Breaking Analysis with Dave Vellante

The Road to ‘Service-as-Software.’ Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff is articulating a bold vision for the next era of enterprise software. In an exclusive interview with theCUBE on April 25, 2025, Benioff outlined how AI-driven agents and a unified data architecture will transform Software as a Service (SaaS) into what we’re calling “Service as Software” – a model where software-based digital agents augment every business process. The Salesforce chief has often quipped that today’s CEOs are “the last generation of executives leading exclusively human workforces,” underscoring his conviction that AI agents (what many call agentic AI) will soon work alongside humans in every enterprise. Our premise is that this “digital labor” revolution could be more disruptive than the cloud and mobile waves of 15 years ago, fundamentally redefining how applications function.

 In this Breaking Analysis, we focus on Salesforce’s Agentforce and Data Cloud strategies – the twin pillars of its agentic vision – and how they position the company to become what we call the first software-only hyperscaler. We also examine the broader industry context, including competitive dynamics with Microsoft and Salesforce’s interoperability with platforms like Snowflake, Databricks and AWS.

FULL ARTICLE: https://thecuberesearch.com/276-breaking-analysis-salesforce-agentforce-data-cloud-a-path-to-the-software-only-hyperscaler/

As the RSAC 2025 Conference approaches, key themes are emerging that are set to dominate the world’s largest cybersecurity gathering. Industry dynamics are shifting rapidly – from AI enabling higher velocity threats, an intensified platform consolidation debate, high-profile M&A, rising interest in AI agents (with somewhat tepid adoption in cyber), and shifting security budget priorities.

Our research shows that though cybersecurity remains a top priority for information technology leaders, it is not immune from macroeconomic headwinds. Moreover, geopolitical tensions have heightened perceived and actual threats, causing a large portion of customers to change their spending habits. On balance, cybersecurity remains the most challenging sector in tech, where 100% success is virtually unattainable; and failure can cripple a firm’s brand.

In this Breaking Analysis, we dig into Enterprise Technology Research’s Annual State of Security Research (free download). We’ll examine the macro picture in cybersecurity, share the shifting spending patterns and priorities exposed in the research, examine the hype and realities of platform consolidation, and share which companies chief information security officers feel are helping them innovate to fight the fight.

At last week’s AI Agent Builder Summit, hosted by Scott Hebner of theCUBE Research, the hype around “agentic AI” – autonomous software agents that can orchestrate complex tasks – was on full display. Demos and keynotes painted a bold vision of AI-driven business processes. But scratch beneath the surface, and a sobering reality emerges– Most enterprises are far from ready to reap the benefits of fully autonomous agents. Much work needs to be done to realize the full promise of agentic systems, including organizational alignment to create a true data culture, cleaning up data silos, harmonizing that data, assigning data ownership, data product thinking, getting governance and security right, choosing technology partners, rationalizing SaaS and on-prem applications portfolios, and of course change management to get all this done. Starting the journey toward an agentic enterprise is an exciting imperative, but in our view will take the better part of a decade to realize its full promise. 

In this Breaking Analysis, we put the summit’s optimism into context, examine why enterprise adoption of agentic AI is on a slower trajectory than the hype would imply, and update our “yellow brick road” to agentic – i.e. the stepping stones required to get to the promised land of agentic automation.

00:00 - Transformative Technologies: Navigating Google's Cloud and AI Landscape
02:00 - Google Cloud Next 2025: Analyzing Revenue and Market Position
04:48 - Analyzing Cloud Services: Insights from the ETR Survey
08:53 - Google's Growth in AI/ML
11:26 - Analyzing Growth and Revenue in Cloud Services
16:54 - Profitability and Operating Margin
19:39 - Strategic Capital Allocation and Competitive Edge Analysis
23:05 - Data Stack and Industry Partnerships
26:42 - Conclusion and Closing

00:00 - Intro
00:06 - Bridging Perspectives: Navigating Collaboration in Analyst Relations
03:01 - Engaging with Modern Analysts and Influencers
05:13 - Navigating Trust and Innovation in the Tech Landscape
09:00 - Exploration of Collaboration and Storytelling
12:42 - Bringing Analysts and Journalists Together
18:03 - The Role of Analyst Relations in Business Strategy
22:29 - Guiding Principles for Effective AR Practices
30:46 - Impact of AI on Analyst Relations
36:48 - Navigating Success: Insights and Journeys in Analyst Relations