Oracle sees light on ebusiness but channel remains in the dark

Oracle is releasing a high-availability version of its database and middleware software, but the channel's role remains unclear.

Oracle is releasing a high-availability version of its database and middleware software, but the channel's role remains unclear.

To accommodate the platform, Oracle will be launching a service programme promising business customers access to more than 15,000 consultants and 6,000 field support technicians in the US.

Under the newly-formed Oracle ebusiness continuity scheme, the vendor will target a range of companies, from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations, looking for ebusiness solutions.

It is a move that some critics said perpetuates Oracle's tendency to edge out the channel.

"Oracle is not known to be a good channel player and actually competes with its channel," said Al Hilwa, research director at analyst Dataquest.

"Oracle, more than others, has a lot more feet on the street, a tremendous sales organisation and a strong consulting presence."

The programme remains under development, Oracle said. Large consulting firms, Web integrators and other qualified systems integrators will be added to the fold, the company said.

Despite the vendor's direct sales strategy, some integrators have claimed they will find ways to balance Oracle technology with their own ebusiness products.

Toby Younis, vice-president of marketing at US e-commerce integrator Inventa, said: "Oracle's 15,000 consultants aren't new. They are all consultants we already compete with. In the business-to-business e-commerce market, there's opportunity for all."

Businesses will continue to call on both the channel and Oracle to integrate the new solution, he said.

"Our expectation, based on Oracle's past performance, is that it will sell far more licences than its professional services organisation has the ability to implement.

"To complete those licence sales, Oracle will have to rely on relationships with integrators to ensure it has a ready resource of professional talent," said Younis.

Don Tripoli, director of finance at NetForce, said the integrator does not compete with Oracle's consulting services but develops applications for the health-care industry using the vendor's forms and database. "The more rapidly it incorporates ways to balance the Internet, the better off our software will be and more applicable to ebusiness," he said.

Last week, Oracle released its Parallel Fail Safe configuration for the 8i database, which can restore failed e-business sites within 30 seconds - 10 times faster than previous products, the vendor said. It is only available now on Hewlett-Packard servers and HP-UX operating platforms. More support is planned for the next six months.

Analysts said Oracle is the first vendor to deliver an entire ebusiness software platform featuring such a high disaster recovery rate.

Anne Thomas, senior analyst at Patricia Seybold Group, said: "It is a big deal, especially for ASPs and anybody who needs to support high availability."