Avnet, Microsoft Join Forces On EnterpriseOne

Love it or hate it, there 's little doubt Microsoft is at the top of your users' wish lists when it comes to platform support for enterprise apps.

In a recent study, an overwhelming majority of end users polled said they rely on Windows Server and SQL Server support for their ERP and CRM applications.

The report was, admittedly, sponsored by the Redmondians themselves, but lending credibility to the results are the facts that only current Oracle business app users were polled and 126 of them--nearly all members of the nonprofit Quest International Users Group--completed the 16-question survey.

As one would expect from Quest members, the majority of those surveyed primarily use JD Edwards and PeopleSoft ERP and CRM applications, with a few Siebel and Oracle eBusiness Suite users sprinkled in for good measure.

Nearly three-quarters of business end-user survey respondents said they use Windows Server as their database-level operating system for ERP and CRM. Sixty-four percent said they run those apps on the SQL Server database.

Asked whether support for Microsoft platforms influences their buying decisions, more than 75 percent of those polled said support for Windows Server plays a role in their upgrade decisions. At the same time, more than 60 percent said SQL Server support influences their upgrade habits.

So how does Microsoft support affect a migration to Oracle Fusion apps? Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed said they would consider moving to Fusion if it supported SQL Server.

While clearly aimed at expanding Windows support within the Oracle community, the survey is also boosting a joint effort by Microsoft and technology distributor Avnet Technology Solutions to help certified resellers market Oracle-JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP solutions for SMEs.

Unveiled late last month, the deal calls for Avnet to provide EnterpriseOne built on Windows and SQL Server platforms available in a choice of hardware configurations.

The distributor will also roll out new education, sales, marketing, financing, managed-services and implementation offerings aimed at the EnterpriseOne program and designed to ease solution providers into what executives say is a profitable segment of the ERP market. The pair will develop a joint go-to-market strategy to give VARs better tools for selling, servicing and supporting these comprehensive ERP implementations, according to Microsoft execs.

The new collaboration expands on a five-year relationship between Avnet and Microsoft, and execs at both companies say resellers should be rewarded with more options and flexibility as a result.

"Demand for our platform continues to grow among Oracle customers, and partnering with Avnet gives both Avnet and Microsoft the ability to satisfy that demand," says Tim O 'Brien, director of the Platform Strategy Group at Microsoft. "The announcement is significant for a couple of reasons. First, it allows customers to take advantage of Avnet's delivery model. And second, it helps customers take advantage of their existing investments in Microsoft."

O'Brien cites the recent Microsoft survey as evidence of the customer demand for Microsoft among Oracle customers.

"This customer demand speaks volumes about customer technology preferences," O'Brien says. "The voice of the customer is really resonating here."

"By working with Oracle and Microsoft and integrating their software with leading server technology, third-party products and complementary services, Avnet is providing comprehensive yet simplified and affordable ERP solutions," says Scott Abbott, vice president at Avnet. "These solutions historically have been too expensive, risky and cumbersome for the channel to deliver and for the SMB market to buy. Avnet 's goal is to offer a more consistent and affordable ERP solution that helps our suppliers and partners grow their businesses profitably."

Remarks Tony Brackett, president of The iConsortium: "This relationship greatly benefits the SMB marketplace by demonstrating the power of a Microsoft-centric JD Edwards package. The robust ERP solution, combined with SQL 2005, Biztalk 2006, Microsoft Analytics Suite and a .Net framework, will allow [SMBs] to leverage existing skills and infrastructure for a more affordable and fully Web-services-capable enterprise system."