Digital transformation is not just another project for us: Oracle's Gaonkar

Technology decisions are no longer an exclusive domain for the IT function and the whole C-suite is deeply involved, says Guruprasad Gaonkar

How do you see emerging technologies changing the way cloud is being used today?

We are going through one of the most transformative times where we are building the company’s growth plans in another unseen world — which we call the Eighth Continent (EC) — the digital world of limitless opportunities. In this continent, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, internet of things (IoT) are like powerlines connected to a power-source — the cloud. All emerging technologies when consumed in small use cases, will typically yield deceptively easy success. But scaling emerging technologies is an entirely different task and is hard. A thousand blooming new technologies if consumed in silos will lead you to a messy world of entangled systems.

Like we consume cloud with our favourite personal apps on mobile, for businesses, too, we observe that the cloud is becoming a necessity. In the EC, the real opportunity for businesses to leverage every emerging technology consumes continuous innovation at a never seen before scale. The emerging technologies are the building blocks that are creating new opportunities and drive amazing breakthroughs at scale in the cloud.

What are the changes in customer expectations as digital transformation gathers pace across industries? 

Digital transformation is not a project but a board mandate, and on this journey, customers see in us a partner who will go with them hand in hand and help them achieve their business objectives. The growing prevalence of Oracle subscription business models and next-generation technologies is fuelling large-scale digital transformations to make our customers more productive, smarter, and faster. Therefore, moving to Oracle SaaS has become more of a “when” choice than an “if ”. And the biggest driver for that shift is Oracle SaaS’s ability to deliver more relevant innovation, much faster. Oracle SaaS today has both the broadest and the deepest capabilities whether it is for customer experience, HR, finance or supply chain. For Oracle SaaS customers, these translate into three main things. First, speed, agility and to be able to drive business outcomes. Second, to completely eliminate complexity that comes with traditional organisational structures and procedures. Third, access to sophisticated tools and embedded innovations such as AI, IoT, blockchain etc to drive business value.

What are some of the trends you foresee in the SaaS market in India and globally?

Businesses, irrespective of size, across geographies and sectors, are driving change today, adopting new practices at scale and experimenting with new technologies. Technology decisions are no longer an exclusive domain for the IT function and the whole C-suite is deeply involved in these decisions. This is a new norm, where businesses have realised direct impact of technology on efficiency, cost effectiveness, accelerated innovation and connected business results. Companies will simplify their IT infrastructure; and focus spending more time on business result. In short, companies understand the direct connection between technology and their business outcome. This change opens up huge opportunities for companies like us and deliver that business impact to customers.

How must technology companies prepare for the fast-changing demands of enterprises?

The future belongs to those who offer complete, end-to-end, services and drive continuous innovation. Oracle is the only player in the world to offer this on all three layers of the cloud — SaaS, Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) — which is why there is no company that comes close to us as a whole. When it comes to start-ups, Oracle for Startups is creating a virtuous cycle of innovation by blending start-up ingenuity with enterprise resources to deliver transformative solutions to the customers.