Francis Ong, Oracle Philippines managing director, said they have chosen to expand here due to the city's opportunities of growth.
"We saw Davao very quickly picking up. With all the investments coming in, there is a lot of growth," he told business reporters Tuesday in a press conference to launch the expansion at the Marco Polo.
But he said the expansion is also a market-led move with their customers telling them where expansion should be made. He said they are optimistic of the Mindanao market as more companies purchase both database and middleware products.
He said they do not view Davao as a "small opportunity" but a very significant market occupying a big thrust of their Philippine plan. It is a key strategy to their Mindanao strategy, he added.
In his presentation, Ong said the ICT sector is expected to see a rapid expansion starting 2007. He said Davao ranked 15th in 2006 for Global City Competitiveness (GCC) report by a California-based firm.
He said the city’s key industries, like the service and industry sectors, also need world-class technology. He cited that Davao also has a large small and medium business population and emerging businesses.
Ong said they are eyeing target industries such as agriculture, services, industries, information and communication technology and the manufacturing sector.
Oracle announced it has expanded its presence in more than 56 high-growth cities across the Asia-Pacific region.
"We want emerging companies in the high-growth cities of the Philippines to have an unprecedented level of choice in enterprise software to meet their growing information needs," Ong said in a separate statement.
Oracle has recruited and trained partner companies like Technopac, Inc. and Lane Systems, to meet the needs of small to large organizations in all industries.
Ong said with their expansion, customers in Mindanao will benefit from "better on-the-ground support."
The Mindanao Business Council will be working with Oracle in driving mainstream adoption of ICT locally, said Benjamin Garcia of the MinBC's ICT committee.
Oracle announced a comprehensive menu of products and services for organizations of all sizes, needs, and requirements.
Ong said among their large customers also include government agencies and not only business organizations.