Oracle Throws Another Jab at HP. Itanium users ask what’s next.

Smarter Question:

If I am running my business on HP Itanium servers and Oracle software, do I have to move to Oracle/Sun servers and Oracle Exadata?

Oracle drops Itanium support at customers’ expense

In 2008 Larry Ellison announced the new Oracle Database Machine and Exadata Storage Servers based on HP hardware. In January of 2010, after Oracle’s acquisition of Sun, they immediately dropped support for HP hardware and told all customers that they had to move to the Sun/Oracle Exadata System. In March of 2011 Oracle threw another jab at HP with the announcement that Oracle was stopping all future support for their software on Itanium processors, the base on many of HP’s most popular servers.

You decide what software and hardware you want to run (not Oracle)

Because of Oracle’s track record with HP servers and storage, many customers are concerned about the future of the systems and applications that they are using to run their businesses. Oracle would have these customers believe that they need to move the application servers, databases, etc. to Sun hardware so that they can continue to run their applications, but that is absolutely not true, and I’ll tell you why.

Fear Not the Oracle

IBM WebSphere and DB2 software both run on Itanium processors. WebLogic works great with DB2 and WebSphere supports Oracle Database. So you have a number of options, and none of them require you to immediately rip and replace all of your servers. If you are running Oracle WebLogic or the Oracle Database on an Itanium based server, you could:

1. Replace WebLogic with IBM WebSphere which supports Itanium processors and continue to run on the same servers
2. Replace Oracle Database with DB2 which supports Itanium processors and continue to run on the same servers
3. Replace WebLogic with IBM WebSphere and Oracle Database with DB2 and consolidate them onto a single Power7 server, reducing your data center footprint and increasing performance

You don’t even need to do this in a big bang approach. You choose which part of your application landscape to leave on HP Itanium and which part you might consider moving to another platform. You choose which application server and database to use and what platforms you want to run them on. Most importantly, you can make the right moves and not disrupt your entire business.  (Read the executive take on these options).

And if you must change server platform, consider IBM

If you are being forced to change server platform, then consider IBM one of your options.  IBM offers the industry’s leading server platforms (Sun comes in a distant and dwindling third place in market share).  When you combine IBM’s commitment to meetings its client needs, with its pace-setting performance and reliability, you provide your organization with the best option for future stability and growth.  Running IBM software on IBM servers is the best option of all!

IBM can help take the pain away

Migration to IBM WebSphere and DB2 is painless and very low risk.  Even if you were to move to an x86 based HP or Sun server and not change any of the software, you would need to recompile and rebuild your application.  Take a look at your options, the cost and risk associated with each, and then look at the track record of the companies involved.   Why not assess the predicament that you are in and ask why you are here. It looks to me like Oracle unilaterally put your company into this situation.  It’s time to distance yourself from the culprit.