In 1995 and 1996 a handful of digital pioneers like Cisco, Dell and Charles Schwab already putting in place new strategies and building profitability through their use of digital technologies. Oracle was nowhere to be found. At least not until 1998, when CEO Larry Ellison became dissatisfied with his company's performance. Ellison realized that Oracle had been slow to harness the Internet, to integrate and streamline business processes, and to create value for customers. So it was time to change. In two years Oracle was able to accomplish what took Cisco and other digital pioneers four years. The Oracle story has been told before, but with a focus primarily on the magic of Larry Ellison. One man's wizardry is not the point. What is more important is understanding the basic principles that went into this revolution, and how those principles hold for any firm looking to become a digital company.
Oracle currently boasts that it has more than twice the database market share of its closest competitor, IBM. But it goes on to say that the real story is its popularity on the Internet. It is very proud of the fact that all ten of the world's largest Web sites, from Amazon.com to Yahoo!, rely on the Oracle database. It quickly adds that 98 of the Fortune 100 use Oracle for e-business.
Oracle is also one of the world’s leading suppliers of application software. Its new E-Business Suite puts every aspect of a business on the Internet including marketing, sales, supply chain, manufacturing, customer service, accounting and human resources.
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