I’ve read the following article Oracle butts into online collaboration space with Cloud Office. It struck me as something important. Forget about Google vs. Microsoft online wars. It seems to me Oracle is not only thinking about Fusion Apps, but started to understand the value of seamless collaboration on the level of documents and spreadsheets. This can be an interesting move. Oracle announces Cloud Office. Here is what written on Oracle website:
Oracle Cloud Office is a Web and mobile office suite. It includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Based on Web open standards and the Open Document Format (ODF), Oracle Cloud Office enables Web 2.0-style collaboration and mobile document access and ensures compatibility with Microsoft Office file documents. Oracle Cloud Office is integrated with Oracle Open Office, which enables rich offline editing of complex presentation, text, and spreadsheet documents.
I found the following video interesting:
You can get some more information from Oracle Cloud Office data sheet. The following picture caught my interest. Oracle Cloud Office SaaS architecture.
Oracle PLM portfolio
Oracle’s PLM-related story includes few interesting facts that, in my view, need to be pulled together. After Agile PLM Software acquisition in 2007, Oracle boosted their PLM capabilities. In addition to Agile, Oracle also acquiredCimetry Systems – a provider of AutoVue viewer and collaborative application. During the last few years, I can see a constant effort from Oracle to develop PLM-oriented business apps as part of Oracle Fusion technology and strategy.
What is my conclusion? I think, Oracle focus to the collaborative application in style Oracle Cloud office , can be an interesting benefit for PLM implementations. The amount of Excel spreadsheets in PLM is huge and growing. The ability to handle them as part of the Oracle portfolio can provide some benefits to companies already paying a lot to Oracle. However, it might not bring new PLM customers to Oracle and they will follow Microsoft SharePoint PLM path. What is your opinion?
Best, Oleg
Oleg,
Nice read on the Oracle’s story of Collaboration and PLM.
Just a little correction – Oracle never directly bought Cimmetry. Agile PLM bought Cimmetry first and then along with Agile in went in Oracle’s lap.
As far as I know, Oracle also has another product as a PLM Offering called PIM if I am not wrong. Would be interesting to understand Oracle’s strategy about it’s offerings for customers with two products now.
Regards,
Sameer
Smaeer, thanks for the clarification. Yes, historically, Agile acquired Cimmetry and later Oracle acquired Agile PLM. However, for today’s status quo it doesn’t really matter. In my view, PIM is not exactly about PLM and focus on alignment of product information outside of the firewall. Best, Oleg
Time will tell who will win the PDM cloud battle.
Meanwhile, I’m surprised to learn that Oracle is pushing Office functions. I’d be interested to hear how the interoperability between Oracle Cloud Office and MSFT Office text documents (i.e., Word) works. If Oracle Cloud Office is usurping MSFT Office, I think that’s a bigger scoop than the emerging PDM cloud solution. Office needs are more pervasive.
Kate, Even such big elephants like Oracle can move from time to time. Online Google Apps are very powerful and followed by apps on Google Market place and similar. This is a potential disruption for business like Oracle. Interoperability between Office and Oracle office is supported by Open Document format. For example, Google understands the importance of interoperability and supports uploading and acquisition of Office documents in a very efficient way. Thanks for your comments! Best, Oleg