IBM reaffirms support for JDE solutions set

Following Oracle's announcement last spring that it would continue supporting applications from its acquisitions indefinitely, IBM and Oracle jointly announced continuation of their alliance covering JD Edwards World, a Web-enabled enterprise solutions set.

The announcement wasn't about new products. Instead it was meant to emphasize that both companies—as fierce competitors in the database arena—would continue working closely together.

"This relationship is truly unique," says Mark Shearer, general manager of IBM's System i business, noting that JD Edwards' 5,000-plus customers represent the largest single installed base on the platform, and that some of them are entering their third decade of working with the system.

"Our customers told us they want to keep using our products," explains John Schiff, VP of the JD Edwards World product unit, noting future work on certifying World on new System i releases, as well as IBM's continued cosponsorship of the JD Edwards track at the Oracle OpenWorld conference.

Schiff says since Oracle made its "Applications Unlimited" announcement—in which Oracle pledged to continue supporting PeopleSoft, Siebel, and JD Edwards products past the previously announced 2013 date—interest among the World customer base rebounded.

That sentiment was seconded by Michael Caldwell, current head of the JD Edwards World user group and VP of IT at Elkhart, Ind.-based LaSalle Bristol, a midsize manufacturer of modular homes that previously considered dropping the software. "There was quite a lot of confusion and fear," Caldwell notes, adding that Oracle's recent announcement was the reassurance the company was waiting for.

Caldwell says LaSalle Bristol sticks with JD Edwards because of its low cost of ownership, estimating that the manufacturer spends only about a third of a percent of revenues on IT.