Cisco and Oracle have joined forces to deliver a combined customer solution to market. According to Oracle, the deal will provide integrated customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, facilitating multiple channels to customers through convergence.
The agreement covers joint development between the companies, integration with their respective product lines, and a marketing agreement that will allow both companies to market, sell and support the solutions.
Most of the integration from Oracle`s side will involve its new Oracle Applications 11i product suite. This will be tied to Oracle`s customer contact software platform. The customer-facing and workflow applications in the suite will most likely be the initial benefactors of the initiative. Cisco`s convergence technology - such as its voice over IP (VOIP) technology - will allow communications with customers by all media including phone, Web collaboration, e-mail, Web chat, IVP and VOIP. Oracle also predicts that the use of this technology will significantly decrease costs.
Oracle sees this space shared with the likes of Siebel, and does not consider the traditional ERP vendors - many of whom are moving towards CRM offerings - as real competition yet in the CRM market.
Oracle was not prepared to comment on the value of the deal.
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