This year’s Google Cloud Next exceeded expectations, for the first time organised at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with 30,000 attendees on site. The audience was treated by Google to ideas and excitement about the future of Cloud and innovation – and of course AI – powered by Google Cloud. Most of the sessions are available to (re)watch online.
We were incredibly proud to be there, to soak it all in and to get inspired to build what’s next for our customers. And to see three of our Devoteam experts taking the stage, showcasing the depth of Google Cloud and AI expertise as an awarded Google Cloud Managed Services partner.
AI galore at Google Cloud Next
Google Cloud Next is more than just a technology conference. It’s a display of how businesses across industries can leverage cloud technology to gain a competitive advantage.
And this year’s agenda at Next was packed with Google Cloud customers taking the stage and sharing their success stories.
It started already in the opening keynote of the conference, in which Thomas Kurian and Sundar Pichai (connecting through a prerecorded video) highlighted the AI investments Google Cloud is making in its solutions and technologies.
AI success stories
Not surprisingly, many of those success stories involve the use of AI to drive business value throughout Cloud solutions in the domains of data, security, IT infrastructure and app modernisation, and collaboration & communication. According to Google, more than 300 customers and partners shared their gen AI successes at Google Cloud Next this year.
Where last year’s edition of Google Cloud Next already talked a lot about AI, but more scratching the surface with early experiments and theoretical value for organisations, this year it all became much more concrete.
It leaves us wondering if there’s any business challenge AI can’t solve, now or in the future? The era of AI is definitely here.
An AI powered soccer coach
At the exhibition space, Google Cloud showed off some very cool demos powered by its AI technology.
One example was the AI soccer coach, powered by Gemini in Vertex AI. Attendees could test their own soccer skills by hitting a penalty. The AI coach analysed the kick, with as a result tips for improvements of the kick (and a very cool card). See Google Cloud’s recent LinkedIn post to see this AI soccer coach in action.
Key themes that resonate at Google Cloud Next
Google Cloud Next ’24 showcased several major areas of focus that should be on the radar of any leader interested in the cloud’s potential:
- The rise of generative AI: As mentioned before; AI is now present in all big Cloud topics. And it’s mainly Generative AI stealing the show. From powerful language models to image and code generation tools, generative AI was inescapable at Next. Expect it to revolutionise how businesses create content, engage with customers, and optimise processes.
- Security at the forefront: Google Cloud’s commitment to robust and proactive security solutions was apparent. With increasing cyber threats looming, having a cloud partner dedicated to secure solutions is critical for any business.
- Sustainability as a driver: Google emphasised its push for sustainable cloud infrastructure and solutions. This is an essential consideration as businesses move towards a more environmentally responsible future.
Stay tuned for our Devoteam experts’ articles about their highlights of news, solution and product updates around AI, data, work transformation, IT infrastructure and app modernisation announced at Next (128 announcements in total! See Google Cloud’s blog here for an overview).
These new expert articles are coming soon to this blog.
Devoteam speakers on stage at Google Cloud Next 2024
Beyond the incredible keynotes and breakout sessions, the most valuable part of Next is connecting with the community, sparking conversations, and gaining inspiration from others in the Google Cloud ecosystem.
That pride extended to seeing our Devoteam colleagues share their expert insights on stage!
- Sijohn Mathew, Solutions Architect at Devoteam G Cloud Sweden: Retail reimagined: Where AI, serverless computing, data, and APIs meet
- Payam Ebrahimi, Chief Technology Officer at Devoteam G Cloud Netherlands: Devoteam presents a proactive observability ecosystem hybrid multi cloud
- Ruben Blazquez Cob, IT Infra and App modernisation tribe lead Sweden at Devoteam G Cloud: Lightning talk about sustainability at the Champions and Certified Lounge in Innovator’s Hive
Reimagining Retail: How AI is Shaping the Future of Shopping
Sijohn Mathew, a Solutions Architect at Devoteam with extensive experience in the retail sector, spoke about how he believed AI would change the industry. You can re-watch his session at Next 2024 here.
The retail industry is standing at the precipice of a profound transformation, driven by the revolutionary capabilities of Generative AI (Gen AI). With an increasing number of organisations recognising its potential, the stage is set for AI to reshape the retail landscape in ways previously unimaginable.
A staggering 82% of organisations believe that Gen AI will significantly alter their industry. This sentiment is further reinforced by a McKinsey study, which suggests that 75% of the potential value Gen AI can unlock in retail lies in four pivotal areas: marketing, sales, customer operations, and software engineering.
A proactive observability ecosystem hybrid- /multi-cloud
When building an application in the cloud one must be mindful of all the integrations, governance, security, and manageability aspects. In this session, Devoteam G Cloud’s Chief Technology Officer for the Netherlands Payam Ebrahimi joined Googlers Fahd Ekadioin and Rania Mohamed on stage at Google Cloud Next to share how Devoteam supports Google Cloud customers by designing and implementing a self-improving and self-healing architecture using an event-driven observability solution that provides well-governed self-service for developers.
In this architecture, telemetries are collected from multiple sources, such as hybrid cloud and on-premise applications. Check this link to see the slide deck used during the session, including reference architectures.
Partner Awards at Partner Summit
It was an honour for Devoteam to receive no less than four Google Cloud Partner of the Year 2024 awards, in person at Partner Summit at Google Cloud Next 2024 in Las Vegas.
Read more in this press release.
Why Google Cloud Next matters for business and IT leaders
Here’s why, as a business or IT leader, you won’t want to miss Google Cloud’s yearly flagship event Google Cloud Next, or local Google Cloud Summits:
- The bleeding edge of innovation: experience firsthand the latest product launches, feature announcements, and visionary concepts directly from Google Cloud innovators.
- Practical solutions for real-world challenges: Learn from industry leaders and experts on solving common business and technology hurdles with tailored cloud solutions.
- Networking on a global scale: Engage with like-minded peers, potential partners, and Google Cloud professionals – expand your network while staying ahead of the curve.
What’s next?
Missed Google Cloud Next 2024 in Las Vegas this year? No worries, the Next event experience is coming to a city near you soon! Google Cloud is organising several Google Cloud Summits in cities across EMEA & South-East Asia during the entire year.
Devoteam is a proud sponsor of no less than 16 of these Google Cloud Summits.
Be sure to visit our booth & connect with our experts in Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, London, Munich, Frankfurt, Prague, Zurich, Vienna, Barcelona, Stockholm, Warsaw, Lisbon and Jakarta.
More info on these events is coming soon.
Don’t Miss Out in 2025
If you’re passionate about transformative technology and exploring innovative ways to drive business value, also mark your calendars for Google Cloud Next 2025.
Taking place again 9-11 April in 2025 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, I urge you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn, network, and discover how your business can thrive in the cloud-first world – and potentially even see more Devoteam experts share their knowledge with the global community.