Joint Oracle-Sun Entity Looks To Capture 'Replacement Market'

Oracle and Sun Microsystems merger created one of the biggest tech conglomerates – with hardware and software rolled into one. Sheshagiri Anegondi, Vice President, Technology Business Unit, Oracle India Private Limited, in conversation with Biztech2.com, goes down the memory lane and looks back on what changed after the Oracle and Sun Microsystems merger, the integration process and the way forward.

How have things changed on-ground in terms of your value proposition to the CIOs post the merger?

CIOs want a combination of lower initial cost total, lower cost of ownership, better performance coupled with lower downtime in all the products. When a CIO buys software and hardware from two different vendors, which he usually does, he spends months testing it and making sure the hardware and software integration works. But, post merger, we are now able to offer the CIOs a complete suite where the products have already been tested and validated. This would not have been possible before the merger happened, as there are legal and disclosure issues involved.

Also, companies had to undergo long and tedious processes of checking if the hardware and the software applications are in-tuned and properly integrated to work in sync. But, this has changed after the acquisition. We know how the Solaris operating system works and we know that if processor is removed or it stops working how the system will disintegrate, hence we are now able to put extra systems at the database level to make sure that it scales back.

From an operational perspective we have made management simpler for the CIOs with distinct features like managing both hardware and software from a single console, which was never possible earlier.

And, how has the response been from the CIOs?

The response has been encouraging. I cannot name clients, but many of my oldest clients and CIOs have told me that this merger is one of the best things to have happened to them. When I asked why, I was told that if things don’t work, CIOs can now catch one neck, which in turn ceases a lot of confusion.

Secondly, there are many companies which have made big investments separately in Sun and in Oracle products. But, even after the merger, they’ve had nothing to lose and they can still hold on to their products. Thereby, protecting their existing technology investments.

What integration problems you faced during the merger?

A lot of investments had gone into R&D before the merger, and we had prepared a complete roadmap for the Sun products that would be offered in the next five years. As part of that roadmap, we are going to move to 128 core systems by 2030. And, we have been able to do it well because we take very quick decisions. Integration processes usually get the people worried because they are uncertain about their future. But, if you tell them in advance what is in store, good or bad doesn’t matter, they are no longer confused and anxious.

What is your roadmap for the future?

Our target market comprises of anybody who needs mission-critical systems, whether in banking, manufacturing, customer service, utility or the telecom sector. Secondly, we are looking at those organisations that are in the process of revamping their hardware, hence we feel there is a ‘replacement market’ and we can duly provide for it.