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Traditional relational content, unstructured content, XML, 3-D spatial data—your enterprise is home to all kinds of information. Read how customers are using Oracle Database 11g to store all their data, simplify management, and improve systems performance.
ORACLE Magazine 2008
84 pages | Jan-Feb 2008 | PDF | 6 Mb
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Oracle customers got some advice on how to get the best deal and protect themselves while licensing software from the enterprise software giant.
Oracle's licensing practices have been maligned as overly confusing and unfair. But Eliot Arlo Colon, president of Miro Consulting, an independent firm in Fords, New Jersey, didn't get into specifics about particular policies, instead organizing a webinar around four categories: compliance, discounts, ongoing annual support costs and terms and conditions.
"When I look at e-mail subject lines, these are the things we get hit with," Colon said.
"Compliance is the foundation. Without it, nothing else matters," he said, adding that it is "not a gray area. Either you're compliant or you're not. ... If you consider areas [of use] gray, or your vendor considers areas gray, you should be concerned."
Companies should self-audit their licenses twice a year, and it should be a "thorough review," not a couple of mass e-mails, he said: "It's definitely more of a bear than most people would anticipate."
A third party should review the audit, and the company must possess a "stated and defendable" position on gray areas, he added. It is also wise to get assumptions confirmed in writing: "If it's not stated in your agreement that you have that right, chances are you do not have that right," he said.
Oracle vigorously defends its intellectual property, according to Colon. "You always have to assume an audit is only 30 days away," he said. "We've worked with companies that say 'We're a strategic partner, we're in the Oracle top 50,' and then they're audited."
Colon offered a range of advice concerning license cost. While Oracle and other vendors tend to offer better deals at certain times of the year, customers shouldn't be easily tempted by a low price, he said: "Waiting until a vendor's end-of-year, end-of-quarter may not be in your best interest if it's changing your business process. ... Everyone wants to get a good deal, but discount isn't the whole game. It's total cost of ownership."
To that end, organizations should take a close look at their existing annual support costs, he said: "You may find that your support is a lot better than you thought, or you might find products that you're supporting and not using. ... or that Oracle has acquired half the software you've got and now it can be supported under one envelope."
In fact, enterprises should review their annual support spending at least twice per year, Colon argued.
IT shops should also seek to rework any complex and ambiguous language in license contracts; determine how globalization and consolidation has altered their company's licensing needs; mull the ramifications of licensing among mobile workers; and ensure they have collected all proofs of purchases for storage in an asset management repository, Colon said. His company advises enterprise-software customers of companies including Oracle and Microsoft.
When renewal time comes, companies should weigh whether it makes more sense to renew the existing pact or formulate a new one, according to Colon. "Businesses are very dynamic. If you have an agreement signed four years ago, chances are it doesn't work for you today," he said.
Firms must also ensure they and Oracle are working from the same set of terms and conditions, Colon warned: "You want to make sure you're protected -- believe me, Oracle is going to make sure they're protected."
Author: Chris Kanaracus @ www.pcworld.com
Kepware Technologies announced that its KEPServerEX Product will provide manufacturing plant floor execution data to Oracle’s manufacturing applications, which are part of the Oracle E-Business Suite.
The latest generation of Kepware's OPC server technology, KEPServerEX, was designed to allow users to quickly setup communications from equipment to control and business systems via a wide range of available "plug-in" device drivers and components. As part of this relationship, Kepware is enhancing its KEPServerEX product to deliver several new features including; 1) OPC Client functionality – enabling KEPServerEX to act as a gateway from any OPC Server including third party device drivers as well as higher level HMI/SCADA or Historian products, 2) a first level of data analytics – generating derived information from real-time plant floor data and 3) complex data tags – aggregating information into concise time or event relevant structures.
“Kepware is extremely proud to work with Oracle,” says Roy Kok, VP of Sales and Marketing for Kepware. “As a partner, we deliver plant floor data into their current and future products. The architecture of our KEPServerEX product is a natural fit for all OEM applications, delivering high reliability and consistent operation across all 130+ protocols that we offer, in a solution that is easy and straight forward to validate and support. The new developments required for this project will be delivered in the form of new options to benefit all existing Kepware customers,” he added.
"Oracle continues to look for companies that can support our overall manufacturing strategy. We were impressed by what Kepware has to offer and expect Kepware to help expand our capabilities in the shop floor connectivity space," said Jon Chorley, Oracle Vice President SCM Product Strategy. "Kepware provides a combination of benefits including a wide range of protocols for device communications, product capabilities to handle complex data and a vast number of industry relationships that will benefit our joint customers.”
“This relationship is enabling customers to leverage the full benefits of OPC as an open technology enabling connectivity within the automation marketplace” stated Thomas Burke, President of the OPC Foundation. “The combined solution will offer connectivity to virtually any plant floor data through the use of Kepware drivers, or their new OPC Client implementation. Kepware’s additional support to create complex data, as part of this effort, will form the foundation for OPC-UA connectivity in the near future,” he added.
“The manufacturing performance and visibility market has emerged over the last several years from a few startup software suppliers focusing on OEE to a critical function that has attracting most enterprise and operations software suppliers explained Bob Mick, VP Emerging Technology, ARC Advisory Group. He continues, “Oracle has been building out their Operations Management functions and has reached the stage where they need out-of-the-box access to a broad range of operations information, including legacy systems, to be successful. A Kepware partnership provides immediate access to operations information, help with OPC related architecture, and a method for remaining current with new developments from automation and other suppliers moving forward.”
About Kepware
Kepware is the world leader in communication software for automation and offers unique experience in both OPC and embedded device communications. Since 1995, Kepware has focused on the development of communication drivers to automation controllers, I/O and field devices. Operating system support includes; Microsoft Windows Desktop, Windows Server and Windows Embedded (Windows CE and Windows Embedded NT/XP). Today, with over 130 communication protocols, and through the efforts of our direct sales, distribution and embedded partners, Kepware is the leading provider of communications with annual shipments exceeding 100,000 units. Kepware’s responsiveness to customer needs and strong partnerships with other leading automation suppliers ensure that your next application will be a success. Ask around and you’ll hear why automation professionals everywhere consider Kepware Technologies "Automation’s Best Friend."
Source: www.automation.com
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