Oracle sees no slowdown, despite Intel, integrators
LONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Oracle (NasdaqNM:ORCL - news) said on Wednesday it sees no signs that large European businesses are slowing down investments in e-commerce software, now that cash-strapped start-ups pose a less immediate threat.
Neither did the U.S. software and services giant recognise signs of an investment slowdown that could be related to the revenue warning made by U.S. microchip maker Intel (NasdaqNM:INTC - news) last week.
Intel said last week it expected lower revenues because of weak European demand, while several integrators blamed poor results on slowing demand for e-commerce services from brick-and-mortar customers.
But Oracle saw none of it.
``On the contrary. We really see acceleration. In the past six months big companies have finally started to move to e-business,'' Oracle's European Executive Vice-President Sergio Giacoletto told Reuters.
In the mobile Internet it boasts a 50 percent market share of software which brings PC websites to Internet enabled WAP-mobile phones.
Oracle, traditionally a producer of computer databases in which companies organise information, has become one of the world's main suppliers of electronic commerce software.
It competes with U.S. companies such as Commerce One (NasdaqNM:CMRC - news), Ariba (NasdaqNM:ARBA - news), International Business Machines Co (NYSE:IBM - news) and Germany's SAP AG to build market places on the Internet where businesses can buy and sell supplies.
Together with Commerce One Oracle has built one of the world's highest profile e-commerce sites, Covisint, set up by the world's largest car manufacturers: Ford (NYSE:F - news), General Motors (NYSE:GM - news), Daimler Chrysler , Renault and Nissan .
E-MARKETS CAN NOW BE LAUCHED IN 20 DAYS
It has taken many months to set up the first operations of this site, which allows many different auto producers to trade parts with many different suppliers, thereby reducing investments in tailor-made software to connect parties electronically, Giacoletto said.
New e-markets were set up much faster, sometimes as quick as in 20 days, he said. On Wednesday Oracle said it had helped launch Metals-Russia.com in 30 days.
While commercial markets were now almost all on-line, Oracle expects a few laggard industries to follow in the next six to nine months.
"There is a lot of movement in public services and defence, in utilities, in hotels and travel and small and medium-sized businesses.
Unlike Commerce One, Oracle is reluctant to take a shareholding in these new sites, although is has done so with a handful of e-markets in Europe to show its commitment, Giacoletto said.
Many industries were seeing introductions of three or more e-markets. While Giacoletto said that over time he expected the average number of sites in one vertical market to fall to two or three, it would drive standardisation.
``Many companies are signing on to multiple exchanges,'' he said. To limit expenses these companies would aim to make one universal database that can be accessed by several e-markets.
It would fuel the acceptance of XML, the new industry standard mark-up language to create websites which makes information on web pages independend of graphics, he said. |
