As Oracle gets more serious about being a real force in the collaboration software space, it's interesting to take a look at the company's playbook in the area.

With the formal launch of Beehive, Oracle is saying that it is leveraging its database technology to deliver a suite of collaboration applications that all share a common object store. This means that the various modules of the application. For example, the calendar application will be able to automatically update the instant messaging service about what meetings have been booked so the instant messaging service can automatically determine when you are available for online chats. On a higher level, Oracle argues that this level of integration will make it easier to manage the overall environment and make the platform better able to adapt to any workflow or business process.

What's interesting about this is that much of the arguments that Oracle is now using in an attempt to unseat Microsoft SharePoint echo the same contentions that Microsoft use to make about Lotus Notes, which basically came down to how inflexible Notes is and how difficult Notes is to manage.

To IBM's credit, they've made Notes more adaptable to new Web 2.0 technologies in recent years. And now the company is moving to make Lotus Notes available as a service and previewing a set of next generation Notes collaboration applications under the codename BlueHouse. But too much of that work has come long after the bulk of the market shifted over to Microsoft SharePoint.

Whether Oracle can pick up market share at Microsoft's expense remains to seen. What is clear is that with the advent of various Web 2.0 technologies, both Oracle and IBM sense an opportunity to pour some renewed vigor into their longstanding battle with Microsoft over collaboration software.

And given the overall cost of SharePoint and the wave of new collaboration technologies that are coming into the market, more than one IT organization is going to be susceptible to listening to a pitch that combines enhance productivity for their company with an easier, more secure platform for them to manage.