Ellison outlines his vision of 21st century technology

Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison, was in London yesterday to map out his vision of technology in the 21st century.

On a rare visit to the UK, Ellison spoke to an audience of senior IT and business executives at the Economist 'New Directions in Computing' conference and outlined his vision of a global Internet economy: where the Web crosses regional barriers, allowing companies to operate as one global unit.

"Computers have fragmented businesses badly - we don't know what is going on anymore. The Internet cuts that down to a single server sending unified information," he claimed.

He told listeners that the IT skills shortage is not due to poor training but has been created by an over-ambitious computer industry: "Systems are ridiculously complicated, they're absurd."

Ellison added: "We [the computer industry] have made a huge series of mistakes. The Internet is going to change all that - the race is on."

According to Ellison, Oracle will be selling all its products exclusively over the Web by June 2000. He also claimed the Internet would radically alter the company's pricing structure by moving away from individually negotiated licenses to standard one-price-for-everyone packages. "Uniform pricing will come in as customers become smarter," he said, "at the moment it's like a Turkish bazaar."

Ellison warned that businesses must gear up for the Internet economy or face ruin: "Four years ago I thought the Internet would change the computer industry," he said, "I was wrong. The Internet will change all industry."

He concluded: "You have to be an e-business. Unless you are armed with the right information you will not be competitive."