Partners Support Oracle Unbreakable Linux Program

Scores of leading technology partners—independent software vendors, hardware vendors, and system integrators—support the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program and their solutions work out-of-the-box with Oracle Enterprise Linux because it's fully compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Partners: Certify Your Applications with Oracle Enterprise Linux
Press release: Partners Embrace Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program
Press release: Partner Momentum Continues - ISV and Infrastructure Vendors Support Oracle Enterprise Linux
Partners: Join the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Product Focus Area on the Oracle Partner Network
Customers: Customers Succeed with Oracle Unbreakable Linux



170 Systems
"We optimize the financial business processes of the world's largest organizations that require the highest levels of quality and support. The combination of 170 MarkView Financial Suite, Oracle Enterprise Linux and the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support program provides our customers with a solution that directly addresses their needs.", Karl Buttner, Chairman and CTO, 170 Systems
3PAR

Accenture
"Linux is important to us, and to our customers," said Don Rippert, Chief Technology Officer, Accenture. "We applaud Oracle's efforts to bring enterprise-quality support to Linux with the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program announcement. Together with Oracle, we at Accenture look forward to making the Linux experience even better for our customers."

ActiveState
"Through the Oracle Partner Network, our expanded market of Oracle customers can now confidently count on ease of testing and support through Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program," says Jeff Hobbs, Director of Languages, ActiveState, "Oracle customers can enlist our in-house experts to build, support and enhance the open source dynamic languages critical to their Oracle Enterprise Linux deployments."


Press release: ActiveState Announces Support for Oracle Enterprise Linux

AMD
"AMD continues to be a strong supporter of the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program as well as the Oracle Validated Configuration Program. AMD and Oracle are committed to joint development collaboration efforts resulting in fully tested Linux solutions for our customers.", Terri Hall, Vice President Strategic Software Alliances, AMD

AppWorx
"We continue to see strong growth in the Linux market and have expanded AppWorx platform support to include Oracle Enterprise Linux, and the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program. As a longtime partner, we work closely with Oracle to ensure that our business process automation solutions run reliably with our customers' Oracle products.", Brian Miller, Vice President of Technical Services, AppWorx

Autodesk
"We at Autodesk are truly excited about Oracle's Unbreakable Linux program. As Linux adoption continues to grow, Autodesk and Oracle stay focused on enterprise-class solutions that enable our customers to capitalize on the promise of lower cost with Linux.", Carl Bass, President and CEO, Autodesk

BakBone
"The combination of BakBone's NetVault: Backup with Oracle Unbreakable Linux support provides our mutual users with easy-to-use, top-of-the-line support for their Linux environments," said Jeff Drescher, vice president of Marketing, BakBone. "Our certification with Oracle Enterprise Linux further expands our broad reach of Linux support and we are excited about the potential market opportunities with this program." For more information, read the press release.

Bearing Point
"It is critical that our customers have true enterprise-quality support for their Linux deployments. Oracle's Unbreakable Linux support delivers the level of confidence our customers need to run Linux in their data centers," said Harry You, CEO, Bearing Point.

BMC
"As Oracle's only systems management ISV, at the highest level in Oracle's Partner Program, BMC Software is excited to see Oracle's deepening commitment to Linux," said Bob Beauchamp, BMC Software President and CEO. "Business Service Management from BMC Software with the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program meets customer demand for lower cost and higher quality support for their infrastructure."

Brocade
"By using Brocade products in validated configurations and solutions, customers can deploy Oracle and Linux applications faster and with greater reliability and security," said Tom Buiocchi, Brocade Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "Brocade has conducted rigorous field testing alongside Oracle systems, and we are confident that our solutions provide customers with one of the most secure, data management solutions on the market today." Discover more information about Brocade and Oracle: Working together to deliver more secure and more reliable solutions to the market. Brocade's DCX Backbone joins the Oracle Validated Configurations for Linux program.

Compellent Technologies
"Compellent's support for Oracle Unbreakable Linux gives customers complete confidence and industry-leading ease of use for enterprise-class network storage solutions running on Linux," said Phil Soran, Chairman, CEO, and President of Compellent. "Compellent offers Oracle customers a feature-rich SAN with automated tiered storage at the block level, enabling them to improve utilization, simplify replication and speed data recovery in their enterprise. And when combined with Oracle's industry-leading support for Linux, organizations stand to benefit even further."

Dell
"As a customer with first hand experience of Oracle's outstanding support organization, Dell will use Oracle to support Linux operating systems internally," said Michael Dell, Chairman of the Board, Dell. "Oracle's new Linux support program will help us drive standards deeper into the enterprise. Today we're announcing that Dell customers can choose Oracle's Unbreakable Linux program to support Linux environments running on Dell PowerEdge servers."


Discover more Oracle and Dell solutions
Dell Tested and Validated Configurations Support Oracle Enterprise Linux
Dell Reference Configuration White Paper: Oracle Database 11g on Oracle Enterprise Linux

Ecora Software
"By adding support for Oracle Enterprise Linux early in the adoption process, Ecora is giving users confidence that they'll be able to maintain appropriate controls over these newly deployed systems," said Bryan Cote, Senior Product Manager, Ecora Software. Read the entire press release for more information.

Egenera
"We see the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program as a strategic approach to ensuring that end-users have access to truly global, enterprise-class support for their Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Oracle Enterprise Linux environments. At Egenera, we believe in customer choice. Our support of the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program is indicative of our mission to provide customers with fully supported and interoperable solutions for the enterprise data center.", Kathy Yenke, Vice President of Business Alliances, Egenera. Egenera joins the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, offering seamless support for Oracle Enterprise Linux through new Oracle Validated Configurations.

EMC
"The combined power of EMC and Oracle solutions bring superior reliability, scalability, high availability, and now, enhanced enterprise supportability to Linux users. We are confident that joint Linux solutions from EMC and Oracle will deliver enterprise scale and quality while lowering the cost of infrastructure for our customers," said Joe Tucci, Chairman, CEO, President, EMC. Discover how EMC supports Oracle Unbreakable Linux.

Emulex
"As one of the original supporters of the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program, Emulex is committed to ongoing collaboration with Oracle and its partners to ensure a fully supported enterprise-class solution. We will continue working closely with Oracle to ensure robust, interoperable Linux-based storage implementations." Mike Smith, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Emulex.


Press release: Discover how Emulex supports Oracle Unbreakable Linux

"Oracle and Emulex have been fully committed to the Linux data integrity initiative, working to build industry standards and developing solutions for end-to-end data integrity and today's news marks a significant milestone in this effort." Scott McIntyre, Vice President of Product Marketing, Emulex.


Press release: Oracle Contributes Data Integrity Protection Code to Linux Community
Visit the Emulex Oracle Partner Page

FalconStor
"Like Oracle, FalconStor stands committed to delivering high-quality, available enterprise software solutions for open systems that will simplify and cut the high cost of IT today, and we have optimized our portfolio of totally open data protection solutions for high availability and performance on Oracle Enterprise Linux," said Bernie Wu, vice president of business development for FalconStor Software. "We embrace the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program because it helps ensure our continued delivery of integrated data protection and storage management applications that meet the demands of Oracle Database deployments on Linux in the enterprise."

Fujitsu Siemens Computers
"Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Fujitsu Computer Systems have a long history of offering our customers a choice of operating systems and platforms to run their business-critical applications. We are pleased to partner with Oracle on the Unbreakable Linux program and the validation of Oracle Enterprise Linux with our PRIMERGY server family. The Oracle Validated Configurations ensure our customers are getting a proven and reliable platform that is ready to run their business at a lower cost and a reduced energy footprint.", Bernd Kosch, Vice President Strategic Alliances at Fujitsu Siemens Computers


Fujitsu Siemens PRIMERGY Servers and FibreCAT SX Storage Certified with Oracle Enterprise Linux Visit the Oracle/Fujitsu Siemens Computers strategic partners page for more information

Hitachi Data Systems
"We are pleased to extend our relationship with Oracle to offer customers industry-leading Hitachi storage systems optimized for Oracle Enterprise Linux," said John Mansfield, Executive Vice President, Global Solutions Strategy and Development, Hitachi Data Systems. "As an active partner in the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program, we are able to bring tested, supported and reliable enterprise-class Linux-based storage solutions that demonstrate our ongoing commitment to open-standards."

HP
"As part of our long-standing strategic alliance with Oracle, HP has tested and enabled Oracle Enterprise Linux on our market-leading HP ProLiant servers, and we are actively engaging many of our joint customers to determine their needs and expectations for Oracle Enterprise Linux on HP platforms. Our joint customers, as well as the Linux community at large, will benefit from HP's market-leading Linux offerings and the strength of the HP and Oracle alliance.", Christine Martino, Vice President, Open Source and Linux Organization, HP Discover HP solutions certified with Oracle Enterprise Linux


HP Extends Support for Oracle Enterprise Linux
HP Value Add Software Bundle for HP ProLiant servers running Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 Certification Matrix: HP ProLiant and BladeSystem Server Smart Arrays, NICs and SCSI Controllers HP Storage Array Systems are certified with Oracle Enterprise Linux

IBM
"Oracle's support for Red Hat Linux will encourage broader adoption of Linux in the enterprise," said Bill Zeitler, Sr. Vice President & Group Executive, IBM Systems and Technology Group. "IBM shares Oracle's goal of making Linux a reliable, highly standard, cost effective platform for mission critical applications backed by world class support." Discover how IBM and Oracle work together to support joint customers.

Ingram Micro
"Oracle's Unbreakable Linux program is good news for customers. The Ingram Micro and Oracle relationship will further expand the adoption of Linux through the channel." Kevin M. Murai, President and Chief Operating Officer

InMage Systems
"We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Oracle into the exciting and fast-growing Linux segment," said Tom Urban, Director of Marketing, InMage Systems. "As an active partner in the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program, we are able to bring tested, supported and reliable enterprise-class Linux-based storage solutions that demonstrate our ongoing commitment to open-standards."


Press release: InMage Systems Joins Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program

Intel
"Having worked with Oracle for many years in the enterprise computing space, we believe that the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program will bring tremendous value to our mutual Linux customers," said Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel Corporation."Our work with Oracle on this program will be an important extension to our longstanding enterprise computing relationship."

KnowledgeTree
"We got KnowledgeTree running on Oracle Enterprise Linux with ease, thanks to the operating system's Red Hat Enterprise Linux compatibility. Our customers now have a choice as to the enterprise Linux offering they can run KnowledgeTree on.", Daniel Chalef of KnowledgeTree developers Jam Warehouse

Kronos
"Oracle's Unbreakable Linux program is a compelling program. The combination of Kronos' expertise in workforce management solutions and Oracle's infrastructure and services are appealing to customers running on Linux.", Peter George, CTO, Kronos

Likewise Software
"Oracle's strength in the enterprise combined with their focus on driving the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support program makes them a great partner for Likewise," said Rosie Hausler, VP of Marketing, Likewise Software. "Together we provide a great solution for mixed network environments that desire to integrate their Oracle Enterprise Linux systems with Microsoft's Active Director for authentication, policy, and audit purposes."


Press release: Likewise Software Now Supports Oracle Enterprise Linux

Mellanox
"The Oracle Unbreakable Linux Program provides Mellanox with additional opportunities to deliver InfiniBand interconnect technology into mainstream enterprise applications and verticals," said Wayne Augsburger, vice president of business development at Mellanox Technologies. "The combination of Mellanox InfiniBand technology and Oracle Enterprise Linux provides end-users with a robust, best-in-class price/performance clustering solution with leading scalability."


Read the press release: Mellanox Technologies Achieves Oracle Enterprise Linux Certification

Mercury
"Mercury has a successful track record of providing customers with Business Technology Optimization solutions to help drive successful business outcomes in heterogeneous application environments. Linux is fast becoming a platform of choice for many enterprise customers. As a long-standing Oracle partner, Mercury is committed to supporting our joint customers to achieve success in their Linux platform initiatives with Oracle," said Tony Zingale, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mercury

NetApp
"The world's largest enterprises must have the flexibility to quickly and continually adapt to today's rapidly changing business requirements, without incurring risk," said Dan Warmenhoven, CEO of Network Appliance. "The Oracle Unbreakable Linux program is designed to drive the key benefits of Linux—including flexibility, reliability, and simplicity—directly into the data center. The longstanding relationship between NetApp and Oracle has enabled us to continuously deliver superior enterprise solutions to enable business agility and improve reliability—all tenets of the NetApp brand." Read the NetApp/Oracle Unbreakable Linux FAQ and view the NetApp/Oracle Supportability Matrix. Read the press release: NetApp supports the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program.

PatchLink
"As more enterprises continue to adopt a heterogeneous environment, they need robust solutions to effectively protect all of their valuable IT assets, including platforms and applications that cover Linux, UNIX, and Macintosh. As one of the key solution providers that support multiplatform and applications, PatchLink is excited to see Oracle's move to provide a powerful solution that protects the Linux environment. To that end, PatchLink will be extending our remediation solutions to patch content that Oracle provides from time-to-time.", Rich Hlavka, Senior Vice President of Business Development, PatchLink. Read the press release: PatchLink joins Oracle Unbreakable Linux program.

Pillar Data Systems
"Pillar and Oracle are committed to improving the total quality experience for Linux customers. Pillar's support for Oracle's Enterprise Linux delivers enterprise class storage without enterprise cost. Our ability to deliver a pre-tested and integrated solution for customers moving to Oracle Database 10g; coupled with our support for Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control, has truly defined a new era in IT automation.", Paul Veilleux, Executive Director, Global Alliance Team, Pillar Data Systems. For more information, visit the Pillar Data Systems and Oracle Unbreakable Linux solutions page.

QLogic
"The QLogic field proven Linux Fibre Channel HBA solutions ship with Oracle Enterprise Linux and provide the highest reliability, availability and serviceability expected by enterprise customers. Our mutual data center customers will enjoy the benefits of this partnership backed by QLogic's global support model and Oracle's global Unbreakable Linux support program.", Parag Mehta, Director of Product Marketing, QLogic Host Solutions Group. QLogic Provides SANblade Fibre Channel HBAs for the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Program

SteelEye Technology, Inc.
"The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program is helping our joint customers streamline the deployment process of business critical applications," said Bob Williamson, senior vice president of product management at SteelEye Technology, Inc. "Oracle clearly understands that users are looking for affordable solutions that have been rigorously proven and tested, and are delivered with world-class support. By providing that peace of mind, this program is providing significant cost and time savings to customers and partners alike." Read the press release for more information.

Sterling
"The Sterling Commerce Supply Chain Applications Suite helps companies optimize the performance of their extended supply chain, an environment that requires support for existing IT investments. Oracle's Unbreakable Linux program complements our customers' efforts to deploy Linux and leverage their existing IT investments with a world-class support offering.", Scott Pulsipher, Vice President of Product Management, Sterling Commerce

SugarCRM
"The support of Oracle Unbreakable Linux is a direct result of SugarCRM customers' demand for high-quality, reliable CRM applications,", said Paul Oh, director of technology alliances at SugarCRM. "SugarCRM has been a member of the Oracle open source partnership for the last two years, and this announcement expands our Oracle database integration into the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program." Read the press release.

Symantec
By continuing our work with Oracle, our customers will now have the choice of deploying Veritas high availability, data protection, and storage management solutions across every major operating system in their data center—including Oracle Enterprise Linux." Rob Soderbery, senior vice president of Symantec's Storage Foundation Group.


Press release: Oracle and Symantec Certify Veritas Data Center Solutions on Oracle Enterprise Linux.
Veritas Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC is certified on Oracle Enterprise Linux.
Veritas Storage Foundation Cluster File System is certified on Oracle Enterprise Linux.
Veritas NetBackup 6.0 and 6.5 are certified on Oracle Enterprise Linux.

Synoran
"Our clients look to us for leading-edge SOA products. Now, in conjunction with the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program, our products provide clients with greater flexibility to choose a sound and cost-effective enterprise solution. Through our partnership with Oracle and the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program, our clients are presented with a one-stop shop for full-service support.", Tom Hetterscheidt, Vice President of Product Development, Synoran.

TeamQuest
"It was important for TeamQuest to add support for Oracle Enterprise Linux as our customers and prospect base demanded it," said Scott Adams, director of product management, TeamQuest. "The Unbreakable Linux support program feeds TeamQuest's strategic position and delivers business value to our mutual customers." Visit http://www.teamquest.com/support/supported-versions/uwsv/index.htm for more information.

Tech Data
"Oracle's Unbreakable Linux enables our IT reseller customers to deliver a compelling solution that substantially lowers end users' infrastructure and support costs. Together, Tech Data and Oracle are focused on bringing enterprise-quality, cost-effective Linux solutions to the channel.", Ken Lamneck, President, The Americas, Tech Data Corporation

Tripwire
Tripwire Enterprise configuration audit and control software supports Oracle Enterprise Linux.

Trusted Computer Solutions
"Trusted Computer Solutions (TCS) certified our automated OS lock down tool, Security Blanket with Oracle Enterprise Linux earlier this year due to customer demand," stated Sherryl Dorch, Vice President of Marketing for TCS. "Oracle Enterprise Linux is very compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux so the certification was very straightforward. We have a number of customers who are currently securing their Oracle Enterprise Linux operating systems with Security Blanket and we look forward to continued growth with Oracle through its Oracle Unbreakable Linux program."


Press release: Trusted Computer Solutions Provides Automated System Lock Down Tool for Oracle Enterprise Linux

Unisys
"Linux is a leading choice for our enterprise clients looking to modernize and deploy mission-critical applications on open systems. Unisys is excited to be a recognized solutions provider in the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Program including the Oracle Validated Configurations Program. As a long-time partner with Oracle, we continue working together to ensure Unisys customers realize the full cost, security, and benefits from today's enterprise class Linux based solutions. These solutions leverage Unisys industry experience and our scalable and secure server platforms." Kevin McHugh, VP & GM, Unisys Enterprise Solutions. Learn more about the Oracle and Unisys alliance.

Univa UD
"Our customers will benefit from the combination of UniCluster's simplicity, the enterprise-class support delivered through the Oracle Unbreakable Linux program and the consistency Intel Cluster Ready provides to HPC application environments," Gary Tyreman, VP and general manager of HPC for Univa UD.


Press release: Univa UD Announces UniCluster with Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support

Voltaire
"Through Voltaire's participation in Oracle's Unbreakable Linux Program, Linux customers now have access to scalable Oracle Database clusters on InfiniBand that have been rigorously tested to help ensure interoperability and significant application performance gains," said Asaf Somekh, vice president of strategic alliances, Voltaire. ""Many customers in industries including financial services, telecommunications and media are now experiencing a 50 percent increase in transactions per second using the Voltaire solution for Oracle RAC and Oracle Enterprise Linux."


Press release: Voltaire Achieves Certification with Oracle Enterprise Linux

Zeus Technology
"Oracle Enterprise Linux is an ideal platform for Zeus ZXTM application delivery software because mission critical applications require well tested, reliable, enterprise-grade components that are proven to work well together and are fully supported. By partnering with Oracle, Zeus ZXTM customers can leverage higher quality Linux support through the Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support program," said Travis Reed, General Manager, Americas, Zeus Technology.

Zmanda
"Support for Oracle Database and Oracle Enterprise Linux is a vital component to our overall strategy: to make open source backup and recovery solutions a viable alternative for all enterprise customers," said Chander Kant, founder and chief executive officer, Zmanda. "We have stayed true to the open source innovation philosophy and are using only open standards and native tool sets in our implementation. Oracle users now have an affordable solution that is so easy to use that it can be administered by DBAs and IT managers alike."


Press release: Zmanda Joins Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program

Oracle® Unbreakable Linux Support Demonstrates Exceptional Momentum

1,500 Customers in Less Than Nine Months
ORACLE OPENWORLD, SAN FRANCISCO, 14-NOV-2007 05:00 AMOracle today announced an exceptional first year for the Oracle® Unbreakable Linux support program, with 1,500 customers adopting the program after the three-month free trial period. Additionally, the program has experienced significant partner participation through certifications and the Oracle Validated Configurations Program. As a result of the program's strong growth, a testament to the demand for enterprise-quality Linux support, Oracle has created a dedicated Linux sales team. The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program has also helped Oracle drive growth and advancements in Linux as bug fixes are provided back to the Linux community, in addition to the company's on-going new features and functionality contributions.

"The phenomenal adoption of the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program has exceeded expectations and clearly demonstrates that Linux users seek better quality support -- the same support Oracle offers its database customers," said Oracle's Oracle Chief Corporate Architect, Edward Screven. "Oracle continues to be fully committed to Linux with a sharp focus on meeting customer demand, growing its already strong partner ecosystem and most importantly, continuing its technical contributions to advance Linux as an operating system for mission-critical applications. The growth of the program is validation that Oracle is meeting a real customer need."

Oracle Unbreakable Linux Support Program Customers
Providing a single source for enterprise-quality support for Linux, and the entire Oracle software stack, the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program has been the choice of 1,500 customers and continues to grow rapidly as customers experience the benefits of the program.

Early customers who helped shape the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program include: ABC Stores, Abercrombie & Fitch, Acuity Brands, Centre de Services Partages du Quebec, City of Las Vegas, Cox Enterprises, Dell, Deseret Power, Diebold, Fulcrum Analytics, GlobeCast, Hays Medical Center, IHOP, Knife River Corporation, KPN, McKessen, Mitsubishi, Mutual Materials, New York State Insurance Department, Nissan, Primavera Systems, Powell Industries, Raley's, Replacements, Ltd., Spaulding Equipment Company, Stanford University, Stemilt Growers, Stuart Maue, The Cobalt Group, The Gem Group, Timex, Yahoo!, William Beaumont Hospitals, ValueCentric and Vcommerce.

"Delivering business value through the utilization of innovative and cost-effective technology is a cornerstone of Abercrombie & Fitch's leadership in the retail industry," said Kristen Blum, CIO and VP IT, Abercrombie & Fitch. "We selected Oracle as our strategic partner because they were the only company that could support our entire retail footprint through their integrated suite of Oracle Retail applications and with the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, we can make one call and receive support for our entire solution."

"The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program was extremely compelling to Acuity Brands as we are a full-stack Oracle customer, running Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and the Oracle E-Business Suite," said Pat Quinn, vice president, Information Systems and Technology, Acuity Brands. "With the addition of Linux support, all our software infrastructure bases are covered in one stop, with the same high-quality support we've always had from Oracle."

"At Beaumont Medical Hospitals, our predominantly Linux-based IT infrastructure supports more than 2,400 physicians representing well over 91 medical and surgical specialties," Paul Dillard, manager IT, Beaumont Hospitals. "The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program has provided us with the confidence to expand our Linux deployments to mission critical applications while lowering our overall IT costs."

"As a market leader in providing on-demand data management and performance analytics for critical pharmaceutical supply chain information, ValueCentric requires a flexible and highly reliable IT infrastructure," said John LoFaso, Director, Technical Operations, ValueCentric. "With the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program we know our Linux investment is protected and that enables us to dedicate our resources to adding value for our customers."

Oracle PartnerNetwork's Linux Initiative Delivers Extended Value
Rounding out the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program is the strong backing from Oracle PartnerNetwork members who have certified their solutions with Oracle Enterprise Linux; providing customers with the assurance that their environments have been fully tested and work out-of-the-box. In addition to technology providers supporting their products on Linux, the Oracle Validated Configurations program includes more than a dozen infrastructure companies working with Oracle to provide pre-tested, validated and supported architectures -- software, hardware, storage and networking components -- and best practices, to further ease the deployment of Oracle solutions on Linux.

Through the Oracle Validated Configurations Program, Oracle has worked closely with partners to design and test complete stacks on Linux. Companies working with Oracle on this on-going effort include: AMD, Brocade, Cisco Systems, Compellent, Dell, Egenera EMC, Emulex, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, Intel, Liquid Computing, NetApp, Pillar Data, QLogic, Sun and Unisys. To date, more than 30 Oracle Validated Configurations are available on the Oracle Technology Network at: http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/validated-configurations/index.html.

Additional partners such as 170 Systems, AppWorx Corp., LSI, Patchlink, Pervasive Rackable Systems, Symantec and Synoran, all members of the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), certified with and include Oracle Enterprise Linux among the operating systems they support. Open source companies including KnowledgeTree and SugarCRM are also among those supporting the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program. Partners are finding that they can easily and rapidly support their applications on Oracle Enterprise Linux because it is fully source and binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Key channel partners have also signed up as distributors and resellers of the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, including, CDW, Dell, Ingram Micro, Insight, and Tech Data.

Enhancing Linux Through Technical Contributions to the Linux Community
Further demonstrating its dedication to helping ensure enterprises' success with Linux, Oracle has made significant code contributions to the Linux community. Over the past year, Oracle has led the following Linux enhancements: development of a new file system, btrfs, designed for superior scaling; continuing advancements to clustering via Oracle Cluster File System (OCSF2); leading an open source interface project to expose the T10 Data Integrity Field (DIF) standard to help reduce system downtime; open sourcing tools to streamline testing; collaborating on an interface for comprehensive data integrity and developing a new asynchronous I/O interface to reduce complexity; virtualization; and much more.

For more information on Oracle's Linux and open source contributions and the Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program, please go to: http://oss.oracle.com/ and www.oracle.com/linux.

Introducing Oracle VM: Faster, Lower-Cost Server Virtualization

Announced at Oracle OpenWorld, Oracle VM is server virtualization software that fully supports both Oracle and non-Oracle applications, and is three times more efficient than other server virtualization products. Backed by Oracle's world-class support organization, you now have a single point of enterprise-class support for all your virtualization environments, including the Linux operating system, Oracle Database, Fusion Middleware, and Oracle Applications software. These and other Oracle products are certified with Oracle VM, which is available for free download.

Oracle is the only software vendor that combines the benefits of server clustering and server virtualization technologies to deliver integrated clustering, virtualization, storage, and management for Grid Computing. Oracle VM is endorsed by industry-leading partners, including AMD, Dell, Emulex, HP, Intel, Liquid Computing, NetApp, Pillar Data Systems, and QLogic.

Your organization can now optimize resource consolidation by deploying Oracle VM with Oracle Unbreakable Linux and run the full Oracle software stack—Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle Enterprise Manager, and Oracle Applications—all with one worldwide support call.

Surprising Findings from First Midsize Company Strategy Summit

Top executives from a dozen midsize companies, together with a select group of Oracle partners, gathered at Oracle headquarters in Redwood Shores, California, October 10-11, 2007, to help shape Oracle's long-term strategy for midsize companies, with some surprising results.

The Midsize Company Strategy Council was formed to help identify real-world customer challenges and prioritize Oracle investments to provide targeted, value-add solutions. In particular, sessions addressed Applications Unlimited, Application Integration Architecture (AIA), On Demand, and next-generation applications.

"In addition," says Ron Berry, Oracle's director of applications strategy for midsize companies," the council's October meeting yielded a number of unexpected findings. And that, of course, is exactly what we wanted—to hear customer's real concerns so we can target our resources accordingly."

ROI > TCO
According to Berry, participants revealed again and again that they're more concerned with return on investment—the ability to get systems up, running, and delivering measurable results as quickly as possible—rather than simply minimizing costs.

Berry said customers were also eager to discover ways of leveraging current Oracle investments to best take advantage of new functionality available in the wake of Oracle's major recent acquisitions.

At the same time, to justify this more aggressive approach, customers said they needed more comprehensive tools to calculate ROI, which Berry said is certain to receive renewed focus from Oracle.

Next Up: BI, SaaS
Council members also made clear their increasing desire for more comprehensive business intelligence. In response, Berry said Oracle will re-evaluate current offerings, including pricing, to devise ways to bring pervasive BI—including both the BI backbone and vertical content—within reach of midsize companies.

The council was also interested in on-demand solutions, including Oracle On Demand, as a way to make IT costs predictable without forgoing enterprise-level technologies.

Finally, council members also expressed a clear need for more community with other midsize Oracle customers in order to capture and share best practices.

Going forward, council meetings—which are slated to take place quarterly—will likely focus in on fewer topics in order to hone in on a few key areas, according to Berry. They'll also include more interactive breakout sessions, which Berry said were some of the most lively and productive parts of October's meeting.

Execs Get Up to Speed on Oracle Accelerate

A series of special events at November's Oracle OpenWorld 2007 conference, including a lavish dinner event and a by-invitation forum for executives, gave attendees an up-close look at Oracle Accelerate solutions.

Oracle Accelerate solutions unite world-class software with the region-specific industry expertise of Oracle's partners. The result: midsize companies and government organizations are up and running on Oracle solutions with unprecedented speed — without having to settle for software that has been "dumbed down" for the midsize market.

The events come in response to advice from analysts, who liked Oracle's approach so much that they told Tony Kender, Senior Vice President, Oracle's Global Accelerate Program Office, "You just need to get the word out."

At the executive forum, attendees were briefed on the full extent to which Oracle is committed to the midsize market, its investment in Accelerate solutions, and the kind of return on investment to expect when fast implementation is coupled with enterprise-class solutions.

Oracle Accelerate was also the focus of a special dinner co-hosted by HP, an event that also included food and wine pairings and a performance by Silicon Valley-based comedian Dan St. Paul.

So far, Oracle has rolled out more than 40 Accelerate solutions, ranging from Life Sciences to Wholesale Distribution, and many more are in progress. Oracle is currently seeing double-digit applications sales growth across industries where it has launched its Accelerate program, indicating increasing momentum, according to experts within the Oracle Accelerate team.

Free Download: Virtualize Your Midsize Business with Oracle VM

With the announcement of Oracle VM—a new low-cost, scalable virtualization product, now available as a free download from Oracle Technology Network (OTN)—Oracle makes groundbreaking virtualization technology immediately available to companies of all sizes.

Virtualization makes it possible to create and manage "virtual machines"—systems that exist on the same physical server but behave like independent physical servers. Each virtual machine has its own CPUs, network interfaces, storage, and operating system. This allows a more efficient use of server resources, reducing hardware, implementation, and management costs.

Oracle VM is three times faster than other server virtualization software, and supports both Oracle and non-Oracle applications.

And because Oracle VM is backed by Oracle's world-class support organization, you'll have a single point of support for your entire virtualization environment, including the Linux operating system, Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware, and Oracle Applications—all of which are certified with Oracle VM.

"With Oracle VM, midsize customers can respond more rapidly to business changes, increase ROI, and reduce lifetime total cost of ownership," says Edward Screven, Oracle's chief corporate architect. "Oracle VM brings enterprise-class support and backing to server virtualization, giving midsize customers the confidence to deploy virtualized solutions."

Oracle is the only software vendor that combines the benefits of server clustering and server virtualization technologies to deliver integrated clustering, virtualization, storage, and management for grid computing.

Single Management Console, Single Number to Call
From management to support and pricing, Oracle VM has been designed for simplicity, transparency, and efficiency—key for midsize organizations facing the challenge of maximizing limited IT resources. Oracle VM includes a single console that unifies Linux and VM management. An easy-to-use, graphical interface enables administrators to quickly create and manage virtual server pools.

Oracle VM support pricing is simple and predictable: Enterprise-class, 24x7 support for a system with up to two CPUs is priced at $499 per system per year, while a system with unlimited CPUs costs $999 per system per year.

"Enterprises of all sizes are increasingly embracing virtualization to consolidate resources, better leverage commodity hardware, and further reduce computing costs," says John Humphreys, vice president of enterprise virtualization at IDC. "Products like Oracle VM can be excellent tools that enable IT to increase their server utilization, and dramatically reduce complexity and overall total cost of ownership."

Faster, Cheaper, Under Control: Oracle Database 11g Optimized for Windows, .NET

Good news for midsize organizations—Oracle Database 11g is now optimized for Windows and .NET environments, bringing the latest version of the world's No. 1 database within reach of organizations struggling to manage both rapid data growth and overly complex environments.

Oracle Database 11g running on Windows shattered the previously held world record for price/performance in a recent TPC-C benchmark, demonstrating Oracle's increased commitment to midsize companies, which must consider value as much as pure performance.

"Midsize organizations that once thought Oracle was only for large enterprises need to take another look at Oracle Database," says Juan Loaiza, senior vice president, Oracle Systems Technology.

Empowering Developers and Administrators, Increasing Productivity
For midsize organizations, lowering database and application management costs has always been a key concern.

Because Oracle Database 11g is optimized for Windows platforms and services, administrators can increase productivity by leveraging new Windows-specific features, including database backup and recovery using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service, enhanced Active Directory support; and greater Kerberos integration.

In addition, with Oracle Database 11g, Oracle offers .NET developers even tighter integration between Oracle Database and Microsoft Visual Studio, including support for Visual Studio 2008.

And new self-managing features of Oracle Database 11g can reduce management time by more than 25 percent compared to Oracle Database 10g.

Oracle Database 11g includes features that optimize performance even with limited resources. The client query result cache feature can significantly improve performance of repetitive queries. Oracle SecureFiles provides breakthrough performance for storage and retrieval of unstructured data such as documents, XML, images, and video, with performance as fast as or faster than native operating system file systems. And new indexing and storage methods for XML provide up to 15 times improved performance.

In short, .NET developers and Windows database administrators can expect both faster performance and improved productivity.