Oracle CloudWorld put a spotlight on AI, multi-cloud ecosystems, and customer-driven innovation. The event, held September 9 – 12 in Las Vegas had plenty of big moments and strategic announcements, as Oracle pushed its technology forward while grappling with the complex realities of an AI-driven, multi-cloud world.

Below are Raven Intelligence’s 15 key takeaways from this year’s event:

1. The Multi-Cloud Era Has Arrived
The days of cloud exclusivity are over. Oracle Chairman & Founder, Larry Ellison, announced a significant shift in the industry, emphasizing that the future is open and multi-cloud: “The clouds are becoming open. They’re no longer walled gardens.” This move allows businesses to integrate Oracle’s solutions seamlessly with AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, offering customers greater flexibility and innovation through a best-of-breed approach.

2. AI Takes Center Stage (and is embedded and included at no additional costs to customers) and is embedded within Oracle’s offerings. Steve Miranda, Executive VP of Applications, revealed that Oracle has launched “over 100 generative AI use cases” across its product suite. From creating job descriptions to performance reviews and AI-generated business insights, Oracle is leading the charge to make AI easily accessible to customers.

3. Autonomous Agents Are the Future of Work
Autonomous AI agents, the next frontier in AI, are designed to handle routine tasks without intervention. Oracle is focused on developing AI-powered agent-based workflows, where intelligent agents can assist users in completing tasks and synthesizing information across the suite. This includes integrating policy documents, system data, and contextual information to provide accurate and personalized responses.

4. Data Security as a Top Priority in AI
Oracle is taking a firm stance on data security in its AI implementation. “We never pass any of your data to a large language model or use your data to train it,” said Miranda. The CIA has been an Oracle customer since 1977 and Chief Information Officer Na’Laia Jones said “we appreciate Oracle takes security as seriously as us.” (pictured with Safra Catz, Oracle Chief Executive Officer.)

5. “Completeness of Suite, Completeness of Tech” is primarily why customers are choosing Oracle over competitors. Offering a full stack of applications from HCM to supply chain, finance, and customer experience, Oracle’s integrated approach is a major draw for businesses seeking a one-stop-shop for digital transformation. Within HCM, Oracle has maintained a strong win rate of 55-60% against its primary competitors, Workday and SAP, in the North American market. The company’s focus on product integration, extensibility, and user experience has been instrumental in these wins.

6. Global Data Center Expansion
Oracle’s cloud data center footprint now spans “162 public and private cloud data centers around the world,” giving customers more regional options for data storage and ensuring compliance with local regulations.

7. Oracle Is Betting Big on AI Infrastructure
Ellison noted that Oracle’s infrastructure supports some of the largest AI operations globally, including those for NVIDIA and OpenAI. With heavy investments in AI training, Oracle is positioning itself as a leader in the AI arms race.

8. The Rise of Redwood (user interface layer)
Oracle is actively transitioning its customers to the Redwood user experience, with 30% on Redwood now and 50% of the HCM customer base in the process of moving. The new Redwood interface offers a more modern, responsive, and intuitive experience, further enhancing employee engagement. Customers must be on Redwood in order to utilize the new generative AI capabilities.

9. Growth & Adoption of HCM
Oracle’s HCM customer base now encompasses 45 million employees, with a growth rate of 18-20% per quarter. They’ve seen high adoption rates across talent modules, including recruiting, learning, performance, goals, payroll, and workforce management. They are now up to 14 global payrolls (including new countries added: France and Ireland.)

10. Oracle ME is AI-powered, contextual, personalized.

Oracle’s HCM suite is now AI-powered, delivering personalized user experiences based on personas. This AI integration makes day-to-day HR tasks more intuitive and productive, enhancing both the employee and manager experience.

11. Password-Free Future
Oracle envisions a future where passwords are obsolete. Plans to phase out traditional authentication methods in favor of biometric security are already underway, starting with internal users (no passwords for Oracle employees by the end of 2025) and eventually extending to customers.

12. Digital Transformation Stories as Proof of Concept
Customer success stories took center stage, with many companies sharing their digital transformation journeys (while utilizing the full suite of Oracle applications). DHL, CIA, Caesar’s Entertainment, Wendy’s, Kroger, MGM and Cloudfare (among others) spoke of the use of the broad spectrum of Oracle applications and partnership approach.

13. Certified Implementation Partners Increase.
The # of certified consultants (partner orgs) has grown 48% in the past year, resulting in higher customer success rates and 48% decrease in service requests (per Gary Miller, EVP Customer Success Services)

14. General release of Oracle Cloud Success Navigator, a tool which aids in customer support / success was announced. Success Navigator automates the initial setup of applications (like HCM), provides best practice examples, and enables communications of future upgrades (currently in production for 40 customers)

15. New Partner Levels Announced

Oracle services partners can elect for 3 different partnership levels depending on their firm’s size and scope. All partners are able to access Oracle’s training and enablement, Go-to-Market materials and Success Support. Partner credits, which are awarded based up volume of delivery, can be used for more advanced training and support.

Oracle CloudWorld 2024 highlighted the company’s commitment to innovation, particularly in the areas of AI, multi-cloud capabilities, and security. While Oracle’s ambitious vision offers exciting potential, the success of these advancements will depend on how well businesses can adapt and implement them. For organizations looking to enhance their digital transformation, Oracle’s evolving suite of solutions provides a promising pathway.

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