Google Cloud CEO on his new role. Thomas Kurian is responsible for building up an enterprise software business in which companies access services over the Internet. It lags rivals such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft's Azure. The former Oracle president, less than one year into his role, was interviewed on stage Wednesday at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando by Gartner's Daryl Plummer. Edited highlights:
Mr. Plummer: What do you see as the significance of Google Cloud in the market today?
Mr. Kurian: We have a very simple strategy. We see cloud computing as a platform, customers wanting it as a platform for innovation and transformation. We offer high-scale infrastructure, differentiated with the best reliability, as measured by your company; security; and capability called multicloud. We offer advanced solutions for data management, analytics, machine learning and collaboration. And we offer industry specific business solutions for financial services, retail, health care and manufacturing.
Mr. Plummer: You didn’t say were cheaper, we’re faster, we’re more reliable than the other guys. Is that not the way customers should think about it?
Mr. Kurian: While it is one element in the decision, it is not the main element in the decision. Capability is the main element in the decision. And capability, what we are offering people, is very differentiated in many ways.
Mr. Plummer: I have been meeting one-on-one with customers all week and they ask, how do I justify Google Cloud if it seems like it is going to cost me more?
Mr. Kurian: We give people the ability to compare cost between us and all of the other players in the market as well as with their own on-premise choices. And we are able to give them long-term commitments on pricing, so that they don’t feel anxious.
The capacity to augment the contact center for so many people and to change the economics of the contact center is fundamentally different than how much does that computer cost. And so that is the way we are looking at the economics. It doesn’t mean we’re not giving people a competitive price. It does not mean we are not focused on giving them long-term price guarantees. It’s also looking at the dynamics of the business problem you are solving and what’s the economic value that you bring.
Mr. Plummer: Do you bring greater value than the other guys?
Mr. Kurian: A lot of it is what solutions we bring, and we are seeing very good growth with our solutions set. And customers large and small are beginning to trust us with the solutions we bring.
Mr. Plummer: How are decisions made?
Mr. Kurian: We’ve developed an amazing leadership team and I trust them to make the decisions. I bring the team together, (provide) focus and trust them to make decisions.
Mr. Plummer: What is the entrepreneurial spirit of Google?
Mr. Kurian: The entrepreneurial spirit of Google is really about creating breakthroughs. We temper that with the reward system…listening to customers…creating complete solutions.
Mr. Plummer: What lessons have you learned?
Mr. Kurian: My Dad passed away four years ago. He was the first in the family (in India) to even go to high school. Because of his effort to go to college…I owe it to do something right for the next generation.
—Steven Rosenbush
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