Plenty of skeptics weighed in following Oracle’s announcement last year that it planned to buy Sun Microsystems. As the critics were quick to point out, Sun’s sales had slumped and Oracle faced a major challenge in both absorbing the company and transforming itself from software and services to a supplier of complete systems, competing directly with the likes of IBM, HP and Dell. On top of that, the acquisition was delayed by an extended regulatory review by the EU. But as Datamation reports, CEO Larry Ellison loves a challenge. Oracle’s moved quickly to streamline Sun’s product line and get new systems optimized for Oracle’s database software out the door. In the latest move to shore up its systems strategy, Oracle announced that former HP CEO Mark Hurd has joined the company as president.
The enterprise sales cycle may be slow and deliberate, but when Oracle sees an opportunity, it doesn’t delay. Late Monday, Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) announced it had hired former HP (NYSE: HPQ) CEO Mark Hurd as a new president.
Hurd will share the title of president with Safra Catz as part of Oracle’s executive structure under CEO Larry Ellison, filling the post vacated at the same time by longtime exec Charles Phillips. Ellison said in a statement that Phillips had approached him months earlier about transitioning out of the company, and that he had asked Phillips to stay until Oracle completed its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, which wrapped up earlier this year.
