Oracle Battles VMWare

Oracle used Aug. 19 online event to demonstrate the differences its virtualization products and VMWare's. It's primary argument was that Oracle products work in conjunction with a corporation's entire IT stack - "from the desktop to the datacenter," in the company's parlance - to efficiently deliver applications and other software to users.

Oracle's offensive, paired with Microsoft executives' recent arguments against VMware at its Worldwide Partner Conference, highlights vendors' continued focus on virtualization as an essential part of IT infrastructure, particularly as more and more enterprises embrace both flexible computing models and the cloud. Through a variety of acquisitions over the past few years, Oracle has been consolidating a variety of applications and technologies into its enterprise stack. On June 14, for example, Oracle introduced Oracle Business Process Management Suite 11g, a component of Oracle Fusion Middleware that combines business process administration with collaboration tools on a single platform; the company touted the offering's combination of middleware platform and social networking as an industry first.

Oracle's aggression comes at a time when VMware, having made a name for itself in datacenter virtualization software, seems determined to not only take more territory as a middleware provider, but also leverage the cloud towards its own ends. VMware has also focused more on the midrange and SMB (small- to midsize-business) market, likewise a target of Oracle and other traditionally enterprise-focused IT vendors.

For more, read the full eWeek article, Oracle's Virtualization Strategy Targets VMWare.