Oracle Professional

27.8.08

Microsoft and Oracle databases gain share vs IBM

Sales of business database software made by Microsoft and Oracle are holding up strongly this year after the companies gained share from IBM in 2007, according to market research firm Gartner.

"Microsoft and Oracle continue to make advancements in certain faster-growing areas," Gartner analyst Colleen Graham said in an interview. "IBM continues to struggle."

Sales of Microsoft's database software climbed 16.5 percent to $3.1 billion (1.68 billion pounds) last year, buoyed by growth in Asia and Eastern Europe. The No. 3 player in the market also expanded sales to mid-sized businesses in North America, Graham said.

Microsoft's market share widened to 18.1 percent from 17.6 percent, according to data that Gartner released to Reuters on Tuesday.

Graham said that Microsoft's software is gaining popularity because it generally includes more bells and whistles in basic versions that rival software from Oracle and IBM.

"The product is cheaper," she said.

Sales at Oracle, by far the market leader, rose 14.9 percent in 2007 to $8.3 billion. Its market share grew to 48.6 percent from 47.9 percent.

Oracle's strategy for boosting sales is to introduce new features that it can sell to its broad, existing customer base, an approach that Graham said has paid off.

"Oracle is like a really tricked-out car. You can get all this really great stuff, but you have to pay extra for all the options," Graham said.

While sales at No. 2 player International Business Corp rose 10 percent to $3.5 billion, its market share contracted to 20.7 percent last year from 21.3 percent, according to Gartner.

One factor hampering IBM's growth rate is that customers who buy its database software tend to use the programs on IBM hardware, whose sales are not growing as quickly as the systems that are most often used with databases from Microsoft and Oracle, Graham said.

Microsoft's database, by contrast, is generally used with the software maker's own Windows Server operating system. Oracle's database is typically run on the widely used Linux operating system.

Database sales at the three companies accounted for about 87 percent of the $17.1 billion global market for database software last year, according to Gartner.

Author: (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) at uk.reuters.com

26.8.08

ReadSoft partners with Dinero Solutions to expand North American coverage of Oracle Accounts Payable Market

ReadSoft North America has signed an integration partner agreement and subcontractor agreement for Dinero to assist and lead ReadSoft Oracle AP automation projects in the US and Canada. At the signing of the agreement between ReadSoft and Dinero, Dinero signs first customer project for revenues estimated at $150,000 USD to be implemented in the fall of 2008.

"This partnership is yet another example of the success we are experiencing on the North American market" said Jan Andersson, President and CEO of ReadSoft. "The growth we've seen on this market during the last year, in a market where focus lies on cost cutting and down sizing, is tremendous and gives us strong faith for the future in North America as well as in other markets facing the same economic trends."

In an effort to expand the availability of resources to the Oracle AP automation market ReadSoft sought out an Oracle integration partner that has the experience and bandwidth to assist in the sales and deliveries of the ReadSoft Oracle certified solutions. The contract executed between the two companies will allow Dinero Solutions to resell and install the ReadSoft Oracle AP automation solutions as well as be a certified subcontractor on ReadSoft direct business.

Since Dinero Solutions was founded in early 2000, it has helped numerous companies implement complete end-to-end Oracle ERP solutions and specialized modules such as; Projects and Assets. The company also assists firms interested in selecting suite software to meet their needs for customer relationship management, supply chain management, financial accounting, human resource and enterprise reporting. Dinero Solutions is an Oracle Member Partner and "On-Demand" Certified Implementer.
"Dinero is focused on Oracle solutions that bring financial value to our customers and that can be implemented in a cost effective manner" said Chris Goeckel, President of Dinero Solutions. "We feel the ReadSoft Oracle Solutions combined with our professional services experience will deliver true value to our customers"

"The Oracle AP automation solutions that we bring to the market are growing in acceptance and usage" said Bob Fresneda, President of ReadSoft North America. "This Oracle market for AP automation is in the early stages of significant growth and a partner company with the expertise of Dinero will be a great asset to our customers and our North American team"

About Dinero:
Dinero Solutions, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, is a recognized leader in the Southeast and has been providing innovative enterprise software solutions to mid-market and Fortune 1000 companies around the world. Dinero Solutions focuses on helping Utility, Technology, Financial Services, and Retail companies implement Oracle Applications to build a competitive business advantage

For additional information, contact
ReadSoft AB
Jan Andersson, CEO, ReadSoft
Phone: +46 708 - 37 66 00
Jonna Opitz, Vice President, Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 733 - 37 86 68
jonna.opitz@readsoft.com

About ReadSoft
ReadSoft is a leading global provider of software solutions for Document Automation. ReadSoft's software enables companies to automate document processes such as data entry, classification, ERP matching, workflows, e-invoicing etc. The results are faster and less expensive document processing, and increased control. ReadSoft is by far the world's number one choice for invoice automation solutions. Specialized solution labs for SAP, Oracle, Microsoft and Capture processes ensure cutting edge solutions with great customer value. Since the start in 1991, ReadSoft has grown to a worldwide group with operations in 16 countries on five continents and a network of local and global partners. The head office is located in Helsingborg, Sweden and the ReadSoft share is traded on the Nordic Stock Exchange Small Cap list. For more information about ReadSoft, please visit www.readsoft.com.

Source: www.huginonline.com

22.8.08

Oracle's CEO tops pay scale

Revision of rankings places Ellison ahead of other leaders. Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, a longtime fixture on the list of the world's richest people, is now ensconced atop the Associated Press' rankings of the top-paid chief executives in the United States.

Never shy about flaunting his estimated $25 billion fortune, Ellison established himself as the best-paid CEO among major U.S. companies by persuading Oracle to award him a fiscal 2008 pay package valued at $84.6 million, according to the Associated Press' calculations.

The total compensation, disclosed late Wednesday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, catapulted Ellison to the top of the Associated Press' annual analysis of CEO pay.

With a pay package valued at $83.1 million, Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain held that distinction in June when the Associated Press released its 2008 analysis of executive compensation at more than 400 large companies.

The details about Ellison's compensation weren't available at that time because Oracle operates on an unusual fiscal year ending in May. The anomaly lets Oracle wait until late summer to make the SEC-mandated disclosures about Ellison's pay.

The rankings cover disclosures made within the same calendar year, meaning Ellison could be surpassed if an SEC filing during the next four months reveals that another CEO received an even bigger pay package.

For now, there are only two changes in the list of the 10 best-paid executives. With Ellison taking No. 1, Occidental Petroleum Corp. CEO Ray Irani fell out of the top 10.

In another revision lower on the pay ladder, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch now occupies the 14th spot on the list, with a compensation package valued at $30.1 million. News Corp., which operates on a fiscal year ending in June, also disclosed Murdoch's awards this week.

The calculations of total pay include executives' salaries, bonuses, incentives, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards granted during the year. The figure often differs from the numbers listed by companies.

Most of Ellison's fiscal 2008 compensation consisted of 7 million stock options designed to give him an incentive to increase Oracle's future market value. The options, valued at $71.2 million, vest during the next four years and expire in July 2017.

The analysis doesn't factor in windfalls the executives generate by exercising stock options awarded in previous years.

Ellison stood out in this category, too, raking in nearly $544 million by cashing in 36 million stock options during Oracle's last fiscal year.

Excluding those stock option gains, Ellison's latest pay package represented a 38 percent raise from fiscal 2007, when his compensation was valued at $61.2 million. That ranked Ellison as the second-best paid CEO, behind Yahoo's then-CEO, Terry Semel, who got a package valued at $71.7 million.

While Semel resigned as Yahoo's CEO 14 months ago under shareholder pressure, Ellison, 64, hasn't given any indication that he plans to end his 31-year reign at Oracle any time soon.

Author: Michael Liedtke @ www.chron.com