Oracle’s famous five ERP re-launch proves doubters wrong

On the launch pad were Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, PeopleSoft Enterprise Release 9.0, Siebel CRM 8.0, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 and JD Edwards World A9.1 – although the latter was a preview. If proof of Oracle’s commitment to its ‘Applications Unlimited’ programme – the public promise to develop and support its acquired suites responding proactively to customer-requested innovations, not sunset them – this was it in spades. “These releases are proof that Oracle is delivering on its strategy to protect and extend customers’ current investments,” said Oracle president Charles Phillips. “Oracle is providing best-in-class infrastructure technology that delivers next-generation capabilities today, and we are giving our customers the choice as to when they upgrade without having to re-license their applications.” And manufacturing users liked it. “Today’s product announcements are a reassuring demonstration of Oracle’s willingness to listen to its customers and integrate our feedback into its future product roadmaps,” said Chris Jones, business projects manager at Napp Pharmaceuticals. “Structures such as the customer advisory boards and the availability of account managers are important for me as an Oracle customer, because they show Oracle is committed to maintaining good relationships and is prepared to invest the time to understand what is important for my business.” Ditto the all-important analysts. “With the simultaneous release of five major new versions, Oracle delivers on its commitment to support its own as well as acquired application products, while it is developing a next generation application suite,” said Bo Lykkegaard, program manager at analyst IDC. “All five releases are major, which gives existing customers an important incentive to continue or expand deployments… The fact that Oracle has reinstated dedicated management for each product line and has announced additional upcoming releases for the five product lines represents concrete evidence of Oracle’s commitment to its existing products. “This product roadmap spells an evolutionary upgrade process to the next generation platform… Oracle has made great progress in reducing the risk element related to investments in the acquired products.” Specifics for each suite are too many and varied to cover here. For example, Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 apparently has 18 new modules and 2,443 enhancements – and it’s a similar picture throughout. . A couple of common threads. First, all users get access to ‘next-generation technology’ from their current systems through Oracle’s database and Fusion Middleware technologies. On the table are role-based analytics, application management, integration, search, master data management, and XML-based reporting tools. Second, all applications bar one now get full Linux support – increasingly important for business users looking to the future. Apart that is from JD Edwards World A9.1, with its so-called Renaissance Release, which sticks comfortingly with IBM iSeries. Incidentally, it’s also worth noting that this is the first major release for the World package in 10 years, and many are observing that Oracle seems to have invested more here that its former developer. In fact, users will see four new modules and 1,297 enhancements covering, for example, compliance support, operational excellence, technology improvements and capabilities for global operations. Beyond all that, Oracle’s next-generation technology also provides for open and sustainable integration – not only into web services and industry-specific third party packages, but into its next generation application suite, Fusion Applications, due next year. Then, says the software giant, we can expect a fully standards-based, SOA (services orientated architecture) based suite, incorporating Web 2.0 design principles, and delivering new levels of productivity.