Cloud technology was a dominant focus at COLLABORATE 15, which took place earlier this month, according to Melissa English, president of the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG). The conference is sponsored each year by three Oracle user groups, the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), the OAUG, and Quest International Users Group (Quest). In this, the OAUG’s 25th anniversary year, “We had one of the largest crowds that we’ve had at COLLABORATE,” English said.
“There was a good focus on Oracle Financials, as is normal, but also on cloud. What’s on top of everybody’s mind is cloud strategy,” English noted. “It really depends on your business,and a hybrid approach is great for some businesses and it’s not so great for others,” English said. “I think people are focused on what approach works best for their business model.”
In addition to concerns about cloud technologies, OAUG members are still also learning about the engineered systems Oracle offers such as infrastructure and platform as a service. “I think a lot of education around those areas was the focus as well,” English said.
New sessions this year at COLLABORATE included a live stream for attendees who couldn’t make it to the event in person, as well as a Power Hour which focused on a particular topic while involving the audience at the same time. “We had some sessions that were focused on process and taking a process from end to end to show how the transactions move through the different modules through the system,” English said. “Those new offerings were very exciting this year and I think people really liked them so we will be continuing those in future conferences.”
During the year, OAUG will continue to focus on different educational programs to help members learn more about Oracle applications and new opportunities, such as tapping into the cloud. “We do have education offerings throughout the year that will focus on these areas,” English said.
For more information about the OAUG, go to www.oaug.org.