NetSuite deal adds to Oracle purchases, broadens cloud apps line

Last updated:August 2016

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Editor's note

Oracle agreed to acquire cloud applications provider NetSuite for $9.3 billion in July 2016, making it the latest in a string of Oracle purchases intended to help the software giant continue its expansion into the cloud. However, the connection between NetSuite and Oracle goes farther back than Oracle's expanded interest in cloud computing. Larry Ellison, Oracle's founder, CTO and executive chairman, was the primary early investor in NetSuite, putting in a total of $125 million to help start up the cloud software pioneer. Founded in 1998 and originally known as NetLedger, the San Mateo, Calif., company grew to a nearly $750 million business in 2015 and reported revenue of just under $450 million for the first half of 2016. Ellison or members of his family still owned about 40% of NetSuite's stock as of early 2016, putting him in line for a payment of about $3.5 billion from Oracle as part of the acquisition.

The question now is whether the deal will also pay off for Oracle, as well as its customers and existing NetSuite users. In this Essential Guide, you'll find news and analysis on the implications of the Oracle-NetSuite deal from several TechTarget sites, plus coverage of earlier Oracle acquisitions and other notable developments in the evolving Oracle cloud strategy.

1Other recent Oracle acquisitions

The planned acquisition of NetSuite adds another deal to the list of large-scale Oracle purchases, following earlier deals for high-profile companies such as PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, Siebel Systems and Sun Microsystems. More recently, Oracle has been steadily buying less-heralded companies that it hopes can help extend its reach and functionality, particularly in the cloud. This section looks at some of those acquisitions and their place in Oracle's market and technology strategies.

2Oracle's expanding cloud strategy

Oracle's cloud strategy has come a long way since founder Ellison mocked the cloud as a passing fad in 2008. Since then, Ellison has belatedly embraced cloud computing; in fact, he dedicated Oracle to an effort aimed at becoming the biggest player in the cloud space. Making that leap has required Oracle to develop new products to face off against incumbent cloud companies. Large Oracle purchases -- such as acquiring NetSuite -- are just one way the vendor is growing its cloud capabilities. The stories in this section examine other Oracle cloud moves.

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