Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Oracle: More mess for your money

Niel Robertson, the Chief Technology Officer for a PeopleSoft support outfit called Newmerix, has written a blog post covering Oracle's recent "Halfway to Fusion" event.

Oracle, in case you didn't know, has recently purchased PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Siebel in an effort to become all things to all people and to compete effectively in the ERP market with the big boys at SAP. "Fusion" is Oracle-speak for the combined platform they hope to weave out of the hodgepodge of home-grown and acquired toolsets, applications, and suites. Oracle claims to be "Halfway to Fusion", but the smart money is they are nowhere near the midpoint of the journey.

Robertson's post is a tongue-in-cheek (but, I think, fair and accurate) assessment of the true meaning behind things said and unsaid by Oracle execs at the event. Most of it is not terribly good news for the current Oracle, PS, JDE, and/or Siebel user base.

If your company uses (or is considering using) any of Oracle's products, you MUST read this post.

If you're in technology sales and compete against Oracle, this is also required reading, as your job just got a lot easier.

And, if you're like me and simply wish failure on Larry Ellison at every opportunity, it is a worthwhile read as well. Lots of fodder for your next speech.

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