OREANDA-NEWS. September 22, 2011. The 3rd annual joint Oracle economy survey between Fujitsu and UK Oracle User Group (UKOUG) exposes distinct changes in attitude towards Software as a Service (SaaS), while offering little evidence to support the anticipated negative effects of the recession on Oracle user organisations across the UK and Ireland.

The survey, conducted during June and July 2011, aims to help businesses to understand the impact that changes in the economic situation are having on strategies for deploying and operating business application services based around Oracle products. Fujitsu received 155 responses, 15% more than in 2010. Responses were split two-thirds Private Sector to one-third Public Sector.

The findings reveal that:
Despite increased economic pressures, a number of results closely match last year’s findings. Around 60% of respondents surveyed reported no change in budget, while around 20% reported an increase. Taking into account continuing recessive effects, the findings suggest that figures are better in this respect than last year.
Attitudes towards SaaS have changed significantly in the past year, with a decrease of 8% in those indicating that SaaS would not help their business, and a decrease in those happy without it. Within the past year the percentage of respondents using SaaS has doubled to 19%, while the number expecting to implement in the next year has increased from 9% to 13%. Acceptance of SaaS has increased since 2010, with the proportion of positive opinion in the Public sector increasing in 2011 to equal that of the private sector.
Offshoring is still a polarised topic but objectors have decreased by 10% and offshoring usage has increased by up to 10% over the last year. Public sector attitudes to offshoring remain more negative than those expressed by the private sector.

The survey also highlighted a number of opportunities or gaps in knowledge, including:
While nearly 60% of those surveyed now use Enterprise Licensing, a significant increase over the 40% in 2010, over 30% of respondents are either unaware or have yet to identify how this might save costs.
Oracle Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) awareness is now high, though 20% of respondents are struggling to understand the nature and business benefits around Oracle Fusion. Almost half state that they understand the technology but have not yet assessed the business impact of Oracle Fusion for their organisation, improved from 40% in 2010 but still a concern.

John Lacey from Fujitsu UK and Ireland said:
“This year’s survey demonstrates that organisations continue to value their Oracle investment, with budgets relatively unaffected in value. The licensing situation is being taken seriously, and polarisation on more radical approaches such as SaaS and to a smaller extent offshoring is decreasing. Hardware strategy understanding is high but understanding on SOA has stalled. Awareness of Fusion’s business impact is a cause for concern given its maturity as a strategy; Oracle and its partners need to try harder to communicate the benefits to the Oracle customer base.”

Debra Lilley, president of the UK Oracle User Group, said:
“The level of response and interest has exceeded the previous year yet again, and has resulted in useful information for both UKOUG members and the wider IT community. This is the third time Fujitsu has conducted this survey with UKOUG and it remains an extremely valuable tool for UKOUG in planning content and services, and a great way for our members to understand their peers and the pressures on them.”