Oracle targets the enterprise Web 2.0 space

Oracle has outlined how it plans to become more active in the Web 2.0 and social networking spaces, in order to help customers achieve better productivity.

At a customer event last week, the firm discussed the next-generation workplace and the benefits of integrating social tools with key business processes and information systems, such as those in human resources or customer relationship management.

Brian Cormican, head of Oracle UK's human capital management strategy, gave the example of an employee using a Twitter-like tool to gain feedback from a client. The feedback would then be incorporated into the employee's performance review.

"A knowledge-based company would take real-life content and make it more accessible," he said.

Gavin Dimmock, Oracle UK's Enterprise 2.0 director, added that the Enterprise 2.0 Framework is not something many organisations are thinking about. "So our job is to facilitate discussion and help customers search for the answers," he said.

Dimmock claimed that customers willing to invest in the Oracle stack could achieve the Enterprise 2.0 Framework with the company's WebCenter Suite and Services, which simplifies the development of secure portals and composite applications.

"It will allow customers to take their existing Oracle applications, such as PeopleSoft, and add existing wikis or blog components," he said.

Dimmock admitted that Oracle was not as well known in the Web 2.0 space as it could be. "We want to change that. We see it as a huge growth opportunity," he said.

The event was attended by around 50 customers, representing a mix of technology and HR professionals.

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