As we count down to the 2025 ETR Observatory for Cloud Data Warehousing, available to clients on August 27, we’re revisiting a standout panel discussion from last year’s Observatory cycle. This conversation, featuring four seasoned technology executives from financial services, technology, and logistics, offers valuable context for how the cloud data warehousing market has been evolving and where it may be headed next.
In this panel, leaders compare the strengths of cloud-native front-runners like Snowflake, Databricks, and Microsoft Synapse against the entrenched roles of legacy platforms such as Teradata, Cloudera, and OpenText. The discussion dives into the balancing act between cost and capability, the challenges of migration, and the ways vendor “stickiness” can shape long-term strategy.
AI emerged as a defining factor, with Snowflake and Databricks leading in native AI integration, while Microsoft’s ecosystem advantages and aggressive pricing gained attention. Panelists also explored real-time streaming use cases, private GPT initiatives, and the growing argument for data mesh as a faster, more flexible alternative to traditional warehouses.
Revisiting this panel now offers a timely prelude to the August 27 Observatory update, which will bring fresh market data, vendor momentum insights, and competitive positioning for 2025. A public summary will be available the same day for non-clients.
Watch the full panel discussion and set the stage for the insights to come in the August 27 release.