Oracle announces 80% Asia-Pacific growth, eyes rural India

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) With India and China at its focal point, Oracle, a global enterprise software company, today announced an 80 per cent increase in its revenue from Asia-Pacific in FY06, ending May 31, 2006.

Oracle is targeting customers at micro levels in India, one of the largest market of its application products. Besides, it will tap big enterprises in public and private sectors, to further increase its revenue growth.

''Oracle had recored 66 per cent growth in FY05, but FY06 has been a year of tremendous growth for our applications business in Asia-Pacific,'' Oracle Asia-Pacific's Senior Vice-President (Applications) Mark Gibbs said, asserting the 80 per cent revenue growth was excluding Siebel and Retek.

He credited this rapid growth to Oracle's main focus on delivering value services to its customers. Oracle applications have been selected by 585 companies during last fiscal year while in India it won over 70 deals competing directly with SAP.

The company claims to stay firm on offering open, flexible and standards-based software with deep industry functionality that drive business agility, insight abd ultimately growth and stockholder value.

He further announced that Oracle has plan to develop the next generation application in 2008, by the fusion of ''the best IP and the best technology''. He however maintainted that the company will continue its lifetime support to its customers with existing application and their free upgradation.

In the Asia-Pacific region, government, health and healthcare sector delivered 220 per cent growth while communications, media and utility sector recorded 105 per cent growth in FY06, he elaborated.

For Oracle, India stands at No 1 position with China, he said, announcing that the company has planned to expand its network in India.

Meanwhile, Oracle India MD Krishan Dhawan said the company had invested over two billion dollars in India in the last two years and is keen to expand its business to micro level.

On government's initiatives to make rural areas, particularly Panchayati Raj institutions IT enable, he said Panchayati Raj intitutions are potential but difficult market at the moment.

''We are looking for backbone to establish there,'' he added.

At present company has 15 offices, nine of which were established last year, he told reporters.

The headcount of company in India is likely cross 10,000 figure, which currently stands over 9,000, he added.

Oracle India has 240 partners in India, 70 of which associated last year, he informed.

UNI VJ ARB BD1737