Oracle: Gimme an L. Gimme an I. Gimme an N-U-X
Enterprise software giant Oracle is at LinuxWorld this week, positioning itself as head cheerleader for widespread adoption in the Enterprise. In addition to a keynote speech that discussed Oracle's position around Linux, as well as details of its own deployment, there were two announcements issued today.
The first was the introduction of Oracle VM Template, a program that allows customers to deploy a pre-configured software stack designed to reduce installation, configuration and maintenance costs by eliminating the need to install and test from the ground up. Sure, these are Oracle's software products but the company is quick to note that it also supports non-Oracle software. The second was the announcement of 15 new partners in the company's Unbreakable Linux Program, a support program for Linux that extends to users of Oracle and non-Oracle products. The partners are now certified in Oracle's Enterprise Linux initiatives and are participants in its testing program.
The company has been an active Linux advocate for about ten years now but really stepped its game about 18 months or so ago when it created a support program for not only its own Linux products but also Red Hat Linux products. I met with a couple of Oracle executives at LinuxWorld and they said the opportunity stemmed from the slower-than-expected growth in Linux. The ROI, they said, wasn't as good as it could have been because potential customers weren't getting the support they needed. With a company the size of Oracle as an advocate, there were resources available to provide round-the-clock, global support, in places where smaller players like Red Hat didn't even have a presence.
There seems to be a strong commitment by Oracle to get behind Linux adoption. At this morning's keynote speech, Chief Information Office and Senior VP Mark Sunday talked about the keeping up with changes in data centers and how virtualization has helped reduce costs. But he also spent a chunk of time talking about green initiatives to address the demands of energy usage. He pointed to an example of a state-of-the-art, award-winning data center in Austin, Tex. It's a great example of a project that has increased efficiency and impacted the bottom line. But since it was built, the company has learned more and plans to apply new efforts in Project Sequoia, a new data-center that will break ground this month in Utah. This data center, for example, will leverage the outside air - much cooler in Utah than in Austin - to help keep the facility cool and lower energy usage. It also will be managed remotely, with only facility staff on site, by a group that's scattered around the globe.
The jury is still out on the widespread adoption of Linux - there are those who drink the Kool-Aid and others who will not. But with a deep-pocketed, big-name company like Oracle standing on the biggest Linux soapbox - both as a provider and user - who knows what sort of growth momentum is just around the corner?