By Ashish Nadkarni and David Reinsel
Like the precedent set by previous Oracle OpenWorld conferences, the 2013 event was bigger, bolder, and brighter. IDC believes that 2009 was a turning point in Oracle's journey to become a full-service infrastructure provider, and that Oracle's efforts to integrate IP from the Sun Microsystems acquisition, while a long trek in the making, are beginning to show results. This was clear from the 2013 event as Oracle progressed in showing itself less about being a database company and more about providing traditional and next-generation infrastructure services. Oracle made it clear during the 2013 OpenWorld that while it is focused on becoming #1 in "Oracle on Oracle," it also has its sights set on becoming #1 in IT infrastructure, including storage. During meetings with IDC analysts, Oracle's EVP of Systems articulated three key strategies for his team, some of which transcend to other business units of Oracle: