"Under Oracle's Applications Unlimited program, we are confident that Oracle will protect our current investments in Siebel applications," said Toine Straathof Program CIO CRM at Rabobank. "Siebel 8 has a completely SOA-enabled CRM platform and task-based user interface that will help us achieve our CRM goals and give us the ability to adapt quickly to the changing needs of our business."

Easy-to-Use CRM and Open Standards Based Integration
With certification with Oracle(r) Fusion Middleware, Siebel 8 provides comprehensive support for Service-Oriented Architectures (SOAs) and out-of-the-box Web services-based integration. This simplifies integration between Siebel and other applications and services and accelerates web-based application development. Additionally, Siebel 8 will also provide ongoing, heterogeneous support for non-Oracle technology - including IBM WebSphere, BEA WebLogic, SQL Server 2005 and IBM DB2 - to help increase the value of existing IT investments and prevent vendor lock-in.

Building on Oracle's commitment to Linux, Siebel 8 provides Linux support for the first time, offering a powerful, yet lower-cost platform alternative. Siebel users can now benefit from Oracle's Unbreakable Linux support program [http://www.oracle.com/linux] by choosing Oracle as the Linux operating system support provider in addition to the Siebel technology. Oracle's extended support for Linux illustrates the company's continued effort to reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for its users, support open industry standards and address key customer requirements.

Key usability and other enhancements to Siebel 8 include:
* Siebel Task-Based User Interface - extends business process automation across the "last mile" directly to the point of user interaction. Tasks are designed to increase the productivity of novice or intermittent users by guiding them through the execution of unfamiliar tasks, while veteran users can switch seamlessly between multiple tasks throughout their working day.
* Change Business Processes in Real Time - enables line-of-business personnel to create and change business rules and processes using a declarative, drag-and-drop environment that requires no coding, all in real time.
* New and Enhanced Search Capabilities - improves usability, information discovery and enhances end-user productivity through the ability to retrieve information both in and outside of the CRM application. Oracle Secure Enterprise Search 10g, Oracle's comprehensive, standalone search engine, is provided out-of-box with Siebel 8. In addition, the new and enhanced search capabilities in Siebel 8 are implemented by Web services to easily facilitate integration with customers' choice of third-party enterprise search engine.
* Expanded Web Services Support - provides a standardized, SOA-enabled means to compose cross application business processes that span business areas, technologies and data stores. Siebel 8 delivers extensive new pre-built, highly scalable Web services for critical CRM business processes and components.
* Advanced Deployment Management - simplifies management of Siebel deployments and upgrades, thus reducing time, cost and complexity.

Continued Industry Specific Innovation with Siebel Applications
Siebel 8 includes extensive enhancements to Siebel Sales, Siebel Enterprise Marketing, Siebel Customer Order Management, Siebel Contact Center and Service, Siebel Universal Customer Master and Siebel Self Service and eBilling applications, and builds on Siebel CRM's unmatched industry-specific CRM solutions. For example, Siebel Universal Customer Master leverages the new business rules engine, providing a flexible approach to privacy management. Siebel 8 delivers comprehensive industry solutions in public sector, communications, utilities, life sciences, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, high-technology and automotive and consumer packaged goods. For example in public sector, users can create, monitor and escalate incidents, enter and manage evidence while complying with government requirements with Siebel Offense Management and Siebel Incident Management, both part of Siebel CRM Release 8.

"In order for companies to remain competitive in the market today, they must have processes in place that enable them to make more informed decisions, respond to the changing needs of their customers and provide a consistent customer experience across all channels," said IDC Analyst Mary Wardley. "With its release of Siebel 8, Oracle responds to these requirements with smoother administration features, a more flexible user-friendly interface, standards-based integration and new enhancements to the Siebel CRM product line."

"Siebel 8 builds on Oracle's continued commitment to help shape the evolution of next-generation transformational CRM," said Oracle Senior Vice President of CRM Products Ed Abbo. "This release features unsurpassed usability across the board, redefines the concept of business responsiveness and is another significant milestone of delivering on Oracle's Application Unlimited program."

Siebel CRM Release 8 is available immediately for traditional deployment, and is also available on demand via Oracle On Demand.

About Oracle
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This announcement is provided to you solely for information purposes, is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Many factors can materially affect Oracle's product development plans and the nature and timing of future product releases. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described remains at the sole discretion of Oracle. This information may not be incorporated into any contractual agreement with Oracle or its subsidiaries or affiliates. Oracle specifically disclaims any liability with respect to this information.

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