"Yes, dear. Conspiracy theories really do come true. Now go to sleep." (tuck, tuck)
Tuesday September 25, 8:02 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: Oracle Corporation Oracle.com Teams up With BT Ignite Content Hosting to Propel Online Delivery Of Oracle E-Business Suite Applications in Europe ...As Part of Oracle's E-Business Suite Online Any Place Strategy, the World's Broadest Suite of E-Business Applications is now Available Across Europe Via BT Ignite's Extensive Network of Internet Data Centres LONDON, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- ( http://www.oracle.com/tellmemore/?906552 ) Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL - news), the largest provider of software for e-business, and BT Ignite Content Hosting, a leading provider of integrated hosting solutions, are making their shared vision of how software will be delivered as a service a reality today with the announcement of a significant pan-European partnership. BT Ignite becomes the first European partner to deliver on Oracle's E-Business Suite Online Any Place strategy.
As of today, organisations across Europe can benefit from Oracle's comprehensive range of E-Business technologies, made available via BT Ignite's extensive European network of Internet Data Centres, without the need to install or configure a single piece of software. As a result, Oracle's European E-Business Suite customers can now go live in as little as ten days.
Traditionally, companies spend a large proportion of their IT budgets buying
software and hardware as well as hiring the necessary IT skills to install, configure and maintain their business critical applications. Oracle and BT Ignite Content Hosting are changing that. By teaming up with BT Ignite, a leading provider of integrated hosting solutions, Oracle is looking to rapidly replicate in Europe the success it has had in the US, where over 125 customers use its hosted services.
``From today, European organisations no longer have to rely as heavily on implementation consultants, search for scarce IT staff, or manage software upgrades and integration,'' said Sergio Giacoletto, Executive Vice President, Europe Middle East and Africa, Oracle Corp. ``They can quite simply access all their business systems via the Internet. We have been working closely with BT Ignite Content Hosting as they share our 'Software as a Service' vision. This model of online hosted services represents a radical change for our customers in terms of how they can now receive new products and services from us and also fundamentally changes the way we run our business. The next few years will see Oracle delivering the majority of its technology to customers as an online service, either from its own US data centre or through world class partners such as BT Ignite.''
As part of the agreement, customers can have their Oracle E-Business Suite applications hosted via BT Ignite Content Hosting's extensive network of Internet Data Centres across Europe and managed by Oracle's own professionals, without having to install or configure a single piece of software. The customer simply pays a monthly fee for the service. This means they can immediately benefit from reduced IT overheads, unrivalled technical support, reduced deployment times and as a result, a rapid realisation of return on investment. Under the terms of the agreement, the Oracle software platform will be managed and supported by Oracle, with hardware and network management provided by BT Ignite Content Hosting.
``As a leading provider of integrated hosting solutions we work closely with world class organisations such as Oracle to continually develop products and services which meet our customer's changing needs, indeed Oracle recognised the significance of this relationship by presenting BT Ignite with its Best New Partner award earlier this year. Oracle's 'Any Place' strategy of enabling customers to have their business applications managed and hosted at a location that suits them, fits tightly with our own business strategy and vision of the future success of the hosting model. This is why today's announcement is so important,'' explained Vernon Irvin, President BT Ignite Content Hosting. ``It is not the technology behind hosted software services that people should focus on, but the huge business benefits that they immediately offer.''
A report by analyst firm Datamonitor* estimates that the hosted market in Europe will grow with a compound annual growth rate of 107 per cent from $266 million in 2001 to $4,884 million in 2005. With this announcement Oracle and BT Ignite are set to drive the European market for hosted E-Business applications.
Source: Datamonitor, Attacking the Global ASP opportunity, 2001 About BT Ignite
BT Ignite -- BT's broadband and Internet Protocol (IP) data and solutions business -- has been created to provide a complete communications portfolio to business and wholesale customers in all major cities throughout the world. *
It is the first communications company to commit to delivering the entire IP value chain -- from e-commerce consultancy and solutions through to core networks and Internet connectivity with a unique blend of content hosting, application service provision, systems integration and outsourcing capabilities.
BT Ignite is already outstripping its nearest competitors in terms of traditional measures of route kilometres, number of hosting centres, local sales and service support teams and depth of country coverage. In Europe we already have significantly more reach than the nearest competitor and will be able to deliver our portfolio to over 250 European cities over our own networks by the end of 2001 and to all the world's commercial centres through BT's partners, alliance members and subsidiaries.
In conjunction with Concert and other partners where required. About BT Ignite Content Hosting
BT Ignite Content Hosting offers a range of web hosting application and networking services, utilising a world class Internet backbone. Our extensive network of Internet Data Centres service a wide range of companies from major corporations to application service providers and other Internet-centric businesses.
Internet data centres house the hardware, software and high speed communication connections required by customers -- allowing them to focus on their core business and meet growing requirements for e-commerce. www.ignite.com/contenthosting.
About Oracle
Oracle Corporation provides the software that powers the Internet. For more information about Oracle, please visit http://www.oracle.com.