05
Tue, Nov
5 New Articles

Oracle Woos JD Edwards Users at OpenWorld

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

When Oracle Corporation hosted its OpenWorld user conference two weeks ago, it made a significant effort to reassure JD Edwards customers that their new vendor has their best interests at heart. Besides signing a landmark middleware agreement with IBM, Oracle deepened its commitment to enhance and support current JD Edwards applications and left open the possibility that its Project Fusion applications may support IBM's DB2 database.

As many JD Edwards users already know, Oracle has pledged that its World and EnterpriseOne applications will run on current versions of IBM's WebSphere and DB2 software through 2013 at the least. At OpenWorld, Oracle and IBM extended their middleware cooperation by announcing that WebSphere products will also support Oracle's next-generation Fusion applications. Such support could make it possible for JD Edwards users to upgrade to Fusion applications without having to migrate from WebSphere to Oracle's Fusion middleware.

To underline this possibility, several Oracle executives proclaimed that Fusion middleware products will be "hot-pluggable" with competitive products that support the same open standards. In his keynote speech, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison identified IBM and open source vendor JBoss as two companies whose middleware could act as substitutes for comparable Fusion products. Ellison also stressed that Fusion applications should be easy to integrate with non-Fusion applications as long as they run on standards-based middleware.

When it came to having Fusion applications support IBM's DB2 database, however, Ellison stated that he has not yet made a decision. At present, Oracle is talking with its newly acquired customers about their levels of commitment to DB2 and Microsoft's SQL Server. While Oracle remains open to supporting these products on Fusion applications in addition to its own database, Ellison said that the decision is still a "toss up" for him. As Ellison sees it, Oracle needs to strike a balance between providing database portability and ensuring database security. The latter objective would be easier to achieve if Fusion only supported Oracle's database technologies.

Among the JD Edwards attendees at the conference, it was clear what database choices they want Oracle to make. At a breakout event for World users, many attendees insisted that they would upgrade to Fusion applications only if they run natively on DB2/400 and the i5/OS operating system. The same group broke into applause when John Wookey--Oracle's Senior Vice President for Application Development--stated that he wants the World development team to make its users so happy that "they do not care about Fusion." In keeping with Wookey's words, World General Manager John Schiff announced that Oracle will ship a new version of World entitled "A9" next year. Among its many enhancements, World A9 will support lean manufacturing, offer improved integration with Microsoft Office, and provide upgrade processes that make it easier to carry forward customizations from older releases. The new version will combine the World A7.3 and A8.1 code bases and provide an upgrade path for both releases.

In a further show of support for JD Edwards applications, Oracle announced a "lifetime support policy" that extends the initial period of full support for application releases from four to five years. After five years, customers can continue to receive full support--including bug fixes and regulatory upgrades--for another three years on selected product releases and then receive technical support services for as long as they pay maintenance fees. As part of the announcement, Oracle stated that it will offer full support services for OneWorld Xe and EnterpriseOne 8.0 through 2013. This will come as a relief to EnterpriseOne users, as the majority of them are on these older releases.

An "Entice Without Force" Upgrade Strategy

Between its announcements of new product releases and more generous support terms, Oracle did much at OpenWorld to improve its image among JD Edwards customers. As I spoke with customers at coffee breaks and receptions, I heard statements that ranged from relief to delight over what Oracle was offering them. At this moment, the majority of users have no plans to upgrade or migrate off their applications. As such, they are glad to take Oracle up on its offers of extended support for their applications and the IBM technologies that run underneath them.

At the same time, some JD Edwards users are becoming curious about what Oracle's Fusion applications and middleware could offer them in the future. Oracle tried to pique that curiosity in conference sessions that discussed how it is weaving Fusion technologies into future releases of JD Edwards applications and development toolkits. Moreover, while Wookey may be telling the World development team to delight its customers, he is also telling the Fusion team to make its applications so good that they will entice both World and EnterpriseOne users to upgrade. Such internal competition could benefit JD Edwards customers by giving them a wider array of software options from which to choose.

In short, Oracle is creating an environment in which JD Edwards users will have plenty of time to evaluate the vendor's Fusion strategy while receiving support for their current applications. Clearly, Oracle would rather collect maintenance fees on existing products for years rather than risk losing customers to competitors because it pushed them to upgrade too quickly. This approach will undoubtedly appeal to the large numbers of conservative JD Edwards users who have not yet come up with any good reasons to embrace next-generation solutions.

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: