When Oracle bought PeopleSoft—which had already purchased J.D. Edwards—in 2005, thousands of customers wondered what was coming next. Must we migrate? If so, where to? Would it make the most sense to wait for general availability of Oracle E-Business Suite R12? And if not, should we simply wait for Oracle to release a combined version of all the platforms it has incorporated?

1. Five Questions to Ask
Yourself Before Moving
to Oracle Fusion
INTRODUCTION: GETTING TO KNOW ORACLE FUSION
Wondering whether to migrate to Oracle Fusion? You’re not alone. This is an important question—and,
as you’ll see, a complex one. By way of answering it, let’s take a look back at the past few years.
When Oracle bought PeopleSoft—which had already purchased J.D. Edwards—in 2005, thousands of customers wondered
what was coming next. Must we migrate? If so, where to? Would it make the most sense to wait for general availability of
Oracle E-Business Suite R12? And if not, should we simply wait for Oracle to release a combined version of all the platforms
it has incorporated?
Perhaps aware that PeopleSoft customers typically loved their intuitive, “pure-internet” front-end and would be hesitant to
give it up, Oracle announced a massive development project. Project Fusion sought to develop an offering that would
leverage the strengths of Oracle platform technology, PeopleSoft applications, Oracle E-Business Suite, and Oracle’s
powerful middleware solutions. Around the same time, Oracle purchased Siebel Systems, giving it more potential
functionality to incorporate into Fusion.
Interestingly enough, the Oracle Fusion project led to middleware becoming Oracle’s fastest growing business by 2009.
Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g is designed to let enterprises create and run agile, intelligent business applications while
maximizing IT efficiency through full utilization of modern hardware and software architectures. As Oracle Fusion
Middleware has steadily gained market share, the development of Oracle Fusion applications has continued, with general
availability scheduled for some time in 2012.
In its current form, the Oracle Fusion platform consists of a back-end component, middle-tier technology, and front-end
applications. The back-end technology closely resembles that of Oracle E-Business Suite. The middle layer is based on
BEA WebLogic. And the front-end interface will give many users a bit of PeopleSoft nostalgia.
There are two Oracle Fusion capabilities that should jump off the page to CIOs who are evaluating the platform. First of all,
Fusion is available as a SaaS solution—probably in response to competitors like Workday and Salesforce.com, who have
taken a bite out of Oracle’s market share. Second, Fusion integrates seamlessly with today’s increasingly popular social
networks—a capability lacking in Oracle E-Business Suite and PeopleSoft.
That’s the skinny on Oracle Fusion. The question remains: is now the right time to move to Oracle Fusion?

2. FIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR UPGRADE
Should your company start planning its upgrade path to Oracle Fusion? Assuming you’ve got
the IT budget to devote to the project, it may be tempting to launch a “big bang” migration to
the software platform that has promised to be the new standard for application architecture,
design, and deployment.
But before you decide to make that leap, there are a few questions you should ask yourself:
1 - Are you on the latest version of your current 2 - Does your company do any manufacturing?
ERP software?
If so, you won’t find the functionality you need in
Everything we’re hearing from Oracle executives
Oracle Fusion—at least, not yet. Oracle Fusion
indicates that to ensure the smoothest Oracle Fusion
doesn’t offer modules for discrete or process
upgrade path possible, it’s best to start from the most
manufacturing, nor for wholesale or retail
recent version of Oracle E-Business Suite, distribution. If you upgrade now, you’ll need to
PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, or Siebel. As you sketch integrate your existing manufacturing or distribution
out a possible upgrade path, factor in the time and functionality with Oracle Fusion as you wait to see
cost of getting your current applications up to the what comes next on the Fusion roadmap.
latest version. Will Oracle eventually release Oracle Fusion apps that
Keep in mind that even if you don’t decide to upgrade address manufacturing? Will they continue to develop
to Oracle Fusion right away, you can begin to sample the functionality in the manufacturing modules in
Fusion technology by staying current with the latest Oracle E-Business Suite, J.D. Edwards, and
releases of your current ERP software. For example, PeopleSoft? Or both? Only time will tell—but your
pieces of Oracle Fusion technology are already business can’t stand still in the meantime. You’ll need
available in the PeopleSoft Enterprise 9.1 release, to develop a long-range technology plan that covers
and Oracle plans to add more Fusion into future both possibilities.
PeopleSoft releases.
Staying current, then, gives your organization the
chance to try out Oracle Fusion technology before
committing all the way. You may find that the hands-
on experience you gain helps you determine the
right time and right way to make a full transition to
Oracle Fusion.
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3. 3 - Are you willing to expand your current These choices give you greater control over the timing
hardware footprint? and speed of your implementation and may help you
avoid having to build out your hardware footprint more
If you move to Oracle Fusion, you’ll almost certainly
aggressively than you would have liked. Will
have to buy more servers. That’s because Oracle
virtualization now be a viable option for your company?
Fusion Architecture (OFA) demands more computing
Should you consider running applications on Linux?
power. Why? More components and more complexity.
With Oracle Fusion, you’ll have many unexpected
One of OFA’s main components is the decisions to make as you plan your rollout.
aforementioned Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Components within Oracle Fusion Middleware include
4 - How heavily have you customized the back
Oracle WebLogic Suite, Oracle WebCenter, Oracle SOA
end of your current ERP software?
Suite, Oracle Identity Management, Oracle JDeveloper,
and a whole host of development tools for creating If you answered “very heavily,” then you’ll probably
rich enterprise applications. Oracle Fusion Middleware need to plan an entirely new implementation of Oracle
also provides certified integrations with Oracle Database Fusion rather than a mere upgrade to Fusion. Then
and Oracle Applications to increase reliability. again, it’s possible that many of your previous
customizations are now obsolete because they exist
Of course, one of the strengths of Oracle Fusion is
as new features in Oracle Fusion.
its flexible deployment options. You may deploy
Oracle Fusion: Before you can upgrade, you’ll need to devote
significant man-hours to assessing your current
 On your premises, hosted by your company.
customizations and deciding whether they’re still
 In a public cloud that’s accessible over the necessary. Once you’ve finalized your list of still-
internet and hosted by Oracle or an Oracle relevant customizations, you’ll need to determine how
business partner. many of these features are offered in Oracle Fusion—
 In a private cloud that lives behind your or, alternatively, Oracle E-Business Suite R12.
company’s firewall.
 In a hybrid model that combines on-premise
installation with public and/or private cloud
offerings to give your users the full functionality
they need.
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4. 5 - Are you willing to retrain your IT staff? Even if you’re still unsure about moving to Oracle Fusion,
it’s probably wise to start training your IT staff to work
Fusion Applications run on the Oracle Fusion
with the components of the Oracle Fusion technology
technology stack, which is more complex and contains
stack. In addition to the Oracle Fusion Middleware
more components than what Oracle E-Business Suite
components we’ve already mentioned, Fusion includes
required. As a result, companies that move to Fusion
Oracle Business Intelligence, Hyperion Essbase, Oracle
will have to retrain their IT support staff on at least a
Image Process Management, and Oracle Forms
few new technology components. If you’re moving
Recognition. These technologies will most likely play an
from Oracle E-Business Suite, the list of new
increasingly large part in the upgrades Oracle releases
components will be shorter than if you were moving
for existing Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, J.D.
from, say, J.D. Edwards. But in any case, the new
Edwards, and Siebel applications.
technology stack will increase the complexity and risk
of your upgrade or implementation project.
The bottom line? Your IT staff is going to need to adapt and learn. The question is how much—and how soon?
X
Crafting Your Plan? Estuate Can Help
At Oracle Open World 2011, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison demoed some Oracle Fusion ERP apps for an enthusiastic
crowd, and announced that Oracle Fusion general availability would come sometime in Q1 of 2012. The release is
scheduled to contain more than 100 applications. Ellison billed this as Oracle’s largest software product release
ever—and joked wryly that he hoped Oracle would never do this sort of thing again.
As you watch this massive release hit the market and no doubt hear some initial success stories from early
adopters, you may be tempted to accelerate your migration plan. We at Estuate advise a more cautious approach,
characterized by meticulous planning.
Because of the many “asterisks” associated with Oracle Fusion at this point—several of which we’ve laid out
above—there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all upgrade path to Fusion. Even Oracle hasn’t laid out a precise
path from PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, or Oracle E-Business Suite to Oracle Fusion. And you won’t likely find a
white paper or book that can chart such a course for your exact situation.
To ensure you make the right decision for your unique technology infrastructure—not to mention, your business
users—work with an experienced implementation partner. Estuate offers a free Oracle Upgrade Roadmap
Assessment that helps companies on J.D. Edwards, PeopleSoft, Siebel, or older versions of Oracle decide
exactly what their next move should be. We work closely with companies to assess their needs, answer their
questions, and sketch out their migration plan.
To find out more about this free service and schedule your consultation, call Estuate today
at 800 555-1212 or email sales@estuate.com.
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