WebProNews

Tag: Cloud Computing

  • Oracle Beats Guidance on Strong Cloud Performance

    Oracle Beats Guidance on Strong Cloud Performance

    Oracle reported its quarterly results, beating guidance as a result of strong cloud results.

    Oracle is currently fighting for market share in the cloud market, behind leaders AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Nonetheless, the company has been making solid progress, thanks to its being able to offer the full stack of database and cloud solutions.

    In its most recent quarter, the company’s revenue hit $11.2 billion, an increase of 8% year-over-year. Net income came in at $4 billion, or $1.37 per share, an increase of 29%.

    Cloud services and license support revenue came in at $7.4 billion, an increase of 8%. Meanwhile, cloud license and on-premise license revenue came in at $2.1 billion, an increase of 9%.

    “Our Q4 performance was absolutely outstanding with total revenue beating guidance by nearly $200 million, and non-GAAP earnings per share beating guidance by $0.24,” said Oracle CEO, Safra Catz. “Our multi-billion dollar Fusion and NetSuite cloud applications businesses saw dramatic increases in their already rapid revenue growth rates: Fusion ERP was up 30% in Q3 and up 46% in Q4, Fusion HCM was up 23% in Q3 and up 35% in Q4, NetSuite was up 24% in Q3 and up 26% in Q4. Oracle Fusion is the world’s biggest cloud ERP business; Oracle NetSuite is the world’s second biggest cloud ERP business. Revenue from our Gen2 Cloud Infrastructure business including Autonomous Database grew over 100% in Q4. The accelerating growth rates of both our applications and infrastructure cloud businesses this year drove earnings per share growth up to 21% in FY21. That is the fourth consecutive year of double-digit earnings per share growth at Oracle Corporation.”

    “The world’s two most popular databases are the Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle MySQL,” said Oracle Chairman and CTO, Larry Ellison. “The Oracle Database once again delivered solid revenue growth in FY21. And while our Oracle Database business as measured by revenue currently dwarfs our MySQL database business—that is about to change because the latest version of Oracle MySQL has been upgraded to include a revolutionary new ultra-high-performance parallel processing query engine called HeatWave. Independent analysts have tested and confirmed that Oracle MySQL with HeatWave runs 10 to 100 times faster than Amazon’s version of MySQL called Aurora. This technological breakthrough is causing several of Amazon’s customers to start moving their Aurora workloads to Oracle MySQL. And industry analysts are telling us they are seeing a 10x increase in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure customer inquiries. Both the Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle MySQL with HeatWave technology have captured the technology high-ground in the cloud database business—and that bodes well for the future of the Oracle Cloud.”

  • Howard University and AWS Collaborate for Student Training

    Howard University and AWS Collaborate for Student Training

    Howard University has announced it is collaborating with AWS to help train students and give them a pathway to a cloud-based technical career.

    Cloud computing has become one of the most important trends in modern computing. Especially as the pandemic impacted the world, cloud computing became a vital lifeline, helping organizations remain productive.

    AWS is currently the leading cloud provider, and the company is working to help train the next generation of cloud experts. Its collaboration with Howard University is a big part of that, with concepts from AWS Educate included in the university’s curriculum. The university is also creating a new master’s degree program with an emphasis on data science, one that will include cloud computing elements.

    “Howard’s collaboration with AWS is focused on empowering students at various levels to learn and master the skills needed for a cloud career, exposing them to exciting opportunities throughout their educational experience,” said Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph. “We’re engaging our middle school to introduce concepts early on, and creating advanced courses to give our graduate students a competitive edge when pursuing cloud careers. We are also making sure our educators are skilled-up with the tools and resources required for teaching, learning, and creating entrepreneurial ventures for African American and minority communities.”

    “Amazon launched the Howard Entertainment Program in 2019 to build the next generation of entertainment industry executives,” said Director Kim Majerus, US Education, State and Local Government at AWS. “As we expand our collaboration with the university, AWS is excited to support talented and ambitious Howard students on their cloud career journeys. Howard University is a lighthouse institution not far from Amazon’s HQ2 facility, and we are preparing students not just for potential jobs with our company, but in-demand cloud positions across industries and sectors that need skilled technical talent.”

  • Salesforce Announces First Global Dreamforce 2021

    Salesforce Announces First Global Dreamforce 2021

    Salesforce has announced Dreamforce 2021, the first such global event, with both virtual and in-person elements.

    Dreamforce is the premier event for Salesforce and its ecosystem of partners and customers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, like most companies, Salesforce took its event digital. Doing so helped it reach an unprecedented audience, some 140 million worldwide.

    Salesforce is eager to build on that success by taking Dreamforce 2021 global with in-person events. The conference will be held September 21-23, 2021, in San Francisco, New York City, London and Paris, as well as digitally.

    “We’re thrilled to bring Dreamforce back as an in-person experience, and we can’t wait to bring all our Trailblazers together for a completely new brand experience,” said Sarah Franklin, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Salesforce. “Whether you join us in person or online, it will be the most innovative and immersive Dreamforce ever — another example of how, in this new all-digital world, we can achieve success from anywhere.”

    Salesforce has been one of the biggest companies to permanently embrace remote work and flexible office policies, so it’s nice to see the company committed to ongoing digital events.

  • Amazon, Microsoft and Google Bidding on $1 Billion Boeing Cloud Contract

    Amazon, Microsoft and Google Bidding on $1 Billion Boeing Cloud Contract

    The Big Three in the cloud industry are bidding on a contract for Boeing, valued at $1 billion.

    Amazon, Microsoft and Google are the top three cloud providers and routinely try to outbid each other for major contracts. According to The Information, their latest point of competition is a multi-year cloud contract for Boeing.

    The contract has special significance for Amazon and Microsoft since both companies are based in the Seattle area, like Boeing itself. Winning the contract would give either company a big local win, and allow them to represent another local icon.

    The deal is thought to be worth at least $1 billion over the next several years.

  • Oracle Offering Arm-Based Cloud Computing

    Oracle Offering Arm-Based Cloud Computing

    Oracle has announced it is offering Arm-based cloud computing, using processors from Ampere Computing.

    Arm Holdings designs semiconductors and licenses those designs to other companies. The processors offer a combination of power and efficiency that make them ideally suited for use in compact spaces, making them the preferred chips for smartphones and tablets. Those same qualities also make them ideal for data center operations, where cooling and power requirements are at a premium.

    Oracle now joins Amazon as one of the companies offering Arm-based cloud computing services, powered by Ampere A1 Compute chips. Oracle is touting its cost, a mere one cent per core hour, as the industry’s lowest cost per core.

    “We see increasing demand for server-side Arm computing and adding Arm-based compute instances to our extensive portfolio of offerings enables customers to pick and choose the right processors for their workloads,” said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “Now customers who need an Arm platform for development can get the flexibility, scalability, and price-performance they need. We’re also making it really easy for developers to move their apps and develop new ones on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.”

    “Ampere instances on OCI is a breakthrough for developers. Oracle’s Free Tier is a great offering that allows them to test the OCI Ampere A1 compute platform and experience the first-cloud native processor that delivers predictable performance, scalability and power needed,” said Renee James, founder, chairman and CEO, Ampere Computing. “The Oracle Cloud has all the tools developers need to try new technology, get excited about new platforms and develop new applications.”

    Arm semiconductor adoption in the data center is another increasingly worrying sign for Intel. While Arm has dominated the mobile market, Intel was the king of traditional computers and the data center. Last year, however, Apple announced it was switching its Mac platform to its own custom silicon, based on Arm designs. Microsoft has started following suit, pushing Windows on Arm.

    With Amazon and Oracle both supporting Arm-based cloud computing, Intel’s last stronghold is now under full assault.

  • Huawei Sees Cloud Success Wooing Government Buyers

    Huawei Sees Cloud Success Wooing Government Buyers

    Huawei is seeing early success with its pivot to cloud computing, despite concerns about the potential security threat it poses.

    Huawei was one of the leading telecom firms in the world, making a popular line of smartphones and leading the industry in wireless network equipment. The company increasingly found itself under scrutiny from governments and intelligence agencies around the world, with concerns it provided an avenue for Beijing to spy on others.

    The US, in particular, took an aggressive stance against the Chinese firm, banning it from networks and pressuring allies to do the same. Around the world, countries followed suit, excluding Huawei from 5G rollouts, or explicitly banning it altogether. The US also successfully cut the firm off from much of its semiconductor supply, putting its smartphone business in jeopardy.

    Huawei began pivoting to other businesses, including cloud computing, in an effort to diversify and offset its losses. It appears the strategy is paying off, as governments around the world are embracing the company’s cloud offerings.

    According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Reconnecting Asia Project, developing economies and emerging markets are especially welcoming of Huawei.

    Emerging markets focus: The majority of deals (57 percent) are in countries that are middle-income and partly-free or not free. Africa leads the way with 36 percent of deals, followed by Asia (20 percent), the Americas (17 percent), Europe (17 percent), and the Middle East (10 percent).

    It appears Huawei is finding success bundling its services as part of a larger package, including giving customers access to funding from Chinese banks.

    Effective sales pitch: Huawei promises major commercial benefits to prospective customers, usually packages the delivery of hard infrastructure with services (60 percent of deals), and harnesses financing from Chinese policy banks to sweeten offers (nearly all deals for which financing could be identified).

    Interestingly, although perhaps not surprisingly, many of the countries embracing Huawei are ones that are considered “not free” or “partly free.”

    Non-liberal: 77 percent of deals are located in countries that are considered either “not free” (34 percent) or “partly free” (43 percent) according to Freedom House ratings.

    Huawei is clearly looking to achieve a degree of immunity from sanctions and bans from the West. It appears to have found a niche that is allowing it to do just that.

  • France Clears Microsoft and Google’s Cloud Technology for Sensitive Data

    France Clears Microsoft and Google’s Cloud Technology for Sensitive Data

    France has decided Google and Microsoft’s cloud technology can be used for sensitive data — with caveats.

    As cloud computing becomes more important to organizations around the globe, there is a growing concern about the risk of US surveillance of cloud data. The EU, in particular, has increasingly looked with suspicion and distrust at US providers.

    France appears to have come up with a solution, clearing Microsoft and Google’s technology for use in sensitive applications, according to Reuters. France will allow the companies’ technology to be used as part of a homegrown solution, as long as the servers are operated on EU soil and the companies storing and processing the data are European-owned.

    “We therefore decided that the best companies – I’m thinking in particular of Microsoft or Google – could license all or part of their technology to French companies,” said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.

    Companies that help create solutions meeting France’s requirements will receive a “trustworthy cloud” label.

    “We… hope that other Franco-American alliances will emerge in this area, which will allow us to have the best technology while guaranteeing the independence of French data,” said Minister for Digital Affairs Cedric O.

  • SAP Admits to Illegal Software Exports to Iran

    SAP Admits to Illegal Software Exports to Iran

    SAP entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ), admitting it illegally exported thousands of copies of its software to Iran.

    SAP is the one of the leading enterprise software companies in the world, with a focus on ERP, cloud and IoT solutions. The company does business all over the world, requiring it to adhere to the laws and regulations of the many countries it operates within.

    Unfortunately, the company has run afoul of the US, ignoring sanctions and export restrictions against Iran. As a result, SAP has entered a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ, admitting it sold thousands of copies of its software to Iran, and agreeing to penalties and restitution.

    Under the terms of the agreement, SAP will pay combined penalties of more than $8 million. SAP will disgorge $5.14 million of the money it received through the illegal sales.

    “Today’s first-ever resolution pursuant to the Department’s Export Control and Sanctions Enforcement Policy for Business Organizations sends a strong message that businesses must abide by export control and sanctions laws, but that when they violate those laws, there is a clear benefit to coming to the Department before they get caught,” said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “SAP will suffer the penalties for its violations of the Iran sanctions, but these would have been far worse had they not disclosed, cooperated, and remediated. We hope that other businesses, software or otherwise, we heed this lesson.”

    “By supplying Iran with millions of dollars’ worth of illegally exported software and services, SAP circumvented U.S. economic sanctions against Iran—pressure that is intended to end Iran’s malign behavior. However, it was SAP that first uncovered and reported this sanctions violation, and we would like to thank them for working hard to enhance their compliance program to prevent future violations,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta for the FBI’s Boston Division. “Let this case be a lesson to others that it’s better to self-report and own up to one’s mistakes than undermine U.S. foreign policy and adversely affect our national security.”

  • IBM Announces SaaS Cloud Pak for Zero Trust Security

    IBM Announces SaaS Cloud Pak for Zero Trust Security

    IBM is going all-in on zero trust security, with the introduction of a Software as a Service (SaaS) version of Cloud Pak for Security.

    In the age of cloud computing, zero trust security is viewed as an essential component. Traditional security focuses on maintaining a perimeter, within which the devices connected to that network are trusted. In cloud computing, however, there is no clear perimeter. As a result, each device must be treated with zero trust.

    “Our customers need to secure their rapidly changing business environments without causing delays or friction in their daily operations,” said Mary O’Brien, General Manager, IBM Security. “It’s not uncommon to have users, data and applications operating in different environments. They all need to connect to one another quickly, seamlessly, and securely. A zero trust approach offers a better way to address the security complexity that is challenging businesses today.”

    IBM is helping companies embrace zero trust security for their operations, with its SaaS Cloud Pak for Security.

    “With a mobile workforce and data residing everywhere, the Internet has become our primary network,” said Mauricio Guerra, CISO for The Dow Chemical Company who will participate in IBM Think on May 11. “Embracing a zero trust architecture enables us to add new capabilities and strengthen security. Working with partners like IBM Security and Zscaler can help us provide users with secure remote access to all of our locations, as well as access to applications wherever and however they are hosted.”

    “Working from anywhere, combined with enterprises’ move to SaaS and the cloud, has effectively rendered the perimeter security model obsolete and traditional security defenses ineffective,” said Jay Chaudhry, Chairman, CEO and Founder of Zscaler. “The only way to truly secure today’s digital businesses is to adopt a zero trust security model where validated user identity is combined with business policies for direct access to authorized applications and resources. Our alliance partnership with IBM Security, as part of the Zscaler Zero Trust Ecosystem, is helping organizations and their employees fully embrace working from anywhere while protecting enterprise data.”

  • Alphabet Scores Big on Google Ad Revenue

    Alphabet Scores Big on Google Ad Revenue

    Alphabet released its latest results, reporting a strong quarter on rebounding ad revenue for Google.

    Like many companies that rely on advertising, Alphabet was initially impacted by the pandemic. A year in, however, the company’s ad business has recovered and is continuing to grow.

    According to the results, Google’s sales came in just under $45 billion, a 32% increase over the previous year. Alphabet’s overall revenue, including Google ad sales, cloud business and device sales, increased 34% from the previous year.

    “Over the last year, people have turned to Google Search and many online services to stay informed, connected and entertained,” said CEO Sundar Pichai. “We’ve continued our focus on delivering trusted services to help people around the world. Our Cloud services are helping businesses, big and small, accelerate their digital transformations.”

    “Total revenues of $55.3 billion in the first quarter reflect elevated consumer activity online and broad based growth in advertiser revenue,” said CFO Ruth Porat. “We’re very pleased with the ongoing momentum in Google.”

  • AWS and Google Win Israeli Government Contract for Cloud Services

    AWS and Google Win Israeli Government Contract for Cloud Services

    The Israeli government has chosen AWS and Google Cloud to provide cloud services for the government and defense systems.

    The Nimbus Project is the government’s initiative to construct a cloud infrastructure and migrate its operations to the cloud. According to The Jerusalem Post, AWS and Google won the bid over several of their biggest rivals.

    The two IT giants will set up cloud-based data centers, as the first step in a plan to move much of the government’s IT infrastructure to the cloud, at an initial investment of NIS 4 billion. They beat out bids on the project from Microsoft, Oracle and IBM.

    The contract is a big win for the first and third largest cloud providers. AWS, in particular, has a long history of providing cloud services for the US government. This was no doubt a factor, as the company is accustomed to working within governmental security concerns.

    The Post’s source also believe AWS may have been chosen for the additional benefits it can bring to the Israeli economy, since opening a cloud region in Israel would open the door to significant investments and job opportunities.

  • Dell May Sell Its Boomi Cloud Business

    Dell May Sell Its Boomi Cloud Business

    On the heels of its announced spin-off of VMware, Dell Technologies may be looking to sell its Boomi cloud business as well.

    Michael Dell has been on a mission to streamline the company that bears his name, and Dell has been offloading the various businesses it has acquired over the years, including RSA and VMware. According to Bloomberg, Dell is now exploring a sale of Boomi.

    Boomi specializes in helping companies integrate the various cloud platforms they use. It’s believed a sale of the business could be worth as much as $3 billion. The business could be an asset to any number of other companies looking to expand their cloud offerings.

    According to Bloomberg’s sources, the talks are still in their early stages and may not come to fruition.

  • J.P. Morgan Raises Alphabet Price Target

    J.P. Morgan Raises Alphabet Price Target

    J.P. Morgan has raised the price target for Alphabet stock to $2,575 from $2,390, citing the company’s fundamentals.

    The advertising industry was hit especially hard in the early days of the pandemic. Like many companies, Google’s parent initially faced challenges and uncertainty as a result. Advertising has since rebounded, and Alphabet has been aggressively diversifying into other business, especially cloud computing.

    According to TheStreet, J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth believes those fundamentals put the the company in a good position to benefit long-term.

    “We remain positive on Alphabet, as we believe it is well positioned across ads, clouds, and a number of other key initiatives to both drive and benefit from long-term digital trends,” Anmuth wrote.

    “And it has an attractive combination of top-line scale, growth and margins, supporting our view that valuation remains attractive at 27 times our 2022 estimated Alphabet GAAP earnings per share, or 22 times our 2022 estimated GAAP earnings per share excluding cash and other bets.”

  • IBM Acquiring myInvenio to Provide AI-Powered Automation

    IBM Acquiring myInvenio to Provide AI-Powered Automation

    IBM’s spree of purchases continues, with a deal to acquire myInvenio to help provide AI-powered automation.

    IBM is moving aggressively with its plans to reinvent itself as a hybrid cloud provider. The company is preparing to split into two companies, spinning off its legacy business. To better position the core business as a cloud provider, IBM has been on a slew of acquisitions in an effort to shore up its portfolio of products and services.

    myInvenio is a company based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, that specializes in helping companies find inefficiencies in their business processes and make the necessary improvements.

    myInvenio capabilities reveal inefficiencies, bottlenecks and tasks that can benefit from automation, to help organizations significantly reduce their operating costs and improve customer service. Simulations can be run to assess automation opportunities to measure the benefits of applying automation at the outset of the automation journey. By analyzing historical process execution data and desktop behavior, myInvenio technology can help determine where to apply RPA bots, automated decisions, AI models, and other automations to have the most impact on a business.

    The acquisition underscores IBM’s determination to become a “one-stop shop of AI-powered automation capabilities.” Once the deal closes, myInvenio’s capabilities will be integrated into IBM’s Automation portfolio, including IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation.

    “Digital transformation is accelerating across industries as companies face increasing challenges with managing critical IT systems and complex business applications that span the hybrid cloud landscape,” said Dinesh Nirmal, General Manager, IBM Automation. “With IBM’s planned acquisition of myInvenio, we are continuing to invest in building the industry’s most comprehensive suite of AI-powered automation capabilities for business automation so that our customers can help employees re-claim their time to focus on more strategic work.”

    “Through IBM’s planned acquisition of myInvenio, we are revolutionizing the way companies manage their process operations,” said Massimiliano Delsante, CEO, myInvenio. “myInvenio’s unique capability to automatically analyze processes and create simulations — what we call a ‘Digital Twin of an Organization’ — is joining with IBM’s AI-powered automation capabilities to better manage process execution. Together we will offer a comprehensive solution for digital process transformation and automation to help enterprises continuously transform insights into action.”

    No price was disclosed, and IBM expects the deal to close by the end of the quarter.

  • Microsoft Acquiring AI Firm Nuance

    Microsoft Acquiring AI Firm Nuance

    Microsoft is acquiring Nuance in a deal worth some $19.7 billion, Microsoft’s second-largest acquisition, in a bid for the healthcare cloud market.

    Microsoft has been working for some time to provide industry-specific cloud options. Healthcare is a one of the big industries the companies is focusing on, with its Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare that was introduced last year.

    Nuance is a company specializing in “conversational AI and cloud-based ambient clinical intelligence for healthcare providers.” The company’s PowerScribe One and Dragon line of software is used by a majority of US hospitals, doctors and radiologists.

    “Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise AI,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “AI is technology’s most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application. Together, with our partner ecosystem, we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals everywhere to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections, as we accelerate growth of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and Nuance.”

    “Over the past three years, Nuance has streamlined its portfolio to focus on the healthcare and enterprise AI segments, where there has been accelerated demand for advanced conversational AI and ambient solutions,” said Mark Benjamin, CEO, Nuance. “To seize this opportunity, we need the right platform to bring focus and global scale to our customers and partners to enable more personal, affordable and effective connections to people and care. The path forward is clearly with Microsoft — who brings intelligent cloud-based services at scale and who shares our passion for the ways technology can make a difference. At the same time, this combination offers a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful and certain value to our shareholders who have driven and supported us on this journey.”

    The acquisition is an all-cash deal, has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards and is expected to close by the end of the year.

  • Microsoft Working on Second Microsoft 365 Outage in as Many Weeks

    Microsoft Working on Second Microsoft 365 Outage in as Many Weeks

    Microsoft is working to address an outage with Microsoft 365, the second time in as many weeks.

    Users started reporting issues with Microsoft 365 late Thursday afternoon, with DownDetector showing some 8,000 reports. Microsoft initially said it was investigating a DNS issue that was the suspected cause of the problem.

    As of late Thursday evening, Microsoft was mitigating most of the issues, but had not completely resolved them.

    The outages are an embarrassment for Microsoft at a time when people are relying on Microsoft 365 more than ever before.

  • Cloud Computing Could Eliminate 1 Billion Metric Tons of CO2 Emissions by 2024

    Cloud Computing Could Eliminate 1 Billion Metric Tons of CO2 Emissions by 2024

    International Data Corporation (IDC) has published new research that indicates cloud computing could eliminate 1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2024.

    Climate change is increasingly coming front-and-center as an issue for governments and companies alike. One of the promises of cloud computing is the potential to be more environmentally friendly.

    IDC has quantified just how much cloud computing could positively impact the environment, concluding it could eliminate 1 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions between 2021 and 2024.

    Much of this is due to the increased efficiency that comes with aggregated computing resources, and the ability to use economy of scale to improve cooling and power utilization. Another important factor is the ability of cloud computing to shift workloads around the globe, including to areas where renewable energy are more widely used.

    “The idea of ‘green IT’ has been around now for years, but the direct impact of hyperscale computing can have on CO2 emissions is getting increased notice from customers, regulators, and investors and it’s starting to factor into buying decisions,” said Cushing Anderson, program vice president at IDC. “For some, going ‘carbon neutral’ will be achieved using carbon offsets, but designing datacenters from the ground up to be carbon neutral will be the real measure of contribution. And for advanced cloud providers, matching workloads with renewable energy availability will further accelerate their sustainability goals.”

    Cloud computing has already been kicked into overdrive as a result of the pandemic, enabling remote workers to stay productive regardless of their location. IDC’s latest report adds further impetus to cloud adoption, making it the responsible option for climate-friendly companies.

  • Goldman Sachs: Microsoft Could Climb 38%

    Goldman Sachs: Microsoft Could Climb 38%

    Goldman Sachs has added Microsoft to its “Conviction List,” touting “sustained double-digit” revenue growth.

    Microsoft is currently the second-place cloud company, behind AWS. Nonetheless, the company is seen as being in a particularly strong position, thanks to its legacy business and potential to help its clients move to the cloud.

    According to Business Insider, Goldman Sachs is now calling for a $315 price target on Microsoft’s stock, a 38% increase over Monday’s close. Goldman highlighted the company’s cloud potential, saying Microsoft is “well-positioned to capitalize on a number of long-term secular trends, including public cloud and SaaS adoption, digital transformation, AI/ML, BI/analytics, and DevOps (amongst others).”

    Microsoft has been one of the biggest winners during the pandemic, with a majority of polled companies planning on increasing their Azure and Microsoft SaaS spending. In fact, a higher percentage of respondents planned on increasing their spending on Microsoft, as opposed to those planning on increasing their AWS spending.

    Wedbush recently raised their own target from $260 to $270, while acknowledging a bull-case possibility of $300 a share. It appears Goldman Sachs is a even more bullish with their $315 target.

  • Boardroom Meets Holodeck: Microsoft Intros Mixed Reality Microsoft Mesh

    Boardroom Meets Holodeck: Microsoft Intros Mixed Reality Microsoft Mesh

    Microsoft has introduced Microsoft Mesh, a new mixed-reality experience that could revolutionize remote work, communication and socialization.

    Ever since Star Trek popularized the concept of the Holodeck, people the world over have dreamed of the day when it would be a reality. Microsoft is taking a big step toward that goal with its Microsoft Mesh mixed reality technology.

    Mixed reality, as its name suggests, mixes virtual reality with real-life objects and people. Unlike straight virtual reality, mixed reality offers certain advantages, especially for meetings, socializing and some training scenarios.

    Powered by Azure, Microsoft Mesh “uses 3D capture technology to beam a lifelike image of a person into a virtual scene,” a process the company refers to as “holoportation.” The technology will allow individuals to hold meetings, collaborate, socialize and more using a lifelike, photorealistic likeness.

    “This has been the dream for mixed reality, the idea from the very beginning,” said Microsoft Technical Fellow Alex Kipman. “You can actually feel like you’re in the same place with someone sharing content or you can teleport from different mixed reality devices and be present with people even when you’re not physically together.”

    Many companies have been working on virtual and mixed reality applications, but Microsoft has just raised the bar for what can be accomplished with the technology.

  • IBM Announces IBM Cloud Satellite, General Availability of its Hybrid Cloud Service

    IBM Announces IBM Cloud Satellite, General Availability of its Hybrid Cloud Service

    IBM has announced that its hybrid cloud service is now generally available to all clients, a major step in the company’s transformation.

    IBM announced in October that it would split into two companies. Its legacy business would be spun out as a separate company, while the core business focused on hybrid cloud. Since the announcement, IBM has been on a buying spree, snapping up smaller companies and startups that can help it achieve its goal.

    The company’s hybrid cloud service is now widely available, via its IBM Cloud Satellite service. The service is also integrated with Lumen Technologies’ edge platform to bring IBM’s cloud offerings to edge computing clients.

    “With the Lumen platform’s broad reach, we are giving our enterprise customers access to IBM Cloud Satellite to help them drive innovation more rapidly at the edge,” said Paul Savill, SVP Enterprise Product Management and Services at Lumen. “Our enterprise customers can now extend IBM Cloud services across Lumen’s robust global network, enabling them to deploy data-heavy edge applications that demand high security and ultra-low latency. By bringing secure and open hybrid cloud capabilities to the edge, our customers can propel their businesses forward and take advantage of the emerging applications of the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

    IBM is working with more than 65 ecosystem partners — including Cisco, Dell and Intel — to ensure customers can run their hybrid cloud workloads in any environment, thanks to IBM Cloud Satellite. Service partners will also offer migration and deployment services to help customers make the transition. IBM Cloud Satellite customers will have access to Red Hat OpenShift-certified software via the Red Hat Marketplace.

    “IBM is working with clients to leverage advanced technologies like edge computing and AI, enabling them to digitally transform with hybrid cloud while keeping data security at the forefront,” said Howard Boville, Head of IBM Hybrid Cloud Platform. “With IBM Cloud Satellite, clients can securely gain the benefits of cloud services anywhere, from the core of the data center to the farthest reaches of the network.”

  • Salesforce Announces Record Quarter, Slack Impacts Guidance

    Salesforce Announces Record Quarter, Slack Impacts Guidance

    Salesforce has announced its fourth quarter results, turning in a record-breaking quarter and raising its fiscal 2022 revenue guidance.

    Marc Benioff has long had the goal of Salesforce surpassing $20 billion in a year. Salesforce managed to do that, and then some, in fiscal 2021. Total revenue was $21.25 billion, up 24% year-over-year.

    Fourth quarter revenue was up 20%, year-over-year, coming in at $5.82 billion.

    “We never could have predicted a year ago what was in store, which makes me incredibly proud of how well we pivoted our company to adapt to this pandemic world,” said Marc Benioff, Chair & CEO of Salesforce. “We had a record quarter and year by innovating more and faster than ever, enabling our customers to be successful from anywhere, and becoming more relevant and strategic than ever. And we continued to serve all of our stakeholders in a time when they needed it most.”

    The company also raised its fiscal 2022 revenue guidance to between $25.65 billion and $25.75 billion, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.42 billion. However, Salesforce is projecting lower-than-expected profit, between $3.39 and $3.41 per share, as opposed to the $3.49 analysts were expecting. The stock was down 3.9% as a result of the guidance.

    Much of the hit to the projected profit is as a result of the Slack acquisition, valued at $27.7 billion. Even though Salesforce expects Slack to contribute $600 million to its revenue in the fiscal year, that’s still a far cry from the purchase price, and it will take some time before the acquisition pays for itself.