Last week, Oracle quietly posted an updated price list for its database and middleware products on its corporate web site. As a comparison of the updated list with last year’s list reveals, most prices rose by between 15 and 20 percent. While Oracle did reduce prices on a handful of products, the widespread price increases could motivate some JD Edwards customers to rethink their software procurement plans.
The price increases apply to nearly all database and middleware categories in Oracle’s growing product portfolio. That includes the vendor’s flagship Database Enterprise Edition, which now costs $47,500 for a processor license versus $40,000 two weeks ago. That’s almost a 19 percent increase. Oracle also boosted prices on most of its business intelligence products. For instance, Oracle BI Server Enterprise Edition now costs $51,800 per processor, a 15 percent increase.
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Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the IT world has lately been under a little more deadline pressure than usual. Then again, many of us are facing two deadlines right now that may explain my sense of urgency.
What are the deadlines of which I speak? You’ve probably heard of the first one already. Due to an edict from Microsoft, major computer vendors will no longer sell Windows XP on their PCs starting on June 30. This means your company has 11 days to stock up on any PCs that come preloaded with the operating system. After June 30, the only way you can get Windows XP from the majors (such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo) is by purchasing a system that is preloaded with Windows Vista Business or Ultimate. These Vista versions include the right to “downgrade” (quotes are mine and yes…they mean what they intend) to XP. If you have any responsibility for your company’s PC purchases, take note and act accordingly.
Here’s the second deadline…and this one is more pressing and probably more important for many of you. If you want to participate in beta tests for EnterpriseOne Tools 8.98, you must submit an application to Nancy Van Inwegen by this Friday. The upcoming Tools release will feature enhancements in areas such as batch process management, security, and the overall usability of the web interface. To learn more, check out the EnterpriseOne Tools 8.98 Beta Testing Program Information document. Don’t miss the opportunity!
Several times over the last year, I have mentioned that IBM and Oracle jointly maintain an International Competency Center. The Center is an ideal place to get advice on how to install, configure, and optimize EnterpriseOne and World on IBM’s hardware and software.
I am pleased to announce that the Center has agreed to let us post some of its white papers on the JD Edwards Advisor. If you click over to our White Papers from Other Companies page, you will see that we’ve already posted three of them. Over the coming months, look for the number of papers from the Center to expand. If Big Blue has a presence in your JD Edwards implementation, watch this space.
In a company the size of Oracle, there are almost always a dozen things happening that could affect JD Edwards users in some way. Here’s a rundown on the “happenings” that have caught my eye lately. I have also thrown in a handful of resources that many of you will find helpful.
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Now that Oracle owns BEA, users of the acquired vendor’s products are itching to know what Oracle intends to do with their software. If you are one of those users, you will want to attend an upcoming webcast where Oracle will unveil its strategy. The webcast, which takes place on July 1, will feature presentations from Oracle President Charles Phillips and Thomas Kurian, Senior VP for Server Technologies Development. To register for the event, click over to the signup page on Oracle’s web site.
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While JD Edwards customers have lots of business issues on their minds nowadays, there are several problems that our team at Andrews Consulting Group hears about more often than others. Among those problems, here are two that rank up there with the best (or worst) of them:
- Containing shipping expenditures at a time when transportation costs are skyrocketing and corporate executives are demanding expense reductions
- Implementing IT systems to support corporate governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance that don’t cost a million and eat up precious staff resources
Fortunately, some software vendors are working on solutions to these dilemmas that are tailored to JD Edwards customers. Two of those vendors — Ategrity Limited and Varsity Logistics — have crafted products that focus on JD Edwards World users. Ategrity offers TRACE for JD Edwards World™, a tool that integrates with World’s Database Audit Manager (DBAM) to deliver advanced auditing of system and data changes. Varsity Logistics provides ShipSoft™ for YourWorld, a shipping automation and control solution that is priced for small-to-midsized businesses.
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