Oracle’s planned local data centres will create jobs for South Africans.
This as the US-based software giant this week announced plans to hire nearly 2 000 employees worldwide to work on its growing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure business.
The new roles, which include software development, cloud operations and business operations, will support Oracle’s expanding infrastructure customer base, and come as the company rolls out new product innovations and opens cloud regions around the globe.
Oracle’s hiring drive comes at a time several tech firms are cutting jobs to stay afloat. Last week, computing giant HP said it is set to cut up to 9 000 jobs globally in the next three years. German software firm SAP earlier this year also announced restructuring plans that will result in thousands losing employment.
Other multinational technology companies retrenching staff include T-Systems and IBM, among others.
Last month, Oracle announced it plans to launch 20 new cloud regions, including SA, by the end of 2020.
“Cloud is still in its early days with less than 20% penetration today, and enterprises are just beginning to use cloud for mission-critical workloads,” says Don Johnson, executive vice-president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
“Our aggressive hiring and growth plans are mapped to meet the needs of our customers, providing them with reliability, high performance and robust security as they continue to move to the cloud.”
Rapid growth
In a statement, the company says Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s portfolio has experienced significant growth.
Recent product innovations include new automated cloud security services, the launch of Autonomous Linux, and a host of new cloud data services.
Responding to ITWeb via e-mail on the latest developments, Niral Patel, MD of Oracle SA, says the company has an aggressive plan to roll out cloud computing services to more locations around the world.
He noted jobs will be added in Oracle’s software development hubs in Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area and India, as well as near new data centres such as SA.
Oracle’s local data centres will launch at a time multinational cloud service providers are jostling to set up shop in SA.
Microsoft in March opened two data centre regions in SA, becoming the first global provider to deliver cloud services from data centres on the continent. According to Microsoft, its Azure data centres will create over 100 000 jobs in SA.
Rival Amazon Web Services is also looking to open data centres in SA next year.
The journey to the cloud isn’t a one-way path – and each company’s journey is unique, Patel says, commenting on the competition.
“At Oracle, we address the distinct business and IT requirements of each customer by giving them unparalleled choice. We have built a completely integrated cloud platform that spans all layers of the cloud and is based on our foundational infrastructure products. It’s our focus on integration between these layers that genuinely sets us apart.”
Unlike any other cloud vendor, Patel points out that Oracle offers a complete range of services in all three primary layers of the cloud – software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service.
He explains Oracle’s Gen 2 cloud infrastructure represents a fundamental re-architecture of the conventional public cloud.
“While first-generation clouds are built on decade-old technology, Oracle’s Gen 2 cloud infrastructure serves as a foundational enabler for Oracle’s Autonomous Database – which leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. It is specifically architectured for the enterprise, while also building a platform that supports these new emerging technologies that are now a reality.”
Autopilot database management
Patel believes autonomous cloud computing will take business value-add to the next revolutionary level by putting the actual task of database management on autopilot.
“By utilising the latest advances in computing power, AI and machine learning, autonomous information systems self-tune, self-secure and self-repair as needed without the need for manual intervention.
“This essentially will eliminate downtime and reputation damage due to security lapse and error-plagued maintenance processes that still require a human clicking a mouse.”
Patel points out the opportunities that cloud creates are real and present today, providing the building blocks for companies to pioneer ground-breaking innovations and disrupt entire industries.
“We’re seeing financial services use AI for automatic forecasting without human intervention, to smart manufacturing utilising real-time IOT data for equipment optimisations,” he notes.
“The opportunity we see in the cloud market is one that resides in the heart of data. Data is the new battleground, customers need to maximise its value and protect it. Autonomous technologies are fundamentally changing how we experience data.
“We are no longer just collecting data or seeing data. In the past, it used to be simple tables, charts and scatter plots which are now live, complex and creative visualisations that are presented to us and provide deeper meaning; or it’s new ways we interact with the world around us; or actions taken based on insights, both collected and predictive, both self-directed or automated.”
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