Managing Automation - February 2009 - (Page 39) the possibility of skipping a planned upgrade to EBS 12 and jumping directly to Fusion Applications. Gosselin says he likes the user interface and embedded business intelligence features he has seen so far, and he’s hopeful that Fusion Applications will provide Welch’s with a way to access best-ofbreed CRM and logistics functionality in an integrated fashion without the need to license applications such as Siebel or G-Log separately or experiment with new technology, such as Oracle’s AIA. But, Gosselin says, Fusion Applications would need to include key, advanced manufacturing technology now available in EBS 12. EBS 12, for example, includes a converged item master that allows mixed-mode manufac“What strikes you is how pervasive busiturers such as Welch’s ness intelligence is throughout Fusion to track items through Applications, as well as alerts and shipping and warehousing. notifications.” — Forrester’s Ray Wang JPL is in a similar potions techniques, such as chat and instant messition. The company is running EBS 11.5.10, so saging to enhance sales force communication. it could migrate directly to Fusion ApplicaFusion Applications will also make heavy tions, bypassing EBS 12, if it chooses. Oracle use of embedded business intelligence, alhas promised direct migration from recent relowing users to understand and be alerted to leases of PeopleSoft and JD Edwards as well. business events in real time, Miranda says. Currently, Teter says, JPL is doing enterUsers of Fusion CRM, for example, will be prise applications planning using a bifurcated able to graphically analyze what customers roadmap with milestones leading to a decihave bought and which customers represent sion for EBS 12 or Fusion Applications. The the greatest financial opportunities. Fusion deciding factor, he says, will be how quickly Financials will feature an embedded enterOracle can expand Fusion Applications funcprise performance management suite based tionality beyond the initial, horizontal modules on Oracle’s Hyperion analytical applications, and, specifically, how quickly core manufacMiranda says. The application can be configturing will be included. ured to notify designated managers when “Manufacturing is important to us,” Teter specific financial data changes. says. “We’ll watch what happens with release “What strikes you is how pervasive busi1.0 and see how quickly the manufacturing ness intelligence is throughout Fusion Apstuff comes out after that and how well it plications, as well as alerts and notifications,” works. And we’ll map the functionsays Forrester Research Vice President Ray ality in Fusion Applications back to managingautomation.com Wang. “It’s the nicest user interface we’ve the things that are important to us.” RELATED ARTICLES: seen from Oracle in a long time. The user exIn the meantime, Teter says, JPL Ellison Outlines First Fusion Applications perience and the embedded analytics will is beginning to lay the groundwork www.managingautomation.com/fusion1 be the hallmarks.” for a migration to Fusion ApplicaOracle Fusion Program in Shakeup tions in case that turns out to be www.managingautomation.com/fusion2 CUSTOMERS ARE UNDETERRED the correct decision. Oracle Demos Fusion Apps, Reveals But will those features be enough to attract Teter says he just wishes Oracle Delays www.managingautomation.com/fusion3 customers and overcome qualms that may could be more forthcoming about exist due to the tardiness of Fusion Applicathe Fusion Applications timeline. COMPANIES MENTIONED: tions? Some Oracle customers say yes. While “There is concern in the user comInfor Oracle’s lack of guidance regarding the timing munity about what the real delivwww.managingautomation.com/infor4 of Fusion Applications’ availability makes it ery dates are,” he says. “The conOracle tough for customers to plan a transition to cern is we don’t really know when www.managingautomation.com/oracle3 the new suite, they say they are excited about we should star t preparing in SAP what they have seen so far. earnest for a cutover to Fusion www.managingautomation.com/SAP3 Welch’s, for example, is actively weighing Applications.” s suite’s HCM module, which Oracle Senior Vice President for Fusion Applications Steve Miranda demonstrated at last summer’s Oracle OpenWorld conference. Fusion HCM, which Miranda dubbed “Information Age HCM,” includes a user interface that incorporates Web 2.0 notions, such as social networking. Managers can easily determine where a given employee fits on the organization chart as well as access less formal online communities to understand an employee’s informal social network, a useful capability when assembling teams or analyzing employee potential, Miranda says. Similarly, Miranda says, Fusion Applications CRM will incorporate Web 2.0 communica- maonline Photo courtesy: Forrester Research 39 February 2009 http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/fusion1 http://www.managingautomation.com/fusion2 http://www.managingautomation.com/fusion3 http://www.managingautomation.com/infor4 http://www.managingautomation.com/oracle3 http://www.managingautomation.com/SAP3
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