Are we witnessing the demise of the big “platform?”

Rumor has it Oracle is about to announce another delay in its Fusion platform.

It’s no secret SAP has had problems with NetWeaver and some say was the primary reason behind Shai Agassi leaving the company.

Microsoft made it a point in its announcement this week of its unified communications solutions to say this is not a platform play.

UC has many layers and many companies participating and offering technology for each of those layers, said Gates and his executives.

Take a look at the video interview with Eric Swift, senior director of Microsoft’s unified communications group where he says just that.

Put it all together and we certainly can ask ourselves if the era of the big platform is at an end?

Has the, let’s call it, “unified” architecture theory of high tech run its course?

While the big enterprise software vendors spouted their theories of one company owning the stack and how it would simplify IT infrastructure and how its benefits would create a more competitive company, the enterprise continued to do what it has always done, buy best of breed solutions that it needed to solve a problem.

Figuring out how to integrate it into the rest of the infrastructure came after the fact.

Perhaps SOA was the final nail in the coffin of the platform view of the world. SOA speaks the language of heterogeneity and integration.

Seen in that light, we might even conclude that Oracle’s attempt to buy BEA and SAP’s to buy Business Objects is nothing less than these companies desire to change direction.

They now realize they need to offer the kinds of point solutions that their customers always wanted.

Will Fusion and NetWeaver die a slow death of neglect?

Perhaps they will be postponed and postponed again until customers stop paying attention at which point they will officially be announced as abandoned.

Stay tuned.