Many argue that technology moves too fast for people to keep up, but this year’s Oracle OpenWorld is proving that this isn’t always the case. Customers are getting more sophisticated each year, taking new technology and making it work for them, noted Ray Wang, principal analyst and founder at Constellation Research, Inc. Oracle hasn’t ignored this trend either, introducing customer-driven services and focusing on customer voices as a large part of Oracle OpenWorld.

Wang was interviewed by John Furrier (@furrier), host of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, during Oracle OpenWorld, taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA.

As a result of this sophistication, the customer base seems to be growing with customers who are even buying more than one cloud. Part of what’s pulling the customer base in is edge applications, such as adaptive intelligence. But that isn’t what ultimately retains customers.

“Data as a Service is when people really start to see benefits in the cloud,” said Wang. And Oracle has really worked to become the best of the breed, offering choices to customers and giving them more flexibility, he added.

What’s all the hype about?

When asked what is over-hyped in the industry, Wang suggested that AI and machine learning might make the top of the list.

“We’re just not there yet,” he said. But one thing he said is often under-hyped is integration – from data to process. The trend is moving from not simply owning data, but being able to access and utilize it, and that is very important.

Wang’s own company, Constellation Research, will be holding its own conference, called Connected Enterprise, in October 5. The event will feature keynotes, panel discussions, interviews with tech visionaries and new product demos.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of Oracle OpenWorld.

(* Disclosure: Oracle and other companies sponsor some OpenWorld segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE. Neither Oracle nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo by SiliconANGLE