The news that Oracle will acquire Sun Microsystems has lead to some uncertainty at existing Oracle and Sun customersin the IAM and GRC market space. That uncertainty will exist for quite some time, given that the acquisition is not expected to close before the summer of 2009. Until that point of time, both vendors will have to act separately and are not allowed to publish a combined roadmap.

Kuppinger Cole has, as part of its research programme, extensively researched both companies’ offerings and strategies. Until the proposed merger is cleared, and both companies provide a road map, there is no information on what will happen with the identity and access management product portfolio from both companies. Our specific recommendations depend on the specific products being used and their context, and also on whether products are already
deployed, or their purchase is considered.

Overall we expect that Oracle (given that the acquisition will take place) will provide a roadmap which ensures that existing products are either delivered for a foreseeable time frame or a clear migration path is provided. Given the significant overlaps in the IAM and GRC portfolio, there will have to be consolidated products. But especially by focusing on identity and security services, customers can reduce the risks.

Anyhow, given that there is no official roadmap to date, everything in that report is subject to change. It might support you in decision making but there will be some risk of Oracle and Sun deciding other than we would expect today.