Oracle's 12 percent growth in a sagging economy

In a rough and unforgiving economy, Oracle has managed to boost sales by 12 percent in it's first quarter. As many continue to question Oracle's move to purchase Sun Microsystems last year--the fact that hardware sales fell 5 percent to $1 billion only fuels more concern. Oracle's recent growth is attributed to strong corporate demand for software. Oracle’s primary business of selling and maintaining corporate database software is a clear demonstration of strength, but the concerns  are real--whether of a risky venture into hardware or of Oracle's 30% revenues stemming from a shaky Europe.