29th January 2010
Three big stories dominate the news this week, namely, the re-branding of UNIT 4 Agresso, the crystallization of the Sun Microsystems acquisition by Oracle and the launch of the i-Pad. The repositioning of UNIT 4 as it is now to be known is important not simply because it sweeps aside possible confusion about the organization’s product portfolio but more significantly because it lays down a marker that UNIT 4 will go head-to-head with the likes of Infor and the lower reaches of Oracle and SAP for middle of ERP territory. The timing of the announcement and the thinly veiled hints about acquisitions suggest a bullish view of the market and the opportunity to take market share with a stronger brand presence and clearly differentiated products. The CODA/Agresso ‘marriage’ was always one of the most promising couplings of the last few years and now the merged business seems set to take off.
Tony Crowhurst, FSN senior writer, takes an analytical look at the Oracle/Sun Micrsosystems transaction and assesses what it could mean for the other market participants such as SAP and Microsoft.
Finally, there has been a huge hullabaloo around the launch of the Apple i-Pad and next week we will be considering whether this trendy device has any serious business potential. But in the meantime I recommend that you take a look at this humorous 90 second YouTube video which provides some light relief from all of the hype
