During Oracle OpenWorld, Microsoft Exec Suggests an Alternative to Fusion Applications

Michael Park, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Business Solutions, had some things he wanted Oracle customers to think about at Oracle's OpenWorld conference as they learned more about the company's Fusion Applications.

In a blog post, Park said he was struck by how often companies chose Microsoft Dynamics products after considering solutions from Oracle. And he said if he were attending the conference there were a few questions he'd want answered including:

• What are Fusion Applications going to do for me? Is Oracle offering me more of the same or something innovative and different to help address my business challenges?
• What happens to the investments I have made in my technology assets [e.g. home-grown solutions, custom ISV solutions, etc.] if they're not Oracle?
• Is adopting Fusion Applications a choice, a mandate, is it designed to keep me on the cutting edge, or is Fusion really a way for Oracle to integrate their own application portfolio?
• If I prefer a two-tier ERP implementation strategy, will Fusion Applications provide my divisions/subsidiaries/branches with the flexibility they need, while I'm replatforming my core system?

Park stressed the flexibility as a differentiator to Oracle's product.  For example the separate maintenance and support offerings of Dynamics, and whether to receive support from Microsoft or a partner.  Further, Microsoft Dynamics CRM allows customers to select an on-premise or hosted implementation as well as a service-level agreement that gives them a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

"Microsoft delivers value without expensive and time-consuming change," Park said in the blog. "Strong product roadmaps across all of our ...