DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /    ( Table of Contents )

Systems/Enterprise:

ORACLE LOOKS TO DRIVE INDUSTRY SUCCESS OF GRID COMPUTING

Oracle welcomed over 1,000 new and existing independent software vendor (ISV) partners to the first Oracle PartnerNetwork ISV Forum designed to help them speed industry solution development, and marketing and sales success. The two-day event will enable application providers to ease integration and solution delivery on Oracle technology and applications, benefits that the ISVs can pass on to their customers.

"In IDC's opinion, Oracle is taking the right approach in demonstrating its commitment to ISVs by speaking to them about their businesses and how to maximize their success, as opposed to just touting the advantages of their technology," wrote IDC's Marilyn Carr, research director and leader of the Software Partnering and Alliances Group, in a research note published earlier this month. "Successful ISV relationships start with a clear value proposition with respect to how ISVs can expect to make money from the relationship, and with a good understanding of how and when the vendor will engage with the ISV to realize their potential."

The Oracle PartnerNetwork ISV Forum outlines Oracle's ongoing commitment to ISV growth and profitability, with new tools and education programs the company will provide to make it even easier to do business with Oracle. "In North America and around the world, partners are critical to the Oracle economy. By supporting our partners, we can further our mutual success," said Charles Phillips, president of Oracle Corp. "From technical enablement through to sales and marketing, we are providing our partners with ongoing resources that add value and help them leverage market trends to deliver competitive industry solutions. The attendance at today's conference is strong evidence that more software vendors are recognizing that Oracle provides a comprehensive technology stack that can help lower cost and improve reliability for both our ISV partners and their customers."

The Path To Grid Computing, Industry And Business Success

Session Tracks at the ISV Forum will follow three distinct areas of partner interest:

• The Executive Business Track will focus on ISV/Oracle strategy and engage business leaders in discussions on topics ranging from business opportunities with Oracle, to strategies for accelerating growth in the markets jointly serve. This will include sessions on Oracle's Grid Infrastructure, Oracle On Demand hosting opportunities, pricing, business practices and legal issues that outline specific steps needed to form or extend a partnership with Oracle worldwide.

"Documentum and Oracle share a commitment of combining market-leading solutions that help global enterprises accelerate business processes and maximize operational efficiencies at a low cost of ownership. The two companies continue to work together across many technology areas to deliver comprehensive software infrastructure for demanding environments. Documentum strongly values its relationship with Oracle," said Rob Tarkoff, executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Documentum.

"Our Business Service Management customers are also Oracle customers, and the partnership strengthens both of our offerings," said Harold Goldberg, vice president of worldwide marketing and business strategy for Remedy, a BMC Software company. "Today's CIOs can build best-of-breed solutions that integrate IT operational excellence into the backbone of their enterprises, supported by the Oracle platform."

• The Industry Track will focus on key vertical markets and deliver roadmaps for ISV participation in the overall solutions that Oracle has for those industries. This will include health care, homeland security, financial services, retail, public sector and life sciences, among others, as well as solutions for the mid-market and smaller businesses.
• The Technology Track will focus on specific software development tools, product directions and roadmaps for building applications on top of the Oracle platform, as well as extending Oracle's products. This will include sessions on security, collaboration and content management, business intelligence, Oracle and Windows, and sensor-based solutions (RFID), among others.

"Hyperion Business Performance Management solutions are in great demand by our customers, who are working to manage and improve financial and operational performance," said Bill Gaylord, vice president of market development for Hyperion. "Our joint customers can gain significant business benefits by deploying these solutions on Oracle's 10g platform infrastructure, including clustering, scalability and performance improvements."