Weitere ähnliche Inhalte Ähnlich wie The Transformation Of Jde 08 2008 Oracle (20) Kürzlich hochgeladen (20) The Transformation Of Jde 08 2008 Oracle1. The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
August 2008
David Andrews, President
Lee Kroon, Senior Industry Analyst
Introduction
Introduction .................................................................. 1
Executive Summary ..................................................... 2
Oracle’s Commitment to JD Edwards Applications ... 3 After enduring years of uncertainty about their
future, JD Edwards applications are here to stay!
The Evolution of JD Edwards Applications................ 5
While they were never truly gone, there were times
Why Companies Should Consider JD Edwards
when users of Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
Applications Today ................................................ 8
and World were concerned that their applications
Andrews Consulting Group ....................................... 11 would eventually be phased out in favor of Oracle’s
next-generation Fusion Applications. In both its
statements and actions, however, Oracle made it clear
that it will support and enhance both EnterpriseOne
and World indefinitely. Both product lines will
coexist with Fusion Applications and remain strate-
gic to Oracle for years to come. This paper examines
Oracle’s strategy and explains why JD Edwards
applications remain viable and strategic solutions for
companies that are considering their software options.
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© Copyright Andrews Consulting Group, Inc. 2008
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2. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
Executive Summary
When Oracle acquired PeopleSoft and its JD Edwards • JD Edwards applications will remain an important
applications in late 2004, most industry observers force in the enterprise application market for years
predicted that the applications would play short- to come
lived, minimal roles in Oracle’s product portfolio.
Since then, exactly the opposite has happened—JD There are many reasons why companies should once
Edwards applications are enjoying a renaissance. In again consider long-term investments in JD Edwards
a series of surprising moves, Oracle has: applications. The solutions have the following attri-
• Retained virtually all of the original JD Edwards butes that make them excellent fits for the require-
development and support staff ments of many organizations:
• Delivered major upgrades to both the EnterpriseOne • While the applications are robust, their functions
and World product lines are integrated in ways that make them easier to
• Committed itself to enhancing the solutions for use than other packages
many years to come • They meet the unique requirements of companies
• Launched a campaign to stimulate new sales in many vertical industries
• Both products are easy to deploy and manage
Oracle’s unequivocal support for JD Edwards applica- compared to competitive offerings, so they require
tions was confirmed in April 2006 when the company fewer IT resources over time
announced Applications Unlimited, its pledge to sup- • Because of their integration and ease of use, JD
port and enhance its major application product lines Edwards applications have some of the lowest
long after the arrival of its new Fusion Applications. costs of ownership of any solutions in their class
As part of this strategy, Oracle will give EnterpriseOne • Both applications will support SOAs with consider-
and World many of the same capabilities as its Fusion ably less risk than the next-generation products
Applications, including technologies to support service- that many software vendors are developing
oriented architectures (SOAs). By supporting SOAs, • Should EnterpriseOne and World customers wish
JD Edwards products will remain competitive with to do so, they can exchange their existing applica-
next-generation applications that feature service tions for Oracle Fusion Applications on a “like for
orientation as a central benefit. like” basis at no extra charge as long as their soft-
ware remains on maintenance
Taken together, Oracle’s actions have enormous
implications for both existing and prospective JD When one considers the strengths of JD Edwards
Edwards customers. These actions confirm that: applications along with Oracle’s ambitious plans
• Oracle has elevated JD Edwards applications to for the products, the conclusion becomes clear.
strategic positions in its product portfolio EnterpriseOne and World have experienced a power-
• Fusion Applications will not replace EnterpriseOne ful, positive transformation. As a result, Andrews
or World, but will only be offered as an optional Consulting Group recommends that prospective
upgrade path customers put the applications on their short lists
• Oracle will not require JD Edwards users to switch for serious consideration. We also recommend that
to its middleware or database products existing users consider deploying upgrades and add-
• Upgrading to the latest EnterpriseOne and World ing new modules. The cloud of uncertainty that once
releases once again makes sense loomed over JD Edwards applications is now gone.
2 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
3. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
Oracle’s Commitment to JD Edwards Applications
Ever since Oracle acquired JD Edwards in 2005, many of the advanced technologies being developed
its commitment to the product line has steadily by the Fusion Applications team. As such, JD Edwards
increased. In its first meetings with customers, applications are just as much a part of Oracle’s future
Oracle assured them that it would support their product portfolio as its Fusion Applications.
applications through at least 2013. At the time,
though, it left open the possibility that it would cease Oracle’s increased commitment to JD Edwards
to enhance EnterpriseOne and World once it shipped applications stunned many industry observers who
its next-generation Fusion Applications. Oracle also had predicted that the vendor would merge its mul-
indicated that it would strongly encourage JD Edwards tiple product lines into Fusion Applications. Despite
users to move to Fusion Applications by 2013. This their miscalculation, Oracle’s strategy is not an
led many customers to conclude that the software abrupt change in direction, nor is it a policy that the
vendor would eventually reduce its investment in company will reverse. That is because Oracle’s com-
their applications. mitment to JD Edwards is grounded in its assessment
of what it must do to be a leader in the enterprise
In 2006, however, Oracle surprised its customers applications market.
and the IT industry by announcing its Applications
Unlimited strategy. As part of Applications Unlimited, Oracle has decided that if it is to compete effectively
Oracle declared JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and with SAP and Microsoft—its biggest rivals—it must
World to be strategic solutions that it will enhance retain nearly all of the customers it gains through its
and market indefinitely. As a result, no plans exist numerous acquisitions and craft an appealing strat-
to freeze product development or pressure users into egy for prospective users. This has led it to develop
switching over to Fusion Applications. New releases a “retention and recruitment” strategy that includes
will continue to arrive that will increasingly include the following principles:
Oracle’s Applications Unlimited Strategy
Oracle’s plans for JD Edwards products are part of a broader Applications, but also by its current products. If it achieves its
strategy known as Applications Unlimited. Under the strategy, objective, Oracle’s multiple product lines will be able to invoke
Oracle will support and enhance its JD Edwards, E-Business a common body of web services—which will include robust
Suite, PeopleSoft, and Siebel product lines indefinitely. The vertical industry functionality—via a common set of open
vendor will develop new releases of these products and standards. This could significantly expand their capabilities
continue to certify them on the latest releases of third-party while enabling tighter integration between product lines.
products that support them. For instance, Oracle will continue
Surprisingly, industry observers and customers have not
to certify EnterpriseOne and World on new releases of IBM’s
understood this aspect of Oracle’s strategy. Applications
DB2 database and WebSphere middleware.
Unlimited is not just about removing limits to Oracle’s sup-
As part of Applications Unlimited, Oracle will incorporate port for its existing product lines. It is also about removing
technologies from its Fusion Applications—including sup- the architectural and functional limits on those applications
port for service-oriented architectures—into all of its current so that they can support the expanding requirements of
their users.
applications. The vendor’s long-term goal is to create a
body of web services that can be used not only by Fusion
3 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
4. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
• Assemble a critical mass of enterprise applications sudden change of direction for the vendor. Instead,
that meet the requirements of the industries that it was an extension of the logic that led it to seek a
Oracle is targeting leadership position in the enterprise applications
• Continue to support and enhance the acquired market and purchase dozens of software vendors.
applications to retain their user bases Key elements of the Oracle line of thinking include:
• Gradually incorporate support within all applica-
tions for a common body of open industry standards, • EnterpriseOne and World occupy a special place
middleware, and development tools that enable the in the market that no other applications can eas-
products to support the service-oriented architec- ily fill. Their combination of robust functionality,
ture (SOA) computing paradigm affordability, and ease of use particularly suit them
• At the same time, create a next-generation prod- for medium-sized companies that would otherwise
uct—Fusion Applications—that is designed from take less interest in Oracle’s applications.
the ground up with the same body of standards,
middleware, and tools • The vast majority of JD Edwards customers are
• Use the same technologies to build a growing body happy with their applications and not inclined to
of packaged integrations between its existing appli- make an immediate move to Fusion Applications
cations that expand the functional capabilities of or any competitive software.
each product
• Offer upgrade paths from current products to Fusion • Fusion Applications will not become replacements
Applications, but never force users to take them for EnterpriseOne and World. Instead, they will
• Target industry-optimized versions of its current be offered to JD Edwards users as optional alter-
applications at new customers in selected industries natives to upgrading to newer versions of their
• Forge alliances with other vendors around the existing applications.
open standards and technologies it is incorporating
into both its existing and next-generation products • Oracle will enhance JD Edwards applications with
many of the technologies found in its Fusion Appli-
This strategy is transforming Oracle into one of cations. This will make it easier for JD Edwards
the most accommodating of the major application users to make the transition to Fusion Applica-
vendors. It provides a rationale for the company to tions if they so choose. Ironically, such moderniza-
protect the investments of its thousands of acquired tion will make it less likely that they will do so,
customers for years to come. It gives those customers as users will gain many of the benefits of Fusion
considerable flexibility and choice when deciding Applications without having to deploy them.
whether to upgrade existing software or deploy new
products. The strategy also allows Oracle to target In April 2008, the authors of this paper personally
different configurations of its multiple product lines asked Oracle President Charles Phillips to confirm
at specific industries. Indeed, Oracle has decided that the company’s stance on JD Edwards and Fusion
its JD Edwards applications will play strategic roles Applications. His answer was clear and unequivocal.
among companies in a number of vertical industries. It does not matter to Oracle whether its customers
stick with their current software or migrate at some
What Oracle’s Actions Mean for future point to Fusion Applications because the net
JD Edwards Customers effect will be the same. Customers that use Applica-
As the paragraphs above demonstrate, Oracle’s
tions Unlimited products such as JD Edwards will be
expanded commitment to JD Edwards was not a
able either to take advantage of Fusion technologies
4 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
5. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
within new releases of their existing applications or has a history of actively supporting and enhancing
deploy those technologies via Fusion Applications. the products that it acquires. To this day, for instance,
Phillips also indicated that Oracle will be satisfied Oracle continues to support the Rdb database that it
even if sales of Fusion Applications to existing cus- acquired from Digital Equipment Corporation in 1994.
tomers turn out to be very limited. The real test of
success will be the degree to which the innovations Taken together, Oracle’s actions add up to one simple
coming out of Fusion projects work their way into the conclusion: JD Edwards applications have experi-
application portfolios of customers. enced a transformation. They now occupy strategic
positions in Oracle’s product portfolio. Both existing
Oracle’s highly accommodating strategy represents and prospective customers can expect a steady
the only practical way for the company to maintain stream of enhancements to the applications for years
the loyalty of JD Edwards users and convince them to come. This makes it safe for existing users to
to stay on support contracts. Besides, Oracle has the deploy upgrades and add new modules. It also makes
financial strength and scale needed to support and it safe for prospective new customers to put JD
enhance JD Edwards applications. The company also Edwards on their short lists for evaluation.
The Evolution of JD Edwards Applications
Oracle has introduced significant enhancements to Tools 8.97, a release that brought native web services
both EnterpriseOne and World since it acquired JD capabilities to EnterpriseOne. The release also deliv-
Edwards, and ongoing enhancements are in plan. ered a new administrative interface that streamlined
The vendor shipped EnterpriseOne 8.12 in April the management of EnterpriseOne servers.
2006, a release that includes extensive enhance-
ments to the applications that manage supply chains, In addition, Oracle has introduced consoles that provide
customer relationships, and human capital. The EnterpriseOne users with real-time information
supply chain applications, for instance, include new about the status of their operations. For instance,
modules for the operational sourcing of commodities the Plant Manager’s Dashboard provides users with
and the management of growers that supply food and real-time metrics on manufacturing performance,
beverage manufacturers. customer shipments, supplier performance, inven-
tory, and other operational data. The Financial Man-
At the same time that EnterpriseOne 8.12 shipped, agement and Compliance Console provides access to
Oracle also released EnterpriseOne Tools 8.96. The metrics such as cash flow, liquidity ratios, actual vs.
new release significantly expanded the ability of plan, profitability ratios, and accounts payable/receiv-
EnterpriseOne to work with Oracle Fusion Middleware. able. These consoles are supported on EnterpriseOne
It also improved the usability and performance of 8.11 and 8.12. Additional consoles will continue to be
EnterpriseOne’s browser-based user interfaces. In added over time.
November 2007, Oracle announced EnterpriseOne
5 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
6. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
Oracle has also committed to integrate additional on improving the user experience while reducing
web services and other Internet technologies into the cost of deploying and managing the applications.
EnterpriseOne. The company has certified that According to the company’s statement of direction,
EnterpriseOne web services can interoperate with EnterpriseOne 9.0 will include more extensive use of
services from its E-Business Suite and Peoplesoft web services. These services will improve integration
products. This allows organizations to take functions levels not only with current versions of Oracle’s
from all three of these application suites and inte- E-Business Suite and Peoplesoft applications, but
grate them with each other in the support of business also with other applications that Oracle has acquired
processes. Users can orchestrate how web services over the last several years such as Demantra, G-Log,
from all three products work together using Oracle’s and Siebel. In addition, EnterpriseOne 9.0 will likely
BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) Process be able to integrate with the first generation of Fusion
Manager and IBM’s WebSphere Process Server. Applications. This will enable EnterpriseOne 9.0 and
subsequent releases to act as platforms for service-
As for the future, Oracle intends to ship a new ver- oriented architectures.
sion of the product, EnterpriseOne 9.0, by the end
of 2008. At the same time, Oracle intends to ship Besides investing in EnterpriseOne, Oracle is also
EnterpriseOne Tools 8.98, a release that will focus committed to enhancing JD Edwards World for the
What is a Service-Oriented Architecture?
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a widely used name including the Internet. For this reason, they are often called
for an innovative set of ideas about how software should be web services.
designed and deployed. For decades, nearly all software
As companies replace their existing applications with ones
has been constructed as modules made up of thousands or
based on SOA concepts, many of the challenges they
even millions of lines of code. Most software products were
face with their existing applications will likely become less
designed to communicate with other products via interfaces
troublesome. When they need to upgrade an application,
that were proprietary to each software vendor. Because of
they may only have to replace a handful of the services it
their enormous size and monolithic design, most enterprise
uses instead of replacing the entire code base. Integration
applications are difficult to modify and expensive to upgrade.
between applications will become a simpler and more error-
Moreover, their proprietary interfaces make it hard for compa-
free process. Adding new functions may be as simple as
nies to integrate their IT systems or get them to communicate
subscribing to new services that are offered by dozens of
with those of their business partners.
vendors via the Internet.
The proponents of SOA seek to overcome these and
In short, applications based on SOA designs could make
other problems by gradually transforming large, monolithic
enterprise applications less expensive to maintain. They
applications into collections of smaller and more manageable
could increase the flexibility of IT systems and thereby make
services. Each service performs a discrete function—such as
the businesses they support more agile and responsive. That
providing a credit rating when given a customer’s name—in
said, switching from today’s monolithic applications to SOA-
a way that is predictable and understandable to the other
enabled ones will be a long and challenging process for most
services. In addition, each service communicates with all
enterprises. That is one reason why Oracle plans to incor-
other services via open, industry-standard interfaces. This
porate SOA into JD Edwards applications in an incremental
makes it easy for services created by different vendors
manner that makes the transition easier for users.
to communicate with each other. Moreover, the services
can communicate with each other across any network,
6 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
7. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
long term. In 2007, the company shipped World A9.1, At present, Oracle is building AIA compliance into
a new version of the product that combines the code both EnterpriseOne 8.12 and World A9.1 by certifying
bases and advantages of World A7.3 and A8.1. In the applications on its Fusion Middleware products
addition, World A9.1 utilizes an architecture that and development tools. This could make it much
lets it participate in SOAs. The new World version easier for JD Edwards users to add new functionality
is “front ended” with Java-based interfaces through to their current applications. For instance, an Enter-
which it can interoperate with web services from priseOne 8.12 customer might be able to use a service
other software, including Fusion Applications. for maximizing the space in shipping containers that
originally came from a G-Log application, or a service
Besides incorporating SOA capabilities, World A9.1 for calculating optimal prices for retail products that
includes enhancements in areas such as service and came from a Retek offering. These services could
warranty management, payroll, and integration with be invoked by and integrated with the JD Edwards
spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel. applications using industry-standard middleware
The new release also includes enhanced support for from Oracle, IBM, or possibly other vendors.
managing compliance programs, a new web-based
documentation system, and tools that make it easier In short, JD Edwards applications have a promis-
for users to upgrade to World A9.1. ing future ahead of them. Oracle plans not only to
enhance them through new releases, but also to give
In a further sign of its commitment to JD Edwards, them access to a large body of web services. Because
Oracle has told users that it will continue to ship their applications will be SOA-enabled, JD Edwards
new releases of both EnterpriseOne and World. users may not have to go through as many time-
Moreover, the company plans to release additional consuming upgrades to new releases to get the
enhancements between releases. In some cases, these added functions they need. Instead, they could
enhancements will be delivered via service packs; in enhance their applications in a more incremental
other cases, they will be web services that users can and selective manner at a lower overall cost.
integrate into their existing applications.
Of course, the extent to which this will be possible
Over the next several years, Oracle plans to turn will largely depend on how Oracle decides to package,
much of the “best practices” business logic in its siz- price, and support its web services portfolio. If Oracle
able applications portfolio into a large body of web does not get these key factors right, it will reduce
services. These services will be made available not the benefits that users can realize. Based on what
only to Oracle’s Fusion Applications, but also to its Oracle’s product managers are telling us, however,
existing product lines. To enable its applications to we believe that the company realizes the potential
consume these services, Oracle is working to make all benefits of its SOA strategy and wants to leverage
of its products comply with its Application Integra- those benefits in the software market. If it does, it
tion Architecture (AIA). This body of technologies and could significantly expand the flexibility and poten-
industry standards dictates how business processes tial value of both EnterpriseOne and World.
are packaged as web services and made available to
Oracle applications.
7 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
8. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
Why Companies Should Consider JD Edwards Applications Today
to streamline the deployment process. In the case
While Oracle has made it clear that its JD Edwards
of EnterpriseOne, for instance, the company offers
applications will remain strategic solutions, indi-
Oracle Accelerate packages that simplify deploy-
vidual companies still must determine if the offerings
ments by providing preconfigured applications,
are good fits for their needs. After helping dozens
recommended hardware configurations, integrated
of companies to select and deploy ERP applica-
middleware, and installation and user training
tions, Andrews Consulting Group has found that
aids. A similar offering known as World Express
EnterpriseOne and World have unique attributes
is available for World users. Oracle also provides
that make them good fits for a number of companies.
its partners with tools that let them create their
Organizations that value the following attributes
own Accelerate configurations to meet the needs of
often find that JD Edwards applications are the best
specific industries and countries.
solutions for them.
• Integration and breadth of capability. The
Figure 1: Vertical industries supported by
modules within EnterpriseOne and World are JD Edwards applications
tightly integrated in ways that make them easier
to understand and use than other comparable Industries EnterpriseOne World
packages. This combination of deep functionality
Aerospace & Defense
and simplicity may be the most important reason
for their long-term success. Automotive
Chemicals & Lubricants
• Industry focus. The most successful enterprise
Communications
software has always majored in meeting the
Engineering & Construction
unique needs of specific industries. As Figure 1
Consumer Products
shows, JD Edwards applications have the strongest
vertical industry functionality in the manufactur-
Financial Services
ing, distribution, and asset-intensive sectors as
High Technology
well as in the construction and property manage-
Industrial Manufacturing
ment fields. Companies in these industries often
Life Sciences
find that JD Edwards applications provide superior
Media & Entertainment
support for their unique business processes.
Natural Resources
• Ease of deployment. While JD Edwards applica-
Oil & Gas
tions provide robust support for industry business
Professional Services
processes, they do so in ways that make them eas-
Public Sector
ier to deploy than many comparable applications.
In the industries that JD Edwards applications Retail & Wholesale Distribution
serve, many companies find that the applications
Travel & Transportation
can be deployed “as is” with limited need for cus-
Utilities
tomization. In addition, Oracle has done much
8 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
9. August 2008
The Transformation of JD Edwards Applications
• Ease of management. Once JD Edwards applica- eastern United States—deployed EnterpriseOne
tions are deployed, they frequently cost less to shortly before a European firm acquired it. Since
manage than competitive alternatives. In par- the parent company used SAP R/3, our client
ticular, World applications are renowned for their had to deploy it as well. Though the two applica-
low cost of operations. This is because World was tions were functionally equivalent, it took our
designed as a tightly integrated set of applications client twice as long to implement R/3 as it took to
that run entirely on the IBM i operating system. deploy EnterpriseOne.
By contrast, EnterpriseOne can be deployed on • Supports SOAs with less risk. Over the next
multiple servers, operating systems, and middle- several years, applications that are based on
ware platforms. It can also be accessed by a wider service-oriented architectures have the potential
variety of client devices than World. While it to help companies become more responsive and
usually requires more management resources flexible while reducing the cost of their IT sys-
than World, EnterpriseOne costs less to support tems. As this report has already discussed, current
than most of its competitors. One advantage of releases of EnterpriseOne already have many SOA
EnterpriseOne is an architecture that allows users capabilities. Moreover, Oracle is incorporating
to access all applications via web browsers instead SOA technologies from its Fusion Applications into
of Windows clients. Unlike traditional Windows EnterpriseOne and World. However, Oracle is not
clients, browsers do not need to be updated when rearchitecting JD Edwards applications to support
the applications that they access are changed. SOAs; instead, it is modifying them “at the mar-
Compared to Windows clients, browsers are also gins” in a gradual and incremental fashion. This
much easier for most employees to use with mini- could be an advantage for their users, as deploying
mal assistance. This allows browser-based clients SOAs on established applications will likely be less
to reduce costs for PC administration, help desk risky than doing so on the next-generation applica-
support, and user training. tions that many vendors are developing.
• Low overall cost of ownership. Because of their • Supported by both Oracle and IBM. The two
ease of deployment and use, JD Edwards appli- vendors have agreed that the JD Edwards com-
cations often enable companies to support their munity is critical to sales of their respective prod-
business processes at a lower cost than competi- ucts. As such, they are working together not only
tive products. We base this conclusion on our own to support JD Edwards applications, but also to
experience with clients as well as on formal stud- enhance them indefinitely. This puts two of the
ies. For instance, a study by International Technol- world’s largest software vendors squarely behind
ogy Group estimates that the cost to deploy and EnterpriseOne and World.
manage World applications on IBM i over three
years is 32 to 44 percent less than the cost for As the above paragraphs make clear, JD Edwards
similar Windows-based applications. applications not only have a proven track record,
but also have a promising future ahead of them.
As for EnterpriseOne, our experience with clients For companies in the industries that they serve,
indicates that the product has a markedly lower they combine robust functionality with low costs of
cost of ownership than alternatives such as those ownership and the assurance that they will be sup-
from SAP. In many cases, SAP applications take ported and enhanced for many years to come. This
considerably longer to install and require more is why we recommend EnterpriseOne and World to
staff to deploy than EnterpriseOne does. One our clients as sound investments that they should
of our clients—a chemical manufacturer in the carefully consider.
9 © Andrews Consulting Group 2008
10. Andrews Consulting Group
Andrews Consulting Group (ACG) has been helping organizations make effective use of information technology since 1984.
Few IT service businesses have achieved as high a level of client satisfaction over an extended period of time as ACG. This
success is the result of ACG’s commitment to their clients’ success coupled with an experienced staff of consultants who pos-
sess real-world experience as well as multidisciplinary technical skills.
JD Edwards software has been an important area of focus for ACG for over ten years. More than one hundred organizations
have used ACG over the years to get additional value out of their JD Edwards systems. ACG is a past multiple winner of JD
Edwards Partner of the Year.
One of the most effective ways in which ACG has helped its clients, especially those who are JD Edwards customers, is in
the creation of business intelligence solutions. Numerous JD Edwards customers have business intelligence solutions de-
signed and installed by ACG. This experience allows ACG to implement sophisticated, but cost-effective BI solutions for new
customers in as few as five days, far faster than is possible using any other approach.
The ACG Technology Services practice provides experienced architects, designers, developers, and technical support person-
nel to offer a complete IT solution to our clients. ACG has successfully provided numerous Web-based solutions that inte-
grate with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World.
Andrews Consulting Group has been publishing white papers since 1987 when we were the first ones to accurately describe
IBM’s plans for introduction of the AS/400 (known by the code name Silverlake at the time). Since then, ACG has published
over 50 industry reports with a total circulation of over a million copies.
David Andrews founded Andrews Consulting Group in 1984 after 17 years managing the implementation of advanced
IT systems. He is the author of the book Revolutionizing IT (John Wiley and Sons, September 2002) and has participated
in the creation of more than 40 white papers. He has made presentations to audiences in 17 countries about the effective
use of IT within mid-sized organizations and has been widely quoted in trade journals and the business press. He can be
contacted at dandrews@andrewscg.com.
Lee Kroon has been a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group since joining the firm in 1998. He has over
30 years of experience in the IT industry and has been studying mid-sized companies, IBM, and the ERP market since
1986. Lee’s name will be familiar to many in the JD Edwards user community as the author of more than 1,000 articles
for professional journals and industry publications. His regular columns for MC Press Online are very popular among
those interested in the IBM System i and the software packages, such as JD Edwards, that run on it. He welcomes your
comments at lkroon@andrewscg.com.
Additional information can be obtained by visiting the company’s websites, www.andrewscg.com and
www.rapiddecision.net or calling 800.775.4261.
The preceding document is intended to outline Oracle Corporation’s general product direction. It is intended for information
purposes only and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or other
functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any
features or functionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.
This report was written by Andrews Consulting Group based on information provided to it by Oracle Corporation and other
sources. The assessments and opinions contained in this report are the independent conclusions of Andrews Consulting
Group. Oracle Corporation did not sponsor or underwrite the report, nor did it have control over its contents.
11. Want more information about JD Edwards applications?
Get the latest news, analyses,and tips at
The JD Edwards Advisor,
a website for JD Edwards users
from Andrews Consulting Group.
www.JDEdwardsAdvisor.com