Oracle, Ingram Micro strike Australian distribution deal

Oracle has appointed Ingram Micro to distribute its Oracle's cloud portfolio across Australia. The deal is aiming to satisfy the growing demand for artificial intelligence, multicloud infrastructure and enterprise modernisation from channel partners and their enterprise customers.

According to Oracle, enterprises are increasingly investing in AI initiatives that require modern cloud infrastructure, stronger security and improved data management, creating new opportunities for vendors and customers.

Stephen Bovis, Regional MD, Oracle ANZ, sat down with TechDay to explain the growth and new distribution strategy.

"We're seeing significant demand in the market for our cloud portfolio," Bovis said.

Oracle's cloud offering differentiates itself through its distributed cloud approach, allowing companies to deploy cloud services in multiple ways, including sovereign cloud environments and dedicated cloud infrastructure designed for individual customers.

It is also targeting businesses adopting multicloud strategies, with Bovis highlighting Oracle's ability to connect its cloud services with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud through its multicloud platform.

The capability reflects a broader shift among Australian enterprises away from relying on a single cloud provider towards hybrid and multicloud environments that combine services from multiple vendors.

Multiple technology priorities are increasingly shaping customer purchasing decisions: data management, cybersecurity and maintaining flexibility across cloud environments.

Bovis explained organisations are placing greater emphasis on their data strategies as AI projects shift from experimentation to production.

"If their data is not well organised, then their AI is not going to work," he said.

As a result, businesses are investing in improving how data is stored, governed and secured before rolling out AI-powered applications.

Cybersecurity is emerging as another major driver, particularly as increasingly capable AI models accelerate both innovation and cyber threats.

Companies need to modernise legacy infrastructure to keep pace with evolving security requirements, suggesting traditional patching cycles could become inadequate as threat activity increases.

"It's not possible to secure very, very old estates," Bovis said.

Instead, organisations will need to ensure security extends across their entire technology stack, from edge devices through to the data layer supporting AI applications.

The next priority is providing customers with greater openness and flexibility when adopting emerging technologies.

Enterprises want the freedom to choose different cloud providers and AI technologies without becoming locked into a single ecosystem, making interoperability more important.

The agreement reflects Oracle's ambition to boost its presence in Australia's mid-market and mid-enterprise segments through the channel.

Rather than relying solely on direct customer engagement, Oracle intends to leverage Ingram Micro's extensive network to reach more companies across the nation.

The relationship will also provide Oracle with access to specialist distributors focused on cybersecurity, data services and AI, giving customers more implementation options.

The agreement complements its existing cloud ecosystem, and provides customers with broader technology choice, said VP and Chief Country Executive, Ingram Micro Australia, Hope McGarry.

"We really believe it strengthens our enterprise cloud ecosystem," McGarry said.

The addition of Oracle's portfolio will expand options across cloud, AI and enterprise infrastructure while integrating with Ingram Micro's specialist technical teams and AI-powered Xvantage platform.

Xvantage is designed to help partners manage cloud services, automate business processes and identify sales opportunities using AI.

McGarry said the combination of Oracle technology with Ingram Micro's services will help address increasingly sophisticated customer requirements.

"Our partners are operating in an extremely complex world right now, trying to solve some very, very complex end user customer challenges," she said.

Those challenges include modernising infrastructure, securing data, managing hybrid environments and accelerating AI deployments beyond proof-of-concept projects.

Greater flexibility has become essential, as many businesses now operate across multiple cloud platforms.

"The Oracle relationship gives our partners access to that broader set of capabilities and allows them to support a wider range of customer needs," McGarry said.

Both firms see the distribution relationship as positioning them for continued growth as AI adoption accelerates.

The pace of technological change means vendors and distributors must be nimble to adapt alongside customers.

"Our two organisations, we have the agility, the flexibility, the specialisation, the skillsets and the technology stacks to be able to evolve with the market," McGarry said.

The long-term opportunity extends beyond AI, with demand ultimately driven by organisations seeking to deliver better customer experiences.

Oracle's strategy combines enterprise applications, data platforms, cloud infrastructure and embedded AI capabilities across its technology stack, providing customers with a foundation for long-term digital transformation.

"We're demanding more and more and more from the organisations that we're dealing with," Bovis said.

As organisations respond to those expectations, Oracle and Ingram Micro see demand for cloud infrastructure, AI capabilities and digital transformation continuing to grow, indicating that the newly announced distribution relationship is a long-term strategic investment, not a short-term quick fix.