Oracle’s top leadership kicked off their annual CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 10, focusing on the multicloud future while emphasizing a customer-centric approach. CEO Safra Catz took the stage to applaud the partnerships Oracle has cultivated over its nearly 50-year history.
On the eve of the event, Oracle made several significant announcements, including the launch of Oracle Database@AWS in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and expansions of existing agreements with Google and Microsoft. Catz highlighted how many of Oracle’s former rivals are now evolving into technology partners and expressed Oracle’s desire to be a more collaborative ally for its users. She showcased a lineup of Oracle’s biggest clients to underscore this point.
“There’s no doubt that our 47 years at Oracle are now coalescing around two key aspects,” Catz remarked. “First, incredible technological capabilities, and second, you—our customers—who are the driving force behind all of this. Many of you have been with us for years, and I hope you’ve noticed our transformation. We’re no longer just a technology provider; we’re now your partner in bringing that technology to life.”
Sharing the stage with Catz was Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts, who began his career as a bartender and worked his way up. He spoke about MGM’s development alongside Las Vegas as it evolved from a small gambling town into a global resort and business hub, now attracting sports fans with the arrival of Formula 1 and a Major League Baseball franchise.
At the start of the 2020s, Hornbuckle embraced Oracle Fusion and quickly recognized its advantages, especially when his business had to close during Covid-19 lockdowns. He is now focusing on leveraging AI across his extensive hotel empire, which includes 14 properties and tens of thousands of rooms in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts receives approximately 15,000 to 20,000 inbound calls daily for reservations and inquiries but only converts around 20%. To improve efficiency, the organization is exploring AI solutions to manage the remaining 80% effectively. Ultimately, Hornbuckle aims to use Oracle to create personalized experiences for repeat visitors by analyzing their behaviors and preferences.
Other notable clients taking the stage included the CIA—Oracle’s first customer back in the mid-1970s when Larry Ellison developed a database program for them—and banking giant BNP Paribas. These organizations praised how they utilized Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to enhance their IT and data management capabilities, with CIA CISO La’Naia Jones likening the agency to any other enterprise.
Later in the day, Larry Ellison, who recently turned 80, elaborated on the theme of transforming long-time competitors into multicloud partners. He noted that the initial shift to the cloud had obscured the notion of interoperability among systems, but that is now evolving, as demonstrated by Oracle’s new partnership with AWS.
“Customers typically use one, two, or even three different infrastructure clouds,” Ellison stated. “But currently, these clouds don’t integrate seamlessly. Some customers want to migrate their Oracle databases and associated applications to AWS and utilize the Oracle Exadata Database cloud service within that environment.”
He emphasized the potential of multicloud interconnectivity, highlighting the importance of embedding Oracle Cloud data centers directly within AWS to optimize functionality. The Oracle Database@AWS collaboration is set to launch in December 2024, and both Ellison and AWS CEO Matt Garman reported significant interest from clients eager to explore the opportunities it presents.
Ellison suggested that the rise of true multicloud offerings signals a transformative moment in enterprise computing, offering Oracle customers greater convenience and flexibility through connections with major hyperscalers and beyond. “The fascinating aspect of this multicloud landscape is that whichever cloud you consider your primary, you can seamlessly integrate with other clouds—both infrastructure and application—and customize the applications and services you require,” he concluded.
