30
Sat, Nov
0 New Articles

Oracle Courts PeopleSoft's iSeries Users

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Over the last two weeks, Oracle Corporation has taken pains to assure PeopleSoft's World and EnterpriseOne customers that it will support them on the IBM hardware and software products that they currently use. While the assurances demonstrate how important these customers are to Oracle, they also indicate that those customers have more bargaining clout with their new vendor than they might have imagined.

Oracle issued its most explicit statements of support last Monday when Charles Phillips--the company's president--held a town hall meeting for PeopleSoft customers. During the meeting, Phillips revealed that Oracle has already asked IBM for help in supporting its software running on the company's iSeries servers. As Phillips put it, "We expressed to [IBM] that we intend to aggressively support that product line, and they were happy to hear that, and they want that to happen as well for obvious reasons." While Phillips did not say whether IBM and Oracle have signed a support agreement, he did say that he expects no serious issues in working with IBM or other vendors.

In addition, Phillips said that Oracle is porting its database to the iSeries and expects to release the product shortly. According to sources that are close to the company, Oracle Database 10g will likely run on both Linux and AIX logical partitions of the iSeries. Phillips also said that Oracle will maintain distinct development and support organizations for PeopleSoft's product lines, including those for EnterpriseOne and World. This is a positive development for iSeries customers, as it means that they should enjoy continuity of support from the PeopleSoft teams with which they already work.

To underline Phillip's comments, Oracle also posted a list of its commitments to the PeopleSoft community on the Web site of Quest, the international user group for World and EnterpriseOne customers. The document includes the following statements:

  • Oracle declared that it will provide "long-term support options" to EnterpriseOne and World customers. While the vendor did not define what "long-term" meant, it indicated that support levels would be similar to those for PeopleSoft Enterprise, which the company has pledged to support for 10 years.
  • Oracle stated that it will work with other relational database vendors, including IBM and Microsoft, to support EnterpriseOne and World customers on their existing databases. The software vendor also said that the support would continue "as long as a working relationship can be maintained."
  • The company expects to enhance PeopleSoft Enterprise and EnterpriseOne along the lines that I discussed in my article last week. Oracle also pledged to create a "successor product" that combines the best features of Oracle and PeopleSoft's ERP applications on an Oracle middleware base. All PeopleSoft customers will be able to exchange their existing application modules for the successor product's similar modules at no charge.

In addition, Oracle has indicated to Quest's directors that it wants to work with the user group as the unified voice for EnterpriseOne and World customers. If Oracle does so, it would represent a resurrection of sorts for Quest. Over the last 18 months, PeopleSoft has largely ignored the association and refused to send executives to its conferences. By contrast, Oracle's statements signal a willingness to listen to an organization that is an independent voice for iSeries users.

A Motivated Buyer

It may surprise many World and EnterpriseOne customers that Oracle is making such overtures to its newly acquired iSeries customers. After all, Oracle has never had a reputation for listening closely to customers and taking pains to meet their requirements. Then again, Oracle has never spent $10 billion before to acquire a company. That price tag gives the company a powerful incentive to give PeopleSoft customers the kind of support that leads them to renew their maintenance contracts and upgrade their software.

Oracle will need every dime from those transactions to recoup its acquisition costs, and it knows that it will have to work hard to win over many customers. After a bruising takeover battle, many PeopleSoft customers have a very negative image of Oracle. Moreover, with companies such as Klee Associates, TomorrowNow, and Versytec offering cheap maintenance alternatives for World and EnterpriseOne, Oracle must demonstrate that it has a strong partnership with IBM that justifies its higher support prices.

In short, Oracle has every reason to treat its EnterpriseOne and World customers well. If you are one of those customers, I encourage you to have an open mind about the company. I also encourage you to join Quest if you have not done so already and work with other user associations to communicate your concerns and requirements to Oracle. Of course, you may also want to entertain an alternative maintenance proposal from one of the providers listed above. However, be aware that Oracle will likely work hard to make its maintenance offerings worthy of your consideration. If those offerings come with the blessing and backing of IBM, they will probably be the best deals for most EnterpriseOne and World customers.

Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LEE KROON
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: