Oracle

Which software vendors are the most relevant?

My post on Tuesday suggesting that Oracle, IBM, Cisco Systems, and Microsoft are the last remaining big (software) ecosystem vendors caused a stir. "But what about EMC, Hewlett-Packard, SAP, Adobe Systems, Symantec, and...X?" came the flustered responses.

HP's public-relations firm even took the time to send me this plug for HP's software business:

IT management software is critical for enterprises to keep up with the continuous pace of technology change and growing business requirements. As the leading IT management software vendor (according to Gartner, Forrester, and IDC), HP's software solutions helps customers manage IT … Read more

Software's Big Four: Cisco, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft

Enterprise software is coming down to four big choices: Cisco Systems or IBM or Oracle or Microsoft.

Hewlett-Packard? HP is doing very well in hardware, but it lacks the overarching software strategy that fuels these other four.

Even as the industry consolidates into these big ecosystem vendors, it's becoming ripe for a new kind of hegemonic, all-out war.

It's a fun time to be in the industry. For one thing, it's fascinating to watch (and, in some cases, assist) each of the Big Four to use open source as a strategic club with which to pummel their … Read more

What Oracle gets with MySQL

While the open-source community wrings its hands over Oracle's intentions relative to MySQL, and while Oracle may be fretting about how to marry the more hippie-esque tendencies of the MySQL open-source software crowd with its need to make the database acquisition pay dividends, both sides can relax. MySQL has long been at the forefront of figuring out open-source monetization, with Zack Urlocker (formerly EVP of Products) and Marten Mickos (CEO) leading the charge.

MySQL, in other words, is a great example of how Oracle can make open source pay. MySQL is much more like Oracle than I originally thought.… Read more

With community, Oracle can reap what Sun sowed

While the vast majority of Sun Microsystems' current revenue derives from hardware, a new Goldman Sachs report ("CIO view on the Oracle/Sun deal: IT battle lines are being redrawn") suggests that the hardware business is the part of Sun that gives Oracle the least strategic value; Java, Solaris, and MySQL provide the crown jewels of Oracle's newest acquisition.

While Oracle called out Java as "the most important software Oracle has ever acquired," the executive team provided little detail as to what Oracle expected to do with the open-source programming language.

Goldman Sachs provides some … Read more

Oracle can help Sun, but will it lose MySQL?

The Register paints a very unflattering picture of Sun Microsystems' alleged mismanagement of its hardware and software assets.

Unfortunately, there's likely a lot of truth to the argument, though it's easy to point fingers from the outside and tell others what to do.

But this is precisely why Sun should be grateful for Oracle's acquisition of its assets: Oracle needn't appease internal or customer lobbies. It just needs to determine what pays the bills, and shutter or sell everything that doesn't.

The one open question for me, however, remains MySQL. Oracle could do much with … Read more

Oracle's Ellison nails cloud computing

Finally, a technology executive willing to tell the truth about cloud computing. Speaking at Oracle OpenWorld, Larry Ellison said that the computer industry is more fashion-driven than women's fashion and cloud computing is simply the latest fashion. The Wall Street Journal quoted the Oracle CEO's remarks:

"The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can't think of anything that isn't cloud computing with all of these announcements. The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. … Read more

EIC Squared: Financial gyrations, hacked e-mail, and Web 2.0 aging

On this week's EIC Squared podcast ZDNet's Larry Dignan and I talk about the gyrating, uncertain financial markets. Larry says that consolidation in the financial sector could result in an IT spending decline, but notes that Oracle's latest quarterly results were solid.

We also discuss the hacking of Sarah Palin's Yahoo e-mail account, and Web 2.0 reaching middle age.

Oracle sees solid growth for its fourth quarter

Software licensing drove a healthy increase in revenue for Oracle during its fourth quarter.

For the quarter, which ended May 31, the enterprise software giant reported revenue of $7.24 billion, up 24 percent from the same period a year earlier. During that three-month period, revenue from new software licenses rose 27 percent to $3.14 billion, and revenue from software license updates and product support rose 25 percent to $2.83 billion.

Revenue from services also was on the increase, though not by quite as much. It was up 18 percent, to $1.26 billion.

Oracle said that its … Read more

Oracle to acquire Skywire Software

Oracle on Monday announced plans to expand its enterprise insurance applications business with the acquisition of Skywire Software.

Skywire develops software designed to manage insurance policies from their initial creation, rating and oversight by insurance agents and brokers. Skywire's applications will be combined with Oracle's Insurance Global Business Unit and the software giant's pending acquisition of AdminServer.

Oracle's announcement marks its latest effort to bolster its breadth of enterprise software applications in targeted markets, ranging from transaction-processing specialist Tangosol to retail specialist Retek to logistics and transportation management specialist G-Log.

Roughly over 1,000 insurers already … Read more