Twenty-six years ago, Larry Ellison saw an opportunity other companies missed when he came across a description of a working prototype for a relational database and discovered that no company had committed to commercializing the technology. Ellison and his co-founders, Bob Miner and Ed Oates, realized there was tremendous business potential in the relational database model--but they may not have realized that they would change the face of business computing forever.

Today Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) is still at the head of the pack. Oracle technology can be found in nearly every industry around the world and in the offices of 98 of the Fortune 100 companies. Oracle is the first software company to develop and deploy 100 percent internet-enabled enterprise software across its entire product line: database, business applications, and application development and decision support tools. Oracle is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest independent software company.

Oracle has always been an innovative company. It was one of the first companies to make its business applications available through the internet--today, that idea is pervasive. Now Oracle is committed to making sure that all of its software is designed to work together--the suite approach--and other companies, analysts, and the press are beginning to acknowledge that Oracle is right. What's in store for tomorrow? We will continue to innovate and to lead the industry--while always making sure that we're focused on solving the problems of the customers who rely on our software.