Oracle Launches Data-as-a-Service Offerings
Oracle has introduced Oracle Data Cloud (ODC), a data platform for businesses, in an announcement made yesterday. ODC is a combination of BlueKai market place and Oracle’s other data services. The platform already has two services available, Data-as-a-service (DaaS) for Marketing and Data-as-a-service (DaaS) for Social (soon-to-be standalone). This platform will help businesses get real-time insights into customers’ behavior using data collected from external sources. Businesses can add data from their internal sources to have a better understanding of their current as well as potential customers.
During the announcement, made through a webcast, Omar Tawakol, General Manager and Group Vice President, Oracle Data Cloud said, “Unbundling data from SaaS applications has enhanced a business user’s ability to activate insights gleaned from external data sources, leading to more engaging and personalized customer experiences. ODC brings together a best-in-class data platform with the world’s largest data marketplace to drive smarter decisions for marketing and social, and it will eventually include other enterprise functions such as sales and service.”
While most cloud companies are fighting for Enterprise Storage Cloud services, Oracle has taken a completely different route. It is interested in marketing cloud and e-commerce technology. Oracle acquired BlueKai, a company that provides tailor-made marketing tools, in late June this year. Before that, it had acquired Responsys in late December last year, a cloud company that provides marketing services.
Oracle Data Cloud Offerings
Oracle DaaS for Marketing
This tool pulls data from external sources to help businesses build a complete customer persona. The current marketing tools available in the market offer different bits of potential clients. This tool consolidates these pieces to form a complete picture across various networks. They can also include their own data to broaden the understanding of their current customers. This tool will enhance businesses’ marketing strategies and campaigns. “It gives organizations the ability to prospect at scale and deliver relevant ads and content across online, mobile, search, social, and video.”
Oracle DaaS for Social
This tool pulls unstructured data from social media and news data sites to provide meaningful business insights. It allows businesses to add their structured data to get more insights that directly affect their business, vis a vis what is out there. “Oracle DaaS for Social applies powerful text analysis to extract the meaning and context of the content, empowering enterprises to take appropriate actions on insights from massive amounts of unstructured data.”
ODC has two more offerings in the pipeline: DaaS for Sales and DaaS for Services.
How does DaaS work?
- Separate data from application
- Extract full data value
- Provide real time insights
Benefits
Addressability: This has everything to do with building a complete profile of current and potential customers. As mentioned earlier, most tools provide linear customer behavior, based on the information they pull from a single source of information like social media or emails, or mobile apps and so on. ODC compounds all these varied pieces of analyses. “We are extremely focused on building a comprehensive addressability map that allows businesses to link together a single connected view of the customer,” said Omar.
Legal rights: Commercial use of data is restricted by a plethora of legal rights like Privacy rights and other country-based regulations. ODC lifts this expensive burden from businesses.
Effective data management: Businesses can access personalized data to view focused information like industry trends, product trends, and demographic buying cycles to mention a few. Businesses can also use this information on different applications used by various departments. This real-time data stream will help businesses evolve their marketing strategies and interaction with their customers accordingly, at a faster rate.
Businesses today are data-driven. Each department relies heavily on data for various reasons. The marketing department is the particularly-affected. Marketers deal with many insights to target their marketing campaigns effectively. With Oracle Data Cloud, businesses will no longer deal with different segments of customers’ behavior. Moreover, businesses will also get real-time trends, and can use the tool to get insights on their competitors.
