Oracle is moving to quarter patch update cycle

On January 18, 2005, Oracle will begin releasing patches for Oracle Database, E-Business Suite, Application Server, Oracle Enterprise Manager, and Collaboration Suite on a quarterly cycle. The quarterly patches, which Oracle calls "Critical Patch Updates," will address both security fixes and general software updates. The quarterly cycle is designed to give customers more flexibility in planning software updates. Systems administrators can plan system shutdowns and software installations to fit with business processes, such as quarterly reviews. Oracle says it will deviate from its quarterly cycle if a security company issues a "high-severity security alert," especially if an exploit is found in the wild. The quarterly cycle is also expected to help Oracle develop well-integrated and well-tested patches. Read more.