Oracle sees bull market

The economic growth in Romania, which is estimated to maintain this year, is great news for the top two players on the market of domestic enterprise resource planning software solutions.
The leading European software developer, Germany-based SAP last year decided to open its own office in Romania, after having operated through intermediaries since 1995.
SAP’s move was followed by its archrival on the international ERP market, US-based Oracle. Oracle decided to expand its presence in Romania, by turning its representative office into a branch last week.
Oracle’s decision stands “proof of the maturity reached by the domestic market and is the result of turnover development. The IT market will register an upward trend, boosted by the NATO and EU accession efforts and by the fact that we are in a pre-electoral year,” Stefan Cojanu, Oracle Romania managing director says. The analysts have noticed that the IT market does not move much in electoral years, as projects are put on hold, waiting for the new government. Preelectoral years, however, are a completely different thing, as the IT market grows and more projects come up.
The latest survey by the International Data Corporation (IDC) market research company shows the enterprise application suite solutions market in Romania reached $11.39 million in 2001, an amount which includes only licence and maintenance-derived revenues.
SAP and Oracle are leading the market side by side. SAP has gained 10.7% of the market, while Oracle claimed 10% in 2001. 
Oracle Romania representative office was established in the fall of 1995 and even though it has not become a very large organisation in the course of time (it is currently employing only 65 people), it has managed to attain quite an impressive financial performance.
Oracle Romania has been a top three country in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region in terms of turnover growth rate.
“This year we’re expecting Oracle Romania to be number two in the region, right behind Russia,” Hans Jarnik, Oracle senior vice-president for Northern, Central and Eastern Europe said.