Oracle targets vertical markets
The company rolls out two new versions of its enterprise applications suite, targeting markets in both the United States and Europe.
Due to start shipping today, Oracle U.S. Federal Human Resources Release 10.7 includes features for employee compensation, managing training expenditures, and reporting labor activity. Due to ship in 30 days, Oracle Public Sector Financials-International has enhancements for financial accounting and translations for Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, the company said.
Oracle Federal Human Resources Release 10.7 includes features for processing salary adjustments for employees. It also includes enhancements to track and report equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action requirements. That enhancement includes an EEO complaints tracking system and agency-required reporting for EEO and affirmative action regulations that complies with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stipulations, the company said.
The release continues Oracle's efforts to develop a strong public sector base, Gartner Group analyst Elizabeth Malis said. "Oracle has actually been attempting to develop a public sector base over the last three years, and this release is significant because they are formalizing [and] upgrading their product and improving the focus of the initiative."
Malis said Oracle is expending more effort on its public sector software. "Now the public sector effort is being upgraded into a 'real' industry initiative."
Joining its competitors in the European market, Oracle's Public Sector Financials now features tools for Europe including gross-based and reclaimable value added tax, as well as combined cash and accrual accounting support, with Euro compliance. It also features localized public sector capabilities for the United Kingdom and other areas.
"The international effort is quite interesting because the international public sector has been somewhat under-served by U.S. vendors, who just haven't had time to address some of these issues yet," Malis said. "There is [a] good opportunity for Oracle here."