was first introduced, VMware is now “much more laser focused on fact that there are many clouds”.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 19.10.2021

Privacy concerns in Europe prompt VMware to launch sovereign cloud initiative ;

Among the many announcements unveiled as part of VMworld this month was the launch of a set of provider partnerships to develop the sovereign cloud. Under VMware Inc.’s new initiative, partners must deliver cloud services that adhere to the data sovereignty requirements of a specific jurisdiction in which the cloud operates. In a release accompanying this month’s announcement, VMware indicated that its role will be to connect customers with pre-validated sovereign cloud providers and provide technical guidance and best practices.

==> siliconangle.com; 08.10.2021

VMworld 2021: VMware CEO fleshes out and refines company’s enterprise multi-cloud strategy;

VMware continues to flesh out its multi-cloud proposition, claiming this approach to sourcing off-premise services is on course to become the enterprise market’s preferred way to consume IT services over the next 20 years. During the keynote address at this year’s virtual VMworld customer and partner summit, VMware’s newly installed CEO, Raghu Raghuram, talked about how conversations about cloud had moved on from “phase one” of adoption, which was characterised by enterprises having to choose between running their IT in private or public clouds.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 06.10.2021

VMware’s Acquisition Strategy Post-Dell Is Multi-Cloud ‘Tuck-Ins’;

 VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram is poised to make some acquisitions following its spin-off from Dell Technologies in November to accelerate the company’s goal of becoming the world’s multi-cloud software kingpin. “Where we are today in our evolution is we are building out this multi-cloud portfolio that we’ve talked about. We will continue to acquire companies that fit into this portfolio,” said Raghuram in an interview with CRN. “So that’s where I expect the bulk of our [M&A] activity to come from. I expect continued activity with respect to small, tiny tuck-ins of companies as we see fit.”

==> www.crn.com; 21.09.2021

VMware CEO looks to accelerate enterprise multicloud expansion;

Since he helped build the highly successful ship that is VMware, it is widely expected the company’s CEO Raghu Raghuram, appointed in June, won’t rock that boat too much, at least in the near term. Raghuram is credited with helping build and grow the company’s core virtualization and multicloud  business as well as its software-defined data center strategy. VMware also credits Raghuram with driving partnerships with Dell Technologies and hyper-scaler customers. Since being appointed a little over 100 days ago,  Raghuram has been focused on those efforts but also growing the company’s multicloud software subscription and SaaS business.

   

==> www.networkworld.com; 13.09.2021

VMware’s Cloud, Engineering ‘Guru’ Named New CTO;

VMware’s technology strategy and transition to a SaaS and subscription-based company will be led by longtime engineer and cloud executive Kit Colbert as VMware’s new chief technology officer.In his new role as VMware’s worldwide CTO, Colbert is tasked with shaping the technical vision of the company along with VMware’s transformation to a cloud and subscription-centric organization. Some large responsibilities include overseeing VMware’s research and development efforts, the VMware engineering services and design/UX teams, as well as and the company’s environmental, social and government (ESG) commitments.

==> www.crn.com; 08.09.2021

‘No Changes’ To Dell-VMware Partner Synergies Post-Spin-Off;

With Dell Technologies’ spin-off of its 81 percent majority stake in VMware slated for later this year, many channel partners are wondering if the two companies’ tight channel synergies, partner programs and go-to-market strategies will remain fully intact. Dell’s worldwide channel chief, Rola Dagher, told CRN that channel partners can rest assured that Dell and VMware’s channel motto will still be “better together” thanks in part to a five-year commercial agreement between the two IT giants.

==> www.crn.com; 25.06.2021

VMware is in an all-out sprint to grow its $1 billion security business, doubling its engineering staff to compete with cyber giants like Microsoft and Cisco;

Twenty three years after its founding, VMware is at a pivotal moment. With a new CEO and an impending spinoff from Dell, the $69 billion cloud computing company has a unique opportunity to forge its own destiny. VMware has set its sights on a new ambition: Rapidly growing its security business to become the next cyber giant and compete with the likes of Cisco and Microsoft. The move is an attempt to cash in on soaring cybersecurity spending as businesses are increasingly desperate to protect against rising threats like ransomware and the challenges posed by hybrid work, and VMware is betting that enterprises are increasingly eager for one-stop providers of both IT systems and security tools.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 08.06.2021

VMware boosts fiscal 2022 guidance, talks post spin-off strategy;

VMware increased its guidance for its fiscal 2022 following strong Q1 performance that yielded double-digit growth in net income. On an earnings call, CFO and interim CEO Zane Rowe said it was now expecting total revenue of $12.8 billion for a growth rate of approximately 9% year on year, up from a previous forecast of $12.7 billion in revenue and 8% growth. The revised forecast includes $6.33 billion in combined revenue from its Subscription and SaaS and License businesses.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 28.05.2021

VMware’s New CEO Is A ‘Channel Ambassador’: Sandy Hogan;

VMware’s global channel chief, Sandy Hogan, is more than bullish about the future of her company’s channel partner strategy with Raghu Raghuram taking over as CEO next week. “Not only is he channel friendly, I would say that he is and will be a channel ambassador,” said Hogan, senior vice president of VMware’s worldwide partner and commercial organization, in an interview with CRN.

==> www.crn.com; 25.05.2021

What To Expect From VMware’s New CEO?;

VMware recently named its long time executive Rangarajan (Raghu) Raghuram as the new Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Pat Gelsinger, who had moved to Intel. Further, Raghu will be a member of the Board of Directors of VMware, with effect from June 1. He is at present the COO of Products and Cloud Services, VMWare.VMware has been on the lookout for a new CEO since Pat left the company in January this year to head Intel. Post which, Sanjay was expected to be shortlisted as a potential candidate for CEO of the company. 

==> analyticsindiamag.com; 18.05.2021

VMware Board Names Raghu Raghuram as CEO ;

VMware (NYSE: VMW) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Rangarajan (Raghu) Raghuram as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2021. An industry veteran, Raghuram is a strategic business leader who currently holds the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Products and Cloud Services at VMware.

==> www.businesswire.com; 12.05.2021

Dell spins off VMware to fuel post-pandemic PC growth opportunities;

Dell Technologies has announced that it will spin off its 81% equity ownership of VMware, forming two standalone public companies. The spin-off will see the two businesses enter into a five-year commercial agreement to co-develop technology and products and align sales and marketing activities. Dell Technologies said VMware would continue to use Dell Financial Services to help its customers finance their digital transformations.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 15.04.2021

VMWare appoints new SVP for Worldwide Accounts and Telco Sales;

VMware, has appointed Paula Hodgins to the position of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Accounts and Telco Sales. Hodgins will be based in the company’s Toronto office but will have a global outlook across the company’s numerous telecoms clients. In her new role, Hodgins will be responsible for global sales and operational management across VMware accounts and telecommunications customers. 

==> www.itp.net; 21.03.2021

VMware To Acquire Mesh7 To Beef Up Cloud Security, Tanzu;

“The Mesh7 technology will enable VMware to bring visibility, discovery and better security to APIs,” said Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Networking and Security business, in a blog post. “The integration of Mesh7’s contextual API behavior security solution with Tanzu Service Mesh will enable VMware to deliver high fidelity understanding of which applications components are talking to which using APIs. Developers and security teams will each gain a better understanding of when, where and how applications and microservices are communicating via APIs, even across multi-cloud environments, enabling better DevSecOps.”

==> www.crn.com; 19.03.2021

Ex-DXC exec Cassandra Ashworth finds a new home at VMware;

Former DXC Technology global enterprise alliance sales director Cassandra Ashworth has taken on a new role with VMware as the virtualisation vendor’s new senior director of strategic partnerships, services strategy and sales development for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ). In her new role, Ashworth is part of an overall APJ team that oversees partnerships across the region. She will report to VMware's APJ commercial and partner sales vice president Uma Thana Balasingam.

==> www.arnnet.com.au; 18.03.2021

ServiceNow CEO on “The Whole Point Of Digital Transformation”;

“Business is really simple, and people are more productive, and they’re doing things that can lead to growth and opportunity,” says ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott. “That’s the whole point of digital transformation. Right now, companies are hunkered down with systems that are absolutely wearing them out. It’s time to make the bold move, pivot to ServiceNow, and let’s get in there and fix the job.”

==> www.webpronews.com; 17.02.2021

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger to step down and take over as Intel chief;

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger is stepping down after eight years in the role early in February to take over the company reins of his previous employer, Intel, from its outgoing chief Bob Swan. Before taking over as CEO of VMWare in 2012, and holding the position of president and chief operating officer at Dell-EMC for three years from September 2009, Gelsinger worked at Intel for 30 years in various roles, including serving as the chipmaker’s CTO.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 14.01.2021

VMware Hires Cognizant SVP As Digital Transformation Leader;

VMware has nabbed former Cognizant top executive and former U.S. Navy SEAL veteran Mike Hayes to drive the virtualization superstar’s Software-as-a-Service market push. Prior to VMware, Hayes was senior vice president and head of strategic operations at 270,000-employee IT services powerhouse Cognizant. In another VMware executive move this week, VMware promoted Jason Conyard to the role of chief information officer. Conyard previously was vice president of IT, colleague experience and technology at VMware.

==> www.crn.com; 23.10.2020

VMWare appoints new director to oversee growth in North Africa and the Levant ;

Digital transformation champion, VMWare, has announced the appointment of Amr Salah as its new regional director for North Africa and Levant with immediate effect.Salah brings 32 years of experience to the role and will help organisations across the region adapt to the challenges of digitalisation by embracing future workforce solutions, modern applications and cloud technologies.

==> www.commsmea.com; 15.10.2020

VMware Announces New Multi-Cloud Solutions at VMworld 2020;

VMware has announced a series of new solutions, services, and innovations for its multi-cloud portfolio. The vendor announced several new native capabilities for delivering a unified platform for a modern, multi-cloud world, supporting organizations across all clouds and application types. VMware also announced solutions for unifying multi-cloud management and operations and empowering cloud providers with the complete VMware multi-cloud portfolio.

==> solutionsreview.com; 08.10.2020

Dell and VMware (again) mull spin-off but nothing imminent;

On Thursday's Q2 earnings call, VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger said his company was in discussions with parent-owner Dell about a possible spinoff, but don't hold your breath. Stemming from Dell's blockbuster deal to buy EMC in 2016 for a $67 billion, VMware is 81% owned by Dell. A spinoff has been an on again, off again discussion over the years. Dell also mentioned the possible spinoff of VMware on its second quarter earnings call Thursday afternoon.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 28.08.2020

Recurring Revenue Powers VMware Through COVID-19 Crisis As IT Priorities Shift;

There’s ‘lots of uncertainty overall, but we expect IT is comfortably better than the GDP and software and cloud is comfortably better than IT over all,’ VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger says of the coronavirus economy during the Q2 2021 earnings call  VMware’s overall Q2 2021 sales of $2.88 billion were up nine percent year-over-year, powered by Software-as-a-Service which now delivers 22 percent of the company’s revenue in a recurring model. 

==> www.crn.com; 27.08.2020

Dell considers VMware spin-off to boost share price;

By exploring a sale of VMware, Dell is attempting to address a valuation shortfall that has plagued the company for years. With the value of its publicly traded VMware stake worth $47bn before Wednesday’s announcement, the group’s entire enterprise value of $83bn implied a value of just $36bn for the rest of the business, even though its sales last year topped $90bn. 

==> www.ft.com; 16.07.2020

VMware To Acquire Blue Medora’s True Visibility Business;

The acquisition, at an undisclosed price, will enable even deeper integration between vRealize Operations and True Visibility Suite, Alex Wang, VMware’s vice president for corporate development, said in a company blog post. And the Blue Medora product team that VMware knows “inside and out and vice versa” will help “further our self-driving operations capabilities,” Wang said.

==> www.crn.com; 06.07.2020

VMware is acquiring Datrium for hybrid cloud disaster recovery;

Once the deal closes, VMware plans to expand its current, performance-optimized VMware Site Recovery DRaaS offering with Datrium's cost-optimized DRaaS option. The move fits into VMware's vision to create a consistent operating model across hybrid cloud  environments. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 01.07.2020

Dell’s debt hangover from $67B EMC deal could put VMware stock in play;

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Dell is considering selling part of its stake in VMware. The news sent the stock of both companies soaring. It’s important to understand that even though VMware is part of the Dell family, it runs as a separate company, with its own stock and operations, just as it did when it was part of EMC.

==> techcrunch.com; 25.06.2020

VMware acquires network security firm Lastline, said to lay off 40% of staff ;

VMware is acquiring network security firm Lastline, TechCrunch has learned. A source tells us that VMware will let go some 40% of Lastline’s employees — about 50 staffers — as part of the acquisition. We asked a Lastline spokesperson for comment prior to publication but did not hear back. A spokesperson for VMware also did not respond to a request for comment. Lastline provides threat detection services mostly focused on the network level, but they range from malware analysis to intrusion detection and network traffic analysis. 

==> techcrunch.com; 04.06.2020

VMware Hires Google Cloud VP As New CMO To Drive Kubernetes;

VMware, the virtualization kingpin and hybrid cloud star, has hired Google Cloud’s former vice president of product marketing as its new chief marketing officer as well as former Cisco veteran Sandy Hogan to lead the company’s renewed channel charge.

==> www.crn.com; 02.06.2020

VMWare announces financial results for Q1 2021;

VMWare has reported its financial results for Q1 2021, reporting a net income of $386 million — 92 cents per diluted share — compared to $380 million in net income in Q1 2020. VMWare also announced that Q1 2021 revenues checked in at $2.73 billion, which was a 12% increase over Q1 2020. Combined subscription, SaaS and license revenues for Q1 2021 increased by 17% in Q1 2021 to $1.23 billion. Subscription and SaaS revenue alone experienced a year-over-year increase of 39% to $572 million. 

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 29.05.2020

VMware could have 60% of staff working from home after coronavirus pandemic, CEO says;

VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger told CNBC a larger share of the enterprise software company’s employees will work remotely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. About 20% of the Palo Alto, California-based firm’s staff worked from home prior to the crisis, Gelsinger said. “I expect, as we continue in this environment, we’re sort of going to end up in the 50% to 60% [range] over time, and I don’t think we’re atypical,” Gelsinger said on “Squawk on the Street.”

==> www.cnbc.com; 29.05.2020

VMware ‘pauses’ distribution review due to Covid-19 outbreak;

VMware has paused plans to overhaul distribution at local, regional and global levels as Covid-19 continues to impact the channel in 2020. Channel Asia can confirm that the technology giant has temporarily postponed the process in response to the pandemic, in a move designed to “minimise disruption and best support” customers and partners.

==> sg.channelasia.tech; 03.05.2020

VMware opens office in Cairo to support digital transformation across Egypt;

The new VMware office, located in Cairo, will serve the local and regional market focusing on a range of services including support, commercial and technical sales, project management and cloud consultancy. To ensure its complete portfolio of solutions is available with full local support for the market, VMware intends to hire more than 130 people in Egypt in the first year of operating the new office.

==> www.sme10x.com; 24.03.2020

VMware exceeds $10B in sales in FY 2020;

Breaking down the Q4 results, service revenue came to $1.483 billion, while license revenue was $1.034 billion. Subscription and SaaS revenue came to $556 million, an increase of 52 percent. Subscription and SaaS accounted for 18 percent of total revenue. VMware signed 31 enterprise agreements above $10 million in Q4 -- a record number. The company also saw a significant increase in the value of subscription and SaaS offerings in the top 10 agreements.

==> www.zdnet.com; 27.02.2020

VMware Hires F5 Networks VP As New Partner Sales Leader In APJ;

As VMware’s launch of Partner Connect approaches, the virtualization star has nabbed F5 Networks’ former vice president of partner sales in APJ and China. He joins the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company after serving two years as vice president of partner sales in APJ and China at F5 Networks.

==> www.crn.com; 19.02.2020

VMware’s Cloud On AWS And Dell Sales Leader Heads To HashiCorp;

Brandon Sweeney was with VMware for more than 16 years in a variety of top executive sales roles around channel partners and cloud, including senior vice president of worldwide commercial, Dell and partner sales for VMware. Most recently, Sweeney served as senior vice president of worldwide cloud sales responsible for global field operations and customer success for VMware Cloud offerings.

==> www.crn.com; 05.02.2020

VMware targets SD-WAN management with Nyansa acquisition;

VMware said the Nyansa technology will be targeted at boosting monitoring and troubleshooting for LAN/WAN deployments within its SD-WAN package – VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud. 

==> www.networkworld.com; 22.01.2020

VMware to acquire Nyansa for AI-based network analytics;

VMware plans to combine Nyansa Voyance, the AIOps platform for network analytics and IoT security, with VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud. The combination should help VMware extend its portfolio further into enterprise campus and branch offices, by adding software-defined capabilities on Wi-Fi and LAN devices. Users will be able to get comprehensive data on network traffic and application performance. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 21.01.2020

What to expect from VMware in 2020;

Three industry experts discussed where they hope to see VMware head in 2020. Brian Kirsch works as an IT architect and teaches at a Milwaukee-area technical college. Alastair Cooke is a freelance trainer and consultant specializing in server and desktop virtualization, based out of New Zealand. Rob Bastiaansen is a Netherlands-based trainer and consultant specializing in VMware and Linux, who trains people worldwide.

==> searchvmware.techtarget.com; 16.01.2020

VMware's Chris Wolf predicts edge solutions will come to life in 2020;

Wolf said that organizations are looking for technology partners to help them solve problems and accelerate their investments at the edge. In order to provision 5G services and applications, such as autonomous vehicles, AR/VR and IoT use cases, enterprises and service providers are looking to the edge of networks to lower latency.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 02.01.2020

VMware completes $2.7 billion Pivotal acquisition;

The acquisition gives VMware another component in its march to transform from a pure virtual machine company into a cloud native vendor that can manage infrastructure wherever it lives. It fits alongside other recent deals like buying Heptio and Bitnami, two other deals that closed this year.

==> techcrunch.com; 30.12.2019

VMware Q3 solid as it aims to integrate Carbon Black, Pivotal;

VMware delivered revenue growth of 12% in the third quarter as CEO Pat Gelsinger said the company saw solid growth. The company closed the acquisition of Carbon Black and aims to bring Pivotal into the fold by the end of the year. Separately, VMware said that Jean-Pierre Brulard will be executive vice president of worldwide sales effective Feb. 1. Maurizio Carli will transition to an "operational role."

==> www.zdnet.com; 26.11.2019

VMware CEO Counts on AI, 5G, and IoT for Future Growth;

In August, enterprise software company VMware Inc. announced an agreement to acquire cloud platform company Pivotal Software Inc. for $2.7 billion. The deal—which will enable VMware to expand its cloud offering—is expected to close by the end of the year, VMware CEO Patrick Gelsinger announced Tuesday at the company’s annual conference in Barcelona. 

==> www.calcalistech.com; 06.11.2019

Partnerships

Arrow gets the nod to support VMware cloud partners across Europe;

Arrow Electronics has secured a deal with Broadcom to become a cloud commerce manager (CCM) for VMware across 19 European countries, including the UK. This partnership allows VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) partners to access VMware’s Cloud Foundation through Arrow, enhancing their ability to deliver private cloud solutions. The agreement builds on Arrow’s long-standing relationship with VMware and comes as Broadcom simplifies VMware’s offerings and updates its Advantage Partner Program to streamline pricing and benefits for partners.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 21.08.2024

Google claims it beats Microsoft on VMware costs;

Google is asserting its pricing advantage over Microsoft in the competition for VMware customers transitioning to cloud environments following Broadcom's acquisition. Google claims its VMware Cloud Foundation product offers significant cost savings, including 20% lower commitment prices and up to 35% lower costs for moving workloads to its cloud, compared to pre-Broadcom pricing models. Meanwhile, Microsoft is responding with its own incentives, offering discounts and credits for customers who commit to using its Azure VMware Solution, while AWS remains notably distant from this pricing fray despite changes in how VMware Cloud on AWS is distributed.

==> www.techzine.eu; 22.07.2024

VMware moves away from AWS, expands partnership with Microsoft;

VMware has partnered with Microsoft to enable the use of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) licenses on Azure VMware Solution and in private data centers, providing companies with more flexibility. This partnership allows for seamless migration of VMware workloads to Azure without significant changes, leveraging Azure's scalable cloud infrastructure. Despite the new collaboration, VMware Cloud on AWS remains available, with no plans to discontinue it, according to Broadcom's CEO Hock Tan.

==> www.techzine.eu; 31.05.2024

Broadcom Enables License Portability for VMware Cloud Foundation;

This collaboration allows enterprises to use VCF licenses across different environments, enabling seamless integration and flexibility. Customers can now procure the latest VCF software from Broadcom and use it effortlessly in Google Cloud VMware Engine and on-premises data centers. This initiative aims to simplify infrastructure migration, streamline operations with familiar VMware tools, improve economics, unlock insights with Google Cloud services, and enhance reliability and security through VMware NSX and Google Cloud integration. The planned rollout for VMware Cloud Foundation license portability to Google Cloud VMware Engine is expected by Q2 2024.

==> readitquik.com; 20.02.2024

VMware unveils genAI, new edge, cloud solutions and services for enterprises;

 VMware Wednesday launched new solutions in partnership with Nvidia to drive the enterprise adoption of generative artificial intelligence (genAI), and other capabilities and solutions to help businesses accelerate their digital transformation. VMware has introduced new private AI offerings to grow the enterprise adoption of generative AI. These include the VMWare Private AI Foundation with Nvidia, and the VMware Private AI Reference Architecture for Open Source to help customers achieve their desired AI outcomes by supporting open source software (OSS) technologies. 

==> telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com; 27.09.2023

VMware and NVIDIA bring generative AI to enterprises;

VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA will enable enterprises to customize models and run generative AI applications, including intelligent chatbots, assistants, search and summarization. The platform will be fully integrated featuring generative AI software and accelerated computing from NVIDIA, built on VMware Cloud Foundation and optimized for AI.

==> www.eenewseurope.com; 29.08.2023

VMware Unveils New Generative AI Tools, Expands Nvidia Partnership ;

VMware kicked off its Explore event in Las Vegas with a series of announcements geared toward enabling enterprise generative AI development. VMware and Nvidia extended their partnership to unveil VMware Private AI Foundation with Nvidia, an offering that promises to provide enterprises with the software and compute to fine-tune large language models and run AI-enabled applications using proprietary data in VMware’s cloud infrastructure.

==> www.enterpriseai.news; 23.07.2023

HPE and VMware collaborate to deliver GreenLake for VMware Cloud Foundation ;

Hybrid cloud and multicloud solutions are two of the most attractive options to business leaders looking to join the digital revolution, but finding the best solution for every individual organization can be tricky. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and VMware Inc. joined together to bring an HPE GreenLake for VMware Cloud Foundation solution, based on a cloud operating model.

==> siliconangle.com; 23.06.2023

VMware Accelerates and Simplifies Partner‑Led Managed Services for the Multi‑Cloud Era;

VMware, Inc. announced VMware Cross-Cloud managed services, a set of prescriptive offers with enhanced partner and customer benefits that will enable highly skilled partners to expand their managed services practices. Building on VMware’s success in creating an ecosystem of more than 4,000 cloud service providers that serve tens of thousands of customers worldwide, VMware Cross-Cloud managed services will make building managed services faster for partners and easier to consume by customers. This will improve partner profitability while opening new opportunities for growth and expansion.

==> news.vmware.com; 18.04.2023

VMware Recognizes 2023 Partner Achievement Award Winners;

VMware announced the worldwide and regional winners of the 2023 VMware Partner Achievement Awards. This year’s worldwide winners are Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Wipro Limited, and Atos. VMware is recognizing more than 30 ecosystem partners for their performance and impact over the past year in delivering demonstrable customer outcomes and societal impact.

==> news.vmware.com; 10.04.2023

VMware enhances partner programme ;

VMware will use a number of mechanisms to reward partners over the course of a customer sale. It will include a sell incentive, with a back-end rebate programme that incentivises those that offer software as a service (SaaS), subscriptions and licensed software, with an increase in payments of between two and 10 times for those bookings.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 20.03.2023

Equinix and VMware to expand global cloud services offerings;

Together, the companies unveiled VMware Cloud on Equinix Metal, a new distributed cloud service that will deliver a more performant, secure, and cost-effective cloud option to support enterprise applications. The service will combine VMware-managed and supported cloud infrastructure as a Service with Equinix’s interconnected, global Bare Metal as a Service offering. The service will extend customers’ cloud environments into distributed metro locations to satisfy business-critical performance demands at the edge while enabling them to preserve the integrity of enterprise workloads.

==> www.zawya.com; 23.11.2022

Equinix and VMware to Expand Global Cloud Services Offerings;

Equinix, Inc. and VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) announced an expanded global relationship to deliver new digital infrastructure and multi-cloud services. Together, the companies unveiled VMware Cloud on Equinix Metal, a new distributed cloud service that will deliver a more performant, secure, and cost-effective cloud option to support enterprise applications. The service will combine VMware-managed and supported cloud infrastructure as a service with Equinix’s interconnected, global Bare Metal as a Service offering. 

==> news.vmware.com; 08.11.2022

VMware and HPE: Driving hybrid cloud digital transformation;

In an announcement at VMware Explore Europe 2022, the companies said HPE Greenlake for VMware will provide customers with “a fully integrated and modern hybrid cloud experience”, delivering a fully-integrated solution in a pay-as-you-go hybrid cloud consumption model.

==> technologymagazine.com; 08.11.2022

VMware announces CSP product innovations and partnerships ;

VMware has unveiled new product innovations and partnerships that will enable communications service providers (CSPs) to modernise their networks in a cost and energy efficient manner and accelerate 5G core, RAN and edge deployments and lifecycle management.

==> itbrief.com.au; 04.10.2022

Cloud Center of Excellence: T-Systems bietet Zugang zu Portfolio von VMware;

T-Systems hat auf der Digital X 2022 in Köln angekündigt, die Partnerschaft mit VMware zu vertiefen. Das Ziel: Den Umstieg in die Cloud für Unternehmen einfacher, schneller und kostengünstiger zu machen. Dafür wird T-Systems ein VMware Cloud Center of Excellence einrichten. Dieses bietet Kunden Zugang zum Portfolio von VMware für Infrastruktur, Anwendungsmodernisierung und Sicherheit. Kunden können so jede Anwendung in jeder beliebigen Cloud einfacher erstellen, bereitstellen, besser absichern und verwalten.    

==> www.digitalbusiness-cloud.de; 14.09.2022

HCL Technologies Teams with VMware to Launch a New Dedicated VMware Business Unit ;

HCL Technologies (HCL) and VMware, Inc (NYSE: VMW) announced the launch of HCL’s dedicated VMware business unit to help enterprises unlock the untapped value of multi-cloud and app modernization. The new unit combines the power of HCL’s CloudSMART Framework with VMware’s Cross-Cloud services to help enterprises accelerate cloud transformation, scale cloud-native platform operations and empower hybrid workforces. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 27.07.2022

VMware Expands Multi-Cloud Mission With SIs Wipro, Atos;

VMware expanded its work with a pair of system integrators targeted at helping enterprise customers better manage their migration and oversight of increasingly popular multi-cloud environments.The first expansion is with Wipro and will combine VMware’s Cross-Cloud services with Wipro’s FullStride Cloud Services. This will allow enterprises to scale cloud-native application development and deployment.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 04.05.2022

Alibaba Cloud and VMware launch new cloud service;

Alibaba Cloud and VMware have launched the next generation of their jointly developed Alibaba Cloud VMware Service, in a bid to help enterprises across China accelerate their digital transformation. The offering has been designed to enable businesses to migrate and modernize applications faster and seamlessly move workloads between on-premises VMware environments and Alibaba Cloud at scale.

==> www.itpro.co.uk; 21.04.2022

Deloitte and VMware launch strategic distributed cloud practice;

The Deloitte and VMware alliance, and now the strategic DVDC practice, will help clients more effectively and efficiently implement distributed cloud architectures, including public, private and the edge, to deliver impactful transformations and address unique industry considerations. This launch is the direct result of close alignment and collaboration between Deloitte and VMware, which now sees Deloitte recognised with a VMware Partner Achievement award for the third consecutive year.

==> cloudcomputing-news.net; 11.04.2022

Google chases cloud giants with VMware Cloud Universal program;

Google Cloud is joining VMware's Cloud Universal program, the aim being to make it easier for enterprises to migrate VMware-based workloads to the cloud while allowing them to re-use on-premises license investments. The extended partnership centers on the Google Cloud VMware Engine, which was first announced in 2020. This provides a self-contained VMware private cloud that is sold and supported by Google as a fully managed service running on the Google Cloud Platform.

==> www.theregister.com; 16.03.2022

VMware Collaborates with German Universities on Automating Life; VMware’s Path to 6G;

VMware announces research grants for 6G-life and CeTI at TU Dresden and Telecommunication Networks Group (TKN) at TU Berlin. VMware, Inc. unravelled its vision for Automating Life. The vision is underpinned by the fusion of cloud, networking and AI technologies and a belief system structured around equity, sustainability and trust. To chart a successful course to 6G, the evolution of these underlying technologies must align with the evolutionary cycle of human behavior, society, and technology as they influence each other to form an evolution continuum. As the fusion of cloud, networking, and AI plays a pivotal role for 6G, novel concepts for distributed systems, data management, and computing are essential. With its proven track record and expertise, the Telecommunications Network Group at TU Berlin under Professor Falko Dressler, is developing novel solutions for future virtual edge computing, machine learning and networking, and distributed data management in the era of 6G.

==> news.vmware.com; 02.03.2022

VMware inks more telco partnerships as 5G takes off;

VMware has detailed products and partnerships at Mobile World Congress (MWC) involving service providers and others using its tech to build next-generation networks and services covering applications, the radio access network (RAN), and the network edge. The virtualization giant is among many firms looking to exploit the fusion of cloud-native technologies and telecoms as telcos deploy 5G networks around the globe. It already has its VMware Telco Cloud Platform, which is based on familiar technologies such as vSphere and its VMware NSX-T network technology, plus Tanzu for software container support.

==> www.theregister.com; 01.03.2022

VMware and HCL Technologies expand collaboration to streamline 5G and RAN deployments;

VMware and HCL Technologies announced the companies will expand their collaboration to deliver integrated solutions for service providers around the world. HCL operates VMware-enabled labs across the globe to support customer deployment of VMware solutions. As part of this expanded partnership, HCL will establish a lab for onboarding, integration, verification, and performance benchmarking of various 5G Core and virtual RAN configurations on VMware Telco Cloud Platform. 

==> www.helpnetsecurity.com; 01.03.2022

Verizon expands network-as-a-service with VMware SD-WAN;

Verizon Business is adding VMware's software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) offering to a lineup of managed services, the latest move by a major carrier to address the demand for more streamlined networking and security capabilities by increasingly distributed and cloud-centric enterprises. Verizon made the announcement this week at the Mobile World Conference event in Barcelona, giving the telco another service that organizations can use as data and applications continue to move out of centralized data centers and into the cloud and network edge.

==> www.theregister.com; 28.02.2022

VMware Q4 FY22 Partner Survey: Solid Results Convey Attainability of High Single Digit Glide Path;

Key Takeaways

  1. Partners finished 6.3% above plan, on average, representing the best result since the inception of our survey. While this metric is likely to mean-revert lower, for now it stands as an odd, inexplicably-positive result within the survey.
  2. Partners See ~10% Organic Growth Possible One Year Out. Partners send an encouraging view on VMware’s organic growth potential one year forward, with an expectation 2 points above our 8% forecast.  There is some margin for error involved, as partners may not take into account the ratable mix-shift revenue recognition impact, but directionally it aligns with other portions of our survey which lean positive on the demand environment for VMware.
  3. Robust Practice Growth for 2022;. First-blush expected growth in partner practices for 2022 also stands out positively, at +14%, well above the first-blush read for 2021 of -1%, another sign of optimism in the demand environment.  Ex-Outliers, the CY22 indication is +9.8%, also above recent Ex-Outlier indications of +7% to +8%.
  4. License Bookings, Customer Segments Mixed. Several metrics do not align with the upwardly-inflecting percent-of-plan and practice growth outlooks.  These include License bookings expectations which are only inline (a net 0%); tone of business across Enterprise / Midsized / Small Business, all of which down-ticked slightly; and Pace of Server Virtualization activity.  The composition of the survey is odd because of this, yet we still think it blends out positively.

Please rate the following VMware products in terms of their momentum within your base of customers and prospects (5 = significantly gaining momentum, 1 = significantly losing momentum)  (n=19) 

==> ; 17.02.2022

IBM Spin-Off Kyndryl Expands VMware Partnership;

Kyndryl, the recent spin-off of IBM’s managed infrastructure business, has recently expanded its partnership with VMware and achieved an SAP certification related to cloud operations. Kyndryl and VMware will focus on expanding application modernization, digital workspace services, security, edge computing and multi-cloud services, among other areas, according to a statement Friday. The partnership will combine Palo Alto, Calif.-based VMware’s solutions with Kyndryl design, build and managed services. 

==> www.crn.com; 22.11.2021

ThinkOn Joins VMware Sovereign Cloud Initiative to Support the Data Privacy and Compliance Requirements of Canadian Customers;

 ThinkOn Inc., was recently named the first VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative partner in Canada. VMware unveiled its Sovereign Cloud initiative and corresponding global partners at VMworld 2021, the premier cloud computing and digital infrastructure event. The VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative helps customers engage with trusted national cloud service providers to meet geo-specific requirements around data sovereignty and jurisdictional control, access and integrity, security and compliance, independence and mobility, analytics, and innovation.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 27.10.2021

Lenovo Enhances Deep Partnership With VMware, Introducing New Edge-to-Cloud and AI Solutions ;

Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) introduced new, first-to-market edge-to-cloud and AI solutions in partnership with VMware that provide massive scalability and enable business agility for VMware environments. At VMworld 2021, Lenovo showcased how businesses of all sizes can address the demand for a more agile IT infrastructure in response to business changes. Additionally, Lenovo highlighted the continued expansion of its Lenovo TruScale TM as-a-Service hybrid cloud solutions. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 20.10.2021

VMware Partners with Vapor IO on Multi-Cloud Services Grid to Simplify the Delivery of Distributed 5G Systems and Real-Time Edge Services ;

VMware, Inc. and Vapor IO today announced they are building a Multi-Cloud Services Grid that integrates the VMware Telco Cloud Platform with Vapor IO’s Kinetic Grid platform, allowing developers and service operators to hypercompose grid services on-demand. The collaboration aims to greatly simplify and lower the costs of deploying distributed 5G systems and real-time applications by stitching together multiple cloud and edge environments into a unifying framework that can serve up resources for use, on-demand, across shared infrastructure. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 09.06.2021

Shaped by partner-to-partner focus, VMware enhances ecosystem play;

VMware has rolled out a new accelerator incentive offering in a first step towards building a programmatic framework for strategic partner-to-partner collaboration, acknowledging a sharp rise in ecosystem alliances across the channel. Effective immediately, the aim is to allows customers to purchase through preferred resellers while receiving services from specialised “services only best of breed” providers.

==> www.channelasia.tech; 29.03.2021

VMware Expands Channel Program Incentives to Services-Only Partners - ChannelE2E;

VMware launched a new Customer Lifecycle Incentives Program to help partners enable digital transformation for their customers and increase profitability, according to a statement from the company. These new incentive offerings include technical assessments, proof of concept capabilities and a partner-to-partner accelerator, according to the statement. VMware says it is building on its Partner Connect Program, launched in February 2020, to help customers enable digital transformation and drive increased profitability through new and expanded customer engagement, a simplified experience, optimized incentive return on investment and partner-to-partner cooperation rewards, according to the statement.

==> www.channele2e.com; 22.03.2021

Accenture launches dedicated VMware business group;

VMware and Accenture are expanding on an existing partnership with the launch of a dedicated VMware business unit within Accenture. The group will bring together around 2,000 professionals with expertise in hybrid cloud and cloud migrations, cloud native and application modernization and security across industries, the companies said. The group will invest in joint go-to-market and sales operations, training more Accenture practitioners in VMware technologies, the development of new service offerings underpinned by VMware technologies, and a joint offering aimed at helping telecommunication companies accelerate the rollout of 5G and edge computing services. The companies will also launch a specialized VMware Cloud Migration Factory to speed up computing workloads migrations.

==> www.zdnet.com; 10.02.2021

Google, Dell join hands with Intel to form new computing group;

Google, Dell and Intel have joined hands with a few other tech companies to form a new computing group to address the "biggest IT challenges" facing companies today with integration from silicon to cloud. Called the "Modern Computing Alliance", the collective mission of the new group announced on Thursday is to drive "silicon-to-cloud" innovation for the benefit of enterprise customers -- fueling a differentiated modern computing platform and providing additional choice for integrated business solutions. Other founding members of the group include Box, Citrix, Imprivata, Okta, RingCentral, Slack, VMware, and Zoom.

==> cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com; 11.12.2020

Lumen teams with VMware to expand edge compute functionalities ;

Lumen Technologies is announcing at VMworld 2020 a significant collaboration with VMware covering edge compute, networking, and security. VMware and Lumen are taking their existing partnership further with the agreement for Lumen to deliver edge services using integrated VMware technologies. This collaboration will help enterprises expand across data centre, cloud and edge, moving business applications that require low latency and efficient localisation closer to digital interactions.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 30.09.2020

VMware, Nvidia integrate on architecture, technology as they aim to accelerate AI adoption;

VMware and Nvidia are integrating the latter's artificial intelligence applications for unified management of apps, security and data processing unit accelerators. The partnership secures Nvidia's role in hybrid clouds as VMware outlined an architecture that incorporates data processing units (DPUs) in the data center, cloud and edge. Specifically, AI software on Nvidia's NGC hub will be integrated into VMware vSphere, Cloud Foundation and Tanzu. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 29.09.2020

VMware continues to build on Partner Connect;

The message for partners tuning into VMworld is that the commitment to keep building on the Partner Connect channel programme remains at the heart of VMware’s plans to ensure it can arm resellers with the best tools and rewards. VMware launched its latest partner programme in early March, promising that it would make life simpler for the channel and reward those that gained master competencies and positioned themselves to sell more of its technology. Six months on, the vendor is keen to stress that it has not been static and is building on the launch and improving the programme based on partner feedback.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 29.09.2020

Equinix and VMware expand digital transformation partnership;

As part of this expansion, VMware will offer its SD-WAN Edge as a virtual network function (VNF) on Equinix's Network Edge. VMware is also extending its presence in Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. As a result, Equinix is working with VMware to offer an easy-to-consume solution to enterprises, service providers and partners that supports remote workforces, reduces disruption, and increases business continuity efforts for companies at the digital edge.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 21.09.2020

UKCloud extends partnership with VMware to help UK public sector organisations develop safe and sustainable remote working services;

UKCloud increases support for public sector organisations with their digital transformation and remote workplace strategies, which is now enhanced by the achievement of the VMware Cloud Verified Status and a catalogue of VMware powered cloud services designed to address the specific security, connectivity and compliance needs of public services.    

==> www.realwire.com; 30.04.2020

Rackspace Wins VMware 2020 Global Partner of the Year Award;

Rackspace today announced that it has received the Global Partner of the Year Award for the Partner Social Impact category. Rackspace was recognized by VMware for positively impacting the world through the use of VMware technologies. “I am honored to recognize this year’s VMware Global Partner of the Year Award winners, which includes an exceptional group of innovative partners,” said Bill Swales, vice president and channel chief, Americas Partner Organization, VMware. 

==> www.globenewswire.com; 14.04.2020

VMware Launches Partner Connect to ‘Embrace the Whole Customer Journey’;

he company announced its intentions to rebuild its partner program at VMWorld in August, and last April at its Partner Leadership Summit in Carlsbad, California. VMware Partner Connect is a modernized program designed to enable partners to do business with VMware in a way that aligns with their business model. VMware’s goal in restructuring its partner program was also to create the opportunity to help partners excel in their capability to maximize the vendor’s offerings to customers and focus on customer outcomes. 

==> www.channelfutures.com; 02.03.2020

VMware preps partners for extra Q1 changes;

The biggest change is VMware’s new competency-based partner program, Partner Connect, which launches on the auspicious date of February 29th, 2020. Before then, VMware has also reminded partners that Q1 2020 will also see the end of its WIRE channel training resource, replaced by the fancy new Learning Zone. 

==> www.crn.com.au; 16.01.2020

Google, Siemens and VMware fund The Linux Foundation to advance the Automated Compliance Tooling project;

The Linux Foundation, announced that Google, Siemens and VMware have committed funding for the Automated Compliance Tooling (ACT), as well as key advancements for tools that increase ease and adoption of open source software. the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source. The three companies are founding members of the Foundation.

==> techstartups.com; 12.12.2019

Nokia & VMware to develop integrated cloud solutions for CSPs;

Nokia and VMware have expanded their global partnership to include development of integrated solutions for communications service providers (CSP) that deploy large, multi-cloud operations. Additionally, VMware and Nokia will also invest into a deeper technology collaboration partnership and research & development to support the development of integrated solutions.

==> datacentrenews.eu; 18.11.2019

DXC Technology & VMware team up on IaC cloud platform;

DXC Technology is venturing further into managed services, with a new multi-cloud orchestration, automation, and governance solution. DXT Managed Multi-Cloud Services powered by VMware is designed to remove the need for extensive integration throughout the IT landscape to provide a consistent management and operational experience across VMware Cloud providers.

==> itbrief.com.au; 14.11.2019

Cloudbees partners with VMware and Atos to harness the power of DevOps automation ;

CloudBees has today announced a partnership with Atos and VMware that aims help customers adopt DevOps best practices at scale through Atos’ recently announced Atos Digital Hybrid Cloud (DHC), powered by VMware Tanzu and CloudBees cloud-native CI/CD enterprise solution. The industry-first partnership aims to help customers gain greater business agility, scalability, and reduce their IT investments in building and automating software delivery pipelines. 

==> www.information-age.com; 07.11.2019

IBM, VMware extend partnership to boost hybrid cloud adoption;

IBM has extended partnership with VMware to accelerate hybrid cloud innovation and adoption across global enterprises. Through new and updated technology offerings, IBM is attempting to make it easier for enterprises of all sizes to securely move VMware workloads to the cloud and leverage open technologies to modernize their business operations

==> ibsintelligence.com; 07.11.2019

Atos announces new Digital Hybrid Cloud offering with VMware to enable businesses to accelerate time-to-market and reduce costs;

Atos announces Digital Hybrid Cloud offering, its fully-managed hybrid cloud solution, together with partner VMware. Bringing together Atos’ unique and extensive experience and expertise in end-to-end cloud implementation and management, with the latest cloud solutions from VMware, it offers businesses a path to a multi-cloud solution enabling them to accelerate time-to-market and reduce costs through lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

==> www.globenewswire.com; 05.11.2019

Offerings

Broadcom ends easy elasticity for VMware Cloud on AWS;

VMware has shifted to a subscription-only model for VMware Cloud on AWS, eliminating on-demand usage. Customers must now commit to one-year subscriptions and involve a reseller or Broadcom to add new hosts. This change removes the flexibility of elastic, self-service cloud resources, prompting concerns among users about increased costs and reduced functionality. AWS is responding by promoting its migration services for VMware infrastructure and highlighting industry concerns about Broadcom's impact on VMware.

==> www.theregister.com; 10.06.2024

VIAVI & Broadcom to develop AI-based Digital Twins for telecom networks ;

Broadcom is partnering with VIAVI to develop AI-based 'Digital Twins' of telecommunication networks, which are virtual models used to simulate real-world systems. This collaboration aims to enhance predictive capabilities and efficiency in telecom networks through advanced simulation and testing. The initiative, which also involves VMware—a recent Broadcom acquisition—focuses on creating a Digital Twin for app evaluation and performance benchmarking, leveraging VIAVI's and VMware's technologies. The technology, validated by multiple vendors and set to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, offers significant benefits for network modernization and monetization by enabling accurate simulations and test automations for communication service providers (CSPs).

==> telconews.com.au; 27.02.2024

Broadcom drops VMware perpetual licences and support;

Broadcom's completion of the $61 billion acquisition of VMware has resulted in significant changes to VMware's product portfolio, including the discontinuation of perpetual software licensing contracts. Broadcom will no longer sell perpetual licenses and will also cease support and subscription renewals for perpetual offerings, transitioning to a subscription-based model. They have cut the price of VMware Cloud Foundation and introduced VMware vSphere Foundation, aiming to simplify offerings and entice customers to annual software subscriptions. Broadcom's strategy involves maximizing acquired assets by cutting costs and boosting revenues, which includes transitioning VMware to a subscription-based model, as stated by Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami in a Computer Weekly blog post.


 

==> www.computerweekly.com; 12.12.2023

VMware Unveils New Multi-Cloud and Kubernetes Tools;

At its VMware Explore conference, the company introduced a slew of new updates to its VMware Cloud, Tanzu Kubernetes, and edge solutions. One day after Broadcom moved a step closer to finalizing its acquisition of VMware, VMware opened its annual conference today by announcing new software and cloud services that make it faster and easier for enterprises to go multicloud and build new cloud-native applications.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 22.08.2023

VMware announces new security features for enterprises: All you need to know;

VMware has announced enhanced features that provide lateral security measures for multi-cloud environments, enabling customers to detect and prevent threats effectively. Powered by VMware Contexa, a cloud-based threat intelligence platform, these capabilities highlight that cybercriminals typically make a minimal number of lateral moves, around 2-3, to reach their desired target. To counter this, effective prevention of lateral movement necessitates comprehensive visibility across users, devices, networks, applications, and data.

==> www.gadgetsnow.com; 25.04.2023

VMware to Roll Out Revamped Workspace One, Replacing Monolithic Architecture;

VMware is revamping Workspace One, its SaaS-based end-user computing (EUC) service, to a cloud-native microservices architecture. Look for the new architecture to start rolling out in the second half of this year. The new Workspace One will have the same user experience, but VMware is overhauling the underlying infrastructure. The shift to a cloud-native architecture aims to make it easier to update it and launch new capabilities more rapidly. VMware claims the new architecture will also give up to 10-times application and profile delivery improvement.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 08.03.2023

VMware Unveils Soft Client, Expands SD-WAN, SASE Footprint;

VMware updated its SD-WAN offerings, including its new SD-WAN Client, to help IT teams reduce the operational burden of managing increasingly distributed environments. Abe Ankumah, VP of product management for VMware SASE, said with applications, users, and workloads becoming more fragmented, the enterprise IT connectivity and security footprint is now “very diffused.” The SD-WAN Client aims to provide consistent connectivity, performance, and security capabilities to remote workers.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 08.11.2022

VMware wants to help fund your next cloud migration;

VMware says it will help pay for your enterprise to move workloads to the cloud. The virtualization giant’s newly minted Multi-cloud Acceleration Program (MCAP) provides funding and access to VMware partners to offset the cost of migrations. 

==> www.theregister.com; 02.11.2022

US IT giant VMware expands private network projects in LatAm ;

US virtualization and cloud infrastructure group VMware is widening its project portfolio involving private wireless networks across Latin America, including 5G, according to the company’s Brazil head José Duarte. “We have announced partnerships, whether with Ericsson, with NTT, for private networks for 5G. We have other cases of private networks to be announced as well. It's a trend in many segments, whether it's the public sector, the financial sector, or the healthcare sector,” Duarte told BNamericas.

==> www.bnamericas.com; 02.11.2022

VMware expands vSphere, vSAN for hybrid cloud enterprises;

VMware's compute and storage software is heading further into the cloud. The company's infrastructure catalogue is gaining greater interoperability with hyperscalers like AWS alongside new capabilities for cloud-focused DevOps tools. Updates to vSphere and vSAN, the company's server and storage virtualization tools, respectively, add support for new hardware VMware expects to become ubiquitous in future enterprise datacenters.

==> www.techtarget.com; 30.08.2022

VMware ‘Plus’ Targets On-Prem, Private Cloud Management;

VMware plussed its stalwart vSphere and vSAN products to help enterprises manage those platforms in on-premises or private cloud environments and to generate a regular source of income for the vendor. The updates also come under the shadow of VMware’s pending acquisition by Broadcom. The update adds “+” designations to both platforms. That symbol injects a new control plane that allows enterprises to manage applications running on-premises or in a private cloud environment.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 28.06.2022

VMware launches 'threat intelligence cloud' Contexa;

VMware on Thursday launched Contexa, a new service the company described as a "full-fidelity threat intelligence cloud." VMware Contexa was unveiled to press and analysts Wednesday in an RSA Conference 2022 pre-briefing led by Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager of VMware's networking and advanced security business group.

==> www.techtarget.com; 02.06.2022

VMware launches regional digital hub in Singapore;

Having established itself in the Asia Pacific region, VMware continues to enable organizations in Southeast Asia to perfect their digital journey and manage the challenges of the future of work. With demand for greater services and agility, VMware has launched its new Regional Digital Innovation Hub in Singapore.

==> techwireasia.com; 30.03.2022

VMware Announces Availability of VMware Cloud on AWS Now Available in AWS Marketplace ;

VMware, Inc. has stated that purchasing and deploying VMware Cloud on AWS will be easier for customers and partners. VMware Cloud on AWS is now available in the AWS Marketplace for Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers. Organisations can now use their existing AWS Enterprise Discount Program agreements to consume VMware Cloud on AWS and other complementary VMware Cloud services to modernise their mission-critical enterprise apps on AWS.

==> datastorageasean.com; 11.03.2022

VMware eases app modernization with official launch of Tanzu Application Platform ;

The Tanzu Application Platform was first announced in beta test mode in September. It’s an application modernization toolkit that packages various components developers can use to build, deploy and manage apps that run on Kubernetes.

==> siliconangle.com; 11.01.2022

VMware Delivers on PaaS Promise for Kubernetes ;

VMware today announced general availability of VMware Tanzu Application Platform for building and deploying applications on Kubernetes clusters at a higher level of abstraction. Tanzu Application Platform provides developers with a set of pre-instrumented components intended to seamlessly work together out of the box. DevOps teams, for example, can employ Supply Chain Choreographer for VMware Tanzu to create pre-approved secure paths to production that can be customized as required. 

==> containerjournal.com; 11.01.2022

VMware Bets on PaaS to Change K8s Game in 2022 ;

Craig McLuckie, vice president of research and development for VMware, says at the core of the company’s strategy for enabling IT organizations to achieve that goal is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment based on VMware Tanzu that will make Kubernetes more accessible to developers. Currently available in beta, the Tanzu Application Platform is a PaaS that provides developers with a framework for building applications that can be deployed on clusters running any Kubernetes distribution. That PaaS environment, for example, will also make it simpler for developers that are already familiar with the Spring Boot framework for building Java applications available on Kubernetes.

==> containerjournal.com; 04.01.2022

VMware Rolls RIC Into Telco Cloud;

VMware RIC pulls specifications from the O-RAN Alliance. It includes a centralized RIC for non-real-time RIC for functions that don’t require latency response greater than one second and a distributed RIC for near-real-time RIC that can manage and host xApps that require latency timing in the tens of milliseconds. VMware intends to make RIC software development kits (SDKs) generally available in January 2022, with initial commercial availability slated to occur by late April 2022. The vendor claims its RIC extends choice and flexibility to carriers pursuing open RAN with a more agile architecture, programmability, and intelligence.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 26.10.2021

VMware Expands SASE Scope, Cinches Security Gap;

VMware wants to expand the scope of its secure access service edge (SASE) platform in a way that centers on a broad ecosystem of services running at the edge rather than just remote access and security. VMware also announced the availability of its SASE security service, which it calls Cloud Web Security. Finally, VMware is investing in helping its channel partners adapt to a SASE world. The company’ Ready, Set, Go program for SASE aims to help channel partners bring VMware’s converged networking and security capabilities to market faster.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 10.06.2021

VMware Launches App Connectivity Platform Based on Istio ;

VMware today launched a VMware Modern Apps Connectivity suite that combines its Tanzu Service Mesh and VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer ALB software into a single offering. The Tanzu Service Mesh is based on a curated open source instance of the Istio service mesh that runs on Kubernetes. VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer ALB is based on networking software VMware gained with the acquisition of Avi Networks in 2019.

==> containerjournal.com; 12.05.2021

VMware announces new Anywhere Workspace tool to help businesses make remote work easier;

 The new platform is a combination of SASE, access control and cloud-native endpoint security that the company said is the only solution of its kind on the market. VMware is announcing a new remote work solution called VMware Anywhere Workspace, a zero-trust, cloud native platform that the company said is designed to eliminate friction between IT and remote employees, all while improving security and reducing overhead. "Remote work is here to stay, and businesses are transforming into anywhere organizations with a distributed work model," said Shankar Iyer, SVP and GM of end user computing at VMware. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 20.04.2021

VMware Expands Into Container Security;

Mware, Inc. today unveiled expanded cloud workload protection capabilities to deliver security for containers and Kubernetes. The  new solution will help increase visibility, enable compliance and enhance security for  containerized applications from build to production in public cloud and on-premises  environments. 

==> www.darkreading.com; 07.04.2021

VMware combines Tanzu, Cloud Foundation platforms to launch new VMware Cloud;

Tanzu is VMware's portfolio for building and managing modern applications and is designed to deliver enterprise-grade Kubernetes at scale. The VMware Cloud Foundation is the company's portfolio of compute, storage and networking technologies. As part of this multi-cloud strategy, VMware is also rolling out a new cloud subscription option that aims to simplify multi-cloud consumption for its customers.

==> www.zdnet.com; 31.03.2021

VMware Updates Multi-Cloud Management Portfolio;

VMware is updating its cloud management portfolio to better enable customers to monitor, secure, and automate multi-cloud deployments, according to a statement from the company. The updates span CloudHealth by VMware and VMware vRealize Cloud Management on-premises and software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings, according to the statement.

==> www.channele2e.com; 17.03.2021

VMware and Nvidia launch GPU virtualization platform for enterprises;

VMware in collaboration with Nvidia today announced that an AI-Ready Enterprise platform is now available as part of an update to its core virtual machine software. Announced last fall at the VMworld 2020 conference, the alliance between the two companies spans a range of initiatives that revolve around deploying VMware virtual machine software on top of graphical processor units (GPUs) from Nvidia.

==> venturebeat.com; 09.03.2021

VMware offers SD-WAN integration with Microsoft Azure Virtual WAN Hub;

VMware on Wednesday announced the integration of VMware SD-WAN into the Azure Virtual WAN Hub, automatically connecting SD-WAN branches to the Microsoft Azure backbone.  With the combination, "you get the advantage of the performance of the last mile from our SD-WAN, and you get the performance of Microsoft's backbone," VMware SVP Sanjay Uppal said to ZDNet. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 03.03.2021

VMware officially launches enterprise blockchain platform;

VMware Blockchain has been in the works for a couple of years and today it was announced it is commercially available. But it’s already getting used for some substantial projects. One of those is the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) CHESS settlement solution. Originally this used Digital Asset’s blockchain, but the ledger is now VMware’s with Digital Asset’s smart contract language DAML.

==> www.ledgerinsights.com; 18.11.2020

VMware plots 'modern network' strategy with Project Antrea, new features for Tanzu service mesh;

VMware on Monday announced several updates to its virtual networking products and services, including new capabilities across its service mesh, Tanzu, SD-WAN, and Project Monterey products. VMware announced SD-WAN Work from Home Subscriptions, which VMware said will offer individual business users optimized network connectivity and better security at an affordable low price. Bandwidth ranges from 350Mbps to 1Gbps depending upon the level of subscription.

==> www.zdnet.com; 16.11.2020

VMware empowers customers to build their multi-cloud future;

VMware, Inc. announced new innovations to help customers build, run, manage, connect, and protect any app on any cloud. Today, more than 15 million enterprise workloads run on VMware in the cloud, and more than 4,300 partners offer VMware-based cloud services. With these new and updated offerings, customers and partners can unlock multi-cloud’s full potential value by providing more developer freedom while providing IT with consistent and efficient security and operations.

==> nation.com.pk; 07.11.2020

Dell and VMware expand collaboration to boost success of cloud provider partners ;

Cloud providers are burdened with providing infrastructure services that have traditionally been “heavy for them to build, [have] taken a long time to get the market, and really had high burn operational costs,” according to  Guy Bartram, global product marketing and go-to-market specialist at VMware Inc.. Now, VMware and Dell have collaborated on a solution that removes this burden, providing cloud services providers with multi-tenant infrastructure-as-a-service on the Dell Technologies Cloud Platform. 

==> siliconangle.com; 22.10.2020

Dell announces range of VMware integration upgrades;

Dell Technologies has announced several infrastructure solutions for VMware environments to manage and support applications across the edge, data centres and hybrid clouds. As VMware delivers its latest releases for vSphere, vSAN and VMware Cloud Foundation to support Tanzu, Dell Technologies is extending support of these technologies across the Dell infrastructure portfolio, with integrated solutions including Dell Technologies Cloud, Dell EMC VxRail, Dell EMC PowerProtect, Dell EMC PowerEdge and more.

==> datacentrenews.eu; 04.10.2020

VMware to Unleash Kubernetes-Native vSphere on Data Centers in October;

VMware has spent the past year touting its plans to integrate Kubernetes into vSphere – and now it’s almost ready. The company  announced that it will release a Kubernetes-native version of vSphere within the next six weeks – by October 30 at the latest. The offering will allow enterprise customers to run, deploy, and manage Kubernetes-based containerized apps on vSphere 7, VMware’s flagship server virtualization software.

==> www.datacenterknowledge.com; 15.09.2020

VMware has launched a ‘made for 5G’ Telco Cloud Platform ;

The pitch is that it provides a necessary balance between NFV and cloud native approaches as telcos transition to  5G. It will run containerised workloads across private, telco, edge and public clouds. That capability is going to be essential as cloud requirements grow, but will also inevitably bring complexity - automation will be required

==> www.telecomtv.com; 02.09.2020

VMware Expands Reach of IT Management Portfolio;

VMware today announced a bevy of updates to its portfolio of IT management tools that is now at the heart of its overall approach to both DevOps and AIOps. VMware is also providing tighter integration with its VMware vRealize Network Insight to bridge the divide between IT and network operations and tools to better monitor instances of VMware software running on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud.

==> devops.com; 18.08.2020

VMware expands cloud services and cloning capabilities with Horizon 8 release;

 VMware says its Horizon 8 release gives IT teams more tools to manage virtual desktop infrastructure with expanded options for cloud deployment and new RESTful APIs. The company also is beta testing new apps that use Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to support social distancing and capacity monitoring in office spaces. 

==> www.techrepublic.com; 06.08.2020

VMware aktualisiert virtuellen Load Balancer;

VMware hat den NSX Advanced Load Balancer unter anderem um eine neue Kubernetes-Architektur erweitert und die Zusammenarbeit mit der Google Cloud Platform verbessert. Der NSX Advanced Load Balancer ist nach Angaben von VMware eine einzige Erfolgsgeschichte. Mittlerweile soll die virtuelle Lösung bereits mehr als 7.000 Hardware-basierte Load Balancer ersetzt haben. 

==> www.channelpartner.de; 03.08.2020

VMware Expands Its VMware Ready for Telco Cloud Program to Accelerate the Deployment of 5G Services on Its Telco Cloud Platform ;

The enhanced VMware Ready for Telco Cloud certification program will enable telco network functions partners to test the interoperability and readiness of their Virtual Network Functions (VNF) and Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNF) with the VMware Telco Cloud platform.

==> www.businesswire.com; 24.06.2020

ServiceNow reveals products to help companies plan for new COVID-19 workplaces;

ServiceNow has revealed plans to acquire the 4Facility assets of App4Motion and create a new Workplace Service Delivery product that will help companies prepare, plan and deploy new workplace environments as lockdown restrictions ease in the new COVID-19 world.

==> diginomica.com; 06.05.2020

Microsoft Announces Azure VMware Solution Preview;

 The long and winding road to run VMware virtualization tech on the Microsoft Azure cloud has taken a new turn with a preview of an updated Azure VMware Solution announced this week.  It's a first-party Azure service built and supported by Microsoft and endorsed by VMware, announced in a blog post that features complimentary commentary from both companies, with VMware touting "a long-standing partnership and a shared heritage in supporting our customers." 

==> virtualizationreview.com; 05.05.2020

VMware rolls out updates for app development and cloud management;

VMware on Tuesday is rolling out a series of product updates to its Tanzu portfolio for application development. It's also making the vRealize Operations Cloud available for consistent operations across across a hybrid or multi-cloud environment. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 14.04.2020

VMware updates vSphere to accelerate application modernisation;

VMware announced the general availability of VMware vSphere 7, the biggest evolution of vSphere in over a decade. VMware vSphere 7 has been rearchitected into an open platform using Kubernetes APIs to provide a cloud-like experience for developers and operators. VMware vSphere 7 delivers essential services for the modern hybrid cloud, powering the compute environments for AI and machine learning, business critical and modern applications.

==> www.telecompaper.com; 03.04.2020

VMware Horizon Cloud on Azure launches support for Windows Virtual Desktop;

Today, VMware is announcing the general availability of support for Windows Virtual Desktop workloads in Horizon Cloud on Azure. There are a couple of different things to break down here, plus now is also a good time to check in on the progress of the broader Horizon strategy announced at VMworld.

==> www.brianmadden.com; 17.03.2020

VMware embraces Kubernetes with vSphere 7;

VMware has added Kubernetes support to run containers and virtual machines simultaneously in the new vSphere release. The virtualization giant can now also offer a single management domain that covers containers and VMs in the hybrid cloud. 

==> blocksandfiles.com; 10.03.2020

VMware Announces Expanded Portfolio of Products and Services to Help Customers Modernize Applications and Infrastructure;

Applications are core to today’s successful digital transformation efforts—enabling enterprises to deliver personalized digital experiences to their customers to generate new revenue streams. Enterprises are increasingly modernizing their applications to compete effectively and embrace the full potential of cloud environments.

==> www.cxotoday.com; 09.03.2020

VMware takes a bow for telco cloud automation and orchestration;

VMWare's Telco Automation Cloud is a "cloud down" approach to model, on-board, orchestrate and manage virtual network functions (VNFs), cloud network functions (CNFs) and network services.  As part of VMware's Ready for NFV program, Telco Automation Cloud is making network functions virtualization (NFV) and VNFs more manageable by taking a cloud-first approach to reduce multi-cloud complexities.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 27.02.2020

VMware Changes Per-CPU Pricing Model;

 "While we will still be using a per-CPU approach, now, for any software offering that we license on a per-CPU basis, we will require one license for up to 32 physical cores," the company said. "If a CPU has more than 32 cores, additional CPU licenses will be required." 

==> virtualizationreview.com; 06.02.2020

VMware Eyes Storage Options for Kubernetes ;

VMware continues to move closer to Kubernetes-based containers for managing virtual machines and other cloud infrastructure, reflecting the growing consensus the cluster orchestrator represents a more agile form of virtualization.

==> www.enterpriseai.news; 06.01.2020

VMware aims to simplify container-VM management;

VSphere can now manage containers, as well as VMs, and adds Cloud Native Storage. This helps address certain inefficiencies that come from using cloud, containers and VM in VMware.

==> searchvmware.techtarget.com; 10.12.2019

VMware rolls out new Carbon Black security suite and Dell partnership;

After announcing a deal for the cloud security company Carbon Black for $2.1 billion in August, VMware this week  revealed how it would be integrated into the larger Dell framework at VMworld 2019 Europe in Barcelona.

==> www.techrepublic.com; 08.11.2019

VMware Expands Multi-Tenancy Cloud Capabilities;

VMware is making it easier for MSPs to bring midmarket enterprises to VMware Cloud on AWS by introducing a multi-tenancy service that will reduce the service providers’ costs and let them better configure the cloud environment for their customers.

==> www.channelnomics.com; 05.11.2019

VMware updates Workspace One with capabilities for new hires;

VMware on Tuesday announced a series of updates to Workspace One, its digital workspace platform, that focus on improving employee engagement and productivity while maintaining a high level of security. Among the updates, Workspace One now offers ways for new employees to securely access company resources from the moment they're hired. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 05.11.2019

VMware Unveils Project Maestro, A Telco Cloud Orchestrator, To Help CSPs Accelerate Multi-Cloud Operational Agility;

VMware, Inc. unveiled a technology preview of Project Maestro, a telco cloud orchestrator built to help communications service providers (CSPs) accelerate the time to market of modern network functions and services across clouds, from core to edge, and from private to public clouds. In addition, the company shared that Millicom, a global provider of cable and mobile services, has selected VMware to build a Telco Cloud foundation to help enable its network and IT transformation.

==> www.globenewswire.com; 05.11.2019

Deals

Monaco adopts sovereign cloud with VMware for data security;

VMware has announced that the Government of Monaco has adopted a VMware Sovereign Cloud, in a significant step toward bolstering the principality’s data security and confidentiality credentials and accelerating its digital services targets. The company says that this approach enables the government to safeguard its critical data assets while harnessing the power of cloud technology to modernise public services, enhance citizen experiences, and create greater economic value for Monegasque businesses.

==> technologymagazine.com; 20.10.2023

VMware Government Services Takes U.S. Agencies to the Cloud;

VMware has announced its Government Services offering has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High Authorization from the Joint Authorization Board (JAB). VMware Government Services includes VMware Carbon Black Cloud and VMware SD-WAN on AWS GovCloud in the U.S. 

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 25.07.2022

UKCloud collaborates with VMware to secure the UK’s sovereign digital future;

UKCloud, the multi-cloud expert dedicated to digital transformation across the UK public sector, has announced that it is strengthening its collaboration with VMware, a leading multi-cloud services provider. UKCloud cements its commitment to providing innovative, first-class sovereign cloud environments by expanding its support for the next generation of VMware multi-cloud services. The recent approval of the new investment in UKCloud under the National Security and Investments Act has paved the way for expanding its product portfolio, including significant enhancements to its platform and services. 

==> ibsintelligence.com; 03.05.2022

Virgin Media O2 teams with VMware to complete UK and EU 5G roll-out;

As part of a collaboration that has underpinned the deployment of its 5G network over the past 16 months, which has also seen a corporate merger between the two parties, Virgin Media O2 UK has selected VMware to help it modernise its network and enable the continued success of its 5G roll-out. The operator has committed to investing at least £10bn in the UK, it has already delivered 5G to more than 2,000 sites across the country, with 5G coverage in areas spanning 300 towns and cities. It has promised to reach 50% of the UK population with its 5G services in 2023.

    

==> www.computerweekly.com; 29.03.2022

Telin selects VMware for SD-WAN service offering;

 Telin, a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia (Telkom), has partnered with VMware to offer Telin SD-WAN. The SD-WAN service is offered using managed VMware SD-WAN Edge devices located at customer premises to connect locations to the WAN. In addition, Telin uses the VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator centralised management platform to simplify its operations. Also as the SD-WAN operates as a transport service overlay, there are no changes are needed to underlaying network.

==> www.capacitymedia.com; 19.08.2021

DISH Selects VMware to Help Build the Most Advanced, Automated, End-to-End 5G Network in the U.S. ;

The platform will help bring to life the first network in the U.S. to combine the efficiency of the distributed telco cloud, public cloud and private cloud environments while delivering consistent, low-latency edge computing. In addition to DISH’s selection of the VMware Telco Cloud platform, the company also selected cloud infrastructure services to support the IT needs of the broader DISH enterprise. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 31.07.2020

VMware to acquire Kubernetes security platform Octarine;

Embedding Octarine capabilities into the Carbon Black Cloud "will enable us to further expand VMware's intrinsic security strategy to containers and Kubernetes environments," Patrick Morley, GM and SVP of VMware's Security Business Unit, said in a statement. "This, combined with native integrations with Tanzu, vSphere, NSX and VMware Cloud Foundation, will create what we believe is a unique and compelling solution for intrinsically securing workloads. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 13.05.2020

Vodafone slashes costs of core network functions across Europe using VMware's telco cloud;

With work finishing in Albania, Vodafone now has a single network architecture across its European markets thanks to VMware's telco cloud offering. The telco cloud infrastructure enables Vodafone to design, build, test and deploy next generation functions more securely and around 40% faster, according to Vodafone's internal analysis that was conducted last month.

==> www.fiercetelecom.com; 08.04.2020

Good News

VMware Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure;

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced it has been positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Distributed Hybrid Infrastructure. Gartner has named VMware a Leader in this category for this inaugural Magic Quadrant report. VMware views this recognition as further validation of VMware’s global strategy.

==> news.vmware.com; 19.10.2023

VMware Named a Leader in Inaugural Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Container Management for Its Tanzu Portfolio ;

VMware, Inc.  announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Container Management. Gartner recognized VMware for its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. This new Gartner Magic Quadrant replaces the 2022 Market Guide for Container Management. VMware’s hybrid infrastructure and operational tooling was also highlighted as contributing factors for strong capabilities in cluster fleet management. 

==> news.vmware.com; 05.10.2023

VMware Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for SD-WAN for the Sixth Year in a Row;

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SD-WAN—marking it the sixth consecutive year VMware has been named a Leader in the report. Cloud-native by design, VMware SD-WAN and VMware SASE enable enterprises to deliver more consistent, secure, and reliable connectivity for the branch and distributed workforce. Gartner recognized VMware SD-WAN for its virtual and physical Edge appliances, optional gateway points of presence (PoPs), software licenses and a cloud-based orchestrator.

==> news.vmware.com; 03.10.2023

VMware Named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for Desktop as a Service;

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced it has been positioned as a Leader in the inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service (DaaS). Gartner named VMware a Leader for its completeness of vision and ability to execute. VMware also scored second highest in the 2023 Gartner Critical Capabilities for DaaS report across all four defined Use Cases – Remote Workers, High Security, High Performance, and Custom, Enterprise Architectures.

==> news.vmware.com; 28.09.2023

VMware Named as Leader in the Hybrid IT Consulting and Integration Services MarketScape by IDC;

According to the IDC MarketScape, “For many enterprises, devising and implementing a hybrid IT strategy will be overwhelming, given limited resources and skills coupled with tight IT budgets.” VMware helps customers alleviate this “cloud chaos” through our VMware Multi-Cloud Adoption Framework and Professional Services offerings. VMware was recently named a Leader, in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hybrid IT Consulting and Integration Services 2023 Vendor Assessment (doc #US50498923, March 2023).

==> blogs.vmware.com; 24.04.2023

VMware Recognized as a 2023 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for VMware SD‑WAN;

VMware, Inc. received the Customers’ Choice distinction in the Gartner report for its SD-WAN infrastructure. The recognition is based on feedback and reviews from customers in Gartner® Peer Insights™ during an 18-month period that ran through the end of 2022. Users rated VMware (for its SD-WAN solution) an overall 4.7 out of 5 based on 84 reviews as of December 2022. VMware scored highly in every category which included Product Capabilities (4.7/5), Sales Experience (4.6/5), Deployment Experience (4.7/5), and Support Experience (4.7/5), and was also rated 96% for Willingness to Recommend. 

==> news.vmware.com; 06.03.2023

VMware ranked #1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration Management for Fifth Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm;

Mware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that leading analyst firm IDC ranked VMware No. 1 in the worldwide IT automation and configuration management (ITACM) software market for 2021. As the industry requirements for IT automation and configuration management software shift to optimize applications and infrastructure supporting digital and customer-facing applications in dynamic environments, VMware is committed to supporting customers through this transition.

==> news.vmware.com; 14.09.2022

VMware Recognized by Frost & Sullivan for Customers Launching New Business Ecosystems at Scale with its Enterprise-Grade Blockchain Platform;

Frost & Sullivan recognizes VMware with the 2022 Customer Value Leadership Award for creating an enterprise grade-blockchain that allows companies to deploy multi-party applications with a range of popular smart contract languages. VMware is a leading multi-cloud and application technology provider with over 20 years on the market, enabling digital innovation and improving business performance with best-in-class solutions.

==> www.prnewswire.com; 22.03.2022

IDC MarketScape Positions VMware As a Leader in SD-WAN Infrastructure ;

 VMware is taking SD-WAN to the next level with secure access service edge (SASE). VMware SASE brings together the network performance benefits of SD-WAN, integrated security services delivered from the cloud, and the ability to support modern distributed applications. In doing so, it allows enterprises to build a platform that provides branch, home, and remote users more secure, optimized, and reliable access to modern applications deployed in public and private clouds, SaaS, or at the enterprise edge. These capabilities are delivered as a service from a global network of over 150 points of presence (PoPs). 

==> www.businesswire.com; 01.12.2021

VMware Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for WAN Edge Infrastructure for Fourth Consecutive Year ;

VMware, Inc. announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure. According to Gartner, VMware was evaluated on its ability to execute and completeness of vision and was placed furthest for its completeness of vision. This is the fourth consecutive year VMware has been named a Leader for VMware SD-WAN in the Gartner evaluation for WAN edge infrastructure.  In addition, VMware has received the highest score for the Cloud-First WAN use case in the 2021 Gartner Critical Capabilities for WAN Edge Infrastructure report. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 22.09.2021

VMware Named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management for Fourth Year in a Row ;

VMware, Inc. announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). According to Gartner, VMware has been evaluated for its ability to execute and completeness of vision. This is the fourth consecutive year VMware has been named a Leader for VMware Workspace ONE in the Gartner market evaluation for unified endpoint management. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 31.08.2021

VMware Named a Leader in Zero Trust Network Access by Global Analyst Firm ;

VMware, Inc. announced global market research firm Forrester has named VMware a leader in The Forrester New Wave™: Zero Trust Network Access, Q3 2021. The report evaluated 15 zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions, including VMware Secure Access.  According to The Forrester New Wave™ report, “Our evaluation found that VMware has superior inline security inspection and device posture security. VMware offers a broad set of inline security techniques like watermarking, risk scoring, and behavioral analysis. VMware’s ZTNA solution integrates well with its own endpoint protection as well as major third-party suites.” 

==> www.businesswire.com; 30.08.2021

VMware Named a Leader in Endpoint Security Software As A Service by Global Analyst Firm ;

“We are incredibly proud to be named a leader in The Forrester Wave™,” said Patrick Morley, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Security Business Unit. “Following the VMware acquisition of Carbon Black just 18 months ago, we set out to challenge the status quo of security and further the vision of creating a world safe from cyberattacks. We believe this recognition validates both our vision and commitment to our customers to help ensure security is an essential element of their business strategy and is at the core of their digital infrastructure.”

==> www.businesswire.com; 13.05.2021

Fitch Affirms VMware at 'BB+'; Revises Outlook to Stable from Negative;

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings for VMware, Inc., including the 'BB+' Long-Term Issuer Default Rating and 'BBB-'/'RR2' senior unsecured ratings. Fitch also revised the Rating Outlook to Stable from Negative. Fitch's actions affect $6 billion including the undrawn $1 billion revolving credit facility.

==> www.fitchratings.com; 16.02.2021

VMware Named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software for the Fourth Consecutive Time ;

VMware, Inc. today announced that the company is positioned furthest on the completeness of vision axis in the Gartner Inc. December 2020 Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software. In addition, VMware is also in the Leaders quadrant of the report based on the ability to execute axis for the fourth consecutive report. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 11.12.2020

VMware announces its 2030 agenda for a more ethical use of technology ;

Under a model for building an “equitable, sustainable and resilient world,” VMware Inc. today announced its plan to address global challenges over the next decade. The plan comes as many large technology companies, from Google LLC to Facebook Inc., face increasing scrutiny of their activities and the impact of their services on politics, society and the environment. Still, this isn’t new for VMware, which is publicly held but majority owned by Dell Technologies Inc. In 2015, the company had a similar plan regarding how its technologies have an impact on the world. Under the banner of “Force For Good,” five main goals were set, most of which it says were achieved.

==> siliconangle.com; 10.12.2020

VMware Ranked No. 1 in Worldwide IT Automation and Configuration for Third Consecutive Year by Global Analyst Firm ;

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that leading analyst firm IDC ranked VMware No. 1 in the worldwide IT automation and configuration management (ITACM) software market (1) for 2019. The industry is transitioning from traditional workload management solutions to automated infrastructure and application configuration and provisioning, DevOps life-cycle operations, and self-service automation of hybrid cloud infrastructure, and VMware is dedicated to supporting its customers as they modernize. 

==> www.businesswire.com; 30.07.2020

IDC MarketScape Positions VMware As a Leader In Three End-User Computing Vendor Assessments;

The UEM vendor assessment report states, “Workspace ONE has broadened its support for a range of endpoint operating systems beyond mobile. VMware's AirLift component of Workspace ONE is a PC management migration tool, which allows users to migrate PC management configurations and settings to VMware's UEM/modern management framework. 

==> finance.yahoo.com; 20.12.2019

VMware Named a Leader in 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure;

Covering 19 vendors in the space, the report positioned VMware as a Leader highest for the ability to execute and furthest for completeness of vision. VMware’s SD-WAN offering is VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud, which includes physical and virtual edge appliances, cloud gateways and orchestration, which can be on-premises, or hosted by an MSP or VMware. The solution includes strong SD-WAN functionality that, when combined with its gateways (some of which are hosted by carriers and some by the vendor), offers enterprises a scalable platform for accessing cloud workloads. VMware has proved itself able to scale for large global deployments.

==> www.globenewswire.com; 04.12.2019

VMware Recognized as a Leader in November 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure;

VMware, Inc. (VMW) today announced that the company is positioned furthest on the completeness of vision axis in Gartner’s Inc.’s November 2019 Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure. According to Gartner, a Gartner Magic Quadrant is “a culmination of research in a specific market, giving you a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors.” In addition, VMware is also in the Leaders quadrant of the report based on the ability to execute axis.

==> finance.yahoo.com; 02.12.2019

Bad News

VMware users gripe over 3-year commitment to renew licenses;

VMware users are frustrated with Broadcom’s new licensing policies, which now require a three-year upfront commitment for vSphere renewals instead of annual renewals. Customers argue this is a deliberate move to lock them in as many consider migrating away due to steep price hikes and the removal of perpetual licenses. Broadcom claims to offer flexibility, but customers and analysts warn that transitioning away from VMware could be costly and complex.

==> www.theregister.com; 23.01.2025

No more VMware: cloud service Anexia hosts 12,000 virtual machines itself ;

Austrian cloud provider Anexia migrated 12,000 virtual machines from VMware to an open-source KVM system, citing Broadcom's increased license costs as a threat to its competitiveness. Anexia CEO Alexander Windbichler criticized Broadcom's pricing strategy, noting it forced upfront payments and strained trust among customers, prompting other providers like Beeks to explore alternatives. Anexia's transition leveraged its existing infrastructure, minimizing impact on customers.

==> www.heise.de; 14.01.2025

Netflix sues Broadcom's VMware over US virtual machine patents;

Netflix has sued Broadcom's VMware, alleging its vSphere virtualization platform infringes five Netflix patents related to virtual-machine operations. This legal dispute adds to ongoing litigation between the companies over video streaming technology, with a separate trial scheduled for next June. Netflix is seeking monetary damages in the new case.

==> www.reuters.com; 23.12.2024

Broadcom loses another big VMware customer: UK fintech cloud Beeks Group, and most of its 20,000 VMs;

Beeks Group, a UK-based cloud operator, transitioned from VMware to OpenNebula due to soaring licensing costs, declining support quality, and inefficiencies in VMware's platform. The move resulted in a 200% increase in VM efficiency and lower costs, although it required adapting proprietary tools and developing additional performance-monitoring capabilities. While Beeks still offers VMware services, most of its infrastructure now runs on OpenNebula, highlighting dissatisfaction with Broadcom's licensing terms post-acquisition.

==> www.theregister.com; 02.12.2024

Helldown Ransomware Expands to Target VMware and Linux Systems;

A Linux variant of the Helldown ransomware has been uncovered. Previously known for targeting Windows systems, the Helldown group now extends its reach to VMware ESX servers and Linux environments. According to a new report by Sekoia’s Threat Detection & Research (TDR) team, Helldown, an intrusion set that surfaced in August 2024, operates with a double-extortion model.

==> www.infosecurity-magazine.com; 19.11.2024

VMware customers are seeing massive late fees since Broadcom acquired the company ;

Since Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, customers have faced sharp price increases and unexpected late fees if they miss renewals when transitioning to VMware's subscription model. These changes, including new contractual terms and product bundling, have frustrated many long-time VMware customers, some of whom are exploring alternatives like Nutanix and OpenStack despite the high switching costs. Broadcom’s focus on large, strategic clients has left some customers feeling overlooked, and competitors are seizing the opportunity to attract discontented VMware users.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 28.10.2024

Broadcom’s VMware chaos catalyzes Gartner’s DHI ranking;

Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware is shaking up the distributed hybrid infrastructure market, opening opportunities for rivals like Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, and Nutanix. Gartner notes that concerns over Broadcom's pricing and licensing changes are prompting many VMware customers to consider alternatives, with up to 30% potentially exiting the VMware ecosystem. This shift could gradually impact Broadcom, although some customers are locked into multi-year VMware contracts, delaying a full-scale exodus.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 18.10.2024

Broadcom fires back at AT&T in legal battle over VMware support ;

Broadcom rejected AT&T's request for injunctive relief regarding changes to VMware's licensing practices, arguing that AT&T had been informed in advance about the transition to a subscription model and chose to opt out. AT&T had indicated plans to move away from VMware software but filed a court challenge, claiming Broadcom was forcing it into unwanted subscription deals to maintain support for previously purchased software. Broadcom countered that the transition to a subscription model was well known and necessary due to competition from cloud providers, while some customers have reported significant cost increases.

==> www.ciodive.com; 23.09.2024

Research suggests more than half of VMware customers are looking to move;

Research by Civo shows that over half of VMware customers are considering leaving the platform due to price hikes and Broadcom’s shift to subscription-based services after its acquisition of VMware. Smaller businesses, in particular, are struggling with increased costs, and rivals like Civo and Nutanix are positioning themselves as alternatives. Many customers are looking at open-source solutions, though concerns about security and service level agreements remain, signaling potential long-term impacts on Broadcom's strategy despite short-term financial gains.

==> www.theregister.com; 11.09.2024

Why AT&T’s Suing Broadcom Over Forced VMware License Charges;

AT&T has filed a lawsuit against Broadcom, accusing it of breaching agreements related to VMware software support after Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware. The lawsuit centers on Broadcom's shift to subscription-based licensing and its demands for AT&T to purchase additional services, allegedly threatening to cut off critical support. AT&T seeks injunctive relief to prevent Broadcom from discontinuing support, citing risks to its operations and public safety. The case raises broader concerns about post-acquisition business practices in the tech industry.

==> www.forbes.com; 06.09.2024

Bundesregierung legt sich an Broadcoms Kette;

Die Bundesregierung nutzt in vielen Rechenzentren VMware, obwohl das Unternehmen nach der Übernahme durch Broadcom Preiserhöhungen und Änderungen im Geschäftsmodell eingeführt hat, was Kritik hervorruft. Bis 2025 sollen bis zu 600 Millionen Euro für die Nutzung von VMware-Software ausgegeben werden, obwohl Alternativen wie Open-Source-Lösungen existieren. Trotz dieser Abhängigkeit sieht die Bundesregierung keinen akuten Handlungsbedarf und verfolgt bislang keine einheitliche Strategie zur Reduzierung der Abhängigkeit von proprietärer Software.

==> netzpolitik.org; 28.08.2024

Gartner: Broadcom's VMware licensing policy drives devirtualization trend ;

Gartner highlights a trend towards devirtualization in data centers due to skyrocketing costs from Broadcom's VMware licensing policies, making physical servers a potential alternative. Revirtualization to alternative hypervisors is also gaining traction, but both trends come with operational challenges. Additionally, new technologies like MRAM, ReRAM, and direct-to-chip cooling are emerging, while software-defined infrastructure and Continuous Configuration Automation are already seeing significant adoption.

==> www.heise.de; 14.08.2024

Nutanix hunts disgruntled VMware customers;

Nutanix recently signed key partnerships with some unlikely on-and-off competitors: Dell, Cisco and HPE. The deals are aimed at enabling customers to gain the benefits of Nutanix’s cloud platform without having to swap out the underlying server hardware or change server vendors. And Nutanix is aggressively courting VMware customers who might be open to jumping ship in the wake of VMware’s purchase by Broadcom and some of the unpopular moves that have followed, such as potentially costly changes to licensing terms and disruptions to channel relationships. 

==> www.networkworld.com; 01.07.2024

VMware revenue plunges $600 million, but Broadcom assures investors growth plan is on track;

During VMware's first full quarter under Broadcom's ownership, its revenue fell by $600 million to $2.7 billion. Despite this decline, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan highlighted strong growth in forward bookings and cost reductions, with VMware's annualized booking values rising from $1.2 billion to $1.9 billion and quarterly costs dropping from $2.3 billion to $1.6 billion. Tan projected VMware's costs to decrease further and anticipated revenue growth towards a $4 billion per quarter run rate, alongside an increase in Broadcom's overall revenue forecast for FY 2024 to $51 billion, driven by strong performance in AI-related and networking products.

==> www.theregister.com; 13.06.2024

Broadcom/VMware: Joining the dots to migrate off VMware;

Broadcom's acquisition of VMware and its shift to software subscriptions and bundled licensing has increased costs for some VMware users, particularly in education. This has created an opportunity for other IT firms to attract dissatisfied customers. At the Next 2024 conference, Nutanix announced its new Nutanix Cloud Platform for Dell PowerFlex, offering separate network-attached storage, and is adjusting its strategy to leverage the situation. Additionally, Rimini Street aims to support VMware users during long migrations to hyperconverged infrastructure by offering third-party support for perpetual license holders.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 22.05.2024

Here's why Broadcom is ditching its AWS channel partnership;

Broadcom has altered its sales strategy for the VMware Cloud on AWS product, moving away from selling directly through AWS and its channel partners to handling sales through Broadcom or authorized resellers. This shift aims to give Broadcom more direct control over customer relationships and revenue streams. Despite this significant change in the partnership with AWS, Broadcom is expected to maintain its channel partnerships with other major hyperscalers like Google Cloud and Microsoft, reflecting a broader strategy to position VMware as a central platform in the hybrid cloud ecosystem.

==> www.fierce-network.com; 08.05.2024

Euro cloud group blasts Broadcom over VMware licensing maneuvers;

CISPE, the Euro cloud trade body, has criticized Broadcom's recent concessions on VMware licensing, arguing that they fail to address the core issues that prompted an EU antitrust investigation. These concerns include significant price hikes, product bundling, and restrictive licensing terms that CISPE contends could harm the economic viability of cloud services in Europe. The body claims that Broadcom's actions, such as forcing cloud providers to commit to costly licenses in advance, limit flexibility and customer choice, potentially stifling competition and innovation in the cloud sector.

==> www.theregister.com; 24.04.2024

VMware: Broadcom faces EU complaint over unfair licensing;

Broadcom CEO Hock Tan has responded to escalating complaints about VMware licensing changes by opening up the partner program to smaller resellers and standardizing core licensing practices. This move comes amid investigations by the European Union into Broadcom's software licensing practices, prompted by concerns from business user associations in multiple European countries about potentially unfair and abusive practices. These licensing changes include shifting from per processor to per core licensing and bundling unwanted products, which have drawn significant criticism from VMware customers and partners. Tan's adjustments aim to improve flexibility and fairness within the VMware partner ecosystem, addressing some of the key issues raised by customers and regulatory bodies.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 17.04.2024

Education sector facing huge VMware cost increases after Broadcom ends discounts;

Education bodies and charities are grappling with a drastic increase in VMware licensing fees following Broadcom's acquisition of the company, which led to the elimination of a discount program for non-profits. Changes to VMware's software bundles and server license structures have also imposed additional costs, particularly affecting organizations with advanced multicore servers. The London Grid for Learning (LGfL), a non-profit providing essential IT services to thousands of schools, is facing a significant financial strain with VMware license renewal costs set to rise by 268%, complicating budget planning and potentially impacting the delivery of critical educational services.

==> www.computerweekly.com; 04.04.2024

Euro-cloud consortium CISPE calls for investigation of Broadcom;

CISPE, representing European Cloud Infrastructure Providers, has accused Broadcom of enforcing detrimental software licensing arrangements following its acquisition of VMware, potentially leading to financial ruin for some CISPE members and harming end-users. The lobby group criticized Broadcom for imposing new contract terms and significant price increases, affecting cloud customers across various sectors. CISPE is urging regulators to intervene, highlighting the challenges posed by Broadcom's licensing strategy, including a controversial Primary/Secondary provider scheme that could push smaller cloud providers out of business, thus impacting Europe's digital ambitions and access to essential cloud services.

==> www.theregister.com; 21.03.2024

Broadcom's VMware license cancellations should face scrutiny, urges cloud trade body;

The Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE) is advocating for increased regulatory scrutiny over Broadcom's decision to unilaterally alter licensing terms and increase prices for essential virtualization software, actions that threaten a wide range of cloud customers across Europe. CISPE is requesting an immediate halt to these contract terminations and demanding the ability for customers to exit the multi-year contracts imposed by Broadcom once alternatives are available. These changes have raised concerns of potential bankruptcy for CISPE members reliant on VMware technologies, and end customers fear the inability to provide crucial online and medical services. 

==> www.channelweb.co.uk; 20.03.2024

VMware urges emergency action to blunt hypervisor flaws;

VMware, now a part of Broadcom, issued an urgent security advisory warning of four significant vulnerabilities within its hypervisors, which compromise the supposed isolation between virtual machines and hardware. The most severe flaws, could allow a malicious actor with local admin rights on a VM to execute code on the host system or within the VMX process, receiving high severity ratings of 9.3/10 and 8.4 respectively. VMware's suggested workaround involves removing virtual USB controllers from VMs, although this may not be practical on a large scale due to dependencies on USB for keyboard and mouse access. Another vulnerability, CVE-2024-22254, could enable an attacker to escape the VM's sandbox.

==> www.theregister.com; 07.03.2024

VMware customers advised to ditch discontinued product due to critical vulnerabilities;

VMware customers are advised to remove a discontinued authentication product due to two critical vulnerabilities, including an arbitrary authentication relay and a session hijack vulnerability. These flaws, classified as "critical" and "important" respectively, could allow threat actors to gain unauthorized access to VMware environments. VMware has provided guidance on how to remove the product, emphasizing the importance of taking action promptly to mitigate the risks posed by these vulnerabilities.

==> www.itpro.com; 21.02.2024

Dell terminates VMware deal post-Broadcom close;

Dell Technologies has terminated a distribution agreement with VMware following its acquisition by Broadcom, just ahead of the launch of Broadcom's new partner program. The termination comes after a five-year agreement signed between Dell and VMware, allowing either party to terminate in case of acquisition, which happened when Broadcom acquired VMware. Broadcom's new partner program aims to simplify interactions between VMware and customers, but concerns have been raised about exclusivity, while some companies like Leostream have initiated programs to support former VMware resellers.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 01.02.2024

Broadcom’s VMware acquisition brings surprising consequences — how to prepare;

Broadcom's acquisition of VMware has resulted in unexpected changes, including layoffs, altered product bundling, and canceled channel contracts. VMware rival Nutanix claims VMware customers are seeking advice on minimizing exposure to Broadcom's changes, anticipating higher costs, longer storage payback periods, and reduced channel partner and hardware vendor investments. Broadcom's plan to shift VMware's top 2,000 customers to a direct sales strategy and eliminate third-party resellers could lead to a decline in channel-delivered VMware installation and support resources, affecting major hardware vendors like Dell, HPE, and Lenovo, potentially prompting them to seek more channel-friendly alternatives.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 22.01.2024

Source: Broadcom is milking existing VMware customers dry;

Broadcom's approach to its VMware acquisition seems to be focused on a short-term "private equity mentality," simplifying operations and prioritizing existing customers. They have already made significant changes, including shedding VMware resellers with low sales and taking VMware's top 2,000 customers directly. This shift has disrupted VMware's partner program and raised concerns among employees and former employees about the company's direction.

==> www.silverliningsinfo.com; 16.01.2024

VMware Customers Cautious after Recent Broadcom Actions;

Broadcom's acquisition of VMware is leading to significant changes, including a transition from perpetual software licensing to a subscription-based model. This shift, while aligning with industry trends, may raise concerns for customers who perceive subscriptions as more expensive. Broadcom also plans to divest VMware's end-user computing and Carbon Black units to focus on its core cloud solutions for large enterprises. Layoffs of over 2,800 VMware employees have been announced, potentially impacting innovation and customer service capabilities, prompting caution among IT organizations considering significant VMware deployments or renewals.

==> www.forbes.com; 10.12.2023

Layoffs Engulf VMware After Broadcom Close, ‘Chaos’ For Partners In Sales Trenches;

VMware employees, now part of Broadcom after an acquisition, face uncertainty and job losses, causing distress among customers and partners. The lack of clarity regarding business units, employee statuses, and the absence of communication from Broadcom has led to concerns, impacting partners' ability to proceed with multimillion-dollar agreements. Partners express dissatisfaction with the acquisition, anticipating potential price increases and quality of service issues, while competitors like Nutanix may benefit from the disruption.

==> www.crn.com; 27.11.2023

Broadcom will miss VMware acquisition deadline (but it’s close);

In today’s statement, Broadcom again stated the laundry list of countries and regions that have legally approved the deal, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union (EU), Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The one country missing from Broadcom’s list is China, which according to the Financial Times is holding up the deal due to ongoing geopolitical tension with the United States. That tension is reportedly tied to the U.S. government’s tightening China’s access to semiconductor technology.

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 30.10.2023

VMware job cuts have begun as Broadcom nears a deadline to close its acquisition;

VMware has begun job cuts this week as a deadline for Broadcom's planned acquisition of the cloud company nears, according to LinkedIn posts. Broadcom has said that it expects to close its VMware deal by October 30, although China is weighing holding the transaction up, the Financial Times reported. "To my VMware brothers and sisters who were hoping for an offer to stay after the acquisition and didn't receive one (or haven't heard yet), I have one message for you: hold your heads up high," VMware vice president Joel Neeb wrote in a LinkedIn post Friday.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 27.10.2023

Beijing weighs delaying approval of $69bn Broadcom-VMware deal;

Beijing is weighing holding up US chipmaker Broadcom’s $69bn acquisition of cloud software company VMware — a move that would come soon after Washington toughened rules to block Chinese access to high-performance semiconductors. If Broadcom’s merger with VMware is scuppered by Beijing, it would mark the second time in five years that the technology group has seen its dealmaking ambitions curtailed by US-China tensions.
 

==> www.ft.com; 19.10.2023

VMware staff reportedly told job cuts may start before Broadcom acquisition;

VMware last week held a staff meeting at which it reportedly foreshadowed job cuts – perhaps before its acquisition by Broadcom closes in late October. The Register has confirmed that the meeting took place last week and that it was a regular quarterly company update that featured a Q&A session with staff. Accounts of the meeting vary. On thelayoff.com we’ve found threads suggesting staff were told that once Broadcom takes over, staff will receive one of three offers: severance on VMware's usual terms; a new offer of ongoing employment from Broadcom, or; a short-term contract as part of a transition plan that will see their roles eliminated in the future.

==> www.theregister.com; 19.09.2023

Monti ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers with new Linux locker;

The Monti ransomware gang has returned, after a two-month break from publishing victims on their data leak site, using a new Linux locker to target VMware ESXi servers, legal, and government organizations. Researchers at Trend Micro analyzing the new encryption tool from Monti found that it has "significant deviations from its other Linux-based predecessors."

==> www.bleepingcomputer.com; 14.08.2023

Rumors: Broadcom Planning VMware Layoffs As $61 Billion Deal Closure Looms;

Rumors started circulating this week that VMware layoffs are in the works. Insider first reported the news, calling the affected number of people “huge.” Apparently, Broadcom will enact a large number of VMware layoffs once it closes the pending $61 billion acquisition. Other outlets then picked up the scoop, though few details are available. Broadcom did not respond to Channel Futures’ request for comment. The reports indicate the VMware layoffs could come as soon as the end of this month once both companies release their latest earnings. The cuts supposedly would target non-engineers.

==> www.channelweb.co.uk; 03.08.2023

Broadcom asserts VMware's strategy isn't working and it basically needs rescuing;

Broadcom has argued that VMware will fail to execute its multicloud strategy – and hyperscale clouds therefore won't face strong competition – unless it is allowed to acquire the virtualization titan. That take on the transaction emerged on Wednesday when the UK's Competition and Markets Authority revealed Broadcom and VMware's response [PDF] to its probe of the deal.

==> www.theregister.com; 14.07.2023

Critical flaw in VMware Aria Operations for Networks sees mass exploitation;

Researchers warn that a vulnerability patched this month in VMware Aria Operations for Networks, formerly known as vRealize Network Insight, is now seeing exploitation en masse. The flaw allows for remote code execution through command injection and is rated with critical severity.

==> www.csoonline.com; 26.06.2023

VMware hit with $84.5 million verdict in US retrial over software patents;

VMware Inc (VMW.N) must pay $84.5 million for infringing two patents belonging to rival software company Densify, a Delaware federal jury said on Monday. The verdict, made public Tuesday, said VMware willfully violated Densify's patent rights with its software for optimizing "virtual machines" used in cloud computing.

==> www.reuters.com; 02.05.2023

UK regulator warns on Broadcom’s $69bn VMware deal;

The Competition and Markets Authority said on Wednesday that the acquisition, which if approved would be the biggest in Broadcom’s history, could “lead to less innovation and drive up the cost of computer parts and software” used by government, banks and telecoms. The UK regulator said it was considering an in-depth investigation into the tie-up after finding it could hurt competition, in a potential roadblock to the blockbuster deal announced last year. The tie-up is also being examined by competition enforcers in the US and Europe. 

==> www.ft.com; 22.03.2023

Hackers exploiting two-year-old VMware flaw to launch large-scale ransomware campaign;

Cybercriminals are actively exploiting a two-year-old VMware vulnerability as part of a ransomware campaign targeting thousands of organizations worldwide. Reports emerged over the weekend that VMware ESXi servers left vulnerable and unpatched against a remotely exploitable bug from 2021 were compromised and scrambled by a ransomware variant dubbed “ESXiArgs.” More than 3,200 VMware servers worldwide have been compromised by the ESXiArgs ransomware campaign so far, according to a Censys search (via Bleeping Computer). France is the most affected country, followed by the U.S., Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.

==> techcrunch.com; 06.02.2023

EU antitrust regulators pause Broadcom, VMware probe, await data;

EU antitrust regulators have paused their investigation into Broadcom's $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware while waiting for the U.S. chipmaker to provide requested data, the European Commission said on Friday.

==> www.yahoo.com; 03.02.2023

Broadcom’s VMware Acquisition to Face 4 Months of EU Scrutiny;

The European Commission, the competition branch of the European Union, will indeed launch a full-scale antitrust investigation into the $61 billion deal, Reuters reports. It’s a delay Broadcom was working to avoid. Broadcom had hoped regulators would give the company an early thumbs-up for the VMware acquisition based on the dominating presence of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud in Europe. The company said it would offer a competitive option to those firms.

==> www.channelfutures.com; 12.12.2022

VMware's Q3 'met expectations' despite flat revenues amid looming Broadcom deal;

VMware's third quarter fiscal 2023 financial results met its expectations despite coming out sluggish amid the looming $61bn Broadcom acquisition.  Revenues were flat at one per cent growth, amounting to $3.21bn. While GAAP net income plummeted 42 per cent to $231m from $398m in Q3 of the previous fiscal year.  VMware said the combination of subscription and SaaS and license revenue was $1.61bn for the third quarter, up five per cent from the third quarter of fiscal 2022.

==> www.channelpartnerinsight.com; 24.11.2022

Threat actors exploit critical flaw in VMware Workspace ONE Access to drop ransomware, miners;

Threat actors are actively exploiting a now-patched vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-22954, in VMware Workspace ONE Access to deliver cryptocurrency miners and ransomware. The issue causes server-side template injection due to because of the lack of sanitization on parameters “deviceUdid” and “devicetype”. An attacker can trigger the vulnerability to inject a payload and achieve remote code execution on VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager. 

==> securityaffairs.co; 22.10.2022

Everything we know about what's going on at VMware as employees leave in droves ahead of the $61 billion Broadcom acquisition;

Broadcom bet $61 billion on VMware to expand its business in the cloud. But customers and employees alike say the deal is squandering VMware's success.Insider took a deep dive into the frustrations bubbling up in the VMware ecosystem amid the buyout. Customers and employees tell Insider the worst is yet to come. Meanwhile, VMware customers are starting to feel the ripple effects. Customers told Insider they feared innovation would be stifled under the chip giant and that top talent would leave the firms. Customer and employee fears have started to come true. VMware deals started to slow as workers began seeking refuge at different companies.

==> www.businessinsider.com; 07.09.2022

VMware Carbon Black lässt Windows abstürzen;

Bestimmte Version der VMware-Sicherheitslösung Carbon Black vertragen sich derzeit nicht mit Windows. BleepingComputer liegen seit gestern Berichte über Abstürze von Windows-Servern und -Workstations bei Dutzenden Unternehmen vor. Auslöser sind offenbar fehlerhafte Antiviren-Regeln.

==> www.silicon.de; 24.08.2022

VMware employees are freaking out about the Broadcom deal and resumes are flying out of the company;

VMware employees are leaving the firm in droves after Broadcom announced its plans to buy the firm. Employees who stayed are worried that their jobs are at risk, with productivity plummeting. As the acquisition disrupts compensation plans, employees look to competitors for better offers. 

==> www.businessinsider.com; 19.08.2022

VMware president sees some 'anxiety' at customers who've seen Broadcom at work;

VMware president Sumit Dhawan admits that some of the virtualization giant's customers are anxious about its acquisition by Broadcom, though insists only a "tiny minority" have offered that response to the deal. "There are questions ranging from curiosity to anxiety," he told The Register during an interview today. Those expressing anxiety often do so after having been customers of Broadcom software following its previous acquisitions of CA and Symantec, after which Broadcom used price rises to deliberately discourage some customers staying.

==> www.theregister.com; 19.07.2022

Opinion: Ditching VMware over the Broadcom buy? Here are some of your options;

Broadcom has yet to close the deal on taking over VMware, but the industry is already awash with speculation and analysis as to how the event could impact the cloud giant's product availability and pricing. If Broadcom's track record and stated strategy tell us anything, we could soon see VMware refocus its efforts on its top 600 customers and raise prices, and leave thousands more searching for an alternative.

    

==> www.theregister.com; 28.06.2022

Broadcom’s $69bn VMware deal set for lengthy EU antitrust investigation;

Broadcom’s $69bn acquisition of cloud software company VMware is set for a lengthy antitrust investigation in Brussels over regulatory concerns that the deal will harm competition across the global technology industry. Broadcom is already in preliminary discussions with EU officials who will be looking into worries that the merger may lead to abusive behaviour, including potential future price rises by the US chipmaker, three people with direct knowledge of the transaction said.

==> www.ft.com; 23.06.2022

Dell, VMWare Pay $43 Million to Exit Suit Over $2.7 Billion Deal;

Dell Technologies Inc., billionaire CEO Michael Dell, and partial subsidiary VMWare Inc. will pay $42.5 million to end investor litigation challenging VMWare’s $2.7 billion take-private buyout of cloud computing company Pivotal Software Inc., according to court filings Friday in Delaware. The class action settlement would resolve claims that Dell and his company engineered a deal leveraging their greater than 90% voting control over VMWare and Pivotal to unfairly transfer value from Pivotal, in which they held only a 62% economic stake, to VMWare, of which they owned 81%. The lawsuit also named Pivotal’s former CEO and chief financial officer as defendants.

==> news.bloomberglaw.com; 03.06.2022

VMware customers are skeptical of its $61 billion acquisition, calling Broadcom a ‘retirement home’ and worrying it will put innovation, staff layoffs and customer relationships at risk.;

Chipmaker Broadcom said it would buy software giant VMware in a $61 billion deal.But VMware customers say ownership of Broadcom could hurt innovation and lead to employee exodus. Other customers told Insider that they are cautiously optimistic that nothing will change after the deal.
 

==> biz.crast.net; 01.06.2022

VMware Strips Leadership Role From Ex-AWS Manager After Blowback;

VMware Inc. is pressing ahead with plans to hire a former Amazon.com Inc. executive, but is scaling back his responsibilities after employees protested the appointment. The company said last month that former Amazon Web Services executive Joshua Burgin would join as a leader in the software vendor’s developer and application platform division, known internally as DAP.  Burgin “will not be placed in a leadership role in the DAP domain as originally planned,” Chief Executive Officer Rangarajan Raghuram wrote in an email Tuesday to employees. “The overwhelming volume of first-hand data we collected demonstrated Joshua’s commitment to inclusive behavior and values. 

==> www.bloomberg.com; 02.02.2022

Attackers are targeting Log4Shell vulnerabilities in VMware Horizon servers, says NHS;

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has issued a warning that hackers are actively targeting Log4J vulnerabilities and is recommending that organisations within the health service apply the necessary updates in order to protect themselves. The attacks being warned against exploit the Log4Shell vulnerability in the Apache Tomcat service embedded within VMware Horizon. Once the weaknesses have been identified, the attack uses the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to execute a malicious Java file that injects a web shell into the VM Blast Secure Gateway service.

==> www.zdnet.com; 07.01.2022

VMware’s ‘Misguided’ Lawsuit Against Nutanix CEO Dropped;

After nearly one year, VMware has dropped its lawsuit against Nutanix CEO Rajiv Ramaswami that alleged contractual and legal breaches after Ramaswami joined Nutanix just days after leaving VMware. “VMware’s lawsuit was misguided and inappropriate, as there was no wrongdoing on Mr. Ramaswami’s part,” said Nutanix in a statement to CRN. “VMware has agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, and we are very pleased that the matter has been favorably resolved.”

==> www.crn.com; 30.11.2021

Exploit released for VMware vulnerability after CISA warning;

Last week, VMware warned of a critical vulnerability in the analytics service of vCenter Server and urged users to update their systems as soon as possible. On September 21, VMware said that its vCenter Server is affected by an arbitrary file upload vulnerability in the Analytics service which would allow a malicious actor with network access to exploit this vulnerability to execute code on vCenter Servers. 

==> www.zdnet.com; 28.09.2021

5 Things To Know About The Nutanix-Red Hat Container Deal;

In a shot against VMware, the new strategic partnership will include promoting Red Hat OpenShift as the ‘preferred’ option for running Kubernetes on the Nutanix Cloud Platform. As the hybrid cloud market continues to heat up, Nutanix and IBM-owned Red Hat are announcing a major move that will involve treating each other as “preferred” solutions—a clear shot against rival VMware. Nutanix and VMware compete heavily in the markets for hyperconverged software, hybrid cloud solutions and hypervisors, and executives from the two companies have frequently traded criticisms of each other’s platforms. 

==> www.crn.com; 29.07.2021

Linux version of HelloKitty ransomware targets VMware ESXi;

The ransomware gang behind the highly publicized attack on CD Projekt Red uses a Linux variant that targets VMware's ESXi virtual machine platform for maximum damage, BleepingComputer reports.

==> www.securitymagazine.com; 19.07.2021

Critical remote code execution flaw in thousands of VMWare vCenter servers remains unpatched;

Researchers have warned that thousands of internet-facing VMWare vCenter servers still harbor critical vulnerabilities weeks after patches were released. The vulnerabilities impact VMWare vCenter Server, a centralized management utility. It appears that thousands of internet-facing servers are still exposed and vulnerable to both CVE-2021-21985 and CVE-2021-21986.  

==> www.zdnet.com; 15.06.2021

VMware Sounds Ransomware Alarm Over Critical Severity Bug;

VMware’s virtualization management platform, vCenter Server, has a critical severity bug the company is urging customers to patch “as soon as possible”. VMware patched a critical bug impacting its vCenter Server platform with a severity rating of 9.8 out of 10. The company said the flaw could allow a remote attacker to exploit its products and take control of a company’s affected system.

==> threatpost.com; 26.05.2021

VMware Fixes Dangerous Vulnerabilities in Software for Infrastructure Monitoring;

Positive Technologies expert Egor Dimitrenko discovered two vulnerabilities in VMware vRealize Operations (vROps). The solution is designed for monitoring and optimizing the performance of the virtual infrastructure, and eliminating flaws in it.

==> www.darkreading.com; 06.04.2021

More than 6,700 VMware servers exposed online and vulnerable to major new bug;

More than 6,700 VMware vCenter servers are currently exposed online and vulnerable to a new attack that can allow hackers to take over unpatched devices and effectively take over companies' entire networks.  This vulnerability impacts vSphere Client (HTML5), a plugin of VMware vCenter, a type of server usually deployed inside large enterprise networks as a centralized management utility through which IT personnel manage VMware products installed on local workstations.

==> www.zdnet.com; 24.02.2021

VMware Confirms Layoffs This Month;

VMware has confirmed to CRN that it is conducting a limited number of layoffs this month as part of its “workforce rebalancing” strategy. “We can confirm that there have been a limited number of changes to our workforce this month (January 2021), impacting less than one percent of the total employee population,” said VMware in a statement to CRN. VMware employs roughly 31,000 employees on a global basis, meaning a few hundred employees will likely be cut.

==> www.crn.com; 27.01.2021

VMware Cloud Guru Ajay Singh Leaves For Pure Storage;

Just weeks after its cloud visionary Rajiv Ramaswami left for rival Nutanix, VMware has lost another cloud leader in Ajay Singh who departed this week to become chief product officer for Pure Storage. Singh was senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s Cloud Management business unit, which includes vRealize and vCloud product suites, for the past six years. He helped scale VMware’s worldwide Cloud Management business from $1 billion to more than $2.1 billion over his tenure, according to his LinkedIn profile.

==> www.crn.com; 07.01.2021

VMware files lawsuit against Nutanix CEO;

VMware is suing former Chief Operating Officer Rajiv Ramaswami after he recently left to become CEO of rival Nutanix, charging Ramaswami with “material and ongoing breaches” of his legal and contractual duties to VMware as he was being courted by Nutanix in late 2020.

==> www.crn.com.au; 05.01.2021

VMware will reportedly reduce salaries of permanent remote workers;

VMware is among an expanding pool of technology companies that will allow its employees to work from home on a permanent basis. The extent of the pay shift will vary, depending on where workers decide to move. It also appears VMware will not be the only company to adopt this approach, with both Facebook and Twitter looking into similar policies. 

==> www.itproportal.com; 15.09.2020

VMware Cloud Director vulnerability could lead to hijack of enterprise server infrastructure;

VMware has patched a vulnerability in VMware Cloud Director that could be exploited to perform code execution attacks and take over private clouds. On Monday, penetration testing firm Citadelo published a security advisory detailing the bug, tracked as CVE-2020-3956, which was first discovered in April. The cybersecurity firm said CVE-2020-3956 was uncovered during a security audit performed for a Fortune 500 enterprise customer and user of VMware Cloud Director.  

==> www.zdnet.com; 02.06.2020

U.K. Contact-Tracing Virus App Roll-Out Delayed by Bureaucracy;

The app is being developed by VMware Inc. and Zuhlke Engineering Ltd at a cost of 4.7 million pounds ($5.8 million). There has been controversy about the U.K.’s decision to reject the structure backed by Apple and Google, a move that has been criticized by privacy campaigners. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged Wednesday that the U.K. would have a tracking-and-tracing system -- essential to lifting the current lockdown -- in place by June 1. But he emphasized recruiting 25,000 workers to trace potential cases, rather than using the app that was due in the middle of May.

==> www.bloomberg.com; 22.05.2020

That critical VMware vuln allowed anyone on your network to create new admin users, no creds needed;

A critical vulnerability in VMware's vCenter management product allowed any old bod on the same network to remotely create an admin-level user, research by Guardicore Labs has revealed. The astonishing vuln (CVE-2020-3952), details of which were quite spare when VMWare issued a patch last week, was rated by VMware itself as CVSS v3 10.0, the highest level.

==> www.theregister.co.uk; 17.04.2020

Dell and VMware withdraw 2021 fiscal targets due to COVID-19 pandemic;

As part of its fourth-quarter earnings announcement on February 27, 2020, VMware provided financial guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and for full-year fiscal 2021. “As described in the risk factors contained in VMware’s annual report on Form 10-K filed on March 26, 2020, VMware is unable to predict the extent to which the global COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact its business operations, financial performance and results of operations,” said VMware.

==> data-economy.com; 30.03.2020

VMware plans to cut over 200 jobs in Palo Alto;

The layoffs reportedly are part of the company's "regular workforce rebalancing." The cuts include 10 executives and employees in its internet of things and edge computing divisions are among the 155 layoffs spanning different departments at its Palo Alto headquarters, plus another 56 remote workers who report to the Palo Alto office.

==> paloaltoonline.com; 14.02.2020

VMware Layoffs: 4 Top Execs Are Leaving, Including VP Of Operations;

VMware has confirmed to CRN that several top executives are leaving the company amidst its annual “workforce rebalancing” as hundreds of employees have been let go this week.  VMware’s global chief customer officer, Scott Bajtos, is leaving the company after 11 years. Bajtos oversees VMware’s global services team which includes customer success, technical support, professional services support and customer advocacy. 

==> www.crn.com; 30.01.2020

VMware Loses $237M Patent Infringement Lawsuit;

In an emailed statement, a VMware spokesperson indicated that the company would appeal. “VMware is proud of its history as an innovator and leader in the enterprise software space,” the spokesperson said. “While we appreciate and respect the judicial process, we continue to strongly believe that we do not infringe the patents asserted against us in this case and intend to vigorously pursue all legal remedies that are available to us to prove that we are not liable here.”

==> www.sdxcentral.com; 28.01.2020

VMware Hit With $236M Verdict For Willful Infringement;

A Delaware federal jury hit VMware Inc. with a roughly $236 million verdict Friday after finding the tech giant willfully infringed two of smaller rival Cirba Inc. 's patents. A jury found that VMware infringed patents of cloud infrastructure company Cirba, which argued at trial that VMware has tried to "roll over" its smaller competitor for years.

==> www.law360.com; 24.01.2020

Pivotal Employees To VMware: ‘Do Not Betray Our Trust’ With Layoffs;

In an open letter signed by hundreds of Pivotal employees to VMware and Pivotal Software leaders, workers urged the two companies to not layoff staff after discovering cuts might be ahead after VMware acquires Pivotal for $2.7 billion. 

==> www.crn.com; 21.11.2019

Salesforce vs. Microsoft

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 27.07.2022)

Microsoft Viva Sales takes on Salesforce-Slack tandem

Microsoft Viva Sales will force some interesting decisions for technology buyers -- especially at organizations that use both Salesforce and Office 365. An AI-powered automation tool, Viva Sales will launch in preview this summer and is planned for release later this year. It can plumb Teams and Office 365 apps for sales-oriented data and automatically add it to CRM records. Microsoft Dynamics users will receive the tool included in their license at no additional cost, but users of all CRM systems will have a general API available with which to integrate and subscribe.

(Source: , 23.06.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 16.06.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 02.06.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 19.05.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 02.05.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 24.03.2022)

Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms

Microsoft Salesforce (Tableau)

Microsoft is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant. It has massive market reach and momentum through Office 365 and a comprehensive, visionary product roadmap. Microsoft Power BI offers data preparation, visual-based data discovery, interactive dashboards and augmented analytics.

The new “goals” capability enables data-driven and collaborative tracking of key business metric scorecards. Power BI is primarily deployed as a SaaS option running in Azure, but offers a less-functional on-premises option in Power BI Report Server. Microsoft continues to align Power BI closely with Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Excel and SharePoint. In 2022, Microsoft’s vision is to make Power BI the hub for data and analytics in an organization.

Salesforce (Tableau) is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant. It offers a visual-based exploration that enables business users to access, prepare, analyze and present findings in their data. Tableau CRM, formerly Einstein Analytics, provides augmented analytics capabilities for analysts and citizen data scientists.

In 2021, Tableau unveiled new Slack integrations and improved its NLQ experience, Ask Data, which is now included with all license types along with Explain Data. Ask Data can be added to a dashboard as an integrated object, and new Lenses allow analysts to curate existing datasets. Tableau improved enterprise capabilities by adding centralized row-level security and virtual data connections that enable users to extract and manage data tables.
Strength
  • Alignment with Office 365, Teams and Azure Synapse: The inclusion of Power BI in the Office 365 E5 SKU has provided an enormous channel for the platform’s spread. As many customers turn to Teams for remote work collaboration, the ability to access Power BI and now “goals” within the same Teams interface is a compelling integration for business users. Power BI and Azure Synapse alignment addresses multiple data and analytics personas and use cases.
  • Price/value combination: Power BI does not sacrifice quality in order to achieve its disruptively low pricing model. The Power BI cloud service is rich in its capabilities, which include an enlarged set of augmented analytics and automated ML (autoML) capabilities.
  • Power portfolio and product ambition: Microsoft has a clear vision for cross-utilization of Power BI, Power Apps and Power Automate to drive business value. Power Apps can be embedded in Power BI dashboards or access Power BI datasets, and Power Automate flows can be constructed to take various actions based on the data. AI-powered services, such as text, sentiment and image analytics, are available within Power BI Premium.
  • Business user-centric: Tableau provides an intuitive experience for business users to visually explore their data. The patented VizQL engine powers the no-code drag-and-drop interface. The acquisition of Narrative Science, the data storytelling vendor, will improve Tableau’s NLG and data storytelling capabilities in the future.
  • Analytics economy: Users demonstrate a fanlike attitude toward Tableau. The analytics ecosystem Tableau has built, the Tableau Economy, brings an expansive community of customers, partners and people with analytics skills. One hundred new accelerators were rolled out in the Tableau Exchange, and a “Hire Me” function was added to Tableau Public to help hire talent with Tableau skills.
  • Salesforce ecosystem opportunity: A new revenue category, “Data,” will incorporate MuleSoft, Tableau and Tableau CRM, all of which were previously included in “Platform and Other,” demonstrating Salesforce’s dedicated investment to data and analytics business as part of its ecosystem.
Cautions
  • Gaps in on-premises capabilities: Compared with the Power BI cloud service, Microsoft’s on-premises offering lacks significant functional capabilities, including dashboards, streaming analytics, prebuilt content, natural language question and answer, automated insights, and alerting.
  • Azure as the only deployment option: Microsoft does not give customers the flexibility to choose a cloud IaaS offering. While data connectivity enables multicloud and hybrid cloud scenarios, its Power BI service runs only in Azure. However, customers that utilize Azure can take advantage of the global reach and multigeography capabilities offered by Microsoft’s cloud platform.
  • Content publication process and governance: Creating a process for promotion and publication of Power BI content can lead to a significant administrative overhead for customers. With a one-to-one relationship between published Power BI apps and Workspaces, organizations may be manually managing many hundreds of Workspaces — an issue Microsoft plans to address in its roadmap. How to govern self-service usage is one of the most common questions asked about Power BI by users of Gartner’s inquiry service.
  • Premium pricing: Compared with cloud vendors in this market, Tableau’s license cost is expensive, an issue raised by clients durings inquiries with Gartner. Tableau Prep Builder is bundled with the Creator license. Additional fees are required for Data Management, Server Management and Einstein Discovery; however, a new enterprise subscription plan bundles Data Management and Server Management to help customers scale.
  • Service and support: Gartner Peer Insights reviewers report Tableau slightly below the average when it comes to overall service and support, particularly related to timeliness of the vendor’s response. Some Tableau customers are unclear about the process for finding the Tableau-specific support they expect. 
  • Evolving Einstein Discovery experience: The process for building and deploying Einstein Discovery’s no-code machine learning models is disconnected from the Tableau user experience. Users are redirected to Tableau CRM Studio in Salesforce, where they must reconnect to their desired dataset to train a model and then manually map the fields used when training back to the fields used in Tableau. Plans to address this user experience are on Tableau’s 2022 roadmap.
(Source: Gartner, 22.03.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 24.02.2022)

Which salesforce.com competitor poses the single greatest threat?

(Source: Jefferies, 17.02.2022)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 07.02.2022)

Microsoft, Salesforce Battle to Revitalize Customer Service

Customer support has become a crowded battlefield in enterprise technology as software vendors from Microsoft Corp. to Salesforce.com Inc. rush to arm organizations with tools to create one-stop service centers. The attention is revitalizing the call center, a once-backwater unit that has long suffered from high turnover rates and minimal corporate investment. Salesforce, ServiceNow Inc., Twilio Inc. and Genesys Cloud Services Inc. are among the companies that see the call center as a critical part of efforts to transform the consumer base from a sea of faceless pocketbooks to potentially millions of unique personas. It’s viewed as a way to improve customer service and bolster brand loyalty at a time when businesses are increasingly worried about churn.

(Source: , 27.12.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 22.12.2021)

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(Source: MI, 24.11.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 11.11.2021)

Der Kampf der Software-Riesen geht in die nächste Runde

Salesforce integriert den gerade zugekauften Kommunikationsdienst Slack rasant in seine eigenen Produkte – und zeigt sich überzeugt, dadurch Mitbewerber wie Microsoft oder SAP ausstechen zu können. Für Slack hat Salesforce rund 28 Milliarden Dollar bezahlt. Es war die mit Abstand teuerste Akquisition in der Geschichte des 1999 gegründeten Unternehmens und auch einer der größten Zukäufe, die es jemals in der Softwarebranche gegeben hat. Salesforce bekam dafür eine Plattform, die seit ihrem Start 2013 eine neue Art der Kommunikation am Arbeitsplatz maßgeblich mitgeprägt hat. Slack eröffnet für Salesforce eine weitere Front im Wettbewerb mit Microsoft. Und mit dem Zukauf erbte das Unternehmen auch eine kartellrechtliche Ausein­andersetzung. Im vergangenen Jahr hat Slack bei der EU-Kommission eine  Kartellbeschwerde gegen Microsoft eingereicht. 

(Source: , 16.10.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 13.10.2021)

Salesforce vs Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Our research shows that Salesforce is better than Microsoft Dynamics, due to its depth of features, robust range of integrations, and customizability. That said, both CRMs are respectable choices, particularly for larger businesses. When it comes to customer relationship management software there are many services out there, but these two providers are giants among the rest.

(Source: , 24.09.2021)

Microsoft Dynamics vs Salesforce CRM: Virtual Agents & Smart Productivity Tools

It’s hard to go wrong with either Microsoft Dynamics or Salesforce as your CRM solution. Both companies have made it to the top of countless industry lists for CRM functionality, thanks to their amazing features and intuitive tools.  

Microsoft Dynamics is likely to be the right choice for people who already feel comfortable with the Microsoft environment. If you use Microsoft BI and Teams, then you’ll be able to get to grips with Dynamics in no time, particularly with so many great integrations to explore. Salesforce, on the other hand, might be the choice for you if you’re looking for an infinitely scalable tool for intelligence customer experience analytics, and extensive sales automation. Good luck making your choice!  

(Source: , 24.09.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 15.09.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 31.08.2021)

Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce - Which Solution is Best?

Businesses and smaller companies need CRM software to improve customer interaction, track customers, and store customer information.

In the CRM market, there are many options, so there are two great products that lead the market, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce. A CRM product like Salesforce does not connect data on-premises with data on the cloud. 

Dynamics 365 vs. Salesforce Comparison

Compared to each other, these products are different in various ways, including their deployment methods, features, accessibility, and more. 

(Source: , 06.08.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 01.08.2021)

Will Salesforce Be Worth More Than Microsoft by 2030?

When Satya Nadella became Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) third CEO seven years ago, the tech giant was worth $300 billion. Today, it's worth over $2 trillion. Microsoft will likely keep growing over the next decade, but it could struggle to repeat its near-sevenfold growth since 2014.

Between fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2021, which ended this January, Salesforce's annual revenue rose from $1.66 billion to $21.25 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.1%.

Last December, Salesforce estimated it could more than double its annual revenue to $50 billion by fiscal 2026. That would represent a CAGR of 18.7% between 2021 and 2026.

Salesforce will likely grow faster than Microsoft during the 2020s. Companies will increasingly rely on its services to reduce their dependence on human employees, automate their operations, and crunch data to make business decisions. It will continue to gobble up smaller companies -- like MuleSoft, Tableau and Slack -- to expand its ecosystem beyond its market-leading CRM platform.

(Source: , 11.07.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 01.07.2021)

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(Source: MI, 22.06.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 03.06.2021)

Salesforce vs Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics are two giants in the CRM industry, but which one is best for your business? Our research shows that Salesforce is better than Microsoft Dynamics, although both are decidedly respectable options, particularly for larger businesses. When it comes to customer relationship management software there are numerous services out there, but these two providers are giants among the rest.

(Source: , 17.05.2021)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 12.05.2021)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 28.04.2021)

Has Salesforce Beaten Microsoft, Oracle & SAP to #1 in Industry Clouds?

As the world’s top software companies race to build full portfolios of cloud-based industry-specific solutions, Salesforce has probably grabbed the #1 spot from rivals Microsoft, SAP and Oracle with its annualized revenue run-rate of $2 billion.

On my weekly Cloud Wars Top 10 rankings, Salesforce is #4, Microsoft is #1, SAP is #5 and Oracle is #6.

In an interview, the head of Salesforce’s industries business, executive vice-president Jujhar Singh, shared some fascinating insights into the ways in which Salesforce is making its industry clouds part of its mainstream business.

Singh also offered some compelling details:

  • Salesforce has adopted an “industry-first” posture, echoing that expressed recently by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella;
  • the industry-cloud business has reached a $2-billion annualized run rate, a number first released in the company’s Investors Day presentation on Dec. 8, 2020;
  • Salesforce partners have created and are offering more than 700 third-party industry-specific solutions to buttress Salesforce’s offerings; and 
  • MuleSoft’s “API economy” technologies have become a huge element in the company’s industry-specific strategy and capabilities.

Salesforce’s industries business has achieved a breakaway status that probably surpasses that of the other major SaaS providers—but that’s an ongoing story that we’ll be digging into aggressively here at Cloud Wars, and in particular with the Industry Cloud Newsletter.

(Source: cloudwars.co, 23.03.2021)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 03.03.2021)

Should Salesforce Investors Be Worried About Microsoft?

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) are two of the largest enterprise software companies in the world. And they were fairly friendly until Microsoft won a bidding war for LinkedIn in 2016. Salesforce promptly asked regulators to review the deal, citing concerns about its anticompetitive effects. Since then, Microsoft has fueled the enmity by enhancing its customer relationship management (CRM) platform, encroaching on a market that has long been dominated by Salesforce. But Salesforce has also taken a few swipes at Microsoft. In December, the company announced its intention to acquire Slack, a communications platform that competes with Microsoft Teams. Given the growing rivalry here, should Salesforce investors be worried about Microsoft? Let's take a look.

(Source: , 20.02.2021)

SAP, Microsoft partner against Salesforce

By midyear, SAP plans to start rolling out Microsoft Teams across its business application portfolio, a move expected to provide SAP customers with collaboration features similar to what rival Salesforce will have following its Slack acquisition. The Teams integration will provide SAP customers with a leading collaboration application. In return, Microsoft will offer Teams through the global software maker's products. "They want to keep the pressure on Salesforce," said Joshua Greenbaum, an analyst at Enterprise Applications Consulting.

(Source: techtarget.com, 27.01.2021)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 22.01.2021)

Enterprise Analytics Platforms: Competitive Landscape Assessment

 

 

Microsoft Power BI

Tableau Software 

Essential Analysis

Strengths

• Two Scales in One BI Tool: Power BI features an open and easily consumed business model. It speaks directly and convincingly to the current go-to-market trend toward an enterprise-scale solution that's also able to handle self-service, departmental use.

• Best of Both Worlds: Tableau is well known for its ability to support IT requirements while providing business users with tools for deep analysis that can be easily consumed via reports, dashboards, and storytelling tools.

• Hybrid Capable: Power BI readily supports both cloud and premises requirements for client capability, report publication, and data.

• In-Memory Database: With Hyper, its now-mature data processing engine, Tableau can process data both in-memory and over live connections. This gives better support for larger enterprise requirements.

• Machine Learning (ML) Capable: Microsoft is helping customers exploit ML analytical models, such as its recent launches of Azure Synapse and Azure Machine Learning and general rollout of automated ML within Power BI itself.

• Solid Growth: Tableau has shown consistent growth over the past five years. Its global customer base has now grown to about 86,000 accounts.

 

• Crowd Appeal: Tableau's customers include a sizable portion who are enthusiastic or even evangelical.

Limitations

• Complexity: The overall analytics portfolio is complex and requires much training to make the most of Power BI's potential.

• Victim of Success: Tableau has succeeded alongside larger BI solutions such as IBM Cognos Analytics and SAP BusinessObjects. However, as those vendors step in to build their own, competing solutions, that fortune is at risk.

• Azure-Centric: Power BI has grown increasingly dependent on the broader Azure platform for advanced functionality. This tends to reduce Power BI's value for customers who are heavily invested in competitive cloud platforms.

• Long-Term Edge: Salesforce completed the acquisition of Tableau for $15.7 billion in August 2019, providing Tableau

• Limited Parity: Power BI's considerable on-premises integration capabilities fail to find parity in cloud deployment. This stands at odds with other Microsoft products, such as SQL Server.

 
(Source: GlobalData , 21.01.2021)

Salesforce to buy Slack in $27.7bn deal aimed at competing with Microsoft

Marc Benioff’s company gains leverage against Microsoft’s threat with the largest acquisition in its 21-year history. Business software pioneer Salesforce.com is buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7bn in a deal aimed at giving the two companies a better shot at competing against longtime industry powerhouse Microsoft. The acquisition announced Tuesday is by far the largest in the 21-year history of Salesforce. The San Francisco company was one of the first to begin selling software as a subscription service that could be used on any internet-connected device instead of the more cumbersome process of installing the programs on individual computers. Microsoft also has been posing a threat to Salesforce’s main products, a lineup of tools that help other companies manage their customer relationships. Slack in July filed a complaint in the European Union accusing Microsoft of illegally bundling Teams into Office 365 in a way that blocks its removal by customers who may prefer Slack.

(Source: The Guardian(London), 13.12.2020)

Market Share Analysis: CRM Customer Service and Support, Worldwide, 2019

The $19.4 billion customer service and support market is driven by the demand for seamless multichannel customer experience supplemented by AI-assisted technologies, particularly digital and self-service. Providers should focus on AI-assisted and self-service conversations and case management.

Key Market Findings

  • The customer service and support (CSS) market grew 14.7% year over year to reach $19.4 billion in 2019.
  • The top 10 vendors held 58% of the CSS market revenue, whereas the next 20 vendors together contributed only 7% of the overall revenue, showing this is a significantly fragmented market.
  • North America has the majority stake in the CSS market with 59% share, followed by Western Europe at 21%. Japan, Eurasia and North America are the fastest-growing regions, having year-over-year growth rates of 18%, 17.4% and 16.4%, respectively.

(Source: , 12.12.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 02.12.2020)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 18.11.2020)

Market Share Analysis: CRM Sales Software, Worldwide, 2019

Salesforce Microsoft

Revenue 2019 $bn: 4.54

Growth: 13.3%

Market Share: 32.4%

Revenue 2019 $bn: 0.94

Growth: 12.5%

Market Share: 6.7%

Salesforce continued to dominate the CRM sales technology marketplace by registering an overall revenue of $4.5 billion in 2019. The company registered a market share of about 32% in 2019 and witnessed an average growth of 13.3% year over year (YoY) from 2018.

It enjoys dominance in the SFA market, where it registered approximately 53% market share in 2019 as compared with its competitors. Data from Gartner’s Peer Insights shows that Salesforce has consideration rates higher than 60%  for SFA projects among end users in competitive situations.

Working across all the multiple Salesforce modules or clouds, Salesforce’s customer data platform (CDP) — called “Customer 360 Audiences” — was released in October 2020. The platform provides a single source of truth for customers’ and prospects’ data that will eventually be shared across all Salesforce “clouds,” including Sales Cloud.

Microsoft jumped to second position in the CRM sales software providers space with sales revenue estimated to be $943 million in 2019.

With Dynamics 365 Sales Insights becoming available in late 2018, Microsoft enhanced its product offering with meaningful functions such as “who knows who” indicators and customer relationship health analysis. In order to increase and execute on its sales product vision, Microsoft expanded the integration to LinkedIn Sales Navigator with functions not available through other SFA vendors.

Working across all the Dynamics modules is its customer data platform (Customer Insights) released in 2019 that provides a single source of truth for customer and prospect data that will be shared across modules, including sales.
(Source: Gartner, 27.10.2020)

Microsoft Teams With Adobe and C3.ai to Take on Salesforce on Its Home Turf

Microsoft Corp. is teaming with Adobe Inc. and C3.ai, the company of customer-software pioneer Tom Siebel, in another bid to better compete with Salesforce.com Inc., the market leader for such programs.  Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, has been trying for more than 15 years to catch Salesforce. “Salesforce has done a fantastic job, but they have 20% share and therein lies the story — we talk about this as if it’s all over, and the reality is it is a pretty competitive market,” Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said in an interview. Called C3 AI CRM powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365, the software is available beginning Monday and will be jointly sold by the three companies.

(Source: bloomberg.com, 26.10.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 13.10.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 29.09.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 22.09.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 02.09.2020)

The Forrester Wave: Customer Analytics Technologies, Q3 2020

(Source: Forrester, 05.08.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 28.07.2020)

Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation

 

Microsoft

 Salesforce

Strengths

  • Product strategy and vision: Microsoft’s value proposition rests on a unified data model for all Dynamics products and Microsoft-related systems such as Office and LinkedIn.
  • Platform capabilities: Surveyed reference customers and Gartner Peer Insights reviewers praised the advantages of Microsoft’s platform for integration and rapid deployment. 
  • Sales execution: Microsoft sells to IT and business decision makers through a “One Microsoft” strategy and a Microsoft Catalyst program for digital transformation planning. Reference customers and Gartner Peer Insights reviewers gave Microsoft strong scores and ratings for its ability to understand buyers’ needs and respond to buyers’ questions. 
     

Strengths

  • Market strategy: Salesforce has a notably strong market strategy. It offers products for different customer segments, from small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to global enterprises. 
  • Market responsiveness: Salesforce delivers a comparatively high number of product enhancements to Sales Cloud. Also, reference customers gave it much higher scores for its vision for improving sales execution.
  • Capabilities for complex sales processes: Salesforce received praise for its ability to meet complex sales process requirements. Reference customers highlighted its scalability and flexibility to meet the needs of different sales teams. 

Cautions

  • Reporting: Some reference customers stated that Microsoft’s reporting features are too hard to use, require a lot of building and are too simplistic. Microsoft also received comparatively low scores for reporting and dashboard capabilities from reference customers.
  • Product functionality: Reference customers gave Microsoft’s application comparatively low scores for core and noncore SFA capabilities. 
  • Pricing: Microsoft changed its SFA pricing model in October 2019, with no tiered discounting applicable. For midsize and large enterprise clients, this means a $95 per user per month SKU or Microsoft Relationship Sales at $130 per user per month. 
     


Cautions

  • Product strategy: Several of the most advanced functionalities are available only via add-on purchases. Specifically, companies that want off-the-shelf functionality for lead qualification must purchase Salesforce’s sales acceleration product, High Velocity Sales. 
  • Pricing: Reference customers  identified issues with the price of Salesforce Sales Cloud, with contract flexibility, and with the overall contracting experience.
  • Product adoption: Reference customers  expressed concerns about the learning curve associated with the complexity of Salesforce Sales Cloud. Several clients have made similar observations, stating that they will not consider Salesforce because of the complexity of its software.
     
(Source: Gartner, 28.07.2020)

Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management

Microsoft Salesforce

Strengths

  • Platform: Microsoft’s Azure IoT (Hub and Central), Power Platform (Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Flow and Common Data Service) and mixed-reality (Remote Assist, which includes guidance authoring, sensor visualization and collaboration) offerings have been tailored to FSM use cases. 
  • Sales execution: We estimate that Microsoft generated one of the largest numbers of user license additions of the vendors in this Magic Quadrant. 
  • Deployment modes: Microsoft offers a high degree of choice in terms of deployment. 

Strengths

  • Innovation: Salesforce Einstein (AI) makes warranty, safety and parts recommendations during scheduling. FSL includes preconfigured bots for appointment booking via messaging.
  • Market share growth: FSL’s market share has grown substantially, even without considering the addition of customers of the acquired vendors ClickSoftware and MapAnything. 
  • Platform and alliances: The Salesforce FSL platform has attracted significantly more ISV solutions and even field service alternatives than any other offering from vendors in this Magic Quadrant.

Cautions

  • Industry strategy: The core Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service product is designed to be horizontal, so customers must rely on Microsoft’s partners for industry expertise, strategy and best-practice templates.
  • Product depth: Organizations with complex functionality requirements should assess Microsoft partners’ capabilities and their own internal capabilities to close gaps using the platform.
  • Thought leadership: In the FSM market, Microsoft’s thought-leading content and press coverage are limited, given the company’s size. Also, Microsoft tends to focus on capabilities of the platform rather than on how its FSM could help a client differentiate itself.

Cautions

  • Implementation and licensing costs: Salesforce’s licensing costs are the highest of the vendors we reviewed. Salesforce received the lowest scores from reference customers for satisfaction with implementation costs and time to achieve an ROI. 
  • Product maturity/depth: Several product areas (such as equipment-centric service, mobile debrief, invoicing and analytics) are unproven, too simplistic or missing built-in best  practices. 
  • Expectation management and support: Gartner consistently hears from clients that Salesforce did not provide the guidance needed to plan for or avoid heavy implementation, development, integration or time investments before beginning their projects.
(Source: Gartner, 06.07.2020)

Salesforce nimmt es mit Microsoft Teams und Slack auf

CRM-Anbieter Salesforce hat ein Collaboration-Tool à la Slack lanciert. Die Anwendung Salesforce Anywhere beinhaltet eine Chat-Funktion und die Möglichkeit, sich gemeinsam Websites anzusehen. Bis zur Veröffentlichung dauert es aber noch ein paar Monate.

Salesforce reagiert auf den Trend zum Homeoffice und präsentiert ein neues Angebot namens Salesforce Anywhere. Es sei eine "Kombination aus leistungsstarken neuen Technologien und Plattformservices, die Unternehmen dabei unterstützen, neue Ebenen der Produktivität und des Kundenerfolgs in dieser neuen Normalität zu erschliessen", schreibt das Unternehmen in einer Mitteilung. Vertrieb, Service und Marketing jedes Unternehmens sollen damit von jedem beliebigen Ort aus agieren können. 

(Source: netzwoche.ch, 29.06.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 28.06.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 28.06.2020)

Magic Quadrant for the CRM Customer Engagement Center

Microsoft Salesforce
Strengths
  • Advancing platform: The Dynamics 365 CEC offering builds on the same codebase as the Microsoft Power Platform, which is a low-code platform that spans Microsoft 365.
  • Intelligent customer service: One of Microsoft’s focus areas is on bringing AI capabilities like Azure Cognitive Services, Microsoft Bot Framework and Power Virtual Agents together to provide more intelligent customer service experiences for both customers and agents.
  • Integration and automation: Dynamics 365 Customer Service provides extensive support for the integration of multiple line-of-business applications. Customer engagements are supported by a unified agent view and rich RPA capabilities for end-to-end customer service.

Strengths

  • Vision: Salesforce’s global presence, market impact and vision to transform customer service is unmatched so far by other vendors in this market.
  • Voice services: The introduction of Service Cloud Voice (general availability planned for 3Q20) will give customers the option to bring new, preintegrated voice services through Amazon Connect. This will be in addition to the vendor’s ability to integrate with other contact center voice offerings.
  • Platform add-ons: Being part of the extensible Salesforce platform, complemented by the AppExchange marketplace, the Ignite customer innovation program and the Trailhead learning platform and community, helps Salesforce differentiate its Service Cloud product with more features and functions.
Cautions
  • Digital engagement capabilities: Microsoft has made strides over the past year to reduce dependency on third-party integration for digital channels, but the feature set is new and not market-tested. This year, Dynamics 365’s digital engagement capabilities received the lowest scores out of all vendors evaluated.
  • Support team synergies: Reference customers reported that Microsoft appears to be siloed and resource-constrained between the Azure and Dynamics teams. Companies that are shortlisting Microsoft and expecting greater synergies between its offerings should fully investigate what these component capabilities actually bring.
  • Solution layering: Reference customers gave the Dynamics 365 solution layering a low score because of application life cycle management practices for migration of customer solutions between test, UAT and production environments.
 Cautions
  • Diffuse products: Customers continue to struggle with the lack of native integration, and with the architectural differences between the different Salesforce Clouds.
  • Inconsistent service providers: Service providers implementing Salesforce functionalities show inconsistent capabilities, which leads to troubled implementations and loss of agility in the speed of deployment.
  • Prices and contracts: Reference customers for Salesforce expressed concerns about high prices and vendor lock-in after integrating multiple Salesforce components or adding third-party components for industry-specific implementations, interactive voice response and telephony infrastructure.

 

(Source: Gartner, 02.06.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 13.05.2020)

Microsoft & Amazon Lead Top 5 Beyond $150 Billion in Cloud Revenue in 2020

Despite the massive economic toll being wrought by COVID-19, Microsoft’s strong Q1 cloud-revenue growth indicates that the 5 largest cloud vendors could defy the pandemic’s impact and generate cloud revenue of $150 billion in 2020.

This is admittedly a totally speculative endeavor, but I think it’s worthwhile given the vast uncertainty about what’s in store for the global economy in the months ahead.

(Source: cloudwars.co, 30.04.2020)

Market Share: Customer Experience and Relationship Management, Worldwide, 2019

Total Software Revenue for Customer Experience and Relationship Management Segments and Regions, 2018-2019 (Millions of U.S. Dollars)

  Sum of Revenue (M) Share %  
Vendor 2018 YR 2019 YR 2018 YR 2019 YR
Salesforce 9.420,1 11.376,0 19,3% 20,1%
SAP 3.172,0 3.572,5 6,5% 6,3%
Oracle 2.667,3 2.877,7 5,5% 5,1%
Adobe 1.800,8 2.375,8 3,7% 4,2%
Microsoft 1.302,0 1.497,3 2,7% 2,6%
Genesys 1.272,9 1.301,7 2,6% 2,3%
Epsilon 1.044,0 1.097,0 2,1% 1,9%
Zendesk 535,1 729,1 1,1% 1,3%
Mailchimp 600,0 680,0 1,2% 1,2%
Verint 621,5 660,5 1,3% 1,2%
(Source: Gartner, 30.04.2020)

NO CURRENT REPORTS

(Source: MI, 21.04.2020)

The Forrester Wave™: Healthcare CRM Providers, Q1 2020

Salesforce lights it up with strong interoperability and configurability. Salesforce, long known for its extensive cloud partner ecosystem, offers a foundational healthcare solution that can be configured by clients or by channel partners with serious chops in healthcare. The vendor lacks pedigree in this space as a relatively new entrant, and it only recently pivoted to developing vertical-specific capabilities within healthcare. This is a weakness, but what it lacks in tenure, it makes up with a solid industry-leading customer success practice (via Trailhead) and industry partnerships across the healthcare value chain. Its roadmap is focused on embedding intelligence, furthering interoperability, and expanding support for home health, remote monitoring, and SDoH. 

Microsoft brings enterprise scale but needs more OOTB healthcare capabilities. Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides a CRM system that handles healthcare data with ease, but it lacks the healthcare specificity that HCOs need to win new customers. Microsoft's strengths are evident in its extensive partner ecosystem and strong go-to-market strategy focused on getting its customers using and ramped on its CRM offering. Reference customers selected Dynamics 365 because they were existing customers and the solution easily fit into their existing tech stacks. The vendor's healthcare experience is not as extensive as that of others in this evaluation. While it may be by design, customers perceive its emphasis on its partner ecosystem as a weakness. Its roadmap focuses on rounding out table-stakes items, like personalized outreach, referral analytics, and segmentation that leverages data that most HCOs would have available in other systems (such as HEDIS). 

(Source: Forrester, 12.03.2020)

Microsoft Leads $101B SaaS Market Followed By Salesforce, Adobe

The same five enterprise software giants continue to lead in SaaS, but they only hold half the market between them. Collaboration and HR solutions are the fastest-growing segments. While Infrastructure-as-a-Service is dominated by a few hyperscale giants, the cloud-based application market remains diverse and wide-open—Microsoft ended the fourth quarter as the leading player with 17 percent share. Salesforce, which Microsoft overtook as the SaaS leader in 2016, followed with a 12 percent share. Adobe took third place with 10 percent, and SAP and Oracle both brought up the rear of the top five with 6 percent share. 

(Source: crn.com, 09.03.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 25.02.2020)

Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms

Microsoft Salesforce

Microsoft is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant. It has a comprehensive and visionary product roadmap and massive market reach through its Microsoft Office channel.

Microsoft offers data preparation, visual-based data discovery, interactive dashboards and augmented analytics in Power BI. It is available as a SaaS option running in the Azure cloud or as an on-premises option in Power BI Report Server. Power BI Desktop can be used as a stand-alone, free personal analysis tool. Installation of Power BI Desktop is required when power users are authoring complex data mashups involving on-premises data sources.

Salesforce is a Visionary in this Magic Quadrant. It remains strongest in terms of augmented analytics functionality, but other vendors are catching up. Furthermore, questions about how Salesforce Einstein Analytics and Tableau will be positioned for the future are creating uncertainty among customers.

On 1 August 2019, Salesforce completed its acquisition of Tableau — the most significant market change of the year. The addition of Tableau gives Salesforce enormous customer, product and channel momentum, but it also introduces uncertainty. Salesforce already had a very robust product line that heavily overlapped with Tableau’s. 

Strengths

“Viral” spread: Although the price of Power BI Pro, at $10 per user per month, has helped the product’s market traction, this is secondary to its inclusion in Office 365 E5, which makes it “self-seeding” in many organizations.  Power BI is now almost always mentioned by users of Gartner client inquiry service who ask about ABI platform selection.

Product capabilities: With the releases in 2019, the Power BI Pro cloud service overtook most of its competitors in terms of functionality. It outstripped many by including innovative capabilities for augmented analytics and automated ML. The vast majority of Microsoft’s surveyed reference customers would recommend Power BI without qualification.

Comprehensiveness of product vision: Microsoft continues to invest in a broad set of visionary capabilities and to integrate them with Power BI. This aligns well with the openness, consumerization and automation trends identified by Gartner as key market drivers.

Strengths

Embedded analytics: Einstein Analytics is much more likely to be embedded in business applications — commonly Salesforce’s own apps — than other ABI platforms. This propensity for embedded deployment, coupled with strong workflow integration, will become a major factor in customers’ selection decisions.

Literacy of partner ecosystem and developer marketplace: Salesforce has over 36,000 Einstein Analytics community members, and their numbers have been growing at 50% to 75% a year. Moreover, Salesforce Trailhead provides an effective way to measure the literacy of community members.

Support for large deployments: According to the survey of reference customers, almost one- quarter of Salesforce’s respondents had deployments with more than 5,000 users, which is much higher than the survey average.
 

Cautions

On-premises version: Compared with the Power BI Pro cloud service, Microsoft’s on-premises offering has significant functional gaps, including dashboards, streaming analytics, prebuilt content, natural language Q&A, augmentation (what Microsoft calls Quick Insights) and alerting. 

Azure-only: Microsoft does not give customers the flexibility to choose a cloud IaaS offering. Its offering runs only in Azure.

Connectivity: Power BI offers a very wide range of data connectors, but feedback from users of Gartner’s client inquiry service indicates that the query performance of on-premises data gateways is variable and requires effort to optimize. 

Cautions

Threat to augmented analytics lead: In 2019, Salesforce’s competitors made significant progress in closing the gap with Einstein Analytics’ differentiation in terms of augmented analytics. Salesforce is defending its position by innovating. 

Cost: Salesforce’s Einstein Analytics is one of the highest-priced platforms on the market.

Rarity of use as enterprise standard: Surveyed reference customers for Salesforce indicated that Einstein Analytics is unlikely to be deployed as the enterprise standard.
(Source: Gartner, 11.02.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 28.01.2020)

Microsoft Pushes Cloud Services to Retailers Anxious to Avoid Amazon

Microsoft Corp. is unveiling new cloud tools designed for retail customers, seeking to position itself as an alternative to Amazon.com Inc. and corporate software companies like Slack Technologies Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc.

Retail customers are also key to Microsoft’s competition with Salesforce, the leader in cloud-based customer relations software. Microsoft announced the official release of its Dynamics 365 Commerce software for helping retailers manage inventory, scheduling, call centers, e-commerce sites and in-store operations. The company said outerwear maker Canada Goose Holdings Inc. has been using it. 

(Source: Bloomberg, 09.01.2020)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 17.12.2019)

no current reports

(Source: MI, 10.12.2019)

Together again? Microsoft and Salesforce deepen cloud partnership despite years of rivalry and rifts

Microsoft and Salesforce are strengthening their relationship, putting aside a complicated history for a new cloud partnership. Salesforce will move its Marketing Cloud off its own infrastructure to Microsoft’s Azure cloud. The deal gives Microsoft another boost in its cloud challenge to Amazon Web Services, just a few weeks after it beat out its cross-town rival for a $10 billion contract to build new infrastructure for the U.S. Department of Defense.

(Source: geekwire.com, 14.11.2019)

Advances in Customer Engagement Platforms: 2019–20

Microsoft

Salesforce
Microsoft under CEO Satya Nadella's leadership has successfully positioned the company for the realities of big data, ubiquitous connectivity, real-time response and agile adaptability that are the essential components for digital businesses and the digital transformation challenges facing every enterprise. At its heart, Microsoft is a software technology company and every layer and component of technology has been refreshed from Azure Cloud IaaS, Microsoft Power BI, industry leading analytics platform big data, and streaming technologies all the way up to business applications portfolio that has evolved into a unified platform – Microsoft Dynamics 365, released on November 1, 2016. Dynamics 365 has progressively been able to take advantage of the underlying enabling technology developments, and like its more serious competitors, has substantially evolved from a traditional CRM solution into an intelligent CEP.  Salesforce won the traditional CRM battle for market leadership, but the challenge to keep up with customers' rising expectations, especially for any-channel convenience has changed the basis of competition. CRM systems of record, often deployed to solve departmental challenges, are now being rapidly replaced by CEPs that transcend individual departments. We are still some way from what Ovum refers to as dynamic orchestration of the customer experience, but leading CEPs like the Customer 360 Platform are well on their way. Salesforce has strengthened its competitive position and ability to step up to this more complex customer challenge, through judicious acquisitions while organically augmenting existing capabilities in each of its component products.    

Microsoft is well positioned for real-time customer engagement at massive scale

  • Azure Cloud Services provide several advantages to Dynamics 365.
  • Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – a foundation for intelligent and relevant personalization.
  • The unified environment makes omnichannel service real for agents and field service engineers.
  • Sales force automation gets the AI and Power BI boost, collaborative selling, and mixed reality support.
  • Two types of marketing are provided – simple or ultra-scalable.

Strategic acquisitions and developments boost Salesforce's Digital Transformation 

  • The Customer 360 Platform has evolved into a customer engagement platform.
  • The MuleSoft acquisition increases the strategic value of Salesforce's Customer 360 Platform.
  • Critical developments in customer data management and AI fuel better outcomes.
  • Salesforce's industry focus is bearing fruit and adding greater value.
  • myTrailhead emphasizes that a culture of learning is essential for customer success.
  • Blockchain finds a home in support of collaborative ecosystems and supply provenance.
(Source: OVUM, 26.09.2019)

The Forrester Wave: Enterprise Marketing Software Suites, Q3 2019

Salesforce

Salesforce takes on CX to connect customer journeys. Salesforce appears to succeed with a “go big or go home” ethos, as evidenced by arguably the broadest CX solution, the most clients, and outsized market positioning. But the true strength of its vision isn’t pure scale; quite the opposite. It’s the imperative to go small by supporting granular customer journeys for individual customers. Since our last evaluation, Salesforce has built on its core messaging, social, and advertising capabilities with expansions into real-time engagement with the release of Interaction Studio; analytics with the acquisition of Datorama; and data handling with the initial release of Customer360 and acquisition of MuleSoft.

The relentless pace at which Salesforce acquires companies and releases products is dizzying. Rapid-fire innovation benefits marketers, but Salesforce must continuously reconcile and assimilate numerous new and overlapping technologies, putting clients in the precarious position of deciphering vague product announcements, interpreting a complex product road map, and determining how to adopt new offerings. Strategically, Salesforce is making smart investments to fill gaps and integrate customer journeys, particularly in measurement and creating intersections between marketing and advertising, which has delighted clients. The company also commits significant resources to cultivating, training, and supporting its client community to the degree that Salesforce is often cited by users as a career enabler as much as it is a technology. Salesforce’s EMSS offering will appeal to clients who are committed to the broader range of Salesforce customer experience solutions and require balanced functionality incorporating inbound, direct, and digital marketing.

(Source: Forrester, 25.09.2019)

Which PaaS solutions is your organization currently using or considering using within the next two years? (%)

Azure Continues to Lead the Way in PaaS 

Platform-as-a-Service solutions (PaaS) are growing rapidly and are frequently deployed using containerization. We asked respondents which PaaS solution their organization is currently using or would consider deploying over the next two years. Microsoft’s Azure ranked first on current usage at 44% (up from 33% prior year), followed by Salesforce’s App Cloud at 31% (up from 29%). IBM Cloud rounded out the top 3 again at 31%, just shy of Salesforce’s app cloud. Further, 80% of respondents we polled are either using or considering Microsoft’s Windows Azure PaaS, followed by App Cloud at 67% and IBM Cloud at 63%.  

Azure PaaS Usage Growth vs 2018 Survey Encouraging

Overall, the rise in the number of respondents leveraging Azure PaaS in 2019 vs a year ago highlights that Azure is continuing to resonate with more organizations.  Furthermore, it supports our view that growing usage of Azure PaaS and IaaS will be the key driver of Azure revenue growth going forward. 

(Source: Cowen Equity Research, 11.07.2019)

Dynamics 365 Revenue Forecasts FY18-FY25

Dynamics 365 Has a Long Runway Ahead

MSFT’s Dynamics business solutions, which includes its on-premise ERP & CRM offerings and Dynamics 365, is part of the Productivity and Business Processes reporting segment.  MSFT does not report Dynamics revenue explicitly, but because it reports total Office revenue and LinkedIn revenue in its filings, we estimate Dynamics revenue is equal to the remainder of Productivity & Business Processes revenue after backing out Office and LinkedIn.  To calculate the mix between on-premise and 365, we leveraged the Dynamics 365 growth rates provided and management’s commentary that the cloud portion of Dynamics surpassed 50% for the first time in F3Q19.  As such, we estimate Dynamics 365 revenue of $1.3BN in FY19, up ~46% y/y. Longer term, we expect Dynamics 365 revenue to rise from $1.7BN in FY20 to $4.5BN in FY25, representing a 22% CAGR. 

(Source: Cowen Equity Research, 11.07.2019)

CONTACT
Market Insights in cooperation with T-Systems Partner Management

Thomas Looschen
T-Systems International GmbH
Market Insight
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E-Mail: Thomas.Looschen@t-systems.com
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