Oracle leads in enterprise application software in Mena market, says IDC

According to IDC, Oracle retained its leading position in the Mena Enterprise Application Software (EAS) License and Maintenance (L&M) market with strong year-on-year growth in North Africa's Maghreb region, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

With L&M revenues of $132.92m across the region, Oracle's year-on-year EAS revenue was up by 43.1% in 2007.

Oracle remained the largest EAS vendor in the UAE market in 2007, according to IDC, with a 44.1% market share and revenues of $49.96m.

In other Gulf Cooperation Council territories, including Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, Oracle remained leaders with a 43% market share and revenues of $30.89m, according to the report. Furthermore, Oracle was ranked second in Egypt in 2007, with EAS revenues of $11.94m and a 35.4% market share.

With a 41.3% market share of the Mena Customer Relationship Management market, IDC ranked Oracle first with a 39.8% year-on-year increase in 2007 to reach revenues of $24.42m (in a market totalling $59.16m in 2007, a year-on-year increase of 64%).

Furthermore, revenues relating to Oracle's Supply Chain Management Applications were up 43.1% year-on-year to reach $9.63m, leaving Oracle with a 19.1% market share.

Vertical Breakdown:

• The financial services sector was ranked first in the Mena EAS market in 2007, accounting for 17.6% of the total EAS spend in the region.
• The manufacturing sector was ranked second on the Mena EAS market in 2007, with 16.5% of total EAS expenditure.
• As governments invested heavily in advanced EAS solutions in 2007, the public sector was ranked the third largest market for EAS spending in 2007, with a 13.1% share of the market.
• The retail industry was the fourth largest EAS spender in the region, with 12.4% share, followed by discrete manufacturing with 10.2% in 2007.

According to Dhiraj Daryani, Research Analyst at IDC and author of the report, said, "The EAS market in the Mena region expanded notably in 2007, as spending on software solutions by enterprises and governments increased dramatically. In fact, Oracle performed particularly well in the government, banking, retail and wholesale verticals in 2007, and enjoyed substantial success in the Levant region and Egypt - while continuing its momentum in the remaining Gulf countries."

"Oracle continues to widen its lead in the EAS market and this report cements our position as leaders in the Mena region," said Husam Dajani Senior Vice President, Oracle, Middle East & Africa. "With our broad portfolio of applications, we are unique in our ability to meet the very demanding requirements of Mena businesses and their IT environments. As the region continues to grow, we expect further interest from organisations looking to work with Oracle as part of a long-term strategy."

"Thanks to Oracle and Imtac, we have successfully deployed the first governmental instance of CRM services in the Middle East. We are already seeing great time savings through automated processes and, consequently, are providing stronger services for Muscat residents," said Salem Al-Kalbani, Section Head of Projects, Muscat Municipality.

"We are empowering our employees by implementing a series of cultural-based human resources processes with Oracle E-Business Suite. We want to invest in our people, be an employer of choice, and realize real change, driving the whole company from the bottom up," Charles Rocky D'Souza, Human Resources Strategy Consulting Manager, Emirates NBD Bank.

"Oracle E-Business Suite applications have strengthened all areas of our business. It has supported core construction and project activities and given us enhanced insight into project management and cost control," Mohammed Suleimann, IT Director, Bin Hafeez Group.

"Oracle applications are known across the region to be stable and well supported. Oracle has invested in relationships within Qatar, giving us the confidence that Oracle will be around for the long term," Professor Saif Al Sowaidi, Project Manager, Qatar University.

"Oracle understands the Middle Eastern market and has a stronger presence here than its competitors. Oracle also is constantly extending the breadth and depth of its applications to match the challenges of modern organizations in all industry sectors. In addition to improving processes and delivering cost savings, Oracle E-Business Suite adds long-term strategic value by giving us the ability to do business in new ways," Ramesh Cidambi, Senior Manager of Systems and IT, Dubai Duty Free.