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Oracle's U-turn moves away from its core vision Se?n Jackson VP of marketing, Kognitio The current economic turmoil is spreading uncertainty across mo...(Microscope Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oracle's U-turn moves away from its core vision Se?n Jackson VP of marketing, Kognitio The current economic turmoil is spreading uncertainty across most markets and organisations are making changes to ensure their future. But there's change and there's major U turns. After many years and several million dollars spent telling the world it had the perfect software-only database, Oracle has just partnered with HP and taken a giant leap to board the appliance bandwagon. Somehow this does not look like a move to adapt to the current market demands it has the distinct look of a big, bold U-turn prompted by the lure of extra revenues. It looks like the vendor finally surrendered to the fact that datawarehousing appliances based on non-proprietary hardware are the way forward. They say imitation is the best form of flattery and we are flattered but to quote a certain US senator, no matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, it will remain a pig. The Oracle database remains the same, a transactional database not designed for high-speed, complex data analytics like MPP technologies are it remains built on indexes and this overhead is what slows it down. As a businessman I welcome healthy competition it validates the market and makes us push the boundaries of technology. But I find it odd that an established vendor would suddenly go against its core position to join a group of datawarehouse appliance players that had been swimming in the opposite direction for years. And it won't be long before end users realise that the product is no easier to use to offer it as an appliance does not make it any more suitable to address customers' needs. I also suspect that it will come with a hefty price tag and a fairly complex upgrade process. What I see here is a market incumbent changing tack to capitalise on demand and while we are all in business to make a living, I would question the commitment to its customers of any company that turns its back on its core vision. Flight fiasco highlights poor software testing David Cotterell CEO, SQS UK and Ireland The recent travel fiasco - which saw flights to and from the south east of England severely delayed as a result of a computer glitch affecting flight information - showed how poor software testing can result in embarrassing and potentially dangerous problems. Although air traffic control was still able to identify the planes in this instance and guide them to safety, at high altitude this was problematic, so several flights were cancelled and many were delayed. With the airline industry already suffering the shocks of inflated oil prices, this is an industry that simply cannot afford to get it wrong. It's not only a question of image and safety avoiding this episode would have saved considerable sums of money all round. Consumer technologies can easily slot into working life Jim White EMEA business technologist, Managed Objects Billy MacInnes raised some interesting issues in his analysis of how consumer IT is impacting business (MicroScope, 22 September), but the trend towards consumer technologies need not be so disruptive to the pattern of work itself the influence of consumer technology in the workplace is not limited to how it impacts flexible work. Technologies like mobile email, shared calendaring and other collaboration tools are having an impact on business habits, but there is more potential for enterprises to use Web 2.0 tools to make workers feel 'at home'. Social networking used in Facebook, open content editing like Wikipedia, interactive forums, content sharing and social bookmarking all have productive applications in the enterprise and can help firms to engage their workforce by making IT a bit more consumer-friendly. Using Web 2.0 tools is good for both the employee and employer. For the employee applications are more approachable and easier to learn and become proficient at. For the employer training costs are reduced. Generation Y workers are already subject to 'information overload' on the internet as well as at work and IT people need to seriously start thinking about how they can reduce such pressures by helping workers to be comfortable with the applications they have to use and contribute to on a daily basis. Copyright ? 2008 Reed Business Information - UK. All Rights Reserved. |