Oracle, the biggest vendor of database software, said Tuesday it plans to offer more consulting and computer management services to small businesses to boost its revenue growth.
As part of the plan, Oracle (ORCL) will lease its software and space on its computers to businesses that can't afford, or don't want to hassle with, sophisticated database and ecommerce systems.
The "Oracle Business Online" program also is part of the company's strategy to use the popularity and reach of the Web to keep customers from fleeing to competing database offerings from Microsoft, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said at the company's Redwood Shores, California, headquarters.
"Microsoft's future is based on the idea of 'Windows everywhere,'" Ellison said. "We think that will never happen. We think it will be the Web everywhere. It makes more sense economically."
Oracle Business Online targets smaller businesses, offering them the option of outsourcing their database and ecommerce processes. Doctors and lawyers, for example, would have the option of letting Oracle manage their database of client names and histories.
"You'd log on to our Web site and we'd do it all for you," Ellison said. Customers would pay one price to lease Oracle software and another for space on its computers. He didn't specify how much it would cost a typical business.
Oracle is the biggest publisher of database software, the computer programs that warehouse vital corporate information in computer networks. In the past year, Oracle's sales have lagged because of collapsing database software prices and increasing competition from Microsoft (MSFT).
Ellison announced Oracle's plans on the day the company unveiled Oracle Application Server 4.0, a program that lets PC users tap into data libraries of mainframes and computer networks through their browsers. Oracle would be competing with similar offerings from Netscape Communications (NSCP) and International Business Machines (IBM).
Oracle shares slipped 13 cents Tuesday to $24.13 on Nasdaq trading.
