by CIO Staff

Oracle Adds ‘New Leg’ to Biz With BI

News
Mar 22, 20062 mins
Business IntelligenceOutsourcing

Oracle is making a major push into business intelligence (BI) software with three bundles of existing products, the vendor announced Wednesday. The company anticipates ramping up its BI software presence in the same way that it built up its middleware business, according to Oracle President Charles Phillips.

“We’re adding a new leg to our business,” Phillips said during a New York event, which was also webcast. The bundles include analytics software Oracle acquired through its approximately US$6 billion purchase of Siebel Systems, completed earlier this year.

Available Wednesday, the three software bundles are branded Oracle Business Intelligence Suite and include the company’s database, its Fusion middleware and analytics software, according to Phillips.

The entry-level Standard Edition One bundle is a volume product designed to pit Oracle against Microsoft, Phillips said. The software is limited to two processors and is priced starting at US$25,000. The Standard Edition bundle is aimed at existing Oracle users and includes the company’s Discoverer tools, while the Enterprise Edition is for users working in heterogenous environments, he added.

When Oracle first announced its intention to acquire Siebel in September 2005, executives said the purchase’s primary driver was the company’s presence in the CRM (customer relationship management) software market. Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison said that adding Siebel’s CRM customers and products to Oracle’s CRM business would let the company overtake market leader SAP AG. Phillips noted Wednesday that Siebel was also a strong player in BI, with the company deriving 25 percent of its revenue from analytics.

Oracle has formed a specialized sales force to sell Oracle Business Intelligence Suite and will provide lifetime support for all the products in the bundles, according to Phillips. “We will invest in these products in perpetuity,” he said.

Phillips said that Oracle hopes to model its move into BI on its push into the middleware market two to three years ago.

-China Martens, IDG News Service

For related coverage, read Oracle’s Profit Jump Fails to Halt Share Drop and Oracle to Set Up Shop Across China.

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