(courtesy of Google images)

And on this day, ARCS (Account Reconciliation Cloud Service) unveiled itself via a “stealthy release” (to borrow a term from my colleague Joe Aultman). Built on a standalone platform (you don’t have to own HFM), ARCS promises similar features to its on-prem counterpart, Account Reconciliation Manager (<– yes, after several Twitter debates I’ve finally decided on the generic but completely made-up term “on-prem” instead of the lesser used but correct “on-premises” or grammatically incorrect “on-premise”). With its quiet release comes a decent price point and six informational videos to help get you going.

It might seem crazy but Oracle EPM Cloud is moving at the speed of…clouds? Due to the flexible platform and controlled environment, Oracle is able to release new cloud products, patches, and versions quicker than their on-prem counterparts. This fast pace is going to be very obvious this year as we watch each one of Oracle’s remaining, currently known, EPM cloud products makes its debut.

(courtesy of Google images)

If you’re new to Oracle EPM Cloud, welcome to the evolution! You’re now in the fast lane. And you’re also part of the future. Cloud is the future. (The question of if flew out the door years ago. It’s already here.) Cloud, cloud, cloud. This is not a joke, my friends. This is where Oracle EPM (and BI) is going. Update 3/9/16: Last month, Oracle reached an amazing milestone of 1,000 EPM Cloud customers. This is within their first 2 years and only 4 cloud product releases. PBCS is EPM Cloud product leading the charge.

(courtesy of Google images)

If you need a recap of where we are today, below is a handy matrix to help you get caught up. Please note the super important #SafeHarbor watermark which gives Oracle the permission to change any of the unreleased product information at any time. If you haven’t seen an updated Oracle EPM Cloud roadmap slide deck in awhile, check out the presentation given by my buddy Scott Wandel at the most recent NTxHUG meeting on February 19, 2016.

*updated 6/13/2016

What exciting times! So many releases, not enough hours in the day. I guess I’ve got a lot of fun learning and blogging ahead of me…

(courtesy of Google images)