ANTenna Blog -- Hardware & Software

Oracle Senior Vice President Tony Kender tells bMighty what midmarket companies are looking for in today's turbulent economy.

Oracle wanted to tell me about its efforts to address midmarket companies, but I was also interested in what the company's customers were doing to cope with the the macro-economic situation. Tony Kender, senior vice president of Oracle's Global Accelerate Program Office -- which talks to the midmarket -- said it "seems to vary in different parts of the world. Things are a little tougher in North America."

DON'T MISS: Oracle Focuses Vertical Industries As Keys To The Midmarket

It's not that companies aren't buying, Kender said. Oracle is actually growing its sales to midmarket companies through the channel. And "not many segments are talking about growth."

(See The Return Of Optimism... Or Flat Is The New Up.)

It's more that midmarket companies are taking more time to really investigate their purchases - extending the sales cycle. "We see them a little more detail oriented," Kender says. "When things aren't going well, they look at everything."

I also asked Kender if he had any advice for midmarket companies. "I give them the same advice as last year," he said. "But this time they heed it."

"You gotta find industry-based solutions, not just rely on the words of a software vendor. You need to see it... see customers who've done it, in that industry.

"I would be less concerned with the technology. But does the software do what I need to do? Do I have a trusted partner who knows my industry?"