Could AWS Dethrone Azure at the Department of Defense?

There’s never a dull moment in the world of cloud, that’s for sure. Get the latest scoop this week, from an update on the ongoing JEDI saga to a new product integration to some interesting quarterly results.

AWS May Stand a Chance at JEDI After All

We now know why work on the Department of Defense’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project ground to a halt last month.

Recently unsealed federal court documents show that Judge Patricia E. Campbell agreed with Amazon Web Services that Microsoft’s bid contained a “host of errors.”

The DoD last fall awarded the potentially $10 billion project to Microsoft Azure, prompting AWS to cry foul. AWS contends President Trump, in his ongoing public beef with the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post, told officials to “screw” Amazon, according to multiple reports.

AWS further says Microsoft’s technology didn’t actually meet certain requirements and, therefore, should have been disqualified. AWS says the storage platform Microsoft proposed to use for JEDI is “noncompliant” because it does not allow for online and replicated storage, SiliconANGLE reported.

Campbell agreed that AWS “likely is correct,” the outlet noted, and that the DoD probably should have dinged Microsoft, a move that would have strengthened AWS’ chances of winning JEDI.

“The court considers it likely that [AWS’] chances of receiving the award would have increased absent defendant’s evaluation error,” she wrote, per FedScoop.

Microsoft has taken issue with the opinion. In a statement distributed to multiple media outlets, a spokesman said: “The decision disagreed with a lone technical finding by the Department of Defense about data storage under the evaluation of one sub-element of one price scenario. We have confidence in our technology, our bid, and the professional staff at the Department of Defense. We believe that we will ultimately be able to move forward with the work. Time matters because those who serve our country urgently need access to this essential modern technology.”

The federal court has yet to rule on the AWS case against Microsoft and the Department of Defense. All parties remain tied up in procedural matters, which take a long time.

Calabrio-Twilio Integration Improves ‘Human Experience’

Calabrio, which develops software for contact centers, now integrates with Twilio’s programmable cloud contact center platform, Flex.

Calabrio’s Matt Matsui

Pairing the two companies’ expertise combines the capabilities of workforce engagement management and contact center as a service, the vendors said.

“There is a shift in the marketplace as customers desire a connected environment rather than disparate systems or data silos,” said Matt Matsui, chief product officer at Calabrio.

In practical terms, contact centers now may use one out-of-the-box platform for routing communication and workflows, expanding channels, capturing data, conducting quality evaluations, using analytics and more. Other features include forecasting and scheduling agents for interactions, tapping into interaction analytics, and sending important information to agents to elevate the customer experience, according to the companies.

Calabrio’s Ross Daniels

For channel partners, the Calabrio-Twilio integration means the ability to offer more scalable, customizable and data-driven capabilities, Ross Daniels, vice president, global partner organization at Calabrio, told Channel Futures.

“The integration between Calabrio One and Twilio Flex is all about making our combined offering simpler and better, with the human experience in mind,” Daniels said. “Calabrio One and Twilio Flex help modern contact centers to more seamlessly predict and plan resources, map customer interactions and gather impactful analytics that ultimately empower agents and customers alike. Calabrio’s more than 200 reseller partners can offer Calabrio One to customers today for integration with Twilio Flex.”

Oracle Revenue Exceeds Expectations Thanks to Cloud

Oracle saw higher quarterly revenue than analysts and investors expected, thanks to its cloud software and services.

Total revenue rose nearly 2% to $9.8 billion, beating analysts’ average estimate of $9.75 billion, Reuters reported. Profit fell to $2.57 billion in the third quarter that ended Feb. 29, down from $2.75 billion.

The cloud services and license support unit, however, which makes up more than half of Oracle’s revenue, grew 4% to $6.93 billion.

That proved solid momentum for a vendor that has had some difficulty keeping pace with AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.