Oracle takes on Google and Microsoft in the cloud

Oracle is joining Microsoft, Google and others in offering a suite for cloud applications for business.

The company has announced Oracle Cloud, a suite of text, presentation and spreadsheet applications available as an enterprise service. The applications are built around the Open Document Format (ODF), will run on Windows, Mac and Linux systems and can also be run as an on-site service.

The offering comes in four versions – Cloud Office Professional Edition and OpenOffice Enterprise Edition at $90 (£58) per user with limited support, and Cloud Office Standard Edition and OpenOffice Standard Edition at $40 per user with no support.

Oracle also announced the availability of its Open Office 3.3 open source applications bundle. The updated suite includes new connectors to Oracle’s Business Intelligence and E-Business, as well as Microsoft SharePoint.

“Oracle Cloud Office and Oracle OpenOffice 3.3 deliver complete, open and cost-effective office productivity suites that are designed and optimised for our customers’ needs,” said Michael Bemmer, vice president of Oracle Office.

“Customers now have the flexibility to support users across a wide variety of devices and platforms, whether via desktop, private or public cloud. With Oracle Office, enterprises can reduce costs while helping to increase productivity and speed innovation.”

Compared to players like Microsoft and Google, Oracle is coming late to the managed applications field and is also facing trouble with staff leaving the OpenOffice project in favour of a new open source group.