Oracle goes aggressive, launches new cloud platforms

Making an aggressive push for its diversified software solutions and integrated cloud platforms, global software major Oracle on Sunday launched a slew of innovative moves to take on its main cloud computing rivals Amazon and Microsoft.

In a yet another remarkable speech delivered at the Oracle's OpenWorld 2015 conference, its executive chairman and chief technology officer Larry Ellison announced two cloud platforms with a great emphasis on maintaining security at a time when private data is at the risk of being stolen via cyber attacks.

While the new "Oracle SCM Cloud" will offer the first complete supply chain and discrete manufacturing with 100 percent fusion, the "E-commerce in the CX Cloud" platform will be a complete, integrated modern suite covering the customers' requirements across the spectrum like marketing, sales, service and social responsibility.

"Oracle has committed to make its cloud and data platforms easy, performing, compelling and secure. We will lower the costs down and accelerate your power," Ellison announced.

"We are building solutions that will take off your workload and give you a better performance," he added.

In another significant move, Ellison announced a new mobile, consumer-like Cloud UI - a state of the art mobile user interface.

"The Java-based mobile platform will always make you connected and able to work. It is a modern tablet and smartphone-friendly platform and will become the best choice among all other mobile platforms available today," Ellison told the packed Moscone Centre in the heart of the city.

He also announced an integrated "Just-in-Time Learning System" that will be embedded in all Oracle SaaS applications to benefit the customers.

"So learn the app and learn the job," he said.

Ten years ago, we realised to rewrite all our applications and run on the cloud.

"We started building all our application on the cloud and for this, we had to rewrite our entire database. We had SaaS then. Once we had this, we found that now, we need PaaS (Platform At-A-Service)," he said.

"That helped us to reach where are we today," he said.

PaaS is a category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage web applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure.

Ellison also announced the "Exadata Cloud Service" that will facilitate identical software and hardware on-premise.

"Infrastructure has been a stunning change. We are today in every layer of the cloud. We have the largest enterprise-based cloud applications," he told the gathering.

The aim of Oracle cloud is low pricing, reliability, performance, analytics, standards, compatibility and security.

"We can't automate everything. We can't replace ourselves as users of the applications. But we need to make systems easier to use. We insist on real time security to stop data," he said.

Earlier, some of the software industry's top leaders and various stakeholders from 141 countries convened here for an ultimate cloud experience.

The five-day event is going to see some of the technology's greatest minds brainstorm on the future of the enterprise, Oracle's integrated cloud platform and the new era of secure computing.

"By 2020, 50 percent of the global workforce will be tech-savvy millennials (those born after 1980). The companies worldwide need to go simpler, faster and more innovative to win their trust. And Oracle is delivering new features and innovations for them," said Bob Evans, chief communication officer, Oracle, during a media interaction.

For the quarter ended August 31 this year, Oracle revenue for its Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) and Platform-As-A-Service (PaaS) cloud solutions rose by 34 percent.

"We have added 800 new PaaS customers and 612 SaaS customers in the quarter. Oracle also had 1,300 new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) cloud customers in the past 12 months," Evans informed.

More than 45 Oracle products and services will be unveiled throughout the conference during multiple sessions and events, providing networking opportunities for customers, partners and peers.

The conference, which runs October 25-29, is taking place at 18 locations throughout downtown San Francisco with the Moscone Center serving as its epicentre.

Nearly 60,000 people from 145 countries attended the OpenWorld conference last year. The conference will also be webcast.

(Nishant Arora is attending the conference in the US at the invitation of Oracle. He can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)