"This deal is a very big step toward completing our vision of becoming the strategic enterprise software vendor of choice," said the Oracle CEO.
"Simply stated, this combination of BEA gets us where we need to be… across the software stack, in more verticals and more regions across the world," he added.
Both companies have ‘numerous’ middleware offerings, but BEA’s line is nonetheless ‘overwhelmingly complementary’ he said.
One of the main attractions of the deal for Ellison was the opportunity to add highly skilled specialised staff. "Middleware requires a highly specialised, technically sophisticated sales force. In a very competitive market, it’s difficult to find that kind of talent."