Oracle Trims Low-End Prices

With its long-awaited Oracle 10g database out the door, Oracle Corp. is altering its entry-level pricing, processor support and clustering option in an effort to make the new technology appeal to small and midtier customers.

The Redwood Shores, Calif., software company last week announced availability of 10g versions for Linux, 64-bit Solaris and HP-UX. A Windows version of 10g should be ready in a few weeks, Oracle officials said.

Oracle said it was reducing the price of its DBMS for entry-level users so that Oracle Database 10g Standard Edition One is being offered at $4,995 per processor. Earlier versions of Standard Edition One cost $5,995 per processor. The 10g database is available with Named User Plus licensing at $149 per user with a minimum five-year commitment, down from $195.

In addition, the maximum capacity of Standard Edition One was boosted from one to two processors, Oracle officials said.

The new Standard Edition One pricing gives Oracle a chance to undercut penetration into its enterprise customer base by Microsoft Corp.’s SQL Server database, said analyst Carl Olofson of IDC.

To read the full story, click here.