With COLLABORATE 2019 on the horizon the Oracle Applications Users Group is starting off the year with a new president at the helm who aims to take the group into a transformative period as they evolve with the needs of the Oracle market.
The OAUG, an independent, global, member-led organization that maximizes customers’ investment in Oracle and partner solutions, will be led by Douglas Manning who currently leads a section of Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) technical and functional professionals at Johns Hopkins University – Applied Physics Laboratory.
“Our theme this year is centered on transformation,” Manning said. “This industry is seeing big changes with how businesses and organizations own and use software. We recognize that and we are transforming as well in terms of our alignment with what’s going on in industry and the types of education and information we’ll be providing members.”
He believes that his role in IT since the 80s has prepared him to take over the reins of the OAUG.
“I’ve seen a lot of paradigm shifts with technologies,” Manning said. “When I started it was all about big mainframes then personal computers changed how people were using technology. Now we’re shifting toward cloud. It’s almost full circle, we’re back to organizations contracting with big partners to run infrastructure for organizations have a smaller footprint and cost. Having gone through all that has helped me adapt to change.”
The OAUG isn’t averse to change, in fact the group has taken steps to realign its geographic special interest groups and the organization to what was happening in industry, Manning said.
As AI, machine learning, and deep learning become more ubiquitous the OAUG will be undertaking an information campaign to make sure members know what’s coming.
“Our conference is in April and its theme is one of transformation. We’ve got big changes in store,” Manning said. “We have a new look and new focus not only on what’s happening with veteran customers but with the future. The conference is going to be exciting for us as we transform ourselves as well.”
COLLABORATE 19 will be held April 7-11, 2018, at the Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio, TX.
An active member of the OAUG since 1998, Manning has authored numerous white papers and shared his expertise by presenting at conference and webinar sessions.
He was elected to the OAUG Board of Directors in 2016, serving as the board secretary in 2017 and president elect in 2018.
Manning has served on the OAUG’s executive and finance committees and has served as chair of the OAUG’s governance and international committees