Oracle eyes up apps providers

Oracle will gradually reorganise itself around specific industries and seek alternative pricing models that are tied to how customers use its software, according to company president Charles Phillips.

The software giant intends to acquire application providers that specialise in particular industries as a way to expand its market share, Phillips said in an interview with CNET News.com.

Oracle has identified about eight industries where it has a large number of customers. Through acquisitions, it will bulk up its sales skills in those market segments and look to create separate business units. Phillips did not specify which industries Oracle plans to target.

"As we build out products in verticals and make acquisitions, we create organisations around them," Phillips said. "We'll do more of that but build it incrementally over time. It doesn't make sense to do that until you have more content in a particular industry."

The template for an industry-based structure comes from Oracle's acquisition in April of retail application specialist Retek, which forms the basis for Oracle's retail business unit.

Buying application companies focused in particular industries will provide Oracle with that industry "content" in the form of software and people with the appropriate skills, he said.

"The general strategy is to go deep where we're already strong," he said. "We own their back office; now we want to extend to the front office... If we get those eight right, there's plenty of opportunity and growth."

IBM reorganised its software sales structure in late 2003 to build and sell software tailored to specific industries. Microsoft is doing the same and, like IBM, is seeking out application partners with expertise in particular industries.

Phillips also said that Oracle is experimenting with pricing plans that represent a break from traditional methods, such as charging per server processor.

The company has already done some deals where customers pay for software on a per-employee basis or per store in the retail industry. The pricing mechanisms will vary with different industries, he said.

"We'd love to get to a mode where we're looking at the number of employees served, the number of checks processed - you name it, some business metric - and take it out of the technology realm and tie our success to their success in terms of business," Phillips said.

Separately, Phillips said that in September current customers of JD Edwards and PeopleSoft applications will have the option to purchase Oracle's Fusion Middleware with upgrades.

Martin LaMonica writes for CNET News.com