Oracle On Demand Update

Master Lock and Oracle: A Winning Combination
By John Papageorge

A few years ago, Tom Pavlic, director of business systems at Master Lock, opted not to adopt emerging on-demand services, choosing instead to buy new hardware and install the infrastructure in-house. But last year, when his team took a hard look at the cost of upgrading, Pavlic saw he could get more value by choosing Oracle On Demand.

"Oracle On Demand offered 24/7 support and a secure data center, which we didn't have in-house," says Pavlic. "We also wanted to migrate from Oracle E-Business Suite 11.5.7 to the current release 11.5.10. With Oracle On Demand, we were able to do all those things in one fell swoop and get features and functionality not available with the earlier release."

Oracle On Demand's 24/7 support was very important for Pavlic, whose Master Lock security products will soon be offered to distributors via the Web. He choose Oracle over competing on-demand services because Oracle "wrote the software and manages the hardware it runs on." Pavlic also wanted accountability. "With other providers, there always seemed to be confusion about why there was a problem and whose problem it was," he says. "We didn't want finger pointing. If there's an issue, Oracle takes the responsibility, and that's important."

Master Lock Drives the Car, Oracle Does the Maintenance
With Oracle On Demand, Master Lock was also able to transfer almost all its DBA responsibilities to Oracle, reducing the time necessary to migrate to new environments and saving money by eliminating the need to procure hardware. As a result, Pavlic's team became more focused on providing value to the business.

"This may be a hard concept for customers to understand, but the experience made us more disciplined," says Pavlic. "We now spend more time planning than reacting. For instance, Oracle On Demand keeps us up-to-date with security patches and keeps us SOX-compliant by providing SAS70 reports that we can hand to our auditors. SOX compliance will continue to be a high priority for Fortune Brands, our parent company."

Another important part of the value equation for Master Lock was the Oracle On Demand service delivery manager, Manoj Gopi. "Manoj knows Oracle and how to get things done according to our specifications," says Pavlic. "He knows our business, has been a scout for new technology, and has our best interest in mind."

Moving forward, Master Lock clearly wants to focus on becoming a software implementer, not an expert in Linux, software patching, system monitoring, or commodity Intel servers. Pavlic notes that, ironically, the most resistance to on-demand services often comes from a company's IS team. "Oracle is in a better position to manage the hardware and software, so our DBAs can spend their time on our business requirements rather than on learning new technology," he explains. "We save money by not having to train DBAs on Linux or new Oracle Database releases. Our philosophy is that we'll drive the car, and we'll let Oracle On Demand change the oil and tune it."

Focus on Business
Oracle E-Business Suite modules that Master Lock uses include Inventory Optimization, Order Management, Discrete Manufacturing, Financials, Accounts Payables, Purchasing, Fixed Assets, Advanced Pricing, and Configurator. "With version 11.5.7, we didn't have Configurator, which allows customers to pick a lock, base color, size of shackle, and so on," says Pavlic. "But with 11.5.10, Configurator is supported. We're also looking at other modules, such as iPayments, which takes customer credit cards, and iReceivables, which allows customers to see their open invoices."

Long-term, however, Oracle On Demand has given Master Lock more than a choice of applications—it has forever changed the way Pavlic and his team think about technology. From more control over planning, to improved compliance, to an increased ability to focus on business strategy, Oracle On Demand delivered unexpected value. "It was a good choice," Pavlic says. "Oracle On Demand helps us support our business initiatives."

John Papageorge is an independent business and technology writer.

This document is provided for information purposes only, and the contents hereof are subject to change without notice. This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor is it subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document, and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission.

Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Siebel are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.