Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

1348.0. "Oracle purchases Rdb & DBMS" by ASABET::SILVERBERG (My Other O/S is UNIX) Fri Sep 02 1994 13:23

ANNOUNCEMENT AT A GLANCE

On September 1, 1994, Oracle Corp. and Digital Equipment Corporation made
several significant announcements.  The announcements address two areas.  First,
Oracle has acquired Digital's Rdb database and repository businesses, including
all software products and customer support services. Oracle has also extended
offers to Digital's database and repository engineering, marketing and support
staff as a part of the agreement. Second, Oracle and Digital announced a new
strategic relationship encompassing the availability of Oracle's major product
lines on Digital systems; the availability of the Oracle Media Server on
Digital's video server; and reseller agreements. 

Oracle Acquires Rdb and Repository businesses for $108 million in cash.  
The agreement includes:

* Digital's widely-used Rdb relational database management system.

* Digital's CDD/Repository (and CDD/Administrator), Digital's core repository
business. 

* Digital's DBA Workcenter, an integrated toolset for database administration
and tuning, including RdbExpert, DECtrace, Graphical Schema Editor, InstantSQL. 
Additional products included in the agreement are DEC Rally and DEC DBMS. 

* All of Digital's related support services.

Oracle Announces New England Development Center.

* Oracle extends offers to 250+ related Digital engineers, management and
support employees worldwide. 

* New England Development Center to focus on scheduled enhancements of the
product set and integration of select technology with Oracle's product roadmap. 

* Oracle to add a Colorado Springs Rdb Support Center to its worldwide customer
support services network. 

Oracle Brings Product Suite to Key Digital Platforms.

* Oracle adds support for Digital's Windows NT for Alpha AXP in addition to
existing support for OpenVMS VAX, OpenVMS AXP and DEC OSF/1 AXP platforms. 

* Oracle products targeted for these platforms are Oracle7 parallel database,
Oracle cooperative Development Environment (CDE), and Oracle Cooperative
Applications Release 10. 

* Oracle will make Oracle Workgroup Server product available on Digital's
Windows NT for Intel platform. 

Oracle, Digital Bring Oracle Media Server to DEC OSF/1 AXP.

* Oracle and Digital to cross bid solutions in interactive, information highway
proposals 

Oracle and Digital Ink Reseller Agreements.

* Digital will sell Oracle products including Rdb, Oracle7, CDE and Oracle
Applications. 

* Oracle will sell Digital's transaction processing and data integration
software products. 

* Other components of the agreement include cross-training, joint marketing
activities and the continuation of the companies' Enterprise Solutions Program. 



Digital Press Contact:	Chuck Malkiel
			508/493-4164


ORACLE ACQUIRES DIGITAL'S RDB, REPOSITORY AND DBA WORKCENTER BUSINESSES 

Oracle Retains Digital's Rdb Employees and Support Services Worldwide
Companies Expand Strategic Relationship

Redwood Shores, Calif., Sept. 1, 1994 -- Oracle Corp. and Digital Equipment
Corporation today announced the signing of agreements providing for the
acquisition by Oracle of the assets of Digital's Rdb database, CDD/Repository
and the DBA Workcenter suite of database administration tools and all
corresponding support businesses for $108 million in cash.  The acquisition will
be accounted for as a purchase transaction. 
   As part of the agreement, Oracle is making every effort to retain the
employees related to these businesses.  Employment and incentive offers have
been extended to approximately 250 Digital engineers, management and support
employees responsible for the development and maintenance of the Rdb database
and repository businesses.  To facilitate a smooth transition of the Rdb
development team, continue product delivery commitments, and provide continuity
for Rdb customers worldwide, Oracle announced that it will create the Oracle New
England Development center, the first such facility for Oracle in the U.S. based
outside California.  Oracle will also a Colorado Springs Rdb support center to
its worldwide customer support and services network. Employees in other
worldwide locations will be integrated with existing Oracle operations in those
countries.  These steps ensure that customers will continue to benefit
from substantially the same products, support and service that they receive
today. 
   Oracle's intention is to make significant investments in the Rdb technology
set.  Oracle will continue to enhance its capabilities and quality and will
extend the existing gateway technology for connectivity between Rdb and Oracle7
to ensure interoperability between the two database server products.  In
addition, Oracle will complete announced porting plans for Rdb to operating
systems such as DEC OSF/1 and Windows NT for Alpha AXP. Oracle will create an
Rdb Customer Advisory Council to ensure an open forum on Rdb future directions. 
   "We are extremely pleased to welcome the Rdb product line and its world-
class customer base into the Oracle family," said Raymond J. Lane, Oracle's
executive vice president and president of Worldwide Operations.  "As exhibited
by our commitment to the development and support centers and their employees, we
are ensuring a seamless and professional transition for customers worldwide. 
   "This agreement strengthens our partnership with Oracle and confirms our
business strategy to focus on our core competencies and to cooperate with our
partners. Even more importantly, it guarantees the continued development and
support for Rdb and a smooth transition for our customers," said Enrico
Pesatori, vice president and general manager of Digital's Computer Systems
Division.   "We are confident that our customers will be pleased with the level
of commitment Oracle brings to the database product set, and we look forward to
our future work together." 
   Digital will continue to be responsible for all existing contracts through
expiration or for fifteen months (whichever is shorter) while Oracle will act as
the service provider.  Thereafter, customers will be able to take direct
advantage of Oracle's service and support offerings.  Digital will continue to
offer consulting services for the Rdb product set, and will add consulting
support for Oracle7 products. 
   All agreements will be effective upon the close of the transaction, pending
government approvals. 
   Rdb third-party vendors and many existing Rdb resellers will have the
opportunity to join Oracle's Business Alliance Program, enabling them to take
advantage of a variety of programs and services designed to make them more
successful in creating complementary products and selling Oracle technology. 
   "As the vendor of PowerHouse, the leading 4GL development tool for Rdb
environments and also as a supplier of tools for Oracle7, we know what a
powerful combination these products provide to customers," said Ron Zambonini,
president, Cognos, Inc.  "Cognos has long-standing relationships with both
Digital and Oracle, and we are enthusiastic about the agreement." 
   "We think Oracle's acquisition of Rdb is very positive for third-party
developers such as IBI and for customers," said Gerald D. Cohen, president,
Information Builders, Inc.  "As a leading provider of tools for both the Oracle
and Rdb databases, we see a high degree of synergy in the technologies and the
emphasis of both these companies enterprise-wide applications." 

EXPANDED STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP
As part of the agreements, Oracle and Digital outlined an expanded strategic
relationship encompassing the availability of Oracle's major product lines on
Digital systems; the availability of the Oracle Media Server on Digital's video
server hardware; and reseller agreements.  In addition, Oracle and Digital
reaffirmed their commitment to continue the joint development and marketing
activities previously announced in July as part of the Enterprise Solutions
Program. 

Expanded Oracle Product Availability
To further integrate product offerings, Oracle will port Oracle7, Oracle
Cooperative Development Environment (CDE) and Oracle Cooperative Applications to
Digital's Windows NT for Alpha AXP platform.  These Oracle products already
support Digital's OpenVMS VAX , OpenVMS AXP, DEC OSF/1 AXP.  Oracle will also
make available its low-end Oracle Workgroup Server product on Digital's Windows
NT for Intel platform. 

Oracle Media Server
Oracle and Digital will collaborate to bring the Oracle Media Server to the DEC
OSF/1 AXP platform.  The companies will include each others products on a non-
exclusive basis in "information highway" business proposals. 
   The Oracle Media Server, introduced by Oracle in Feb., 1994 is a digital
"multimedia library" that stores, retrieves and manages all forms of
information: video, audio, images, text and tables.  It has been chosen for the
delivery of interactive services by BT (formerly British Telecom), Bell
Atlantic, Bell South, and US West.  It is also a part of the first deployment of
interactive multimedia services in Ipswich, Suffolk County, UK by BT. 

Reseller Agreement
Under the agreements,  Digital will resell and distribute Oracle software
products as part of Digital's hardware server sales efforts as well as its
Multivendor Customers Services offerings.  Digital's sales force will be
compensated to sell both Oracle7 and Rdb offerings in addition to Oracle CDE
development tools and Oracle Cooperative Applications.  Oracle will resell
Digital's transaction processing and data integration software products. 
   Oracle sales training and certification programs will be extended to the
Digital sales force.  As well the companies will work on joint marketing
activities including advertising and direct marketing to promote their
solutions. 

Digital Equipment Corporation is the world's leader in open client/server
solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems.
Digital's scalable Alpha AXP platforms, storage, networking, software and
services, together with industry- focused solutions from business partners, help
organizations compete and win in today's global marketplace. 

Oracle Corp., a $2 billion company with headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif.,
is the world's leading supplier of information management software.  Oracle
develops and markets the Oracle7 family of software products for database
management; Cooperative Development Environment (CDE), a complete set of CASE
and application development tools for enterprise-wide, client,/server computing;
and Oracle Cooperative Applications, packaged client/server solutions for human
resources, accounting and manufacturing.  Oracle software runs on personal
digital assistants, PCs, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes and massively
parallel computers.  The company offers its products, along with related
consulting, education and support services, in more than 90 countries around the
world. 

   					###

Note to Editors:	The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment 
   			Corporation: Rdb, CDD/Repository, DEC, Digital, Alpha,
   			Alpha AXP, OpenVMS, VAX 
			
   			The following are trademarks of Oracle Corp.: Oracle, 
   			Oracle7, Cooperative Development Environment,
   			Cooperative Applications, Oracle Media Server 
			
   			Intel is a trademark of the Intel Corporation
			Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation
			OSF/1 is a registered trademark of Open Software 
   			Foundation, Inc.

TOP FOUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Oracle Rdb Acquisition and Oracle/Digital Strategic Relationship Announcement

Q: 	Why is Oracle purchasing Rdb?
A:	Oracle sees a great opportunity in the synergy between the Rdb customers
and their enterprise-wide, mission-critical applications, and Oracle's core
competencies in supplying the technology and support for these applications.  In
addition, Oracle is very pleased to welcome the excellent Rdb engineering and
support talent, to acquire the Rdb award-winning technology, and to
significantly expand Oracle's strategic relationship with Digital. 

Q: 	Why is Digital selling Rdb?
A:	Digital's product strategy is to focus on its core competencies and team
with vendors with complementary products.  As Digital realigns its product
strategy, Digital will focus its business on the following areas: industry
leading systems, world-class network and data integration software, state of the
art operating systems, and multivendor support and consulting services. Digital
will serve its customer's database needs by delivering open integration
middleware products such as DB Ingetrator and by working closely with leading
database vendors such as Oracle. 
 
Q:	How will customers benefit from this agreement?
A:	Customers will benefit from this acquisition because of Oracle's strong
commitment to the Rdb customer base and the Digital market.  Oracle will enhance
and maintain Rdb and port Rdb to key Digital operating environments including
OSF/1 AXP and Windows NT.  Digital and Oracle will work together to ensure that
Rdb and all other Oracle products are optimized for the Alpha AXP systems
environment.  In addition to this product commitment,  Rdb customers now have
access to the world's largest dedicated relational database support organization
for a wide range of services ranging from 24x7 telephone hotline support to
strategic planning for information systems.  Finally, Rdb customers can choose
to purchase the Rdb product from either Oracle or Digital; they can maintain
their relationship with the current Digital sales team or develop a new one with
the Oracle sales team. 

Q:	What is the future of Rdb?
A:	Customer satisfaction is extremely important to Oracle.  Oracle is
committed to enhancing and maintaining Rdb and is establishing an Rdb Customer
Advisory Council to ensure that customers continue to play a key role in the
future directions for Rdb. 

Today Oracle offers Rdb customers with several database options.  Customers who
want to stay with Rdb can continue to take advantage of Rdb's unique features
such as mixed VAX and AXP cluster support. Customers who want to coexist with
Oracle can do so with products such as Oracle's Transparent Gateway to Rdb or
Digital's DB Integrator.  In the long term, Oracle plans to combine the Rdb and
Oracle product, therefore offering a superset of functionality in an enhanced
Oracle product set ensuring smooth customer upgrades. 

Can anyone point me to a recent Oracle7 versus Rdb paper?

thanks,

	ian

    Check with Marc Slater at MRKTNG::SLATER