Oracle Fusion Update Center

Oracle has been on an acquisition tear over the past few years, picking up more than 20 companies and upping its ownership stake in several others. In the midst of this buying spree -- which included the purchase of customer relationship management (CRM) giant Siebel Systems, a bloody battle for HR mainstay PeopleSoft, as well as the purchases of a host of smaller applications companies that opened Oracle up to new industry verticals -- Oracle announced Project Fusion, a bold plan to enable all the spoils of its acquisitions to run seamlessly on the Oracle Fusion Middleware platform. Here you'll find all the latest news and analysis on Oracle's acquisitions and Fusion plans, plus plenty of information about how Oracle's chief competitor, SAP AG, is reacting. The battle for business applications dominance is in full swing and SearchOracle.com's Oracle Fusion Update Center has you covered.  

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The latest on Oracle's acquisitions & Fusion

• Bharosa to give Oracle users transaction security: Oracle's acquisition of Bharosa Inc. will fill a key hole in Oracle's security lineup, according to experts.
• PeopleSoft users: Ten steps to Oracle Fusion: PeopleSoft users attending the Collaborate '07 conference got some sage advice on how to get ready for Oracle's upcoming Fusion applications platform.
• Oracle to buy Lodestar: Oracle has announced plans to purchase Lodestar Corp., a provider of meter data management and competitive energy software for the utilities industry.
• Weighing the value of hosted Siebel: Deciding whether to outsource a Siebel CRM deployment means weighing company values and culture against the total cost of hosting over time.
• Hyperion's fit with Fusion not entirely clear: Oracle's Hyperion acquisition has IT industry analysts trying to figure out exactly how the BI vendor fits into Oracle's Fusion plans.
• From soup to nuts, PeopleSoft to Sigma, a rundown of Oracle's acquisitions: It started with a lengthy takeover battle and a fight with the Department of Justice and ended three years later with 20 acquisitions for billions of dollars. We outline them here.
• Oracle announces Tangosol deal: Oracle's Tangosol acquisition will allow the database giant to enter the emerging Information-as-a-Service (IaaS) market, experts say.
• Oracle's packaged software lacking, report says: Acquisition-happy Oracle had better do some more buying if it wants to fill the "gaps" in its packaged applications portfolio, a new analyst report finds.
• Oracle vs. SAP: The new battlegrounds: IT industry experts predict where the coming battles between Oracle and SAP will be fought and rate the success of Oracle's acquisition spree thus far.
• Oracle to acquire MetaSolv: Oracle is planning to purchase telecommunications software provider MetaSolv.
• Expert: Now is the time for Oracle to clear up Fusion confusion: A well-known IT industry analyst believes that now is the time for Oracle to retrench, digest its many acquisitions and present a very clear product roadmap to customers new and old.
• Oracle to enhance Fusion with Sunopsis buy: Oracle has announced the purchase of yet another software company -- data integration vendor Sunopsis.
• Oracle unveils new Portal Software release: Oracle says the new version of Portal Software is designed to streamline the processes related to managing communications-industry billing and revenue management systems.
• Making sense of Oracle's acquisition spree: A well-known expert on the business applications market grades Oracle on its high-profile acquire-and-fuse strategy and predicts a significant role-reversal between Oracle and its chief nemesis, SAP.
• Experts wonder if Oracle's revenue growth is sustainable: IT industry analysts are trying to figure out whether Oracle's explosive earnings report last week is homegrown or simply the natural result of a slew of recent acquisitions.
• Gartner predicts next phase of Oracle, SAP acquisitions: Gartner's lead Oracle analyst names the types of technologies that longtime rivals Oracle and SAP are likely to acquire next.
• Oracle overhauls Sleepycat's original Berkeley DB: The new version of Berkeley DB, the embeddable database Oracle acquired along with open source stalwart Sleepycat Software, promises better performance and the ability to do upgrades on the fly. But does Oracle really have open source street credibility?

Oracle's buying spree: A backgrounder

• G-Log acquisition bears fruit with Oracle Transportation Management 5.5: Oracle has unveiled Oracle Transportation Management 5.5, the first major release to integrate the spoils of Oracle's purchase of G-Log Software last year.
• Oracle extends offer for Portal Software: Oracle has extended its tender offer for billing and revenue software vendor Portal Software Inc.
• Oracle to buy Demantra: Oracle has issued a press release confirming reports that it will purchase Waltham, Mass.-based Demantra, a developer of demand-driven supply chain software with roots in Israel.
• Oracle acquires hosted call center firm: Oracle will complement its Siebel Contact On Demand application with the acquisition of Telephony@Work, a provider of IP-based software infrastructure.
• Oracle picks up two ID management firms: Oracle execs announced the purchase of two identity management firms.
• Oracle snags more retail space with ProfitLogic buy: Oracle continued to march along a path toward retail software domination with the pickup of ProfitLogic, a maker of retail forecasting software.
• Oracle expands Project Fusion: John Wookey, Oracle's senior vice president of application development, announced that the company is extending support for J.D. Edwards World customers migrating to Fusion.
• Oracle further unwraps Fusion, nips at SAP: Oracle has dug deeper into its Fusion project, outlining what the company has done over the last year to develop new applications using technology from its nearly $19 billion in acquisitions.
• Will Fusion satisfy JDE and PeopleSoft customers?: It might not be the panacea J.D. Edwards and PeopleSoft customers were looking for, but Oracle Corp. hopes that they see Fusion as a start.
• Oracle to unveil combined suite: Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison has announced Project Fusion, a strategy for developing a "super set" of applications and taking over the enterprise market.

Oracle buys CRM giant Siebel

• Gartner makes Oracle CRM predictions: Plenty of Siebel users are still concerned and confused over the direction of their CRM tool. Analysts at the Gartner CRM Summit offered some clues.
• Oracle to certify Siebel apps on Fusion Middleware: Oracle outlined plans for extending back-office integration to Siebel's front-end systems at the Collaborate '06 conference.
• Should Siebel customers expect a hike in CRM support costs?: Oracle boasts its new customers are happier with maintenance and support since it acquired their vendors, but does it have a hefty price tag? Siebel customers could soon find out.
• SAP extends CRM support to Siebel apps: With the help of its subsidiary TomorrowNow, SAP hopes to tempt customers away from Oracle by extending its Safe Passage program to include third-party support to Siebel customers.
• Siebel's reign ends as shareholders approve acquisition: Siebel's shareholders approved Oracle's acquisition of their company, further shrinking the number of enterprise CRM vendors and setting up a battle between SAP and Oracle.
• Oracle-Siebel deal shakes up CDI world: Which will win out in the contest between Siebel's Universal Customer Master and Oracle's Customer Data Hub?
• Column: Oracle vs. SAP: The Siebel Factor: The sudden uptick in big deals reported by Siebel made Oracle look good, but it's unlikely a Siebel acquisition will alter the competition between SAP and Oracle.
• Oracle-Siebel: The competition reacts: The announcement that Oracle will purchase Siebel Systems for $5.85 billion brought swift reaction from its CRM competition.
• Experts mull over Oracle's Siebel buy: CRM experts react to Oracle's plans to buy Siebel.

The battle for PeopleSoft

• Oracle goes back to school with PeopleSoft Enterprise Performance Management 9: Oracle says it's getting vertical and bolstering compliance capabilities with the newest addition to the PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 suite.
• Oracle unveils new version of PeopleSoft CRM: With the release of PeopleSoft CRM 9, Oracle is following through on its pledge to continue enhancing PeopleSoft products.
• UN agency chooses Oracle-Peoplesoft combo over SAP: The decision to switch to PeopleSoft applications was based on its Web capabilities and human resources functionality, according to the UN business software project director.
• PeopleSoft upgrades come with Oracle pledge of continued support: Despite some continuing criticism of Project Fusion, Oracle executives were out in force pledging long-term support for two new PeopleSoft supply chain management apps.
• Oracle targets SAP with Project Fusion: Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison announced Project Fusion -- a combination applications suite blending Oracle and PeopleSoft products.
• PeopleSoft users to Siebel users: 'Relax': PeopleSoft users can relate to the fears of Siebel users, following Oracle's acquisition announcement. Their advice is not to panic -- but make sure to push for information.
• PeopleSoft accepts latest Oracle offer: Oracle Corp.'s 18-month struggle to gain control of PeopleSoft Inc. drew to a close when PeopleSoft's board agreed to a new $10.3 billion takeover offer.
• PeopleSoft board turns down 'final' Oracle offer: PeopleSoft Inc.'s board of directors unanimously rejected Oracle's "best and final" offer, putting the next chapter of Oracle's 17-month hostile takeover bid in the hands of PeopleSoft shareholders.
• PeopleSoft adds JDE integration as Oracle saga drags on: PeopleSoft continues to integrate J.D. Edwards technology, forcing some users to migrate.
• PeopleSoft users will need reassurance, but damage may be done: PeopleSoft customers are going to need reassurance that the ERP vendor will continue to fight Oracle's hostile takeover bid, despite the decision allowing Oracle to proceed.