Seeing great potential in the Chinese marketplace, Oracle Wednesday officially opened a second local software development center and a new business development center in two key cities.
As previously reported, the China Development Center (CDC) located in Beijing’s Zhongguancun Software Park, follows in the footsteps of the company’s first office in Shenzhen, which opened in June 2002. The Redwood Shores, Calif.-based software giant says the goal is to tap and develop the resources, skills and talent in the country’s capital, which also serves as the focal point for many company headquarters, research facilities, leading universities and national institutes in China. In addition, the new center will take advantage of local language and IT skills to develop and test products designed for the Japanese market.
Company Asia Pacific Executive Vice President Derek Williams says the two centers let the No. 2 software maker work closer with local partners to develop products based on the company’s latest technology as well as help contribute to the acceleration of China’s burgeoning software industry.
“Oracle has been helping companies run more reliable, productive and low cost information management systems in China for the last fourteen years. We understand the level of commitment, partnership and localization required to address the needs of the rapidly growing local market,” Williams said in a statement. “It is this expertise which, together with the skills of our partners, will be made available through the Beijing development center to benefit customers in China as they open their doors to increased global competition.”
The Beijing center is split into five major focus areas: Project Development, Laboratories, Product Knowledge Center and Connected Customer Center, Development Services, and Partner Support.
Initially, the company said the center will center on projects designed for the local market such as Unbreakable Linux, Digital City, E-Business and Wireless.
With its strategic partnership with Red Flag Linux, Oracle is offering an Unbreakable Linux platform for customers in China running Oracle on Linux. Oracle says it and Red Flag have teamed up to co-develop a special edition Linux operating system – Red Flag Data Center OS4.0, exclusively for Oracle enterprise customers in China. The two companies have also setup a joint lab to provide customers with seamless technical support for Oracle technology running on Red Flag Linux.
The company said it has a team of highly skilled engineers at the new development center dedicated to develop, test, and package Oracle E-Business Suite China Special Edition. Targeted at tens of thousands of mid-market customers in China, the product line helps mid-market companies eliminate the need for extra administration and support resources, and lower entry pricing.
Oracle says its Digital City Lab focuses on Location-based services, Geographic Information Systems, and e-government solutions based on Oracle Database and Oracle Application Server technology. A team of engineers is currently working closely with the Beijing IT office to create a blueprint that will serve as a technology standard within governments. Sample projects include e-government and e-citizen systems and applications.
Finally, the company says its Wireless Solution Lab focuses on mobile initiatives for telecommunication projects such as 3G implementation, advanced location based services, messaging, and voice-enabling technology; as well as vertical industry solutions for government, financial, logistic and healthcare sectors; and the mobile-enablement of applications specialized for the China market. Oracle said experts from its voice and wireless development group will setup and manage the mobile infrastructure to support rapid prototype development, product testing and localization, and certification against local networks, devices, and gateways by working closely with device/network equipment manufacturers, operators, technology partners and customers.
“The establishment of the Beijing CDC shows Oracle’s firm commitment to investment in China. We have made investments not only in research and development but also many other areas including education, and we believe that such investments will benefit China,” said Loke Soon Choo, Oracle Greater China Regional Managing Director. “We hope to work more closely with the Chinese government to bring our technologies, knowledge and expertise to China.”
In a similar growth statement, Oracle Thursday officially opened its Japan’s China Business Development Unit in Shanghai. The newly created unit is designed to support Japanese-owned companies as they look to extend their businesses into China.
The investment for Oracle is sure to pay off considering there are more than 15,000 Japanese-owned ventures now operating in China, with an estimated total investment volume reaching USD$ 4.2 billion. That number is second only to U.S. investment in China, which totals USD$ 5.4 billion.
“Japanese customers embarking on the China market will benefit from the continued interaction and professional IT counseling of Japanese staff with the experience and expertise to understand and better service Japanese customer needs. By collaborating with our Chinese colleagues, we can eliminate long IT implementation and support times and contribute to the business success of our JOC customers in China,” said Oracle Japan President and CEO Masaaki Shintaku. “With Oracle’s large customer base in Japan, including 600 customers of Oracle’s applications software alone — many of whom have already established a base in China, there is a significant opportunity for us to better support our customers.”
The new Business Development Unit will rely on software development engineers, sales representatives and consultants dispatched from Japan to work closely with their Chinese colleagues and Japanese or Chinese business partners. Oracle said the center will also serve as a home base for Japanese-owned businesses doing business in the country outside of Shanghai.
