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 OUR TAKE -
Where's the Smackdown?
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Sometimes I don't have the opportunity to discuss current events concurrently. When the news broke about Oracle's purchase of RightNow three weeks ago, I did manage to comment in real time that the announcement changes nothing for now. "Move along folks, nothing to see."
Since that time, I have read countless numbers of articles, blogs, tweets and opinions on what the announcement means. I respect the opinions and speculations on all sides. However, there was this one Forbes article, Oracle Aims To Smack Salesforce.com With RightNow, that made me pause. Really?
I don't doubt some Oracle people might want to smack Salesforce.com but I serious doubt that RightNow is the proper smacking instrument. First, it's safe to say RightNow wasn't putting the smackdown on Salesforce prior to the acquisition. Second, I am unable to figure out what combination of stuff from RightNow and Oracle will create a Salesforce.com smacking device. Third, Oracle's prior acquisitions of CRM market leaders (Siebel, Peoplesoft, etc.) did little to dent Salesforce.com's growth in the last six years.
I respect most of what Forbes publishes but, gentle readers, I must challenge the idea that this acquisition is a directed smack to Salesforce. Let me say that I have the utmost respect for Oracle as a software giant. They have incredibly talented people capable of grand things. And I have been a big fan of RightNow from the start. I even seriously considered a moved to Bozeman back in the day.
I don't get it Forbes. Oracle had CRM before. They were already working in the cloud. I don't see this as anything different than any of the other CRM acquisitions Oracle has made over the years. How about a little crowdsourcing among the CRMAdvocate community? Does someone have an answer to why this acquisition is a Salesforce.com smackdown? What's your take?
. . . . . Gary Lemke, Chief Customer Advocate
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Lasting Impressions:
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
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John Barrymore
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 Required Reading - CRM News and Articles
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RightNow CX for Twitter Helps Deliver Customer Experiences
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What Oracle Fusion CRM in the Cloud Means for Siebel Customers
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Salesforce Lands $28M GSA-Wide Cloud Contract
The government’s use of public cloud services got a boost this summer with the General Services Administration decision to sign a $28.1 million enterprise license agreement with Salesforce.com. The five-year deal covers Salesforce’s customer relationship management modules, Force.com development platform and Chatter collaboration suite and can be used by GSA’s 17,000 employees, GSA and Salesforce officials said. For Dan Burton, Salesforce’s senior vice president for global public sector, the deal is significant for several reasons, particularly because it is a public cloud license. . . . more >>
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