Sharukh-Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
Sales Director at Convelox
Reseller
Top 10
Along with automation and testing features, the tool also focuses on following the global standards set for finance
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability of the solution is very good...The technical support is good."
  • "The solution's scalability is an area with shortcomings...Mid-level customers feel that Oracle is not scalable in their environment and is an enterprise-level segment solution."

What is our primary use case?

The main use case includes the use of Oracle Financing along with the automation that Oracle provides, which is embedded in the solution itself and helps the banking and insurance to move to Oracle Fusion.

What is most valuable?

There are a number of features. The main feature is automation and other features like automated testing. Additionally, every three months, Oracle makes it a point to upgrade their systems, so they are not worried about being on the old systems, which is a benefit for the customers who are dealing with us.

What needs improvement?

The area where Oracle needs to improve is the mid-level customers for whom they can come up with some solutions other than Oracle NetSuite. Oracle NetSuite is meant for mid-level markets, but customers are willing to move to Oracle Fusion instead of opting for Oracle NetSuite. Oracle needs to properly convey that message to the customers and the market so that mid-level customers can use Oracle Fusion. Right now, Oracle Fusion software is meant for enterprise-sized customers, and as per the mindset of the current market, mid-level customers don't plan to buy Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP. Oracle NetSuite is an option for very small-scale businesses. I spend a lot of time explaining to mid-level customers that they can buy Oracle Fusion.

The solution's scalability is an area with shortcomings, because of which it needs a lot of improvement. Mid-level customers feel that Oracle is not scalable in their environment and is an enterprise-level segment solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Cloud Platform for almost three years. We are a company dealing with one of the partners of Oracle. We provide Oracle to the end customers in the market.

Buyer's Guide
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
April 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is very good. I would rate the stability of Oracle Cloud Platform a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

My company has a big set of clients, including enterprises and public sector customers.

I would rate the scalability of the solution a five out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good. I would rate the technical support for the solution an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

On a scale of one to ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy, I rate the initial setup somewhere around seven. The solution is deployed on the public cloud in our organization.

The time taken for deployment depends on the customer's complexity. Approximately it may take around three to four months.

As for the steps for deployment, every customer's requirement has to be considered, and the implementation should be started at the preferred time when the customer wants it. The customer's cooperation is more important to make sure that the implementation is done properly. It is not Oracle but the customer and the implementation part that plays a key role in the deployment phase.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is expensive. I would rate the pricing as ten out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive. 

There are no additional costs involved in Oracle Cloud Platform other than the licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

My only advice to those planning to use it is that they need to move from a customized way of working with their ERP to standardization because Oracle Fusion is all about standardizing the global standard of Oracle Financial Services. Oracle Fusion has adopted whatever globally is being followed. Many customers want the leverage of using their finance system the way they want it, but Oracle Fusion concentrates more on standardization and following the global standards for finance. Any customer willing to go for Oracle Fusion needs to understand that there will be certain standardization, and if you customize it, the work or benefit of Oracle Fusion gets lost. We need to move to standardization rather than making the software more customizable as per the business.

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
AVP at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
An enterprise database solution with good performance, stability, and fault alerts.
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the solution’s stability, performance, and fault alerts."
  • "The solution is expensive. So we try to use MySQL on AWS to push the data. The tool’s support could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for a loan management solution which requires a database of around 2 TB. The loan management solution helps to disperse loans.

What is most valuable?

I like the solution’s stability, performance, and fault alerts.

What needs improvement?

The solution is expensive. So we try to use MySQL on AWS to push the data. The tool’s support could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle products for more than 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable and I would rate its scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The tool’s support depends on the resource you get from their team for a particular ticket. Sometimes it may take more time and otherwise not.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

I would rate the tool’s initial setup an eight out of ten. The solution is an enterprise-grade database and requires an expert to deploy it. Post the UAT testing, the solution’s setup took a day to complete. The product required around five people for the deployment.

What about the implementation team?

We used a third-party vendor for the tool’s implementation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would rate the tool’s pricing a ten out of ten since it is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

OCI is a good choice as an enterprise solution. The PL/SQL and stability features are good. You need to definitely go for this solution if money is not an issue. Otherwise, stick with MySQL. We run the solution round the clock and require around three people to maintain it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CEO at Missan Alnjoom IInformation Technology
Reseller
Top 10
A solution that hosts application databases and provide excellent support
Pros and Cons
  • "It's reliable, performs well, and is often faster than running applications on separate machines due to optimized performance and networking capabilities within OCI."
  • "There's a need for further customization to unlock the platform's full potential."

What is our primary use case?

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is suitable for hosting application databases.

How has it helped my organization?

You can deploy a VM on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. If you require high availability for your applications, you can run them within the VM, which will function effectively. It's reliable, performs well, and is often faster than running applications on separate machines due to optimized performance and networking capabilities within OCI.

We initially started the company focusing on infrastructure, intending to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Our entire infrastructure is built on OCI.

What is most valuable?

OCI is a cloud computing service, not an appliance. It offers various services, including database management, storage, networking, and more, which are crucial for any organization's IT infrastructure. Oracle Database is widely used and robust database management system. OCI offers various services beyond database management. Other available databases and cloud platforms may suit different organizational needs.

Storage is indeed a critical aspect of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The technology and security measures implemented within OCI's storage services are highly advanced and provide extensive scalability, reliability, and data protection capabilities. The management tools offered for OCI's storage services are unparalleled and offer robust features for efficient storage administration.

What needs improvement?

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure stands out due to its exceptional performance and advanced technology. The progress and innovation demonstrated by Oracle are truly impressive and exceed my expectations. OCI's capabilities are remarkable, and it is challenging to identify any weaknesses. One noteworthy aspect is OCI's ability to integrate seamlessly with other cloud platforms, offering unparalleled flexibility. Unlike other clouds that limit service provision solely within their ecosystem, OCI allows customers to interact with various cloud environments, including in-house servers. This interoperability extends to significant competitors like Azure, providing users with unmatched connectivity options. In summary, OCI sets a high standard in the cloud industry, and I am grateful for its capabilities.

While OCI provides a solid foundation with its existing analytics and data warehousing tools, businesses often have unique needs that require tailored solutions. While Oracle offers great tools for developers, data scientists, and AI enthusiasts, there's a need for further customization to unlock the platform's full potential. Compared to other vendors, Oracle stands out with its AI, analytics, and data management offerings. Still, additional expertise and customization can help businesses maximize their OCI investment and achieve their goals.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for 15 years.


What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is noteworthy. The key difference lies in its private cloud appliance and manager for scaling compared to other solutions.

How are customer service and support?

The support team is exceptional.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment is easy and doesn't take long.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

OCI offers competitive pricing options, making it attractive for various use cases. However, for our infrastructure needs, we opted for a hybrid approach. We preferred to maintain certain components on-premises while integrating others with OCI. This flexibility allows us to leverage the benefits of both environments effectively. Pricing options vary depending on licensing arrangements and the specific services used. For instance, if you already possess database licenses, you can use them on OCI. Additionally, you pay for the resources or services consumed, which may include machine instances or other relevant services.

What other advice do I have?

As an expert in business intelligence, I understand the importance of tailoring reports to meet the unique needs of each business. While standard reports may serve as a foundation, the reality is that every business operates differently, with CEOs and financial departments often prefer customized analytics aligned with their specific vision and objectives. Oracle provides a range of tools to facilitate this customization, including ReadyMail. However, there are instances where ReadyMail may not fully meet the requirements. In such cases, exploring additional Oracle technologies to ensure businesses have access to the analytics and KPIs necessary to drive informed decision-making is essential.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is a versatile platform, but it may not perfectly cater to every unique business requirement globally. That's why coding and preparation are essential. Additionally, call setups, analytics configurations, and data warehousing are necessary. While some existing reports are available, they may not cover all aspects, particularly for Fusion Applications or ERP Business Suite applications. Therefore, users often need to create their own reports. Previously, Discover BI was used for reporting, but now, Oracle Enterprise BI offers comprehensive solutions. One advantage is the ability to tailor intelligence, whether building warehouses within the Oracle database or implementing intelligent features like KPI tracking.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is at the forefront of AI integration. Oracle has made significant strides in leveraging AI across its applications and machine engineering. By incorporating AI into various aspects, Oracle ensures it remains ahead on the cutting edge of technology, offering the best of AI capabilities. This demonstrates Oracle's commitment to delivering innovative products.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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Jan Kucera - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of RPA at RobosizeME
Real User
Has good features that help secure infrastructure from threats, but it is not intuitive for new users
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of the solution are APEX, Threat Detector, and Cloud Guard."
  • "The AI capabilities and the power automate platform that Azure is offering seem to be way ahead of what Oracle is offering."

What is our primary use case?

I'm not a cloud engineer. I'm the head of the automation department. Given we are a small startup, everybody is a jack of all trades, and I need to know my way around the cloud a little bit as well. We work with computer instances, and we have some databases there.

We have some security groups and IP whitelisting so that we can run our automation for certain clients and do some VPNs. We don't have any product or application built on the solution. It just supports the process automation that we run.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution are APEX, Threat Detector, and Cloud Guard. These features help secure our infrastructure from threats.

What needs improvement?

The AI capabilities and the power automate platform that Azure is offering seem to be way ahead of what Oracle is offering.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Cloud Platform for two years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If we need to copy and paste workflows around and around, then the solution's scalability and maintainability are not very good. If we need to adjust something, we can't do it in just one place. We need to adjust it in all the workflows built for that use case.

I rate the solution a four out of ten for scalability.

How are customer service and support?

We tried to contact Oracle technical support, but their response time was not very good, and I'm not sure if we ever resolved anything. We had an issue with the subscription, and the technical support team's response wasn't very prompt.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I compared Oracle Cloud Platform with other competitor providers like Azure, and I don't think Oracle is too expensive. Oracle is doing its best to stay below the market price. For example, the price for the compute instances, among other things, is better than its competition. Compared with what we paid when we were on the startup program, the solution's pricing is really high for a small startup company like us.

What other advice do I have?

I played around with the Oracle Integration Cloud Platform and didn't really find my way to it. Other developers' experience with it was also clumsy. I haven't found a way to make dynamic connectors where we could have different payloads. We needed to create copies of already existing workflows if we wanted to use them for another client or use case. There was no way to have some sort of dynamic input parameter that would help us.

I would probably recommend Azure to other users because it's more intuitive. I think Oracle Cloud Platform is a better option for somebody who's been working with Oracle in the past. There are things in Oracle Cloud Platform that are better than in Azure. For example, the speed of deployment seems to work better in the Oracle Cloud Platform.

In Azure, our experience is that everything takes a while before the changes take place. Simple things like IP whitelisting and adding permissions take a while in Azure, whereas it's more instant in Oracle. For a new user, Oracle Cloud Platform is not as intuitive as Azure.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Database Manager at Wartsila India Ltd
Real User
Scale Up Dependent Applications & Optimize Quickly
Pros and Cons
  • "Apart from the licensing, there's support from Oracle Cloud Platform which improved our day to day operations. Time is reduced. Based on this service, we are able to scale up dependent applications as quickly as we can."
  • "With the Oracle Cloud Platform, they have to give first some proper documentation with a step-by-step process. Then the customer is able to use it properly. Nowadays, the Oracle Cloud Platform requires lots of floor work."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the LAN2 as well as the Oracle Cloud Platform. We running the Gen-2 which is called the OC2. We have a global company working with more than 185 employees. 

We have customers around the globe and our company is located in 17 international locations. We needed solutions which could be good for our customers as well as our service applications. 

We have decided to test the Oracle Cloud Platform. After the testing, we found that it was good for our use case. Thereafter, we have adopted it.

The POC for Oracle Cloud Platform is done. After POC, we have tested with various applications and found it is optimizing us with less time, so that's why we are using it.

How has it helped my organization?

Apart from the licensing, there's support from Oracle Cloud Platform which improved our day to day operations. Time is reduced. Based on this service, we are able to scale up dependent applications as quickly as we can. 

There are many other various features of the Oracle Cloud Platform that we have used. It is very good for us in our business organization.

What is most valuable?

Oracle is an enterprise database technology. We have used Oracle products in our database department. That is why most of our testing was in regards to the database department.

What needs improvement?

With the Oracle Cloud Platform, they have to give first some proper documentation with a step-by-step process. Then the customer is able to use it properly.

Nowadays, the Oracle Cloud Platform requires lots of floor work. Things are level in the market and the Oracle naming conversion is something to make a difference between cloud providers.

Those hands-on sessions with Oracle Cloud Platform will be enough, i.e. for product improvement, hands-on sessions can be arranged.

Automation is something else that Oracle can do to improve the service. Apart from that, if you can arrange some hands-on sessions with Oracle to preview OCP, it would be good.

For how long have I used the solution?

Three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of OCP is great, it will scale. The solution is excellent. The only caveat is that you have to understand how to properly use it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of OCP is very good, more than 7,000 people are using it as of now. They are all in different roles. Other OCP applications, we are using mainly for reporting.

After the training for the deployment, there were 3 people who were taking care of all the core construction. Apart from the OCP side, we have another network expert.

We are planning to increase our usage of OCP. We have adopted e-licensing for the cloud environment. Now we are planning for the next stage of development of services.

How are customer service and technical support?

Most of the customer support was done from the Oracle side. Then we did it from our end also. This was good and they also did well. The technical support is okay.

Customer service representatives respond to your ticket whenever you have issues with the Oracle Cloud Platform. They respond on time.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have evaluated AWS. We have evaluated Microsoft Azure as well, but not for this purpose.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the Oracle Cloud Platform is complex with some programming languages, domains, and the networking that we have to do. i.e. uploading our databases, etc.

Those all provide a little bit of a challenge on the Oracle Cloud Platform that we have to understand, and also as per the compliance rules. Then we chose it. 

For the setup overall, it was taking not more than 40 days. Then for the next 3 months after implementation, we have done the same for the client sites and service applications.

The final implementation of OCP was not taking more than 20 days. All of our deployment is ready and everyone is able to use it with integration for all our systems.

What about the implementation team?

One consultant that we used was for the DV training. We have gone with a consultancy with them and they guided us in the proper way to get training.

That was very awesome and we understood the concepts for the cloud differences between AWS, Google Cloud, & OCP, as well as conducted one fitness evaluation for our introduction.

Implementation proceeded the way they described it and everything was very good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

OCP is good, not too expensive. Based on the need you can say that there are other good options for people who can go with less time and other approaches to the services.

Both pricing and licensing are affordable with the Oracle Cloud Platform.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have tested with AWS, we tested with Google, but due to the limitation of AWS, we are not able to host our applications. We are not able to use the rack.

The AWS billing figures were not up to our requirements. That's why we have decided to go with Oracle instead of any other competitor.

What other advice do I have?

If people are looking for a cloud solution I recommend Oracle, but there is one thing which is very challenging to us: with Oracle, there are many options packages. 

You can get extreme performance and other things, but it's really costly and that needs to be paid extra for on the plan.

Overall, I give Oracle Cloud Platform an 8/10. Because our consultant showed us how to use Oracle for our service, that was very beneficial. 

From the team I come from for my product support also I can say 8/10 for OCP.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Rajeev Jha - PeerSpot reviewer
Rajeev JhaDatabase Manager at Wartsila India Ltd
Real User

Easy to learn and DBA training will really help you.

Mohamed Omran - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Operation Center Manager at Zain KSA
Real User
A very useful tool in terms of usability and customization
Pros and Cons
  • "Oracle is a very useful tool in terms of usability and customization."
  • "Oracle Cloud's support could be improved because its second-line support has weak engineers who handle stuff a little bit slowly."

What is our primary use case?

We use Oracle Cloud for procurement, HR, HRM, finance, and different types of fixed asset management.

What is most valuable?

Oracle is a very useful tool in terms of usability and customization.

What needs improvement?

Oracle Cloud's support could be improved because its second-line support has weak engineers who handle stuff a little bit slowly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Cloud for five to six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Oracle Cloud an eight out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Oracle Cloud a seven out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

Oracle Cloud's initial setup is a little bit complex, but it depends on the customization required by the business side.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate Oracle Cloud a seven or eight out of ten for the ease of its initial setup.

What about the implementation team?

Oracle Cloud's deployment took weeks. We used a third party's help to implement the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Oracle Cloud is an expensive solution. On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate Oracle Cloud's pricing a nine out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I rate Oracle Cloud an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Process Engineering Manager at a logistics company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Reseller
Top 5
A secure, consistent and powerful product with a great technical support team
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable solution...Since it is a cloud solution, I can say it is a scalable product."
  • "The pricing model of Oracle Cloud Platform is an area of concern. Oracle Cloud Platform should be made available at a cheap price."

What is most valuable?

I like the consistency that the solution offers to its uses. I also like how secure and powerful the solution is since I haven't had to deal with any issues from my company's customers. In general, my company's customers who use Oracle Cloud Platform are happy. I found the implementation process of the solution to be good.

What needs improvement?

The research and development team working at Oracle and Microsoft are doing their best to improve the product.

The pricing model of Oracle Cloud Platform is an area of concern. Oracle Cloud Platform should be made available at a cheap price.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working as a senior account manager selling Oracle Cloud Platform since Oracle offers more than 90 products.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since it is a cloud solution, I can say it is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support has been perfect for me.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I rate my experience with Microsoft a nine out of ten. SAP also offers powerful tools but does not match the same level as Microsoft or Oracle.

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't involved in the deployment process of Oracle Cloud Platform since my job was to only sell it.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

In Oracle Cloud Platform, one needs to make payments towards the subscription charges.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Oracle Cloud Platform to those who plan to use it. I also recommend Microsoft products to others. Products from Oracle and Microsoft are very powerful.

I rate the overall product a five or six out of ten for Egypt. From a global perspective, I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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engineering technician at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Reseller
Easy to set up, able to run large platforms, and helpful for taking clients that have multiple sites
Pros and Cons
  • "I head the sales and marketing team. So, specifically on the feature set side, multi-tenancy is the one that I'm most familiar with. It's also the one that we found to be the most beneficial to us because it allows us to take clients that have multiple sites. For instance, one of our larger clients, which is a bank based out of South Africa, has offices in multiple countries. It allows us to multi-tenant each and create a tenant for each country within multi-tenanted architecture."
  • "The biggest challenge I'm having with the cloud offering is the sizing. So, pricing becomes difficult. The sizing challenge is in terms of being very clear on how your data growth or your requirements would be. It becomes a bit difficult to be able to ensure that there's enough future proofing in what you've signed. At the same time, the whole idea behind the cloud is to be able to pay for what you use. You don't want to pay for something that you're not using."

What is our primary use case?

Our specialty is insurance software. We were primarily vendors for software licensing, but we've transitioned our product to the cloud in the last two years.

The deployment depends on what a client wants. We use public clouds for clients that are willing to take our products as a SaaS model. For the ones that are on-prem, we split the load between the core platform, which is on-prem, and non-essential services, which are on the cloud.

What is most valuable?

I head the sales and marketing team. So, specifically on the feature set side, multi-tenancy is the one that I'm most familiar with. It's also the one that we found to be the most beneficial to us because it allows us to take clients that have multiple sites. For instance, one of our larger clients, which is a bank based out of South Africa, has offices in multiple countries. It allows us to multi-tenant each and create a tenant for each country within multi-tenanted architecture.

What needs improvement?

The biggest challenge I'm having with the cloud offering is the sizing. So, pricing becomes difficult. The sizing challenge is in terms of being very clear on how your data growth or your requirements would be. It becomes a bit difficult to be able to ensure that there's enough future proofing in what you've signed. At the same time, the whole idea behind the cloud is to be able to pay for what you use. You don't want to pay for something that you're not using.

For how long have I used the solution?

It has been two years. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

All our clients are enterprise clients. We don't have any small clients.

The main challenge that we have with scalability is the opacity and the pricing. Pricing becomes a challenge because you're not very clear on at what point in time you'll be breaking or you'll be exceeding the size you already acquired. That is the challenge, but Oracle powers some of the biggest cloud platforms in the world, and so do AWS and Azure. All of them have the ability and skill to run very large platforms. 

How are customer service and support?

They have an office locally. Amazon has only just started an office locally. Microsoft has been here for a long time. We've been Oracle Partners for 22 years, So, we're familiar with them anyway.

How was the initial setup?

I know it's very straightforward. Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, and Amazon AWS have some sort of out-of-the-box packages that you can purchase. Oracle also has a sandbox environment that they can provision for you to be able to set up your operation just to try it out. So, the setup is straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its pricing is complex, but as partners, we can get away with quite a bit of discounting because we deal with them directly. 

I would rate their pricing probably a one or two out of five because they're quite expensive. Microsoft Azure will probably be the cheapest because depending on the Microsoft product that you have, they have some sort of bundling. There are things that they give you to get you onto Azure. AWS is probably somewhere in the middle.

What other advice do I have?

We work in a very narrow space. Our specialty is insurance software. We have an insurance ERP. We are an ISV. So, we make our own software. In the sub-Saharan African market, we're, in a way, the largest vendor. So, our recommendation for the clientele that we serve would ideally be Oracle. 

There are a lot of data laws that are being enacted. Kenya is one of the big ones enacting data access and data sovereignty laws, which is probably denting a lot of cloud offerings. However, there are a lot of co-located operations where people are providing data centers within the country. The in-country cloud providers, such as MTN and Liquid Intelligent Technologies, give you a lot more flexibility. In that scenario, you get a lot of flexibility in hybridizing the cloud setup that you have, and all three of them would work pretty much the same way. From a Kenyan or African perspective, Oracle and Microsoft have a very good footprint across all the countries we operate in. We're in eight countries now. Amazon AWS is only just starting in Kenya. I don't know if they're anywhere else. They might be in Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. So, they would have a hub-and-spoke type model in terms of how you'd be able to support it. If I were to recommend anything, it would be Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

I would rate Oracle Cloud a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller/Partner
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.