Friday 03 September 2010
Popping in for a quick question or two was John Aisien, vice president of product management for Oracle Fusion Middleware in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region. John’s an old hand in the identity space, coming to Oracle when it acquired Thor Technology (the identity provisioning company) a few years ago. If you missed the Webinar, there’s a rebroadcast available on the Kuppinger Cole Web site.
Cloud computing, and even identity services in or for the cloud, is too big a topic to be covered exhaustively in a single hour. If you can get yourself to Munich in December, Martin and his gang are putting on a conference devoted to cloud computing issues: CLOUD 09, Cloudsourcing Enterprise IT – Managing Risks, Gaining Rewards.
Instead of making an upfront investment for perpetual licenses, the new monthly licensing model allows SaaS ISVs to scale their investment in Oracle technology with their company growth and end-user demand. Committed to providing the leading technology platform for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Cloud Computing partners, Oracle today launched a new commercial licensing model that enables Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to purchase license and support for components of the Oracle Platform for SaaS on a monthly basis.
The new monthly option, called SaaS for ISVs, is available to any ISV interested in delivering a SaaS application in a one-to-many commercial deployment on Oracle Database, Oracle WebLogic Server and Oracle Application Server. The Leading Platform for SaaS and Cloud-Based Services The Oracle Platform for SaaS includes Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Enterprise Manager, and Oracle VM, and is a comprehensive, open and integrated set of technologies that allows ISVs to build, deploy and manage SaaS and cloud-based applications. This software platform uses Oracle Grid Computing technologies to enable ISVs to deliver SaaS and cloud-based services to multiple enterprise customers, while fully delivering on their requirements of scalability, high performance, high availability, integration, security and customization. ISVs, hosting service providers and system integrators also receive business and technology support via a designated Oracle SaaS Program for partners.
“Oracle has been active in the SaaS market for several years, selling our own SaaS offerings and working closely with an extensive ecosystem of SaaS partners - including ISVs, SIs and Managed Hosting Partners,” said Judson Althoff, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Alliances & Channels at Oracle. “With the new monthly licensing model, not only can ISVs leverage the leading platform for SaaS, they can also scale their investment to meet the evolving demands of their business. The combined Oracle Platform for SaaS and licensing options deliver the power and flexibility ISVs need to compete and win in today’s global SaaS marketplace.”
Oracle has ruled out following Amazon’s strategy of renting out commodity space on hardware farms as part of its cloud computing strategy. “That business is not profitable and Oracle would not want to get involved until the economics change,” said Thomas Kurian, SVP of product development at Oracle. He was speaking at the London launch of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g this morning.
Commentators have speculated that Oracle could follow in Amazon’s footsteps after its acquisition of hardware and software company Sun Microsystems announced earlier this year.
“Should the acquisition of Sun continue, we will disclose our [hardware] plans when the deal is finalised,” said Thomas Kurian. Oracle’s vision of cloud computing is about deploying information systems and applications in a virtualised environment using a pool of hardware and about processes that deliver those as services, but not necessarily together, he said.
Oracle provides its software as a service through its on-demand division as well as licensing its software for third parties using a cloud computing model.
“We do have cloud strategy, but the term is used to mean so many different things that Oracle prefers to be more specific about what is meant,” he said.
Kurian said OFM provides that functionality and is used by the top ten cloud computing providers, including Amazon
