Oracle is reportedly developing a line of seven new SaaS products to meet the online competition. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, remember, has scoffed at SaaS as unprofitable although he owns a goodly piece of NetSuite. According to the Wall Street Journal, which claims to have read a company document and talked to unidentified sources saying so, the software would include the widgetry to run sales campaigns and keep track of employees and job applicants as well as a product aimed at the insurance industry. Reuters, which says Oracle has briefed some industry analysts, described the software as HR and CRM. It's unclear when Oracle will let its curlers down about the new software. SaaS revenues are supposed to grow from $8.8 billion last year to $12.4 billion this year according to IDC, and companies spending 25% of their budget on the stuff are supposed to hit 45% in 2010 in search of cost savings.

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