Data Science
Business Wire | November 03, 2023
Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), the Data Cloud company, today announced at its Snowday 2023 event new advancements that make it easier for developers to build machine learning (ML) models and full-stack apps in the Data Cloud. Snowflake is enhancing its Python capabilities through Snowpark to boost productivity, increase collaboration, and ultimately speed up end-to-end AI and ML workflows. In addition, with support for containerized workloads and expanded DevOps capabilities, developers can now accelerate development and run apps — all within Snowflake's secure and fully managed infrastructure.
“The rise of generative AI has made organizations’ most valuable asset, their data, even more indispensable. Snowflake is making it easier for developers to put that data to work so they can build powerful end-to-end machine learning models and full-stack apps natively in the Data Cloud,” said Prasanna Krishnan, Senior Director of Product Management, Snowflake. “With Snowflake Marketplace as the first cross-cloud marketplace for data and apps in the industry, customers can quickly and securely productionize what they’ve built to global end users, unlocking increased monetization, discoverability, and usage.”
Developers Gain Robust and Familiar Functionality for End-to-End Machine Learning
Snowflake is continuing to invest in Snowpark as its secure deployment and processing of non-SQL code, with over 35% of Snowflake customers using Snowpark on a weekly basis (as of September 2023). Developers increasingly look to Snowpark for complex ML model development and deployment, and Snowflake is introducing expanded functionality that makes Snowpark even more accessible and powerful for all Python developers. New advancements include:
Snowflake Notebooks (private preview): Snowflake Notebooks are a new development interface that offers an interactive, cell-based programming environment for Python and SQL users to explore, process, and experiment with data in Snowpark. Snowflake’s built-in notebooks allow developers to write and execute code, train and deploy models using Snowpark ML, visualize results with Streamlit chart elements, and much more — all within Snowflake’s unified, secure platform.
Snowpark ML Modeling API (general availability soon): Snowflake’s Snowpark ML Modeling API empowers developers and data scientists to scale out feature engineering and simplify model training for faster and more intuitive model development in Snowflake. Users can implement popular AI and ML frameworks natively on data in Snowflake, without having to create stored procedures.
Snowpark ML Operations Enhancements: The Snowpark Model Registry (public preview soon) now builds on a native Snowflake model entity and enables the scalable, secure deployment and management of models in Snowflake, including expanded support for deep learning models and open source large language models (LLMs) from Hugging Face. Snowflake is also providing developers with an integrated Snowflake Feature Store (private preview) that creates, stores, manages, and serves ML features for model training and inference.
Endeavor, the global sports and entertainment company that includes the WME Agency, IMG & On Location, UFC, and more, relies on Snowflake’s Snowpark for Python capabilities to build and deploy ML models that create highly personalized experiences and apps for fan engagement.
Snowpark serves as the driving force behind our end-to-end machine learning development, powering how we centralize and process data across our various entities, and then securely build and train models using that data to create hyper-personalized fan experiences at scale, said Saad Zaheer, VP of Data Science and Engineering, Endeavor. With Snowflake as our central data foundation bringing all of this development directly to our enterprise data, we can unlock even more ways to predict and forecast customer behavior to fuel our targeted sales and marketing engines.
Snowflake Advances Developer Capabilities Across the App Lifecycle
The Snowflake Native App Framework (general availability soon on AWS, public preview soon on Azure) now provides every organization with the necessary building blocks for app development, including distribution, operation, and monetization within Snowflake’s platform. Leading organizations are monetizing their Snowflake Native Apps through Snowflake Marketplace, with app listings more than doubling since Snowflake Summit 2023. This number is only growing as Snowflake continues to advance its developer capabilities across the app lifecycle so more organizations can unlock business impact.
For example, Cybersyn, a data-service provider, is developing Snowflake Native Apps exclusively for Snowflake Marketplace, with more than 40 customers running over 5,000 queries with its Financial & Economic Essentials Native App since June 2022. In addition, LiveRamp, a data collaboration platform, has seen the number of customers deploying its Identity Resolution and Transcoding Snowflake Native App through Snowflake Marketplace increase by more than 80% since June 2022. Lastly, SNP has been able to provide its customers with a 10x cost reduction in Snowflake data processing associated with SAP data ingestion, empowering them to drastically reduce data latency while improving SAP data availability in Snowflake through SNP’s Data Streaming for SAP - Snowflake Native App.
With Snowpark Container Services (public preview soon in select AWS regions), developers can run any component of their app — from ML training, to LLMs, to an API, and more — without needing to move data or manage complex container-based infrastructure.
Snowflake Automates DevOps for Apps, Data Pipelines, and Other Development
Snowflake is giving developers new ways to automate key DevOps and observability capabilities across testing, deploying, monitoring, and operating their apps and data pipelines — so they can take them from idea to production faster. With Snowflake’s new Database Change Management (private preview soon) features, developers can code declaratively and easily templatize their work to manage Snowflake objects across multiple environments. The Database Change Management features serve as a single source of truth for object creation across various environments, using the common “configuration as code” pattern in DevOps to automatically provision and update Snowflake objects.
Snowflake also unveiled a new Powered by Snowflake Funding Program, innovations that enable all users to securely tap into the power of generative AI with their enterprise data, enhancements to further eliminate data silos and strengthen Snowflake’s leading compliance and governance capabilities through Snowflake Horizon, and more at Snowday 2023.
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Business Intelligence
Oracle | September 25, 2023
Oracle introduces a data, analytics, and AI platform for Fusion Cloud Applications to enhance business outcomes.
The platform offers 360-degree Data Models, Prescriptive AI/ML Models, Rich Interactive Analytics, and Intelligent Applications.
Oracle plans to extend the platform to NetSuite and other industry applications, enriching analytics offerings.
Oracle has recently unveiled the Fusion Data Intelligence Platform, a cutting-edge data, analytics, and AI solution designed to empower Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications users to enhance their business outcomes through the fusion of data-driven insights and intelligent decision-making. This groundbreaking platform, which builds upon the foundations of the Oracle Fusion Analytics Warehouse product, offers business data-as-a-service with automated data pipelines, comprehensive 360-degree data models for critical business entities, interactive analytics, AI/ML models, and intelligent applications. These ready-to-use capabilities run on top of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Data Lakehouse services, including Oracle Autonomous Database and Oracle Analytics Cloud, thereby facilitating complete extensibility across data, analytics, AI/ML, and application layers.
The Oracle Fusion Data Intelligence Platform presents the following suite of pre-built capabilities that are designed to empower Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications users to unlock the full potential of their data:
360-Degree Data Models: This will equip business users with a cohesive and comprehensible representation of their organizational data, allowing them to discern the intricate relationships between data and business processes. By providing a range of conformed data models based on Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications data and other data sources, this platform offers a 360-degree view of various facets of a business, including customers, accounts, products, suppliers, and employees.
Prescriptive AI/ML Models: Leveraging pre-configured AI/ML models, such as workforce skills assessment and customer payment forecasting, organizations can solve specific business problems by automating labor-intensive tasks, freeing up resources for strategic endeavors. Furthermore, it empowers organizations to rapidly analyze substantial datasets, uncovering invaluable insights and patterns that can drive business growth and efficiency.
Rich Interactive Analytics: Business users can seamlessly explore and visualize their data using pre-built dashboards, reports, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Additionally, Analytics Cloud features like natural language query, auto insights, and mobile applications allow quick access to data and insights.
Intelligent Applications: These applications go beyond providing insights offering intelligent recommendations based on pre-existing data models, AI/ML models, and analytics content. They enable organizations to make informed decisions swiftly, ultimately improving business outcomes.
The Fusion Data Intelligence Platform is a pivotal step in a long-term vision to transition from data and analytics to actionable decisions that drive business success. Importantly, this platform will extend its reach beyond Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, with plans to offer the same foundational platform for NetSuite and across various Oracle industry applications, such as healthcare, financial services, and utilities, to facilitate cross-domain insights.
The Fusion Data Intelligence Platform includes an extensive portfolio of ready-to-use analytics for Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM), Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM), and Oracle Fusion Cloud Customer Experience (CX). These analytics offerings have been further enriched with the following additions:
Oracle Fusion ERP Analytics: The introduction of Accounting Hub analytics empowers finance teams to create a system of insights for accounting data sourced from Oracle Accounting Hub sub-ledger applications.
Oracle Fusion SCM Analytics: New Manufacturing analytics provide manufacturers with timely insights into work order performance, enhancing shop floor efficiency by rapidly identifying anomalies and continually optimizing plan-to-produce processes by connecting insights across supply chain data.
Oracle Fusion HCM Analytics: The addition of Inferred Skills, Payroll Costing, and Continuous Listening analytics equips organizational leaders with integrated workforce insights, covering employee skills, payroll trends and anomalies, and the efficacy of a continuous listening strategy at any given point in time.
Oracle Fusion CX Analytics: The new Quote-to-Cash analytics extend the analysis beyond the lead-to-opportunity pipeline by offering insights into how the price, contract, and quote process influences the overall customer experience.
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Big Data Management
NetApp | November 08, 2023
NetApp introduces StorageGRID for VMware Sovereign Cloud, enhancing data storage and security for sovereign cloud customers.
NetApp's Object Storage plugin for VMware Cloud Director enables seamless integration of StorageGRID for secure Object Storage for unstructured data.
NetApp's Sovereign Cloud integration ensures data sovereignty, security, and data value while adhering to regulatory standards.
NetApp, a prominent global cloud-led, data-centric software company, has recently introduced NetApp StorageGRID for VMware Sovereign Cloud. This NetApp plugin offering for VMware Cloud Director Object Storage Extension empowers sovereign cloud customers to cost-efficiently secure, store, protect, and preserve unstructured data while adhering to global data privacy and residency regulations. Additionally, NetApp has also unveiled the latest release of NetApp ONTAP Tools for VMware vSphere (OTV 10.0), which is designed to streamline and centralize enterprise data management within multi-tenant vSphere environments.
The concept of sovereignty has emerged as a vital facet of cloud computing for entities that handle highly sensitive data, including national and state governments, as well as tightly regulated sectors like finance and healthcare. In this context, national governments are increasingly exploring ways to enhance their digital economic capabilities and reduce their reliance on multinational corporations for cloud services.
NetApp's newly introduced Object Storage plugin for VMware Cloud Director offers Cloud Service Providers a seamless means to integrate StorageGRID as their primary Object Storage solution to provide secure Object Storage for unstructured data to their customers. This integration provides StorageGRID services into the familiar VMware Cloud Director user interface, thereby minimizing training requirements and accelerating time to revenue for partners. A noteworthy feature of StorageGRID is its universal compatibility and native support for industry-standard APIs, such as the Amazon S3 API, facilitating smooth interoperability across diverse cloud environments. Enhanced functionalities like automated lifecycle management further ensure cost-effective data protection, storage, and high availability for unstructured data within VMware environments.
The integration of NetApp's Sovereign Cloud with Cloud Director empowers providers to offer customers:
Robust assurance that sensitive data, including metadata, remains under sovereign control, safeguarding against potential access by foreign authorities that may infringe upon data privacy laws.
Heightened security and compliance measures that protect applications and data from evolving cybersecurity threats, all while maintaining continuous compliance with infrastructure, trusted local, established frameworks, and local experts.
A future-proof infrastructure capable of swiftly reacting to evolving data privacy regulations, security challenges, and geopolitical dynamics.
The ability to unlock the value of data through secure data sharing and analysis, fostering innovation without compromising privacy laws and ensuring data integrity to derive accurate insights.
VMware Sovereign Cloud providers are dedicated to designing and operating cloud solutions rooted in modern, software-defined architectures that embody the core principles and best practices outlined in the VMware Sovereign Cloud framework. Workloads within VMware Sovereign Cloud environments are often characterized by a diverse range of data sets, including transactional workloads and substantial volumes of unstructured data, all requiring cost-effective and integrated management that is compliant with regulated standards for sovereign and regulated customers.
In addition to the aforementioned advancements, NetApp also announced a collaborative effort with VMware aimed at modernizing API integrations between NetApp ONTAP and VMware vSphere. This integration empowers VMware administrators to streamline the management and operations of NetApp ONTAP-based data management platforms within multi-tenant vSphere environments, all while allowing users to leverage a new micro-services-based architecture that offers enhanced scalability and availability. With the latest releases of NetApp ONTAP and ONTAP Tools for vSphere, NetApp has significantly made protection, provisioning, and securing modern VMware environments at scale faster and easier, all while maintaining a centralized point of visibility and control through vSphere.
NetApp ONTAP Tools for VMware provides two key benefits to customers:
A redefined architecture featuring VMware vSphere APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) integration, simplifying policy-driven operations and enabling cloud-like scalability.
An automation-enabled framework driven by an API-first approach, allowing IT teams to seamlessly integrate with existing tools and construct end-to-end workflows for easy consumption of features and capabilities.
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