Oracle put its own spin on global business at its OpenWorld customer show today.
With version 12 of its E-Business applications suite, the software maker introduced new features that help enterprises
manage global networks with supply chain optimization and compliance tools.
The company also used its conference in San Francisco to preview new identity management software that secure access to applications across different businesses.
E-Business Suite Release 12 includes numerous applications intended to give companies a single, global view of their customers, suppliers, partners and operations.
The collaborative aspect of business has long been a focus of Oracle’s E-Business
Suite.
In many cases, dozens if not hundreds of people are involved in making supply chain decisions for a given product line, and these solutions are intended to help them collaborate more effectively across multiple borders and time zones.
John Wookey, senior vice president of application development at Oracle, said in a statement that Release 12 is intended to help companies compete more effectively in the global economy by, “helping companies make better decisions, work more
efficiently and manage their businesses at lower costs.”
The suite’s Strategic Network Optimization application, for instance, helps companies continuously evaluate the cost and revenue implications of any decision affecting a company’s global supply chain.
Likewise, the Projects Portfolio Analysis tool lets users choose, fund and
prioritize global projects based on what-if scenario analysis.
The Financials application allows for a single transaction to create
multiple accounting entries for local and corporate general accounting principles, helping companies
address the challenge of accounting across multiple business and national boundaries.
Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT Research, said that Oracle is
executing smartly on its strategy by helping customers support their global
business processes.
“Building those [compliance] functionalities into the product is a great way
for Oracle to differentiate itself” from its competitors,” King told
internetnews.com.
Oracle also announced that its Identity Management solution will now provide
out-of-the-box support for the E-Business Suite, as well as PeopleSoft
Enterprise and Siebel Customer Relationship Management.
The company is addressing a significant pain point for its customers by
weaving identity management into its enterprise applications, noted Hasan Rizvi, Oracle’s
vice president of Identity Management and Security products.
“We are providing customers with increased security, compliance automation
and a seamless user experience,” Rizvi said in a statement.
King said that this is a particularly sensitive area for large corporations.
“It’s way up at the top of solutions that enterprises need to get their arms
around in order to work effectively,” he said.
Separately, Oracle announced that information management and storage giant
EMC agreed to invest $20 million over the next 12
months to help Oracle customers improve lifecycle management strategies
through further integration between the two companies.
Oracle and EMC have been strategic partners since 1995 and have been working
on a joint services strategy since January
2003.
