Oracle launches Oracle Sourcing On Demand

Oracle today unveiled Oracle Sourcing On Demand, a software as a service solution that drives more efficient and effective strategic sourcing.

Based on Oracle Sourcing and Oracle Sourcing Optimisation, part of the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12, Oracle Sourcing On Demand is pre-configured and hosted by Oracle experts, enabling reduced time-to-value and accelerated ROI.

Leveraging Oracle On Demand, this latest offering helps eliminate IT inhibitors such as protracted upgrade cycles and privacy and security restrictions, and allows organisations to reduce the capital expense of purchasing hardware.

Organisations can increase negotiation efficiency and effectiveness by:

* Sourcing more spend in less time. Oracle Sourcing On Demand makes it easier to complete sourcing events, ensure agreements are implemented as soon as they are signed and generate more effective contracts.

* Sourcing for lowest total cost. This latest offering also enables cross-functional collaboration among experts from finance, purchasing and lines of business in order to easily optimise cost, quality, risk and innovation.

* Creating long-term savings. Oracle Sourcing On Demand includes packaged integration with procurement applications, such as Oracle Purchasing, to help ensure the right information is available within the relevant system.

Customers can accelerate time to value by:

* Achieving a rapid go-live. Organisations only need a browser in order to utilise Oracle Sourcing On Demand. Oracle hosts and manages all of the additional functionality, hardware, databases, servers, firewall settings and pre-configured applications.

*Building end-user expertise. In addition to standard technical support, the solution also provides a dedicated helpdesk with access to functional experts.

Oracle Sourcing On Demand enables organisations to eliminate IT inhibitors by:

* Avoiding infrastructure selection and configuration. Oracle Sourcing On Demand is provisioned via Oracle On Demand's world-class infrastructure and hosting services.

* Outsource ongoing maintenance. Relying on this latest offering, Oracle frees customers from maintenance responsibilities and expenses, handling everything from routine application patches, to managing integrations and addressing urgent issues.

* Meeting stringent audit requirements. Oracle On Demand meets the highest security standards and regulations and has been validated to meet SAS70 Type II requirements.

"Software as a service continues to build momentum in the supply management market, because the line-of business buyer can realise the following benefits: Faster time-to-value, avoidance of IT expenses, no separate maintenance fees, and pay-for-use model,” said Mickey North Rizza, Research Director, AMR Research.

“The current economic environment presents a unique opportunity to drive mammoth savings from strategic sourcing,” said Cliff Godwin, Oracle Senior Vice-President of Application Development. ”Sourcing capabilities can deliver immediate impact to an organisation's bottom line, helping offset the effects of shrinking revenue. We think that the time is right for a solution that can drive big cost reductions without requiring extensive capital expenditures or additional IT resources.”

Oracle Sourcing On Demand is currently available.