Oracle Offers Lifetime Support For Integrated Apps
The new policy can be segmented into three stages. Its Premier Support delivers the full range of updates, fixes, upgrade scripts and major product and technology releases. After five years, customers then receive indefinite Sustaining Support, which includes existing patches and major technology releases. It does not include updates, regulatory or tax updates, or certification with new products from third parties or Oracle. In addition, customers of certain PeopleSoft and JD Edwards products -- for which support was schedule to expire sooner than others -- can add three years of Premier-level support to their older products.
So, for example, customers that have PeopleSoft Enterprise 8.8, for which full support was due to expire December of 2007, can extend that support level to 2010, and receive Sustaining support indefinitely after that.
If it sounds complex, it's because of the breadth of products Oracle finds itself having to support. This is Oracle's attempt to bring some sort of order to that complexity, said Juergen Rottler, executive vice president of Oracle On Demand and Oracle Support. "We're harmonizing a lot of programs. Sometimes the time frames look odd because of PeopleSoft's CAP clauses. My goal is for us to be the benchmark is our industry in providing the support."
In addition, Rottler said that on Tuesday Oracle will announce that PeopleSoft Enterprise 8.8 applications are now "on the path to Fusion. Customers of Enterprise 8.8 will not have to make an intermediary upgrade to get Fusion. That was a huge customer request," Rottler said. Oracle will also announce good news for customers of JD Edwards' aging EnterpriseOne Xe and 8 applications. "We are extending full Premier Support for those customers, all the way to 20013, at no extra charge," Rottler said.