Oracle Cloud PaaS will provide a magic button for PLM

Cloud PLM architecture and implementations is one of the topics I’m following for the last few years. It is interesting to watch dynamics of this space from initial ignorance to careful recognition and marketing buzz. I can see differences in how PLM vendors are approaching cloud. In my view, nobody is asking a question “why cloud?” these days. At the same time, we can see large variety of strategies in cloud PLM implementations and strategies. I guess PLM vendors want to answer on the question – How to implement cloud?

The element of infrastructure is important. The strategy of Siemens PLM – one of the leaders of PLM market is heavily relying on IaaS option. I covered in my post here. At the same time, Dassault is promising to support all PLM cloud options by 2015+.

I’m following Oracle Open World these days online. Gigaom article. Earlier today, the following article caught my attention – Oracle launches upgraded cloud platform with its database and Java available as a service. One of the key elements in Oracle cloud strategy is reliance of Oracle database.

This is my favorite passage from the article:

Oracle detailed on Sunday evening its upgraded cloud suite that includes the ability for customers to use its flagship database in the cloud as well as on-premise. Executive chairman and CTO Larry Ellison talked about the new platform, now available, during his keynote session at Oracle’s annual OpenWorld conference. Ellison (pictured above) attempted to persuade the audience that Oracle’s rejiggered cloud platform can be the all-in-one shop for users to run Oracle applications, house their data and even build out their own applications while choosing whether or not they want any or all of those items to run on the cloud. “This new Oracle in the cloud allows you to move any database from your datacenter to the cloud like pushing a button,” said Ellison. Oracle’s cloud platform consists of a software-as-a-service (SaaS), a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) in which all three are needed by Oracle to better serve its customers who have been clamoring for the company to provide cloud services, explained Ellison.

The point of moving any database from your data center to the cloud is fascinating. It made me think about future path to the cloud for many PLM vendors. Most of them are using Oracle database for core database functions. The specific architecture of each PLM product can be different, but to have Oracle responsible for running database in cloud environment can be an interesting opportunity to simplify cloud architecture. Instead of hosting databases using IaaS platforms, PLM products can use multi-tenant Oracle PaaS.

What is my conclusion? Major PLM vendors are looking how to “cloud-enable” their existing product and software architectures. The promise to move database from data center to cloud like pushing a button might be a bit on a marketing side. This is an alert for PLM software architects. IT managers responsible for PLM implementation can take a note to ask about how to move Enovia or TeamCenter into Oracle PaaS. To have Oracle multi-tenant database running by Oracle PaaS is an interesting option, for sure. Just my thoughts…

Best, Oleg