We have relaunched: What's new at ZDNet Asia?

ZDNet / News / Software / Story

Oracle changes tune on integration

By Staff and Alorie Gilbert, CNET News.com on January 28, 2004

Summary

Following in the footsteps of rivals, Oracle is launching a Web services-based effort to make its business management applications more compatible with other business systems.

Events

Microsoft MSDN/Developer Event
25 Mar 2010

One Marina Boulevard, Microsoft Singapore

IT Architect Regional Conference Singapore 2010
20 - 21 Apr 2010

Singapore Management University, Singapore

The Internet Show 2010
21-22 Apr 2010

Suntec Singapore

Following in the footsteps of rivals, Oracle is launching a Web services-based effort to make its business management applications more compatible with other business systems.

Oracle Co-President Charles Phillips discussed the initiative during a keynote speech here on Tuesday, where thousands of the software maker's customers and partners have gathered for this week's annual Oracle AppsWorld conference.

The Redwood City, Calif.-based company has released a new product called the Customer Data Hub, which is designed to help companies instantaneously gather information from Oracle systems and other business systems in one centralized place, Phillips said. The hub uses communication standards known as Web services to talk to incompatible applications and create a "system of record" for customer data, such as orders, contracts and service history, he added.

The emphasis on interoperability is new for Oracle, which has long said that mixing and matching incompatible technologies is generally a bad idea. But Phillips, speaking after the keynote speech to analysts and the media, acknowledged that hodgepodge technology is often unavoidable and that people have criticized Oracle for its earlier stance.

With the introduction of the new product, Phillips said, Oracle effectively recognizes one of the biggest problems plaguing the information technology industry--software programs that don't work together. "The whole 'i' word--integration--is off the table," as an issue that might deter a company from buying Oracle's software, he said.

The new product may also help Oracle sell applications to companies using its rivals' products by making it easier to tie everything together, Phillips noted.

One Oracle customer expressed enthusiasm for the company's move toward interoperability. "It's a huge benefit," said Basheer Khan, senior director of IT at Vertex Systems, a Los Angeles firm specializing in Oracle consulting services. "Before, people would buy the (Oracle) suite and build their own bridges. Now Oracle is providing the bridges for them."

Yet many of Oracle's rivals in the business applications software business, including SAP and Siebel Systems, acknowledged the problem long ago and seem to have a head start on Oracle in this area. In Oracle's other main business area, database software, both IBM and Microsoft have already adopted Web services as a way to link incompatible systems.

Siebel's approach, called the "Universal Application Network," involves working with a group of partners that specialize in application integration technology, including Microsoft, IBM and Tibco Software. SAP is also collaborating with IBM and Microsoft on incorporating their respective Web services software into its products.

Oracle's approach is different from that of its business software competitors because it uses its database and technology infrastructure as a foundation for the centralization tool, Phillips said. However, the release of the hub doesn't mean that Oracle is moving away from its traditional approach.

"We still think an integrated suite is the best option," Phillips said, plugging Oracle's set of programs. "This is an acknowledgement that some customers can't get there as quickly." The price of the customer hub, which requires an Oracle database and application server, is still being determined, but will likely be based on the number of employees in a customer's company, Phillips said.

Related stories

PeopleSoft cuts hosting prices

Are Oracle business apps at a crossroads?

Oracle apps to work with Mozilla

Talkback

Add your opinion

In order to post a comment, you need to be registered. (Sign In or register below)

Post your comment
Transform your business interactions with real-time voice, video and telepresence solutions.
Tech Vendor: Cisco

ZDNet Asia Live

When I create an event, I click on an approximate time during the day when I want the event to occur, then I click "edit event detail...

7 hours 46 minutes ago by bessellbrowne on Google Calendar gets 'smart' rescheduling

ipads break alott i had one it broke three times in the month i had it so i got rid of the damn thing id just go for the laptop Top Grade...

7 hours 47 minutes ago by bessellbrowne on Report: 'Hundreds of thousands' of iPad preorders

There are a number of websites that still require Internet Explorer to view and IE for Mac Stinks (it is really ies4osx which is the Wind...

7 hours 49 minutes ago by bessellbrowne on Microsoft: Only minor tweaks in Windows 7 SP1

The receivers don't transmit back to the satellite. Unless there is a phone line attached to the receiver, they don't have any wa...

7 hours 52 minutes ago by bessellbrowne on Apple to join the geolocation craze?

What to expect from open source Symbian http://is.gd/aPIGL

8 hours 7 minutes ago by rebelk0de on topsy

"Lead Cognos BI Developer Insurance in New South Wales , Australian ..." http://bit.ly/ayy19L

8 hours 47 minutes ago by rhrcognos on topsy

whatever little understanding I have we 'll only progress toward end of the world if we use HPCs to lenthen life of human being. Huma...

17 hours 58 minutes ago by abhi32002@gmail.com on High computing promises elixir of life

Thanks for the knowledgeable article on SDDs. Allas...when all this reasearch will happen in Indian Universities. Hope the new bill on Fo...

18 hours 11 minutes ago by abhi32002@gmail.com on APAC HPC users eye solid-state drives

It was a good article. This brings a good opportunity for Indian IT firms to come up with new solutions in this field. HPC can become a b...

18 hours 30 minutes ago by abhi32002@gmail.com on High computing most-wanted job in Asia

COL KR DHARMADHIKARY(RETD) its very late to reply the link, but if it is still alive and looking for opportunity, i would like to know th...

22 hours 27 minutes ago by deb021280 on Education takes off in rural India, helped by PCs

It was just a matter of time until google was marginalised anyway. I'm afraid this will be forgotten in China very quickly. Still, it...

1 day 32 minutes ago by robinsmith on Report: Google to leave China on April 10

High performance computing (HPC) most-wanted job in Asia http://bit.ly/9vFC3i (via @zdnetasia) #singapore

He doesn't care if her shoes are of glass, All he wants to see is a huge rack and nice a*s. Sleeping beauty's not awoken by true ...

1 day 1 minute ago by warlowdavies on One pair of 3D glasses to rule them all

RT @zdnetasia: EMC COO, Pat Gelsinger, on bridging gaps in the organization and its cloud ambitions in Asia. (cont) http://tl.gd/i5jjd

EMC COO, Pat Gelsinger, on bridging gaps in the organization and its cloud ambitions in Asia. http://bit.ly/9etOZW

Asian SMBs need to pay more attention to disaster recovery planning http://bit.ly/bDet08 via @zdnetasia

Asian SMBs need to pay more attention to disaster recovery planning http://bit.ly/bDet08

[TECH] URL Shorteners slow Web redirection. - http://bit.ly/bySnWK @zdnetasia

URL shorteners are great but they can slow web redirection & you pray it would never go down http://bit.ly/bySnWK via @zdnetasia

Temasek Holdings eyeing tech stocks, indicating optimistic outlook on IT sector. http://bit.ly/aM7VwU

URL shorteners slow Web redirection. http://bit.ly/bySnWK

Chinese agencies cry foul over Google. http://bit.ly/by6rwV

Philippine antipiracy drive focuses on enterprises. http://bit.ly/aWryDC

Gartner: China to become world's fastest-growing enterprise software market. http://bit.ly/bqJTtb

all of sg's isps have been practising compulsory invisible proxy for all home subscribers at their backend since many years back alre...

2 days 11 minutes ago by melvinchia on Web filters mean bad news for business

it is not to good for china.
Proactol

2 days 56 minutes ago by nathonastle on Chinese ad partners beg Google for information

RT @zdnetasia: HP touts new products and management and productivity tools to address business computing pain points. http://bit.ly/dudgA6

For those with a computer science background, or interested in the high performance computing scene: http://bit.ly/9vFC3i

HP touts new products and management and productivity tools to address business computing pain points. http://bit.ly/dudgA6

IT security insiders rob casinos of $50K http://is.gd/aPIKR

2 days 27 minutes ago by rebelk0de on topsy

Very good explanation of JMX

3 days 1 minute ago by Babith B on Managing applications with JMX

The reaction to a report issued Tuesday by Flurry Analytics managed to completely overlook some interesting news--the Android-based Motorola Droid outsold the original iPhone over the same period of time following their respective launches--to focus instead on the sales numbers for the Nexus One.

3 days 4 minutes ago by lonemavericks on diggs

Another ZTE story....

3 days 6 minutes ago by Moderate Your Greed on Philippines opens bid for final 3G license

We at www.fifosys.com have also seen a growth in IT outsourcing and anticipate it as a growing field.

3 days 40 minutes ago by sarah Jane on Companies' outsourcing spend to increase

Keep up with ZDNet Asia

Linkedin Join our network

RSS Feeds Subscribe now

Newsletters Subscribe today

Twitter Follow us

Inside ZDNet Asia

Special Report: Tech Focus in 2010

Latest Videos on Tech Industry

Insight: Interviews with Newsmakers

Search for over 15,000 Tech Jobs in Asia

Find your Tech answers in TechGuides

IT Library: Over 60,000 IT papers at your fingertips

Download IT Priorities 2010 Report